Transmigrated into the Scumbag Ex-Wife of the Prime Minister - Chapter 26

Hearing Lu Sheng’s defense for them, Lu Yu’s eyes suddenly widened, looking straight at her, with an expression of unexpected surprise on her face. Liu Yun also looked up, and the despair in her eyes lit up with a ray of hope.

The faces of the Lu family members all showed some apprehension.

Lu family’s eldest sister-in-law (Daboniang) became a widow early, and only had one daughter who married two years ago.

She was soft-natured and dutiful, and wasn’t coveting Lu Yu’s two mu of land. She was originally unwilling to get involved in this matter, but after Madam Huang (Huangshi) brought her three sons to ‘catch the adulterers,’ she forcibly dragged her to the Lu village elder’s (Lizheng) place.

Hearing Lu Sheng’s words at this moment, the eldest sister-in-law instantly panicked. She quickly walked to Madam Huang’s side, tugging at her sleeve, and quietly advised, “W-why don’t we quickly let them go?”

Madam Huang was accustomed to being reckless and unreasonable. Although she was left speechless by Lu Sheng, she didn’t believe in the laws or bandits she spoke of.

It has been customary since ancient times that those caught in adultery are to be drowned in the pond. How could she be wrong!

Madam Huang shook off her hand, frowning in disdain, “What are you scared of? Didn’t you see the clan elder scolding her? She’s just a little girl talking nonsense, and you believe her. If I knew you were this useless, I wouldn’t have bothered calling you over.”

They had tied the people up and walked over noisily, attracting many villagers who came to watch the commotion. At this moment, the entrance of the Lu village elder’s courtyard was already packed with people.

“I said a few days ago I was going to introduce a partner to Lu Yu, why did she keep pushing it off? Turns out she was already involved with her sister-in-law.”

“And that Liu Yun too. Not remarrying for so many years, turns out the older one died, and she’s eyeing the younger one at home!”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Lu Da-lang was only eight years old when he died.”

“What are you all looking at? What happened?”

“Look, Lu Yu and her sister-in-law were caught in the act of adultery by Madam Huang and her people!”

“Tsk tsk, sister-in-law and sister-in-law committing adultery!”

“Isn’t that right? Adultery is punishable by drowning in the pond!”

“But Lu Da-lang has been dead for so many years, this can’t be considered adultery.”

“That’s true.”

“It may not be adultery, at most it’s a private affair, but this incestuous relationship between sisters-in-law is also against the principles of propriety.”

“Unbelievable, tsk tsk, when did these two get together?”

“This Liu Yun is shameless too. Her sister-in-law is a generation younger than her!”

“You sound jealous, Aunt Hua. Are you envious or jealous?”

“That Liu Yun is beautiful, Aunt Hua, you can’t be envious of that!”

“Ptooey! Where am I less attractive than her!”

“Speaking of which, hasn’t Qi Zhenshu divorced Lu Sheng yet?”

The one who said this was Sixth Brother, who had made the bet under the banyan tree that Qi Zhenshu would divorce Lu Sheng in fifteen days.

Recalling this, he immediately grinned, “I said, I was the one who bet on the longest time that day. You guys hurry up and make up the money for me, okay?”

“Quick, quick, ten coins each, no backing out.” Sixth Brother reached out to collect the money from the others who had participated in the bet.

Aunt Hua reluctantly pulled out the money, grumbling, “Something must have delayed it, otherwise why would it drag on till now?”

“Aunt Hua, you haven’t been in the village these past few days, you don’t know,” Sixth Brother paused, deliberately building suspense, “Now Lu Sheng is different.”

“How is she different? Can she shed her skin and become a new person?”

“You’d be surprised…”

Seeing the villagers discussing heatedly and Madam Huang being so overbearing, the clan elder frowned tightly and quietly shouted, “Madam Huang! Why haven’t you released them yet?!”

Lu Sheng’s reputation in the village had always been arrogant and willful, but today, amidst the rudeness, she added a few points of reason that others could not refute.

The clan elder reprimanded Lu Sheng because he disliked her for criticizing her elders, but he somewhat agreed with her earlier statement.

He was well aware of Madam Huang’s motive for causing this scene.

Bringing them over so ostentatiously to question them was nothing more than for Lu Yu’s two mu of land.

