Chapter 40: The prefect still wants to punish?

After finishing, the yamen runner presented the confession to the prefect, who reviewed it and nodded with satisfaction.

Before he finished speaking, the prefect of Jingzhao suddenly slapped the gavel and said in a loud voice: "Silence!"

The courtroom was suddenly so quiet that one could hear a pin drop, and everyone's eyes were focused on the prefect.

"Sun Chuwei... Lin Fei!" The prefect's face was as gloomy as water. "The evidence is irrefutable. What else do you have to say?"

Sun Chuwei and Lin Fei were already scared out of their wits. Especially Lin Fei, who was as timid as a mouse. He was kneeling there, his whole body almost collapsed and trembling.

Although Sun Chuwei was also frightened, she was relatively calm. She knelt there, her skin as pale as jade, her brows furrowed, and her eyes deep: "Sir, I... have nothing to say."

The prefect snorted coldly: "What you have done is intolerable, please sign and seal it!"

At the command, the bailiff immediately stepped forward and handed the confession to the two. Sun Chuwei pursed her lips tightly and signed, while Lin Fei completed it with shaking hands.

Afterwards, the confession was presented to the prefect, who examined it and nodded with satisfaction.

"Sun Chuwei, Lin Fei, you two were jealous and killed Sun Qianqian together!" The prefect's voice was as loud as a bell, and every word was sonorous. "The evidence is irrefutable, and you have signed it with your own handwriting. Do you still want to deny it?"

"Today, I will sentence the two of you to be beheaded in public and thrown into death row first, and then you will be sentenced in the Ministry of Justice someday!" As soon as the words fell, the bailiffs on both sides responded, dragged the two men and walked out of the hall mercilessly.

"Good verdict! The prefect has done something satisfying this time!" Cheers broke out from the crowd.

"These bastards deserve to die!" An old lady waved the fan in her hand, filled with indignation.

"Hmph, jealousy got the better of you. You even harmed your own sister. You're worse than pigs and dogs!" a sturdy man cursed.

"It's really gratifying that Mr. Xu can finally be cleared of his grievances!" Onlookers called out.

"Let Mr. Xu out!" Someone shouted first, and it immediately caused a response.

When the prefect heard the sound and looked over, he saw the crowd surging. Suddenly he trembled all over, his face changed drastically, and he hurriedly walked around the table and was about to salute.

It turned out that the people in front of the crowd looked familiar. They were Li Shimin, Du Ruhui, Changsun Wuji and others.

As soon as the morning court session ended, they hurried over to listen. Although they knew Xu Luo was innocent, they were still relieved to see the murderer being punished.

At this time, Du Ruhui, who was beside Li Shimin, smiled and whispered to him, "Look at this prefect, he is as panicked as a cat whose tail has been stepped on."

"Haha, how could he know that we would appear suddenly." Li Shimin chuckled, but his eyes fell on the people in the crowd who were appealing for Xu Luo.

At this moment, Changsun Wuji's eyes were attracted by a woman beside him. The woman's name was Liu Ruyan, with skin as white as snow, lips as white as cherry blossoms, and a pair of bright eyes. She was also speaking up for Xu Luo.

I saw her slender neck and heaving chest, and every word she said seemed to be full of temptation, making people unable to help but fantasize.

Although Changsun Wuji's heart was in turmoil, he remained calm on the surface. He wanted to witness the entire process of redressing this injustice with his own eyes.

At this critical moment, the prefect was about to come over to pay his respects, but was stopped by a stern look from Changsun Wuji. The prefect was stunned for a moment, then he understood and hurriedly ordered his men, "Quick, go and invite Mr. Xu to the court." The two yamen runners received the order and hurriedly ran out of the government office.

But not long after, the two returned with embarrassed faces. When the prefect saw that Mr. Xu did not come with him, his brows immediately frowned into the shape of a "川" character.

"Where are the people? Didn't I ask you to invite Mr. Xu over?"

The two bailiffs knelt hurriedly and reported tremblingly, "Sir, Mr. Xu...he said that since you personally sent him in, you have to go in person to ask him to come out.

"Sir!" A jailer was sweating profusely, his voice a little tearful, "Please have mercy and come out with us. The prefect is as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, and is waiting for you in the front hall!"

Inside the cell, Xu Luo lay calmly on the straw mat. The two prison bosses who had laughed at him yesterday now looked like defeated roosters, with regretful expressions on their faces.

Only then did they realize that Xu Luo not only had a special identity, but was also being wrongly accused.

Xu Luo smiled and said slowly, "Go back and tell your prefect that I, Xu Luo, am living comfortably here and he doesn't need to worry about me.

If he really wants to invite me out, that's easy, he can just come and invite me in person."

The two jailers looked embarrassed and looked at each other, thinking that if they had kept their mouths shut yesterday, they wouldn't be in such an embarrassing situation today.

If the prefect knew about this, not only would they lose their jobs, they might even be punished with a beating.

"Mr. Xu, we were wrong, really wrong!" A prison boss was rubbing his hands anxiously, "Please show some mercy to us, we are lowly people. Please don't bother with us. Just treat us like shit and let us go!"

Xu Luo, however, was like a sculpture, motionless as a mountain, and even seemed reluctant to respond.

Xu Luo just glanced at her indifferently. Although he was somewhat moved in his heart, he still insisted on his own opinion. To him, the anxiety and helplessness of the prison bosses seemed like a gust of wind outside the cell.

The two men looked at each other and understood each other. They were wondering whether they should drag Xu Luo out by force. Suddenly, the prison door made a loud bang, like a giant collapsing.

They turned around in a hurry, their eyes full of surprise. The person who came in was none other than Gou Daren from Jingzhao Prefecture. He hurried over, looking as if someone's house was on fire.

"Sir, sir, Mr. Xu..." The prison bosses were panicked and wanted to explain something.

However, Gou Daren waved his hand, as if to say "stop talking", and his eyes went straight through the prison door and fell on Xu Luo.

"Brother Xu, why are you doing this?" Gou Daren's voice was filled with pleading, "The case has been solved, and the murderer has been thrown into death row, waiting for his head to be moved.

Don't bother with the little guys, let's go out and talk."

Hearing this, Xu Luo lazily sat up, a gleam in his eyes, looked at Gou Daren, smiled and nodded: "Oh, it turns out that it is the prefect who is here."

"That's right, Mr. Xu, let's talk outside." Gou Daren nodded and bowed, looking very humble.

Xu Luo knew that although he had the upper hand, he still understood the principle that the people should not fight against the officials. He caught a glimpse of the nervous looks of the prison bosses and smiled in his heart, but did not show it on his face.

Xu Luo glanced at her indifferently, and he knew in his heart that it was time to end this drama.
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(End of this chapter)