The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 684 I'm Poor, So I'm Right

"Your Honor, Manager He is my nephew. He hasn't returned for so many years. We learned he was in Qinghe Bay, so we came to see his wife," the silver-haired woman said. Worried that the constables would arrest them for fighting, she tried to exonerate her family by saying, "Manager He has no sons. The clan wanted to have an heir, so they wanted to adopt my grandson to him to carry on the family line. This wretched woman's grandson was not chosen, and out of jealousy, she spewed filth and slandered me and my brother-in-law."

The gray-haired woman jumped up and down, clapping her hands and saying, "You're covered in shit yourself, and you still need me to slander you? You're right, I am indeed jealous of you. I'm jealous that you have such a good brother-in-law who prevents other people's grandsons from being adopted, only yours. Why can your grandson be adopted, but other people's grandsons can't? You have such a big face, discussing this in your own bed. If you ask me, when the clan adopts a child to He Chao, they can't make the decision without considering He Chao."

The silver-haired woman pointed at the gray-haired woman and cursed, "After Chao'er's parents died, I cooked for him. He ate my family's food for two years, so it's time for my grandson to be adopted. If your grandson wants to be adopted, you should see if you're even worthy."

The gray-haired woman scoffed, spitting a glob of phlegm in the other woman's face, and said, "How dare you say that? Why did he eat at your house for two years? It's because after his parents died, you took over his family's land. You took their land, so of course you have to support them. Everyone in the village knows that during those two days at your house, he was hungry and cold, and he even had to work for your family."

The silver-haired woman didn't blush at all when her secrets were exposed.

If she doesn't take that land, someone else will.

She farmed that land, and at least she provided He Chao with food.

Moreover, the He family members didn't know she had taken anything from He Chao, and this bitch isn't a kind-hearted person either.

So, hands on hips, she retorted defiantly, "You think you're clean? He Chao was studying diligently in school, but you took the money his parents left him, preventing him from continuing his studies. If it weren't for you, He Chao might have been a top scholar."

The two went back and forth exposing each other's secrets, and no one else in the clan dared to step forward to offer any advice.

They feared that the two men's indiscriminate attacks would expose all the things they had done to He Chao back then.

Tong Huaqiong listened quietly. What kind of life did Manager He have since he was a child? There wasn't a single good person in the clan to protect him.

Hong's eyes were glistening with tears.

Even though He Chao had told her about these painful experiences long before, and she heard them from her own relatives, she still felt heartbroken and her eyes welled up with tears.

A bunch of heartless people who want to claim kinship and adopt children. Even if I had no children for eight lifetimes, I would never have anything to do with them.

"Alright. Stop talking about it, let's not bring up the past."

Uncle He is exhausted; this trip has been incredibly unlucky.

First, his and his sister-in-law's scandalous affair was exposed, then there was a fight within the clan. He was afraid that if he didn't come forward, all the scandals of the entire He family would be exposed.

"The officials are here, what are you making a fuss about?"

Uncle He's roar startled both the silver-haired woman and the gray-haired woman, who then ordered their son, daughter-in-law, and grandson to stop as well.

I was so busy taking a few glances that I forgot the officers were still there.

Stopping now, they couldn't help but worry, fearing that the officials would tie them all up and take them away.

"It was all because we were poor back then." Uncle He, no longer putting on airs in front of the yamen runners, wore a look of bitterness mixed with obsequiousness as he said, "The harvests were bad those years, and kids could eat a lot...sigh, if we had money, who would bully a child? There was nothing we could do."

Uncle He's eyes swept over Madam Hong, a flash of hatred crossing his gaze before he quickly lowered his head, adopting a sorrowful expression once more.

It was all He Chao's wife's fault. If she had obediently accepted them from the beginning, none of the subsequent events would have happened.

This wife is not virtuous and cannot bear children. She is not worthy to be a wife in the He family. He will persuade He Chao to divorce her after He Chao returns to his hometown.

Tong Huaqiong sneered inwardly.

What an excuse.

I am poor, therefore I am right; I am weak, therefore I am right.

While poverty may amplify the worst aspects of human nature, it's rare to see someone so ruthlessly bully an orphan. Poverty alone cannot excuse this. Moreover, the Ho family wasn't starving; they could easily afford to raise a child, especially since they had occupied Ho Chiu's land.

Village Chief Liu said coldly, "Don't make excuses for your heartless and selfish behavior."

"May I ask who you are? This is a family matter of the He family. There are some misunderstandings, so I have come today to clear them up."

Among the group of yamen runners, only Village Chief Liu was not wearing official robes; he was dressed as an ordinary farmer.

Uncle He guessed that the gossipy person was probably Tong Huaqiong's employee or manager.

Therefore, they did not take Village Chief Liu seriously.

The arrival of the constables filled the other members of the He family with fear, but the eldest uncle of the He family was very happy.

He had originally planned to take legal action if the Hong family refused to acknowledge the He family.

Now, even though he hasn't filed a complaint with the authorities, they've come knocking on his door.

If the government officials come, things will be much easier!
The officials will investigate whether they and He Chao are actually from the same clan.

Village Chief Liu said, "I am the village chief of Qinghewan. You can just barge into our village. Do you think I have any right to stop you?"

Uncle He was not afraid of the village chief at all. Instead, he bowed to the officials and said in a sorrowful voice, "Sir, I am He Chao's uncle. My home is Hejiazhuang in Pingyang County. My nephew went missing when he was nine years old. I only recently learned that he had ended up here, so I came here specifically to find him. But my nephew's wife does not recognize him."

Uncle He was wise and emphasized that He Chao was missing.

The head constable, Zhang, scoffed and said, "He went missing at the age of nine, and now He Chao is at the border. So you haven't seen him in the past twenty or thirty years? How can you be sure that He Chao in Qinghe Bay is your nephew? How can Madam He dare to acknowledge you without certainty?"

Uncle He was a little flustered, but he calmed himself down and explained, "We learned about him from the imperial report. We thought it was just someone with the same name, but after asking around, we dared to confirm that he is my nephew."

At this moment, Madam Hong spoke up.

“Zhang, the constable, they are not my husband’s family members. My husband has no family members on his household registration.”

In short, the Hong family simply refuses to acknowledge that they have no connection with Ho Chiu.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Lord Zhang, Manager He is from Qinghewan, it's clearly written in the household registration. Without any evidence, they saw a Manager He with the same name on the household registration and barged in to claim kinship while Manager He was not at home. They just thought they could fool Sister Hong by saying a few words because they thought they could fool her. They are not here to claim kinship, but to defraud and seize family property."

"If Sister Hong hadn't been fooled by them, they wouldn't have suffered any losses."

"He Chao is now a meritorious official of the court. We beg Lord Zhang to do justice for Sister Hong."

Zhang, the bailiff, bowed to Tong Huaqiong and Madam Hong, showing great politeness.

Uncle He was about to speak when Zhang, the yamen runner who was already impatient, stepped forward and said, "You broke into Manager He's house in an attempt to seize the He family's property. Take you all away for trial."

Uncle He was startled and said in a trembling voice, "Lord Zhang, we are He Chao's family. If you don't believe me, go and ask around in Pingyang County."

"Take them all away, take them all away."

Too lazy to waste words, Zhang, the bailiff, ordered his subordinates to come up and tie up the man.

Soon, panicked cries and sobs erupted from the He family members in the courtyard.

The group was quickly taken away.