Shen Xi gave a cold laugh: "I'm asking you, when does the new document take effect?"
Ma Hongsheng was taken aback; he really hadn't remembered when it took effect.
"The new document takes effect after Xing Xiuyan is sold into servitude. The document also mentions that those who were previously sold into servitude are automatically restored to free status and will be granted household registration and given a place to live by the local government."
“Xing Xiuyan is by my side now. She is a free woman. Her contract of servitude has long been invalidated. She has become my subordinate.”
"There are many things you don't know. As an official responsible for the people's livelihood, you are ignorant of the law and do not know how to serve the people, yet you dare to make excuses. Your crimes are unforgivable!"
With that, Chenxi sternly ordered, "Men, drag him away, give him forty strokes of the cane, and then send him to hard labor for life."
Ma Hongsheng then truly regretted it.
He never expected it to end like this.
He'd get ten more lashes, and even if he was crippled, he'd still have to do hard labor.
"Sir, spare me! Sir, spare me!"
No matter how much Ma Hongsheng cried out, no one paid him any attention.
The guards dragged him out like a dead dog and kicked him several times.
"They still dare to try and frame their superiors? They're tired of living."
"In my opinion, the commander should kill him."
Ma Hongsheng was dragged away to be executed. He had offended Shen Xi, and the executioners under his command wouldn't let him have an easy time.
Xing Xiuyan's eyes were filled with tears: "Commander, I'm sorry to have troubled you."
If it weren't for the leader's explanation, her insistence on becoming his maid would have already negatively impacted his reputation.
Shenxi comforted her, saying, "The reason I didn't tell you was to put your mind at ease. I was going to tell you when I came back this time anyway."
Xing Xiuyan wiped away her tears, her voice trembling with sobs, "Xiuyan will definitely be a good subordinate to the leader."
"Hmm, don't cry, you won't look pretty if you cry."
"Besides, Xiuyan, you must read the documents I issued carefully. If you don't even know you've regained your freedom, it won't be easy for you to work under me!"
Xing Xiuyan was filled with shame; it was her own oversight.
It seems that being a good subordinate to a leader is really not an easy task.
"Yes, sir, I will definitely do my best!"
Xing Xiuyan wiped away her tears, her face still bearing that resolute expression.
"Bring Wang Ahua's parents up."
Shenxi simply resolved the matter.
Wang Ahua's parents were genuine farmers, but their preference for sons over daughters was extremely strong.
Hearing that Ma Hongsheng wanted to take a concubine, she sold her second daughter, who was quite beautiful, to Ma Hongsheng.
Who would have thought that Wang Ahua would be so stubborn, actually hanging herself with a rope?
As a result, not only did Ma Hongsheng take their money back, but he also held a grudge against them and often made them do heavy work.
Upon seeing Chen Xi, they immediately knelt down: "Commander, spare our lives!"
They already knew that human trafficking was a crime, and in the minds of the people, a case that could be personally tried by the leader must be a serious crime.
Shenxi made them kneel down and asked coldly, "Do you know what the punishment is for causing death through human trafficking?"
Wang Ahua's parents trembled, their faces covered in tears: "Please forgive us, sir!"
How could they not know? But they were just hoping to get away with it, and besides, the buyer was the township head, so what problems could there be?
When you sold your eldest daughter before, nothing happened, right?
But they knew what the document said: those who killed people through human trafficking would be sentenced to life imprisonment or even death.
The reason Ma Hongsheng was not sentenced to death was because he genuinely did not know that Wang Ahua disagreed; Wang Ahua's parents claimed that she had already agreed.
The real culprits behind Wang Ahua's death were her parents.
Wang Ahua's parents kowtowed repeatedly, begging the leader to forgive them.
This case is very clear.
They were ultimately sentenced to thirty strokes of the cane, plus lifelong hard labor.
The key point is that Wang Ahua committed suicide, not that her parents beat her to death.
If someone is beaten to death, they will definitely be sentenced to death.
The deep-rooted problem of favoring sons over daughters is too difficult to eradicate.
Shenxi knew that even in Bian'ai County, there were still girls who were born and drowned or abandoned.
Although the document states that the parents of those who kill infants will be executed.
But these kinds of things are usually done secretly, and if no one reports them, it's hard to investigate.
Chenxi had to issue another order: pregnant women must be registered in the village and give birth and have their records kept in the public hospital that will be built in the future.
Furthermore, childbirth in public hospitals is free.
Those who fail to register their pregnancies will not only have their family members punished, but the village head and even the township head will also be punished.
Public hospitals were only established in the county seat and a few townships, and there were only two in the county seat.
That's far from enough.
Currently, public clinics have only been established in a few villages, and women who give birth must go there to register.
This effectively prevents the phenomenon of secretly killing infants.
The village chief couldn't possibly be unaware that the women in the village were pregnant.
Furthermore, a document was issued stating that it is forbidden to privately determine the sex of a fetus, and it is forbidden to have an abortion without authorization.
Anyone who disobeys this order and terminates the pregnancy, whether it's determining the sex of the fetus or the person performing the abortion, will be sentenced to death.
Selling abortion pills to others is also punishable by death.
Even though we don't have ultrasound or color Doppler ultrasound in this era, some people still use fortune telling, pulse diagnosis, or experience to determine the sex of the fetus. Although it's inaccurate, many people believe in it, and some may choose to have an abortion if the fetus is a girl.
Although abortion is uncommon, if killing a baby is forbidden, some people will certainly take the risk and choose to have an abortion.
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