RWNEFE -Chapter 497 Trying Two Cases Together

The men present very much wanted to persuade Wei Dongzhu not to be so angry or impulsive. But the words stuck in their throats.

If their own daughters had such in-laws… they could not even bear to imagine it. Just thinking about it felt like a fire burning in their hearts. They would probably be no calmer than Wei Dongzhu.

Crying began to be heard among the surrounding commoners—women’s crying.

One voice, then another, and soon countless voices.

They were all women. In their husbands’ families, they had always swallowed their grievances in silence. Those who had parents or brothers to support them were somewhat better off; those without such backing could only endure.

Hearing the Regent’s words, they felt deeply understood and began to realize what she meant by “opening a path to survival.”

“Your Highness the Regent is wise!” someone shouted.

Immediately, many voices echoed in agreement.

Ignoring the dark expression on the Assistant Minister of War’s face, Shen Lanxi ordered that the assistant minister’s nephew be brought in.

“Today, I will hold a public trial and return justice to the woman who died unjustly!”

The Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices looked at his younger brother kneeling on the ground, crying uncontrollably. He felt ashamed, but also sorrowful and helpless.

Back then, they had sat together to discuss the matter. If the niece’s case became public, it would certainly affect the marriage prospects of the unmarried girls in their family, and he himself would face difficulties from the Assistant Minister of War. They had agreed on a “solution” that preserved both sides. It was all because that meddlesome maid had caused trouble!

Shen Lanxi turned to Madam Song. “Do you wish to punish the Tian family according to the law?”

Madam Song had rested for a while and regained some strength.

“Yes. However they treated me, I will return it to them in full—no, double.”

Shen Lanxi asked, “What about your children?”

Madam Song gave a cold snort. “Since they have already refused to recognize me and even helped the Tian family try to kill me, I no longer want them. They are not my children—they are wolves.”

“Mother…” Her two children tried to rush forward to beg forgiveness, but the imperial guards drew their blades and blocked them.

“Mother, we were wrong! It was Grandmother and Father—it had nothing to do with us…” The two children wept bitterly as they begged.

Shen Lanxi pronounced judgment: “Tian Chunshan, who instructed his mistress to bring a child to the door, attempted to starve Madam Song to death, and plotted to seize her wealth—he is to be executed immediately.”

“Tian Chunshan’s mother, who knew of the crime and failed to report it, is an accomplice—she is also to be executed immediately.”

“Tian Chunshan’s children, as well as the mistress and her children, are to be exiled to Dongchuan and made slaves to the armored troops.”

Tian Chunshan and his mother were so terrified they lost control of themselves—one struggling wildly, the other howling.

The guards gagged Tian Chunshan’s mother and dragged her aside.

Madam Song spoke again.

“Your Highness, may I ask that their lives be spared?”

Shen Lanxi raised an eyebrow. “You wish to plead for them?”

Madam Song said fiercely, “Death would be too easy for them. I was the one who brought them back from Dongchuan. Now I want them sent back there. So much land there lies uncultivated—I want them to toil there like oxen and horses, contributing to Great Zhou!”

Shen Lanxi was silent for a moment… That actually made sense.

“Very well. I will leave this matter to you to supervise.”

Madam Song gave the Tian family a vicious smile. They felt as if they had fallen into hell—they were finished, truly finished.

Officials from the Court of Judicial Review took the Tian family away, to be dealt with after Madam Song had recovered her health.

“You should go inside and rest as well,” Shen Lanxi said with concern.

Unexpectedly, Madam Song refused.

“Thank you, Your Highness, but I would like to wait a little longer. I want to see how the case of that murdered daughter is judged.”

Shen Lanxi paused. “…Very well.”

Soon, the Assistant Minister of War’s nephew and his family were brought in.

The Vice Minister’s younger brother, trembling with fury, accused them of their crimes.

“My wife and I loved our daughter dearly. We gave most of our property as her dowry. But this family, with wolfish ambition, deceived us in marriage. That villain concealed the fact that he already had several concubines and bedchamber women—even several illegitimate sons and daughters. After my daughter married in, the villain’s mother used her position as mother-in-law to seize her dowry and even tried to register one of the concubines’ sons under my daughter’s name.”

Each sentence seemed to tear at his heart, and he broke down in tears.

Shen Lanxi said, “Despicable—utterly despicable!”

At once, the Assistant Minister of War’s sister darkened her face and shouted in rebuttal:

“Nonsense! He’s lying. His daughter was sickly. After entering our household, she not only failed to serve her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, she couldn’t even serve my son. We pitied her weak health and did not want her to suffer the hardship of childbirth, so we registered a child under her name. It was a perfect solution for both sides. Yet you and your daughter simply failed to appreciate our kindness!”

The commoners were furious at such shameless words. So this was a noble family? Bah!

Even the Assistant Minister of War looked extremely embarrassed. His sister’s family had clearly been in the wrong, yet she still dared to say such things openly. His face turned green with anger.

Shen Lanxi said coldly, “So you admit that before your son married, he already had concubines, bedchamber women, and illegitimate children?”

The sister replied brazenly, “In official families, which household doesn’t have multiple wives and concubines? My son is in his prime. He didn’t go to brothels—so what if he has a few concubines?”

Shameless—truly shameless.

Although many official families did have multiple wives and concubines, before the principal wife entered the household, they would never openly produce illegitimate children and disgrace her like this. She seemed to have the word “shameless” written across her face.

Shen Lanxi asked coldly, “So you admit to marriage fraud?”

The woman immediately denied it. “Our family’s situation was obvious. It was their fault for not investigating clearly.”

The Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was also furious. If the Assistant Minister of War continued to allow his sister to speak nonsense, he would rather resign than endure such bullying.

“You’re lying! Your family deceived us in marriage and murdered my daughter. My wife saw her only a few days before she died—she was perfectly fine. How could she suddenly fall ill?”

“After my daughter died, why didn’t you notify us to see her one last time? You buried her hastily. Clearly, you were guilty!”

Seeing his younger brother accusing them with blood-choked grief, the vice minister felt his heart twist in pain.

It was his fault. Back then, he had wanted to curry favor with the Assistant Minister of War’s family, and so arranged this fatal marriage for his niece. He had wronged his younger brother.

Shen Lanxi asked, “You say your daughter was murdered. Do you have evidence?”

The family truly had no conclusive proof.

Shen Lanxi said, “Then we will exhume the body and conduct an autopsy.”

“No!” the Assistant Minister of War’s sister screamed in protest.

Shen Lanxi looked at her sharply and said, “Record this, Historians. This will be one of the items in the revision of the marriage laws: the natal family of a married woman has the right to question the cause of her death, the right to request exhumation and examination, and, once the truth is established, the right to bring her remains back to her family.”

The Assistant Minister of War’s sister immediately began to wail and make a scene.

“No! She was married into our family. In life she belonged to us, and in death she is our ghost. None of you may touch her!”