The prosecution was also composed of court personnel, but none of the crimes listed against Qin Nan were particularly serious.

These activities are nothing more than illegal gatherings, fights, instigating others to collect protection money in the old neighborhoods, and so on.

If that's all there is to it, even if a verdict is handed down, it won't be too serious.

However, this is just the beginning.

Next, it was the defendant's turn to present their defense.

The defense lawyer, also appointed by the court, was a middle-aged man with excellent oratory skills, speaking fluently and fluently in professional jargon.

He listed the various moral bottom lines that Qin Nan upheld when he committed these crimes, as well as the invisible contributions he made to the old neighborhood.

Finally, it was specifically mentioned how Qin Nan assisted the police in fighting against the triads in West Street during this arrest operation, and how he was shot while protecting an undercover police officer.

Based on Qin Nan's sufficient remorse and his significant contributions to the arrest operation, the defense requested the court to grant Qin Nan the maximum possible reduction in sentence.

Ultimately, after deliberation with several colleagues, presiding judge Xie Jiahui agreed to grant Qin Nan a corresponding reduction in sentence.

The specific judgment is as follows:

Qin Nan once privately organized gang fights and formed a gang, causing harm to the local area.

However, considering that he had not committed too many heinous crimes, he voluntarily disbanded the gang and assisted the police in arresting Zhou Quanbang and others. When an undercover police officer was on the verge of death, he did not hesitate to take a bullet with his own body to save the officer.

Based on all of the above, Qin Nan was sentenced to three years in prison.

Finally, the court added that, considering Qin Nan's injuries, which were sustained while saving a police officer, his three-year prison sentence would be commuted to home confinement.

When the final verdict was announced, the entire audience erupted in applause, and many cheered.

"I knew it! Qin Nan only looks fierce on the surface; he's not a bad person at all."

"Back when my daughter was being bullied by bad guys, it was he who chased them away."

“My family is from the old neighborhood. When he was the boss there, I didn’t like him. But after Scarface came, I realized that if it weren’t for Qin Nan, we would have been living in hell.”

“At least during his years in the old neighborhood, he didn’t deal drugs or harm us.”

Many people who had some connection with Qin Nan were happy for him.

Even those who had little to do with Qin Nan felt genuine admiration after hearing about what he had done.

"Although I took the wrong path, at least my conscience is still intact!"

"Who can argue with that? A person with principles, a conscience, and a moral compass like him might have been forced astray by circumstances. Fortunately, he realized his mistake, pulled back from the brink, and reformed."

"His three-year prison sentence is indeed quite fair and just."

“He took a bullet for a police officer and it will take him at least a few months to recover. Home confinement is the most reasonable sentence.”

On the defendant's stand, Qin Nan's eyes reddened.

In fact, he had already prepared for the worst before the final verdict was announced.

He would accept the death penalty even if it meant being sentenced to death.

After all, he had once wreaked havoc in the area and done many bad things.

Especially after hearing the verdicts for Scarface and Zuo Xianglong, he felt that his life was over.

For a long time, he and Scarface Pao were known as the two heroes of Nanming County. Since Scarface Pao and Zuo Xianglong were both sentenced to death, his final verdict should not be much better.

Unexpectedly,

He was only imprisoned for three years!

This result moved him so much that he couldn't help but burst into tears.

In his excitement, he glanced again toward the audience.

Soon, his gaze settled on a handsome young man with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes.

He didn't say anything, but simply cast a grateful glance at me from afar.

That young man was none other than his brother, Wang Qian, whom he had always valued highly.

The fact that he received such a light sentence today is entirely thanks to his brother Wang Qian.

If Wang Qian hadn't approached him over a year ago and asked him to implement those bans that others considered utterly absurd, the crimes he's being tried for today would certainly be far more serious.

Especially recently, Wang Qian disregarded the objections of all his underlings and forced him to disband the gang.

While he was hesitating, Wang Qian once slapped him in a fit of anger.

At that time, although he knew that Wang Qian meant well, that slap left him resentful for a long time.

Only now do I realize how well Wang Qian slapped me, how prescient he was, and how much thought he had in mind.

"Defendant Qin Nan, do you have any objections to this court's verdict?"

Just as he was overwhelmed with emotion, Judge Xie Jiahui began to ask questions from the judge's bench.

Qin Nan snapped out of his daze, quickly straightened his back, shook his head vigorously, and choked out, "No, no!"

...

An hour later, outside the courthouse.

"Congratulations!"

As Qin Nan walked out of the courthouse, Wang Qian, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately stepped forward to congratulate him.

"I was able to escape unscathed from this ordeal entirely because of your foresight!"

Qin Nan walked over and gave Wang Qian a grateful look. "Otherwise, my fate would have been no different from that of Scarface Pao and Zuo Xianglong."

"Don't say that. It's all thanks to your own hard work and luck," Wang Qian said sincerely.

He did indeed begin planning more than a year ago to prevent Qin Nan from going down a path of no return.

However, if Qin Nan hadn't inexplicably returned to the old neighborhood to shield Chen Yong from a bullet during the arrest of Scarface and his gang, he would likely have been sentenced to at least a decade or more, if not the death penalty.

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