Chapter 1497: Justice Will Not Be Absent

In Matou Town Government, no one dared to talk about those rumors anymore, not even in private; Su Xinghui's prestige in Matou Town was evident.

After all, it was only because of Su Xinghui's arrival that Matou Town had become prosperous today; the town government staff's incomes had increased dramatically, and everyone had seen Su Xinghui's personal integrity and character—such a capable, principled, and kind superior could hardly fail to command high prestige.

Su Xinghui had already lost his temper over this matter; who would dare pull the tiger's whiskers at this moment? Moreover, everyone understood these rumors were baseless; others spreading them might be understandable, but those who spent every day with Su Xinghui repeating such things were simply pointless.

Although the rumors in the town government had gradually faded, Du Fangfang's mood remained poor; these days she hadn't spoken much to Su Xinghui, and every night after dinner she locked herself in her dormitory, no longer bringing him food or washing his clothes and sheets.

Su Xinghui was relieved, and he too had considered transferring Du Fangfang—but now wasn't the right time; the rumors were still spreading through the county, and as the central figure of those rumors, transferring her anywhere would be inappropriate and might inflict a second wound.

Originally, Su Xinghui had planned to transfer Du Fangfang to the county government; he could have asked Ling Anguo, who would surely help him, giving Du Fangfang a better outcome. But since the rumors originated there, if she were transferred now, people would still point and whisper—better to leave her in Matou Town Government.

Several days after Ren Hualin and the other three were transferred to Changshan County Gongan Bureau, they finally spoke up; Lou Guangming was the first to admit that their sexual encounter with He Xiaofeng had occurred without her consent, and they had forcibly gang-raped her.

He Xiaofeng had screamed for help, but their room had excellent soundproofing, and she was the only service worker on the entire floor, so no one heard; afterward, Zhang Meng had slipped her a thousand yuan, but she threw it back.

After Lou Guangming spoke, the others each confessed in turn, admitting their violent acts.

The facts left them no choice but to speak: forensic examination confirmed He Xiaofeng was still a virgin before the gang rape, and her body bore multiple bruises from struggle; combined with her suicide letter, all evidence pointed squarely to forced sexual assault by the five.

If they had remained detained at Liulin District Gongan Bureau, they could have stubbornly denied everything, since no one would pressure them—but now they were in Changshan County Gongan Bureau, and Xie Linsheng had sent his most experienced interrogators; faced with such ironclad evidence, how could they possibly justify themselves?

Most importantly, after being transferred to Changshan County Gongan Bureau, they lost all outside contact, losing their psychological support; each day they lived in constant dread, unsure what had happened to their families, and under such conditions, they naturally broke down.

The funniest part was, after they spoke, they began blaming each other, each claiming they were manipulated by the others and that someone else was the mastermind; clearly, after being detained so long, they understood the policy well enough to know they couldn't be the main culprit. But who was the mastermind, and in what order the assaults occurred—once all their statements were combined, everything became clear.

After obtaining their confessions, Xie Linsheng exhaled deeply; honestly, in his many years as a police officer, this case's facts were extremely simple—anyone could see the truth at a glance—but it was also the most difficult case he'd ever handled.

They had endured countless obstacles, all of which blocked their path to the truth; these forces had prevented them from uncovering it, but now, having finally cleared all resistance and obtained the truth, the wronged soul would find solace—and this sense of accomplishment deeply satisfied Xie Linsheng.

When Xie Linsheng brought the confessions to Xue Xingyuan, Xue Xingyuan also exhaled deeply; honestly, since the He Xiaofeng case began, Xue Xingyuan had faced unprecedented pressure, because these suspects were all sons of his superiors; his determination to pursue this case meant unimaginable resistance and pressure.

Every day the case dragged on without resolution, Xue Xingyuan's pressure grew heavier; it had already been nearly a month, and if he couldn't obtain confessions now, he didn't know if he could endure the pressure any longer. Now that the confessions were secured, Xue Xingyuan could finally ease some of his burden.

