Chapter 549 So you only admit to arson, but not to murder?
An old woman with a pointed chin and monkey-like face rushed to Hong Laizi, hugged him and cried bitterly, despite the officials' obstruction.
In fact, the old woman was crying and whispering something in Hong Laizi's ear.
The young man and woman who followed closely behind surrounded the two of them, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.
Seeing the family like this, Xiao Hongyi was filled with grief. He rushed forward and kicked the young man to the ground.
"Why can this murderer cry with his family, but you have to kill my son?"
"Dad, don't be like this. Brother doesn't want you to be like this..."
Xiao Wenmei couldn't hold back the person who was in extreme grief, so Xiao Zhe and Gu Yanchen stepped forward to hold back Xiao Hongyi.
"Uncle Xiao, Hong Laizi has no way to defend himself in this matter. I believe that County Magistrate Tang will enforce the law impartially and give you justice..."
He then looked coldly at Tang En in the courtroom and said, "Is that what you said, Magistrate Tang?"
Tang En was frightened when he saw the Gu family. When he was locked in Gu Yanchen's oppressive gaze, Tang En suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
"Yes... I... This county magistrate will definitely give justice to the deceased..."
Seeing that Hong Laizi and his family were still crying, Tang En banged the gavel and shouted, "All the insignificant people in this hall, please leave immediately. If you dare to cry like a ghost or a wolf again, I will slap you in the face!"
The young man who was kicked was Hong Laizi's younger brother. Seeing this, he had to pull his mother and Hong Laizi's wife to retreat to the periphery.
As Hong Laizi's mother stepped back, she said, "Remember what I said. You should admit what you should admit, but you must never admit that it was not you who did it!"
Gu Yanchen's eyes flashed, and he paused for a moment before turning to look at Ran Qingxuan.
Seeing that she had no expression, Gu Yanchen slightly side-glanced and looked at Xiao Wende who was covered with a white cloth.
“Pah…”
The gavel rang, and the onlookers fell silent. Tang En followed the interrogation procedure and asked, "Since Hong Laizi committed murder and arson, do you have any witnesses or physical evidence?"
"Reporting to the county magistrate, I was one of the people on guard that night. At that time, I heard... the deceased yelled that there was a thief. When I was about to go out to check, the fire had already started."
"The deceased was killed by this person after he chased him out, and he was caught by a guest of the Gu family when he was fleeing."
"Who caught him? What's his name?"
Ji Dehua and Ning Gang took a few steps forward and said at the same time: "It's the common people Ji Dehua."
"Commoner Ning Gang."
"Tell me in detail how you caught him."
Tang En, a member of the Gu family, couldn't afford to offend him for the time being, but it would be too obvious if he hastily closed the case, so he had to pretend to continue questioning.
Ji Dehua and Ning Gang recounted the process of when they called for help to put out the fire and how they found the people.
According to the time given by Chen Zhao and the time when the two men caught the man, Tang En felt that the matter was set in stone and wanted to convict Hong Laizi immediately.
Unexpectedly, Tang En raised the gavel, and Hong Laizi, who was kneeling below him, immediately refuted.
"Sir, this matter has nothing to do with me. I didn't kill that person at all!"
Tang En was already cursing in his heart. He glanced in the direction of the Gu family with his eyes squeezed into a slit and scolded with a sullen face.
"Based on the time the fire started and the time you were caught, who else could it be but you? Could it be that you were awake in the middle of the night looking at the scenery in the fields?"
There was a chaotic discussion among the onlookers. Some agreed, while others thought it might be a coincidence...
At this time, a villager from Yongfeng Village who had followed said loudly: "Hong Laizi's fields are not on our Lin clan's side at all, and there are more fields on the left than just the one where the fire started at Gu's house.
He didn't take the main road on the right but ran into the fields. It was obvious that he was guilty. Who else could have set the fire in Gu's house if not him! ”
Xiao Hongyi's face was full of sorrow. He knelt beside Xiao Wende, who was covered with a white cloth, and cried weakly.
"We thought we would die on the road after our homes were searched, but after experiencing this, we have let it go and have started to live again..."
"But why, why did you take my son's life? He has no grudge against you, and you don't even know each other..."
"He was just doing his duty and keeping watch. Why...why are you so cruel?"
Every word Xiao Hongyi said was like a knife piercing his most fragile heart. Everyone present had family members, and they were all moved to hear such words.
"It's bad enough that they set fire, but they also killed people. This kind of person is simply too hateful."
"That's right. If he is found not guilty, he might come out with a knife and kill someone someday. It's too scary to think about it!"
Tang En was upset by the discussion. He banged the gavel and said quickly, "Hong Laizi not only set the fire intentionally, but also killed people. His crime is unforgivable and he should..."
Hong Laizi thought of what his mother had said to him, and said fearlessly: "Wait a minute, County Magistrate..."
Tang En now wished he could go down and hack the man to death immediately. He just wanted to quickly convict Hong Laizi so that the Gu family would be out of his sight.
He felt that not only the Xiao family was suffering, he was suffering even more!
"What else do you have to say?"
Hong Laizi's face was full of pride, and he said in a deep voice: "Sir, these witnesses can only prove that I set the fire, but they can't prove that I killed anyone."
Tang En was stunned, and the onlookers were also stunned, because what Hong Laizi said seemed to make sense.
"Even if there were no witnesses who saw him setting the fire, at least the timing was right and he couldn't refute it. But the witnesses didn't see him kill the person, so how can we prove it?"
"Yes, if this can be proved, then if someone steals a chicken and is seen by others, and the owner dies later, then it can be the thief who killed him, right?"
There were all kinds of discussions, and when Xiao Hongyi heard these words, he felt extremely painful.
"It was him. He set the fire. My son chased after him and was killed by him. It was him who did it..."
Xiao Zhe suppressed his grief and hugged Xiao Hongyi tightly, trying to comfort him, but he knew that there was no evidence to prove the matter.
"Brother, don't be like this. Wende doesn't want to see you like this!"
Hong Laizi hid to the side and said complacently, "Also, sir, they have no witnesses or physical evidence, so they can't prove that I killed anyone."
"Who said there was no physical evidence? This knife was found just a few steps away from the deceased."
Gu Yanchen took out a knife wrapped in cloth, and the officer immediately stepped forward to take it away and presented it to Tang En.
But before he could see clearly, Hong Laizi below was excited: "Sir, they teamed up to frame me. Everyone has a knife, how can you prove it's mine?"
"Maybe they just found him from somewhere and planned to frame me for murder."
Tang En was also in a dilemma about this. A knife really couldn't prove anything.
The Xiao family has become numb. Xiao Hongyi just wants to go with his son at this time, but no matter what he says, without witnesses and evidence, it cannot be proved that Hong Laizi killed the person.
Ran Qingxuan took a few steps forward and looked down at Hong Laizi.
"So you only admit to arson, but not murder?"
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