Traveling through the farm, I just want to earn money by farming

Xue Jingtang read the complaint in the back of the court, and then looked over the confessions and evidence collected and organized by the yamen runners one by one, and then ordered the case to be heard in the court.

The yamen officials were divided into two rows from the outside, and they stood solemnly on both sides. Behind the county magistrate sat at the desk, and the county magistrate, county lieutenant, and chief clerk each performed their duties.

"Bring the plaintiffs Shi Shuanghu and Tan Yueya to the court for questioning." With the order, the bailiffs carried the two men into the court. Shi Shuanghu had to lie down due to his injured legs, and Tan Yueya barely supported herself and knelt on the ground.

"Commoners Shi Shuanghu and Tan Yueya kneel down to pay homage to Master Xue Ming."

"Mian, the person you two are accusing is Shi Chong, and you are accusing him of plotting to murder you two and your sisters for profit, right?"

Xue Mingfu's voice was so majestic that people dared not act rashly.

"Yes," the couple said firmly.

"You two should clearly state the facts of the case."

After receiving the order, the couple told the whole story, and their confessions were not much different from those asked by the yamen runners.

Shi Zhong was brought into the hall. After Shi Zhong entered the inner hall and knelt down, he heard Xue Mingfu speak: "Defendant Shi Zhong, the plaintiffs Shi Shuanghu and Shi Shuanghu are suing you for selling your sisters as child brides in exchange for your marriage proposal. The plaintiffs learned that you and your family were planning to kill them. Do you admit your guilt?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Chong kowtowed heavily and cried out in injustice, "Master Mingfu, what my second uncle and second aunt have said is all false. I wanted to discuss marriage, and the other family asked for a generous betrothal gift, but I absolutely cannot sell my sister to someone else as a child bride. The elders in my family found a man for my sister, and when they found him so good, they sent a matchmaker to propose marriage. Both parties agreed, and then the marriage was settled. However, my second uncle and second aunt saw that the eldest son of the Ji family was a little crazy and didn't approve of the marriage. They then started a quarrel with the elders in the family. I saw my second uncle and second aunt actually fighting with my grandparents, and I was afraid that my grandparents would be hurt, so I intervened. But I lost my strength and hurt my second uncle and second aunt. That's why they are so angry that they filed a complaint with the county government and tarnished my reputation."

What a brilliant man who turned the tables and confused right and wrong, Shi Shuanghu and Tan Yueya, listening intently, wanted to bite a piece of him off. The villagers outside the hall, listening for a moment, didn't know who was who and were all talking among themselves.

"An Jing, since your statements are inconsistent, bring the witnesses here." After that, the yamen runners brought the witnesses into the court one by one.

"This is a land of light and law. You will not be tolerated for making false statements or covering up for one another. You must tell the truth. If you knowingly break the law, you will inevitably suffer physical pain."

Before questioning the witnesses, the county magistrate sternly reprimanded everyone, hoping that they would be respectful, and everyone responded.

"Are you the head of the Shi family?"

When Old Man Shi heard Master Ming's question, he quickly responded, "Master Ming, I am the head of the Shi family."

"I'm asking you, how many sons and daughters do you have, and how many people are in your family?" I couldn't figure out what the magistrate meant, so I didn't dare to lie when he asked about the number of people in my family.

"My Lord, I have three sons and two daughters. My two daughters are already married. Dalang has two sons and one daughter, Erlang has only one daughter, and Sanlang has one son and one daughter."

"How old are you?"

"The eldest grandson is eighteen, the second grandson is sixteen, and the third grandson is thirteen; the eldest granddaughter is fifteen, the second granddaughter is fifteen, and the youngest granddaughter is ten."

"This Shi Zhenzhen is your number one granddaughter?"

"She is the old man's granddaughter."

"Have her two older sisters been engaged?"

"Not yet."

"Oh, that's strange. There's always been a respect for seniority, and the older brothers and sisters haven't even betrothed this underage girl yet, yet you've already mentioned her?"

Xue Mingfu stared at Old Man Shi with his sharp eyes, a slight smile on the corner of his mouth, staring at him so hard that Old Man Shi felt timid and dared not look up.

Then he heard the leader ask, "Who are you to Shi Zhong?"

"Replying to Master Mingfu, he is my eldest grandson."

"Are you married?"

"Not yet."

"Then why did Shi Shuanghu Guan accuse him of selling Shi Zhenzhen to the Ji family for the betrothal gift?"

"No, there's no engagement. My eldest grandson told me that the manager of the Food Pavilion in this county is interested in marrying his daughter to him, but he needs a gift of thirty taels, so he came home to discuss it with us."

"How's the negotiation going?"

The questions one after another made Old Man Shi very nervous, afraid that he would say something wrong, and his body was already drenched in sweat.

