CH 18

Chapter 18: First Arc [17]

"Bang!" The teacup slammed forcefully into the television screen. As if it wasn't enough, fruits, fruit platters, vases...everything in sight was thrown at the TV screen.

"No way! Don't even think about it!" Yuan Manzhi screamed in a crazed state, "My son is dead and you still want a reduced sentence? You're dreaming! I'm telling you, you're dreaming!"

Yuan Manzhi was so hysterical that none of the servants dared to approach her. They looked at each other, bewildered, and hid in a corner, not daring to make a sound.

Just then, the butler walked in, furrowed his brows upon seeing the scene, and looked at the servants. "What are you all standing there for? Quickly clean up the living room. The young master is back."

Only then did the servants rush over to tidy up, getting hit several times by Yuan Manzhi in the process.

The butler said, "Madam, please calm down. The Young Master is back."

Yuan Manzhi stopped throwing things when she heard that Huo Sen was returning, but she remained seated on the sofa, crying and cursing Song Juyao.

When Huo Sen returned, he went upstairs without even glancing at Yuan Manzhi. Seeing this, she felt even more wronged and desolate and cried even louder.

"This is so unfair. I should go see His Majesty the King. Even he will take pity on me..."

At the mention of the King, Huo Sen finally reacted a bit and mocked, "How long has it been since the first seven?. Are you still mourning?"

The butler who followed behind him said, "Madam is watching the reality show on trials, and the young master's killer is receiving a lot of sympathy votes for reduced sentencing."

Oh? Huo Sen was a little surprised that someone could receive votes for injustice in this show. He suddenly remembered that not long ago, when he participated in the second round of the Cabinet Examination, Luo Chao had mentioned that the accused person seemed to have caused quite a controversy.

The butler said, "The master woke up once today and asked me about your performance in the second round of the Cabinet Examination and the mood of His Majesty."

Huo Sen withdrew his thoughts and said, "I passed the second round of the Cabinet Examination."

The butler's calm face suddenly showed a joyful expression, "That's great! Once you pass the third round, you will become an imperial official of His Majesty and will have the opportunity to serve him. If you are chosen as a 'Divine Envoy,' the Huo family will be elevated to the nobility!"

The Huo Sen family was already one of the wealthiest families, situated at the pinnacle of the social hierarchy. They are seemingly only a step away from the nobility, however, it was akin to a rift in the sky.

"When my father awakens, please inform him that the king's mood remains as sour as it was before." In truth, when Luo Chao saw the king in the palace,  he almost wet himself with fear. He turned deathly pale, only slightly more composed than Luo Chao.

"Yes."

Huo Sen entered the study room, and the moment the study door closed, he heard Yuan Manzhi's shrill howl. Unable to resist his curiosity, he pulled out his phone and opened a social media platform. He quickly searched for the relevant tag on the trending list and clicked on it.

Suddenly, a still of Song Juyao, cut from a live streaming platform, appeared and caught his attention. The girl in the picture was beautiful, with a gentle and sunny smile, and her eyes sparkled with starlight.

Huo Sen was stunned, and his heart began to beat slightly faster.

......

The program team.

"Director Tang, the number of petitions... has reached 650,000," the staff reported to Tang Shan.

Tang Shan sat in his chair, feeling as if he had reached a state of enlightened wisdom. Everything seemed dull and meaningless, and he didn't feel like speaking.

Although the current number of petitions, 650,000, was still far from the threshold of 50 million required for a sentence reduction, the highest number of votes any criminal had received on the show before today was only 560,000, accumulated over several episodes. In just the first episode, Song Juyao had already received more votes than anyone else.

Many people were moved to tears and felt the urge to vote for her, but due to various reasons they had yet to cast their votes. After all, each vote held weight, and Song Juyao's fate hung in their hands. Considering the feelings of the victim's family, not everyone could be swayed to cast such a vote with just one emotional moment.

–’When you make a decision, you're not just deciding one person's future, but the future of two families. This show is not a talent competition, so please make every decision carefully.’

