Before Long, Sister Xiang walked into the court. She shivered when she heard the news.
You devil, didn’t you promise not to hold a court hearing? Why did you change your mind?
The office attendant had told her what happened in advance. She learned that the county magistrate was pressed to hold the court hearing because Xiao Baoshan had beaten the drum.
Sister Xiang tried her best to calm down. Anyway, Lai Er was dead. Unless Xiao Baoshan had found the killers, no one could prove that she was the instigator. Fortunately, the killers she had hired didn’t leave any evidence for Xiao Baoshan to find.
As she had anticipated, the killers didn’t appear in court. Her confidence was boosted. Now that the killers had not been found, she wouldn’t be condemned as the instigator, no matter how many witnesses Xiao Baoshan found. She was at most a suspect.
Then, another complicated round of questioning began. Throughout the process, the county magistrate intended to cover up for Sister Xiang and she refused to plead guilty. In the end, he concluded that Lai Er might have been the poisoner, but no decisive evidence proved that Sister Xiang was behind it. He added that Ye Xiaoxian, instead, might be the real one behind the plot.
Even though there were shouts of disapproval, the case was wound up in a rather slipshod fashion with the lack of evidence. When the trial was over, Xiao Baoshan stared coldly at the county magistrate and all the other people in the court. His fists were firmly clenched.
…
Although the case had made a stir in the county, it was just like a stone thrown into a peaceful lake. The ripples soon faded. People would not know that the pharmacy owner was threatened and the pub owner was beaten on his way home days later.
After the hearing, Xiao Baoshan wanted to break Ye Xiaoxian out of the prison right away and get far away from this filthy place. But he thought he should listen to Ye Xiaoxian’s opinions first. Therefore, he went to the prison.
Ye Xiaoxian looked like she was wasting away after spending days in prison. Her swollen eyes suggested she hadn’t enjoyed a delicious meal or a sound sleep in days. Xiao Baoshan’s heart ached as he saw her pale face and he felt an urge to twist open the bars.
“My love, come with me, away from here!” Xiao Baoshan said firmly, his hands grasping the bars. Once she agreed, he would immediately smash the door open without much effort. But she shook her head in disapproval.
Indeed it was easy for Xiao Baoshan to take her out of the prison and flee far away. She knew he was capable of it. However, they would then become wanted fugitives. It was not worthwhile to escape for the rest of their lives just because of such a trivial matter.
Besides, they should consider their family. Li Hongmei, Xiao Baofeng and Xiao Baozhu. Li Hongmei, stricken in years, needed more peace than adventure. Xiao Baofeng had been learning well at school. Xiao Baozhu was in an awkward position in the Wong family and would be mocked if they ran away.
“Baoshan, I don’t want to go. I’m innocent. We can appeal to the provincial governor, to the capital. I must protest my innocence. I won’t let this despicable county magistrate hoodwink the public!”
“Little Ye…” Xiao Baoshan knew what she was thinking, but he didn’t have the heart to see her suffering in here.