「In Chen Family Village these days.」

By now, more than a hundred people had been arrested.

The number was still growing.

Cases piled up, one after another.

No one knew who would be taken in next.

"Why are you all looking at me?"

Qin Mu looked at the crowd, his face a mask of innocence.

This matter... had absolutely nothing to do with him.

He had merely suggested a strategy for asserting their rights to the bridesmaids.

As for the rest... it was all instigated by this group of wedding-crashing villagers.

If they had abided by the law, they wouldn't have ended up in this predicament.

Take Chen Daoguang and the others, for example.

Whenever they encountered an issue, their first instinct was to gather relatives and clansmen to cause a public disturbance.

They had openly blockaded the door.

This behavior severely infringed upon others' right to personal freedom, a form of illegal detention, yet they were completely oblivious to this.

「On the projected live-feed screen.」

Zhou Quanmin faced the courtroom and solemnly announced the official commencement of the session. "Today, the Second Criminal Court of Jin City Court will openly try Chen Daoguang and others for suspected illegal detention and provoking trouble. I, Zhou Quanmin, will preside as Judgment Chief, having legally formed a collegial panel."

Immediately after, he turned to the prosecutor and said, "Please, Prosecutor, make your statement, read the indictment, and present the case details and prosecution's claims."

As soon as he finished speaking, the prosecutor stood up from the prosecution table and glanced at Chen Daoguang in the dock.

His expression was somewhat unnatural.

He seemed to recall a particular scene from the previous day.

"Respected Judgment Chief, members of the collegial panel, on the 14th of this month, an incident involving illegal detention and provoking trouble occurred in Chen Family Village. Upon receiving the emergency call, the local township police station responded promptly and arrived at the scene immediately."

"Upon verification, it was confirmed that villagers led by Chen Daoguang had gathered to illegally blockade Chen Qi's home, unlawfully detaining his family of eight and preventing them from leaving."

"The evidence in this case is clear, the chain of evidence is complete, and includes both witness testimony and physical evidence."

"The seventy-eight individuals, led by Chen Daoguang, violated our country's criminal laws concerning illegal detention and provoking trouble. Their actions were egregious and caused a detrimental impact on Chen Family Village and society at large."

"In accordance with Article 293 of the Criminal Law, we request the court to sentence the defendant Chen Daoguang to ten years of imprisonment and impose a fine."

"We also request sentences of fixed-term imprisonment for the other seventy-seven individuals, aside from Chen Daoguang..."

In his prosecutorial request, he asked for a ten-year prison sentence for the leader, Chen Daoguang, while the others faced terms ranging from one year and six months to five years.

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of Chen Daoguang and the others in the dock changed drastically.

Chen Daoguang, in particular, wore an expression of disbelief, staring intently at the prosecutor.

Although he knew he might be sentenced, he had never imagined it would be for ten years!

"Your Honor, don't listen to him! He's just holding a grudge because I challenged him yesterday. This is personal retaliation!

"I just blocked a door. How could the crime be so severe?

"You, Prosecutor! Don't you have a conscience? My son was stabbed to death by Huang Lan, and you only asked for an eight-year sentence for her! Why ten years for me?

"Our Chen Family Village has always been law-abiding, and I, Chen Daoguang, am a model villager! I've never broken any laws or violated discipline…"

It wasn't yet time for the defense presentation, but Chen Daoguang anxiously began to defend himself, sweat beading on his forehead.

He worried that if he waited too long to speak, the judge and the others might already be swayed by the prosecutor.

"Silence!"

In the courtroom, Zhou Quanmin slammed the gavel and said sternly, "The defendant will observe court discipline! You are not to speak until it is your turn!"

Chen Daoguang swallowed hard, looking at the solemn face of Zhou Quanmin.

His defiance from the previous day was gone.

After yesterday's case concluded, his wife and the group of relatives who had accompanied them were all detained at the courthouse, held in the holding cells.

Having learned his lesson from that experience, he instantly became subdued.

Moments later, seeing that Chen Daoguang was no longer objecting, Zhou Quanmin slowly began, "The defendant will now respond to the prosecutor's accusations."

This stage was for summarizing the key points of contention between the prosecution and the defense, to determine the matters requiring adjudication in the case.

As soon as he finished speaking, a legal aid lawyer beside the dock glanced at Chen Daoguang and quickly said, "Later, do as I say. Plead guilty and actively seek a reduced sentence."

However, Chen Daoguang merely glanced at him and paid him no mind.

Instead, he ignored the lawyer and said his piece: "Your Honor, I've been wrongly accused! I just blocked a door. Strictly speaking, that's not even a crime."

"The township police station and these two prosecutors are clearly engaging in personal retaliation, deliberately seeking revenge on me, and trying to blow this minor issue out of proportion!"

"I've lived for decades and never heard of anyone getting ten years just for blocking a door!"

"If this is how things are, who would dare to play such 'pranks' anymore?"

"We were just having a bit of fun with Chen Qi's family! We didn't lay a hand on them, didn't use foul language, and there were no physical altercations whatsoever…"

Facing the members of the collegial panel, he completely ignored the legal aid lawyer's instructions.

He used his own words to rebut the prosecutor.

This legal aid lawyer was free; he cost nothing, and they didn't even have to pay his fees. Nothing good comes free. He was probably in cahoots with the prosecutor, trying to trap me! At this moment, the only person he could trust was himself.

"You… Why didn't you say what I told you to?"

Hearing this, the legal aid lawyer's face flushed red with anger.

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