The spectator said, “Don’t know.”

Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t help turning to look at him. “If you don’t know, why are you watching?”

The other person, not recognizing Zhao Hanzhang, said matter-of-factly, “When I arrived, they were already crying. I missed when they started speaking. They’ve been crying until now—how would I know who they are?”

Zhao Hanzhang looked him up and down and scolded him. “A grown man with healthy limbs and a strong body—instead of working during this fine time, you run to the county office to watch excitement?”

The other person disagreed and also scolded him. “Why talk about men and women? Aren’t you also healthy with strong limbs? Why aren’t you working but came to watch excitement?”

Zhao Hanzhang was momentarily speechless, then said, “I’ve just arrived at your precious place to understand Luoyang.”

Hearing this, the other person’s expression immediately improved. He smiled at Zhao Hanzhang. “Then you’ve come to the right place. Our Commander is a woman, so women have quite high status in Luoyang city. If you have ability, you can even go to the government offices to recommend yourself as a female official.”

Seeing Zhao Hanzhang was tall with an upright bearing like a pine tree, and the exposed half of her face was white as jade, the young man’s heart swayed. So he defended himself, saying, “I’m not just here to watch excitement for nothing either.”

“Oh?” Zhao Hanzhang looked at him curiously.

He immediately said, “I’m here to see if there are any interesting cases. Then I can go to wine houses and restaurants to recount them and earn money.”

Zhao Hanzhang was surprised. “There’s such a way to earn money?”

“Of course there is. Some storytelling masters can’t come watch excitement in time, so their information is slow. At such times, people like us who see the excitement first and can retell it completely are very popular. Storytellers are very willing to buy information from our hands.”

So the buying and selling of information existed this early?

Zhao Hanzhang pointed at this circle of people and asked, “Are they all here to watch excitement?”

“Not all. About half are watching excitement. The rest came to file complaints.”

Zhao Hanzhang’s heart sank halfway. Her Luoyang city now had so few people, yet so many came to file complaints in one day?

She hadn’t been neglecting government recently. How did she not know Luoyang had changed so much?

“These are cases accumulated over half a week. Today there are also people crying and making noise at the gate, so County Magistrate Zhao has his hands full.”

Zhao Hanzhang breathed a sigh of relief. “So these are cases accumulated over half a week.”

“Yes.”

“Why doesn’t the county magistrate handle one day’s cases per day instead of accumulating them?”

“Aside from urgent cases, major cases, and important cases, these small cases naturally need to be accumulated for handling.” The young man quite agreed with Zhao Kuan’s handling method. “Otherwise, dealing with these trivial matters every day, wouldn’t the county magistrate and county captain be worked to death?”

As they were whispering, Zhao Kuan, who had been looking down at documents, put down his brush. He took all the cases on his left, then picked up the gavel with his right hand and struck it, making everyone inside and outside the county office quiet down.

Even the voices of those who had been sitting on the ground wailing became a bit smaller.

Zhao Kuan said solemnly to the people on the ground, “Madam Chen, please wait while I finish handling the accumulated cases from previous days before speaking with you. Someone, bring water for the Chen family and invite them to sit on mats to wait.”

The bailiffs acknowledged, carried out two mats from a room, spread them out in the county office courtyard, and brought seven or eight bowls. Carrying a teapot, they poured water for them. “You’ve been crying all morning. Drink some water to moisten your throats.”

The Chen family were scholarly people. They accepted the tea bowls with both hands and drank all the water before carefully wiping away their tears. They got up from the ground to sit on the mats, waiting for Zhao Kuan to handle other cases, showing no intention of cutting in line.

The crowd watching finally withdrew their attention. Zhao Kuan struck the gavel again and asked, “Are Qiao Dacheng from Anyuan Village and Zhou Ji from Xiangdong Village present?”

“Present, present.” Two groups of people immediately squeezed out from the crowd—three people on each side, both consisting of two men and one woman. As soon as both sides entered the courtyard and saw each other, they all snorted heavily.

