kingnovel Chapter 1130 Evidence
Chapter 1130 Evidence
Wu Shun began to feel afraid.
Shen Zheng's relentless pursuit terrified him, and Huai Gongwang, who had planned to send him to his death the previous night, terrified him even more.
Yes, he figured it out.
A person with high aspirations cannot make a mistake in their investigation.
Or perhaps, Huai Gongwang never sent anyone to investigate at all.
It could even be said that Huai Gongwang was eager for the government to send someone to guard the Wang residence, so that he could take the opportunity to push him out to take the blame.
After sorting everything out, he began to tremble uncontrollably.
That's terrifying...
Huai Gongwang, that pale-faced, beardless, smiling tiger, would devour people without spitting out the bones...
Now that he has obediently come forward to take the blame, will Huai Gongwang really let his wife and children go?
He was unsure.
How can one expect to profit from a deal with a tiger?
Shen Zheng carefully observed the changes in Wu Shun's expression and pressed her advantage, asking, "Wu Shun, have you thought this through? Why do you want to harm Wang Huai'an?"
Wu Shun's mind was in complete chaos, and he looked up with trembling teeth.
Shen Zheng glanced at him, then turned to Xu Yunyan and asked, "Lord Xu, how should the principal offender and the accomplice be punished for plotting against an official of the court? Are they equally responsible?"
Xu Yunyan immediately understood her meaning and replied loudly, "Your Excellency, the Great Zhou Law, Criminal Law, Homicide clearly states that if a person plots to harm an official appointed by the court and the victim dies, both the principal and the accomplice will be sentenced to death; if the victim is injured but not dead, the principal will be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane and exiled for a thousand li, while the accomplice will be punished with thirty strokes of the cane and exiled for a hundred li; if the victim is neither injured nor killed, the principal will be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane and two years of penal servitude, while the accomplice will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane and one year of penal servitude."
Shen Zheng nodded knowingly: "Since the victim Wang Huai'an was injured, the main culprit will be punished with a hundred strokes of the cane and exiled for thousands of miles? However... the suspect Wu Shun is also an official of the imperial court. He knowingly broke the law, so will his punishment be aggravated?"
Wu Shun's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously looked at Xu Yunyan.
Xu Yunyan looked back at him and said, "The principal offender knowingly violates the law, and his crime is doubled, which could result in the death penalty. If the circumstances are particularly egregious, his entire family will be implicated. Wu Shun has already committed heinous acts by plotting to kill Wang Huai'an twice."
As each word struck him, Wu Shun's muscles tensed, his face turned pale, and his eyes flashed with terror.
Shen Zheng glanced at Wu Shun and asked again, "What about the accomplices?"
Xu Yunyan looked at Wu Shun and said, slowly and deliberately, "His crime does not warrant death."
The crime does not warrant death...
The crime does not warrant death!
Wu Shun wavered.
People say that it's better to live a miserable life than to die a good death.
If he reveals Huai Gongwang's name, he can survive...
Huai Gongwang will likely be sentenced to death and will have no chance to take revenge on him.
But... who knows if Huai Gongwang had any backup plans?
If he fails to confess, it will implicate his entire clan...
Thinking of Huai Gongwang's ruthlessness, Wu Shun was caught in the biggest dilemma of his life.
Seeing that the fire had been lit enough, Shen Zheng added the final fuel to the fire: "Wu Shun, since you have already confessed your guilt, then sign the confession first. As for the other details of the case, I will discuss them on another day."
"Snapped--"
Shen Zheng took a fortune stick from the fortune-telling tube and threw it directly in front of Wu Shun.
This warrant is a long warrant with green paint on the top, a standard "severe punishment warrant".
That touch of green completely shattered Wu Shun's psychological defenses.
"I plead not guilty! I plead not guilty!" Wu Shun braced himself on the ground with his hands, his wide sleeves covering the warrant, tears streaming down his face. "Lord Shen, it wasn't me! I didn't murder Wang Huai'an! You...you were right before, I had no grudge against him, why would I harm him for no reason! I...I was instructed by someone!"
