I, Sun Shan, and the Imperial Examination

Chapter 1483 The Case of Establishing an Heir (4)

"So majestic! So majestic!"

With each powerful shout, the main figures in the Wen family adoption case soon appeared.

The plaintiff, surnamed Leng, stood at the front and performed a kneeling ceremony.

Uncle Fang, being a scholar, bowed respectfully.

Sun Shan told them to stand up, slammed his gavel, and asked in a cold voice, "Who are you in the courtroom? What brings you to file a complaint?"

I took a closer look at Leng Shi. She was dressed in plain clothes and was still in mourning. At only seventeen or eighteen years old, she dared to write a complaint. Her courage was commendable.

Sun Shan couldn't help but give her a thumbs up.

With a trembling body, Lady Leng said in a shaky voice, "My lord, it is I who wish to file a complaint."

He then recounted the background and consequences of the Wen family's adoption.

Lady Leng couldn't help but burst into tears and cried out, "Please, Your Excellency, do justice for me! Although my husband is not yet of age, he is already married. It is only right and proper that an heir be established for him to prevent him from becoming a wandering ghost."

When I pass away and meet my husband in the afterlife, I will have the face to see him. I beg you, sir, to select an heir for me from among the distant relatives of the Wen family, so that my poor, prematurely deceased husband may continue his family line.”

Sun Shan remained calm, carefully considering Leng Shi's words.

Her intention was to remain a widow for Young Master Wen and never remarry, with the goal of obtaining a "chastity arch".

However, Leng was only seventeen or eighteen years old. Even if he lived to be 50, he would have to live a lonely life for decades.

I don't know if she truly wanted to remain a widow or was forced into it.

If Lady Leng knew what Sun Shan was thinking, she would have shouted without hesitation: "My lord, I am sincere."

It wasn't that she had much affection for Young Master Wen, but rather that her family was completely unreliable. It was better to stay with the Wen family; at least she wouldn't be sold off.

Leng asked Sun Shan to help select an heir from a distant relative of the Wen family, instead of choosing one herself. She probably knew she had no power to speak, and even if she did select one, it would be pointless, as the clan would definitely not agree.

But Sun Shan's choice was different; it represented the official opinion. Even if the Wen clan had objections, they could only reason with Sun Shan.

This young woman, surnamed Leng, is quite shrewd; no wonder a woman like her dared to file a complaint.

After Leng finished speaking, Sun Shan pointed at Ma's uncle and asked, "Scholar Ma, you're also on the petition. How do you explain that?"

Scholar Ma stepped forward, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and said solemnly, "Sir, my sister was Master Wen's first wife and the mother of his nephew. Now that the father and son have unfortunately passed away, as their relative, I cannot bear to see my sister and brother-in-law living in the afterlife alone with no one to burn incense or paper money for them."

They then suggested that the Wen family adopt Wen Er as their second son, so that he could serve as the head of the family line and burn incense at the graves of his sister and brother-in-law, ensuring the continuation of the Wen family's lineage.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "As for my nephew Wen, he was not yet of age and died young, so he is not suitable for adoption."

After speaking, she secretly glanced at Sun Shan and saw that he was expressionless and seemed to be thinking about something.

Ma Xiucai originally intended to use his status as a scholar and his maternal uncle to pressure the Wen clan chief to adopt Wen Er, who shared the same surname. However, the Wen clan chief was unwilling and even fabricated a son.

Uncle Ma then planned to use coercion and bribery, offering small benefits such as contributing a hundred acres of Master Wen's land to the clan, and also planning to share some of the clan chief's property.

If they disagree, they will use the Ma family's status and the scholar's identity to cause trouble for Chief Wen.

In any case, the Wen family and the Wen clan leader's lineage were small and lacked members with official titles. They only managed to maintain their family business by relying on the Wen family's shrewd methods to make many friends.

Now that Master Wen has passed away, Young Master Wen is gone too.

Heh, what other abilities does Chief Wen have?

Unexpectedly, before the plan was even fully in place, the Leng family suddenly appeared.

Not only did she run away, but instead of going back to her family, she wrote a petition and filed a lawsuit, asking the county magistrate to judge her.

