allonlinenovel Chapter 346 Helping the Woman and the Divorce
Chapter 346 Helping the Woman and the Divorce
The officer said impatiently, "Shut up, all of you. You can't be silenced even in front of the officers. I told you to tell the truth, but you're just making excuses. Do you think we won't arrest you and take you back to the yamen?"
The man immediately cowered like a quail, trying to continue making excuses for himself.
The woman, supported by Liu Cai'er and Lin Xiaotang, turned around with difficulty, gesturing for Lin Xiaotang and Liu Cai'er to let go of her.
She knelt on the ground, swaying, and kowtowed twice to the soldiers.
"My lords, he's lying. He is indeed my husband, but everything he says about me is a lie. He's a good-for-nothing who spends his days walking dogs and fighting cocks and does nothing productive. In the last two years, he's also become addicted to gambling. At first, it was just small betting, but it got bigger and bigger. He even mortgaged our house to the gambling den. The people from the gambling den have come several times to kick us out. Now we're penniless. Where can we find a place to live if we move out?"
Today, I don't know where he got the money again, but he lost it all at the gambling den, and that's why he took his anger out on me, a poor woman. Luckily, some kind people in the market saved me, otherwise he would have beaten me to death. Sirs, I beg you to have mercy and arrest him and put him in jail to be disciplined. He lost all his money gambling, and he's already sold off all the valuables in his house. There's nothing left to sell, and now he's going to sell his wife. I'd rather die than be sold by him."
The man's eyes lit up, and he whispered, "That's right, who says there's nothing to buy at home? We can sell our wives! Although she's useless, she's still young and can have children. Surely someone will be willing to buy her, and that'll bring in the money!"
Maybe the next boss will have better luck and be able to break even and turn things around immediately.
a ha ha ha……
"Ow..."
The man screamed as the soldier's sword swung him back to his knees, forcing him to kneel again.
He screamed in pain and asked, "Sir, why are you beating me like this? You mustn't be misled by this vile woman. What she said is all lies, it's all fabricated."
"Your wife has already testified against you in the street, and you're still trying to deny it like this? You deserve to be beaten!"
When the woman saw that the soldiers were also on her side, her eyes immediately reddened and she burst into tears.
Her husband often beat her when he lost money gambling, and her elderly in-laws didn't help her. She had long been fed up with this kind of life and didn't want to end up being pawned by her husband.
So she quickly kowtowed several more times, crying, "My lord, I beg you to have mercy and help me divorce my husband. I don't want to be beaten anymore. I am just a mortal. I am afraid of dying. I am even more afraid of being pawned and humiliated by him. If I cannot divorce him today, I will have no choice but to die."
When the man heard that his wife wanted a divorce, he immediately jumped up.
"Fine, you bitch, you actually want a divorce? I bet you've been thinking about this for a long time. Did you already find someone else behind my back? Tell me, who's that other guy? I'll grant your wish!"
If he finds out which slut is having an affair with some wild man, he'll definitely kill that adulterous woman!
The woman cried and retorted, "You're talking nonsense! We've been married for so many years, and you're assuming such things about me? I serve your elders, manage the household chores, raise the children, and rarely go out. Yet you slander me like this! If you hadn't often beaten me to death after losing money gambling, how could I have the heart to decide to divorce you? It's clearly your own fault, yet you're turning around and accusing me. How can you be worthy of being a human being?"
Lin Xiaotang thought to herself that once a man becomes addicted to gambling, it is very difficult for him to quit. He loses nine out of ten times, but he always dreams of turning the tables. This woman's decision to divorce is a timely way to cut her losses. Otherwise, if she really pawned herself to someone else, she would be finished.
She bowed politely to the officers and soldiers and said, “Sirs, I am willing to testify for this woman. Her husband beat her in the street, and he did so with deadly force. He also cursed her while beating her and blamed her for losing money gambling. Everyone heard it.”
The women and girls watching chimed in, “Yes, everyone heard it. It happened. He was hitting his wife and angrily scolding her, saying that it was because she had such a long face that he lost money gambling.”
A soldier glared at the man and angrily rebuked him, "You lost your money gambling and now you're blaming your wife? Are you even human? Since your wife wants a divorce, then you should agree to it and write a divorce agreement."
When the man heard that he was to write a divorce agreement, he immediately refused.
