Elderly and children could also tease the newlywed couple, and even unrelated individuals could join in the fun. But by the Ming Dynasty, this custom underwent a drastic change, becoming increasingly vulgar. In addition to verbal teasing, there were various hidden dirty jokes and physical assaults. For example, the groom might be tied to a large tree and exposed to the sun, or even hung up. The bride might be touched inappropriately, with people groping her breasts and legs. These acts were described as "lifting the skirt to prick the skin or removing the shoes to peek at the feet."

Now, many places have done away with this wedding hazing custom, but in some rural areas, it's still very prevalent. Apart from the bride and groom, the bridesmaids and groomsmen also receive "attention." Initially, the behavior often started as normal teasing, then gradually tested and probed the endurance limits of the person being hazed. This also led to a problem: before the behavior went overboard, the person being hazed would often either approve or actively cooperate. To ensure the wedding could proceed normally, many people would choose to swallow their pride and endure the humiliation.

But Peng Songyue's best friend seemed to have been pushed too far, which is why she made such an extreme move.

"It's over! This is terrible! News from the health center—someone was already dead on arrival."

Suddenly, this message arrived from outside the farmstay, startling everyone present once again. For a moment, the entire farmstay fell into silence. The families of the four individuals waiting outside the courtyard turned pale, extremely nervous. Some of them quickly left the farmstay and ran towards the health center.

"Dead?" Peng Songyue's face turned deathly pale, and she nearly collapsed from fright. Zhang Qingyuan and Li Weiguo also widened their eyes in disbelief.

A murder! they thought. Once again, a murder had happened right before their eyes!

The last time something like this occurred was the incident in Jin City where they'd acted to uphold justice: Qin Mu and Liang Chengbin had chased a robber, leading to the robber's death in a car accident. But the two incidents were clearly different. The former was an indirect result of Qin Mu and Liang Chengbin's pursuit, while this time, it was directly caused by a bridesmaid stabbing someone with a small knife.

"We're in big trouble now," the groom, Chen Zishi, swallowed hard. "It must be that unconscious person who died. His family is prominent in the village, with many relatives. They definitely won't let this go easily." He then turned to Song Yun for advice, "Uncle Song, please think of something fast! What should we do now?"

Song Yun was equally panicked and at a loss. The incident had been so sudden. He had thought it was just a typical stabbing. But now... it had turned into a fatal incident! Once a life was lost, the matter was no longer simple.

"Don't panic." Song Yun took a deep breath, attempting to comfort Chen Zishi. Then, very decisively, he turned to Qin Mu for help. "Uncle Qin, things have come to this. Please, think of something quickly! What should we do now?"

Chen Zishi was speechless.

Peng Songyue was speechless.

They both suddenly realized how much Song Yun, a man in his forties, respected Qin Mu, even though Qin Mu was about their age, just a few years older.

"Yes, Xiao Qin, please come up with an idea," Song Tiancheng sighed from the side. "A wedding turning into a funeral... I'm sure no one wants to see that." He, along with Zhang Qingyuan and Li Weiguo, had watched the entire incident unfold. It had happened so unexpectedly, catching everyone off guard.

"Given the circumstances, we must first call the police," Qin Mu said thoughtfully. Since someone had died, they had no choice but to call the police. If they didn't report it, the other party probably would.

"Call the police?" As soon as Qin Mu finished speaking, everyone in the backyard looked astonished. Peng Songyue, especially, strongly disagreed, shaking her head. "We can't call the police! If we do... they'll arrest Xiao Lan!"

Chen Zishi also chimed in, "That's right, Uncle Qin! Can't we try to settle this privately? We can pay compensation. Can we offer more money?"

None of them wanted to escalate the situation.

Qin Mu glanced at Chen Zishi, his lips twitching slightly. He spoke firmly, "Once a life is lost, it becomes a criminal case. Even if you settle it privately, the police will still get involved." This type of incident, involving major personal injury or death, meant the police would inevitably intervene, even if the victim's family didn't report it. "Paying more money is merely civil compensation; criminal charges will still have to be faced."

"So even paying compensation is useless?" Chen Zishi and Peng Songyue swallowed hard after hearing Qin Mu's explanation, their expressions turning very grim.

In their view, Qin Mu's meaning was clear, they thought. Even if they paid, Xiao Lan would still go to jail! Killing someone... one couldn't escape responsibility.

"Songyue, I don't want to go to jail! I don't want to go to jail..." The bridesmaid, Xiao Lan, trembled all over. Having just recovered from the shock of the bloody scene, she overheard Qin Mu's words and was teetering on the verge of an emotional breakdown.

"Don't worry," Qin Mu looked at her and said reassuringly, "for this kind of act, if you get a good lawyer, you won't have to go to jail."

"Really?" Xiao Lan asked, still skeptical, but her emotions eased somewhat.

"Really," Qin Mu nodded affirmatively.

Afterward, Peng Songyue, to calm her down, had Xiao Lan go back to her room to rest. The remaining people in the backyard all turned their attention to Qin Mu, wanting to know if what he had just said was true.

"Xiao Qin," one of them asked, "tell me the truth. You weren't just trying to comfort that young woman with what you said, were you?"

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