Chapter 178: Chapter 178: Showing Mercy

Xia Wenjin directly returned to the inn.

They were all witnesses, and until the entire case was resolved, they all stayed at the Shun’an Inn under the jurisdiction of the Da Jin Prefecture.

Originally, Sang Xuewei and the four with Master Lu didn’t need to go, but Sang Xuewei insisted. She said that since she was also captured, having one more person to testify would add more credibility, wouldn’t it?

The four with Master Lu were Jianghu people, not very willing in their hearts. They knew she was doing it just to follow that pretty boy Huang Zheng, but they didn’t dare to object and had to accompany her.

This time, the trial of the case went very smoothly. With the accusations and testimony from six women including Cui Hua as the victims, the bones found at the bottom of the cliff, the personal statements of Ming Cheng, and the testimonies of Huangfu Jingchen and Xia Wenjin.

Furthermore, Jue Zhou, having suffered enough from Xia Wenjin, didn’t dare to hide anything during the interrogation and confessed all his evil deeds of the past years in detail. However, he didn’t dare mention the Second Young Master or Pu Yangji.

This was within Xia Wenjin’s expectations.

Huangfu Yuxuan’s methods were sinister and meticulous, his mind venomous. A mere Jue Zhou couldn’t possibly implicate him.

Jue Zhou, Ming Qing, and others were immediately imprisoned, only waiting for the case to be reported to the Ministry of Justice, followed by their execution.

Those with minor involvement also needed to spend a long time in prison.

Although Ming Cheng was not directly involved in the crime, he was the abbott of Shian Temple and had to bear the responsibility for failing in oversight.

However, Ming Cheng had anticipated this when he came and was mentally prepared. The Da Jin Prefecture Minister stated that although Ming Cheng failed in oversight, he was one of the first to report the case and had contributed, so he would be dealt with leniently.

The entire case did not mention anything about Shian Temple’s alleged child-granting miracles.

Over the past five years, according to records from Ming Qing’s end, there were a total of thirty-seven women who successfully sought children there.

Thirty-seven women represent the lifelong happiness of thirty-seven females. If the truth were disclosed, those women would indeed be ruined, either drowned in pig cages or cast aside, living lives of contempt, coldness, and disdain.

The thirty-seven children, too, would go from being the pampered darlings of their parents to the most despised illegitimate offspring.

And what wrong did they do?

The women merely sought to have children, with devout hearts, pleading to the Bodhisattva, yet they were met with the hidden deceit and vile acts of Ming Qing and others.

A solitary room, a weak woman confronting several strong men, how could she resist?

Those children shouldn’t have appeared in this world, but after all, they were born. They couldn’t stop their own birth, couldn’t choose when or where or to whom they were born!

What wrong did they do?

What guilt lies with the infants?

They were victims themselves.

If a child could bring harmony between a couple, and peace to a family, it could be seen as compensation for the wronged women. If the truth were revealed now, telling the world that these women bore children after being violated, that their husbands were not the biological fathers of the children, marking them with cuckoldry, it would cause tremendous upheaval.

What could anger bring about? Who knows?

The power of public opinion is terrifying. Those women and children would live in hell thereafter.

In Nanxia, emphasis is placed on a woman’s chastity, perhaps even leading to outcomes like in Cui Hua’s village, where they are outright drowned in pig cages, submerged beneath ponds.

These are all living lives!

Such sins and mistakes shouldn’t be their burden to bear!

Thus, Huangfu Jingchen specially discussed this matter with the Da Jin Prefecture Prefect, who, upon learning of Huangfu Jingchen’s identity, expressed a mix of flattery and admiration: “Young Master, you’ve considered the current situation of these women and the aftermath of revealing the truth, showing compassion by not wishing to destroy their happiness and peace. I admire this! Now that the evidence is enough to convict these people, since you suggest it, I will follow this personal appeal outside of the law! On behalf of the thirty-seven women and their children, I thank you for your great virtue!”

The Da Jin Prefecture Minister’s flexibility allowed more than thirty people to avoid further entanglements and hardships. This, too, can be considered a merit.

However, for the Da Jin Prefecture, the mere acts of abduction, sexual assault, tarnishing the Buddhist sect’s rules, forcing the good into prostitution, and causing harm were already enough for the mastermind to lose his head several times. Additionally, since Prince Cheng’s Heir handed such great merit to the Da Jin Prefecture instead of Qu’an Prefecture, he should know his place.

Doing so could also curry favor with Prince Cheng’s Heir and prevent more adverse events, making it a win-win for him.

In the midst of it all, there was an interlude. After the Da Jin Prefect imprisoned Ming Qing and Jue Zhou, people from Qu’an Prefecture came, led by the Deputy Prefect, bringing along more than ten people.

That person comes second only to the Prefect.

The Deputy Prefect of Qu’an Prefecture came with the Prefect’s attitude, stating that since Shian Temple was within Qu’an Prefecture’s territory, the case of Shian Temple should be transferred to Qu’an Prefecture for handling. He even brought people to escort the suspects and transfer case files, ready for one-off handling.

Normally, this would indeed be the case.

Although Da Jin Prefecture had first complaints from the victimized women, which wasn’t out of line, most of the affected women were from Qu’an Prefecture, making it more reasonable for Qu’an Prefecture to handle the case.

This clearly was a major case, one that could enhance administrative achievements, and the Da Jin Prefecture Minister did not want to let go, so he tried to soothe the Deputy Prefect of Qu’an Prefecture with kind words while pondering his next move.

However, the Deputy Prefect of Qu’an Prefecture indignant as he was, stayed at the postal station. But, come the next early morning, when the Da Jin Prefect went to personally see him, intending to discuss further, he found that the Deputy Prefect had hurriedly left before dawn.

This left the Da Jin Prefect bewildered. Just yesterday, weren’t they filled with righteous indignation, furious, accusing them of overstepping? Yesterday, weren’t they adamant about transferring the case and suspects out today?

How, after just one night, was the room empty?

Where did their persistence go? Their anger? Their determined resolve?

Well, with them gone, it means they won’t harp on about the case anymore. Even if they return, the case is already settled, and they would have no grounds to persist.

Of course, what the Da Jin Prefect did not know was that just last night, while the Qu’an Prefecture Deputy Prefect and his entourage were resting at the postal station and discussing how to phrase their demands more vigorously to ensure that the case would be transferred obediently from Da Jin Prefecture, an unexpected visitor appeared.

A young boy!

A boy with a delicate appearance, remarkable and exceptional.

The boy appeared in the postal station, walking directly towards the Deputy Prefect and his entourage.

The Deputy Prefect and his entourage, who were discussing major matters, immediately changed faces. Where did this kid with no sense come from? Wasn’t their attire obvious enough? It clearly marked them as untouchable government officials, yet he dared to walk straight up?

But the boy’s face remained serene, with a faint smile gracing his lips. That aura made him hard to ignore! They weren’t quite sure in their hearts—might he be a scion of some noble family?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep