Their harmonious display was not enough; Gu Tingye even went so far as to help his wife sit down with great ceremony. Minglan lightly leaned against the armrest, assuming a delicate and frail posture. Wang Old Madam turned her head away, trying hard not to watch their performance. After barely suppressing her anger and about to speak, Changbai spoke first: "A daughter-in-law plotting to harm her mother-in-law is one of the ten unforgivable crimes. According to the law, the punishment ranges from beheading to death by a thousand cuts."
Madam Wang nearly jumped in fright—why was her son bringing this up?
Wang Old Madam was momentarily stunned, then forced a smile: "You've been away for years on official duty, and your mother hasn't seen you for so long—she's missed you terribly. Why bring this up now?" Closely examining this grandson who most resembled her late husband, she noticed his fair complexion had become tanned and ruddy from the sun, less handsome than before, but his spirits seemed excellent. Having independently managed affairs for several years, he naturally carried an authoritative presence.
Changbai said: "Oh, didn't Grandmother just tell Father that if this matter becomes public, Aunt might have a way out, but Mother would be doomed? I'm first explaining the legal statutes to Mother so she understands the situation."
Wang Old Madam's expression changed abruptly. Madam Wang tightly gripped her son's sleeve: "...You...you already know everything...?"
Changbai glanced at his mother and replied calmly: "I know everything."
Minglan was greatly puzzled—she had kept the information quite sealed off, so how could her elder brother have learned so quickly?
As she wondered, she felt a slight itch in her palm and saw Gu Tingye sitting beside her nodding toward her, silently mouthing the words 'Gongsun.' After a brief moment of reflection, Minglan understood. The guards she had used to seal the residence, arrest people, and even conduct interrogations had originally been deployed by Gongsun Xiansheng. While others might not know the interrogation results, how could Gongsun Baishi not know? He had sent someone to find Gu Tingye and naturally reported all the details. On the way to the Sheng residence, the brother-in-law had encountered the elder brother, so Changbai had learned everything too.
Wang Old Madam's gaze fell upon Gu Tingye's seating position, making her uneasy. She smiled and said: "You've traveled a long distance—what you've heard in such a short time might be incomplete or inaccurate."
Changbai lightly responded: "By 'incomplete or inaccurate,' does Grandmother mean Aunt seeking someone to make poison, or Aunt deceiving my mother into administering it?"
Wang Old Madam's smile stiffened: "Your aunt and your mother were confused and thus committed this monstrous disaster."
Changbai shook his head: "My mother was indeed confused, believing she could trust her own flesh and blood. Who would have thought her own sister would deceive and harm her? As for Aunt... every step was meticulously planned, and now she still has my mother to take the blame. I think she's perfectly clear-headed—not confused at all."
Wang Old Madam displeased, lightly tapped the armrest: "As you grow older, you increasingly have your own ideas and no longer heed your elders' words."
Changbai looked up: "What does Grandmother wish me to heed?"
Wang Old Madam, confronted with the stern gaze so reminiscent of her late husband, was momentarily speechless.
"Aunt poisoned my grandmother and deceived my mother, turning our peaceful household upside down. Does Grandmother still expect me not to pursue this matter?" Changbai stood in the center of the hall, speaking solemnly. "My father refuses to let Aunt off, yet Grandmother actually uses my mother and me as leverage to force my father to yield. Aren't my mother and I also Wang family flesh and blood?"Wang Old Madam flushed with embarrassment and spoke with difficulty: "Good child, you don't understand. If this matter becomes public, it would be especially damaging for you. Your father fears it might ruin your future..."
"Then don't let it become public," Changbai said coldly, staring at her. "Aunt's actions may be tolerated by national law, but they cannot be excused by family law. Either inform Uncle and let the Kang Family ancestral hall handle it, or Grandmother must provide an explanation. Settle this behind closed doors, and no one will ever know."
Wang Old Madam wiped sweat from her forehead: "How do you intend to handle it?"
Without hesitation, Changbai declared: "A life for a life—that's only right and proper."
Clutching her chest, Wang Old Madam wept: "She's your own maternal aunt! You share blood ties..." She abruptly stopped speaking.
Minglan knew what she meant to say and felt too furious for words.
Changbai glanced at Sheng Hong, who couldn't conceal his anxiety, then at Madam Wang, who appeared ashamed and guilty, and finally at Wang Uncle and his wife before turning back and saying leisurely: "Blood relations can be deceiving. Father isn't Old Madam's biological son, and we siblings share no blood relation with her either. Yet all these years, she has exhausted herself for this family with genuine maternal affection. As for Aunt? Though she and Mother share the same parents, all we've seen her do is undermine the Sheng family, never showing Mother any care. Knowing full well how shocking this matter is, she still urged Mother to poison Grandmother—what's more, she tried to make my mother take the fall! Is this how true kin should act?"
