Because the evidence was conclusive, Zhuang Tianer's case was quickly sentenced. Although it was not a death sentence of lingchi, it was still a death sentence, and she could not escape death in the end.
A hanging stick fell in front of Zhuang Tian'er, who was kneeling in the courtroom. It made a soft, audible sound, like a thunderbolt striking her ears. She slowly raised her head and looked at the official conducting the trial, her expression twisted as if she had seen a ghost.
However, the verdict that made her even more devastated was yet to come.
Zhuang Lao Da, Mrs. Zhuang, and Old Man Zhuang were completely clueless about the whereabouts of the government silver, so they were given thirty lashes of the cane and then released. Zhuang Haisheng was also released without even a lash. People like them were completely unharmed!
However, Qin was identified as Zhuang Tianer's accomplice and was sentenced to be executed in the autumn.
Another hanging stick fell in front of Qin, causing her to collapse and burst into tears. She was just an illiterate rural woman who had no knowledge of the law. She did whatever her daughter asked her to do, so she never expected the matter to be so serious.
"Sir, please spare my life! I have an underage son to support! I have elderly parents and young children to take care of, please spare me!" Qin struggled to get up and kowtowed hard to the officials in the hall, shouting so hard that her throat was bleeding.
Zhuang Tianer looked at her mother who was regretting her decision and finally broke down.
"Mom! I was wrong! I originally wanted you to live a good life!" She crawled over using all four limbs, trying to hug Qin who was kowtowing madly, but was pushed away by her.
Qin crawled a little further away and continued to kowtow to the official, not even bothering to glance at Zhuang Tianer. She already knew that Zhuang Tianer was to blame for her current situation. She could have lived a peaceful and stable life, poor but content.
All the disasters were brought about by Zhuang Tianer.
Based on this realization, Qin became even more cautious towards Zhuang Tianer.
Boss Zhuang and others were taken to the hall, had their pants stripped off and were beaten hard with a board.
In the outer hall, further away, in the uncovered open space, the villagers of Luoxia Village were also pinned down on long benches and beaten with sticks. They had looted the imperial court's silver and were sentenced to caning, ten strokes each, and then they could go home after their beatings.
Even with such a light sentence, they felt it was not worth it. They wailed while raising their heads and roared into the inner hall: "Zhuang Tianer, you disaster star!"
"We should have burned you long ago!"
"It's our fault for not listening to the scholar and believing your lies!"
"Evil! Zhuang Tian'er, you are evil! I curse you to have a miserable death in your next life, the next life, and the next life after that!"
This curse completely touched upon Zhuang Tianer's deepest hidden secret, causing her to tremble uncontrollably.
She had a miserable death in her last life, and she had a miserable death in this life. Could it be that she would also have a miserable death in the next life, and the life after that? If that were the case, then why would she be reborn? Why would she reincarnate? It would be better for her soul to disintegrate and be done with it once and for all!
"Ahhhhh! No, I will not die a miserable death!" The more Zhuang Tianer thought about it, the more crazy she became. She actually went crazy in class, tearing her hair and howling like a ghost.
Seeing her extremely terrifying appearance, everyone became more convinced that she was evil.
After much deliberation, the officials in charge of her trial moved up her execution to next month. This meant that Zhuang Tian'er didn't have many days left to live.
When the third execution stick landed at Zhuang Tianer's feet, she suddenly came to her senses. She collapsed to the ground, letting out a ghostly, intermittent sob. There was no hope for her life.
That night, Zhuang Tianer, who was sleeping in the cell, had a dream.
In her dreams, she easily destroyed the futures of her two cousins and took control of Luoxia Village. When the Prince of Qi came to the West Mountain to hunt, she repeatedly "ran into" him. As they gradually became familiar with each other, she revealed the whereabouts of the 600,000 taels of disaster relief silver and exposed Gao Feng's hidden identity.
The prince set up a plan to kill Gao Feng, and overcame all difficulties to marry Zhuang Tianer.
Afterwards, Zhuang Tianer, who married into the palace, slowly showed her hypnotic ability to King Qi.
The fact that people hypnotized by her lost their sense of pain attracted the attention of the King of Qi. After two years of getting along, the King of Qi gradually developed trust in Zhuang Tianer and agreed to remove the poison needle from her chest during hypnosis.
Just with this pull, the King of Qi could never open his eyes again.
The Prince of Qi smoothly inherited everything from the King of Qi, became the regent, and eventually killed the little emperor and seized the throne.
At the end of the dream, Zhuang Tianer, wearing a gorgeous phoenix crown, walked hand in hand with the prince towards the supreme throne. The carpet under their feet was bright red, as if stained with blood.
The dream ended at the most beautiful moment. After waking up, Zhuang Tianer recalled it with a smile for a long, long time, but her fantasy was interrupted by Qin's cough.
Her unfocused eyes finally looked closer and saw the prison door, straw, filth on the ground, and her mother staring at her with bloodshot eyes. She was immediately chilled by the cruel reality of her dream.