When Lu Yu’s elder brother and mother died, Lu Yu was still young. If Liu Yun hadn’t married in, she would have had to live with the Lu family relatives, and the family’s land would naturally have gone to them.

Ever since Liu Yun said she wouldn’t remarry, Madam Huang had been using various means to exclude Liu Yun, trying every possible way to drive her out of Lu’er Village.

She first heavily publicized that Liu Yun was a jinx who had cursed her husband and mother-in-law to death upon entering the family, and then deliberately spread rumors to ruin Liu Yun’s reputation.

Regardless of gender, age, or youth, as long as anyone helped Liu Yun or spoke a couple of words to her, rumors about the two would spread throughout Lu’er Village the next day.

Most families in Lu’er Village, fearing Madam Huang, the shrew, gradually distanced themselves from Liu Yun and her sister-in-law.

Both the clan elder and the Lu village elder were constantly troubled by Madam Huang’s frequent troublemaking. Each time they encountered it, a couple of reprimands would keep her in check for a period, but it would flare up again after a while.

Hearing that they were to be released, Madam Huang’s face instantly changed.

If they were released like this, wouldn’t her whole morning’s effort be wasted? She finally caught such a rare opportunity to deal with both Liu Yun and Lu Yu, and she didn’t want to miss it.

Even if the two weren’t committing adultery, the clan rules on the wall of the ancestral hall clearly stated that having an affair with a sibling’s wife meant being expelled from the clan.

As long as the two were expelled from the clan, Lu Yu’s house and land would be theirs.

She deliberately raised her voice, shouting, “Clan Elder, incestuous adultery between sisters-in-law is not tolerated by clan law!”

The clan elder sternly said, “Even if they violated the clan rules, it should be handled by the clan. How is it your place to use private punishment!”

Noticing that the clan elder was genuinely angry, Madam Huang shrank her neck and stopped talking. She looked displeased on the surface, but her heart was already filled with joy.

If handled according to clan rules, Lu Yu would likely be expelled from the clan.

Then Lu Yu’s two mu of land would be hers.

“Lu Sheng, Zhenshu, go and untie them.” After telling the two of them, the clan elder called out to the Lu descendants in the crowd, “Lu Shan, Lu Wu, go and invite Great-Aunt and Fourth Uncle over to the ancestral hall.”

Lu Sheng quickly stepped forward to untie the hemp ropes binding their hands. Without the constraint of the ropes and the support they provided, Lu Yu lost her balance and staggered, about to fall to the ground.

Fortunately, Lu Sheng was quick-witted and reached out to catch her.

Only when Lu Sheng got closer did she notice that Lu Yu’s body and arms were covered in red and blue bruises, while Liu Yun, apart from a scratch on the back of her hand, hadn’t sustained many injuries.

“That old shrew, Madam Huang!” Lu Sheng couldn’t help but curse.

Lu Yu forced a smile and thanked her in a hoarse voice, “Thank you, Sister Sheng.”

“It’s nothing,” Lu Sheng sighed.

After Liu Yun was untied, she wanted to go forward to check Lu Yu’s injuries, but as soon as her hand reached out, as if realizing something, she quickly pulled it back. The head she had just raised also instantly lowered.

The next moment, her hand was taken. The back of that hand was badly swollen because it had been hit with a stick.

A warm heat spread from the palm of the hand, which was full of calluses. Liu Yun looked around nervously, subconsciously wanting to struggle free, but she couldn’t.

The pulling force tugged at the wound on Lu Yu’s shoulder, and she couldn’t help but hiss. Liu Yun quickly stopped, anxiously concerned, “Did I pull your wound?”

Lu Yu forced a smile and shook her head. She flipped her hand and inserted her fingers between Liu Yun’s, her eyes full of determination.

Liu Yun was slightly stunned, no longer afraid, and curled her fingers to interlock with Lu Yu’s.

The clan elder saw this scene, sighed inwardly, and said in a deep voice, “To the ancestral hall!”

By the time they reached the ancestral hall, the main hall was already filled with the elders of the clan. Lu Sheng and the others could only watch from afar at the entrance.

Seeing Lu Sheng’s worried face, just before the two of them entered, Qi Zhenshu quietly said a few words to her. Liu Yun nodded, looking at him with surprise.

After their discussion, it was decided that according to the clan rules, Lu Yu and Liu Yun would be expelled from the clan and driven out of Lu’er Village. The family’s land and house would be distributed to her eldest and second uncle’s families.

