Chapter 190 Verdict
"How dare you!"
Seeing that Liu Huazhi was not behaving properly, the constable shouted and kicked her to the ground, pressing the rod in his hand against Liu Huazhi's throat: "Kneel down!"
Liu Huazhi screamed, her eyes filled with terror: "Don't hit me, don't hit me, I was wrong, I'll never do it again!"
These past few days, she has suffered terribly in the prison cell, and her fear of the guards has become deeply ingrained.
Liu Huazhi knelt obediently, but still looked at Sheng An with pleading eyes.
Sheng An seemed oblivious, not even glancing at her, and simply sat quietly waiting for the result.
Liu Huazhi's eyes dimmed, filled with resentment towards Sheng An.
Why, why did you do this to her?
She didn't do anything heinous; she was just forced to harbor Liu Erleng. It's not a big deal at all, so why won't the jinx let her off the hook?
It's clear that nothing bad happened to the jinx, isn't it enough to put Liu Erleng and the others in jail?
She can't go to jail, she absolutely can't go to jail, otherwise Brother Huaining will definitely divorce her, and she'll never be an official's wife in this lifetime!
It's all the jinx's fault! It's all the jinx's fault that she got hurt!
Without the jinx, Liu Erleng wouldn't have kidnapped her, and he wouldn't have been implicated.
It's all the jinx's fault!
The more Liu Huazhi thought about it, the more she hated it. She raised her head and stared intently at Sheng An, wishing she could skin her alive and tear her apart.
Sheng An did not miss the intense hatred in Liu Huazhi's eyes. He looked up and stared directly at Liu Huazhi, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
They really are incorrigible!
Liu Huazhi was provoked by this cold laugh, feeling that Sheng An was mocking her. She immediately lost control of her emotions and lunged at her like a madwoman:
"You jinx! You're a jinx! You've ruined me like this, I'll haunt you even as a ghost!"
This time, four constables stepped forward and firmly restrained the shouting Liu Huazhi, preventing her from getting even a step closer to Sheng An.
Seeing Liu Huazhi causing a scene in court again, Lord Fang's face darkened, and he grabbed the gavel and slammed it down: "Guards, drag her away and give her five heavy lashes!"
The constables obeyed the order, immediately brought over the execution bench, pressed the willow branch onto it, and began to beat the child forcefully with their rods.
Don't be fooled by the mere five strokes; the disciplinary rod is covered in protruding wooden splinters, and a single blow is enough to tear the skin and cause blood to flow freely.
Even strong, sturdy men would be beaten until they cried and howled like ghosts.
"ah--"
Liu Huazhi had never been flogged like this before. After just one stroke, her screams echoed throughout the entire yamen, and her already pale face turned deathly white in an instant.
The onlookers at the gate, having seen so many prisoners being caned, were already immune to the horror of this punishment. They craned their necks excitedly to admire Liu Huazhi's contorted face.
"Hehe, this female prisoner is too weak to be beaten. She couldn't take it after just one beating. Her screams are worse than those of a pig on New Year's Eve."
"Tsk tsk, you make it sound so easy. If you don't believe me, go and experience it for yourself. Let's see how much better you are than this female prisoner."
"Go to hell! I'm not asking for trouble, why should I get a beating for no reason!"
"..."
Sheng An clenched his fists under his sleeves, lowering his eyes and not daring to look any longer.
She showed no sympathy for the incorrigible Liu Huazhi; this reaction stemmed solely from her fear of caning.
Xu Jinnian immediately noticed Sheng An's fear. Regardless of the fact that they were in court, he reached out and held her hand tightly, gently comforting her, "Don't be afraid."
Sheng An took a deep breath and nodded slightly to him to indicate that she was alright, but she still didn't dare to look at Liu Huazhi.
The five strokes of the cane were quickly finished. The bailiffs who had been holding down Liu Huazhi released her, and she slid off the torture bench like a lump of mud. Her disheveled hair was soaked with cold sweat and stuck to her face, and she looked as if she had been pulled out of the water.
Especially her buttocks, which had been beaten, were oozing a lot of blood, which soaked the gray skirt and left dark marks.
Kneeling to the side, Liu Erleng trembled violently, wishing he could bury his head in the ground. He had no desire to resist and felt only endless regret.
With no one disrupting the proceedings, the trial proceeded smoothly.
With the evidence irrefutable, Liu Erleng and the other eight had no way to deny their crimes and obediently signed their confessions.
In this case of kidnapping in broad daylight, Liu Erleng, as the mastermind, was severely punished even though the kidnapping attempt failed, and was sentenced to ten years of hard labor in the mine.
Others were sentenced to five to eight years of hard labor, depending on the severity of their crimes.
When it was Liu Huazhi's turn, she bit her lip until it bled, resolutely denying it: "I'm innocent! I was forced! Liu Erleng forced me! I didn't actively harbor him! I'm innocent!"
Lord Fang slammed his gavel and shouted sternly:
"You knew Liu Erleng and were aware of his group's premeditated plot before the incident. Not only did you fail to report it to the authorities in a timely manner, but you also provided them with the location of the victim's hometown. This is a crime."
After the incident, Liu Erleng came to your door seeking protection. You had countless opportunities to report it, but you chose to conceal it and harbor him in your home for several days. This is a second offense.
"Considering this is your first offense and that no more serious consequences have occurred, I have only sentenced you to three years of hard labor. However, you show no remorse and refuse to plead guilty—that constitutes three crimes!"
Having said that, Lord Fang ignored Liu Huazhi's suddenly pale face, slammed his gavel again, and solemnly changed the verdict: "Liu's crimes are inescapable, and she shall be sentenced to five years of hard labor for all three crimes!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than two constables stepped forward, grabbed Liu Huazhi's hand, and forcibly pressed their bright red fingerprints onto the confession.
Upon seeing this, the onlookers at the gate immediately clapped and cheered: "Your Honor is wise; the sentence should be severe!"
Sheng An, who had been waiting for the whole process, breathed a sigh of relief and had no objection to the verdict.
Liu Huazhi never expected this outcome. Staring blankly at her bright red fingertips, she could no longer bear the devastating blow and suddenly fainted.
Watching the unconscious Liu Huazhi being carried away, Sheng Angang, for some reason, breathed a sigh of relief but then hoisted her up again.
This woman's ability to be reborn is partly due to good fortune.
Even if she was reborn without any brains and recklessly courted death, the fact that she ended up like this still felt unreal to her.
Noticing that his wife was lost in thought, Xu Jinnian squeezed her hand and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
But you're not satisfied with this result?
Sheng An snapped out of her daze and shook her head: "It's nothing, this result is very good."
Seeing that she didn't seem to be lying, Xu Jinnian nodded and said, "I'm glad An'an is satisfied."
If An'an is not satisfied, he will have no choice but to pay a visit to Lord Fang.
After Liu Erleng and the others were all taken away, the people at the gate also left one after another. Lord Fang walked over with a smile and talked to the couple.
In private, Lord Fang was very approachable, and Sheng An was not timid or shrinking. He greeted him naturally and then silently watched the two exchange pleasantries.
Lord Fang had other official duties to attend to and couldn't stay here talking to Xu Jinnian forever, so he returned to the back office after chatting for a while.
Sheng An and Xu Jinnian did not linger and walked out of the yamen side by side.
Looking at the bright and clear autumn sun, Sheng An's mood brightened, and she smiled as she took Xu Jinnian's hand: "Let's go home!"
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