Qin looked at her daughter with hatred and said in a hoarse voice, "I just had a dream."
Zhuang Tianer was shocked and asked quickly, "What dream?"
"I dreamed that your eldest and second brothers were both very good students, and they successively passed the imperial examinations and won the first and third place respectively. Our family produced two literary stars, and overnight our status changed, becoming the most powerful and prestigious family in Bazhou. We ate the most delicious food from the mountains and the sea, lived in pavilions and towers, and wore silk and satin.
"You, thanks to your two brothers, were able to marry a Hanlin scholar and become an official's wife. Your brothers were very capable, and as they rose in power, your heart became increasingly greedy. You tortured your husband's concubines to death, and his sons and daughters died of illness without cause. You also accepted bribes, disrupted lawsuits, and lent money at interest, committing a multitude of evil deeds!
"One winter, the snow fell heavily, crushing many houses and leaving many poor people homeless and without food. To recoup your interest, you hired a group of thugs to collect debts. When these people couldn't pay, you forced them to sign contracts to sell themselves. You sold hundreds of people from seven or eight villages into slavery.
"You forced them to jump into the river, hang themselves, and commit suicide, but you showed no mercy. All you cared about was money and power. You also ruined the reputations of your two brothers, and they almost lost their official positions.
"To seek justice for the people, your elder brother led the soldiers to arrest you personally. He verified your guilt and later sentenced you to lingchi (death by slicing) for the sake of justice. And I, in order to save you, ran into a wall and died at the gate of the government office."
Qin covered her forehead with her trembling hands, as if there was really a deep wound left there.
She began to cry softly, her voice filled with regret. "I think this dream is real. I'm your mother, I know you best. You're really capable of doing such cruel things. You always say your father and grandmother are heartless, but in fact, you are the most heartless person in the old village! I really shouldn't have saved you. If I had had this dream earlier, I would have strangled you to death with my own hands when I gave birth to you!"
Qin looked at Zhuang Tianer with red eyes and said resolutely: "You are not a lucky star, you are a ghost! You are a black-hearted evil ghost! You deserve to die!"
Her mother's judgment was the cruelest judgment for Zhuang Tianer.
Her pretended calm expression shattered in an instant. She rushed forward to hug Qin, crying desperately, "Mom, anyone can despise me, but you can't! Mom, I really want you to live a good life. I've tried so hard! Mom, look at me! Mom!"
It’s a pity that every time she hugged him, Qin would push him away.
Starting over again, Zhuang Tianer gained nothing and instead lost the most precious thing.
---
At the same time, in the hanging bright yellow gauze curtain, on the soft couch filled with the fragrance of heather, two pairs of long legs were intertwined.
The white and slender legs hooked around the bronze long legs, rubbing gently and grinding slowly, with the toes occasionally tensing, as if enduring something.
A large hand suddenly grabbed the ankle of the slender leg and twisted it upwards...
After a violent turmoil, Zhuang Li lay limp in the King of Qi's arms, his palm gently covering the other's chest, which was still wrapped in gauze, and whispered, "Can I plant a heart anchor in you?"
"What is a heart anchor?" The King of Qi panted and stroked the young master's blushing cheek with his sweaty hands.
"You know the function of an anchor, right?" Zhuang Li held his lover's hand and bit it gently with his sharp canine teeth.
The bite made the King of Qi's fingertips itch, and his body, which had just cooled down, began to boil again. He cupped the young master's cheek and kissed him closely, saying in a hoarse voice, "Anchors are chains that secure ships in the wind and waves."
"Yes, it's a chain. I'm going to tie a chain around your heart. You'll always remember that you're waiting for someone, and until that person shows up, you must never give up on yourself. Even if you're trapped in a desperate situation and lose all hope, you must not die. You have to persevere and wait until I show up, okay?"
"But you are already by my side." The King of Qi hugged the person in his arms tightly, feeling panic in his heart.
"I mean if." Zhuang Li couldn't explain more to his lover, so he held his face in his hands, stared deeply into his dark eyes, and asked again: "Plant the anchor of my heart, okay? Look at me, don't resist me."
The King of Qi held the young gentleman's hand and slowly moved it to his chest. His tone was extremely gentle: "Don't talk about the heart anchor. Even if you want to dig out my heart, I have no objection."
"Be good." Zhuang Li chuckled contentedly, lowered his head, and used a lingering kiss to plant his heart anchor into his lover's subconscious.
In other small worlds, loved ones must also be suffering. What if they can't make it? What if they can't wait for me? How cruelly will they be treated? What kind of terrible hurt will they experience?
Zhuang Li simply didn't dare to think about these things.
He is still very weak now, and can do nothing except using his heart anchor to hold a glimmer of hope for his lover.
Feeling the host's voice, 7480: "..."
The Big Devil actually thinks he's weak? I have no fucking words!
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