Chapter 2631: Unexpected Complications II
Madam Huang fixed her gaze on the man who had spoken. His name was Wu Yixuan, and he appeared younger than Yuchi Gang. A native of Qiongshan in Hainan and a graduate of Fangcaodi Academy, Wu Yixuan claimed descent from Wu Xianxiu, a famous official of the Tang Dynasty. His father had enrolled him at Fangcaodi early, where he majored in Law and Politics. After graduation, he had cooperated with the "Little Senators," serving in various local posts to hone his administrative abilities. Eventually, Wu Yixuan was appointed as a judge of the Guangzhou Circuit Court, responsible for handling appeals throughout the greater Guangzhou region. Unlike Yuchi Gang, Wu Yixuan possessed a temperament that was outwardly gentle but inwardly unyielding, with a silver tongue to match. He considered himself a true professional with a solid foundation in legal knowledge. Having followed the "Chiefs" for an extended period, he believed he understood the essence of law thoroughly—and looked down somewhat on retired soldiers.
Seeing Wu Yixuan show off his knowledge, Yuchi Gang spoke up. "Big Sister, according to your complaint, your husband has violated at least several grounds for divorce under the Marriage Law: committing domestic violence or abuse, abandoning family members, and persisting in vices like gambling or drug use despite repeated warnings. Additionally, you've been separated for two full years due to irreconcilable differences." He paused. "The reason we still need a formal trial is that every family has its own troubles. The life between husband and wife is something outsiders can never fully understand. Although we judges represent public authority, we're still human. We cannot exercise discretionary power carelessly, determining the life or death of someone's marriage based on personal preference. As the proverb goes: better to demolish ten temples than destroy one marriage. Perhaps both parties feel the conflict has reached an irresolvable point, but for a judge to determine whether emotional bonds are truly severed—based on evidence and arguments presented in a short time—is no simple matter."
Zhao Hening listened in dismay. She had assumed that with the testimony of Madam Huang and Guan Zongbao alone, the divorce would be granted without hesitation. She hadn't expected Yuchi Gang to say he still couldn't see things clearly.
Wu Yixuan spoke with a hint of challenge in his voice. "My view is precisely the opposite. The Marriage Law has never concerned itself with emotions between men and women, nor could it ever. Whether we're discussing the Marriage Law itself or the Supreme Court's Specific Opinions on Determining Emotional Breakdown in Divorce Cases, the standards within are entirely objective. The law seeks to determine only one thing: whether the husband and wife still have the objective conditions to continue fulfilling their marriage contract—not some nebulous question of whether their feelings have died."
Wu Yixuan's words lifted Zhao Hening's spirits considerably. Perhaps there could still be a clean separation, with each party free to find their own happiness.
"So is divorce difficult?" Madam Huang asked.
"Divorce is simply a matter of dividing property and debt," Yuchi Gang replied. "How much marital property do you have? That is, property acquired after your marriage."
"Sigh, where would we have any property?" Madam Huang let out a weary breath. "All that remains is an adobe room in the village and a few taels of silver in debt."
"Then it's simple. You divide the house. Smaller items like pots, bowls, and utensils can be split evenly. The same applies to debts."
"And my son—will he stay with his father?" Madam Huang asked.
"Blood relationships are innate," Yuchi Gang said. "No legal clause can sever them. Supporting elderly parents is an obligation children must fulfill. Your son will naturally bear that responsibility."
Wu Yixuan added, "However, the obligation of support is absolutely not the same as your so-called Filial Piety. It doesn't mean blindly satisfying a parent's every demand. It means only providing material support no lower than the local living standard, guaranteeing a normal life for elderly parents who have lost the ability to work or care for themselves." He paused. "Your son isn't an adult yet, correct?"
"He's fifteen this year," Madam Huang said.
"Then he doesn't currently bear any support obligation. Instead, your husband must fulfill his duty to raise the child. This leads to another issue: custody of minor children. That is, whom the child will live with after divorce. Generally speaking, for minors over eight years old, the court will rule based on each party's ability to provide care, while also respecting the child's own wishes."
After the detailed legal explanation, Madam Huang still felt muddled. The Circuit Court wasn't handling just this one case, of course. She would need to return home and notify Guan Youde to appear at the court location—inside the military encampment—for the trial.
Madam Huang walked out of the tent feeling uneasy. Zhao Hening assured her not to worry; she would take care of everything.
Around this time, Mo Yu and the others returned to the main camp. After receiving their report that no obvious problems had been found, Zhang Xiao instructed them to continue monitoring.
"Jiayu, what's your assessment?" Zhang Xiao asked.
"This student believes the Chief's concerns are well-founded. We simply haven't found the evidence yet," Zhang Jiayu answered. "Why not send troops to search directly?" In ancient times, there was no such thing as human rights to speak of. When officials wanted to conduct a search, they simply issued an order. Let alone now, when the region was still under military control.
Zhang Xiao shook his head. "Zhu Shilian allowed Mo Yu to inspect the workshop—he must have already erased any traces. If we move now, won't we just be startling the snake by beating the grass?"
"May I ask what trick the Chief thinks the Zhu clan is playing?" Zhang Jiayu found himself at a loss. No good ideas came to mind.