On the left were an elderly couple with an injured young man. On the right was a father with his son and daughter, the daughter already dressed as a married woman, crying as she followed her father and brother inside.

Upon reaching the main hall, both sides knelt down with clear boundaries between them.

Zhao Kuan glanced at their complaint documents and respective demands, then looked up at the people kneeling below. “Qiao Dacheng, you are the plaintiff. You speak first.”

The young man and elder brother on the right loudly acknowledged and was about to speak when the Zhou family on the left became unhappy, calling out, “County Magistrate, we are the aggrieved party. We should speak first.”

Zhao Kuan struck the gavel and shouted, “What’s all this noise? This county will have whoever I say speak first. If you’re not satisfied, go down and receive the paddle first before coming back up to answer me.”

The Zhou family immediately dared not make trouble.

Qiao Dacheng looked at the Zhou family triumphantly, then spoke. “County Magistrate, this commoner is Qiao Dacheng. This is my younger sister Qiaoniang. Two years ago, she married Zhou Ji as his wife. When two families marry, it should result in harmony between the two surnames, but the Zhou family has not treated my sister well and has always bullied her.”

Qiao Dacheng began listing examples of how the Zhou family bullied Qiao Qiaoniang—for instance, making her go out alone to carry water in the depths of winter. In early spring when Luoyang was in chaos and their village was also affected, many people wanted to flee Luoyang. The Zhou family also packed their belongings and fled, but they left Qiao Qiaoniang behind.

Qiao Dacheng said, “They were afraid Qiaoniang would consume their grain, so in the middle of the night while Qiaoniang was sound asleep, they grabbed their bundles and ran. Fortunately, the two villages aren’t far apart. When our family fled, we specially made a detour to Xiangdong Village and brought my sister along. Otherwise, with her as the only woman left in the entire village, even if she didn’t starve to death, she would have been fed to wolves.”

“But because marriage between two families isn’t easy, the saying goes ‘better to demolish ten temples than destroy one marriage.’ After we were returned by the Commander, we still had Qiaoniang return to the Zhou family to continue living with Zhou Ji. Who knew that Zhou Ji was a beast!” Qiao Dacheng said, “The autumn harvest was busy, and after the autumn harvest came autumn planting. My sister has already grown thin from this, yet he still raised his hand to hit her. So I request that the County Magistrate rule for the two families to divorce. From now on, each can marry, no longer having anything to do with the other.”

Zhao Kuan asked the Zhou family side, “Is what Qiao Dacheng said true?”

“No, no.” Mother Zhou hastily said, “This is all slander!”

Zhao Kuan then asked, “Fine, let me ask you—did you have Qiao Qiaoniang go out alone to carry water in winter?”

Mother Zhou said, “County Magistrate, many women in our village do household chores and cook and carry water.”

“Cooking is indeed true. As for women carrying water, only those with no men in the household or those who abuse the women in their homes would have women go out alone to carry water in the depths of winter, right?” The young man standing beside Zhao Hanzhang said to her, “This case tests whether the magistrate understands people’s livelihood. If it’s a county official who doesn’t know the actual situation among the common folk, he might really believe this woman’s words.”

Zhao Kuan glanced at her lightly and asked, “Was Zhou Ji injured with a lame leg at that time that required a woman to carry water? Let me ask you again—when fleeing, did your family bring Qiao Qiaoniang along?”

“We wanted to bring her. We called for her at the time. Who knew she couldn’t be awakened? It’s also our fault for not being careful. During that chaotic time, we thought she had already followed along. Who knew she was sound asleep all along and couldn’t hear all that commotion outside?”

“Nonsense! You clearly gave her sedative medicine, lying to her saying it was medicine to regulate her body and help her conceive. After she took it, she fell into deep sleep.”

“This is just your one-sided claim.”

