The Courtyard House: Xu Damao's Aunt is the Queen of Women

7:55 a.m.

Liu Hao and Ye Juan arrived at the factory right on time, parked their car, and walked into the office building side by side.

Ye Juan went upstairs to the publicity department, while Liu Hao turned a corner and went into the finance department office.

"Good morning, Chunli, Lan, Zhang, Master Yan, Lei, and Xiaomeng!"

After exchanging greetings, Liu Hao noticed that Zhong Chunli, Yan Kai, Lei Zhenghe, and others looked like they hadn't slept well, with bloodshot eyes. He asked in confusion, "Sister Chunli, did you guys work overtime last night?"

Yu Lanfen raised an eyebrow and said, "Not only did you work overtime, but you worked until seven o'clock this morning."

Goodness, did they finish checking the accounts overnight?

Zhong Chunli yawned and said with a smile, "The accounts are checked. Yang Xingguo embezzled a total of more than 510,000 yuan, Sha Zhu stole more than 13,000 yuan worth of materials, Wei Chenggong from the Supply Department, Wen Zhengxi from the Equipment Department, Secretary Zhou, Yang Weimin and others were involved in the embezzlement. The procuratorate has formally approved the arrest, and the verdict will be announced in a week or two at most."

"Yang Xingguo's execution is a foregone conclusion, Sha Zhu will serve for twenty years, and Li Huaide will serve as the acting factory director."

Holy crap, is Zhu Zi going to get the maximum sentence? How old will he be when he gets out?

Forty-nine!

It would be better to be sentenced to life imprisonment and stay in jail until the end, so he can live a comfortable old age, than to freeze to death in the snow and be torn apart by wild dogs.

"The net of heaven is vast, its meshes are wide, yet nothing escapes it; these scoundrels deserve their fate!"

"Alright, Xiao Hao, you'll be in charge of the finance department today. Go and bring the ledgers back from the meeting room. Master Yan and I will rest."

Zhong Chunli couldn't hold on any longer. After saying that, she stood up, picked up her bag, and walked out.

Yen Kai-lei and Zheng He followed along, yawning constantly, wanting nothing more than to go home and sleep.

The four people left in the office, Yu Lanfen, Zhang Qin, He Xiaomeng, and Liu Hao, stared at each other blankly.

Liu Hao laughed and said, "Let's go, let's go and move the account books down."

……

No. 21, Paoju Hutong, cell number 12.

This is the Dongcheng District Public Security Bureau Detention Center, commonly known as the "Cannon Bureau".

The prison cell, built of blue bricks, was cramped and narrow, about ten square meters in size. It had a wooden door with iron edging, a small observation window at the top, and a food delivery opening at the bottom. Behind the door was an iron fence.

The wooden planks laid against the wall were worn smooth, the squat toilet in the corner was unobstructed, there was only a tall window with thick iron bars, and a 15-watt light bulb hung from the ceiling, its light dim and constant. The walls were mottled and covered with messy writing.

Sha Zhu slumped in the corner, his eyes red and swollen from crying. His already aged face was now creased with wrinkles, making him look disheveled, weathered, and defeated.

Twenty years!!!

On the way to the detention center last night, Shi Jialiang, an officer from the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry's Security Department who was escorting him, told him some terrible news that was hard to accept and unacceptable!

If he can return 13123 yuan to the steel mill within a month, his sentence can be reduced to ten years! Otherwise, he will receive the maximum sentence of twenty years!

Moreover, Shi Jialiang also gave him legal education.

The standard maximum term of imprisonment is fifteen years, but in special circumstances, such as counter-revolutionary crimes or major corruption, the term can be extended to twenty years upon approval.

His case constitutes serious embezzlement, and he will almost certainly be sentenced to twenty years!

Twenty years!!! How many twenty-year periods does one have in a lifetime?

Sha Zhu's mentality collapsed, his defenses crumbled, and he regretted that he shouldn't have been so kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see people suffer. In order to help his poor neighbors, he went to take supplies from the kitchen.

I should be more selfish, more indifferent, and be the bad guy instead of being a pushover!

Where am I supposed to find 13123 yuan?

Sha Zhu racked his brains all night, but still had no clue, and his mentality became even more broken.

He couldn't even scrape together 130, let alone 13,000. He wouldn't even be worth that much if he sold him by weight.

What should I do?

If he doesn't lose money within a month, he'll have to spend twenty years in prison!