"Heh heh, you've asked the right question." Zhang Xiao chuckled. "Judging from our intelligence, the Zhu clan isn't just acquiring silkworm dung—they're also buying up manure and fertilizer. For a major landlord, such behavior isn't impermissible. But the volume of their purchases is truly excessive." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "From a chemistry perspective, fertilizer primarily provides nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—the main nutrients for crops. Speaking of nitrogen, I'm reminded of an old venture: building nitre beds with Ji Tuisi and Chen Huan, back in the day..."
"What use are nitre beds?" Zhang Jiayu asked, somewhat confused.
"A method for extracting saltpeter."
"Saltpeter!" Zhang Jiayu's eyes widened. "Could it be they want to—"
"Shh!" Zhang Xiao raised a hand to silence him. "I didn't say what they want to do."
Zhang Jiayu saw this as an opportunity to repay the Chief's favor. "If they're secretly preparing gunpowder, they'll need artisans. Jiujiang Township has never produced gunpowder, so the artisans must be outsiders. If material evidence is hard to find, this student earnestly requests that the Chief arrest suspicious persons under the pretext of catching bandits. Interrogate them thoroughly, and we'll surely get results."
"Now that's a good idea. We'll play a little 'feint east, strike west.'" Zhang Xiao stroked the small mustache on his chin. "Hening!"
"Coming! What is it?" Zhao Hening heard her name and hurried in.
"You're the Women's Federation Special Commissioner—time to put that function to use," Zhang Xiao said. "Over the coming days, Jiayu will accompany you to the villages to promote women's protection policies. Local women are largely capable of self-reliance, and we need to leverage that foundation. Therefore, I want you to publicize Madam Huang's divorce case vigorously. Let the masses from ten li around come to hear the Senate's judgment. The bigger the spectacle, the better."
"Understood!" Zhao Hening agreed without hesitation.
Zhang Jiayu frowned. "This student doesn't understand. Why publicize the divorce case so vigorously? What does this have to do with investigating the Zhu clan?"
"It's about lulling the enemy into complacency. Mo Yu's investigation must have already drawn their attention. We need to make them believe this county administration concerns itself only with trivial domestic matters."
After Madam Huang and her son finished their business at Jiujiang Market and returned to their straw hut, they found an uninvited guest waiting. It was Guan Youde's second sister.
"What exactly did Youde do wrong?" the Second Sister demanded without preamble. "Why would you treat him like this?"
Guan Zongbao glanced at his mother, puzzled as to how his aunt had learned of the matter. Madam Huang said nothing.
Guan Zongbao spoke up instead. "You might as well ask what he ever did right."
"Zongbao, how can you say such things?" His aunt lectured him. "Your father has worked himself sick for this family. Every bit of silver he earned went to supporting all of you."
"That sounds nice. Why don't you ask your own conscience?" Guan Zongbao retorted. "The money he earned before—he spent it on drinking, gambling, whoring, and medicine for the diseases he caught doing it. How many copper coins did we actually see?"
Seeing that her words had no effect, the Second Sister changed her approach. "Don't blame me for meddling. I only want what's best for your family. Don't let outsiders lead you astray."
When neither responded, she turned back to Madam Huang. "Youde says he knows he was wrong. Just forgive him this once. He promises to live properly from now on..."
After the Second Sister had finished her pleading and departed, Guan Zongbao's anger boiled over. "Mother, what are you thinking? Why did you go tell her about this?"
Madam Huang began to weep. "Bao'er, this matter can't be settled without the clan's approval."
"So you still want to stay with him?"
Tears streaming down her face, Madam Huang spoke haltingly. "I've thought about this for days. Night after night, I couldn't sleep. Now that he's admitted he was wrong—he's never lowered his head to anyone in his entire life. I feel I should forgive him one more time."
Guan Zongbao was furious. "What? He knows he was wrong? He didn't even come to apologize himself!"
Mother and son parted on bitter terms. Each went off to tend to their own farmwork, speaking no more.
Zhao Hening threw herself into Zhang Xiao's assignment with characteristic energy. From somewhere she rounded up a few storytellers, and with banners unfurled and tin-sheet megaphones in hand, they spread the word everywhere. Soon, households across the surrounding ten li knew that Guan Youde's wife intended to divorce him, and that the Australians were championing her cause. Women adopted a spectator's mentality, eager to witness the proceedings firsthand.
This time, Guan Boyi could no longer sit idle. His Shimei Hall's reputation had become the laughingstock of the township. After delivering a stern rebuke to the Branch Head of the Yanchang Ancestral Branch, he decided to speak with Madam Huang personally.
Guan Boyi arrived at the straw hut accompanied by the clan elders. Everyone took their seats, their expressions solemn yet touched with a semblance of benevolence—projecting authority without overt anger. Guan Youde stood behind them, resentment plain on his face.
"Madam Huang," Guan Boyi began, "since marrying into our Guan clan, you have indeed suffered considerable hardship. Seeing the situation today, I feel deeply ashamed. But why not bring such matters before the clan elders for resolution?"
"It was a small family matter," Madam Huang said quietly. "I dared not trouble the Patriarch and the elders."
Guan Boyi nodded slowly. "If it's a small matter, then there's even less need to bother the authorities. Wouldn't you agree?"
From somewhere, Guan Zongbao summoned his courage and stepped forward. "Since the honored elders are here, perhaps they might render a judgment. My mother has suffered his abuse and humiliation for years. She no longer wishes to live with him. A clean separation is only right."
(End of Chapter)