Lu Sheng could hardly believe her ears.

As a modern person from another world, in her concept, freedom of love is a basic human right. As long as it wasn’t a case of a third party’s intrusion, everyone should have the right to like and be with whoever they wanted.

Although the relationship between Lu Yu and Liu Yun was a bit special, Lu Yu’s brother had been dead for many years, and their being together didn’t harm anyone’s interests. They shouldn’t be subjected to unequal treatment because of this special sister-in-law relationship.

She wanted to go inside and speak up for Lu Yu, but Qi Zhenshu quickly pulled her back and quietly whispered a few words in her ear. Lu Sheng’s eyes lit up after hearing them.

The clan elder announced the punishment for the two and then asked, “Do you have any objection to the clan’s decision?”

Lu Yu shook her head dejectedly, feeling both regretful and intensely relieved.

It was her disregard for ethics that ‘forced’ her sister-in-law to accept her, but she hadn’t truly considered the consequences, which led to their current predicament.

Yet, she didn’t regret it. Now she could be with Liu Yun legitimately.

From now on, Liu Yun would no longer be her brother’s widow, no longer her sister-in-law.

“I have an objection.”

Liu Yun’s soft yet extremely firm voice echoed in the hall.

Everyone looked at her. The clan elder frowned and asked, “Madam Liu, what is your objection?”

“We made a mistake, and we have nothing to say about being expelled from the clan and driven out of Lu’er Village according to the clan rules.” Liu Yun paused, her eyes looking at Lu Yu, filled with distress.

Lu Yu looked at her, speechless.

Liu Yun’s nature was gentle, and her tone of voice had always been light and soft.

This was the first time she had seen Liu Yun speak so powerfully, and the gentleness on her face was replaced by firmness.

“Then, how should Madam Huang be punished according to clan rules for trespassing our home and using private torture to beat the two of us?” As she spoke, she looked at Madam Huang, who was gloating on the side. “Please, Clan Elder, uphold justice for us.”

“Otherwise, I will report it to the Binhe County Yamen and let the county magistrate preside over justice for us!”

“You slut! You dare to sue me!”

Madam Huang’s face darkened, and she started cursing and tried to go up and grab her. Lu Yu stood up and blocked her. The two started to scuffle again.

Although Lu Yu was injured, she was young and strong. Madam Huang struggled a few times but didn’t gain any advantage. She cursed, “You ungrateful brat, move aside! Let me tear apart this fox spirit!”

“Lu Shan, go pull them apart.”

The clan elder ordered them to be separated in a deep voice and then consulted with a few people next to him.

In fact, even if Liu Yun reported the matter to the County Yamen, the county magistrate might not necessarily accept the case, but if the Dengwen Drum (petition drum) at the yamen’s entrance was struck, everyone in Binhe County would know what happened in Lu’er Village today.

The elders of the Lu family naturally did not want to lose face. They quickly discussed and reached a conclusion.

“According to the clan rules, Madam Huang will be given thirty strokes of the paddle and compensate Lu Yu and the other person with three taels of silver as compensation. If she cannot pay, then the Lu family’s house and land will be used as collateral for the debt.”

Upon hearing this, Madam Huang immediately wailed, crying and begging for mercy.

Lu Yu’s family had a broken thatched hut and two mu of land, which together were not worth three taels of silver!

After all the careful calculations to scheme for the Lu family’s house and land, she ended up getting nothing and earned herself thirty strokes of the paddle.

The gloom in Lu Sheng’s heart was swept away. She happily nudged Qi Zhenshu with her elbow. When he looked over, she smiled, winked at him, and gave him a thumbs-up.

Seeing her so joyful, the cool light in Qi Zhenshu’s eyes also took on a trace of a smile.

Although the outcome of Lu Yu’s case was not too bad, the constraints and oppression of the rotten and outdated patriarchal clan system stimulated every nerve of Lu Sheng.

Standing outside the ancestral hall and watching everything that happened inside, Lu Sheng truly realized what kind of world she had come to.

It was a place of beautiful mountains and clear waters, with a bustling atmosphere, but it was also a feudal era with outdated ideas, where family and class superseded the individual.

Lu Sheng walked back with a deep frown, silent all the way. Just as she reached the door, she heard Qi Zhenshu call out to her.

“Lu Sheng.”

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