Chapter 207 - 125: Verdict

It all came down to the presiding judge’s personal discretion!

Wang Cheng was lost in thought, silent for a long moment. Only his deeply furrowed brow proved he hadn’t drifted off or fallen asleep.

The entire courtroom fell silent.

The clerk and the bailiffs were dumbfounded. This case was clearly an eye-opener for them.

At the plaintiff’s table, emotions were relatively subdued, but Wang Yu was struggling to contain his. His eyes were red, and his expression was heartbreaking.

As for the defendant’s table...

Fear gradually crept onto Yang Chunping’s face, her expression anxious.

Sun Li sat in her chair, her face a mask of calm, but beneath the table, her hands were clenched tightly on her knees. Her sweaty palms and ragged breathing betrayed her inner turmoil.

No one knew how long the quiet lasted.

Suddenly.

A voice sounded in everyone’s ears.

"Now, all rise."

It took a moment to register.

From the bench, Presiding Judge Wang Cheng had suddenly spoken.

’Everyone... rise!?’

The instant he spoke, everyone, startled, rose to their feet. Even Sun Li and Yang Chunping stood, their eyes locked on Wang Cheng.

The final verdict, which way would it go...

...was entirely up to Presiding Judge Wang Cheng!

It was a known fact that in civil cases, a presiding judge’s judicial discretion was immense, far exceeding that in criminal cases. In some instances, a judge could even disregard the facts of the case and deliver a malicious verdict against one party.

Therefore, in this case, if Wang Cheng wanted to go after Xu De... losing was not out of the question!

Who was to say the defendant couldn’t win?

Everyone held their breath, waiting for what he would say next.

Presiding Judge Wang Cheng did not keep them waiting long.

He took a deep breath and began to speak slowly:

"Plaintiff: Wang Yu, male, date of birth... Defendant: Yang Chunping, female, date of birth..."

"Regarding the divorce dispute between plaintiff Wang Yu and defendant Yang Chunping, this court, having filed the case on November 23, 2002... has conducted a public hearing."

"The trial of this case is now concluded."

"Facts of the case: Plaintiff Wang Yu and defendant Yang Chunping registered..."

"Court findings and basis for judgment: This court holds that the marital affection between plaintiff Wang Yu and defendant Yang Chunping has indeed broken down, with no possibility of reconciliation. The divorce petition is in accordance with Article 1079 of the Civil Code, and is therefore supported by this court..."

This is...

The divorce is granted!

Lin Yue breathed an inward sigh of relief. Granting the divorce meant the case was finally coming to an end and wouldn’t be adjourned again.

But in the next moment, her heart leaped into her throat as she stared intently at Wang Cheng.

The divorce was granted, which meant it was time... for the rest of the judgment!

Sure enough, in the next second.

"Regarding the matter of custody of the child of the marriage..."

...Wang Cheng announced from the bench.

’Here it comes!’ Lin Yue’s heart clenched.

At the defendant’s table, Sun Li clenched her fists, her breathing labored.

Presiding Judge Wang Cheng continued:

"In this case, the child of the marriage, Wang Xiaoyu, also known as Yu, suffered irreversible physical harm... due to the defendant Yang Chunping’s permissive neglect. The defendant, Yang Chunping, is guilty of major faults including infidelity, neglect... and dereliction of guardianship..."

"Plaintiff Wang Yu is the non-fault party, possesses a stable income, and has good living conditions."

"In summary, for the child of the marriage, Wang Xiaoyu..."

At this,

Wang Cheng paused. At the defendant’s table, Sun Li let out a silent, frustrated sigh.

The next second.

"It is deemed appropriate that the child of the marriage, Wang Xiaoyu, be placed under the direct custody of the plaintiff, Wang Yu!"

Custody... goes to Wang Yu!

The moment he finished, everyone on the plaintiff’s side breathed a sigh of relief. With custody secured, the rest of the judgment would naturally lean in their favor.

"Second, the matter of child support and related expenses!"

Wang Cheng announced from the bench:

"This court orders the defendant, Yang Chunping, to pay the plaintiff, Wang Yu, child support in the amount of 257 yuan per month!"

"This payment shall commence from the date this judgment takes effect, to be paid before the 28th of each month, until the child of the marriage reaches eighteen years of age!"

Child support!

Two hundred and fifty-seven yuan in child support was not a small sum in 2003. It was akin to a high-interest loan payment, forcibly collected every month.

Most importantly...

...was the division of marital assets!

Then,

...another announcement came from the bench.

"In this case, the plaintiff is the non-fault party and bears the primary custodial responsibility for the child of the marriage, while the defendant is the party at major fault. Therefore, this court rules on the division of joint marital property as follows."

"Of the joint marital property, 533,600 yuan is awarded to the plaintiff, Wang Yu."