Zhao Kuan struck the gavel and asked, “What about beating your wife?”

At the mention of hitting someone, Mother Zhou immediately became agitated, pointing at Qiao Dacheng and shouting, “County Magistrate, you must help us! My son was also beaten by him, and beaten badly. His leg is even lame!”

The young man kneeling to the side still had some injuries on his face and was also indignant, glaring fiercely at Qiao Dacheng and Qiao Qiaoniang.

Father Qiao sighed and told Zhao Kuan, “County Magistrate, my son-in-law’s leg was indeed injured by my son. Please be lenient considering this is his first offense.”

Zhao Kuan’s gaze fell on Zhou Ji’s leg. “Is the leg injury serious?”

Mother Zhou immediately said, “Very serious…”

“Shut up!” Zhao Kuan struck the gavel. “This county didn’t ask you. The question is for Zhou Ji. Zhou Ji, answer this county’s question—is the leg injury serious?”

Zhou Ji immediately nodded. “Very serious. The physician said that even when healed, it will likely leave lasting problems.”

Seeing the resentment on his face, Zhao Kuan asked, “Then what is your demand?”

Without thinking, Zhou Ji pointed at Qiao Dacheng. “I want him imprisoned, or to break one of his legs too.”

Zhao Kuan understood. He said, “The state has its laws. If he violated the law, naturally he’ll be punished according to law. How can I satisfy your desire to fight evil with evil, violence with violence?”

Zhao Kuan said, “He struck you—I’ll judge that separately later. Regarding the divorce requested by the Qiao family, what do you say?”

Zhou Ji said, “I’m unwilling to divorce. I want Madam Qiao to serve me for life. Her brother injured me, so she must serve me for a lifetime!”

Qiao Dacheng’s face flushed red with anger. He pointed at him and shouted angrily, “You’re dreaming!”

Zhao Kuan struck the gavel. “In the court hall, what kind of behavior is this shouting and making noise?”

After stopping the argument, Zhao Kuan looked at Qiao Qiaoniang, who had been wiping away tears continuously, and asked, “Qiao Qiaoniang, are you willing to divorce Zhou Ji?”

Qiao Qiaoniang first looked at her brother, then bit her lip and asked, “County Magistrate, if I don’t divorce and wholeheartedly care for my husband, can my brother’s crime of striking my husband be judged more leniently?”

“Qiaoniang!”

Zhao Kuan said indifferently, “No!”

“Moreover, this county already has a judgment in mind. Asking this is just to hear your opinion.”

Qiao Qiaoniang heard this, and tears streamed down. She hugged Qiao Dacheng and cried loudly, then turned to Zhao Kuan. “County Magistrate, I won’t divorce. I want to stay in the Zhou family.”

She said to Zhou Ji, “Husband, please don’t accuse my elder brother. I’ll serve you well in the future.”

“Dream on! I’ve broken a leg!”

Zhao Kuan struck the gavel. “Whether to divorce or not isn’t for you two to decide. This county hasn’t yet ruled.”

He said solemnly, “Qiao Dacheng injured Zhou Ji. The Qiao and Zhou families have become enemies. According to law, I rule that Zhou Ji and Qiao Qiaoniang divorce. From this day forth, each may marry, no longer having anything to do with the other. Scribe Wang, write them a divorce document.”

Wang Siniang, sitting at the lower left, bowed slightly in acknowledgment and immediately began writing the divorce document for them.

The Zhou family was all stunned, unable to comprehend. They shouted, “County Magistrate, our Zhou family is unwilling to divorce. Madam Qiao is also unwilling. Why rule that we must divorce?”

“Why?” Zhao Kuan snorted. “Didn’t I just tell you? You two families are already enemies and can no longer marry!”

