Fang Yun's expression was cold and stern, nothing like his usual kindly demeanor. His gaze even carried a chill that seemed to seep into the marrow.
"Yes, I am already aware. However..." Fang Yun leafed through the documents before him as he spoke. "According to the information our county government has gathered, your Diao Household bought Wang Xiaocui from someone else?"
Diao Nengchen hurriedly said, "That is utter nonsense! Wang Xiaocui is my lawfully wedded wife. The village chief can testify, and the village elders witnessed the ceremony. By the ancient rites, ours is a lawful marriage."
"If it was a lawful marriage, were any members of the bride's family present?"
"We invited her family, but none of them would come. There was nothing we could do," Diao Nengchen said.
"Guards, summon the bride's family into court!"
Six or seven people entered the main hall. One woman was sobbing, while the other men stared at Diao Nengchen and his family with flames of hatred in their eyes.
A middle-aged man over forty saluted Fang Yun with cupped hands, grief written across his face. "Void Sage Fang, please grant us justice! My daughter Xiaocui had merely gone outside the city with some companions for an outing, but traffickers abducted her. We searched all over Mi Prefecture and could not find her. Only recently did the runners tell us she was in Longxi Village. My wife and I went there, but we were driven out without even seeing her face. An old man warned us never to go back to Longxi Village, or we might be beaten to death. We kept trying to find someone who could help, but we are an ordinary family. Where could we find such a person? All we could do was wait at home for news from