"You don't need to worry about catching the Demon, I'll report it to His Majesty." Bai Ruozhu saw his concern and gave him a dose of reassurance.
"Very well, then I'm relieved." The magistrate said, "Kong Er gave false testimony and showed contempt for the Public Hall. By rights he should be given thirty strokes of the cane, but I see you still have some conscience, and this is your first offense, so I'll spare you this once. Leave, quickly."
Then he looked at Madam Sun. "You hired a killer to commit murder, and the one you tried to murder is an officer of the Imperial Court. That makes your crime even more serious. On top of that, you indirectly caused the death of innocent civilians. I absolutely cannot sentence you lightly."
When Madam Sun saw that nothing happened to Kong Er, she finally let out a breath. Prostrating on the ground, she said, "My lord, this common woman was foolish and committed a grave mistake. I am willing to accept punishment."
