Chapter 122: Bing Wengu Presides Over the Case, Divorce

Chapter 122: Bing Wengu Presides Over the Case – Separation

Zhang Fugui shook with fury, while Zhang Sanlang cast a sidelong glance at the mother and son. "What wife and kid don’t get hit now and then? Give it a rest."

Lv Shi added, "The fields still need harvesting. You’ve done nothing for this family all year, and we saved it just for you."

Zhang Fugui couldn’t hold back any longer. He tugged at Han Shi’s sleeve and said, "Ma, you should leave him."

The word "separation" caught Lv Shi and Zhang Sanlang off guard. When it finally registered, their eyes widened in shock.

Lv Shi turned to Zhang Sanlang. "Why’s this kid spouting nonsense? Did you hit his head too hard?"

For a second, Zhang Sanlang wavered—not because of guilt over beating someone, but because he genuinely wondered if he had struck Zhang Fugui’s head and made him lose his senses.

"N-no, that can’t be," Zhang Sanlang muttered, racking his brain but unable to recall whether he had hit Zhang Fugui’s head during the beating. "I don’t think I hit him there."

"I’m not crazy!" Zhang Fugui shouted. "You’re the crazy ones! You’ve lost it! You don’t even listen!"

These words had been festering in Zhang Fugui’s heart for a long time. He had always wanted to scream them out loud but never had the chance. Today, he could no longer hold back—he erupted.

Han Shi yanked at Zhang Fugui, begging him to stop.

But Zhang Fugui couldn’t contain himself any longer. "You’ve always been the sick ones! My mother slaving away outside—do you think that money grows on trees? I don’t understand! If it were a man in this family who went out to work and earned this much, you’d worship the ground he walks on! You wouldn’t let him lift a finger at home, and you’d stuff him with the finest dishes. So why is it different for my mother?"

Zhang Fugui truly couldn’t make sense of it.

"It’s as if you think my mother isn’t out there working but instead out having fun. And now you expect her to come back and harvest the crops? You’re at home—you can’t even earn money, so can’t you at least handle the fields?"

Zhang Sanlang’s face turned beet red. He was already ashamed of his own inability to earn money, but seeing Han Shi and their son bring home wages every month only fueled his resentment. He blamed them for making him look like a good-for-nothing, and his pent-up rage had been simmering, waiting for an outlet.

Now that his uselessness had been called out in front of everyone, Zhang Sanlang flew into a humiliated rage. He lunged at Zhang Fugui, fists flying.

"You backstabbing little runt! I’ll kill you today! Got a little spine and now you’re rebelling?"

Zhang Fugui, still injured, was held down and wailed on mercilessly by Zhang Sanlang, who struck him as if he weren’t his own son but a sworn enemy.

Han Shi rushed to intervene, but Zhang Sanlang shoved her away violently. Blood gushed from her head as it slammed against the corner of a table.

"Mother!" Zhang Fugui cried out, still enduring Zhang Sanlang’s kicks and punches, but his first concern was Han Shi’s injury.

"Stop it, both of you!" The doctor finally broke it up. "No matter what, he’s still your own son, and he’s already injured. Don’t actually kill him."

The doctor ordered two strong apprentices to pull Zhang Sanlang away, which they did easily.

This wasn’t because Zhang Sanlang had suddenly grown a conscience—it was because, at his core, he was a bully at home but a mouse outside. In front of his wife and child, he acted tough, but against outsiders, he wouldn’t dare squeak.

Ignoring the wound on her forehead, Han Shi rushed to check on her son’s injuries.

"Fugui, how are you? Are you hurt?"

Zhang Fugui, gritting through the pain, said, "Ma, let’s go to the magistrate and seek justice. Leave him."

The doctor sighed heavily. "Kid, no wonder your dad hits you. Just listen to what you’re saying! As a child, if you can’t encourage harmony, at least don’t push your parents toward separation."

Thinking himself wise, the doctor added earnestly, "Life after separation isn’t easy for a woman. How can she survive on her own? How can she support herself?"

"Ma, you have your wages. With that much money, you could live very well on your own," Zhang Fugui insisted urgently.

The doctor sighed again. "Kid, you’re not young anymore. How can you be so unreasonable?"

Lv Shi stood with arms akimbo, looking disdainful. "Pfft, as if the magistrate would still employ a divorced woman bringing bad luck after your mother divorces."

"Ma, he wouldn't." Zhang Fugui pleaded with Han Ma, who met her son's desperate eyes and his bruised face, hardened her heart, and nodded.

Zhang Fugui was so overjoyed he literally jumped for joy.

"Let's go, we're heading to the yamen now." Ignoring his injuries, Zhang Fugui doggedly pulled Han Ma toward the yamen.

Lv Shi and Zhang Sanlang followed behind, faces full of disdain.

"Hah, working outside for a few days and they've got too big for their britches," Lv Shi sneered. "To even dream that the magistrate would support her divorce—what nonsense. How could the magistrate possibly back this?"

Zhang Sanlang piped up, "Let her kick up a fuss. Once the magistrate punishes her, she'll realize how wrong she is. Best if they take that job of hers away."

"Even better. Then you and your brother can take over. It's just farming anyway—you know the work."

As they spoke, the four arrived outside the yamen.

Coincidentally, Cong Lin was on duty that day. He recognized Han Ma and went pale with alarm when he saw her forehead bleeding and her face bruised—clearly beaten. Then he noticed Zhang Fugui beside her and paled further in alarm.

