Chapter 27

As the status paper was read out, Zhou Zhixian's face showed no sign of joy or anger. He then asked Xie Zongjia, who was standing below, "Where is your daughter?"

Xie Zongjia lowered his head and replied, "She is waiting outside the yamen, beaten by her father-in-law and husband, both physically and mentally injured, and unwilling to see anyone."

"Bring her in for an examination."

Soon, the woman was brought in, and it was evident that her right cheek was bruised, which stirred the crowd.

"They are all born of parents; even a daughter-in-law who has entered the family is still someone else's beloved child!"

"I also have a witness, a neighbor!" Xie Zongjia's confidence grew.

The witness was indeed from Hongshan Village, a woman who had married into Hongshan Village from Miaofeng Village, and was indeed a neighbor. She then detailed how Lin Gaozhu, the elder, had been harsh to his daughter-in-law.

After listening, Zhou Zhixian put the status paper aside and asked Xie Zongjia, "What are your demands regarding your daughter being beaten?"

Xie Zongjia replied, "I request that the elders rule that the two should be separated, and the Lin family should return my daughter's five acres of dowry land. Additionally, Lin Gaozhu should be punished for beating my daughter and stripped of his official position and imprisoned."

Zhou Zhixian nodded and said, "This is not too much to ask."

Zhou Zhixian then turned to Lin Yanchao and said, "According to the Great Ming Code, if a father-in-law or husband beats his wife to the point of injury, it is a case of 'righteous severance.' I can forcibly rule that the couple be divorced and hold the husband's family accountable. Do you have any objections?"

Lin Yanchao understood that, according to Confucian law, just as a son cannot sue his father, a wife cannot sue her husband. However, if the husband's family is truly excessive, the government can intervene and rule for a divorce. If a couple should be divorced but is not, they can be punished with eighty strokes of the cane!

Lin Yanchao also understood that the key to winning this case over the division of property was whether it was ruled as 'seven out' (a traditional reason for divorce) or 'righteous severance.' If it was ruled as 'righteous severance,' the woman could get the five acres of dowry land, and Lin Gaozhu would be punished. If it was ruled as 'seven out,' the woman would get nothing.

At this point, Zhou Zhixian could have closed the case, but he did not. He was not biased towards the Lin family; he just wanted to see how capable Lin Yanchao was.

Lin Yanchao showed no signs of panic but did not speak in defense.

Zhou Zhixian said, "Since you do not speak, I will assume you are at a loss for words. If you confess for your grandfather, I can be lenient in my judgment."

Lin Yanchao replied, "To the elders, although my grandfather has expelled the woman from our family, he is still my elder. If I speak frankly in court, it would be disrespectful to my elder, but if I do not speak, it would be unfilial to my grandfather."

Lin Yanchao's words circled back to the concept of filial piety. Xie Zongjia understood and inwardly admired his skill. The onlookers also found Lin Yanchao's reasoning logical, thinking that this young man was protecting the family's dignity, while the woman was overstepping her bounds as a daughter-in-law.

Slap!

Zhou Zhixian slammed the gavel and said, "I am lenient with you as a child, but if you cannot take responsibility, what are you doing here? Let your grandfather come and confess."

"Your Excellency, you are truly a just official!" Xie Zongjia knelt down, speaking from the heart.

Lin Yanchao thought that this magistrate was not easy to deceive. He had to temporarily 'yield' and said, "To the elders, I know I was wrong. However, I have one question. As the neighbors testified, when my grandfather expelled the woman from our home, he slapped her, correct?"

The woman who testified replied, "Yes, I saw it with my own eyes."

"Then the bruise on the woman's face is indeed from my grandfather?"

"Yes, all the neighbors can testify."

Lin Yanchao said, "But it has been almost a month since my grandfather hit her. How could the bruise still be there? Has my grandfather practiced iron palm?"

Pfft! The clerk, who was drinking tea, spat out half a mouthful. Seeing Zhou Zhixian's displeased glance, he swallowed the rest.

The onlookers burst into laughter.

"It's a long-standing injury. I heard your grandfather beat the woman every four or five days," the woman insisted.

"Is it every four or five days?"

"Sometimes six or seven days, or two or three days. I heard it with my own ears," the woman quickly corrected herself.

Lin Yanchao turned to Zhou Zhixian and said, "Elders, allow me to explain. My grandfather works at the express post office and only returns home twice a month. If he were to return more often, it would be considered dereliction of duty. How can it be every two or three days, four or five days, or six or seven days?"

Ha! The onlookers burst into laughter again.

"I must have heard wrong. It could have been her husband beating her, but I mistook it for my grandfather."

Lin Yanchao looked at the woman and said coldly, "It's like a cow eating grass on the roof, the wind blowing a thousand-pound stone, and a scoundrel making false accusations. I will ask you one more time, was it your grandfather or her husband who beat her?"

The woman stammered, "It could have been my grandfather, or her husband, or both."

The witness was flustered, and Xie Zongjia was also anxious. He stepped forward and said, "Elders, no matter what, Lin Gaozhu did beat my daughter. This alone is enough to rule for 'righteous severance.'"

