The Beautiful County Magistrate
Chapter 158: A Confrontation in Court!

Chapter 158: Chapter 158: A Confrontation in Court!

The incident at the County Government spread swiftly; in no time, nearly everyone in Jiang City’s official circles knew and discussed it.

Centered in the whirlwind at the County Government Building, each individual was extra vigilant about this affair.

"Listen, what’s the real story here, did Director Xu actually use his power to coerce that beauty in Qingshan Town and extort bribes? If that’s true, that man’s got some nerve, to even think of committing such atrocity, he’s totally lawless."

"Are you dumb or what? Li Zhu is the Party Secretary of Qingshan Town; would he dare go to the City Disciplinary Inspection Committee and report on Xu Qianli without solid evidence? This seems 99% true to me! I just didn’t see it coming; Xu Qianli looks all prim and proper on the outside but turns out to be scum. Just last month, I walked past him and he deliberately glanced at me; don’t tell me he took a fancy to me too?"

"Big Sister Liu, take a look at yourself, let alone Director Xu, I bet even your husband isn’t into you anymore, so stop flattering yourself. But I think this whole thing is a setup. Director Xu’s been wronged. Just look at his ex-girlfriend, how beautiful she was. And I heard he’s now holding hands with the daughter of the County Party Secretary Ge, Ge Pingping, a top-tier beauty. He’s got such high standards; how could he stoop so low to force himself on women in Qingshan Town? If he really was that type of person, there are so many attractive women in the County Government Building, why haven’t we heard of him harassing any of them?"

"That’s what I think too; I don’t buy it that Director Xu is that type of person..."

The staff at the County Government were all talking at once without reaching any conclusions, but everyone had one clear thing in mind.

Today it appeared to be a public trial for Xu Qianli, to see whether he was guilty or not.

But even a blind person could see that it was Zhang Kuisan, Zeng Changyun, and Ding Biao, the three Deputy County Magistrates, picking a fight with Lan Qianrong under the guise of Xu Qianli’s issue.

Lan Qianrong had just arrived in Jiang City and already lacked any significant connections, with only Xu Qianli under her command.

If the allegations Li Zhu reported against Xu Qianli were confirmed today, not only would Xu Qianli be done for, but Lan Qianrong would be in for it too. With her authority completely undermined, she could forget about staying in her seat as the County Magistrate. She would be out before long.

As everyone watched on, representatives from the County Committee, the County Disciplinary Committee, and the County Public Security Bureau arrived.

After some time, the Party Secretary of Qingshan Town Li Zhu, the Director of the Women’s Federation Li Xiuhong, the Deputy Director of the Women’s Federation Li Xiuli, and a temporary worker of the Party Committee of Qingshan Town, Li Xiaoju, reached the County Government.

With everyone present, the public inquiry began immediately; all headed to the grand hall of the County Government.

Not only the parties involved in the case but all the staff from the County Government and people from various county offices could also come to witness the commotion; the venue soon filled up.

As the Jiang City County Secretary and the chief of Jiang City’s official scene, Ge Changhong made the opening remarks.

Ge Changhong declared that Li Zhu’s report against Xu Qianli was a significant matter for Jiang City which must be handled with the utmost seriousness. The situation needed to be clarified quickly, discipline enforced, and the ranks reorganized, to ensure that no malign influence continued to wreak havoc within the organization.

Then, he announced that representatives from the Disciplinary Committee and the Ministry of Public Security would publicly investigate the accusations made by Li Zhu against Xu Qianli.

People from the Disciplinary Committee and the Ministry of Public Security immediately interrogated Li Zhu.

In front of everyone, Li Zhu spoke vehemently and with great indignation, accusing Xu Qianli of his crimes, speaking with such conviction; it was as if Xu Qianli really had committed heinous acts.

Following Li Zhu were Li Xiuhong and Li Xiuli, the Director and Deputy Director of the Women’s Federation, who tearfully recounted how Xu Qianli had harassed them when he visited Qingshan Town.

One claimed Xu Qianli had kissed her on the lips and groped her chest; the other accused him of touching her leg and lifting her skirt. Overcome with emotion, they both began to cry, the two sisters holding each other and sobbing.

When it was Li Xiaoju’s turn to speak, she became extremely agitated, crying and accusing Xu Qianli. She said that Xu Qianli pounced on her as soon as he saw her, ripped off her clothes forcefully, and raped her for a full two or three hours, tormenting her several times and even forcing her, despite her exhaustion, to help him clean up the mess afterward. If she showed any resistance, he would slap her.

After hearing the accusations of several people, the crowd in the conference hall was outraged, muttering curses under their breath and calling Xu Qianli a bastard, no better than pigs or dogs.

Even those who usually thought well of Xu Qianli and had a very good impression of him were gnashing their teeth in anger.

Zhang Kuisan was even more indignant, slamming the table and loudly demanding what Xu Qianli had to say for himself.

Throughout it all, Xu Qianli remained calm, smoking his cigarette leisurely, and treated the accusations and curses as if he hadn’t heard them.

Seeing his attitude, the crowd became even more furious, many standing up and pointing fingers at him, cursing him loudly.

The situation was getting out of control, escalating further and further when Ge Changhong shouted, "Quiet, everybody quiet down! Xu Qianli, regarding the accusations from Li Zhu and the others, do you have anything to say? Do you admit to their accusations?"

"Of course I don’t admit it!" Xu Qianli replied.

Li Zhu angrily retorted, "You think you can just dismiss all the terrible things you’ve done in Qingshan Town with just a simple denial?"

"You claim I’ve done so many terrible things, so I’d like to ask you, do you have any evidence?"

"Be it video recordings, audio recordings, biological evidence, or even fingerprints on their bodies, feel free to present it all."

"Li Xiuhong, Li Xiuli, didn’t you two say I kissed and groped you all over? Then your bodies should be covered with my fingerprints and saliva, didn’t you go to the police to collect evidence?"

"Li Xiaoju, you claim I raped you as soon as I approached, you must have struggled fiercely, so you surely have many injuries and my biological evidence on you. Did you go to collect it from the police?"

"As for you, Li Zhu, you say I took bribes, what evidence do you have? Videos, recordings, or chat logs, you should be able to produce something as proof."

Xu Qianli said all this nonchalantly, thinking to himself, so you’re all framing me. Well, I, Xu Qianli, will just deal with you slowly and watch as you reveal your true colors one by one!

Li Zhu was momentarily stumped, for he had none of those things, and instinctively, he glanced over at Zhang Kuisan.

Zhang Kuisan glared back at Li Zhu fiercely, thinking, Damn it, at this critical moment why are you looking at me, as if it’s not clear enough that I’m the one who instructed you!

It was Li Xiuhong who reacted quickly, sobbing and saying, "We sisters were just too foolish at the time. After being bullied, we felt dirty and ran to take showers."

Li Xiuli nodded vigorously, "That’s exactly what happened."

Li Xiaoju also caught on quickly, coming up with an excuse.

"That beast Xu Qianli used contraceptives, and afterward he took everything with him, so I don’t have any biological evidence. But the fact that he raped me is absolutely true!"

"Please, Secretary of the County Committee, and everyone from the Disciplinary and Public Security departments, please see to it that justice is served, and don’t let him get away with this!"