Hui Zi’s mother was somewhat plump and her face showed signs of edema. She gasped for breath as she cried, and asked worriedly, "Hui Zi, what happened to your head? Why did you come here..."

"Mother, why are you here?" Hui Zi interrupted her impatiently, "You should go back, with your health, you shouldn’t be running around."

Hui Zi’s mother, crying, said, "I am not at ease about you. Come back with me, let’s not fight with them anymore."

Though she was Hui Zi’s mother, there was a tone of pleading when she spoke to Hui Zi, but sadly, Hui Zi was unmoved.

Bai Ruozhu looked on and shook her head silently. Hui Zi’s mother was in poor health, seemingly taking medicine often, yet Hui Zi acted without considering her mother’s well-being and feelings, which was very different from Fangzi.

When Fangzi didn’t want to marry Watanabe, she could have caused a scene, but she was worried about her mother’s health and didn’t want to scare her sick mother.

Yet Hui Zi, instead of living a good life, caused trouble outside, making her mother anxious about her.

Hui Zi’s mother continued to plead, and the Onlookers were beginning to feel pity. Hui Zi noticed this and quickly changed her demeanor, crying, "Mother, it’s not that I don’t want to leave. If I leave, how will our Family’s reputation hold? How can I let them tarnish my name like this? I refuse to believe in an unjust world, I must prove my innocence!"

Hey, it’s another display of righteous indignation, looking so sickening.

Bai Ruozhu sneered, pretending, these two-faced women love to pretend, let’s see how long she can keep this up.

At this moment, Hui Zi definitely wouldn’t leave. As soon as the letter arrived and the handwriting comparison showed differences, she could accuse the Young Master of publicly slandering her, and could also claim Bai Ruozhu had bribed him.

This was also her chance to overturn the verdict.

Hui Zi sneered inwardly, they surely wouldn’t expect her caution, who would write letters themselves leaving a handle for others?

The handwriting from both sides was submitted, and the officer found someone to verify it, quickly resulting in a conclusion.

Hui Zi was gloating, but when the results were announced, the smile on her face froze instantly.

"Reporting to the official, the handwriting from both parties is identical."

"Impossible!" Hui Zi shouted, the letter was written by the maid, how could it have the same handwriting as hers?

Luckily, she retained some sanity and didn’t shout this, otherwise, wouldn’t it be self-admittance?

"I don’t believe it, I never wrote it, sir, you’ve wronged me, they’re framing me!" Hui Zi panicked, what on earth happened?

The officer, raising the handwriting from both sides, said, "Look closely yourself, and let everyone see, lest they say I am biased toward the Zhongyuan envoy."

When Hui Zi saw the handwriting on that love letter, her eyes widened, it wasn’t the maid’s handwriting, it was hers!

How could this be? She clearly remembered she didn’t write it!

That’s right, it was handwriting imitation, they forged it, imitating her handwriting.

"Sir, this is a forgery, they imitated my handwriting, I really didn’t write it," Hui Zi cried out.

The Young master’s servant couldn’t help but speak, "Why would my young master want to slander you? You approached my young master several times before, I am a witness!"

The Young master suddenly slapped his Head, "How could I forget, you have a red birthmark on your shoulder, how could I know your birthmark if we hadn’t been intimate?"

"Ah..." Hui Zi’s mother cried out, her body going limp and fainting.

This was evidently from being caught by the Young Master, Hui Zi’s mother couldn’t bear the shock and fainted.

Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but sigh, Hui Zi’s mother was clearly different in temperament from her daughter, unaware of the things her daughter did, this would be a big blow to her.

Fortunately, there was a doctor in the Government Office, and Hui Zi’s mother was quickly revived.

The officer, feeling a headache, directly had someone send Hui Zi’s mother home, prohibiting her from watching at the Government Office. When Hui Zi’s mother left, she cried with deep sorrow, her eyes full of despair.

"I’ve heard that Hui Zi’s mother is in poor health, and she’s her only daughter, all their other children are concubines. We used to feel sympathy for Hui Zi because of this, but now on reflection, it’s her mother who is pitiful. What Hui Zi did must have been very disappointing for her," Fangzi said quietly.

"I wonder what fate awaits Hui Zi after today, would Watanabe still be willing to marry her," Bai Ruozhu said.

"She brought it upon herself." Fangzi said unkindly, having experienced much, she would not soften her heart easily anymore.

The crowd outside buzzed with noise, many pointed fingers at Hui Zi, calling her indiscreet for falsely accusing others. Hui Zi, on trial, screamed madly, claiming the letter wasn’t hers and she was being framed, yet no one listened to her.

The officer, unable to bear it, directly looked at Bai Ruozhu and asked, "What does Lord Bai think should be done about this matter?"

Bai Ruozhu smiled, "What does the Fusang Law say about falsely accusing others?"

"Depending on the severity, minor offenders receive twenty lashes, while major offenders are exiled to Withered Island, forced to labor for life," the officer replied.

"I am not a petty person, but the law cannot be abolished, or everyone could falsely accuse others without consequence, and the world would be in chaos. Fine, let’s go with the minor punishment," Bai Ruozhu said.

Sa Tian promptly translated Bai Ruozhu’s words and said them loudly in Fusang Language.

Many in the crowd nodded in agreement with Bai Ruozhu’s reasoning, and some praised Lord Bai’s generosity, saying they would have directly had Hui Zi exiled to labor as punishment.

Bai Ruozhu sneered inwardly, exile can be temporarily hindered, and once she left, Hui Zi’s family could secretly bring her back. Twenty lashes would be the more direct and satisfying punishment.

With Hui Zi’s pampered upbringing, twenty lashes would surely leave her skin torn and broken, leaving her bedridden for at least two months.

"Very well, Lord Bai is most magnanimous, truly admirable, let’s sentence the false accuser Hui Zi to twenty lashes!" the officer ordered, and the officer directly led Hui Zi to be punished.

With the first lash landing, Hui Zi screamed in agony, crying out, "I am wronged, master save me! Master save me!"

Bai Ruozhu chuckled, the "master" she called to must be She Zongyi, but unfortunately for her, She Zongyi wouldn’t save her. For a failure who bungled things, She Zongyi wouldn’t bother doing much for her. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Luckily, Hui Zi still possessed some sanity and didn’t shout She Zongyi’s name, or even if she left the Government Office, she wouldn’t last long.

After all twenty lashes were delivered, Hui Zi was on the brink of death, finally carried onto the horse carriage by the servants.

Even after she was on the horse carriage, many citizens outside pointed and commented, and some were so agitated they cursed her as a whore, with some even blocking the horse carriage from leaving.

The servants were so anxious they were nearly in tears, begging, "Please, let us through, we need to see the doctor for our lady, she’s lost so much blood, if not treated in time, what if she dies?"

"Such a whore’s death would be cleansing. Bringing shame to her Family and trying to frame the Zhongyuan envoy, destroying the relationship between Fusang and Zhongyuan, she deserves it!"