I feel so good after dressing up as a peasant girl

Chapter 326 Shopkeeper Ji Rumei 1

Ji Rumei's mother-in-law passed away early, and although her father-in-law did not remarry, he had a concubine who grew up with her. Not only did that concubine disgust her mother-in-law for nearly twenty years, but she also gave birth to two illegitimate sons who were quite favored by her father-in-law.

For merchants like them, whether the owner of the house "favors concubines and kills wives" or not basically has no impact on their business. Unlike officials, if they favor concubines and kill wives, there is a high probability that they will lose their official hats.

In the past, her mother-in-law had the support of her brothers from her natal family, so her father-in-law could only dare to raise the mother and her two children secretly outside. Unfortunately, her mother-in-law's brother from her natal family died in the war years a few years earlier.

Not only did she have to take care of her parents' family whose breadwinner had passed away and most of their wealth had been lost, but she also had to compete with the concubine and illegitimate son who had moved into the house openly. Her mother-in-law was exhausted and passed away within a few years.

The death of her husband was very strange. Last autumn, her husband was suddenly assigned by her father-in-law to go out to sell goods. She waited and waited, but her husband did not come back, only the news of her husband's death.

Then, a man suddenly appeared out of nowhere and said that Ji Rumei had been having an affair with him for many years, and that her nine-year-old son and five-year-old daughter were not her husband's biological children.

Ji Rumei and her two children were kicked out of her husband's house. Her brother and sister-in-law from her natal family heard the news and came to visit her, but because they could not prove her innocence, they were ultimately kicked out by her husband's family.

Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that this was caused by her father-in-law, his concubine, and his illegitimate son, but the man of unknown origin insisted that she was innocent, and her in-laws wanted to kick her out, and she couldn't resist at all. Her brother and sister-in-law from her natal family also returned home in defeat because of this.

Not knowing whether her husband is alive or dead, her reputation is damaged and she is penniless, having to rely on her brother and sister-in-law for support. Ji Rumei was furious. If she didn't have to take care of two anxious children, she would even want to die together with the scumbag and the bitch.

Bai Jingzhou came to her when she was most anxious and frustrated. The two of them hit it off and quickly reached a deal.

The conditions given by Bai Jingzhou were: 1. Help her clear her grievances and get back the part of the property that she deserved; 2. Help her investigate whether her husband was alive or dead, and see him if he was alive or his body if he was dead; 3. Protect her and her two children and pay her wages according to the market price.

What Ji Rumei had to do was to sign a 20-year employment contract with Gu Wenxuan and do her best to make money for Gu Wenxuan during these 20 years.

Bai Jingzhou had said before, "Even if I help you get back the portion of the family property that you deserve and help you find your husband, you still have to keep your promise and serve my wife for a full twenty years."

To this end, Bai Jingzhou stipulated a high amount of compensation for breach of contract in the contract and established more stringent restrictive conditions than those for ordinary shopkeepers.

Ji Rumei did not back down because of the harsh conditions. The main reason was that Bai Jingzhou gave her so many benefits that even if she had to work for Gu Wenxuan for twenty years, she felt that she was making a huge profit.

After all, she had no ability to prove her innocence, take back the part of the property that belonged to their family, nor did she have the ability to investigate the causes and consequences of her husband's accident, let alone find her husband, whether alive or dead.

Although her brother from her natal family treated her well, he was just an ordinary merchant. He had no problem supporting their family of three, but he was also unable to help her do what Bai Jingzhou could do.

Bai Jingzhou was a man of his word. He promised Ji Rumei the three things and started doing them immediately after Ji Rumei signed the contract.

The easiest thing is to help Ji Rumei clear her grievances.

The man who insisted that Ji Rumei had an affair with him, after Ji Rumei and the other two were kicked out of the house, planned to take the money given by the concubine of Ji Rumei's father-in-law and leave the city to hide. However, he did not expect that Bai Jingzhou had already sent people to keep an eye on him. As soon as he packed his bags and prepared to run away, Bai Jingzhou took him directly to the government.

County Magistrate Peng is now a Tongpan. He is familiar with Bai Jingzhou. Although the prefect is not that familiar with Bai Jingzhou, he has also benefited from Bai Jingzhou's influence because he has won two political achievements.

The top and second-in-command of the provincial government both gave Bai Jingzhou face, and Bai Jingzhou just hoped that they would handle the matter impartially, so naturally they all refused.

The man was just an idle street kid, how could he dare to talk nonsense when he entered the government office? The yamen runners didn't even need to beat him with a stick or torture him, he just confessed everything directly.

After he confessed, Ji Rumei handed in the complaint, and her father-in-law, his concubine and illegitimate son were all summoned to the yamen for interrogation.

Although Ji Rumei's husband's family was wealthier than her parents', they were still ordinary merchants after all. Ji Rumei's move caught the family of four off guard.

Because Ji Rumei's request was to punish the culprit and get her family property back, the government finally sentenced the concubine who found someone to frame her to be beaten with a stick and fined her, and required her father-in-law to return all the dowries to Ji Rumei and her mother-in-law within 15 days.

As for the share of the family property that should have been given to her husband, her father-in-law was angry that she had brought the family matter to the government office, and pointed at her and her two children and threatened, "I can give my things to whoever I want! You and these two evil creatures, don't even think about getting a penny from me!"

Bai Jingzhou had already analyzed with Ji Rumei the possible reactions of the family of four, so Ji Rumei was not at all surprised that her father-in-law would say that.

She did not argue with the other party that her husband was the eldest son and should have a share of the family property, but instead pulled out another petition from her sleeve.

This was a complaint against her father-in-law and his concubine and illegitimate son for conspiring to murder her husband.

Her father-in-law favored his concubine over his wife, tortured his legitimate son and favored his illegitimate son, and then forced her husband out of the house to sell goods.

Her husband was never seen alive or dead, but her father-in-law and his concubine and illegitimate son insisted that he was dead.

"A dozen people went out together to sell goods, but when the housekeeper and the waiter came back, the husband of the woman was nowhere to be found."

"I wanted to report it to the police, but before I could even leave the house, someone accused me of having an affair."

"I and my two children were kicked out of the house without any money. My brother and sister-in-law came to our house to seek justice for us, but they beat them out instead."

"My mother-in-law was pissed off to death, my husband was murdered by them and no one can find him alive or dead. My reputation was ruined and I was kicked out of the house along with my two children. My family is in such a miserable state because of their deliberate murder."

Ji Rumei shed tears while kowtowed to the prefect and others, "I beg you to make a decision for my family."

Ji Rumei's father-in-law and his concubine and illegitimate son never dreamed that Ji Rumei's action today was not just to clear her own name.