Chapter 7

In the county office, Qin Xiang, the bailiff, finished his business and hurriedly headed outside, worrying about his nephew, Qin Dewei.

Walking along the way, he didn't see his nephew's figure until he reached the front street of the county office. He then asked a familiar acquaintance, who told him that a handsome young boy had been tugging at Lady Gu, and they had left together.

Qin Xiang was stunned. How could his nephew have hooked up with Lady Gu, a young widow, in such a short time? Could he really be enchanted by her?

That can't be! My nephew is a good, innocent boy. How can he be with a widow ten years older than him? No matter how rich she is, it's not acceptable!

The acquaintance added, "I vaguely heard Lady Gu say to the young boy that it's inconvenient with so many people around, and they should go to her house!"

What? They are afraid of being seen by others and want to go to a more private place? Qin Xiang instinctively shouted, "No!"

He beat his chest, feeling utterly heartbroken. Heaven and earth, I, Qin Xiang, failed to keep an eye on the only heir of the Qin family. I am truly unworthy of my brother and our ancestors. How can I face them after I die!

The acquaintance pursed his lips, secretly criticizing him. Only you, Qin Big Head, treat your nephew like a treasure. Lady Gu is a beauty and a wealthy woman; what kind of strong man can't hook up with her? Why would she really be interested in your nephew?

Qin Dewei, who had temporarily forgotten his uncle, had taken on Lady Gu's legal case and naturally needed to find a place to talk and understand the situation.

Moreover, it was already noon, and it would be better to solve the lunch problem as well, since Lady Gu was rich.

But Lady Gu invited him, "It's not a good place to talk outside. Young Master, would you come to my house to discuss the case in detail?"

Qin Dewei was not very comfortable with the title and replied slightly discontentedly, "I am Qin Dewei. Madam, you can call me Young Master."

"Alright, Young Master Qin," the young widow replied, but it was unclear whether she agreed to change the title or not.

Qin Dewei immediately felt uneasy. This young lady might be more difficult to deal with than he imagined.

When they arrived, Lady Gu had hired a sedan chair and a maid was waiting at the street corner. The young widow got into the sedan chair, and Qin Dewei had to follow on foot.

They arrived at a residence on San Shan Street. Lady Gu entered the inner courtyard first and had the maid lead Qin Dewei to the hall to sit and drink tea.

Qin Dewei didn't idle, carefully observing the reception hall. He indeed found that the furnishings were very simple and even lacked some items, which did not match Lady Gu's wealthy status.

For example, there should have been a pair of plum vases on either side of the main seat, but the left one was missing. The lacquer on the tables and chairs also had many scratches and slight cracks.

Soon, Lady Gu came out and sat with Qin Dewei in the main hall, asking, "What advice do you have for my case, Young Master Qin?"

Qin Dewei put on a confident air, "Your property issue doesn't necessarily require a lawsuit. There are other ways, and I have some questions for you.

For example, why not claim you are mourning your husband? As long as you claim to be mourning, the property will still bear the name of your husband, and it will still be in your hands. You can drag it out and secretly transfer the property. What can the clan members say?"

Lady Gu snorted, "I don't want to mourn my husband, and I absolutely won't pretend to do so for others. Let those who want to mourn do so."

This straightforward answer surprised Qin Dewei. The concept of lifelong chastity was the mainstream value promoted by the authorities. Even if one didn't want to mourn, and even if one actually remarried, one couldn't so easily and directly deny mourning.

Thinking of this, Qin Dewei remembered his classmate Yang Bo and asked, "Another way is to adopt a son from your husband's family."

Lady Gu firmly rejected this idea, "That's absolutely impossible. I want to live for myself and don't need a fake son to deceive myself!"

Qin Dewei became very interested. This seemed to be a spontaneously awakened bourgeois woman under the oppression of feudal order. She seemed to have already broken free from the mental constraints of the Three Bonds and Five Constants and possessed the consciousness of an independent individual.

In the materials he had seen in his previous life, it was said that the folk customs in the Jiangnan region during the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty gradually became more open and the ideas more active. Indeed, this young widow was so unconventional, and people only gossiped a bit.

Qin Dewei suddenly felt great. His actions were like liberating this already awakened bourgeois woman, preventing her from being crushed by the feudal social order.

After all, in the face of the powerful feudal forces, the weak proletariat needed to ally with the bourgeoisie to achieve victory.

Specifically, the bourgeoisie provides the money, and the proletariat provides the effort...

However, Lady Gu was very dissatisfied with Qin Dewei's performance and questioned, "Is that all you have to say, Young Master? I didn't invite you here to hear such clichés."

Qin Dewei calmly replied, "Calm down! If I don't understand your thoughts first, how can I target the problem and provide a solution? Now, take out your original complaint and let me see it!"

Lady Gu took out the old complaint, which had been rejected by the county office, and handed it to Qin Dewei. It included the judge's comments.

