Chapter 8

Song Sheng arrived and stood at the back, listening for a while. After hearing Liu Guihua’s accusations, he pushed through the crowd and came to stand beside Lu Xun. 

He said: “Aunt Liu, just the other day I saw you pulling and tugging with Wang Mazi from Gao Village. Could it be that you were seducing him, trying to break up his family?” 

“You’re talking nonsense! How dare you say I seduced Wang Mazi? What proof do you have?” Liu Guihua cried angrily, looking as though she had been wronged. 

Song Sheng replied: “Then what proof do you have that my father‑in‑law seduced your husband? If you have none, then it is slander and insult. According to the laws of Jingchao, Article 361 states: anyone who publicly insults another without reason or fabricates facts to slander them will be punished with twenty strokes at minimum, or three days’ detention at worst.” 

Of course, such a law did not exist in the Great Jing code, but the villagers were simple farmers who could not read much. They knew nothing of legal codes, so Song Sheng deliberately invented this to frighten her. 

Because Song Sheng was a scholar and dressed like one that day, everyone believed his words about the law. 

Liu Guihua believed it too. She was stunned, terrified at the thought of twenty strokes or three days’ detention. 

“I have proof! Of course I have proof! This is not slander!” she said urgently, afraid of being imprisoned. 

Then, as if recalling something, she showed a triumphant expression, as though she had caught Lu Xun with undeniable evidence. 

The crowd, eager for drama, shouted: “What proof? Show us!” 

“Yes, let us see, so we can judge whether you’re falsely accusing him.” 

Seeing Liu Guihua hesitate, someone else said: “Sister Guihua, if you don’t show it soon, I’ll finish my meal. Don’t blame us villagers for not supporting you then!” 

“Exactly, show it!” 

Lu Xun was unafraid. He said firmly: “I stand upright and fear no crooked shadows. If you have proof, bring it out. I know I am innocent and will not allow slander!” 

Liu Guihua grew angrier at his confident demeanor, but remembering her evidence, she regained courage. 

She glared and said: “Fine, I’ll show it. When the proof is solid, let’s see what you can say then!” 

She seemed prepared, pulling out a small cloth bag from her bosom. From it, she took a thin summer undergarment. On one corner of the garment was an embroidered pattern. 

Lu Xun’s heart sank when he saw it. 

He made his living carving decorative patterns on furniture. This particular design was his usual mark, a small sample he left beside his work as a signature. Many villagers recognized it. 

He also had the habit of embroidering the same pattern on the corners of his clothes. Not only undergarments, but his daily wear often bore it. 

Since undergarments were intimate items, once Liu Guihua produced this, most of the crowd believed her. 

Lu Xun was shocked. The pattern did look like his, but he had no idea how it ended up here. 

He remembered losing an old garment while washing by the river — could Liu Guihua have picked it up? 

Still, something about the clothing felt wrong, though he couldn’t pinpoint what. 

Lu Xun panicked. In this situation, even ten mouths could not clear his name. 

Especially with his son‑in‑law present on this return‑visit day. If Song Sheng misunderstood, Lu Xun would disgrace himself as a father. He could only deny it to the end. 

Song Sheng, however, trusted his father‑in‑law. He took the garment and examined it carefully, noticing a very small detail. 

Because it was an undergarment worn close to the body, even in the countryside where coarse cloth was common, it was usually made from a single piece of fabric. If patched, the stitches would rub uncomfortably. Only the front opening was sewn. His own clothes were made this way too. 

But the garment in his hand was slightly different: the piece with the embroidered pattern clearly had stitching marks. Although the stitches were fine and used thread of the same color, if one looked closely they could still be seen, and the fabric’s shade of white was faintly different.

Song Sheng understood immediately — this woman was deliberately slandering.

But why suddenly slander his father‑in‑law? Was it just to ruin his reputation? Or did she have some old grudge and was using this chance for revenge?

Lu Xun was about to deny it when Song Sheng spoke: “Aunt Liu, you present a patched undergarment and claim it belongs to my father‑in‑law. Do you know the crime of framing and slander? According to the laws of Great Jing, Article 384: anyone who fabricates evidence to damage another’s reputation, or in serious cases, will be punished with one year of forced labor at minimum, or one year in prison at worst. You should think carefully before speaking further.”

Liu Guihua faltered at his words, her eyes showing guilt, but then she straightened and said boldly: “I am not slandering him! This is his!”

Lu Xun grew furious. Normally mild‑tempered and avoiding disputes, he had not quarreled in years. But today he could not hold back. Wrinkles deepened on his brow, his face angry: “Do not speak nonsense! I admit the pattern is mine, but my son‑in‑law has already said this garment is patched — it is not mine! Liu Guihua, you deliberately use a patched garment as evidence to throw filth on me!”

