Chapter 28 - 28: Punishment for False Accusations!
“Uncle Tong, this wretched girl is making things up, you can’t protect her just because she’s young!”
Zhu Cuiying protested.
“Village Chief, Aunt falsely accuses me of stealing her silver, you need to stand up for me!” Qiao Xiaomai wouldn’t back down, and spoke up right away.
Tong Tiehu’s brow was so furrowed that he could’ve squished a mosquito in between. He knew many girls wanted to marry his grandson, but looking at Zhu Cuiying in front of him and then thinking about the Sun Family, all he felt was disgust.
There was absolutely no way he’d allow his family to be tied to such people!
But, this wasn’t an appropriate time for such discussions, so he focused on the second issue Xiaomai had mentioned.
“Changfu’s family, you claimed Xiaomai stole your silver, where’s your evidence?” He glared at Zhu Cuiying.
“The evidence is the stuff in her basket! Everyone in the village knows that slut Zhuang Luhe ran off with a random man and took all the belongings from her house, leaving them so poor they had to sell their people and house. Yet today, this wretched girl bought so many things. Everyone, tell me, where did she get the money to buy these things!”
“Just because my family was poor before and now that we have money to buy things, that makes this money stolen, you’re talking nonsense!” Qiao Xiaomai rolled her eyes and, after swearing at Zhu Cuiying, turned her attention back to Tong Tiehu, “Village Chief, you need to stand up for me!”
Hearing her words, Tong Tiehu’s expression darkened further, he continued to glare at Zhu Cuiying, “This is your so-called evidence?”
“Isn’t this enough?” Zhu Cuiying stubbornly shot back.
Under Tong Tiehu’s piercing gaze, Zhu Cuiying felt somewhat unsettled.
But thinking about Qiao Xiaomai’s method of earning money, she regained her confidence.
As long as she could exploit this method, the Sun Family wouldn’t mind her meddling in Qiao Ying’s marriage affairs.
“Of course not! Just by these simple things you accuse her of stealing your silver, then 1 could say that a few days earlier my house also lost some silver, and on that particular day only you visited, so the silver must be stolen by you!”
After Tong Tiehu finished saying this, even Qiao Xiaomai, who was originally quite indignant, nearly burst out laughing.
This was the same tactic that Tong Sanlang had used against Zhu Cuiying, turning her ill-founded conclusions against her.
Like grandfather, like grandson!
While Qiao Xiaomai laughed, Zhu Cuiying was nearly hopping mad, her voice even louder, “Uncle Tong, don’t make accusations without evidence!”
“I’m merely repeating your words, you’re the one without evidence, why are you accusing Xiaomai of stealing your silver?” Tong Tiehu stood with hands behind his back, his tone somewhat chilling, “Changfu’s wife, if you can’t present evidence, then you’re guilty of false accusation.”
“According to the ‘Daqi Law’, false accusations are punishable by beating!”
‘Daqi Law’ again!
And yet another beating!
Zhu Cuiying was truly panicked now, “Uncle Tong, she really did steal our silver, all the things in her basket were bought with our silver!”
If making false accusations meant a beating, then she could only insist on her claim that Qiao Xiaomai stole the silver.
“How much did you lose? When did you lose it? Was Xiaomai at your house when you lost the silver? Who saw her when she went to your house?” Tong Tiehu’s sharp gaze caught Zhu Cuiying’s panic, and he coldly interrogated her.
“She, she, she… she…” Zhu Cuiying was at a loss.
She’d only decided to accuse Qiao Xiaomai of stealing on a whim, and she had been too busy chasing after Xiaomai to think about how to substantiate her false accusation.
Now that Tong Tiehu was asking about details, she obviously couldn’t answer him..