frightfiction Chapter 106 Night Trial
Chapter 106 Night Trial
The father and son were so frightened by the sound of the gavel slamming on the table that their whole bodies trembled. Zhao Fengnian was now shaking like a sieve.
"Master...Master...we dare not lie...that...that person is my sister...she...she...lied to us..."
"Yes, sir. It's my own daughter's family's fault. She broke off the engagement during the day and fooled us with the stone. That's why we thought of this way to take revenge. We know we were wrong, sir..."
Hearing the two men's quibbling, Pang Hongying cupped her hands and said loudly, "My Lord, please judge for yourself. I was present at the entire incident during the day and can testify for the victim."
Magistrate Bu supported his head with his hands and stared at Hongying in the audience with a bad look. Hongying knelt straight in the hall with a clear gaze.
"Please explain the whole story clearly."
"Sir, the victim's name is Zhao Huanxi. She's from Shili Village. She's been married for over six months. Because her husband was so evil, her parents-in-law decided to divorce her. Huanxi has also registered her household in Dashi Village, and the village chief can witness it."
County Magistrate Bu nodded and asked her to continue.
"Poor Huanxi, a poor woman, could only dig herbs in the mountains every day to make a living. Her thatched hut was uninhabitable, so she saved some money and borrowed some from me to build a new house. But these two heard from somewhere that Huanxi had made a fortune, so they went to Dashi Village and beat Huanxi up and forced her to pay the money."
"I can testify to this. What Miss Pang said is true." Lu Lin said respectfully.
"All the savings of Huanxi's family is the twenty taels of silver for breaking off the marriage. I gave it all to them during the day. Not only I, but all the villagers in Dashi Village can testify to this. But these two people are still harboring evil intentions..."
"You're talking nonsense! She clearly gave me the stone! Both me and my father saw it!"
Snapped!
"How dare you use foul language in court! Someone, come and slap him in the face." County Magistrate Bu's words made the two men feel as if they were falling into an icy cave. When they heard that they were going to be slapped in the face, they were so scared that they kowtowed and begged for mercy.
Unfortunately, County Magistrate Bu just looked at him coldly and ignored him.
Then two soldiers came out from the side and started slapping the two men.
Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
"My lord, I was wrong. I will never do it again! My lord!"
"grown ups……….."
After a few slaps, the two men became obedient and knelt together on the ground, afraid of saying anything wrong again.
"Go on."
"Last night, I was a guest at Huanxi's house. Near midnight, I heard two men outside the backyard plotting to burn the house down. So, Huanxi went to see what was going on. I thought they were thieves planning a robbery, so I climbed up the wall to investigate. I saw them carrying a large rock and trying to kill Huanxi. At the critical moment, I called out for them to stop, but the father didn't stop and beat Huanxi severely. She's still lying in bed!"
After saying all this, Hongying was so indignant that she wanted to rush up and execute the two men on the spot.
After hearing this, the county magistrate coldly asked the village chief, "You are the head of Dashi Village. Tell me, is this true?"
The village chief bowed and said, "Your Excellency, this is indeed the case. Miss Pang's words are true, and we can all testify to this. Because Miss Zhao is a very kind person in the village, she would never lie about giving away the stone as they say. I hope your Excellency will be able to see through this."
Magistrate Bu pondered for a moment. Arson was a serious crime, and the assault had also severely injured someone. According to the law, exiling the two men was not excessive. However, as they claimed, the victim was a relative of the two men, so a heavier sentence was appropriate.
At this time, Zhao Mancai said, "Sir, please spare us. We have been bewitched. I have a paralyzed wife and we are doing all this for her medical expenses. If that bitch hadn't made fake stones for us, we would never have done such an inhuman thing."
Hongying sneered after hearing this and said, "Sir, the woman they were talking about was dumped in a ravine about 200 meters outside our village. If she hadn't been carrying a torch when she left at night, I'm afraid she would have become a meal for wild beasts in the middle of the night."
The implication is that these two men deliberately left the person there, and after stealing the silver, they would escape happily without caring about his wife's life or death.
"Where is that woman now?"
"My Lord, Miss Pang is kind-hearted and has helped send her to Wenchun Hall in town."
Even so, these two are simply unworthy of being husbands and sons. Their own daughters and sisters can do such things...
"What are your names, both of you?" He looked at Zhao Mancai and his son, having already decided on the verdict.
"Your Excellency... My name is Zhao Mancai... He is my... son... Zhao Fengnian..."
"Excellent! Zhao Mancai and Zhao Fengnian, father and son, committed arson and malicious wounding, resulting in serious injury. I sentence you both to three years of hard labor. You must depart immediately, without delay."
Hongying was a little angry about the verdict. These two people had done such evil things, and it was too light a sentence to just serve hard labor. Only three years would be enough for these two people to suffer.
"Thank you for your fair judgment. On behalf of Zhao Huanxi, I thank you for making the decision for her." After the village chief said this, he kowtowed. Lu Lin and Hongying also kowtowed in unison.
"Now that the verdict has been made, everyone please withdraw. Take those two away."
After Magistrate Bu finished speaking, he stood up, tossed his sleeves, and returned to the government office in the back. Several others also left the county office, staring at each other in bewilderment, unable to speak.
"Uncle, it's getting late. Let's go back first. I don't know how Huanxi is doing now."
Zhao Huanxi is now lying on the bed and has just finished taking medicine. He feels a little at a loss in the face of the concern of Old Lady Tian and Mrs. Liu.
"Mom, sister-in-law, you guys go back first, I'm fine. Really, I don't know what time it is now, you guys should go and get some rest as well."
The pain in her body had gradually subsided, and she felt that her arms could now move slightly.
Liu looked at the worried old lady Tian, stepped forward to support her and said, "Mother, what my younger sister said is right. Now that my younger sister has taken the medicine, let her rest first. If you are worried, I will stay here and watch over her."
Old Mrs. Tian sighed, her tone filled with fatigue. "Hey... go to bed. We've cleaned up next door, so you can sleep here tonight. The second wife said yesterday that you should let the three girls learn some skills. Tomorrow is the apprenticeship ceremony. Don't worry, your second sister-in-law and I will help you with it. Just rest well. Do you understand?"
"Oh, I understand, mother. Thank you and my second sister-in-law for your hard work." Zhao Huanxi felt warm in her heart. This old lady was really a good old lady. She had sent her food and money since then, and came to see her every few days. She was a hundred times better than her own mother.
"Why are you so tired? We're all family, so we don't have to talk about different things. You can rest first, little sister. Mom and I are next door. If you need anything, just give me a shout and we'll be right over."
Huanxi smiled and nodded, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law left.
Yu Yan had already gone to her room to rest. Xu Qingzhao had come in to say a few words of concern, but since he was a stranger, he couldn't stay long and went back to his own home. But Xu Jinchu was still there, sleeping in the same room with Xiao Pan, and Xiao Yin and Xiao Nian slept together. Soon, the whole house was silent, with only the sound of breathing.
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