Verdict

Tonight in Huai'an City was destined to be a sleepless night.

For this operation, the Demon Suppression Division had mobilized almost all of its personnel. Every elite member, whether it was Su Jin, Xie Changfeng, Fu Moyu, or Bai Xi, was in position.

Striking swiftly with the momentum of a thunderbolt, they coordinated with the soldiers.

In just half an hour, they captured everyone from the Love Mutual Aid Alliance who had shown their faces to cause trouble in Huai'an City over the past few days.

Escorting them like a flock of little chicks, they sent them all to the prison.

"There are too many people, way too many..."

The head jailer looked at the continuous influx of people with a face full of despair. Although he had received orders earlier to prepare and find a way to expand the prison.

But how could he expand it in such a short time? All he could do was assign more guards to the prison and create as many makeshift cells as possible.

How could it possibly accommodate so many people?

"My lords, there are just too many people. This tiny place really can't hold them all."

"What are you afraid of?" Xie Changfeng, who was in charge of discipline here, said with a smile. "This place is just like... well, if you squeeze, you can always make room."

"Besides, they'll most likely only stay for one night. If worse comes to worst, just stuff them in together."

Hearing this, the head jailer trembled. Understanding the underlying meaning, he was too terrified to speak further.

The numerous men and women being escorted nearby were already terrified. Upon hearing these words, naturally, some of them understood the implication.

Instantly, the color drained from their faces.

They began to beg frantically for mercy.

"My lord, spare our lives! We... we were only joking around before!"

"My lord, I was wrong! I was truly wrong! I shouldn't have joined the Love Mutual Aid Alliance, I shouldn't have dared to slander the Lord Duke, and I certainly shouldn't have disturbed others! Please, my lord, spare my life!"

"Let me go back! Let me go back! In Huai'an City, love has always been paramount. How could things turn out like this?"

...

Xie Changfeng snorted coldly, too lazy to pay attention to these people.

Now you know you were wrong?

What were you doing earlier?

Just wait to meet the executioner's blade tomorrow!

Counting them one by one, he made sure everyone was stuffed into the prison before going to inspect it personally.

Although it was unbearably crowded, men and women were at least separated. Just based on this specific instruction from the Lord Duke, it was countless times better than Yunjing.

The benevolent care provided by the Lord Duke addressed the most fundamental dignity of being human.

But what Yunjing instigated was nothing but confusing the masses and bringing chaos to the world.

"M-my lord..."

A young man's voice sounded from the side, urgent and tinged with sobs, "This place is really too small and too crowded. Stuffing two grown men in here means we can't even lie flat at night!"

Oh, getting picky, are we?

Xie Changfeng turned his head and saw a tiny space that the head jailer had partitioned off using a cramped corner.

Obviously, the head jailer's original idea was to fit only one person in there, but given the emergency, he had to squeeze two men inside.

But Xie Changfeng only gave a cold smile.

"Can't lie flat? Then stack yourselves up!"

"So much complaining!"

After saying that, having completed his task here, he turned and left to report back to Su Jin. After a flurry of activity, the horizon was already beginning to pale.

A touch of golden yellow crossed the dark, deep mountains, washing Huai'an City in a golden light, and the sky visibly brightened.

The sky over Huai'an City was clear and bright!

Su Jin stretched lazily, stood up, and said to Xie Changfeng, Fu Moyu, and Bai Xi, "The documents we need to organize are just about done, right?"

"Just about."

"Good. Get ready to head to the government office. Today... Huai'an City is going to be very lively."

Su Jin's guess was correct; Huai'an City was indeed lively today.

The three-day deadline had arrived. Countless citizens of Huai'an City surged toward the entrance of the government office, wanting to witness this trial presided over personally by the City Lord.

The sea of people made it so that even Su Jin almost couldn't squeeze in; she had to go through the back door and use a designated passageway to enter.

City Lord Xu Sha had also arrived early, with Yun Wanyi accompanying him. Both wore expressions of solemn readiness, appearing very tense.

When the time came, Xu Sha struck his gavel and declared, "Bring in the criminals Xu Qin and Zhou Zhi!"

In a few moments, Xu Qin and Zhou Zhi were brought before the court.

Xu Sha swept a cold glance over the two of them and directly pronounced the sentence.

"Xu Qin, for wielding poison to intentionally harm another's rare imperial-grade steed, harassing a general, delaying crucial military and state affairs, and spreading rumors to mislead the public."

"For these multiple crimes combined, the sentence is..."

"Immediate execution!"

"To be carried out at a quarter to noon!"

Xu Qin's face instantly went deathly pale.

The words immediate execution struck her heart like a heavy hammer, shattering all her previous delusional fantasies into nothingness.

She couldn't help but scream heart-wrenchingly, "My lord, I... I was wrong, I was wrong..."

Before she could finish, the bailiffs on either side dragged her directly out.

"Zhou Zhi..."