"Let's discuss borrowing money."

"How much to borrow?"

"More than ten taels"

"Who can I borrow from?"

"Ask, ask, ask the neighbors to borrow."

"Have you borrowed it?"

"Never"

"How much money do you have?"

"About ten taels."

"Specific number"

"Thirteen taels, oh~ no~ no~ fifteen taels"

"Have you asked the neighbors?"

"no"

"Who do you want to borrow from?"

"I~I~I~"

There was no chance to breathe as the questions and answers went on. Old Man Shi was extremely nervous. These seemingly irrelevant questions made him break out in cold sweats.

Seeing that he couldn't answer for a moment, Xue Jingtang turned to the matchmaker and asked, "Are you Miss Hua?"

When asked this question suddenly, Hua Niangzi's expression froze and she quickly replied, "Yes."

"Why did the Ji family and the Shi family ask you to be their matchmaker?"

"It was the matchmaker that the master came to ask for from me the day before yesterday."

"Who's coming?"

"It's Zhao, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Shi family."

"How did it go that day?"

Lady Hua wiped the sweat off her face with her handkerchief and said, "That day, Shi Zhao came to my house and said she wanted to find a husband for her daughter. I accepted the job because I thought two of her daughters had already reached marriageable age. Then, she said that the two older sisters wanted to see the younger one, and even though she hadn't reached marriageable age yet, she wanted to see her sooner and make plans. I just thought she was doing it for the good of her daughters, and since many girls were seen before marriageable age, I didn't think much of it. The next day, she told me that the parents of the two older ones were reluctant to let them go and wanted them to see each other more often. The parents of the younger one, on the other hand, were not reluctant, but said she was a little foolish and that if she found a good match, she could send her off."

She paused, thinking about what had happened that day. Hua Niangzi was filled with remorse. After all these years as a matchmaker, she had never been to court. She was furious and resentful of the Shi family, and she also blamed herself for agreeing to the deal without asking for the reason. But when she met Tan that day and chatted with her for a few minutes, she felt something was amiss. Sure enough, something had happened.

"At the time, I was wondering why the Shi family's second branch, having finally gotten a daughter, wanted to marry her off so soon, and instead of going to the door themselves, they had my sister-in-law come forward. Shi Zhao saw my concerns and said that the second branch had given full authority to the marriages of their children to her, the eldest sister-in-law, and that I only needed to inform them. Then she laid out a lot of conditions, saying that only the son had an only child and a wealthy family who could afford a betrothal gift of thirty taels would be allowed to marry the girl off, and that she didn't have to wait until she reached the age of marriage to marry.

When Lady Hua heard these conditions, she thought that the Shi family really loved their daughter. They wanted an only son and such a high bride price. It was unlikely that the daughter would be accepted by them unless she was from a good family. But which peasant family would be willing to meet such high conditions?

She suddenly remembered that the Ji family in Shitanwan met all the requirements, but their son was indeed mentally retarded and somewhat insane. She mentioned this casually, "Your family really loves your daughter, so I'm afraid you'll have to go to the county to find someone with these conditions. Ordinary peasant families wouldn't be of much interest to you, but there is one family that does meet the requirements, but with Dalang's condition, you definitely wouldn't accept him."

"Oh, which family?" When Zhao heard what Hua Niang had in mind, she also knew who she was talking about.

"The Ji family of Shitanwan, however, has a son who is both mentally retarded and a bit insane. He spread the word early on to look for a daughter from a good family, but no one was willing to do so."

Mrs. Hua smiled as she spoke, wondering if there was any family in the county that met the requirements.

Who would have thought that Zhao smiled and said, "Madam Hua, what you said is true. I have also heard of the Ji family. They have an only son and are quite wealthy. Although this son is a little mentally retarded and insane, he is well taken care of and raised like a treasure. I think my little niece is a perfect match for him."

When Lady Hua heard this, she was still a little stunned: "Lady Zhao, what do you mean?"

"I think the Ji family is a good family. My daughter Zhenzhen has never had to worry about food and clothing and has lived a comfortable life. Now she is still young. When she reaches the age of marriage, she can give birth to a child for their family. How can the Ji family treat her badly? With a child by her side, wouldn't life be wonderful? I think this is a good idea. Please go to their house and talk to them about it. I will also go back and tell my family."

After saying this, without waiting for Madam Hua's reaction, he went back. Madam Hua was puzzled. What was the Shi family's intention? Could it be that Shi Zhenzhen had some hidden illness, so she was so anxious to propose marriage?

Without thinking too much, she went to the Ji family to find out. When the Ji family heard that she was only ten years old, they were reluctant. But then they thought that it would only take a few years for her to reach marriage age, so they gritted their teeth and agreed. At least if they passed away in the future, there would be someone to take care of Ji Dabao.