"Sir, this is not right! This is a matter between my husband and me. Why should you listen to her and make me write a divorce agreement? There is no law that allows people to write a divorce agreement. I will not write it!"
"Guards! He committed a violent act in the street, beating his wife. Take him to jail!"
He snorted coldly. If they don't want a divorce, then let them go to jail for a few days. If they can't stand it, they'll naturally obey.
The man panicked when he heard that he was going to be taken to jail.
"My lord, I haven't broken any laws, so why are you throwing me into jail? There's no law in our country that allows couples to divorce. This is so unreasonable!"
The officer in charge, his face grim and somewhat impatient, said, "There is no law in the imperial court that stipulates breaking up couples for divorce, but you committed violence in the street, beating someone to death. Putting you in jail is already lenient. If you don't behave, we'll torture you!"
In fact, these soldiers were just trying to scare the man. After all, the imperial court didn't actually have such a law. If they used their power to oppress the people and this matter got out, not only would they be in trouble, but Lord Yang would also be implicated.
This man is clearly a coward who fears death. If we can intimidate him and force him to divorce his wife, she will be free from his burden.
If he is cunning and unwilling, they really have no other choice. They can stop a man from beating his wife in the street, but if he beats her behind closed doors, who can save him?
There are many pitiful people in this world. Even though they wear military uniforms, there are times when they are powerless to help.
Lin Xiaotang immediately realized that the soldiers were just trying to scare the man. As the saying goes, even an upright official can't settle family disputes. If the man insists on not divorcing, no one can always interfere in their marital affairs, no matter how he treats his wife.
You can only help them temporarily, not forever!
If a man agrees to divorce his wife, he will be breaking the law and will be arrested by the authorities if he dares to make things difficult for her again, no matter when or where.
She immediately chimed in, “Yes, sir, arrest him quickly! He not only beat his wife in the street, but he also tried to hit me with a stick. I’m just a frail little girl; if he really hit me with his stick, I’m afraid he’ll break my bones. Sir, I’m so scared.”
Upon hearing this, the man immediately became enraged and shouted at them.
"You little brat, you're really asking for a beating, daring to talk about me like that. If I really get arrested and taken to the authorities, you'll be the first one I won't let off the hook when I get out."
Lin Xiaotang immediately looked like a frightened rabbit, pleading, "Sir, you dared to insult me and said you wouldn't let me off the hook. If I accidentally run into you in the future, will you kill me?"
The man then realized that this brat had done it on purpose, deliberately provoking him to speak agitatedly and vulgarly in front of the soldiers.
Damn it, whose family gave birth to such a clever little devil, who's here to bring him bad luck!
He shouted angrily, "You brat, you were so brave just now, inciting the crowd to hit me with vegetable leaves. You were clearly very bold, but you pretended to be cowardly in front of the officers. You really are..."
"shut up!"
The officers interrupted the man, giving him a cold, sidelong glance.
"Don't delay. You only have two options: either agree to divorce your wife and write a divorce agreement, or come back to the county government with us. It's up to you!"
The man hesitated, feeling extremely flustered and afraid.
He did indeed beat his wife in the street, and she must have been seriously injured. After all, he was the one who did it, so he knew what he was doing.
Magistrate Yang is the most just and upright official, and he hates evil as much as he hates it. If he were really sentenced to dozens of lashes, how could he bear it?
He's still hoping to make some money and turn his life around at the gambling den!
Forget it, forget it. This unlucky thing, always sighing and crying, is really annoying. Maybe every time he has bad luck, it's because of this woman's bad luck.
Once the divorce is finalized, his luck will definitely improve, he'll turn things around immediately, earn back his money, and finally get his revenge!
He hardened his heart, made up his mind, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Divorce? I agree to a divorce!"
Everyone was secretly delighted and breathed a sigh of relief.
If the couple can successfully divorce this time, the woman will be free from the clutches of her husband and will no longer have to suffer his beatings or bear his gambling debts.
Seeing that the man had agreed to a divorce, the officers and soldiers immediately seized the opportunity and borrowed pen, ink, paper, and inkstone from a nearby stall owner who wrote letters for people, so that the man could write a divorce agreement.
"Hey, here's paper and pen, get writing!"
The man immediately put on a sour face and said, "Sir, I am not very literate and really cannot write."
What the hell?
