jdhmnovel Chapter 1482 The Case of Establishing an Heir (3)
Chapter 1482 The Case of Establishing an Heir (3)
Sun Shan and Zhang Shiye carefully examined Leng's complaint and arranged for someone to investigate before holding court.
The case is actually quite clear: it's a dispute over who to adopt and which adopted son to adopt.
Of course, the most important question is who will actually take a bite out of the Wen family's lucrative assets?
Sun Shan asked Steward Wang, "Has anyone sent me gifts recently?"
As the presiding judge, Sun Shan's inclination was of utmost importance.
Even if cases are handled impartially and in accordance with the law, there is still a great deal of freedom in adjudication. The best way to benefit from the Wen family's businesses is through bribery.
Manager Wang shook his head and said, "Sir, there haven't been any holidays lately, so no one has brought gifts."
Who would give gifts if it's not a holiday or festival?
Since the Sun family guards went into business, Manager Wang has not left the house unless absolutely necessary, smoothly transitioning from a manager to a guard, spending his days patrolling the yamen.
Sun Shan then asked Granny Wang, "Have any strangers tried to get close to you lately?"
If you want to bribe Sun Shan, the best option is to approach Steward Wang and Granny Wang, as they often wander around outside and have the highest chance of being caught.
Especially Granny Wang, who was known to everyone for taking her big-headed dog out shopping every day.
Furthermore, rumors circulated that Granny Wang was Sun Shan's confidante and a favorite of Lord Sun.
Rumor has it that Granny Wang won over Sun Shan's stomach entirely with her excellent cooking skills, making him unable to live without her.
If Sun Shan heard such rumors, he would definitely scoff at them.
It's one thing that Granny Wang's cooking is delicious, but the truth is that Granny Wang's detective, gossip, and instigation skills won over Sun Shan, making her the most popular person in his life, far surpassing Steward Wang in rank.
Granny Wang thought for a moment and said, "Sir, there really were strangers hovering in front of me. Could these people be trying to bribe me?"
No wonder I keep seeing those shady characters around when I go out to buy groceries lately. Granny Wang thought they were after her "purchasing rights" and wanted to monopolize the food supply for the government office's backyard.
Granny Wang added, "My lord, before those who want to get close to me can even approach, I just glare at them with one look, and they won't dare to come near."
How could Granny Wang dare to use ingredients from strangers?
What if it's poisoned and kills the master? Even if the master doesn't die from the poison, the young lady will.
The little girl loves to eat this, and she eats large portions at every meal. Even if the amount of poison is small, it can't stop the little girl from eating so much.
While others eat one bowl of rice, the young lady eats three bowls; she will surely be the one to die from the poison the fastest.
Hmph, trying to poison the young lady? No way!
Sun Shan understood. Granny Wang had a stern, unapproachable demeanor, so those who wanted to bribe her couldn't get close and had no choice but to leave.
Sun Shan thought it over carefully and realized that if someone wanted to bribe him, there was no other way but to find someone to do it.
Sun Shan isn't the kind of calligrapher, painter, or poet; outsiders simply can't use his refined tastes to bribe him.
No one else has a way to purchase Sun Shan's calligraphy, paintings, poems, or lyrics.
As for finding Sun Shan's relatives, due to the recent hot weather and the fact that Sun Shan's guards were on a delivery mission, Sun Shan strictly forbade his family members from going out.
Uncle Sun, who is usually lively and active, has been locked in a dark room for several days.
Little Fatty and Sister Yun couldn't go out without anyone to accompany them, and Sun Bomin and Su Shi were so engrossed in growing vegetables that they stopped going out altogether.
Sun Shan's lips twitched. There was nowhere to "communicate" with the Wen family's adoption relatives.
Then we have no choice but to handle it impartially.
Sun Shan asked Master Zhang, "Master Zhang, the Wen family also has a Miss Wen. Why not let Miss Wen find a husband?"
Although Sun Shan was familiar with the law, Da Qian's judgments were not based on the law, but rather on "public order and good morals".
Master Zhang was a local, a marginal figure from a large family, but he had seen far more storms than Sun Shan, a peasant.
Master Zhang shook his head and said, "Sir, why would either the Wen family or the Leng family be willing to let Miss Wen find a husband?"
He paused for a moment, then explained, "Firstly, Miss Wen is still young, and it's uncertain whether she'll live to adulthood and get married. Even if she does get married, is it certain that she'll be able to have children? The risk is too great and uncertain, and no one is willing to wait, much less gamble."
"Master Wen died of illness, and so did Young Master Wen. What if Miss Wen also dies young from illness? Then the Wen family's fortune would be fought over again. It's better to cut off that avenue altogether."
She then added, "Secondly, Miss Wen may not be willing to take a son-in-law. What kind of man could she possibly marry? If she finds someone of bad character, the Wen family's property might end up in the hands of outsiders after three generations."
The so-called "three generations returning to the ancestral home" means that after a son-in-law is brought back, the sons born are considered to be from the woman's family, but the grandsons are not.
Some heartless grandsons, when claiming kinship, simply take the woman's property back to their original family.
Then Zhang, the clerk, added, "Sir, even if Miss Wen is willing to find a husband, there's no one to arrange it for her. Miss Wen's parents and elder brother have both passed away, and she only has a sister-in-law from another family."
She's like a piece of duckweed, her marriage is arranged by her clan. Clan Chief Fang is clearly after the Wen family's wealth; how can he allow Miss Wen to take a husband? Even distant relatives aren't allowed to be adopted, let alone the children of an outsider son-in-law.
Sun Shan understood upon hearing this.
They also knew that neither Uncle Ma, Clan Chief Fang, nor Madam Leng had considered finding a husband for Miss Wen.
In their eyes, children born through marriage are inferior to adopted sons of the same surname.
Although the law did not prevent Miss Wen from taking a son-in-law, the patriarchal clan law and the concept of "public order and good order" blatantly discriminated against children born through such a marriage.
In addition, Miss Wen is a minor and has no real freedom. Not to mention finding a husband, Miss Wen can't even decide her own fate.
Miss Wen's search for a husband can only be facilitated by her parents before their passing. Unfortunately, Mr. and Mrs. Wen have already passed away, making this a dead end.
Master Zhang then told Sun Shan about the "love succession" and "additional lineage" that had occurred within the Zhang clan.
When a family is wealthy and has been around for a long time, all sorts of strange things can happen.
No matter what, the fundamental principle remains the same: "patriarchal authority" is paramount, and very few women can break through this barrier to become the head of the household.
Sun Shan silently apologized to Wen Xiaomei.
Sun Shan initially took a liking to Wen Xiaomei and asked her to find a husband to inherit the Wen family business.
She was the only remaining bloodline of Master Wen, and the family fortune originally belonged to her.
Whether it was the adopted son of the same surname whom the Ma family uncle requested to be adopted, the adopted son fabricated by the Fang clan chief, or the adopted son that the Leng family wanted to choose from distant relatives, none of them had anything to do with Master Wen.
Wen Xiaomei is the closest bloodline.
Unfortunately, the cruel reality is that patriarchal clan rules sometimes outweigh the law, leaving Miss Wen with no choice but to take the path of marrying into the family.
Master Zhang whispered, "Sir, although Miss Wen cannot find a husband, she is still Master Wen's only bloodline, and her future dowry..."
Sun Shan understood that this meant he should start with the dowry and award more property to Wen Xiaomei.
The ten-mile-long red bridal procession is part of the dowry, as are the two wooden chests.
It all depends on how Sun Shan defines the dowry.