readytorunbook Chapter 2003: Litigation
Chapter 2003: Litigation
"I am a commoner and I am suing the Qin family in Qiwu for coveting the new bride's dowry and trying to kill her for money." She spoke with tears in her eyes and used all her strength with her slender hands to hit the drum fiercely.
Soon, an official opened the door and brought her in. Chen Changli and Wan Shufang accompanied her in.
In the court, Liu Xiuyun presented the evidence that she had prepared long ago, accusing the Qin family of their evil ambitions. She spoke excitedly, but the county magistrate on the podium just yawned.
With a bored look on his face, he gently flipped through the testimonies.
"You said that the Qin family bullied you, but that's just your one-sided statement. That girl is just your personal maid, so she can't be considered a witness. How can I believe you?"
Before Liu Xiuyun could answer, the county magistrate waved his hand, stood up and prepared to leave.
"Go back quickly. I am kindhearted and will not pursue the charge of false reporting to the police."
Hearing this, Liu Xiuyun was struck by lightning. She stood there in a daze, not knowing how to react. She could only subconsciously look at Wan Shufang and Chen Changli.
The two also realized that the county magistrate was just being perfunctory. Liu Xiuyun was an orphan, and considering the power of the Qin family in Qiwu Town, it was understandable that the county magistrate did not want to offend them.
Thinking of this, Chen Changli's face turned cold, he took out the token, and his voice was as cold as ice: "Is this how the county magistrate handles cases?"
Hearing this, the county magistrate stopped in his tracks, and when he turned around and saw the token in Chen Changli's hand, his eyes suddenly widened. He wiped his eyes, and the gold-plated words on the token made him tremble all over.
"Your Excellency, the Duke!" The county magistrate stepped forward tremblingly. His expression was no longer as casual as at the beginning, but rather showed a hint of seriousness: "I didn't know you were the Duke. I am sorry for being rude. Please forgive me, Your Excellency."
"Oh, you don't have to be polite, County Magistrate. What you should do now is to solve the case carefully." Chen Changli snorted coldly and spoke bluntly, but his power was there, making people intimidated.
The county magistrate nodded repeatedly and sat back in his seat. He didn't want to offend the Qin family, but he didn't dare to offend Chen Changli.
Under the heavy pressure from Chen Changli, the county magistrate began to take the case seriously. He carefully asked Liu Xiuyun about some details, and then ordered the guards to bring the Qin family to the court.
When the old couple of the Qin family saw Liu Xiuyun, their faces turned pale instantly, as if they had seen a ghost, and they hid behind the guards in fear.
"You, you, you...are you a human or a ghost?" Old Master Qin spoke first, his old fingers trembling. This look made the first county magistrate very dissatisfied.
Without waiting for Liu Xiuyun to speak, he coughed and said, "Mr. Qin, Madam Qin, Liu sued the Qin family for swallowing up her dowry and killing her. Is this true?"
Hearing this, the old couple of the Qin family frowned and looked at Liu Xiuyun's rosy face. What was there for them to not understand? The person was not dead at all!
He even bit back at the Qin family.
Thoughts swirled as Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin knelt on the ground, kowtowed and cried out for justice: "Sir, it is unjust. Although my Qin family is not a wealthy family, we know the etiquette and will never kill for money or seek the bride's dowry."
"Yes, sir, our Qin family has never done these things. I don't know what Liu's intention is to frame us."
The old couple spoke righteously and refused to admit the accusations raised by Liu Xiuyun.
Qin Tianci, who was following behind him, was even more indifferent. He just looked at Liu Xiuyun with disgust and said, "Sir, this Liu must have seen that the Qin family was prosperous, so she pretended to be dead to cheat money."
"Tianci, how could you say that to me?"
"Then how do you explain that you died but came back to life and gave birth to a child!" Qin Tianci was merciless and used Liu Xiuyun's suffering as evidence to refute his argument: "Sir, in my opinion, Liu Xiuyun clearly faked her death."
"It is not impossible for a woman like this who is used to lying to frame the Qin family. Please arrest her and punish her to clear the Qin family's name." Qin Tianci took the initiative to ask, and other members of the Qin family also knelt on the ground, echoing what he said.
In the court, members of the Qin family knelt in a large crowd.
Liu Xiuyun was speechless and panicked for a moment. She didn't know why she didn't die, but she was definitely not dead.
In addition, the evidence she provided was incomplete. The county magistrate looked at Chen Changli in embarrassment. When he saw the other party nod, he breathed a sigh of relief and patted the table.
"quiet!"
"There is insufficient evidence in this case, and you both insist on your own opinions, so let's postpone the trial. Liu, you can go find more evidence, and the same goes for the Qin family. Let's all go our separate ways."
At the county magistrate's order, no matter how dissatisfied the Qin family was, they dared not say anything. Instead, their eyes were vicious, like poisonous needles, and they wished they could nail Liu Xiuyun to death on the spot.
Chen Changli and Wan Shufang protected Liu Xiuyun, whose legs were weak, and left. After returning to the inn, they began to discuss countermeasures.
For several days, Chen Changli and Wan Shufang helped Liu Xiuyun find evidence and visited neighbors with her to look for witnesses.
Looking at the two people who accompanied her everywhere, Liu Xiuyun couldn't help crying and knelt down solemnly in front of Wan Shufang: "Madam, Sir, I... I really don't know how to thank you..."
She suddenly knelt down, which scared Wan Shufang, and she subconsciously helped her up.
Hearing the meaning behind her words, Wan Shufang reached out her hand to wipe her tears: "Don't cry, it's important to do business now. When we find the evidence and get the dowry back, if you really want to thank me, just give me some money."
Wan Shufang acted like she loved money, which made Liu Xiuyun burst into laughter and nod repeatedly.
"Of course, Madam, you can take it all."
"I'm not that bad." Wan Shufang helped Liu Xiuyun up. Fearing that she would cry again, she quickly changed the subject: "Hurry up, there are still several families that we haven't visited today."
After that, the few of them didn't delay any longer, quickened their pace, and visited their neighbors one by one.
Naturally, this big move could not be hidden from the Qin family, and everyone was extremely anxious.
"Master, please think of a solution quickly. We can't let them find evidence to deal with the Qin family, right?"
"Don't worry, we still need to plan this matter carefully..."
"How could I not be anxious? Who knew that Liu was alive again?" Old Madam Qin curled her lips. The situation was urgent and she was so anxious that a big blister appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"What's the use of being anxious? The Duke and his wife are here, and we can't kill you, Liu Xiuyun." Old Master Qin snorted. He didn't expect that Chen Changli and Wan Shufang would stand on Liu Xiuyun's side.
After thinking for a moment, he sighed, "We must stabilize them first and not offend the Duke."
"We can't return the money, as we have already spent all of Liu's dowry."
Hearing this, Mr. Qin was so angry that he blew his beard and glared: "Who told you to use other people's dowry?"
Seeing that Mr. Qin was angry, the old lady grumbled, saying that it was obviously used by the whole family, but now she was the only one being blamed.
"Father, now is not the time to pursue the matter." Qin Tianci tried to negotiate, and the old man also knew the seriousness of the matter and did not say anything more.