"Lele had already registered the marriage with the other party; they were married but just hadn't held a wedding ceremony. How did that become marriage fraud?"

Zhang Wei's mouth twitched.

He continued patiently, "The copy of the complaint states that you prevented the man and woman from meeting. What is this about?"

This point, in fact, was a fabricated element within the marriage fraud scheme: using marriage as a "false fact" to obtain the betrothal gift.

Even though the marriage certificate was issued, marriage has a clear legal definition. It refers to a man and a woman who have registered their marriage, living together and forming a family. There are two key points: marriage registration and cohabitation.

Therefore, in law, besides legally registered spouses, there are also de facto married couples. Even without a certificate, couples living together permanently with the intent of a shared life are considered to be in a de facto marriage. This primarily applies to many rural areas. Many elderly couples have lived their entire lives together without a certificate, but their marital status cannot be denied.

"Preventing the couple from meeting already constitutes marriage fraud," Zhang Wei said seriously.

Yet Yan Yeyun replied, "How could we let them meet when the other party hasn't even gathered the full betrothal gift payment?"

"I have only this one daughter, and issuing a marriage certificate was already letting them off easy. If she's to marry into their family, they must pay the full betrothal gift!"

She had already received 1,080,000 as the betrothal gift. But that was far from enough to buy her younger son a house and a car. There was absolutely no room for compromise on this point.

"Lawyer Zhang, you don't understand. My husband and I aren't very capable; we've worked hard all our lives and only managed to raise a daughter and a son."

Then, she sighed heavily, sounding very sad as she said, "Our daughter is about to get married, and you can't imagine how reluctant we are to let her go. To suddenly marry off a daughter we've raised for decades to another family, can you understand that feeling? My daughter is so outstanding! She got into a top-tier university, has won scholarships every year, and is now on track for a guaranteed spot in a graduate program. Her future is absolutely limitless! They're incredibly fortunate to marry my daughter; it's a blessing earned over several past lifetimes! Moreover, their family has money, so what's wrong with a higher betrothal gift? I'm asking for more money to ensure my daughter is respected. If I only asked for a mere tens of thousands or a hundred thousand, once my daughter married into their family, she would definitely be looked down upon!"

Zhang Wei: "..."

After listening to Yan Yeyun's words, he was utterly dumbfounded.

To justify the betrothal gift demands so clearly, with such an... unconventional rationale... This was a first for him. The betrothal gift was inherently a matter between the two families. However, in Yan Yeyun's eyes, it had turned into a transaction. They had raised their daughter for over two decades and were about to marry her off; they had to secure a good price. That was probably the gist of it.

"AHEM. Let's get back to the case itself." He coughed lightly, then continued, "The other party sued you for marriage fraud. Based on the current situation, your preventing the couple from meeting, even though a marriage certificate was issued, still constitutes fraud based on fabricating facts."

Actually, the legal definition of fraud is very strict. It requires the act of fabricating facts or concealing the truth, with the intent of illegally possessing property. And without a doubt, this 1,080,000 betrothal gift had become the flashpoint. The other party's fraud lawsuit also centered around this 1,080,000 betrothal gift.

"If you insist on this course of action, this case... when tried by the court, will most likely be deemed fraud."

Then, he seriously warned, "According to the sentencing guidelines for fraud I mentioned earlier, 1,080,000 is considered an exceptionally large sum. If you lose the case, you will face criminal charges, with a potential sentence of over ten years."

Upon hearing this, Yan Yeyun's expression finally turned grim.

Them trying to get the 1,080,000 betrothal gift back... was no different from asking for her life.

She furrowed her brows, quickly asking, "Then… then, Lawyer Zhang, what do you think we should do now?"

After saying this, she paused, then added, "As long as we don't have to return the betrothal gift, we'll do anything!"

Zhang Wei's mouth twitched.

He had been a lawyer for many years and had seen all sorts of clients, even those who had cursed at judges. But he had never before encountered someone with values as warped as Yan Yeyun's.

Nevertheless, he still responsibly pointed out a way out.

"The other party has filed a private criminal prosecution. It has slight criminal implications, but the prosecutor's office won't intervene in such disputes. So, if the other party withdraws the lawsuit, everything can be settled."

Zhang Wei took a deep breath and said seriously, "What you should do now is to negotiate properly with the other party. If both the man and woman genuinely want to be together, parents really shouldn't force the issue. The betrothal gift... also shouldn't be so high."

Finally, he added a word of persuasion tinged with his personal feelings.

It wasn't for any other reason. Mainly, 1,680,000 was simply too outrageous. Moreover, according to Yan Yeyun's expectations, this betrothal gift was intended to buy her younger son a house and car, plus cover his wedding expenses. Even if the other party offered 1,680,000... she might still ask for more!

"Negotiate?"

After listening to Zhang Wei's advice, Yan Yeyun's expression became grim again.

Lately, she had been in communication with Wan Zhongyuan. Several times during their phone conversations, they had ended up arguing. Trying to communicate now... would likely be exceedingly difficult.

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