Ever since the wedding incident, she hadn't had a peaceful night's sleep. In her dreams, she would see a crowd of people pouncing on her, their faces ferocious, or she would dream of being trapped, squatting in a prison cell.

Fortunately, the law had ultimately given her justice. The Second Criminal Court had once again issued a judgment of complete self-defense.

"Congratulations." From the lawyer's bench, Zhang Wei smiled slightly as he congratulated Huang Lan.

As a lawyer, he understood even better the rare and valuable nature of this judgment. Throughout decades of judicial practice, there had been only a dozen or so cases resulting in a complete self-defense verdict. The successful acquittal in this case would become another illustrious achievement, a classic case for his law firm.

"Not guilty?"

Meanwhile, by the prosecutor's bench, Chen Daoguang and his three companions had a completely different reaction upon hearing the verdict. First, they were stunned. Then, filled with rage, they yelled at the judicial panel, "She killed someone, and you actually acquitted her? Isn't this a blatant disregard for human life?! I do not accept this judgment! Rule again! Rule on it again!"

His face was ashen as he kept shouting.

In the spectator gallery, all the women, seeing this, also stood up. They rushed toward the front of the judicial panel, their demeanor menacing.

"The court is unfair! A life for a life! Why did you acquit her?"

"The prosecutor recommended eight years, yet you acquitted her?"

"Have you taken bribes? If you don't give us a satisfactory result today, we're not leaving!"

"Don't think we're easy to bully! We're just a small part of the village here today; many others are waiting for the verdict!"

Liu Mei and the others were equally unable to contain their fury, believing the judgment was unjust. Collectively creating an uproar, they progressively moved closer to the judicial panel, attempting to coerce them into revising the verdict. The scene was quite a spectacle.

BANG—

Zhou Quanmin, seeing this, banged the gavel and shouted sternly, "This is a court! What are you trying to do?! Storming the court is a criminal offense, and everyone involved will be held responsible!"

He could tell this group was extremely dissatisfied with the verdict and, relying on their numbers, was accustomed to solving problems the village way. But this was a court! A sacred place representing the solemnity of justice. He could not allow them to act so recklessly.

At the same time, the court bailiffs stepped forward, blocking Liu Mei and the others near the spectator gallery. They constantly warned them to stay in their places and disperse quickly.

"Why should we leave? We're not leaving until you change the verdict today!"

"Right! We may be country folk, but we're not to be trifled with! She killed one person and injured three; she can't possibly be acquitted!"

"We don't accept this result! It must be changed! Change it now!"

"If you don't give us an explanation today, we won't back down!"

Liu Mei and the others, blocked by the bailiffs, dared not move further forward but refused to leave. They relentlessly pressured the judicial panel.

In their view, this was how things were resolved when issues arose in the village. They had numbers, they were in the right, and the court had to give them an explanation.

In the courtroom, Zhou Quanmin, who had not yet left, frowned and said sternly, "If you are not satisfied with the verdict, you may file a protest with the procuratorate. If the procuratorate accepts it, then you may proceed with an appeal for a retrial."

Chen Daoguang and his relatives were merely considered victims; the plaintiff in this case was the public prosecutor. Therefore, even if they were dissatisfied with the verdict, Chen Daoguang, Liu Mei, and the others still could not directly file an appeal. They needed to submit materials to the procuratorate, proving there was new evidence. Only after the procuratorate reviewed and approved it, granting permission, would the procuratorate file the appeal on their behalf.

"So much trouble? We don't care! We want the verdict changed today! If you don't change it today, that murderer will be released!"

"You government departments are all the same, always passing the buck, never willing to get things done!"

"A life for a life! We're in the right no matter where this goes! Change the verdict! Change it!"

"We don't care..."

Liu Mei and the others, hearing Zhou Quanmin's words, continued to shout, ignoring the suggestion to follow normal procedures. They wanted to use their sheer numbers to force the court to submit and change the verdict immediately.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the spectator gallery, Qin Mu swallowed hard as he watched the overwhelming scene unfold before him and quietly took a step back.

This scene was completely beyond his expectations. Everyone in the spectator gallery—all thirty-nine of them, besides himself—was protesting to the judicial panel, demanding an "explanation." Court discipline and order were clearly not within their consideration.

I'd better leave first, he thought.

To avoid getting caught in the crossfire, Qin Mu decisively left the Second Criminal Court, choosing to mind his own business and letting them continue their uproar.

If I stay with this group any longer, he worried, I might be mistaken for an accomplice and won't be able to get away.

「Outside the courthouse.」

Zhang Wei and Huang Lan also walked out, having left that "place of dispute." Upon exiting, Huang Lan gazed at Qin Mu and bowed deeply.

Gratefully, she said, "Uncle Qin, thank you. You are a good person, a truly good person."

Although Zhang Wei was her defense lawyer, she knew very well that the reason she had obtained a not-guilty verdict this time...

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