He'll be 49 when he's released from prison... no, whether he'll even live to see his release is still uncertain.

Because going to jail isn't about eating and drinking for free; you have to do all sorts of hard labor.

A prisoner like him, sentenced to twenty years, would most likely be sent to a remote area, such as Xinjiang or the Great Northern Wilderness... Just thinking about it makes one's scalp tingle and hair stand on end!

Sha Zhu leaned against the wall, tears welling in his eyes, so desperate and broken that he wanted to end his life.

Oh, heavens... how cruel you are to me!

……

Meanwhile, the Dongcheng District Court.

In the cold and solemn courtroom, Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old woman, looking listless, sat side by side in the dock. There were only a few people in the audience, with He Yushui and Li Meihua sitting in the front chairs.

"Court is now in session!"

Judge Song Zhengqi struck the gavel and said in a deep voice, "Court is now in session! The trial of Yi Zhonghai and Long Ziqing is hereby initiated for charges of extortion, violation of freedom of communication, and embezzlement."

The deaf old woman, Yi Zhonghai, shuddered and almost urinated.

Prosecutor Wei Zhengyi stood up and said loudly: "On May 20, 1951, the two defendants extorted RMB 5 million from the first set of Renminbi by threatening He Daqing with forged official documents, forcing him to leave Beijing, which constitutes the crime of extortion."

"From June 1951 to December 1963, the two intercepted letters and living expenses totaling RMB 1,680 sent by He Daqing to his daughter He Yushui, illegally concealing other people's communications and misappropriating other people's property, and were respectively guilty of infringing on freedom of communication and misappropriation."

"The above facts are supported by remittance receipts, intercepted letters, and the victim's statement; the evidence is conclusive!"

Song Zhengqi looked at Yi Zhonghai: "Defendant Yi Zhonghai, do you plead guilty to the three charges and facts of the crime brought against you by the prosecutor?"

Yi Zhonghai raised his head, his face somber, and offered no excuses.

With ample evidence, making excuses will only increase the sentence and will serve no purpose whatsoever.

"I admit, everything is true, there's nothing more to say."

Wei Zhengyi stated, "The two defendants committed crimes together for twelve years, the circumstances of which were egregious, causing He Yushui to live in long-term poverty and destitution, and to harbor hatred towards her father, He Daqing, for twelve years. We earnestly request the court to severely punish them according to the law!"

Song Zhengqi nodded and looked at the deaf old woman.

"Defendant Long Ziqing, what is your defense regarding the charges and the facts alleged against you?"

The deaf old woman's eyes flickered as she looked at Yi Zhonghai, then at Song Zhengqi on the high platform. Her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

"I... Yi Zhonghai took the money, and he also collected the letters. I didn't take a single penny!"

"The defendant, Long Ziqing,"

Wei Zhengyi immediately retorted: "The victim, He Daqing, stated that you were the one who first extorted 4000 yuan from him. Yi Zhonghai stated that you also participated multiple times in intercepting the letters and money, and that the stolen money was jointly kept by the two of you. It's not as you claim that you didn't dare to take more!"

The deaf old woman's face turned deathly pale instantly. She slumped into the defendant's seat, unable to utter another word in her defense.

The courtroom was silent, save for the howling north wind outside the window.

After a brief, hushed discussion with the judges on either side, Song Zhengqi picked up the case file, slammed it shut, and slammed his gavel down.

"The verdict is now announced!"

Yi Zhonghai was so nervous that his whole body went numb and he trembled uncontrollably. The deaf old woman gripped the hem of her cotton-padded coat tightly, her breathing so rapid that she seemed to be unable to breathe, and her cloudy eyes were filled with fear.

"The defendant, Yi Zhonghai, is guilty of extortion, infringement of freedom of communication, and embezzlement. He is to be convicted of all three crimes concurrently. The amount of money he extorted was enormous, he withheld child support payments for minors for an extended period, the crimes were prolonged, his motives were malicious, and he seriously infringed upon the legitimate rights and interests of the victims. Given that he voluntarily pleaded guilty in court without offering any defense or excuses, in accordance with the 1951 Anti-Corruption Act and relevant judicial trial guidelines, he is sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment and sent to a labor reform facility to serve his sentence!"

boom!!!

Song Zhengqi's authoritative and loud voice struck Yi Zhonghai like a thunderclap.

Ten...fifteen years? ??