Shen Tang was shocked and said he couldn't understand.
But it was clear that she was the only one who couldn't understand.
The onlookers were all furious when they heard this. Judging from their emotional state, if it wasn't for the wrong occasion, they would have dragged this vicious woman, Widow Zhuo, out to the streets to parade her around. They pointed at Widow Zhuo and didn't hide their contempt.
“It’s really vicious!”
"There is such a vicious woman in the world!"
"Mr. Shen should sentence her to the five punishments!"
"I've heard that this Zhuo is a promiscuous woman who flirts with every man she sees. I guess she wants to be the man's mistress, but he doesn't agree, so she has evil thoughts? That's a child, isn't she afraid of God's punishment for doing this?"
There is no entertainment in this era.
I spend all my free time gossiping.
The more outrageous and bizarre the content is, the wider it will spread. Anyone can gossip about the neighbors' private affairs.
Those who become the subject of conversation are all soft persimmons that are easy to bully.
Widow Zhuo only had her and her daughter at home, and there was no male member who could intimidate the outside world to support the family, so naturally anyone could step in and kill time. Regardless of whether the content was true or false, even if it was false, would these mother and daughter dare to come to ask for an explanation
To say the least, we are not afraid even if they dare to come to our house.
"Yes! Mr. Shen should sentence her!"
"Such a slut, she really deserves to die!"
Widow Zhuo's daughter's face was deathly pale, and Widow Zhuo was trembling under the public opinion, with a miserable and dazed expression.
He kept saying, "I didn't mean to..."
She just kindly helped by getting a knife.
How can one have the intention to harm others
She heard someone in the crowd suggesting that her daughter be implicated as well, and her fear reached its peak. She hugged her daughter's still skinny body tightly, trying to use her body to block out the criticism and abuse from the outside world. Ning Yan stood in front of the mother and daughter, and was about to speak.
The next moment, the whole room was silent.
The young scholar turned his head and looked at Qishan in surprise.
Qi Shan looked at his master with a dark face.
Silence
Shen Tang looked at the common people indifferently and asked calmly, "Are you the county magistrate, or am I the county magistrate? Are you going to judge the case, or am I going to judge the case? Even if you haven't eaten pork, you have seen pigs run. Don't you know what the crime of making a scene in court is?"
Although the old woman and her family didn't know what was going on, the people who had just supported them looked anxious and scared, with their mouths open but no sound coming out. This strange scene made them panic. Shen Tang glanced at the baby in her arms and asked someone to take him away.
He winked at Ning Yan again.
Ning Yan asked Widow Zhuo softly.
"From which blacksmith did Madam order the knife?"
Whether the young woman is lying or not will be clear once we check.
Widow Zhuo told the location and sign of the blacksmith shop. Shen Tang waved his hand, and a clerk went down to invite the person in charge of the blacksmith shop to come over.
The young woman lowered her head guiltily upon hearing this.
The old woman was very experienced and knew how to smooth things over as soon as she opened her mouth: "My daughter-in-law is young and ignorant, and doesn't know the taboos, but how could a woman surnamed Zhuo who has given birth to a child not know these things? Can you hand the knife directly to my daughter-in-law? If you really have good intentions, you can take advantage of the fact that either I or my son is at home... Mr. Shen, please have pity on my grandson... He is still young, and the only child in our family for several generations. How will he live in the future if he is harmed like this?"
Besides, her daughter-in-law didn't lie.
It was indeed Widow Zhuo who brought the knife to the door.
Widow Zhuo quietly defended herself: "I really don't know..."
Shen Tang barely understood the so-called taboo. To put it simply, pregnant women cannot use sharp scissors or knives because these objects will destroy the barrier protecting the fetus and will also cut the fetus's mouth, causing the child to be born deformed.
She sneered in her heart, but said with emotion: "It seems that the old woman really treats your daughter-in-law as her own daughter."
"Of course. Once she enters our house, my daughter-in-law is like my own daughter. She is all my flesh and blood." When the old woman was moved, she wiped away her tears out of pity for her daughter-in-law. She had finally given birth to a child, but the child was poisoned by a villain. Everyone felt sad when they heard this.