Lin Yanchao calmly said, "Xie Zongjia, why are you so eager to argue? The more you do, the more it shows your lack of reason. To be honest, my family has treated your daughter well. Otherwise, why would you hire the best lawyer in the provincial capital to write such a flowery complaint?"

At this, Zhou Zhixian frowned, as lawyers were generally not well-regarded by the government.

Lin Yanchao continued, "You claim these baseless accusations. If my family had not treated your daughter well, why would she harm herself? If my family had not treated your daughter well, why would you find a woman who speaks incoherently to give false testimony?"

"The more you meticulously arrange these things, the more it shows your lack of confidence. You think you can deceive us with your underhanded methods, but the elders are known for their justice. How can you deceive him?"

"Nonsense, pure nonsense," Xie Zongjia said, angry and embarrassed.

"Are you saying that the elders are known for their justice, and this is nonsense? Xie Zongjia, I didn't expect you to be so bold," Lin Yanchao mocked.

The onlookers burst into laughter again, enjoying the clever young man and the rare sight of such a case.

"You... you little brat, how dare you..." Xie Zongjia gritted his teeth.

"Xie Lichang, if you continue, I will consider it contempt of court," Zhou Zhixian said, calmly sipping his tea.

"I dare not," Xie Zongjia said, sweating profusely, and returned to his place.

"Lin Yanchao, you have a way with words, but don't think that by flattering me, I will believe you. What is the reason for your family's claim that the woman has committed 'seven out'?"

What a stubborn magistrate, Lin Yanchao thought. However, no matter how Zhou Zhixian felt, he was confident he would win the case.

Lin Yanchao approached the woman and asked, "Since the court has not yet made a decision, you are still my aunt. I have a few questions for you."

The woman cursed, "Who are you to ask me? Do I have to answer?"

Lin Yanchao turned around and said, "Elders, the aunt refuses to answer."

"The woman, Lin Xie, must answer," Zhou Zhixian said.

The woman gritted her teeth and said, "Fine. I will answer."

Lin Yanchao looked at the woman and asked, "Aunt, in the past five or six years, have you ever cooked breakfast for our family?"

The woman was a heavy sleeper and unwilling to get up early. Lin Qianqian had always cooked breakfast for the family. The woman said, "No, I cooked every meal. The complaint states that by noon, lunch was already late."

"Aunt, in the past five or six years, have you ever washed clothes for my grandfather or my third uncle?" The woman said, "Of course, I even washed your diapers when you were a child."

"Our family has mulberry fields for silkworms. Have you ever woven any silk for the family?" The woman sneered, "I didn't raise silkworms, so what are you going to eat?"

"Aunt, three years ago, when you had malaria, who carried you through the night, traveling ten miles to the provincial capital to seek medical help? Wasn't it the man you claim beat you?"

The woman looked up. When she was being accused, she had tried to argue, but when this was mentioned, she showed a look of guilt. It was clear that she still had some affection for her husband. Emotion was more powerful than reason in moving people.

Since the woman did not deny it, the rest was easier.

Lin Yanchao then detailed how his uncle had treated the woman, emphasizing his good qualities. It was not difficult, as his uncle, though somewhat lazy, was a good family man. By the end, the woman was speechless, her eyes red, and tears streaming down her face. Xie Zongjia was anxious.

Finally, Lin Yanchao said, "Elders, I have asked my questions. How you rule is up to you."

The onlookers now understood the situation and pointed at the woman. Xie Zongjia lowered his head, looking dejected.

Zhou Zhixian wrote the judgment: "The dowry land shall be returned to the husband's family, and the Xie family shall not have any further claims. The costs of this lawsuit shall be borne by the Xie family. A woman should obey her father at home, her husband after marriage, and her son in widowhood, maintaining the proper order of the three bonds and five relationships..."

"Finished, now I get nothing, and the Lin family will ride on my head and urinate," Xie Zongjia stumbled, almost falling.

"Wow!" The woman burst into tears and rushed out of the court. The bailiffs, experienced in such situations, quickly moved to stop her, as they had seen many women in similar situations resort to self-harm in desperation.

Before Zhou Zhixian finished writing the judgment, the woman rushed out and knelt before Lin Gaozhu and her husband, crying, "Father, I was wrong, husband, I was wrong, I was wrong in the past."

"I said I wanted a divorce, but I just wanted you to give in a little."

"I don't want a divorce, I want to go home, I want to go home! I want to go home!"

This... This... Lin Yanchao was also stunned. He hadn't expected this turn of events. Could his final questioning have triggered a change of heart in the woman?

The onlookers, being热心肠 (warm-hearted), were encouraging the reconciliation, believing in the principle that it's better to keep a marriage together than to break it.

The woman cried out in public, and her husband, being the most soft-hearted person in the Lin family, broke down and knelt, hugging the woman. They both cried, "Wife, we won't divorce, we won't divorce. We will go home and live together. Our son has been crying and calling for you. Your Excellency, we won't divorce, we won't divorce!"

The woman cried, "Husband, I will listen to you, listen to you!"

Seeing the situation developing in a different direction, Lin Gaozhu spoke up, "My son has agreed to let you back into our home, but I haven't! Do you think you can come and go as you please from the Lin family?"

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