Chapter 57: Stealing a Chicken, Losing the Rice
As soon as the county magistrate finished speaking, Qin Huanhuan immediately secretly winked at Lai Hu.
Next, as long as Lai Hu follows her previous instructions and says that Chen Fenghe had had an affair with him and instigated her to escape, then Chen Fenghe's life will be lost in this Daming Mansion!
Thinking of this, Qin Huanhuan couldn't help but reveal a smug look on her face.
Humph! So what if she married the prince?
In the end, he will die at her hands?
Lai Hu lowered his head and replied in a trembling voice, "Sir, during my exile, I did have an affair with a female prisoner. That female prisoner was..."
Qin Huanhuan's heart was in her throat, and she could hardly hold back the smile on her lips. She couldn't help but glance at Chen Fenghe.
Now, Shen Fenghe must be scared to death, right?
However, when she looked over, she couldn't help but feel surprised.
Chen Fenghe quietly lowered her eyes and looked at the ground in front of her, her face calm, without a trace of panic!
Why... isn't she afraid at all?
Lai Hu continued, "The female prisoner is Qin Huanhuan, not Chen Fenghe. Please understand!"
When these words were spoken, the exiled prisoners and the police officers who came to testify in the court were all shocked!
Li Yong, in particular, looked at Qin Huanhuan in disbelief.
He originally thought that although Qin Huanhuan had taken the initiative to seduce her that night, it was her first time after all, so he took good care of her along the way.
Others scolded her for being fickle and losing her virginity before she even got married. He felt bad for her and thought she had taken all the humiliation for him, so he treated her even better.
But he never expected that she would actually have an affair with Lai Hu behind his back? !
Qin Huanhuan's face suddenly turned pale.
Lai Hu...why did he suddenly bite her back?! Isn't he afraid of being beheaded?!
"Lai Hu... you, you are slandering me! It is obvious that the person you had an affair with was Chen Fenghe! Chen Fenghe even instigated you to escape secretly, so you secretly contacted the brothers who were not caught and asked them to rescue you and Shen Fenghe! You clearly said that day... In short, don't wrongly accuse me! Your Excellency, I am really wronged! Lai Hu and I... have never even exchanged a few words, so how could I have had an affair with him!"
Qin Huanhuan banged her forehead hard on the bluestone floor, looking extremely wronged.
Li Yong watched from the side and felt heartbroken. He couldn't help but glare at Lai Hu: "Lai Hu, you are slandering someone else's innocence. This is an even greater crime! If you dare to say such nonsense again!"
Chen Fenghe then spoke coldly, "Qin Huanhuan, you don't have to knock your head and act pitiful. You didn't even say a few words to Lai Hu? And yet you knew I instigated him to escape? You act as if everything is under your control. This is really... a coincidence! Also, you just said that you clearly promised... Lai Hu promised you something that day?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone came to their senses. Indeed! Qin Huanhuan's words were clearly contradictory!
The county magistrate's face couldn't help but become gloomy.
I thought I had found a reason to punish the Crown Princess, but it turned out to be a brainless one!
Qin Huanhuan's face turned even paler: "Chen Fenghe! You...you shut up! You dare to slander me when you are about to die...!"
The county magistrate was so angry that he slammed the gavel and scolded, "Shut up! Do you think this is the market? How can you be so noisy! You rascal! Think about it again, are you mistaken? The one who had an affair with you and instigated your escape must be that Shen family, right?! If you tell the truth, I can spare your life because you were bewitched by this evil woman! Otherwise! Haha!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the court looked at each other in bewilderment. Now even the most obtuse person understood.
This county magistrate clearly wanted to put Shen Fenghe to death! Just now, it was just a matter of compromise, but after saying this, it turned into an attempt to escape and the mastermind behind the robbery!
Lai Hu is not stupid, how come he can't hear it?
Beads of sweat could not help but appear on his forehead.
The county magistrate's words clearly meant that as long as he testified against Chen Fenghe, he could save his life. How could he not be tempted? But... he was poisoned!
On the third day after being poisoned by the Seven Days Powder, his entire body began to fester rapidly as if he had sores, and he was almost scared to death!
If it really reaches the seventh day, not only will the skin fester, but even the flesh and blood will fester and turn into blood, leaving only bones and dying in agony!
But...what if the poison was just a scare tactic by the man in black?
Lai Hu was torn between his conscience and his desires. Suddenly, his wrist started to itch. He scratched it subconsciously, and as he did so, his skin was instantly broken, and blood like acne oozed out!
Lai Hu's face turned pale in an instant.
Yes, the man in black said that the antidote given to him could temporarily cure his symptoms and prevent the condition from worsening on the third day. However, on the seventh day, if he did not take the final antidote, the symptoms from the fourth to the seventh day would appear quickly!
And now, it happened to be the third day after he took the antidote!
Lai Hu, with a mournful face, rested his head on the bluestone slab and said in despair, "Sir, sir, I dare not lie. The one I had an affair with was indeed Qin, not Shen. If you don't believe me, there is a birthmark on Qin's chest. I'll have someone check and you'll know!"
Although he wanted to live, he thought it would be better to be beheaded than to die in pain with his body rotten and only bones left!
After hearing what Lai Hu said, Li Yong looked at Qin Huanhuan in shock and disbelief.
Others may not know, but how could he not know that Qin Huanhuan has a birthmark on her chest?
If Lai Hu had never seen Qin Huanhuan's body, how could he know!
The county magistrate's face turned green. Just as he was about to say something, the legal advisor beside him coughed twice, stepped forward, and said, "Sir, if we are too explicit about what happened today, it will give people a reason to criticize us. I'm afraid it won't end well. It's better to call it a day and think of another way."
Upon hearing this, the county magistrate had no choice but to frown and say, "If that's the case, then Qin is just a fickle person, and she slandered Shen's innocence with empty words. She deserves twenty lashes of the cane! Lai Hu colluded with the bandits and attempted to escape. He deserves thirty lashes of the cane and will be executed in the autumn! The rest of the bandits who killed the officials will also be given thirty lashes of the cane and executed in the autumn!"
Qin Huanhuan was dumbfounded.
It was clearly a plan to kill Shen Fenghe, but in the end, she was the one who was beaten with twenty boards!
The yamen runners refused to give in and didn't care that she was a woman. Two of them pressed her body with water and fire sticks, while the other two took turns beating her with sticks.
Qin Huanhuan struggled wildly in pain, tears and snot, but she couldn't get away at all. She was beaten with twenty boards, and even the clothes on her buttocks were soaked with blood!
The county magistrate called for the court to be dismissed and returned to the inner hall with a gloomy face.
Chen Wu and other officers took Qin Huanhuan back.
Qin Huanhuan was almost beaten unconscious, but she still looked at Li Yong pitifully with tears in her eyes.
However, Li Yong gave her a cold look, turned around and left without helping her!
Chen Fenghe sneered faintly.
This is called stealing a chicken but losing the rice. Serves you right.
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