Ni Xian stared at his father in disbelief, unable to understand why he would say such things. To him, this was the greatest humiliation! Publicly admitting fault to a Cold Gate student and receiving thirty lashes was enough to turn Ni Xian into the laughingstock of Ning'an County's gentry. From then on, his prestige would be utterly ruined, and hardly anyone would follow his lead again.
His former glory would be gone forever.
Yet Ni Xian did not dare say a word. He could only grit his teeth and curse endlessly in his heart.
Many outside the courtroom could not understand Ni Kuo's words. How had he changed so quickly?
Ni Kuo's wife cursed under her breath, her heart aching terribly for her son, but she no longer dared rush inside and make a scene.
Fang Yun looked coldly at Ni Kuo and asked, "In this courtroom, I am supreme. How the case is judged is for me to decide. No one may overstep their bounds and act in my place!"
The moment Fang Yun spoke, the defendants and all their family members felt their hearts sink to the bottom.
The punishment Ni Kuo had proposed was already severe enough, yet Fang Yun showed no sign of accepting it. Clearly, he had no intention of handling the matter leniently. Thus, Fang Yun's intentions were self-evident!
The atmosphere at the scene turned strange, and everyone realized this case would not end easily!
The Tian father and son were baffled.
"Tian Lu, stand up," Fang Yun said.
"Yes, my lord." Tian Lu wiped away his tears and stood bare-chested.
Many looked at Tian Lu with pity, for there were far too many wounds on his body. Fortunately, he was a Licentiate; otherwise, he might already have been crippled.
"Do you remember where