These words caused a huge uproar in the courtroom.
The people spat in disgust: "Trying to recant his confession when he's about to die? Bah! Lord Shen, you should quickly convict him, sentence him to death!"
"Yes! Lord Shen, and his clansmen! Not a single one can be spared, lest they retaliate against you later!"
"Death penalty! Death penalty! Death penalty!" the people shouted in unison.
Wu Shun looked at Shen Zheng in a panic and kowtowed several times. "Lord Shen, I was really just acting under orders. It was the governor! He's the one who told me to do it! In the beginning, he told me to win over Wang Huai'an, and yesterday, he also told me to take action against Wang Huai'an!"
Shen Zheng secretly exchanged a glance with Yu Zhengqing, then frowned and said, "Wu Shun, do you know the consequences of making baseless accusations against others?"
Provoked like this, Wu Shun spoke even faster: "I know, I know, but Lord Shen, I'm telling the truth! I'm not making baseless accusations. The things I did were all under the orders of the Governor!"
Shen Zheng feigned silence, and Yu Zhengqing continued, "Wu Shun, you openly accused Governor Huai Gongwang of being the real culprit. Do you have any evidence?"
"Evidence? Evidence?" Wu Shun was stunned.
“Yes, evidence.” Yu Zhengqing looked up at him: “Just as you previously denied promising Tang Cai and Zhong Yunjin official titles, if you can’t produce any evidence, how can you accuse Governor Huai of being the real culprit behind the scenes?”
Wu Shun was completely chilled.
Whenever Huai Gongwang asked him to do something, he would give verbal instructions and never leave any physical evidence.
What evidence can he possibly produce right now?
"If that's the case, then you can't produce any evidence?" Yu Zhengqing frowned and put pressure on him.
Wu Shun felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and he forced himself to recall the details of his time with Huai Gongwang.
Every move Huai Gongwang made.
Huai Gongwang's every word and deed.
evidence......
evidence.
evidence!
He has no evidence whatsoever!
"I..." Wu Shun's face was ashen, his mind filled with the thought that "it's all over."
He was led astray into implicating Huai Gongwang, but he couldn't produce any evidence. If Huai Gongwang found out, everything would be over...
In his panic, he turned to look outside the hall.
A figure flashed past in the courtyard.
That was Huai Gongwang's man; as he turned to leave, he seemed to smile at him once more.
Instantly, it felt as if several rags were stuck in his throat, making it difficult to even breathe.
The hall was unusually quiet, as if everyone was waiting for him to speak, while the people outside were discussing Huai Gongwang in hushed tones.
Some say that Wu Shun was facing imminent death and became frightened, so he started making baseless accusations against others.
Some say that Wu Shun had no grudge against Wang Huai'an, and that he was instructed by Huai Gongwang to repeatedly plot against Wang Huai'an.
"Chirp—chirp chirp—"
"Choo Choo Choo--"
Sometime later, a few birds appeared in the trees in the courtyard. Perhaps they were frightened by the large number of people today, for they only chirped a few times before flapping their wings and flying away.
Wu Shun paused for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up. He crawled forward several steps and said, "I have no evidence that I was instructed by Huai Gongwang to murder Wang Huai'an!"
"Tch—" the people scoffed in unison.
“But I have evidence that he accepted bribes!” Wu Shun pointed outside the courtroom, so anxious he could barely speak: “Birds! Those birds! Those birds are the evidence!”
bird?
Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing.
The sky was a clear blue without a cloud, so what kind of bird could be coming from there?
"He must have been scared out of his wits..." the people said.
Shen Zheng knew, however, that the answer she and Yu Zhengqing had been waiting for had arrived.
Shen Zheng asked, "What the hell? What bribes has Governor Huai accepted this time? Explain yourself!"
After saying that, she secretly gave Su Yan outside the hall a wink. Su Yan nodded quietly and led his men out of the government office.