This infuriated Ma Xiucai. His petty tricks and lowly status were no match for the county magistrate.

After much thought, Ma Xiucai came up with the idea of ​​bribery.

Unfortunately, the government offices were so strictly hierarchical, like a palace, that it was impossible to break in, and even if one wanted to offer bribes, there was no one to be found.

When the cook from the yamen came out to walk, she could be seen easily. But as soon as she got close, the old woman's eyes were filled with malice. It was clear that if she took one more step closer, she would surely break her legs.

After much deliberation, Ma Xiucai realized with dread that the moment Magistrate Sun received the petition, he had been plotting to seize the Wen family's property.

He didn't even care about the so-called bribery; if he had, he would have leaked the news long ago.

The more Ma Xiucai thought about it, the more sweaty he became.

A county magistrate who ruined his family, a prefect who exterminated his entire clan.

It's one thing for the Wen family's assets to rot outside, but they're actually being stuffed into Magistrate Sun's mouth. If he doesn't take a bite, he's not a proper official.

Ma Xiucai stared maliciously at Leng Shi.

It's all because of this foolish woman; she let the wolf into the house, and all her efforts were in vain.

Sun Shan had no idea about Ma Xiucai's wild guesses based on his own assumptions.

Bad people always assume that good people will do the same bad things as them.

He then pointed at Chief Wen and said, "Chief Wen, what's your explanation?"

Chief Wen's palms and the backs of his hands were sweaty. He took a shaky step forward and touched the cold sweat on his forehead.

He said tremblingly, "Sir, the adopted son with the same surname proposed by Uncle Ma is merely occupying a place with the same surname. He is not a legitimate descendant of our Wen family. If we establish him as the adopted son, wouldn't that disrupt our Wen family's bloodline?"

Furthermore, the Leng family requested adoption by a distant relative, who is not of our Wen family bloodline. I'm afraid my nephew, if he were alive, would not agree to that.”

The more accurate meaning is that the Wen family's businesses were handed over to outsiders, which is an injustice.

Chief Wen continued, “Sir, our Wen family still has relatives, so we should establish an heir among them. Although there is no suitable candidate among the relatives, it is only temporary. Our Wen family line is not extinct, so how can we let outsiders take over our place?”

After saying this, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed to Sun Shan, shouting, "Sir, you must stand up for our Wen family and not let outsiders pollute our Wen family bloodline."

My nephew has passed away, and my grand-nephew has also died young. I cannot allow my nephew to become a wandering ghost while outsiders hypocritically offer him sacrifices in order to seize the family fortune.

Sun Shan saw that Chief Wen was getting more and more excited as he spoke, kowtowing and weeping at the same time, a truly moving and emotional performance.

To outsiders, it might seem that he had a good relationship with Master Wen and Young Master Wen, and that he was speaking out for the Wen family father and son.

Sun Shan couldn't help but slam his gavel, and the entire courtroom fell silent instantly.

It's been a long time since I took these photos, but the results are still so good.

If conditions allowed, Sun Shan would have loved to take a few more shots.

This is the taste of power; the more you film, the more addicted you become.

Sun Shan then pointed to Wen Xiaomei and asked, "Miss Wen, what are your thoughts on the matter of choosing an heir?"

Wen Xiaomei was only thirteen or fourteen years old, and it took all the courage she had to stand in the courtroom.

When Sun Shan asked him a question, he was so frightened that he trembled, his face turned pale, his mouth quivered, he wanted to speak but couldn't, and he almost fainted.

Sun Shan sighed. Wen Xiaomei's behavior showed that she was just a piece of driftwood, drifting with the current. She was not a strong-willed girl and was far inferior to Leng Shi, who was several years older than him.

Sun Shan asked again, but his tone was particularly friendly: "Miss Wen, please speak freely. I will make decisions for Master Wen and Young Master Wen."

Wen Xiaomei was still shivering, but she was a little better than before.

Finally speaking, he said, "Sir, I... I... what my sister-in-law did was what I did."

After speaking, he looked like a withered sapling, completely lifeless.