Left speechless, Wang Old Madam could only say: "...Your aunt was forced into desperation. She only dragged your mother into this because she was frantic."
Changbai let out a derisive snort, his lips curling in scorn: "Grandmother is a sensible person—why speak such nonsense? Aunt didn't act out of panic. From the very beginning, she planned this carefully so that if discovered, my mother would take the blame."
Wang Old Madam knew Changbai was the most perceptive among her grandchildren—how could such schemes escape his notice? Having no defense, she fell silent.
Changbai continued slowly: "After Aunt plotted so viciously against my mother, how can I still consider her family? Therefore..." He paused, then said emphatically, "From this day forward, we siblings sever all kinship with Kang Wangshi! Whether by national law or family law, Kang Wangshi must be punished! If Grandmother insists on protecting Aunt, we'll settle this in court."
Wang Old Madam's heart sank. Well aware of Changbai's unwavering nature once his mind was set, she cried out in distress: "What a filial grandson! So ready to go to court—have you no care for your own mother's life?"
Changbai turned to Madam Wang: "Mother, based on what Sixth Sister has uncovered, you were indeed deceived and unaware it was poison. If this goes before the magistrate, you'll likely be charged with disobedience—neither beheading nor dismemberment."
Madam Wang sniffled: "...But the lesser punishments are still severe."
Completely unmoved, Changbai replied calmly: "Mother has indeed been disrespectful toward Old Madam. Enduring some punishment is only fitting."
Madam Wang threw herself across the table, weeping even louder. She had thought her son would protect her, never imagining he would be so unbending as to punish even his own mother.Old Madam Wang's chest heaved violently with rage as she sneered coldly, "What a filial grandson, so righteous as to place justice above family loyalty! Since your mother has committed the grave crime of defiance, let's see how you, as her son, can remain unscathed!"
Her words were exceptionally harsh, yet Changbai responded immediately, "Naturally, I cannot. On my journey here, I drafted a resignation letter and intend to submit it on the day of my debriefing."
Minglan's heart tightened, and she heard a collective gasp around her. Sheng Hong was so shocked that his neck stiffened, veins bulging prominently. Madam Wang abruptly stopped crying and stared blankly at her son. Changbai looked at his mother, his gentle voice tinged with sorrow, "After what Mother has done, how could I have the face to remain in officialdom, speaking of morality and loyalty? Once this matter is resolved, I will resign."
The room fell so silent one could hear a pin drop. Wang Uncle wore an expression of shame, shaking his head and sighing repeatedly, while Wang Aunt seemed moved, casting a dissatisfied glance at her mother-in-law.
After a long pause, Madam Wang suddenly stood up and threw herself at her son, tugging at him while weeping and wailing, "You cannot resign, you cannot!... My dear child, you began your studies at four. From south to north, every tutor praised your intelligence and diligence. You studied diligently day and night without skipping a single day! In sweltering summer heat, you refused to move even when covered in prickly heat, and in bitter winter, you never missed a character despite chilblains on your hands. Your mother's heart ached for you... Over a decade of hardship earned you your official rank, and now your future is bright. I cannot let my actions ruin you!"
Every word reflected a mother's devotion, moving everyone present. Wang Aunt and Liu Kun's wife turned away to wipe their tears, while Minglan felt a pang of sorrow. Changbai supported his mother, his own eyes reddening.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Madam Wang disregarded decorum and wiped her tears with her sleeve. "It's all my fault! I was wrong, I was wicked! I'll confess, I'll accept punishment..." She sneered at Old Madam Wang, "From now on, Mother, you have only one daughter left! Since you care nothing for my life... I'll face the court, ready for any punishment—be it death or dismemberment!"
Old Madam Wang felt a sharp pain in her heart but forced herself to remain composed. Weeping, she said to Madam Wang, "You foolish child! I carried you for ten months—how could I not care about your life?"
Madam Wang snorted coldly, "To protect Elder Sister, Mother threatened to expose the matter, disregarding Brother's official reputation, the Wang family's dignity, and even your two granddaughters' lives with their in-laws! Why would you spare a mere daughter like me?"
Hearing her own daughter's sarcastic remarks, Old Madam Wang felt dizzy, nearly fainting, and slapped her thigh while crying loudly, "Must you all drive me to my death? Let me pay with my life for your family's Old Madam!"
Changbai helped his mother sit down and turned to say, "How can these two situations be compared? Our Old Madam lies between life and death, having been poisoned by villains. If anything happens to Grandmother, it would be due to the anger caused by my unfilial aunt."
Minglan lowered her head to wipe the tear at the corner of her eye, a faint smile curling her lips—her elder brother had never been swayed by emotional blackmail. Tactics like "If you dare do this, I'll drown myself or run into a wall" commonly used by women had no effect on him.