Of course, after sentencing these five scumbags, Xue Xingyuan would face other pressures—he would still have to work alongside those superiors, who harbored bitter hatred toward him; how he navigated those relationships would test his wisdom.

During the current crackdown, adhering to the principle of harsh and swift punishment, the case file was quickly submitted to the procuratorate, prosecution was filed, and trial was swiftly held in court.

On the day of the trial, all relatives of Su Xinghui, Du Fangfang, and Cao Jinguai attended the hearing; after deliberation, the court sentenced Ren Hualin and Zhang Meng to death with reprieve for two years, Ye Jun and Zhang Yong to life imprisonment, and Lou Guangming to twenty years' fixed-term imprisonment.

Among them, Zhang Meng had proposed the gang rape and lured He Xiaofeng into the room—he was the mastermind; Ren Hualin was the first to assault her, so they received the harshest sentences; Ye Jun and Zhang Yong's acts were also extremely heinous; Lou Guangming was the last to assault her, incited by the others, and his confession was the most cooperative, so he received the lightest sentence.

During the crackdown, their sentences were already relatively lenient, reflecting the judicial system's reflection after the 1983 crackdown; now courts were far more cautious about imposing death sentences.

Upon hearing the verdicts, the five scumbags collapsed to the floor; though not sentenced to immediate death, the thought of spending decades in prison made their lives seem utterly bleak—but this was the punishment they deserved.

Cao Jinguai burst into loud sobs in court; actually, since returning home, she hadn't cried like this before; she had spent every day burying her pain in hard work, but now, hearing that the scumbags who harmed her daughter had received their due punishment, she could no longer hold back—her sobs were an emotional release.

Cao Jinguai's two daughters and son embraced their mother, weeping uncontrollably; Du Fangfang wept beside them—this scene moved everyone.

Su Xinghui stood to the side, his emotions complex, watching them weep; he did not go to comfort them, for he knew all words of consolation were hollow and powerless—this kind of weeping was the best release; only through such tears could their pain be expelled, preventing it from festering inside.

He had thought he'd feel joy upon hearing the verdict, but in truth, he felt no joy; no matter how harsh the sentence, the dead were gone, never to return, and this pain would forever remain etched in the victims' families' hearts.

Of course, a severe sentence was still necessary—it was a victory, a victory of justice and righteousness; no matter how twisted the path, it had ultimately proven that justice may be late, but it never fails to arrive.

Cao Jinguai's family wept for over ten minutes before their cries gradually subsided; Su Xinghui walked over and said, "Sister Jinguai, let me take you all home."

But Cao Jinguai suddenly knelt before Su Xinghui, and her three children followed her down; before Su Xinghui could react, they began kowtowing.

Su Xinghui hurriedly helped each of them up, but they had already kowtowed several times; he said, "Sister Jinguai, this is too much!"

Cao Jinguai said, "Secretary Su, I know that without you, Xiao Feng would have died in vain; we'd gladly serve you as oxen and horses for the rest of our lives!"

Su Xinghui said, "This case couldn't have been resolved by me alone; many others also wanted to uphold justice and righteousness, so Sister Jinguai, you don't need to thank just me. I'm just glad your family can live well from now on."

While the trial was underway, the fathers of the five scumbags sat silently in Ren Guisheng's office; they did not attend the trial but chose instead to sit in Ren Guisheng's office, smoking one cigarette after another; five heavy smokers filled the large office with smoke so thick their faces were barely visible.

After the trial ended, the phone on Ren Guisheng's desk rang; he picked it up, listened in silence, then hung up without a word.

He told the others the verdict in a hoarse voice; Zhang Shiqing shouted, "Appeal! Appeal! Why was my little Meng sentenced so harshly?"

The others glared at him with hatred; if not for his son Zhang Meng, the mastermind, their own children would never have committed such acts—in fathers' eyes, their own sons were always the best, the most obedient.