Hearing him deny it, Liu Guihua jumped in rage, crying and making a scene: “Heaven above, open your eyes! The proof is iron‑clad, yet this shameless wretch still denies it! Villagers, look, the Lu family bullies people! I…I won’t live anymore…”

Song Sheng was certain she would not truly harm herself — such people valued their lives too much.

He said calmly: “Oh? If you want to die, then go ahead. No one will stop you.”

Liu Guihua saw that truly no one was stopping her. She glared fiercely at Song Sheng, then sobbed and stopped talking about wanting to die.

Song Sheng continued: “This patched fabric is different from the fabric with the embroidery. The patched part comes from the Wang family’s cloth shop in Shangxi Village, while the embroidered fabric is whiter and comes from the Seven‑Color Cloth House in the city. Liu Guihua, do you dare bring your household’s cloth to compare?”

At these words, Liu Guihua’s heart trembled and she grew more guilty. She shouted harshly: “Don’t talk nonsense! What fabric difference? You say it’s different, so it’s different?”

Song Sheng replied: “My father‑in‑law always buys cloth from the Seven‑Color Cloth House, not from your family’s shop, right?” He had already asked Lu Xun, who had a grudge against the Wang family’s cloth shop and never bought from them.

This was something nearly everyone in the village knew. In fact, the Wang family’s shop was run by Lu Xun’s former in‑laws, the same family that had driven him out. Lu Qing’s younger uncle had even fought them before. The two families were enemies, so Lu Xun would never use Wang family cloth.

And in the nearby villages, everyone went to Shangxi Village’s market, where only the Wang family’s shop sold cloth.

Now the onlookers looked at Liu Guihua differently — it was obvious she was slandering.

At this moment, the Lu family arrived, including Lu Qing’s two uncles.

Especially the younger uncle, Lu Ming, who grew furious at the sight of Liu Guihua. Already aware of the situation, he pointed at her and cursed: “Who are you accusing of being unfaithful? You can’t control your own husband and then blame others. Others may not know, but I do — last time Liu Laohan was peeping over our courtyard wall at Brother Xun, and wasn’t it me who beat him up? You can’t control your man, and now you slander us! Who gave you the courage to think our family is easy to bully?”

With the Lu family backing him, Liu Guihua’s arrogance collapsed. Red‑eyed, she snarled: “It’s clearly Lu Xun, that shameless widower, seducing my husband. Otherwise why would my husband keep wandering around your house again and again?”

“You dare say that! I’ll tell you, I, Lu Ming, have never hit a woman — but believe me, you’ll be the first if you keep this up!”

Lu Ming was so enraged he lifted his foot to kick her.

Lu Da quickly pulled him back. If he struck her, she might collapse and pretend to be injured to extort them.

Song Sheng looked at Liu Guihua and said: “If you don’t tell the truth, we’ll take this patched garment to the magistrate and let the officials judge.”

At the mention of going to the authorities, Liu Guihua instantly lost her bravado. Ordinary villagers feared officials most, and she was guilty inside.

With the threat of officials hanging over her, she grew frightened, lay on the ground, and rolled around, waiting for her family to help.

But after a long time, no one came. Her sons and daughters‑in‑law were too ashamed to appear, and Liu Da was off somewhere. No one stood up for her.

Seeing the Lu family about to drag her to the magistrate, she panicked and finally confessed: “That embroidered cloth was something I picked up by the river. I sewed the garment myself.”

At these words, the crowd understood everything. It was clear Liu Laohan had lusted after Lu Xun, and his wife, unable to control him, tried to pin the blame on Lu Xun.

Blinded by jealousy, Liu Guihua had found Lu Xun’s discarded garment by the river. Since it was damaged, she patched it together and used it to frame him.

Originally, the garment might have passed unnoticed, but Song Sheng exposed the truth.

Once the facts were clear, the crowd’s blame shifted instantly to Liu Guihua. She gained nothing and instead ruined her own reputation, leaving her name even worse in the village.

Song Sheng, however, was praised. Because he revealed Liu Guihua’s trick, the people of Shangxi Village commended the Lu family for having such a fine son‑in‑law.

By then it was nearly lunchtime, and with the matter resolved, there was no more spectacle to watch. The villagers dispersed in groups.

Seeing many had left, Liu Guihua tried to slip away quietly, but Song Sheng stopped her.

“I’ve already suffered this much, what more do you want?” she glared at him viciously.

Song Sheng replied: “If I hadn’t uncovered your scheme today, my father‑in‑law’s reputation would have been destroyed. You cannot simply walk away because your framing failed. Even if you didn’t harm his body, you caused him great emotional pain. If he goes home and falls ill from grief, that will be your fault.”

He paused, brushed the dust from his robe, and said casually: “Enough, words are useless. Let’s go to the magistrate. The county lord is wise and impartial, and will surely judge fairly.”