The following morning, Xu Xinghe arrived at Political Commissar Wang's office.
Pushing open the door, Political Commissar Wang was sitting behind his desk reviewing documents. Seeing her enter, he gestured for her to sit down. "Comrade Xu, the final verdict in Xu Mingli's case has been delivered."
Xu Xinghe sat down on the wooden chair opposite him, having already anticipated this, but still listened with her breath held.
"Xu Mingli was convicted of multiple crimes, including premeditated murder and embezzlement of other people's property. The evidence was conclusive, and the higher authorities issued an order to sentence him to death."
Political Commissar Wang put down the document. "Although Feng Qiushi was involved, some of his actions were coerced by Xu Mingli, and he voluntarily confessed to some of his crimes. He is sentenced to twenty years in prison. Zhang Qiang was an accomplice who shielded and assisted in the crime. He did not participate in the murder, nor did he commit any serious crimes. He is sentenced to ten years in prison."
"It's fine." Xu Xinghe nodded gently, her face showing little emotion.
This is the fate they deserve; they made a mistake and should pay the price.
"The death penalty will not be carried out in Shanghai. He has no relatives there, so there's no need to go through all that trouble," Political Commissar Wang added. "The execution will be carried out at the military headquarters' execution ground. After the execution, he will be taken directly to be cremated, and his ashes... if no one comes to claim them, they will be disposed of according to regulations."
Xu Xinghe pursed her lips, her eyes devoid of any pity. "That's fine. I won't be collecting his corpse."
Political Commissar Wang looked at her, remained silent for a moment, and then softened his tone, "The death penalty is scheduled to be carried out in two days. According to regulations, family members can be present to witness it. If you want to go, I can arrange it for you; consider it a special privilege."
Xu Xinghe pondered for a moment, then said, "Okay, I'll go."
She wanted to witness Xu Mingli's execution to comfort her parents' spirits in heaven.
His parents raised him for many years in his previous life, but he turned against himself, seized all of the Xu family's assets, and did all sorts of bad things.
If their parents in heaven knew about this, they would definitely be unhappy.
Xu Xinghe pondered for a moment and then said, "I'll prepare his last meal."
Political Commissar Wang nodded, "Okay, I'll have someone arrange it for you."
at the same time.
In the temporary prison at the military headquarters.
Xu Mingli had long lost his former arrogance.
Upon learning that he would be executed in two days, he instantly collapsed to the ground, his previous composure crumbling completely.
He lunged at the iron bars, gripping them tightly, and screamed frantically, "I don't want to die! I can't die! I'm smart, I speak foreign languages, I'm good at business, I can help the country while I'm alive! Let me go to the front lines, let me do the most dangerous missions! Please, don't kill me!"
His voice was hoarse and shrill, filled with despair, but the guards outside the cell remained expressionless, not even lifting their eyelids.
No one will sympathize with a criminal whose hands are stained with blood.
Xu Mingli shouted until his throat was hoarse, but when no one paid attention, he finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed onto the cold cement ground, bursting into tears.
The cries were heart-wrenching, a mixture of remorse and resentment.
He didn't regret the things he had done; he regretted being caught.
If he could do it all over again, he would definitely do it more discreetly and no one would be able to catch him out!
He was too confident, escaping several times, thinking that the soldiers in the military were nothing special.
That's why he dared to show himself in front of Xu Xinghe, hoping to interrupt her and Jiang Linchuan's marriage registration.
Unexpectedly, he was caught the moment he showed his face!
Xu Mingli's cries went from heart-wrenching at the beginning to weak and feeble later, and finally only intermittent sobs remained.
He stared blankly at the outside of the iron fence with his bloodshot eyes, his gaze empty, as if his soul had left his body.
For the next two days, Xu Mingli barely slept.
When he had the strength, he would lie on the railing and scream for mercy.
When he was exhausted, he would lie on the ground motionless, his mind a complete blank, sometimes crying and sometimes laughing, appearing like a madman.
He couldn't believe that all his scheming had led to this end.
On the day of the execution.
Just as dawn was breaking, footsteps could be heard outside the prison cell.
Xu Mingli suddenly raised his head, a glimmer of light flashing in his cloudy eyes, which was quickly covered by despair.
He thought they were the people who came to take him to be executed, but to his surprise, it was Xu Xinghe who walked in.
She was dressed in clean clothes, her hair was neatly combed, her face was expressionless, and she was holding a tray with three dishes, a soup, and a bowl of white rice on it.
A plate of scrambled eggs, a plate of braised pork, a side of cucumber salad, and a bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup—a combination of meat and vegetables, these are dishes that ordinary families would only eat during the Lunar New Year and other holidays.
Xu Mingli slowly got up from the ground, his movements were sluggish, his clothes were dirty and wrinkled, and his hair was messy.
He looked at Xu Xinghe standing outside the iron fence, opened his mouth, and asked in a hoarse voice, "What...what are you doing here?"
Xu Xinghe walked to the iron fence, placed the tray on the ground, and looked at him calmly, without hatred or resentment. "This is your last meal. Eat it."
Xu Mingli's gaze was fixed on the tray outside the iron fence. The greasy braised pork glistened, and the aroma of scrambled eggs wafted in through the gaps in the fence, making his insides ache.
He had barely eaten anything these past two days because he was in a bad mood, and the smell of food made his stomach rumble.
But his hand froze in mid-air, his eyes filled with wariness. He swallowed a few times and said in a hoarse voice, "I don't believe you would be so kind... to bring me my last meal. You're definitely up to no good!"
He knew Xu Xinghe too well; she had changed a long time ago. She was no longer the innocent girl who could be bullied by everyone; instead, she had grown into a fierce and domineering woman.
He has never forgotten those days of torment.
He had deceived her, wanting to seize the Xu family's assets. How could she possibly send him a good meal for no reason before he died?
There must be something fishy going on here. Maybe they put something in his food to make his death more painful!
Looking at his paranoid expression, Xu Xinghe couldn't help but sneer, her tone full of mockery, "You're about to die, why would I bother with you? Is it interesting? The only reason I came to deliver this last meal is out of human kindness, not wanting you to die of starvation. And more importantly, to tell you that only kind people can live with dignity like me. The wicked will only end up like you. So, be a good person in your next life, though I suspect you'll be reborn as an animal."
She pointed to the food on the tray. "Are you going to eat or not? I've heard that people who don't eat will be reincarnated as starving ghosts, never to be reborn. And I've also heard that you haven't eaten much these past two days."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
