Chapter 204 - 124: You Fight Your Way, I’ll Fight Mine

’Heh, still unrepentant even on the brink of disaster...’

「During the trial.」

Gazing at the defendant’s table, Xu De scoffed inwardly, then sat down and watched with a detached air.

In divorce cases involving the division of assets, Yang Chunping was a real anomaly.

Why? Because judges tend to favor her, awarding her more money!

Most people would probably be angry about this unwritten rule, and rightfully so. Countless cases have proven that some people exploit this situation to maliciously seize the assets of others.

It has even led to the rise of marriage scams designed to defraud people of their bride price.

But...

Let’s not forget.

It’s not just resilient young people who get divorced. There are also the middle-aged and the elderly.

For example.

Even in the year 2026, an illiterate, middle-aged woman in the countryside might earn around 3,000 a month. Meanwhile, a man of the same age working in construction or as an electrician would start at a base salary of 6,000.

If such a couple’s relationship sours in middle age and they divorce, imagine their assets are divided without any favoritism.

How much would the woman get?

A hundred thousand? Would she even get that? No.

Most likely not even a hundred thousand.

With no money, in her middle age, with little chance of remarrying, and no pension or retirement savings, how is she supposed to live out the rest of her life?

In all likelihood...

Her story would likely end as another social tragedy.

If this became the norm, society would become dysfunctional, and so-called "stability" would shatter.

But that raises another problem.

If people with ulterior motives were to exploit this...

The result would be just as twisted.

「At the bench.」

「At the defendant’s table.」

Sun Li took a deep breath. Unable to stop herself, she spoke again.

"Your Honor."

"According to Article 1087 of the Civil Code regarding the division of property upon divorce, the original text explicitly states..."

"’Upon divorce, the couple’s community property shall be handled by mutual agreement. If an agreement cannot be reached, the court shall render a judgment based on the specific circumstances of the property and in accordance with the principle of protecting the rights and interests of the children, the wife, and the faultless party.’"

"My client is the wife in this marriage and, as such, should be entitled to special consideration in the division of property..."

The law doesn’t state that the wife must be favored.

But Article 1087 is a bit of an exception.

The law clearly states that when dividing property during a divorce where no agreement has been reached, the wife’s interests should be given consideration.

This is the core reason why most divorce settlements end in a 55/45 or 60/40 split.

But again, there was a problem.

"Objection!"

From the plaintiff’s table, lawyer Lin Yue seized the opportunity. With a serious look in her eyes, she immediately refuted Sun Li’s argument without waiting for the judge to speak.

"Opposing counsel, Article 1087 of the Civil Code explicitly stipulates its conditions..."

"It applies in practice only when both parties are without fault!"

"In the case before us, the defendant, Yang Chunping, has committed multiple instances of serious marital misconduct and therefore does not meet the conditions stipulated in Article 1087!"

Article 1087 only applies when there is no fault from either party, and the divorce is due to purely emotional incompatibility.

In other words, it means that when both parties are on equal footing, the wife’s situation should be given priority.

This clearly does not apply to Yang Chunping!

"The trauma suffered by the victim in this case, Wang Xiaoyu, borders on a criminal matter."

"The defendant, Yang Chunping, has committed serious marital misconduct. Article 1087 of the Civil Code does not apply to her!"

Lin Yue pressed her advantage, beginning to showcase her Legal Ability.

"Yang Chunping should be ordered to pay significant damages to my client and to the victim in this case, Wang Xiaoyu!"

Even lawyers can’t memorize every single statute.

A trial is an extreme test of one’s ability to think on their feet, requiring a vast knowledge of the law. Often, the lawyer who knows and remembers more statutes has the upper hand.

When it came to legal knowledge, Sun Li was clearly no match for Lin Yue.

’Damn it, didn’t she tell me she was faultless? That idiot! What an idiot!’

At the defendant’s table.

Sun Li’s heart raced with anxiety, and she felt her temper flare at the thought of Yang Chunping beside her.

But this was clearly not the time for her to be complaining about her client.

She quickly lost herself in thought.

On the judge’s bench.

The judge and two lay assessors began to confer with one another.

"What’s the call?"

Xu Family asked in a low voice; it was his first time encountering such a complex and bizarre case.

After a moment of thought, Liu Guo frowned. "I don’t know. The fault on Yang Chunping’s side... it’s just too great."

"I’ve seen Wang Xiaoyu’s medical report. The plaintiff wasn’t lying; the resulting injuries are truly severe!"

At this, Liu Guo seemed taken aback.

The child needs a huge amount of money for both physical and psychological treatment!

For treatment and compensation for the child, a hundred thousand wouldn’t be too much, would it?

And what about Wang Yu himself? His reputation was also severely damaged. According to Article 1183 of the Civil Code regarding ’Compensation for Emotional Distress,’ awarding him several tens of thousands wouldn’t be excessive.

All told... the compensation alone could be more than a hundred thousand!

That said...

If she received a large portion of the assets, she would at least have the money to pay the damages.

But the division of assets depends on fault.

And was Yang Chunping at fault?

Her faults were as numerous as the hairs on an ox—too many to count!

Forget a typical 70-30 split; even a 90-10 split in his favor would seem unreasonable!

"The Wang Yu family’s total assets, including the house, are 530,000. If she were to get 10% or even 20% of that, it wouldn’t be enough..."

Presiding Judge Wang Cheng felt a headache coming on.

The defendant, Yang Chunping, had very few scruples.

If the sentence was too harsh and she couldn’t bear the resulting financial hardship, there was a chance she would resort to crime, which in turn would decrease social stability.

"What a mess, what a mess..."

On the bench, Judge Wang Cheng found himself caught between a rock and a hard place.

Below the bench.

At the defendant’s table.

A commotion erupted from the defendant’s side.

"Didn’t you tell me we could win? That’s the only reason I came!"

Yang Chunping started blaming Sun Li. She looked at her lawyer, and a torrent of harsh, cutting words poured from her mouth.