Unwilling to give up, Old Madam Wang wept, "A mother's failure to teach her child is her own fault. Let me die in her place! Spare that foolish daughter of mine!"
Changbai replied, "If substitution were allowed, why would every dynasty strictly prohibit using others as scapegoats?"Old Madam Wang wept sorrowfully for a long while and was about to plead further when suddenly a heavy slam on the table echoed through the room. Sheng Hong stood up with a face as dark as iron, his voice deep and resolute: "Enough!" Kang Wangshi must face punishment! If Mother-in-law insists on escalating this matter to save my elder sister-in-law's life, then so be it. The Sheng family is not to be bullied!"
The words from his wife and children earlier had stirred his anger deeper with each passing moment. His face shifted between shades of green and red, a dark fury clouding his forehead.
He reflected on his life—how he had served as an official with integrity, conducted himself with sincerity, largely stabilized his household, raised mostly outstanding children, neither oppressed the common people nor engaged in factional struggles for succession, and avoided offending anyone lightly. After decades of such caution, he had finally reached this point, with the Sheng family's prosperity within sight. Yet now this incident threatened to ruin the career of his most valued eldest son. This was truly unbearable!
Whom had he ever wronged? He was utterly wronged! This evil deed wasn't even his doing!
"I have always treated the Kang family with generosity, whether in matters of money or legal disputes, doing all I could to assist!" Sheng Hong declared with righteous indignation. "And this is how my elder sister-in-law repays me?! Just because my mother dislikes her, she attempts to take my mother's life. I ask you, Mother-in-law, what does Elder Sister take the Sheng family for?! Poisoning at will, framing others recklessly—such brazen arrogance! Does she think the Shens are easy to push around?"
Old Madam Wang's face turned ashen. In all her years, she had never been so insulted, least of all by this second son-in-law who had always been so flattering and respectful.
Catching his breath, Sheng Hong sneered coldly: "Now I understand why Elder Sister acts with such impunity—it's because Mother-in-law shields her like a mighty pillar! It seems you look down on me, assuming I'm weak and easily intimidated, dismissing the Sheng family as insignificant, and using my son's career and the family's reputation to threaten me. Fine, fine! If you want to take this to court, let's go to court!"
He suddenly pointed at Wang Uncle, his beard bristling with anger: "Over the years, Elder Sister has likely been responsible for more than just two or three lives. How many has Brother-in-law covered up for her? How many mouths has he silenced? In court, we'll lay it all out. Let's see if Elder Sister can still save her life with multiple charges piled against her!"
At these words, Wang Aunt's face changed dramatically. She tugged fiercely at her husband's sleeve, shooting him a sharp glare. Wang Uncle broke out in a cold sweat. Sheng Hong was as slick as a glass bead; though he had assisted in a few of those shady affairs, it was mostly by providing money or putting in a good word, never getting his hands dirty. But he himself was deeply involved. If those old matters were exposed, not only would Kang Wangshi be doomed, but his own official position might be in jeopardy. Thinking this, he hurriedly looked to Old Madam Wang: "Mother..."
How could Old Madam Wang not see the plea in her son's eyes? Her heart chilled with sorrow, and she slumped back in her chair, her arms resting on it trembling violently. The discussion had reached this point; there was nothing left to say. Defeat was complete.
Minglan quietly observed her expression, knowing the old woman had already raised the white flag in her heart, and couldn't help but feel a secret joy.
—While she was watching others, Gu Tingye had been watching her all along, attentively noting every frown, every tear, every smile, every sob.
Just then, a young woman hurried in from outside. Minglan was slightly surprised: "Cuiping, what brings you here?"
Cuiping, her face wet with joyful tears, knelt with a thud: "Old Madam has woken up!... Mama Fang sent me to report immediately—Old Madam has regained consciousness!"
Her words struck like a bolt from the blue. Everyone stood up abruptly—
Sheng Hong heaved a great sigh of relief: No need to observe mourning leave.Madam Wang went limp all over: No beheading or dismemberment.
Wang Old Madam straightened up from her chair: At least his life is spared.
Minglan laughed until she cried, clasped her hands together and bowed vigorously toward the sky several times, murmuring: Thank you, Heaven, Tathagata Buddha, and Guanyin Bodhisattva! I'll definitely eat more vegetables from now on, no picky eating! No more freshly slaughtered... I won't even eat pork knuckles anymore!
Gu Tingye standing beside her: ...
Only one person in the room was an exception.
Changbai remained expressionless. Seeing no empty teacups on the table, he picked up the teapot and took a big gulp directly from the spout—having rushed over on horseback and then argued, his throat was parched... Death penalty avoided, but how should the living punishment be sentenced?
Having adjudicated commoners' lawsuits for over two years, this county magistrate hadn't served for nothing; putting down the teapot, he quickly formed a plan.
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