This was the cautionary message that would be displayed in front of the viewers at the start of each episode.

Furthermore, there was still no answer to the fact that Song Juyao had spied on Jiang Baiqi. What if the tables turned? These "redress of grievances tickets" required viewers to purchase them using their own ID, credit points, and money.

It is precisely because these tickets hold such significance and are not easy to acquire that people value and use them cautiously.

But to accumulate so many votes in just the first episode, Song Juyao was truly… too impressive.

"I have a feeling that Song Juyao might receive a reduced sentence!" whispered a staff member.

"I actually secretly voted...... for her," admitted another.

"If she does indeed get a reduced sentence, how many years could be reduced?"

"That would depend on the court's discretion. If there's a strong reaction from netizens, she may receive a few more years off."

......

A reduced sentence?

The oil in the frying pan sizzled as the eggs cracked and hit the surface. The egg whites quickly solidified, releasing a delightful aroma into the air. The morning sun shone through the window, casting a soft glow on Song Juyao's face, giving her a serene and peaceful appearance.

【Good morning, Yaoyao!】

【Even having breakfast alone, you look so relaxed and seem to be thoroughly enjoying it.】

【I want a sandwich too!】

【Yaoyao is still beautiful today. Seeing her so motivated makes me want to study harder!】

【This is a court trial show, not a talent show. Don't treat it like one.】

【It's only the first episode and we still don't know what kind of person Song Juyao truly is or what her true intentions are. Let's wait and see.】

【We still don't know why she spied on Jiang Baiqi!】

As the toaster popped, Song Juyao slowly sliced the clean tomatoes into pieces, the silvery white knife surface reflected the shallow smile lingering on the corner of her mouth.

For some common criminals, 50 million votes to reach the discretionary sentence line may be enough as they have gained something, right? But how could she be satisfied? Not to mention she was sentenced to life imprisonment, so even if her sentence was reduced by 50 years, she would still have over a decade to serve. And if she lived longer, she would have to stay in prison even longer.

Her enemies would not let her spend those remaining years in jail peacefully either.

Fifty million votes can result in a sentence reduction, while one hundred million votes can trigger an investigation by His Majesty the King's own National Review Board, whose genius detectives can discern even the slightest clue no matter how much time has passed. And it only belongs to the King, and even the nobles are powerless to interfere, let alone the Huo family.

Song Juyao vividly remembered the events leading up to her encounter with Huo Hai, the rapist. She recalled signs of a party in the living room, a strange smell in the air, and some white powder on the sofa. She also remembered that Huo Hai was already mentally unstable before he laid a hand on her. Despite thinking all the time while being in the detention center, she couldn't understand how Huo Hai, who was tall and strong, fell down with just one push and died from the fall.

Was Huo Hai's death really caused by her push, or was it something else?

If it was as she suspected, the Huo family would be ruined.

Just keep watching me, folks.

The knife sliced diagonally, and the sandwich was ready.

Song Juyao took a bite and appeared satisfied with the taste, her eyes curved into a smile.

Song Wanwan came out of her room, biting a photo and playing with it. Song Juyao walked over, bent down to retrieve the photo from the cat's mouth, and gazed at the gloomy boy in the picture. Her smile grew even wider.

......

In the real world, the program group.

Qin Wei was scolded by Yuan Manzhi again, but now looking at Song Juyao's grievance redressal tickets, he finally felt a little uneasy. He called for a meeting with the assistant directors.

"It seems that we may have made the difficulty level too simple for her in this episode," Qin Wei said. "Her popularity is already high enough, and her development is too smooth. The audience will feel dissatisfied. This is not a reality show or an idol audition, but a program to judge and question her soul. She is not an idol star, but a murderer!"

"What do you mean?" Song Juyao was indeed proving to be completely beyond their control.

"From now on, we will command the real NPCs to act. At the same time, we will also arrange for more real NPCs to go in. If there are no difficulties, we will create difficulties for her!"

Qin Wei didn't believe that if a group of people calculated and designed her, they still wouldn't be able to bring her down!