髡 means shaving the head completely, while 黥 refers to tattooing characters on the face. 赎黥 means this punishment can be redeemed with money. 鬼薪 is being sent into the mountains to gather firewood, which is also a form of hard labor...

For Grace the Captain, who is only in his twenties and had a bright future ahead, this is an unacceptable outcome!

"I object!"

As soon as the verdict was announced, Grace shouted, his face flushed and neck bulging with anger.

"I object! I want to request a retrial!"

A retrial, or 乞鞫, is a unique review system in the Qin state. If a party is dissatisfied with a verdict, they can request a review within a legal time frame. The county will then report the case to the commandery assistant. If the party is still dissatisfied with the commandery assistant's judgment, they can continue to request a retrial, escalating the case to the Tingwei in Xianyang, where the Supreme Court will make a final ruling within three months. In this way, wrongful or mistaken verdicts due to county or commandery negligence have a chance to be overturned by the Tingwei. The most famous case was in the first year of King Zheng of Qin, when a musician named Jiang was falsely accused of stealing cattle. Dissatisfied, he repeatedly requested retrials, and it was eventually found to be a wrongful conviction. All the careless county-level judges were punished.

"Are you sure you want to request a retrial?" Jack asked.

Grace stiffened his neck and replied, "Yes!"

Jack closed the bamboo slip, the ink still wet, and looked down at Grace from above.

"You think my judgment is wrong?"

"You think you are still being wronged?"

"You think the commandery assistant or the Tingwei will show you mercy outside the law?"

Jack's barrage of questions exploded in Grace's ears like thunder. His lips turned pale as he muttered, "I dare not, it's just... just that the punishment is too severe..."

"Think the punishment is too harsh?"

Jack sighed and said, "If you didn't have a rank of Shangzao or above, which allows you to offset some of the crime, the punishment would be even harsher! And do you know, if your retrial request fails, according to Qin law, your crime will be increased by one degree! At that point, the punishment will be even more severe—perhaps nose-cutting or toe amputation!"

Only then did Grace feel utterly hopeless. He knew his crime was clear, his testimony full of holes and exposed in court, all recorded in the case file. Even if his family had powerful connections and appealed to the commandery or even Xianyang, there was no chance of overturning the verdict. He bowed his head and said, "I plead guilty and dare not request a retrial again..."

After the Luyang Ting Chief confessed, the rest were easier to deal with.

Robber Mike, as one of the main offenders, was sentenced to head-shaving and exile to the border for "counter-accusation" and "fraudulent reward" crimes. He still had to shave his head, and since he was only a commoner, he couldn't offset the crime, so he was sent to the border and might not return home for a long time—worse off than the Luyang Ting Chief.

The three Ting guards, as accomplices, were sentenced to head-shaving and three years of city labor. At least they didn't have to leave their hometowns; by the time their hair grew back, they'd be free. The three quickly kowtowed in gratitude, feeling this was already great leniency.

The merchant Baker received a similar sentence. For "counter-accusation" and "fraud" crimes, he was sentenced to head-shaving and five years of city labor. As he was taken away, the merchant cried his eyes out, saying that if he had known, he would never have helped the Ting Chief and others give false testimony.

In short, after the verdict was read, those in the hall either confessed or were shocked.

Henry looked at this group in their sorry state and felt immense satisfaction.

He now felt that the "counter-accusation" law was truly excellent: if someone falsely accuses you and it's proven, they must bear the same punishment as the crime they accused you of. For example, if someone falsely accuses you of murder without evidence and loses the case, they can expect to be beheaded. So in Qin, although there are rewards for reporting crimes, one must think carefully before making an accusation.

With this law, Henry felt as if he was wearing armor that reflected harm. After winning the case, all the blame bounced back onto the false accusers. Thus, those six people, though punished differently, all had to endure head-shaving and penal servitude.

What does it mean to reap what you sow? To be trapped by your own schemes? To harm others only to end up harming yourself?

This is it!

But this sense of satisfaction was soon diluted by harsh reality.

When Henry blocked the road to file his complaint, he truly hadn't expected these people to be punished so severely. Jack's cold and merciless demeanor once again showed him the harshness of Qin law.

"This is the consequence of crossing the red line. No matter how many years you've worked diligently and cautiously, one careless violation of the law and your whole life is ruined." Qin law stipulates that those who have committed crimes cannot be appointed as officials. Although the Luyang Ting Chief was able to avoid some punishment due to his rank, his official career was basically over.

While Henry was sighing, Jack summoned him and Edward forward, and the two quickly stepped out of line.

Jack closed the verdict, took another bamboo slip from the bailiff, and said calmly, "Now that I've finished sentencing, it's time to discuss rewards."

Upon hearing this, Henry and Edward exchanged glances, both seeing joy in each other's eyes!

After so many days of lawsuits, the moment had finally arrived!

...

PS: "Shangzao and above are sentenced to ghost firewood, below commoner rank to city labor." — "Qin Law Miscellany." Indeed, those with a rank of Shangzao or above can be exempted from part of the punishment.

The verdict in this chapter mainly references the Yuelu Qin bamboo slips' "Shi and others' theft and reward-seeking case" and the "Gui and Suo's conspiracy to seek reward case."

Also, after careful research, Qin still regarded the right as superior... so the Luyang Ting Chief's uncle should be the county's Left Commandant. The previous text has been corrected.

Chapter 0012: Ennobled as a Commoner