Chapter 63: Han Dongsheng Becomes the Adulterer 

The magistrate’s wife stood up. “Zhaodi, let’s go! I’ll accompany you all to the hall.”

Han Dongsheng and Wu Yinghai also got to their feet. “We’ll go too—we can serve as witnesses.”

With a smile, Hu Zhaodi nodded and took the hands of the two children, following the magistrate’s wife.

Upon reaching the main hall, Li Erxia and her son were already kneeling on the floor.

Hu Zhaodi motioned for Ji Chunhua and her daughters to kneel as well.

Once the three of them were settled, the magistrate struck his gavel.

“Who is kneeling before me? State your names.”

Ji Chunhua was visibly nervous but steadied herself before responding. “Sir, I am Ji Chunhua, a villager from Dawai Village. These two are my daughters.”

The magistrate nodded slightly, shifting his gaze to Li Erxia and her son.

Li Erxia stammered, “Sir, I am Li Erxia from Dahuaishu Village, and this is my son, Zhang Gousheng.”

Hearing the name “Zhang Gousheng,” the magistrate nearly laughed but managed to stifle it.

Clearing his throat, he continued, “Ji Chunhua, I ask you, whom do you accuse, and for what crime?”

Ji Chunhua’s eyes immediately reddened. “Sir, I am here to accuse Li Erxia and her son. In their desperation to have a son, they killed my three newborn daughters! They have relentlessly beaten and abused me and my two surviving children. I beg you, sir, to allow me to divorce Zhang Gousheng, so that my poor children can escape the cruelty of this mother and son.”

Li Erxia and her son were dumbfounded. They had only expected to sign a divorce document; they hadn’t anticipated a murder accusation! Divorce was one thing, but a murder case could mean a life for a life!

Zhang Gousheng glared at Ji Chunhua with venomous hatred. How could she reveal such a thing in front of the magistrate? Did she want him and his mother dead?

What he didn’t realize was that Ji Chunhua had originally only wanted the divorce document. This whole approach had been taught by the magistrate’s wife, who was keen to make a connection with Hu Zhaodi, the skilled healer, and was using the opportunity to help Ji Chunhua vent her grievances.

Li Erxia glared at Ji Chunhua, her eyes narrowing into slits. “You filthy wretch—”

“Bang!” The magistrate struck the gavel forcefully, his voice stern. “Insolent woman! How dare you insult the plaintiff in front of this court? Who gave you the nerve?”

Terrified, Li Erxia shivered and nearly wet herself. “Sir, I apologize! I know my mistakes.”

“Hmph!” The magistrate snorted coldly, then looked to Ji Chunhua. “Ji Chunhua, you say that Li Erxia and her son killed your three newborn daughters. Explain the details for this court.”

The thought of her lost children brought tears to Ji Chunhua’s eyes.

Choking back her sobs, she recounted, “Sir, my second daughter was taken by Li Erxia into the mountains without me knowing. By the time I learned and went searching, I found only a torn, blood-stained little garment. My fourth and fifth daughters, just two days after birth, were suffocated by Li Erxia and Zhang Gousheng…”

Overcome with sorrow, Ji Chunhua could barely contain her weeping.

Li Erxia bowed her head to the magistrate, her tone pleading, “Sir, I am innocent! Those children were my own granddaughters—how could I harm them? After they were born, Ji Chunhua didn’t have enough food and couldn’t produce milk, so they starved. It truly wasn’t my fault or Gousheng’s.”

Ji Chunhua, her eyes red with fury, shouted, “Lies! Ever since I gave birth to girls, you’ve tormented me, hardly giving me anything to eat. You and your son only kept me barely alive, just enough so I wouldn’t die!”

“Even if I had no milk to feed them, how could our family be so poor that we couldn’t even afford a few drops of rice soup for a newborn?” Ji Chunhua argued.

Li Erxia began to kowtow frantically. “Sir, I’m innocent! Whenever Ji Chunhua had a child, I always prioritized her, making sure she had what little food we had.”

Bang!

The magistrate struck the gavel once again, narrowing his eyes at Ji Chunhua. “Ji Chunhua, you claim your mother-in-law and husband killed your daughters. Do you have any evidence?”

Ji Chunhua froze—she had no physical evidence.

Just then, Wu Yinghai stepped forward and cupped his hands in a respectful salute. “Sir, I can testify for Ji Chunhua. Last night, Li Erxia admitted, in her own words, that she and her son suffocated Ji Chunhua’s three daughters.”

Han Dongsheng also stepped forward, his expression serious. “Sir, I was there as well. Li Erxia indeed admitted that she and Zhang Gousheng killed Ji Chunhua’s daughters.”

“I was there too, Sir, and I can also testify for Ji Chunhua,” Hu Zhaodi added.

The magistrate nodded slightly, his sharp gaze settling on Li Erxia and her son. “Li Erxia, do you and your son have anything further to say?”

Zhang Gousheng cried out, “Sir, I’ve been wronged! They’re all in this together with Ji Chunhua. Ji Chunhua has been unfaithful and seduced other men, which I discovered. They’re doing this to take revenge on me!”

Li Erxia quickly chimed in, her eyes darting around. “That’s right! Ji Chunhua was unfaithful and seduced another man. Gousheng only struck her because of that. But now this vile woman has turned around and falsely accused us of killing her daughters.”

The magistrate stroked his chin thoughtfully, staring at Li Erxia with a hint of amusement. “Oh? So, you’re accusing Ji Chunhua of infidelity? Do you have any evidence? If not, then you’re guilty of slander, and the punishment will be even harsher!”

Li Erxia shuddered and glanced desperately toward Wu Yinghai and Han Dongsheng.

She pointed at Han Dongsheng, who looked a bit rakish and more noticeable than Wu Yinghai. “It’s him! He’s Ji Chunhua’s lover!”

Zhang Gousheng’s face went pale. He remembered what Han Dongsheng had said last night—that the magistrate was his uncle by marriage. But his mother seemed to have forgotten that detail, and she was now accusing the magistrate’s nephew right to his face!

Han Dongsheng was dumbfounded. Since when had he become a lover in this mess? This mother-and-son duo must be out of their minds!

The magistrate’s mouth twitched, trying to suppress his laughter as he asked, “Dongsheng, as I recall, yesterday I sent you to deliver green bricks for a school in Dawai Village. You’d never even been to Dawai or Dahuaishu Village before then. When, exactly, did you have a chance to ‘consort’ with Ji Chunhua?”

With a playful smirk, Han Dongsheng replied, “Uncle, I’m always right under your nose! It was only yesterday that you sent me to Dawai Village to deliver those bricks. I met Ji Chunhua for the first time then. To be called her lover after just one meeting—it’s an injustice beyond belief.”

Li Erxia’s face darkened, as if she’d swallowed something foul. She finally remembered the thing he had said last night.

Why didn’t she just accuse the other man? Why did she have to implicate the magistrate’s nephew?

She was really asking for trouble!

“No, sir, it’s not him. It’s the other one,” Li Erxia quickly corrected, pointing to the man next to him.

The magistrate slammed his hand on the table, rising to his feet. “Outrageous! Wu Yinghai was also under my orders to deliver the bricks yesterday. He grew up under my supervision. How could I not know his character? Li Erxia, what are you hoping to achieve by slandering both of my nephews?”