Master Jin said that this case should be fast rather than slow, sooner rather than later, quiet rather than noisy. Therefore, Tao Mo deliberately chose an early morning, and sent someone to send Yang Liu's mother, daughter, son-in-law, and Yang Tianyuan to the yamen.
Seeing the four people below kneeling in a row, Tao Mo was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. He patted lightly with the gavel and said, "Since there is a destiny to be a family, why did you turn against each other and go to court for these external possessions?"
Yang Liu cried out, "Your Excellency, please be the master of the women!"
Tao Mo said to Yang Tianyuan who lowered his head and remained silent, "Yang Tianyuan, Yang Liu's sued you for withholding Zou Qiong's dowry, how do you explain it?"
Yang Tianyuan straightened up, bowed, and said slowly: "My lord has learned from you. The villain is not withholding her dowry, the villain is just taking back what is due to her."
Yang Liu said angrily: "How is it what you deserve? This is obviously the dowry left by my husband and Qiong'er."
Yang Tianyuan said: "That's right. He did leave a dowry, but he didn't leave money to support his daughter. When you remarried to me, Zou Qiong was only eight years old. Who worked so hard to dress her? Who is it?" Hard earned money to feed her? And who gave her the tiles to cover her head?"
Yang Liushi cried: "Back then you clearly promised to raise her and grow up, but I remarried to you just now, and you turned your back on it!"
Yang Tianyuan said: "I promised to raise her as an adult, but I didn't promise that I would not receive a cent? I worked so hard to drag other people's children to grow up and still not receive a cent. Do you really think I have been taken advantage of?"
Zou Qiong suddenly poohed beside him.
Yang Tianyuan turned to stare at her.
Zou Qiong raised his head and said: "Since ancient times, business has always been one willing to fight and the other willing to suffer. You never said that you would not receive any money, but you also didn't say that you would swallow my dowry!"
Liu Bao, Zou Qiong's husband-in-law, sneered and said, "If you don't ask for it, it's stealing!"
Yang Tianyuan couldn't hold back anymore, and said: "I don't know how to raise a wolf cub. Anyway, you were raised by me, and now you only want a little reward, so I will be sued in court. I am really blind, and I raised you for nothing. So many years."
Zou Qiong said: "You support me? For so many years, my mother has earned my mother's laundry and sewing for others. What have you done? It is thankful to be able to get back the usual money in a year!"
Yang Tianyuan was trembling with anger, and said repeatedly: "Nonsense, nonsense!"
Tao Mo was so dazed by what they said, he couldn't help but look at Master Jin.
Master Jin put down his pen, walked up to him and said, "I think Yang Tianyuan's speech seems to be pointed out by someone behind his back. If he is not familiar with the law of my dynasty, how could Yang Tianyuan dare to be so blatant?"
Tao Mo said: "There are so many litigators in Tanyang County, it's not surprising that there are people giving advice."
Master Jin said: "But why doesn't this person want to come forward in person?"
Tao Mo said: "This, could it be that Yang Tianyuan didn't give enough money?"
Master Jin didn't think of this level, he was stunned and said: "It's also possible."
Tao Mo said, "How do you see the trial of this case going?"
Master Jin said: "It doesn't matter whether Yang Tianyuan has the kindness of nurturing or not, one thing belongs to the other. When Yang Liu's family married into the Yang family, it was agreed that the dowry would only be handed over to him for safekeeping. How can he keep it for himself?"
Tao Mo nodded and said, "It's reasonable." He slapped the startled wood and said, "Yang Tianyuan, since you promised the Yangliu family to take care of the dowry, how can you go back on your word? A man is as upright as he is, and he should keep his word. Now, I judge you Return the dowry to Zou Qiong immediately, without any excuses to delay, let alone divert the dowry for other purposes."
Yang Tianyuan was shocked, and wanted to complain, so Yang Liushi, Zou Qiong and Liu Bao shouted: "Thank you, Master Qingtian!"
Tao Mo stood up, slapped the gavel skillfully, "Retire."
Back in the back hall, Tao Mo asked Master Jin, "How was my sentence today?"
Master Jin said: "My lord is wise."
Tao Mo blushed and said, "Master, you know me best. You may be a little diligent, but you don't dare to be wise."
Master Jin smiled, a little absent-minded.
"What's on Master's mind?" Tao Mo asked.
Master Jin said: "I'm just worried about the future of the Yangliu family."
Tao Mo was startled for a moment, and then said, "I think this Yang Tianyuan is narrow-minded and preoccupied. I'm afraid that Yang Liu will be blamed by him when he goes back. Fortunately, she has a daughter and son-in-law, so she won't be helpless."
Master Jin said with deep meaning: "I hope so."
Tao Mo stayed in the county government until the afternoon, finished the things in his hands, and slipped back to Gu's mansion quietly.
There was a long queue at the gate of Gu's mansion, front, back, left, left, right, left, right, people or sedan chairs, it was completely blocked.
Tao Mo's sedan chair stopped far away. After thinking for a while, he instructed the bearers to go to the back door.
The situation at the back door was a little better, but there were still a few people waiting there.
Tao Mo asked the bearer to knock on the door, while he waited in the sedan chair.
After a while, there was finally some movement inside the door, and a servant opened the door a thin crack. Before the bearer could report himself, two people rushed over and pushed him aside.
"He is Zhang Wenguang in Lower Luzhou."
"Sun Fu in Yangzhou, please see Mr. Gu!"
The bearer was knocked away earlier because he was unprepared. In terms of brute strength, he is indeed much stronger than these two literati. But before he hit back, the servant still slammed the door shut.
