strictlysupreme Chapter 99 Suing the Lu Family
Chapter 99 Suing the Lu Family
Suing a daughter-in-law for failing to support her parents-in-law?
Tian Tian frowned. Could it be that someone from the Tian family... really came to report to the authorities?
In the courtroom, Wang Yulan, Tian Zhigao, Wang Xiuying, and others knelt on the ground, their words vehement.
They loudly accused the Lu family of neglecting their parents-in-law and abandoning the elderly couple, Tian Zhongqing and Wang Yulan, which they deemed an outrageous act.
Wang Yulan said indignantly, "The Lu family enjoys my youngest son's stipend without a care in the world, while my husband and I live on their food, clothing, and shelter."
Wang Xiuying continued, "Sir, my parents-in-law are quite old and work very hard to manage the household. We have been very kind to them, providing them with food and clothing and helping them take care of their children."
“Their family wanted to sever all ties, and my parents-in-law thought they didn’t want to be a burden, so they reluctantly agreed. They were still considerate of the orphans and widows, so they didn’t include the obligation to support them in the severance document.”
"Who knew that they did this on purpose. They cried and made a scene to force their in-laws to sever ties with them so that they wouldn't support them."
"Now that they've earned money, they only care about their own spending and don't care about their grandparents at all!"
"My lord, is there any justice left in this world?"
Wang Yulan patted her chest excitedly, "Sir, I am an old man, please uphold justice."
Tian Zhigao also shouted, "Sir, the Lu family is worse than animals! They deliberately deceived my parents into severing ties with them! Now they're turning their backs on us! It's utterly outrageous!"
Li Huaiyuan sat upright in the hall, his eyes slightly narrowed.
When he heard that the Lu family was enjoying their stipends but not supporting their parents-in-law, he was indignant.
But upon closer listening to their words, a sudden doubt arose in my mind.
It feels... somewhat familiar?
The crowd watching the spectacle outside the hall was in a state of excitement, discussing the matter animatedly.
"The Lu family is such an ingrate, they're so stupid."
"This kind of daughter-in-law should be severely punished."
"My family is unfortunate."
Li Huaiyuan raised his hand to stop the commotion outside the hall, his tone calm and steady, "I ask you, since the Lu family does not support their parents-in-law, why does Tian Zhongqing not come to the hall?"
Wang Yulan was taken aback by the question, her eyes flickering for a moment, "This... the old man is kind-hearted and doesn't want to make things difficult for Madam Lu."
Li Huaiyuan smiled and said, "Oh? Tian Zhongqing is kind-hearted and doesn't want to make things difficult for his daughter-in-law, but you, Wang Shi, and your husband's wife are indignant and have filed a lawsuit against the Lu family. So, are you... up to no good?"
Wang Yulan was stunned for a moment.
Li Huaiyuan hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Where is the Lu family?"
Wang Yulan straightened up. "Sir, the Lu family runs a teahouse called Baishi Teahouse in the county. Their business is booming, and they've made a lot of money..."
"But they just don't support their in-laws..."
Baishi Teahouse? The Lu Family?
Madam Lu?!
Li Huaiyuan finally understood why it felt familiar.
He had only heard a brief account of these matters from Madam Lu and Madam Liu last night, but...
Despite the same background, the story takes completely different turns.
Li Huaiyuan did not believe that the Lu and Liu families would distort the truth in yesterday's situation.
Therefore, the only one who can distort the truth is...
These people in front of me!
He waved to the bailiffs and whispered, "Someone, go and bring the second young lady to the court."
Before long, Tian Tian was brought into the hall.
When Wang Yulan and the others saw her, their faces turned pale.
Li Huaiyuan cleared his throat. "Miss Tian, your step-grandmother, step-uncle, and step-aunt... are accusing your mother of deliberately deceiving them into severing ties and failing to support her parents-in-law."
Tian Tian looked up and saw Li Huaiyuan suppressing a laugh, and knew that he trusted them.
"How do you say that?"
Tian Tian turned to look at Wang Yulan and the others.
She sneered, "Wang, you said our family would enjoy the stipend of your third son..."
Although Wang Yulan was hesitant, she still nodded, "Yes!"
“But your third son is thirty-five years old now. He only passed the imperial examination at the age of thirty and has been receiving a stipend for only five years.”
"Before he turned thirty, when there was no stipend, where did your whole family get all the food...?"
Wang Yulan stiffened her neck, "Of course, of course it's my husband and I who work hard in the fields... leaving early and returning late..."
Wang Xiuying added, "And so are we, we're also looking for work everywhere."
"Only your parents remain in the village."
Tian Zhigao: "Yes!"
Tian Tian suppressed her anger. These people really knew how to distort the truth, but unfortunately, their arguments were inconsistent and full of flaws.
“Wang, you just said that you and Tian Zhongqing helped my parents take care of their children. My mother has three children. If you keep helping to take care of the children, how will you have time to farm?”
Wang Yulan: "Of course I carried you to the fields on my back."
"Anyway, your mother is never home; she's always wandering around!"
“My third uncle started studying from a young age. As everyone knows, his tuition fees each year were several taels of silver. He also had to buy books, writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones. Where would his family get so much money?”
Tian Zhigao readily admitted, "It was me and my wife who earned the money. We work all year round without ever stopping."
Wang Yulan and Wang Xiuying nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes."
After asking her question, Tian Tian looked at Li Huaiyuan and said, "Sir, these people are distorting the truth."
“Wang was my father’s stepmother. She married Tian Zhongqing when my father was three years old, bringing Tian Zhigao with her.”
"From then on, my father took on most of the household chores."
“When I was a teenager, I started working in the county.”
“My mother married into the family when she was fifteen, and she worked alongside my father. One of them did manual labor, while the other took care of the household chores and the fields.”
"Before Tian Zhicheng passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, the food, clothing, and lodging of the Tian family, as well as Tian Zhicheng's tuition fees, were all earned by my parents."
"After Tian Zhicheng passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, they sold their family's land and used the money to continue supporting Tian Zhicheng and his other grandsons' education."
“My eldest sister and I have had to take care of the sisters in the family since we were three or five years old.”
“My younger brother, Tian Jinghe, was even beaten by my grandparents until he lost his speech.”
“At the beginning of the year, my father died from overwork, but they falsely accused my mother of being a jinx.”
"My eldest sister was sent home after being divorced, and she had to pay two taels of silver to stay."
“I was sold to a neighboring village for five taels of silver to bring good fortune to my family as soon as I came of age.”
"I couldn't think straight and drowned myself. When I was about to die, instead of trying to save me, they tried to drive us, a widow and her child, out of the river."
"My mother had no choice but to agree to sever ties with my husband."
The crowd outside the hall gasped in astonishment upon hearing Tian Tian's words!
"This family is just too wicked!"
"Could the family that's using this marriage to bring good luck be the Cheng family from Shiqiao Village?"
"What? You know about this?"
"Know!"
"That little girl was indeed sold by her grandparents for five taels of silver."
"But the girl died as soon as she entered the house. The Cheng family sent her back and got the money back."
"So that young lady is Miss Tian Er?"
"His surname is Tian, it should be true."
"They really sold them out, and they still have the nerve to sue them?"
Wang Yulan quickly retorted, "That's a misunderstanding. We didn't know the Cheng family was in that situation."
"The five taels of silver were not for selling oneself; they were a betrothal gift from the Cheng family."
"We were deceived by the Cheng family!"