In the main hall of the Jingzhao Prefecture, the court held a hearing.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Three muffled drumbeats sounded.

"mighty……"

Two groups of yamen runners, wielding water and fire sticks, shouted and yelled.

After three consecutive days of open government offices, the crowds outside were not as dense as they had been at the beginning, but there were still quite a few curious people gathered at the entrance of the government offices, peering inside.

Deng Hongyi sat upright in the main hall, with the plaque above his head inscribed with "A Clear Mirror Hangs High," his face as somber as water.

The gavel slammed down: "Bring in the criminal!"

Today's trial involves a group of criminals who provided a hideout for human traffickers in the outskirts of Beijing. The dozen or so men are all scoundrels from the same village.

The old man in the lead rented out his unused courtyard to kidnappers to imprison the women and children they had abducted.

The rest of the people were responsible for guarding against escape, cooking and delivering meals, and helping to drive the "goods".

Doing this unethical business, you can earn far more money than digging for food in the soil.

The bailiffs shoved and pushed the group of wailing prisoners into the main hall.

"Your Honor, I've been wronged!"

Before he could even ask a question, the old man who rented the courtyard knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face.

"The old man was just an honest farmer. How could he have known that those damned bastards renting the courtyard were up to such heinous deeds!"

"Yes, sir!" a burly old woman echoed.

"I'm just a humble woman who cooks and delivers meals to earn a meager living. I don't know anything about this! I beg you, Your Honor, to investigate!"

In an instant, the lobby was filled with shouts and chaos.

"Silence!" Deng Hongyi's brows furrowed, and he slammed his gavel down with a deafening roar.

"If you continue to shout in court and confuse the public, your crime will be compounded! Bring witnesses!"

Those who remain are not the main culprits; the cases are simple.

Following the confession of the main culprit, the constables destroyed several hiding places, one of which was the old man's courtyard.

Most importantly, when the police rushed in, there were still more than a dozen victims in the courtyard who hadn't had time to be taken away.

With irrefutable evidence and numerous witnesses, there was no room for denial, and Deng Hongyi was too lazy to waste words with them.

Soon, a dozen or so victims, who were walking unsteadily, were brought up by the yamen runners.

In order to preserve the state of their arrest as evidence, and also because the government office was overcrowded, these rescued people were temporarily housed in a simple servants' quarters in the backyard of the Jingzhao Prefecture.

They were not allowed to wash or groom themselves, and were only given some coarse food to fill their stomachs.

Now that they have been brought to the hall, their condition is so pitiful that it is unbearable to look at them.

They were all disheveled, their hair was messy like withered grass, and most of their faces were covered with dirt and dust.

Their clothes were tattered and torn in some places, revealing skin with bruises or whip marks underneath.

A strong odor, a mixture of sweat and mildew, instantly filled the courtroom.

Deng Hongyi said in a deep voice: "Carefully examine the witnesses below the court. Have those kneeling people ever supervised or humiliated you?"

These victims already knew they had been rescued; now was the time to identify their enemies and bring them to justice!

Long-suppressed anger and resentment erupted, and one by one, they became agitated, vying to point fingers:

"It's him! It's that heartless old bastard who rented the yard to those damned devils!"

"And this wicked old woman!" A plump woman pointed at the old woman cooking, her voice hoarse and full of hatred.

"She fed those human traffickers fish and meat every meal, but the food we ate was worse than pig swill; the porridge was spoiled. She was an accomplice!"

"And that guy in the gray jacket, last month a guy tried to run away, but he caught him and beat him to death in the woodpile."

"I saw it with my own eyes, that guy... then he stopped breathing!"

Accusations, cries, and angry accusations mingled together, creating a chaotic and noisy atmosphere in the lobby.

The constables had been running around for days and were already exhausted.

When it came to this last batch, which consisted of accomplices, the initial rigor was somewhat diminished.

In particular, the identities of these witnesses were not carefully verified one by one. The authorities only wanted to complete the procedures as quickly as possible and brought them all up at once.

These victims were rescued from different hideouts and were not entirely familiar with each other.

Amidst the chaos, two women in the witness group, disheveled, ragged, and with blank expressions like puppets, remained silent.

Suddenly, they both caught a faint, yet exceptionally refreshing, fragrance.

The fragrance, like an ice needle, instantly pierced the chaotic mist that shrouded their consciousness.

Chunying suddenly raised her head, and her previously empty and numb eyes suddenly became clearer.

She could hardly believe her eyes, staring intently at the disheveled figure beside her, and cried out in shock:

"Miss...?!"

Zheng Huiyin trembled at the shrill cry, her consciousness struggling to rise from the deep sea like a sinking ship.

Looking up blankly, I saw a face covered in grime, with matted hair and an indescribable stench emanating from it.

"vomit……"

A wave of nausea washed over her, making her vision blur and her body sway uncontrollably, almost causing her to collapse! Fortunately, Chunying, who was nearby, reacted quickly and, despite her own discomfort, caught her.

"Miss! Miss, what's wrong?"

Chunying's voice was choked with sobs as she frantically reached out with her sleeve to wipe the dirt off her mistress's face.

I wiped it a couple of times, but then my movements froze.

My mind wasn't quite clear just now, but now it suddenly dawned on me—wait a minute, where are they? Why is this happening?

Looking around, everyone's eyes, including Deng Hongyi in the hall, the bailiffs on both sides, the kneeling prisoners, and the other victims, were all focused on the two men.

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