For some reason, he noticed that today's prosecutor was even more incisive, relentlessly pursuing questions without pause—a completely different state from yesterday. Yesterday, they had simply maintained a demeanor of conducting official business. But now... it was as if they were going all out.

"I... I... It's common for us country folks to behave this way when there are disputes, and I've never heard of it being so serious..."

He swallowed nervously, still refusing to give up, attempting to defend himself.

In Chen Family Village, outsiders often came, inevitably leading to conflicts. In the past, he had brought a large group of relatives to their homes to "demand justice" several times, and it had never led to any issues. This was what he still couldn't understand. Why, this time, when it involved the Chen Qi Family, did matters suddenly go south?

"That's because they didn't call the police," a prosecutor from the bench stated with a cold snort, then continued, "Unlawful detention of another person constitutes a serious criminal offense."

Actually, illegal detention is somewhat difficult to determine because it concerns the personal freedom of the parties involved. If the parties lack legal awareness, don't proactively report to the police, and don't feel their personal freedom has been violated, the prosecutor's office can't learn about the case and thus can't bring charges. In the case involving Chen Daoguang and others, however, the Chen Qi Family clearly knew the law well. They proactively called the police, reported the other party's criminal behavior, recorded evidence preserving the perpetrators' criminal acts, and provided testimonials and statements—all of which were sufficient to confirm the criminal activities of Chen Daoguang and the others.

"But... but your evidence states that we beat the other party. We talked civilly the whole time; we didn't even bring sticks..." Chen Daoguang clenched his teeth, exhibiting a strong survival instinct as he continued to quibble.

SLAP!

As soon as he finished speaking, the prosecutor tapped one piece of evidence and said coldly, "This is the injury assessment report. The Chen Qi Family's underage youngest son, who wanted to go out and play, was slapped by you. How do you explain this?"

Chen Daoguang swallowed nervously. His complexion turned somewhat unsightly, and he couldn't help but retort, "Just one slap, and that counts as beating? Slapping is common these days. I often hit my own son. Does that mean I should go to jail too?"

His face was filled with incomprehension, and he felt increasingly wronged. Slapping was such a minor thing to him; he'd never considered it assault.

"According to the Criminal Law's provisions on illegal detention, any act of beating constitutes an aggravating circumstance warranting a heavier penalty," the prosecutor said indifferently. "And the Public Order Administration Punishments Law clearly defines 'beating': intentionally harming another person's body in a public place is considered beating."

Generally speaking, the illegal act of beating is very common in daily life. Even between couples, friction is unavoidable. As long as it's an intentional act, it can constitute beating. In such situations, as long as the victim insists on pursuing the matter, the attacker must bear corresponding legal responsibility according to the severity of the case. Even a light pat on the arm, a slap to the face, or a kick... as long as there's evidence proving the act occurred, the perpetrator must bear legal responsibility. For injuries classified below 'minor,' public order administrative punishment, including detention, will be imposed. 'Minor injury' cases involve issues like compensation. 'Light injury' and 'serious injury' constitute the criminal offense of intentional injury.

But, ordinarily, many people, after being beaten, don't preserve evidence promptly or call the police. So this type of illegal act has always been overlooked.

"So... slapping someone is illegal too?" After listening, Chen Daoguang's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.

"Of course! Even if you hit your son, that's against the law!" the prosecutor stated sternly. "And while you were engaged in the criminal act of illegal detention, you committed an act of beating, which perfectly meets the criteria for an aggravating circumstance in illegal detention!"

This case was quite special. The Criminal Law specifically stipulates the egregious nature of beating during illegal detention. The judicial interpretation also doesn't specify the consequences of the beating. This means that as long as an act of beating occurs, regardless of the severity of the consequences, it should be considered an aggravating circumstance and punished severely.

Upon hearing this, Chen Daoguang froze. His gaze flickered, his expression dazed. It was unclear what he was thinking.

From the prosecutor's bench, a prosecutor continued, pointing at the evidence on the desk, "In these files, from the dispatch records of the town's police station, we learned that in November of last year, you gathered people to threaten and intimidate a Mr. Liu of Chen Family Village. This was because his son and your son had a quarrel over courting the village belle. At that time, the town's police station closed the case on the grounds that both parties had reached a private settlement."

This incident was something the prosecution had dug up overnight. Reportedly, the situation had been quite serious at the time. It wasn't until the police intervened that the conflict between the villagers was mediated. And the instigator was Chen Daoguang himself. Relying on his rural family connections and influence, he ran rampant in the local area, frequently bullying people from other villages.

"But... that case... we were just having a friendly discussion at the time..." Chen Daoguang snapped back to reality and hurriedly lifted his head to defend himself. The incident happened half a year ago; he remembered it clearly. At the time, simply to stand up for his son, he had taken more than a dozen people to the Liu Family's home to 'communicate.' Sure enough, the Liu Family had been so frightened they immediately capitulated.

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