The playboy county magistrate

"But what are your orders, Magistrate?"

Uncle Wang gave a soft "hmm," and said, "Someone went to the yamen to report a case and plead for justice. The magistrate thinks you have high prestige and know a bit about the situation of the people in the neighborhood, so he asked you to come to the yamen. The magistrate can also learn more about the situation. Don't waste time, hurry up and go. I still need to summon the defendant to the yamen."

Upon hearing this, the village head felt it inappropriate to continue asking Uncle Wang so many questions.

In addition, the village head was very familiar with the people living nearby, and he could guess without much thought who would report the case to the yamen.

But this is for the best. Now that the matter has gone through the government channels, there should be fewer troubles in the future.

"Your Excellency, Magistrate."

The village headman stopped at the entrance of the courthouse and did not continue walking.

Although the Fuyu County government office had not been open to the public for thirty years, the village head still knew how to behave properly and follow the rules.

Unlike other places, one cannot simply barge into a courtroom without being summoned.

Although the courtroom was now very quiet, with only the county magistrate and Madam Qian present.

"Step forward and answer."

Li Xuanzhi knew that handling cases required seriousness, so he naturally wouldn't show the amiable demeanor he had displayed in private recently when speaking to him.

The village headman quickly agreed and knelt down not far from Qian Sunshi.

Li Xuanzhi was thoroughly fed up with this tedious ritual of having to kneel and kowtow at the drop of a hat.

Who would willingly have an older person kneeling and kowtowing to them?

No matter how dissatisfied he was, he couldn't let the two of them get up.

There's no way around it; there are only three types of people who don't have to kneel before the county magistrate—

The first type is scholars who have achieved the rank of Xiucai or Juren.

The second category is paralyzed or disabled people who have difficulty moving around.

The third type is pregnant women with large bellies, whose bellies are so big that you can't see their toes.

The village headman doesn't belong to any category, so he can only obediently kneel.

"Don't be nervous, village head. I just want to ask you some questions. Just answer truthfully."

The village headman immediately nodded, but before he could speak, he saw Uncle Wang, along with the two constables who had successfully reunited and County Magistrate Cao, return with the defendant's family.

"You damned, cursed widow, how dare you cause trouble in court! I should have been more ruthless back then and never let you in! If my son hadn't married you, he'd definitely still be alive and well! It's all your fault, you troublemaker, insisting on eating that cloud cake!"

"If you weren't greedy, would my son have left the city? Would he have encountered danger and never returned? Now that you've killed my son, are you going to force this old woman to her death too? How can there be a daughter-in-law like you in this world! Heaven, open your eyes and look! Send down lightning to strike this vile woman dead!"

Li Xuanzhi frowned deeply, and the gavel snapped with a sharp crack, silencing the entire court instantly.

Looking at the old woman who was wailing incessantly, her son and daughter-in-law followed behind her, not one of them had any intention of stopping her, and they were not even out of breath.

This kind of cooperation was probably not the first time they'd used it. Just seeing their matter-of-fact and habitual manner infuriated Li Xuanzhi.

"This is the courtroom, not your doorstep or your bedroom! You'd better keep your mouth shut until I tell you to! Otherwise, I'll immediately charge you with contempt of court!"

Li Xuanzhi was an extremely kind person. Whenever he encountered any commoner, he would greet them with a smile and a nod.

Her display of power in court has greatly frightened Qian Sunshi's mother-in-law.

Seeing that Magistrate Cao had also returned, Li Xuanzhi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

A case needs evidence to be adjudicated, and some evidence can be kept on a backup in the government office.

And here we are! Li Xuanzhi is now using County Magistrate Cao.

"Old Cao, go and find the household registration records of Qian Sunshi's family and everyone else in the hall."

Qian Sunshi panicked instantly, her heart skipped a beat.

When they divided their property, they didn't even have a deed. The village headman wanted to come and witness the division, but they were scolded and driven away.

According to the household registration, Qian Sunshi is a member of the Qian family. The law stipulates that for widowed women without adult males in the household, the husband's family must be responsible for all expenses of the widow and her orphan.

The matter will not be considered closed unless the woman returns to her parents' home to choose another husband.

If the family splits up, their household registrations will also be separated. However, the family genealogy will be kept and passed down by the elders of the clan, so it won't affect anything.

After all, once the family splits up, they become an independent household. Whether it's taxes, work-for-relief programs, or conscription, the amount is determined by the number of people in each household.

Without following the proper procedures for dividing the family property, and without filing a record with the authorities, they are not in the right no matter where they go.

To put it mildly, it's a matter of moral depravity; a beating and some money to teach him a lesson would be enough.

To put it bluntly, this constitutes malicious tax evasion or disregard for government authority, blatantly placing oneself above the law. The sentence can be severe or minor; while it may not necessarily result in death, it's normal to forcibly take the person away and make up for the time spent on forced labor.

Who among the people of Fuyu County doesn't know that this magistrate in front of them saved the life of the widow's eldest son?

The other child is still lying in bed recovering from their injury and can't walk.

If it's truly proven that they deliberately abused a widow and her children, and then forcibly seized their land and houses...

Qian Sunshi's mother-in-law shuddered violently, and now she dared not point fingers or spit everywhere in front of Li Xuanzhi.

The speed at which he changed his expression was the fastest Li Xuanzhi had ever seen.

"My dear child, I'm not trying to kick you out. I just feel it's too cramped for the three of you to be crammed into the same small room. I'm just asking your older brother and sister-in-law to prepare a spacious and bright room for you, and to help you move. Why are you misunderstanding?"

Li Xuanzhi knew very well what was going on.

move place?

If they truly had good intentions, they wouldn't have dragged this out until now.

As for the matter of moving houses, Li Xuanzhi quickly guessed the reason.

The houses that were washed away were all rebuilt on the original foundations; strictly speaking, they were new houses.

These days, who wouldn't want to live in a new house instead of an old house that's drafty on all sides?

Li Xuanzhi didn't say a word at all, and just waited quietly for Magistrate Cao to bring over the household registration information.

The village head was even more annoyed with this family now; there wasn't a single one of them who was easy to deal with!

"The magistrate is presiding over a case, and you are the defendants. You must abide by court order no matter what. Who do you all think you are, daring to stand there and shout?"

Reminded by the village head, the group quickly knelt in a row behind Qian Sunshi, not daring to raise their heads.

County Magistrate Cao was quick, and given that Fuyu County didn't have a large population, the household registration information was quickly turned to the Qian family's page and laid out in front of Li Xuanzhi.

"Your Excellency, please take a look."