The complaint, according to the regulations, was not allowed to be too long, and some were only a few dozen words.

Qin Dewei glanced through it and commented, "Who wrote this complaint? It's a waste of ink and paper to sue the clan members for property disputes."

"This was written by me. What's wrong with it?" Lady Gu was very不服气 (unconvinced), "Isn't it about a property dispute? How else could I sue?"

Qin Dewei looked at her with a pitying gaze, which made the strong-willed young widow a bit angry. This gaze reminded her of how Qin Dewei looked at other lawyers at the county office, as if they were fools.

If he didn't give a reasonable explanation, she would fire him on the spot! She hired a lawyer to help with the lawsuit, not to be shown up!

She couldn't understand how such a poor and ragged young boy could have such a sense of superiority! It was as if he was a deity in a temple, looking down on the human world!

Fortunately, Qin Dewei didn't challenge the client's patience and promptly explained, "Have you heard the saying, 'A fair official finds it hard to resolve family matters'? Your kind of property dispute is the most troublesome case for the officials. Unless there are special interests and benefits involved,

Such cases are often unprofitable and can lead to bad reputations. Why would they bother?

Moreover, even if the case is judged, the plaintiff and defendant are often dissatisfied, leading to further appeals. Don't forget, there are the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate in Nanjing, and appealing is very easy, without even leaving the city!

Therefore, the government's stable approach is to transfer the conflict to the local communities and clans, letting them mediate the disputes. No matter the outcome, it has nothing to do with the government.

Now, do you understand why the county office rejected your complaint? Suing is also a skill, and there are many nuances!"

Qin Dewei spoke confidently, leaving the young widow speechless. Indeed, expertise has its place. After a long pause, the young widow humbly asked, "Then, how should I sue?"

Qin Dewei looked around, "Your clan members have caused a lot of trouble, haven't they? They even made a scene in this hall?"

Lady Gu nodded and said with a bitter smile, "Indeed, my husband's clan members are unreasonable and often come to bully me."

Qin Dewei slapped the table, "That's it! You should sue them for breaking into your house and causing a disturbance, not for property disputes!"

Without waiting for the client to ask, Qin Dewei explained, "Murder, robbery, and rape are the three major crimes in our dynasty's criminal law. If you sue them for these crimes, the county office can't ignore it, or it would be considered dereliction of duty by the county magistrate.

Once the government accepts your case, it will naturally expose their actions of seizing your property, achieving your goal."

Lady Gu asked doubtfully, "But it's hard to prove such serious crimes, isn't it?"

Qin Dewei was unconcerned, "Even if you can't prove it, it's still fine. The fact that they caused trouble is real. You just need to exaggerate it, and it won't be considered false accusation.

Moreover, your goal is to protect your property. If you can't prove the serious crimes, it will still tie up their resources and shift the conflict to them, making them struggle."

As he spoke, Qin Dewei's inspiration sparked, and he rubbed his chin, looking at the young widow with a fierce glint in his eyes, "According to the rules, the more serious the complaint, the better. The more severe the charges, the more the government will take it seriously.

Since we already have the charge of robbery, why not add a more serious one? How about attempted rape? After all, only you know the real situation. Accuse them of intending to rape you! Even if they don't die, they'll be stripped of their skin!"

The young widow's face turned red, feeling very strange. A twelve-year-old boy discussing rape and attempted rape with her so seriously, wasn't he ashamed? Was he intentionally teasing her?

"Never mind, never mind, don't do that." Lady Gu couldn't bear it and repeatedly rejected the suggestion. She didn't have the face for it.

Qin Dewei looked at the young widow in confusion. It was a serious legal discussion, so why was she blushing?

However, since the client disagreed with his suggestion, there was nothing he could do. If he couldn't achieve perfection, it was a bit disappointing.

Qin Dewei still felt unsatisfied. The complaint wasn't strong enough. He looked around again and, seeing the maid, had another idea, "How about adding a charge of assaulting a family member?"

Lady Gu followed Qin Dewei's gaze to the maid and heard him continue, "You beat her up, causing some bruises, and then blame it on the troublemakers. What do you think?"

The maid was terrified, wishing she could grab the nearby plum vase and smash it on the boy's head!

Lady Gu was at a loss, thinking this young lawyer was too obsessed!

But she had to admit that he was indeed professional, and she wondered how a twelve-year-old could know so much.

Qin Dewei still felt unsatisfied. The complaint wasn't strong enough. He looked around again and, seeing the maid, had another idea, "How about adding a charge of assaulting a family member?"

Lady Gu followed Qin Dewei's gaze to the maid and heard him continue, "You beat her up, causing some bruises, and then blame it on the troublemakers. What do you think?"

The maid was terrified, wishing she could grab the nearby plum vase and smash it on the boy's head!

Lady Gu was at a loss, thinking this young lawyer was too obsessed!

But she had to admit that he was indeed professional, and she wondered how a twelve-year-old could know so much.