Divorced by her husband's family and rejected by her own! She defiantly turned her life around

If it weren't for Tang Dianshi's sake, the yamen runners would have loved to slap him a couple of times. Was this an accusation of incompetence? If it weren't for you two bitches, would I still be starving?

"Sir, you must provide evidence before you speak. Now that you officers have searched us, shouldn't you give us an explanation?"

"Even if no one was found, there must be something fishy going on. What are they planning to do with so many women gathered together? And what exactly is in those three carriages?"

The magistrate looked at Liu Siyue, who met his gaze without fear. "Your Excellency, ten of these women are embroiderers from Zhiyun Cloth Shop, and the others are servants from my household. The three carriages are loaded with cloth and cotton. We want to do business with Zhiyun Cloth Shop. If Your Excellency does not believe me, you can ask the people from Zhiyun Cloth Shop to come and question us."

If I, a commoner, have uttered even the slightest falsehood, I am willing to accept punishment.

I, a humble citizen, believe that I have not offended any of my neighbors since moving into this alley. I have never met either of you ladies, let alone had any enmity with you. Why do you send people to watch my house every day and slander our reputation like this?

How are we supposed to face the world and live our lives after this?!

Just because we're women, does that mean we're easy to bully?

After saying that, Liu Siyue started sobbing.

When the others saw that their master was crying, they also started to cry. When the ten embroiderers saw that their master's family was crying, and since they also lived there, it wouldn't be appropriate for them not to cry either, so they also started to cry.

In an instant, the entire Yun residence was filled with weeping, like a musical symphony unfolding.

The magistrate panicked for a moment. He hadn't done anything to them, so why were they crying?

Tang Dianshi knew that this matter was unlikely to end well. He glared at Yan Shi fiercely, realizing that he had lost face in front of the county magistrate. How could he maintain his authority in front of his brothers in the future?

"Please stop crying, everyone. I will definitely stand up for you. If you keep crying like this, how am I supposed to handle the case?"

When Liu Siyue stopped crying, the others, seeing that their host had stopped crying, also straightened up and began to weep. The magistrate realized that this young woman was their pillar of support.

"My lord, you promised to stand up for us and clear our names. You are a wise and discerning man, and you must severely punish the person who made the false accusation. Otherwise, we will have no way to survive."

The others quickly echoed, kneeling down in unison, "Please, Your Honor, severely punish the person who made the false accusation and restore our innocence."

The magistrate glanced at Tang, the clerk. The matter had become clear at this point. You are the clerk; it's up to you to decide how to handle it.

Tang Fan stepped forward, cupped his hands in a bow, and said, "I am truly sorry. It is all because I failed to discipline my wife properly. I and the Xu family are willing to bear all the losses caused to you. I hope you can forgive my wife this time for the sake of this clerk."

Liu Siyue's lips curled into a smirk. This guy was trying to intimidate her with his power, thinking he could just brush it off so easily. What was he thinking?

"Lord Registrar, we don't want any compensation. What compensation can heal the wounds in our hearts? Those foul words are like sharp daggers, deeply embedded in our hearts. The pain is unbearable, and we can only let the blood drain away little by little."

"Your Honor, we only ask for justice. If this matter is handled lightly today, won't more people follow suit in the future?"

Falsely accusing others and ruining their reputations carries little responsibility, leaving the wronged with no recourse while the culprits go unpunished. Where does that leave the laws of our Great Sheng?

The magistrate looked at the women kneeling before him and said, “You may all get up.”

According to the laws of my Great Sheng Dynasty, anyone who defames another and causes serious damage to their reputation shall be punished with 30 strokes of the cane and 5 years in prison; if the circumstances are egregious and serious, the punishment shall be 50 strokes of the cane and 10 years of exile.

"Thank you, Your Excellency, for your wise decision. You are truly the benefactor of the people of Lingshui County. Your Excellency is wise and mighty."

The magistrate's lips curled up. This woman was indeed quick-witted and knew how to flatter, but he liked her.

When Madam Tang and Madam Xu heard that they would be given at least 30 strokes of the cane and imprisoned for 5 years, the thought of the pain of 30 strokes and 5 years in prison made them shudder. Many grown men couldn't bear the torture and died in prison, let alone a delicate and noble woman like her.

The two men then imagined the dark and damp prison cell, where they ate moldy and smelly food every meal, and snakes, insects, and rats crawled all over the place. They were so frightened that they lost control of their bladders. The foul smell made them take a few steps back.

The two men, who had collapsed to the ground, knelt down and pleaded, "Sir, we know we were wrong. We will never do it again. We will accept any punishment, please don't send us to jail!"

"Sir, please save me! I promise I'll never do it again. I'll listen to you from now on and never be jealous or cause trouble again."

Tang Fan pushed her away with disdain, "Why didn't you do this earlier? Now you know to come begging to me."

"Sir, please, for the sake of our marriage and for the sake of our child, save me."

Madam Xu kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "My lord, I am willing to be punished."

Tang Fan felt distressed. After all, they had been husband and wife, and he couldn't personally send her to prison. He looked at the county magistrate.

"My lord, your subordinate has something to say to you." The two walked a little further away and whispered to each other.

Liu Siyue was secretly delighted. Her chance to make a fortune had arrived! These wealthy families were so concerned about their reputation, weren't they? She'd just exchange it for silver! Hahaha~

"Tang Dianshi, it's not that I'm being unreasonable, but you know very well what happened back then. It was your wife's insistence that made things turn out this way."

"You think I'll give you a lenient sentence? That's impossible, unless the victim makes concessions or there's still room for negotiation."

"Thank you for your guidance, sir."

The two returned, and Tang Fan stepped forward. "Madam Liu, may I speak with you in private?"

"My lord, in consideration of your help in catching the thief last night, I am willing to talk to you right here. Let's speak frankly and without any pretense."

"I know I'm in the wrong and shouldn't have asked this, but I still have the audacity to beg Madam Liu to spare my wife. Please feel free to make any requests you have, and I will do whatever I can to fulfill them."

Liu Siyue looked at the magistrate, "Your Honor, is this permissible? Would doing so violate the law?"

"The law is not without human sentiment. As long as the crime is not an unforgivable capital offense or a heinous act that violates heaven and human ethics, and as long as both parties reach an agreement and the aggrieved party understands, the law can appropriately impose a lighter sentence."

"Thank you for your guidance, sir."

"Sir, we are just ordinary people. We have no desire to make enemies and only want to live a peaceful life. It is Madam Tang and Madam Xu who are being aggressive, and we have no choice but to accept it."

Since you are willing to reconcile, and considering the magistrate and your own reputation, and the fact that we live on the same street, I agree to reconcile, but I have a few demands.

"Thank you for your magnanimity, Madam Liu. Please feel free to make any requests you may have, and I will do my best to fulfill them."

"Firstly: You can avoid going to jail, but you must be beaten so that you will remember it and think of the beating if you have such thoughts again in the future."

Secondly: Since things have escalated so much, tomorrow at noon, let Madam Tang and Madam Xu apologize to us in front of all the neighbors, with the bailiffs supervising. If their apology is not sincere enough, then the settlement is null and void, and we will proceed according to the law. There will be no second chance.

Thirdly: compensate us for the loss of our reputation and emotional distress. There are 21 of us here, and each of us should be compensated 200 taels.

Fourthly: No one is allowed to retaliate. If anything happens to anyone in our house, we will hold those two responsible first.

My requests are these four points; I wonder if the Registrar agrees.