Don’t even talk about the two of them; even the most rational old man Zhang slowly began to feel a glimmer of hope.

Right, why hadn’t he thought of this earlier?

No matter what, they were still Jian Xiu’s elders.

To treat elders like this was already an unforgivable act.

Moreover, she even dared to lay such a heavy hand on her mother-in-law, which made her crime even worse.

Seeing this, Old Madam Liu called out to Mo Shanrui again: “Please, sir, help us!”

Hearing Old Madam Liu’s words, Zhang Zihua quickly spoke up:

“Sir, it’s more than that! Look at me—I’m injured all over! She even… even locked us in the pigsty. We stayed there for an entire night! Is this something a person would do? I, Zhang Zihua, have never encountered such a vicious woman in my life…”

As he spoke, Zhang Zihua even angrily slapped the floor of the court, as if trying to make sure everyone could see his aggrieved expression.

On the other side, Zhang Zirong and Fang Miaojun didn’t say anything from beginning to end.

When the situation was still unclear, they naturally wouldn’t speak up.

But Chen Sixi was different. When she saw her husband in such a state, she truly felt heartbroken.

She glared at Jian Xiu with hatred, gritting her teeth: “Jian Xiu, you wicked woman, aren’t you afraid of divine retribution?”

Sure enough, this remark immediately caused the villagers outside to murmur.

Hearing this, Mo Shanrui shouted again: “Quiet! Quiet!”

But Jian Xiu, the person involved, didn’t speak at all.

Before coming here, she had already guessed that Old Madam Liu and the others would bring this up.

As for talk of elders and filial piety, in her eyes, that was just nonsense.

She didn’t want to interrupt them. Her goal was simply to see if they had any other strategies besides talking about filial piety.

If they didn’t, then it would be her turn to strike.

Seeing that they remained silent after saying their piece, Jian Xiu finally relaxed.

It seemed that they had nothing else.

“Jian Xiu, do you have anything to say? Do you know that as the plaintiff, according to the law, if you fail to prove your case, it’s not just about compensating money—you would also face ten lashes as punishment.”

“I know, Sir. And I also have something to say!” Jian Xiu boldly addressed Mo Shanrui.

“Oh? Please, speak!” Mo Shanrui asked directly.

Actually, Mo Shanrui had a good impression of Jian Xiu.

At least she had stayed by her husband’s side for years despite his paralysis.

For a woman, that was extremely rare.

Moreover, she had come today to file a complaint and had remained calm throughout, never showing fear.

Mo Shanrui, having handled many cases over the years, could easily tell who was genuinely wronged and who was guilty.

When Zhang and Liu first came in, they immediately began to cry out their innocence, which clearly showed they were guilty and anxious.

But when Jian Xiu heard their accusations, she didn’t say a word. She calmly listened to their defense, obviously already knowing they would say this.

She was clearly a wise woman.

Although Jian Xiu was aware of Old Madam Liu’s presence, she couldn’t ignore Mo Shanrui’s gaze on her.

Realizing this, Jian Xiu coldly curled her lips before answering:

“Sir, before I answer your question, may I ask you one thing?”

“Oh? Please go ahead!”

“Sir, what is filial piety?”

“Filial piety is the act of treating one’s parents with kindness, honoring one’s elders. The most important thing is to treat one’s parents well. In reality, filial piety involves not only supporting and respecting one’s parents, but also passing down the family line… But filial piety cannot be blind. It must be based on reason and the behavior of the elders. If the parents are unreasonable, blind filial piety will only worsen the situation and lead to serious mistakes.”

Mo Shanrui had a sudden realization as Jian Xiu asked her question.

After understanding her intentions, Mo Shanrui was taken aback.

It seemed like he had only answered her question unintentionally, and now she had “used” his answer against him.

Realizing this, Mo Shanrui chuckled bitterly.

He wasn’t afraid, but what he said was the truth.

After hearing his words, Jian Xiu smiled coldly.

She took a step forward and said to Mo Shanrui: “So, based on what you just said, can I understand that you are advocating for blind filial piety?”

Mo Shanrui was speechless.

What could he say now?

Could he agree?

Or could he disagree?

As the county magistrate, he knew that whatever he said would likely seem biased toward one side.

So he decided not to respond.

But Jian Xiu seemed to understand Mo Shanrui’s “predicament.”

She didn’t expect him to answer.

Instead, she turned to the villagers behind her who had been pointing and whispering, saying:

“I heard what you all just said. But do you know what we, the fourth household, have endured over the years? What kind of life we’ve been living?”

After she said this, Jian Xiu deliberately paused, waiting for their response.

Sure enough, one of the villagers boldly stepped forward and criticized:

“No matter what, she’s still your mother-in-law, your elder. Even if you have a valid reason, you can’t beat her so severely.”

Jian Xiu responded immediately:

“Oh? Do you know that her son, my husband, was beaten to the point where he almost lost his life?”

Without waiting for an answer, Jian Xiu continued:

“You don’t know, and you’re clueless. When I saw my husband lying on the ground, covered in blood with barely any breath left, where was she, his mother? Do you know?”

As she said this, Jian Xiu pointed at Old Madam Liu, her eyes full of sarcasm.

“You don’t know? Let me tell you. She was in my house, searching for my silver. Her son was beaten bloody, barely breathing, and she was rummaging through my house looking for the money I earned by risking my life to catch wild pigs in the mountains. This is the person you want to sympathize with? Do you think she deserves sympathy?”

“If you think so, then pretend I didn’t say anything.”