Xu Sha looked at this man who had once been in charge of the city's penal system, whose status had once been far above his own, and who had enjoyed a reputation as a good official. Hidden anger burned in Xu Sha's eyes.

He pronounced, "Zhou Zhi, as an imperial official and the head of the city's penal system, you did not think to be loyal to the sovereign and care for the people, nor did you uphold the law. Instead, you revered heretical books, spread demonic doctrines, corrupted public morals, ruined ethical relationships, showed favoritism, and perverted the laws of the state!"

"You disrupted marriages and destroyed households, ruined family upbringing and severed lineages, misguided the people's livelihoods and caused their impoverishment. You harmed the citizens of this entire city invisibly, plunging this region into ruin!"

"According to the law: for misleading the public with heretical doctrines, death by hanging!"

"For perverting the law in judgments, execution by beheading!"

"For corrupting public morals, exile for three thousand miles!"

"For dereliction of duty, dismissal from office and flogging!"

"For these multiple crimes combined: immediate execution, confiscation of all family property, and the exile of your wife and children for three thousand miles!"

At these words, Zhou Zhi's body swayed violently, and he collapsed directly to the ground.

He felt that dying for the morality in his heart was not a pity, but implicating his relatives and family caused his spirit to crumble.

However, in stark contrast to his miserable state, the numerous commoners at the entrance of the government office cheered and jumped for joy at this moment.

"The heavens are just! The wicked Zhou Zhi is finally going to be executed."

"With Zhou Zhi dead, we will all have good days ahead in Huai'an City!"

"We kowtow and thank the Lord Duke for redressing our grievances!"

Amidst the massive waves of sound, Xu Sha felt a sense of awe in his heart.

Having lived in Huai'an City for a long time, when had he ever seen the hearts of the people so united? Yet, as soon as the Lord Duke arrived, this situation occurred for the first time.

He slightly calmed the turbulent emotions in his heart, instructed the clerks to record everything, and, relying on the ironclad evidence already gathered, ensured that this trial which held symbolic significance for Huai'an City became an absolutely unassailable case.

And then...

Continued pronouncing sentences!

"Bring the members of the Huai'an City Love Alliance to the court!"

Another commotion ensued as all the leaders of the Love Mutual Aid Alliance were brought before the court, jostling together as they knelt, filling the entire floor.

However, these people were no longer the same as they had been two days ago laughing, talking cheerfully, and passionately demanding justice from Ren Tianye. Now, every single one of them was trembling all over. A few even emanated a foul stench.

Obviously, they had wet themselves in terror.

But facing their pathetic state, Xu Sha showed absolutely no mercy.

He directly pronounced the sentence.

"Qi Xing, for assembling cronies, privately establishing regulations, controlling speech, and whenever there were dissenting views, leading mobs to surround and publicly insult individuals, spreading rumors to cause trouble, ruining people's reputations, and cutting off their livelihoods."

"This is deceiving the public with malicious words, making false accusations to frame others, gathering a crowd to disrupt the market, and humiliating a person to death. The sins are grave. According to the law..."

Pausing for a moment, Xu Sha coldly looked at Qi Xing.

This most prestigious person in the Love Mutual Aid Alliance had already collapsed into a heap on the ground. Then, Xu Sha coldly declared, "According to the law, you are sentenced to immediate execution!"

Boom!

It was like a sudden clap of thunder!

Young Master Qi fainted on the spot.

However, this did not stop several bailiffs from dragging him out, swiftly loading him into a prison cart, ready to be sent to the execution ground at the vegetable market along with the others.

As for the other ringleaders below the hall, Xu Sha did not let them off either, dealing with them all without exception.

The core members were all sentenced to one hundred strokes of the cane, tattooed with the character for "false accusation" on their faces, and exiled three thousand miles away, never to return to their hometowns for the rest of their lives!

Active participants were all sentenced to eighty strokes of the cane, five years of imprisonment, and dispatched to hard labor, with no possibility of pardon or return to their hometowns!

General followers were all sentenced to sixty strokes of the cane and paraded through the streets as a public warning for three months.

...

While the judgments were being passed one by one in the hall, in the backstage area, Su Jin sat upright in his chair, listening. Beside him, Xie Changfeng and the others couldn't help but curl their lips slightly.

"I was hoping this could be handed over to our Demon Suppression Division to handle. In the end, Xu Sha judged them, which means we missed out on a lot of merit."

Su Jin turned his head and glanced at him.

Xie Changfeng immediately shut his mouth. After all, he also knew that this was a major matter concerning the reconstruction of Huai'an City. Having the City Lord of Huai'an step in personally would yield the best results.

So, he was merely grumbling.

However, seeing that the sentencing in the hall was almost finished, his spirits lifted once again.

He said, "The sentencing is done. Next, it should be time to burn down the Hongluan Wenyuan Pavilion, right?"

"I'd actually like to give that a try!"

Beside them, Fu Moyu and Bai Xi shared the same eager attitude.

It was time to burn the building.

They... also wanted to do it with their own hands!

...