One of the soldiers said incredulously, "You can gamble but can't write a divorce agreement? Are you deliberately trying to fool us and drag this out?"
The man quickly waved his hands and explained, "No, no, no... no, sir, you misunderstand. This humble man really doesn't know many words. There's no need to write anything when gambling, you just need to see who's the biggest or smallest. Besides, the silver is easy to count..."
His voice trailed off, and seeing the menacing glares in the soldiers' eyes, his heart trembled as he said, "Sir, you are literate, why don't you write it down for this humble subject?"
The officers and soldiers certainly couldn't write divorce papers for the men, since it was illegal, and if it got out, they would be in big trouble.
Although they meant well in helping the lady escape her misery, they could not abuse their power.
So the officers asked, "Among those present, is there anyone literate who would be willing to help this estranged couple write a divorce agreement and help them regain their freedom?"
The gentleman who was conveying the letter wanted to step forward and help others, but he took one step and immediately withdrew.
After all, he was just a poor scholar with no official position or background. If he really helped the couple write a divorce agreement, this man would definitely be a gambling addict. What if he came to cause trouble for them in the future because he was unhappy with his life?
After all, this man is a ruthless scoundrel who can kill his wife; who knows how he would treat others?
Most of the people present had this mentality: they were afraid of getting into trouble and getting into trouble, so they dared not stand up.
Those women were either illiterate or too timid to step forward. After all, when they smashed the vegetable leaves, everyone did it together, and the man couldn't tell who did it. The law doesn't punish the masses. But now it's different. If anyone helps the man write the divorce papers, it will definitely be a big problem if he gets angry later.
Seeing that no one dared to step forward, the man was secretly delighted. He thought to himself, "So what if I agree to a divorce? The soldiers won't dare to write it down, and these onlookers won't dare to write it down either. In the end, won't my wife still obediently go home with me and let me beat and scold her?"
Ha ha……
Lin Xiaotang said, "I'll write it!"
Everyone was shocked, wondering if a young girl like her could write a divorce agreement before stepping forward.
Lin Xiaotang took the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from the soldiers. Liu quickly stepped forward to help her daughter grind the ink. Fortunately, since her business had grown bigger and bigger, her daughter often kept accounts, and Liu would occasionally help her grind the ink, which was how she was able to help.
Lin Xiaotang dipped her pen in ink and began to write quickly, soon finishing a divorce agreement.
Although the handwriting isn't top-notch, it's quite good for a little girl who's only a few years old.
The officers and soldiers were worried that the content written by a young girl might not be accurate, so they immediately took it and checked it. After seeing the content, they all looked at Lin Xiaotang with admiration.
Unexpectedly, this little girl is really amazing. Last time when Pan framed Lin's pig trotter shop, she was unusually calm and performed amazingly. I never expected that she could write this divorce agreement so flawlessly. She is truly extraordinary at such a young age.
The officers said, "There's no problem with the divorce agreement. If you both agree to the divorce, then each of you should put your fingerprints on it."
The woman was so excited that she was trembling all over and so nervous that she could hardly speak.
She never imagined that she could actually get a divorce and never have to suffer her husband's beatings again. It was more unreal than a dream!
Liu Cai'er helped the woman up and reminded her, "Quickly, put your fingerprints on it, and you'll be divorced. You'll be free from this burden."
The woman realized what was happening, looked around, and found no inkpad. She quickly dabbed some blood from her bleeding wound and pressed it onto the divorce papers.
Unlike his wife who had been beaten, the man had no wounds and therefore no blood. So, shamelessly, he darted over to his wife, quickly smeared some blood from her body onto his hands, and pressed his fingerprint onto the divorce papers.
The woman was so frightened by her husband that she shrank back and kept backing away. She thought her husband was going to hit her again. But after she saw what her husband was doing, she realized that she had misunderstood him.
He stood close to Liu Cai'er, his whole body tense, wanting to stay far away from his husband.
Liu Cai'er smiled and said, "Quickly, he has pressed his fingerprint on it. Take the divorce papers and put them away carefully. From now on, you will be free, and no one will be able to beat or scold you at will."
The woman hurriedly took the divorce papers from the soldiers. Although she was illiterate, she held them in her hands as if they were rare treasures. She glanced at her husband, then quickly tucked them into her bosom, afraid that her cunning husband would snatch them away.