Farmer's wife: My husband came back and the house was in chaos

Chapter 408: Misappropriation, owes a huge sum of money

Soon the official who went to check the account books came back, and brought with him a famous shopkeeper in the capital. After several checks, he confirmed the fact that Shen Wenting had embezzled Chen Shuhua's dowry.

Because a long time has passed, many things are difficult to investigate, so except for the fact of misappropriation of dowry, the other charges against Shen Wenting were not established due to evidence and time issues.

In the case of Yingcao, Shen Wenting had witnesses, but Yingcao was already dead, so there was no evidence and the charges could not be established.

According to the law, misappropriating a wife's dowry without her consent is an illegal act, and the other party has the right to ask the husband to return the misappropriated dowry.

It was true that Shen Wenting had embezzled money from Chen Shuhua. Jingzhao Prefecture ordered him to return the money he had embezzled over the years, which was as high as more than 100,000 taels. This was undoubtedly a huge sum of money. In the past 20 years, he had spent a lot of money just to subsidize Runiang and Shen Haobo. In addition, Shen Wenting used this money to build relationships, hire people to do things, and buy private property. This amount was not considered a lot.

Chen Shuhua has spent far more than this in the mansion over the years. The expenses for the servants, daily living expenses, and food are all the best. Over the past few decades, all of them were her dowry, so compensating him with this is already a bargain.

As for Zhou Hao, the charge of imprisonment was full of doubts, and there was no one to testify except himself, so there was no conclusion for the time being. After Lord Lu had investigated the matter, he would make a judgment according to the law. But the account book that was produced proved Zhou Hao's innocence. He was innocent. All this was done by Shen Wenting, and he did not do anything to let down the master's family.

Shen Wenting had no power to refute Lord Lu's judgment and could only accept it. He originally wanted to ask Chen Shuhua to give some dowry, but he didn't expect that in the end he would owe more than 100,000 taels.

Where could he raise such a large sum of money? Even if he added together all the assets of the Shen family, including his private property, he could not raise that much.

When the onlookers saw the result of the verdict, they all pointed at him and cursed him. They thought Shen Wenting was a good person, but he was actually a gigolo who lived off his wife and even secretly used her dowry to support his mistress. No wonder Chen Shuhua wanted to divorce.

And there is Zhou Hao. Although there is no evidence to prove that Shen Wenting did it, he doesn't look like he is lying. Regardless of whether it is true or not, everyone has a strange opinion of Shen Wenting. It is better to believe it than not. If he really gets a leech in his bath, it would be a living hell.

"Alas, I thought Shen Wenting was really affectionate and loyal, but I didn't expect that he had a concubine secretly."

"That maid has proved her innocence with her death. I don't believe that there is nothing wrong between the two of them! Look at what she said before she committed suicide. Tsk tsk, when I think of that scene now, I feel terrified. I feel like I will die with regrets."

"It's broad daylight, what are you talking about? If you ask me, you are just making a fuss out of nothing. It's normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines. If he doesn't have one, that's a problem. Besides, Lord Shen is just playing around outside and hasn't brought anyone into the mansion, which is already rare. I think it's understandable." Someone expressed his opinion that it was normal to have a mistress and there was no need to make a fuss about it.

"Then what about embezzling the wife's dowry to subsidize his mistress? He wanted to take a concubine just saying it openly. No one said anything against him. He swore himself that he would never take a concubine in his life. He must do what he said, instead of just farting and then forgetting it." The words were rough but the logic was sound, and everyone agreed.

"I guess he was attracted by her dowry and the status and power of the Duke's Mansion. Otherwise, how could he, a fledgling scholar, gain a foothold in the capital so quickly and become a minister at such a young age?"

"Yes, I heard that the expenses of the Shen Mansion over the years were all supported by Chen Shuhua's dowry. Otherwise, how do you think the Shangshu Mansion could support so many people with just this little salary and property?"

"You're already divorced, but you still have the nerve to ask your mother to put down her dignity and ask for a dowry for your adopted daughter. Your biological daughter has suffered for more than ten years outside, while your husband's adopted daughter has enjoyed so many years of happiness in the mansion. If it were me, I wouldn't give this dowry. You're already divorced, and it's none of their business. It's a favor to give, and it's only natural not to give."

"Didn't you see that the old lady of the Shen family scolded us so harshly, pushing all the responsibilities and faults onto the Duke's Mansion. I don't believe that they did nothing wrong!"

"I heard that Lord Shen treats this adopted daughter better than his own daughter. Could she also be an illegitimate child?"

"Don't say that carelessly, be careful of the consequences..."

"..."

Everyone started talking about the Shen family's affairs. The old lady spent half a day in the morning trying to discredit Chen Shuhua, but she didn't expect that she would turn the situation around in just a short while.

The old lady and Shen Youran were sitting at home, and when they heard the news, they felt like the sky had fallen. They had thought that even if they didn't get the dowry, at least they had discredited Chen Shuhua and won back a point for the Shen family. However, who would have thought that instead of catching the fox, they got into trouble and ended up owing a huge sum of money. The old lady and Shen Youran looked pale. It was over. The entire Shen family was finished.

Seeing that You Ran's wedding time was approaching, there was no dowry and she had gotten into such a trouble. The old lady had already regretted why she had gone to the Duke's Mansion to make a scene. If she hadn't gone, she wouldn't have annoyed Chen Shuhua. Considering their past relationship, she probably wouldn't sue Shen Wenting. She could always come up with something by piecing together some money, but it was too late to say anything now.

"Why should Jingzhao Mansion ask us to pay this money? Chen Shuhua married into our mansion, so what belongs to her is ours. Whether it's embezzled or not, she spent it willingly on us. Why should we take it back? I think the Duke's Mansion bribed the people in Jingzhao Mansion, otherwise why would they be so biased towards them!"

The old lady's words sounded high-sounding, but she didn't think about the fact that if the money Chen Shuhua used in the mansion was added, the amount would be far more than 100,000 taels.

Shen Wenting sat at the side, looking pale and lost in thought. After a long time, he came to his senses and said angrily, "The Duke's Mansion is in a high position and has great power, so naturally those people are biased towards Chen Shuhua. It's all my fault. I haven't made a name for myself as a minister for so many years, and I was even demoted to a minister, allowing others to manipulate me."

"Wenting, what should we do now?!" The old lady was anxious and could not help but get angry. She cursed: "Chen Shuhua is too ruthless. If we knew she would be like this, we should have asked her to take out her dowry and divorce her!"