644 Matchmake Shen Miao (1)
It had been snowing for a few days in the capital, and the sky finally cleared up.
Shen Miao was drying books in the courtyard. They were all military books sent to her by Shen Qiu. These days, they had gone moldy because of the damp weather and needed to be dried. Jingzhe and Gu Yu were drying the bedding in the courtyard. Jingzhe said, “I heard that the lawsuit between the Chen and Shen families was extremely lively. Many people lined up the street to sit on the case. Now that it’s dragged on for so long, I wonder what the outcome will be.”
“The outcome can’t be good. Both sides will suffer a loss.” Gu Yu said disdainfully, “They even brought their family affairs to court. Fortunately, Master and Madam split up from the Shen family early. Otherwise, they might also be affected.”
Chen Ruoqiu’s family and the Shen family had a lawsuit.
Old Master Chen was a stubborn old man. He was very prideful and refused to back down. He would defend himself to the end and would never allow himself to be the one in the wrong. Old Master Chen went all out to protect Chen Ruoqiu’s reputation naturally not because he doted on Chen Ruoqiu, but because he did not allow the Shen family to look down on the Chen family. Chen Ruoqiu’s mother, on the other hand, was something. Her heart ached for Chen Ruoqiu, and with just a few words, she convinced Old Master Chen to fight a lawsuit with the Shen family over the divorce.
The Chen family said that over the years Chen Ruoqiu had been married to Shen Wan, she was conscientious and managed the household well. She had once suggested Shen Wan take in a concubine, but Shen Wan declined the suggestion. Everyone outside knew that Chen Ruoqiu was well-educated and gentle. Now, Shen Wan was actually willing to divorce his wife for a woman who came out of nowhere. It was simply outrageous.
The Shen family said that although Chen Ruoqiu was the madam, she could not give birth to a son. Now that her husband was finally going to take in a concubine, out of jealousy, she even tried to stop him.
This farce provided the people of the capital something to talk about in idle hours.
The capital magistrate had a headache dealing with this lawsuit. He could not afford to offend either side, so he could only drag it out.
During the lawsuit, Shen Wan and Chen Ruoqiu’s marriage was destined to end. Firstly, it was because Shen Wan was a court official after all, but because of this family matter, his reputation was ruined and his official career hindered. Secondly, it was because Chang Zaiqing was pregnant.
Chang Zaiqing’s pregnancy at this critical juncture put Chen Ruoqiu at a greater disadvantage. Although Shen Wan had doted on Chen Ruoqiu for so many years, it did not mean that he did not look forward to having a son. If Chang Zaiqing was pregnant with his son, he would have someone to carry on the family line. Therefore, the more he was with Chang Zaiqing, the happier he felt. As for Chen Ruoqiu, she became a piece of tattered rag that no one wanted.
Shen Miao smiled and said, “Don’t forget to give some money to the people in the government.”
Gu Yu nodded and asked in confusion, “Miss, are you helping Third Master or Third Madam?”
Shen Miao asked Gu Yu to take some money to give to people in the government, but she did not know who Shen Miao wanted to side with.
Gu Yu whispered, “It’s better not to get involved in it. That family is not a good family.”
Although her voice was soft, Shen Miao still heard it. Shen Miao said, “I’m not on either side.”
Fighting a lawsuit was the most expensive thing. The poor families fought the lawsuit without money, so the lawsuit could end quickly. However, when the lawsuit involved rich people, the lawsuit would last for quite some time because the people in the government office also had to make money. The longer the lawsuit lasted, the more money the government office could make.