Shen Tang asked again: "Oh, so you are the one who takes care of your daughter-in-law's daily washing and dressing?"
The old woman didn't know why Shen Tang asked this.
"This, this is not..."
Ning Yan seemed to understand something.
He said with a smile: "After entering the family, only the daughter-in-law will serve her mother-in-law morning and night, how can the mother-in-law be humble and serve her daughter-in-law?"
Shen Tang nodded to show that he understood, and then sent someone to invite a few of the old woman's neighbors to serve as witnesses.
Then we waited for the witness to come.
The first person to arrive was the owner of the blacksmith shop.
"Widow Zhuo ordered two knives from you?"
The blacksmith shook his head: "Only one."
Shen Tang asked again: "Does this family have a knife order?"
The owner of the blacksmith shop recognized the old woman's son.
Pointing at him, he said, "This is the guy who ordered it."
Shen Tang glanced at the man calmly, and the latter shrugged his shoulders timidly, slightly turned sideways, and tried to use the old woman's body to block Shen Tang's sight. Not long after, three more people came up. A woman of the same age as the old woman, a young wife, and a strong man. It was the first time for the three people to be brought up in the hall, and they looked timid and timid, and it took a while for them to relax.
"I have some questions for you three in this case. Just answer truthfully." Shen Tang first asked the old lady witness, "You and the plaintiff have been neighbors for many years. Her daughter-in-law is pregnant. Do you usually serve tea and water to the mother and son and take good care of them?"
The witness almost burst out laughing at the question.
"No, no, no."
Deny three times.
Mother-in-law serves tea and water to her daughter-in-law
Not even in dreams.
"She often says that her daughter-in-law is lazy and slacks off at work..."
Shen Tang then asked the young wife, the witness: "I heard that you two have a good relationship. Who does the laundry and cooking in their family?"
"It's her."
The young wife pointed at the young woman.
Shen Tang asked: "Is it her when it's cold?"
The young wife laughed and said, "It doesn't matter whether it's hot or cold when working. I have to work even if my hands and feet get frostbite..."
Shen Tang: "Even when you're pregnant?"
Young wife: "I have to do it even if I have to give birth."
"The family is short of firewood. Who chopped it?"
Young wife: "She."
"Does she also cook meals for the whole family?"
"Yes, but her mother-in-law always complains that she uses too much oil, cuts the meat too big, and steals vegetables, saying that she is a spendthrift and a thief..."
The young lady comes from a poor family and her parents are very poor.
After getting married, I can also taste some meat.
When cooking, she couldn't help but dip her finger in a little oil to taste the food, and was caught by her mother-in-law and husband several times.
The young wife also revealed.
Before she found out she was pregnant, her mother-in-law caught her eating a piece of meat residue that had been squeezed dry for oil. She slapped her several times, and her face was swollen. The mother-in-law complained to her son, and the woman was beaten by her husband that day. She screamed miserably. She was driven out again on a cold day, and she was frozen outside for more than an hour, and she was almost frozen stupid.
The young wife showed sympathy, but also a bit of self-pity. The old woman next to her blushed and said confidently: "I am teaching her how to be a daughter-in-law... She still doesn't change her thieving habits after marrying in. She is a small thief now, and a big thief in the future!"
The common people watching nodded one after another.
They are temporarily unable to speak, but can still move.
Stealing oil is indeed a bad habit!
Her mother-in-law is teaching her, there's nothing wrong with that, right
"Who does the mending work in this family's house?"
The young wife answered simply: "It's her too."
Shen Tang asked the witness again.
This man is a co-worker with the old woman's son.
It was further confirmed that the statements of the other two witnesses were true.
so-
Shen Tang looked playful, "Old woman, your daughter-in-law is young and ignorant, and doesn't know the taboos, but you are a woman who has given birth, how could you not know that pregnant women can't touch knives and needles. You use axes to chop wood, right? You use knives to cut vegetables and meat, right? You need needles to sew, right? A woman is pregnant for ten months and comes into contact with these things every day. Was your grandson killed by Widow Zhuo's knife, or was he persecuted by you two? Explain to me, lord?"