"The defendant has engaged in the concealment, transfer, sale, and destruction of joint marital property. As these actions are exceptionally egregious, this court, in accordance with relevant laws, may rule that the defendant shall receive no share of the joint marital property."

"Furthermore, defendant Yang Chunping must, within ten days of this judgment taking effect..."

As he spoke,

Presiding Judge Wang Cheng suddenly added:

"In addition!"

"She is to pay the plaintiff, Wang Yu, an additional compensation of 15,000 yuan due to the skewed asset division, to compensate for the plaintiff’s costs in raising the child and for his emotional distress!"

"And,"

"Defendant Yang Chunping, within thirty days of this judgment taking effect, is to make a one-time payment of 70,000 yuan to the child of the marriage, Wang Xiaoyu, as compensation for emotional damages!"

The instant he finished speaking,

Throughout the Third Courtroom, pupils contracted and faces filled with utter shock.

"Total assets of five hundred and thirty-four thousand..."

"Wang Yu gets all of it? Yang Chunping is left with nothing!?"

"And not just that, there’s two hundred and fifty a month in child support! That’s three thousand a year!"

"And the total compensation is 85,000!?"

"Is this even a divorce case anymore!?"

"..."

Even the bailiffs and the clerk looked on in shock.

Under Dongguo law, the distinction was simply between ’getting a share’ and ’not getting a share’.

Typically, being left with nothing just meant not getting a share of the assets.

But here was the problem: as poor as Sun Li’s professional conduct had been, she wasn’t wrong. Forcing someone to leave a marriage with absolutely nothing... was as difficult as successfully arguing an innocence plea for a death row inmate!

At the very least, it was as hard as getting a death sentence commuted.

But now...

"No money?"

At the defendant’s table,

The words seemed to detonate in Yang Chunping’s mind. She stared at the bench, utterly stunned, her face a mask of disbelief.

She panicked and shrieked:

"Why don’t I get any of the money!?"

"Fifty thousand of that joint property is mine!"

"Why don’t I get a share? I take it back... I don’t want a divorce anymore!!!"

She had been planning to take a share of Wang Yu’s assets, to get her hands on his nearly half a million yuan...

But how had her own fifty thousand been awarded to him instead!?

And not only that...

"Why should I have to pay compensation? I wasn’t the one who called the police!"

"I gave birth to Yu! Why do I have to pay my own son compensation? I won’t accept this! I won’t!!!"

Yang Chunping was panicking. She completely lost it.

Fifty thousand yuan, gone.

And she had to cough up another eighty-five thousand on top of that!?

She would even have to pay an extra three thousand a year in child support! Over fourteen years, that would be forty thousand yuan!!!

"This judgment is bullshit! I won’t accept it!!!" she shrieked again.

On the bench,

Presiding Judge Wang Cheng’s expression darkened. He turned to look at her and said:

"If you object to this judgment, you may file an appeal with this court within fifteen days from the date of service of the judgment. You must submit a statement of appeal with copies for the number of opposing parties and their representatives, and appeal to the Lusen City Intermediate People’s Court of Qingwu Province!"

"Court is now adjourned!"

With that,

Wang Cheng turned and left, clearly having no intention of lingering.

’This case... has been a real eye-opener for me, too.’

’The plaintiff presents evidence, and the defendant doesn’t even bother to look, then comes to the trial to display her own arrogance!’

Back at the plaintiff’s table.

"Left with nothing!?"

"He actually made her leave with nothing!!!"

Lin Yue sucked in a sharp breath. She glanced at Yang Chunping, the corner of her own eye twitching, before turning to look at Xu De.

"Heh, what a shame,"

Xu De said, a little surprised himself. He had seen what was on Wang Cheng’s mind.

’This judge... is still too conservative in the end!’

"You call *this* a shame!?"

Lin Yue was stunned.

"Actually, in the scenario I’d envisioned, it would have been better if Yang Chunping *hadn’t* been left with nothing," Xu De said.

"If she hadn’t been left penniless—say, a 9-to-1 split where she got her 50,000 yuan."

"What would have happened then?"

"The compensation would have been higher!"

"That’s right. If her share of the assets increased, the compensation would have increased too. The 80,000 in damages would have become at least 150,000!"

"On the surface, it might not seem worth it. An extra 70,000 in damages is only 20,000 more than the 50,000 in assets she would have received. It doesn’t sound as good as her leaving with nothing."

"But?"

"The joint property is judged as *assets*!"

"And assets can depreciate!"

"Fifty thousand in assets could easily depreciate by twenty thousand. But the compensation? That’s cold, hard cash!"

"You really aren’t afraid of pushing her completely over the edge..." Lin Yue’s eye twitched as she spoke, a lingering fear in her voice.

Just as they were speaking,

at that moment,

a sharp roar suddenly erupted from the defendant’s table.

They heard...

"You bitch! You lied to me! Didn’t you say this was a sure win, that I’d get the money? How dare you lie to me!!!"