Zhang Wenguang and Sun Fu hurriedly knocked again, but there was no more movement inside.
Tao Mo got down from the sedan chair. He is very eye-catching in his official robes.
"My lord." The bearer said in a friendly tone, "Why don't I deliver the letter by the front door."
Tao Mo nodded.
The other two people were disturbed when they saw that it was the bearer of the local county magistrate that they bumped into.
Tao Mogong cupped his hands and said, "Yangzhou, Luzhou, and Tanyang County are thousands of miles away, and the two of you have worked hard all the way."
Zhang Wenguang and Sun Fu hurriedly returned the salute.
Seeing that the county magistrate was so talkative, several people waiting nearby gathered together.
Tao Mo asked, "Why are you waiting here?"
Sun Fudao: "We heard that Mr. Gu Xianzhi lived in seclusion here, so we came here to visit."
Everyone else said yes.
Tao Mo heard that they all came here in the name of admiring Gu She, he was secretly happy, and his tone became more gentle, "I wonder if you have had lunch?"
Zhang Wenguang and the others took out dry food and said, "We have prepared it ourselves."
Tao Mo saw that the sun was getting hotter and hotter in the afternoon, so he said, "Why don't you let me be the host, how about asking you to sit in the Xianwei Building?"
Zhang Wenguang and the others looked at each other in blank dismay.
Sun Fu said: "Thank you for your kindness, sir, but we don't know when Mr. Gu will go out, so we dare not go away."
Tao Mo said: "I just saw most people waiting at the front door, why are you waiting at the back door?"
Zhang Wenguang said: "To tell you the truth. The rule of the Gu family is to hand over invitations, and Mr. Gu decides whether to see or not. The few I waited for had already submitted invitations and were returned."
Tao Mo was stunned. It turned out that they were not reconciled to having their posts returned, so they came here to try their luck.
"Xian..." Tao Mo felt stunned and coughed dryly, "Xianweiju is the best restaurant in Tanyang, it would be a pity not to go. Besides, the sun is so hot outside, and there are so many people waiting at the front door, Mr. Gu Probably won't go out."
Zhang Wenguang and others hesitated.
Tao Mo took advantage of the fire and said, "This way please."
Everyone was so kind, they followed him to Xianweiju.
The owner of Xianweiju still doesn't recognize the magistrate of this county, so he immediately introduced the box, and personally helped him set up a table of delicious food.
Zhang Wenguang and the others came all the way here without eating any good food, and now they naturally have a big appetite for delicious food, but they are literati, after all, they have scruples, even if they covet, they only eat the dishes in front of them.
Tao Mo looked at them, and couldn't help but think of how cautious he was when he was dining in Gu's mansion, and his eyes softened when he looked at them.
Sun Fu saw that Tao Mo only drank tea and didn't eat, so he knew that he must have had a meal, and his affection for him doubled in his heart, so he stopped chopsticks and said, "I don't know what year my lord was a Jinshi?"
Tao Mo said calmly, "My official is donated."
Everyone was taken aback when they heard the words, and a few people showed disapproving expressions on their faces. They study hard in the cold window, in order to learn to be rich, to be named on the gold list in the future, and to become officials. But those who are well-born can buy officials and nobles, and reach the sky without any effort. How unfair is it to them? ! If Tao Mo's treat wasn't still in their mouths, they would have left long ago.
Tao Mo said: "Don't laugh at me, actually I don't even know a few words."
The others looked at him, not because they were joking or not, but because they didn't want to talk at all.
Tao Mo sighed and said, "Because of suffering from ignorance and incompetence, I admire scholars who study hard like all of you here. Tao Mo hereby wishes you all the titles on the gold list and return to your hometown with honor."
The other people turned pale and returned their salutes one after another.
Sun Fudao: "Listen to adults talking, you don't look like an illiterate person."
Tao Mo waved his hands and said, "I'm ashamed, ashamed, I'm just a toddler in Handan."
The usage of Handan toddler...
"..."
Sun Fu coughed dryly and said, "Master, do you want to say that parrots learn tongues?"
Tao Mo suddenly said: "Exactly."
Sun Fudao: "It turns out that adults are self-taught without a teacher."
Tao Mo smiled modestly.
When everyone saw that although his official position was bought, his mannerisms were not rough and extravagant, on the contrary, he had a bit of a student's refined style, and the disgust in their hearts could not help but be reduced a bit.
The door of the box was suddenly knocked a few times, and then pushed open with a babble.
Gu Xiaojia took a peeping look, then rushed to the corridor and shouted: "My lord, it's in this room."
After a while, a slender figure appeared at the door, with lacquer-like hair, star-like eyes, and frost-like complexion, silent and powerful.
Tao Mo was inexplicably guilty, and stood up awkwardly, "Xianzhi."
Gu Xiaojia complained: "Master heard that you came but didn't enter the mansion, so he immediately sent someone to look for it. I didn't expect you to eat, drink and have fun with others here."
Zhang Wenguang and Sun Fu didn't pay attention to other things, they only noticed that Tao Mo called that person "Xianzhi", they couldn't help standing up excitedly and said, "Could it be that your honor is Mr. Gu Xianzhi?"
The others were startled when they heard the words, they all stood up and looked at Gu She eagerly.
Gu She glanced at them indifferently, walked into the room, and walked to Tao Mo's side.
Gu Xiaojia immediately squeezed the chair between Tao Mo and Sun Fu.
Sun Fu belatedly stepped aside.
After Gu She sat down, seeing that everyone was still standing, he leisurely waved his hands and said, "Sit down."