Chapter 551: Chain Reaction Caused by Slip of the Tongue
Ran Qingxuan just found it ridiculous.
"Hong Laizi, you were the one who just argued that you didn't set the fire, and you also admitted that you did. Have you forgotten how you answered firmly when I asked you twice in a row?"
After knowing that it was not a fake corpse, onlookers flocked to the scene, eager to know the truth.
Realizing what Ran Qingxuan meant by asking Hong Laizi that question just now, Tang En finally understood.
In order to end the matter quickly, Tang En took advantage of the situation and said quickly: "This county magistrate has also heard that you yourself admitted to setting the fire. Since you set the fire, then what happened after Xiao Wende chased him out is also related to you!"
Hong Laizi still wanted to deny it, but Xiao Wende did not give him a chance to argue.
"Sir, because I didn't know him, I thought he was a thief who lit the fire just to see what he was going to steal.
After being discovered, he dropped the tinder and ran away. I shouted to wake up Brother Chen, then chased him out alone with a torch in hand. Unexpectedly, after only a few steps, a raging fire broke out behind me. ”
"I saw the fire was getting bigger and bigger, and I just wanted to catch him and make up for the loss. When he saw me chasing him, he hid under a shorter ridge and stabbed my leg with a knife when I stepped over it."
Xiao Wende showed the gauze on his thigh that was still oozing blood, and gestured in front of everyone present. The Xiao family members immediately turned their heads away in discomfort.
Everyone present was extremely shocked when they heard this. After all, it was not easy to do this. Those who were guilty and timid might not even be able to walk steadily, and the perpetrator could actually hide nearby and ambush them.
The Xiao family members snuggled up to Xiao Wende with tears streaming down their faces, suppressing their anger and waiting for him to finish.
"It was so cold that I didn't immediately notice the knife stuck in my leg. It was only when I was struggling with him that I realized I was injured."
"You are talking nonsense. You are slandering me. Things are not at all like what you said!"
Hong Laizi didn't know whether it was because his truth was revealed, but he yelled and tried his best to defend himself. Tang En was annoyed by the noise, and since he was always being stared at by Gu Yanchen, he simply threw out a sign of punishment.
"How can you be so presumptuous in the court? Come, punish me!"
'Pah pah pah pah...'
The slaps came one after another. After ten slaps in a row, Hong Laizi cried out in pain.
"I don't dare, sir, I don't dare..."
In ancient times, government offices had special criminal officers whose main job was to punish criminals who disrupted court. These officers had thick palms, and a slap from them would ensure that the criminals would be so dizzy that they would lose their way.
Hong Laizi's self-defense was unsuccessful, and he continued to make a last-ditch effort while promising not to disrupt the court.
"Sir, these are just his one-sided words. You must verify them and give me justice!"
"Oh, fair?"
After hearing such sarcastic words, Xiao Wende struggled to get up despite his injuries.
"Where was my justice when you falsely accused me of falling on that knife?"
"Where is the justice for the Gu family when you try to justify that you didn't set the fire?"
Xiao Wende staggered towards Hong Laizi, and before he could react, he grabbed his arm and lifted it up, revealing two rows of gums that had turned purple.
"Sir, I bit him when we were fighting, and he kept saying it wasn't his fault. This tooth mark is enough to prove it."
The gums on the arm were clearly visible, and even if Hong Laizi wanted to cover them up, it was impossible.
"No, this is... is..."
"What is it? Do you still want to say that you bit it yourself?"
Ran Qingxuan had already asked Xiao Wende about what happened before. Seeing that Hong Laizi still wanted to deny it, he took two steps forward and said.
"Sir, since Hong Laizi is not giving up, please let the officials investigate and we will know the result later."
"How do I check?"
"Xiao Wende's canine tooth is missing. We just need to ask the officers to compare the tooth marks."
Tang En felt very frustrated as the county magistrate, but at the moment he just wanted to finish it quickly, so he waved his hand and asked Qin Jun next to him to go over.
The latter stepped forward, checked Xiao Wende's teeth, and forcefully pulled Hong Laizi's arm.
After carefully checking the area where Hong Laizi was bitten, it was found that the canine tooth that was already bruised had not changed color.
"Sir, Xiao Wende's canine tooth is indeed missing, and the size of the tooth mark matches."
"Pah..."
When the gavel sounded, Hong Laizi trembled all over, then knelt on the ground and kept shaking.
"Sir...big..."
"You are so bold, Hong Laizi. The evidence is irrefutable. Do you have any excuses?"
When Qin Jun was checking the teeth marks, an officer was saying something to Tang En. After Qin Jun confirmed it, he knew what to do.
"Hong Laizi deliberately set fire, causing heavy damage to the Gu family, and nearly killed innocent people while fleeing after setting the fire.
These two things are simply horrifying..."
"My Lord, this is appalling..."
The officer who was giving advice wiped his sweat and quickly reminded.
"Yes, it's horrifying..."
Most of the common people were illiterate, so the two sentences Tang En said had almost the same meaning to them.
But the families in the courtroom were almost hurt. It was such a serious matter, but it was ridiculous to let an uneducated county magistrate judge it...
Tang En knew that he was wrong, and after an awkward cough, he said, "What the prisoner Hong Laizi did is true, and he will be executed on a certain day..."
"ah..."
"Is this the cut?"
The onlookers couldn't help but let themselves in. If they had deliberately set the fire and intentionally injured people, according to subjective thinking, they would have been sentenced to a few years in prison at most for compensating for the damages. How could they have been beheaded directly...
Hong Laizi never thought that the matter would be so serious. According to his thinking, what he had done might not be as serious as Qian Ming who was beheaded the day before. How could it have come to the point of being executed?
This was something that Hong Laizi's family had not expected. When Ma heard that her son was going to be beheaded, she instantly refused to accept it.
"It's unfair, sir. My son didn't mean it..."
Gu Yanchen thought that Tang En was trying to curry favor with them, so he directly sentenced Hong Laizi to a serious crime. However, when he turned his head and looked towards the court, he saw the officer next to Tang En saying something to him in a panic.
Ran Qingxuan also saw this scene and instantly realized that Tang En might have said something wrong, and the officer next to him was correcting him.
After looking at each other, they instantly understood what each other was thinking.
"What injustice is there? It is true that your son set fire and injured people. If it was not intentional, then could it be that he did it on purpose?"
Ma was now only thinking about her son being beheaded, and had no time to think about whether there was any misunderstanding.
After breaking free from the official, Ma knelt beside Hong Laizi and cried.
"No, sir, my son doesn't even dare to kill a chicken. If he hadn't been bewitched, how could he have set fire to it..."
As soon as these words were spoken, the onlookers were immediately excited. It was already the New Year, but they could still watch two big shows in a row. Many people were already excited.
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