The Zhou family wouldn’t accept this judgment. Wang Siniang had quickly written the divorce document for them with a few strokes. Seeing this, she said, “Are you stupid? Marriage isn’t just about a man and woman becoming husband and wife—it’s also about creating harmony between two surnames. Since the two families have already become enemies, you two will become a resentful couple in the future. This marriage has lost its reason to exist, so naturally, you should divorce.”

“The Law Code clearly stipulates that if someone from the husband’s family injures the wife’s clan, or if the wife’s clan injures the husband’s family’s parents or brothers, or if the two families have blood feuds or generational enmity, the two families must divorce.” Wang Siniang’s gaze swept across Zhou Ji. “Zhou Ji resents his brother-in-law, resents Madam Qiao. And Madam Qiao’s reason for not divorcing is only to reduce her brother’s punishment. This marriage no longer has any need to continue. Sign the divorce document and each go your own way.”

So Romeo and Juliet, in this Great Jin, couldn’t even get a marriage certificate because the two families were sworn enemies, and the county office would prevent them from being together.

The elder brother standing beside Zhao Hanzhang was clearly also literate. He whispered to her, “This is actually stipulated in the Qin Code. Previously, the Han Code and Jin Code didn’t pay much attention to this matter. If the man was unwilling to divorce, the marriage mostly couldn’t be dissolved. But now our Commander is Zhao Hanzhang. She is a woman, so though the law used is still the Jin Code, it’s quite biased toward women. Otherwise, in the past, the County Magistrate wouldn’t dare to rule this way.”

Zhao Hanzhang asked, “Isn’t ruling this way good?”

“It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just such a good marriage—what a pity.”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “Is this marriage good?”

The young man paused, thought about it, then shook his head. “You’re right. It really can’t be considered good. If it’s dissolved, so be it. But the Zhou family has lost an outlet for their anger and probably won’t let the Qiao family off.”

Indeed, Zhou Ji was forced to sign the divorce document. Zhao Kuan helped them sort out the marital property dispute in passing, and then the Zhou family wanted to accuse Qiao Dacheng of assault.

Zhao Kuan didn’t even ask again but directly ruled that the Qiao family compensate the Zhou family a sum for medical expenses. The amount was neither too much nor too little—exactly what Qiao Qiaoniang could receive in property from the Zhou family.

All three members of the Zhou family were dumbfounded. “That’s it?”

Zhao Kuan looked up at them, then said, “Of course not. According to law, Qiao Dacheng receives ten paddle strokes. You get half a month to recover. After half a month, he serves labor for three months, reporting to the county office daily. Any objections?”

Qiao Dacheng had no objections and loudly acknowledged.

But the Zhou family was still indignant. Labor service now wasn’t like before.

In the past, labor service—forget three months, even one month could be fatal. Now the authorities managed it very strictly. They wouldn’t beat laborers or make them work day and night. Though labor service was hard, compared to Zhou Ji’s broken leg, it really wasn’t worth mentioning.

Mother Zhou said, “County Magistrate, why give him time to recover? After the paddling, he should immediately be sent to labor service.”

Zhao Kuan sighed. “Even now, the Zhou family has no remorse at all? Haven’t you carefully considered why the situation has reached this point?”

He said, “Now Zhou Ji has injured a leg and lost a wife. Madam Qiao is covered in injuries. The Qiao family must pay money and provide labor service. This is clearly a situation where both sides lose. Haven’t you carefully considered the reason for this situation?”

“I think from now on, not only will the Qiao family’s reputation be damaged, but your Zhou family’s reputation will be even more damaged. After such abuse of a daughter-in-law, who would be willing to marry their daughter into the Zhou family in the future? Even the entire Zhou clan might be affected. If you three don’t see the reason and don’t know to reform, then this is how it will be in the future.”

Mother Zhou’s face flushed bright red. She couldn’t help looking back and indeed saw people at the entrance pointing and whispering about them.

She felt both ashamed and annoyed, covering her heart as she cried out in pain.

Zhao Kuan also took the opportunity to have people take them out and bring in the next case.