Chapter 2: 002 申辩，侯爷矫情

The ten strokes of the board had finally finished, leaving Xia Yulin unable to move for a moment.

"Xia Luokui, hurry up and sign the confession! Stop wasting this official's time!" The Prefect signaled a bailiff to pull the cloth from her mouth and barked an order.

The Xia family had taken the initiative to send this girl over, and since only the Xia family's servants were present and not a single member of the masters could be seen, he didn't need the Xia family to tell him their intention. He knew they wanted this girl dead, and he certainly knew how to proceed.

"Prefect," Xia Yulin lay prone on the bench, took several deep breaths, and then looked the Prefect straight in the eye, shouting, "There are numerous suspicious points in this case, and both the human and physical evidence are full of loopholes! Therefore, I demand to defend myself and cross-examine the witnesses in court! If my defense fails, I will confess and sign the confession right here in court, and I will have no grievances even if I am beheaded! Otherwise, even if you beat me to death in this courtroom, I will never admit to the crime!"

"Audacious commoner!" The Prefect slammed his gavel. "You went back on your word before, and now you still refuse to repent. This shows how poor your character is! If you do not admit your mistake immediately, this official will continue the torture!"

Xia Yulin sneered, completely undeterred by his threat. "I am but a weak woman from a sheltered household; I have seen little of the world. From the moment I saw my eighth sister spitting blood, I was terrified and my mind was in chaos, unable to remember anything, which is why I followed others' lead and confessed! However—"

She paused, then spoke with ringing clarity, "The moment I heard I was sentenced to death, I suddenly regained my senses. I remembered the many suspicious points in this case, and those points are enough to prove my innocence. Of course I must fight for it! Prefect, there are so many citizens here acting as witnesses. If you do not allow me to defend myself, are you planning to beat me unconscious and then force me to sign and fingerprint the charges?"

The Prefect: "..."

She was a mere weak woman, yet at this stage, she actually dared to try and turn the tide?

However, her gaze was as firm as steel and as fierce as lava. Amidst her disheveled state, there was an unyielding spirit. It truly did not seem like she was someone who could be made to comply with a few more threats or a few more strokes of the board. What was he to do?

He very much wanted to coerce a confession through torture, but under the watchful eyes of the crowd, if she were actually beaten to death without confessing, he would be in massive trouble.

Seeing him remain silent for a long while, Xia Yulin knew she could not hold any hope for this corrupt official.

With a flicker in her eyes, she looked toward the curtain to the Prefect's left and shouted, "Marquis Pei, sitting behind that curtain—the whole world knows of your high prestige and your impartial enforcement of the law. I believe you would never stand by and watch anyone be coerced into a false confession! I ask you: human life is of utmost importance, this case is riddled with suspicion, and I refuse to confess. Can the Prefect sentence me to death? I have suffered a grievance and wish to defend myself in court; does this violate the laws of the Great Yi or common morality and reason?"

Everyone present was a piece of work!

But the most loathsome was the man sitting behind the curtain—Xia Luokui's fiancé and the very root of this murder case.

This man didn't care for the "big-chested but brainless" Xia Luokui at all, yet he was unwilling to break the engagement for fear of being called unfaithful. Thus, he secretly had affairs with other Xia family young ladies and intentionally let Xia Luokui know. He wanted to force Xia Luokui into making a scene, ruining her own reputation, or proactively breaking the engagement so he could shake her off without bearing any stigma. Xia Laixiang was one of the Xia family ladies he was involved with.

However, even though Xia Luokui knew he was being unfaithful with her sisters, she was still single-mindedly determined to marry him and endured everything.

She even believed that Xia Laixiang would share a husband with her in the future, and she would go out of her way to please Xia Laixiang whenever possible. As a result, others found the opportunity to frame her.

This time, when Xia Luokui was brought to the yamen for trial, she had faintly heard her family say that her Marquis fiancé would be attending the hearing. For a moment, she even harbored dreams of a hero saving a beauty, only for that man to not utter a single word.

When Xia Yulin thought of this, she felt the Marquis should have come to hear the trial.

Although the Marquis did not love Xia Luokui, he cared deeply about his reputation. His fiancée was being tried in court for a capital crime; if he remained indifferent, wouldn't people call him heartless and ungrateful?

Every Xia daughter had a trait that made her famous in town, and Xia Luokui's label was "born to marry the Marquis." How much she loved him and how much she wanted to marry him was known to all of Luoyun Town. The Marquis would absolutely not play the role of a "heartless man."

Therefore, no matter what, the Marquis would come to show his face and make a perfunctory appearance to ensure he left no stain on his reputation.

So, as a Marquis, besides sitting behind that curtain to listen to the trial, where else could he be sitting?

However, several seconds had passed since she finished speaking, and there was no response from behind the curtain.

Seeing there was no sound from behind the curtain, the Prefect hurriedly said, "Audacious commoner, how dare you spout nonsense in a court of law! Someone, block her—"

At that moment, a pleasant male voice drifted from behind the curtain: "Lord Ma, Miss Xia is correct. Human life is of utmost importance and must not be treated lightly. How about giving her a chance to defend herself? If she is guilty, no matter how she argues, she will not be able to overcome the facts and the principles of heaven. So, why not let her be convinced through logic?"

To maintain his good reputation, he would simply give her a chance at self-defense.

He was curious to see how a useless woman like her would defend herself.

Hearing his instruction, the Prefect immediately changed his tune: "This official only handles ironclad cases! To ensure you are fully convinced, this official will give you the opportunity right now! Whoever you wish to question, and whatever you wish to ask, go ahead!"

The entire courtroom fell into a deathly silence. Everyone's gaze converged on Xia Yulin.

Aside from a pampered young lady who would know nothing once she was married, how could one save oneself in such a situation?

Xia Yulin smiled faintly. "The Marquis is wise, and the Prefect is wise. Then, I shall begin my questioning with the three witnesses: Nanny Zhu, Xiao Hong, and Xiao Qing."