"What happened? How did you two end up like this?" Cong Lin quickly ushered them inside. "I'll fetch the magistrate. He'll make things right."

"Magistrate, Han Ma and her son have been severely beaten. They've come to seek justice," Cong Lin reported with a bow to Bing Wengu.

Bing Wengu frowned. Han Ma worked for him—who dared lay a hand on her? Even beating a dog requires considering its master. Did they truly hold him in such contempt?

Striding into the main hall, Bing Wengu took one glance at the four below and immediately understood the situation.

"All rise for court!" someone announced. The doors swung open, and Bing Wengu didn’t order them closed. Soon, bystanders gathered to watch the spectacle.

"Who kneels before this court, and what is your grievance?" Bing Wengu asked formally.

Before Han Ma or her son could speak, Lv Shi cut in, "Magistrate, this woman is unfaithful—she wants a divorce! Such a woman doesn’t deserve to work for the magistrate. Dismiss her and let my son take her place."

Bing Wengu had only suspected earlier, but Lv Shi’s words confirmed his guess.

Banging the gavel hard, Bing Wengu snapped, "Did I ask you? Disrespecting the court! Give her one stroke of the rod."

Before the trial even began, Lv Shi got one stroke of the rod on Bing Wengu’s orders and promptly fell silent.

This gave courage to Han Ma and her son greatly.

Zhang Fugui burst out, "Magistrate, my moth—"

"Fugui, let me speak," Han Ma cut him off, gathering her courage. "Magistrate, I beg for your justice. I accuse Zhang Sanlang of trying to kill me and petition for divorce."

Han Ma was shrewd—she led with a more serious accusation rather than starting with divorce.

Bing Wengu approved silently.

Zhang Sanlang flew into a rage, "You wretched woman! How dare you slander me before the magistrate!"

"Silence!" Bing Wengu banged the gavel again. "This is a court of law. Only speak when addressed."

Lv Shi, still whimpering from the rod, kept quiet. Zhang Sanlang held his tongue.

Bing Wengu turned to Zhang Fugui. "How did you get these injuries?"

Zhang Fugui caught his mother's meaning immediately.

"Your Honor, my injuries were inflicted by Pa. These very wounds serve as evidence," Zhang Fugui said. "My mother works all day outside, and today when she returned home, Pa and his wife found some random excuse to beat her mercilessly. The wounds on my body came from fighting tooth and nail to protect her. Your Honor can imagine that if I hadn’t fought so hard shielding her, these injuries would have landed on her instead, and she might already be a corpse by now."

Zhang Sanlang was so furious he huffed and puffed, but since Bing Wengu hadn’t called on him, he dared not speak and could only fume silently.

Bing Wengu sent for a physician to tend to the mother and son’s wounds and inquired about their injuries.

Bing Wengu said, "Zhang Sanlang, Madam Han accuses you of attempted murder, and Zhang Fugui testifies against you. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Zhang Sanlang immediately explained, "Your Honor, this is all nonsense! How could I possibly attempt to murder my own wife? It’s just that she fails in her marital duties, so I took it out on her a few times."

"Fails in her marital duties?" Bing Wengu asked. "With whom has Madam Han been carrying on? Who is the lover? When and where was she caught in the act?"

"W-well, there isn’t any," Zhang Sanlang stammered. "When I say she fails in her marital duties, I don’t mean she’s having an affair with other men. But as a woman, instead of staying home and tending to her husband and caring for her in-laws, she’s constantly out working—is that proper behavior for a decent woman?"

Bing Wengu’s gaze turned icy as he stared at Zhang Sanlang.

"My own mother, mother-in-law, and even my husband are all busy running businesses outside every day. So, do they also fail in their marital duties? Are all the women who work to ease their family’s burdens also failing in theirs?"

Zhang Sanlang was terrified, never expecting his words to reflect on Bing Wengu himself.

"Your Honor, how can she compare to your husband and family?"

"They are all people—what’s the difference?"

Zhang Fugui quickly added, "Your Honor, I suspect these are just excuses. My mother earns a string of coins every month, which is no small sum in the village—many envy her. With that much money, given Pa and his wife’s money-grubbing nature, they wouldn’t beat her senseless without reason."

Madam Han understood what Zhang Fugui was implying and took over, "Yet this time, they beat me senseless. I suspect they plotted together deliberately, aiming to take over my job. On the way here, I even overheard them plotting to have Zhang Sanlang or his brother take over my job."

Bing Wengu asked, "Zhang Sanlang, is this true regarding Lv Shi?"

Lv Shi said, "The truth isn’t as she claims—she’s lying about me—"

Bing Wengu cut her off. "When I ask a question, answer yes or no."

"Yes," Lv Shi replied reluctantly.

"Yes," Zhang Sanlang admitted.

"Madam Han’s suspicions are perfectly justified. Madam Han, do you have any direct evidence?"

Madam Han shook her head.

Bing Wengu asked again, "Because of these suspicions and Zhang Sanlang’s beatings, your marriage has fallen apart, and you’re too afraid to live under the same roof—hence your request to dissolve the marriage?"

"Yes."

Bing Wengu rapped the gavel. "Madam Han’s accusation of attempted murder against Zhang Sanlang is dismissed due to insufficient evidence.

However, given the circumstances, Madam Han fears future attempts on her life by Zhang Sanlang, as well as his continued abuse, making it impossible for her to live with him.

This request is perfectly justified and thus granted. I hereby decree the dissolution of the marriage."

Zhang Sanlang stood there, dumbstruck.

In just a few moments, he had only spoken three sentences—how had it come to dissolving the marriage?