"This court finds that the defendants, Chen Ping and Xie Lianqing, clearly intended to seize the lottery ticket. Their actions have been established, the chain of evidence is complete, and the facts are clear. They are in violation of Article 270 of the Criminal Law and are guilty of embezzlement.

Chen Ping is hereby sentenced to three years and six months of fixed-term imprisonment; Xie Lianqing is hereby sentenced to three years of fixed-term imprisonment.

After seizing the lottery ticket, the two changed its ownership and fraudulently claimed the prize money at the lottery center. This act was egregious, involving an exceptionally large sum, and violated Article 194 of the Criminal Law, constituting the crime of negotiable instrument fraud.

Chen Ping is hereby sentenced to eleven years of fixed-term imprisonment; Xie Lianqing is hereby sentenced to eleven years of fixed-term imprisonment.

In accordance with the principle of cumulative punishment for multiple offenses, Chen Ping is sentenced to a total of fourteen years and six months of fixed-term imprisonment, and Xie Lianqing to fourteen years. Additionally, they are ordered to return 7,270,000 yuan in prize money to the plaintiff, Qin Mu, and pay civil compensation totaling 80,000 yuan.

Within fifteen days, if this verdict is not accepted, an application for a retrial or an appeal to a higher court may be filed."

The solemn voice echoed throughout the courtroom.

At the defendants' bench, upon hearing the verdict, Chen Ping and Xie Lianqing collapsed, completely drained. All they could see was a bleak future.

"No, that's not right! Why is it still 7.27 million?" Xie Lianqing shook his head frantically, still fixated on the compensation amount.

"I object!"

"Prize money is subject to tax! Even if we hadn't taken it, if he had gone to the lottery center to claim it, he wouldn't have received 7.27 million..." He suddenly looked up, questioning the judge and the adjudicators.

He didn't understand the criminal sentencing. But being ordered to repay 7.27 million yuan in prize money... it completely shattered his composure.

This meant... not only had he failed to make any money from this incident, but he also had to personally pay 80,000 yuan in compensation, plus over 1.4 million yuan in taxes for someone else!

Nearby, Zhang Wei, observing Xie Lianqing's meltdown and his ignorance of the law, patiently explained, "Legally, the value is determined by the worth of the embezzled property at the time of the offense. When your act of embezzlement occurred, the cumulative value of the lottery ticket was indeed 7,270,000 yuan. The plaintiff's demand for you to compensate 7,270,000 yuan is legally sound."

Hearing this, Xie Lianqing was utterly dumbfounded.

The logic... seemed to be sound. But he just couldn't accept it! Everyone knows that lottery winnings are subject to personal income tax. Only after deducting that tax is the actual value of the prize realized. Yet now... this judgment not only sentenced him to prison but also required him to help pay over 1.4 million yuan in taxes for someone else! He'd tried to get rich quick, but instead, he'd lost everything and then some. It was a classic case of overreaching and suffering a double loss. All those old sayings seemed to be about him!

「...」

「Outside the courthouse.」

Qin Mu walked out, holding the judgment document. Behind him followed a group of elderly people, heatedly discussing the case.

"Today's trial was interesting; no more beating around the bush, finally!"

"The defendants were too cooperative, not at all defiant. I still preferred the couple in the previous case."

"Honestly, Xiao Qin is the audacious one, daring to demand they return 7.27 million. So cheeky, I like it!"

"Right, Xiao Qin, now that you've won so much, are you going to treat us old folks to a meal at a five-star hotel?"

"..."

Zhang Qingyuan, Li Weiguo, Song Tiancheng, and the other seniors chatted animatedly as they walked. Seated in the gallery, they had witnessed the entire trial, and it had been a real eye-opener—far more interesting than their usual diversions at the nursing home.

Listening to their discussion, Qin Mu couldn't help but feel a few lines of exasperation form on his forehead.

What cheek, he thought. He was merely following the rules. Before his lottery ticket was embezzled, it was worth 7,270,000 yuan in prize money. There was no question about that. The problem was... Chen Ping and Xie Lianqing had actually claimed the prize! When they collected it, the lottery center was responsible for withholding the tax, so they received the post-tax amount. Of course, if he had claimed the prize himself, taxes would also have been deducted, and the net amount received would have been the same. But the law was explicit. The assessed value of the ticket could not be post-tax. Thus, his demand for the return of the pre-tax 7.27 million was completely legitimate! And the court had approved it! This was a loophole within the rules, a legitimate exploitation of them. Furthermore, since this 7.27 million prize money was restitution, it was his property to begin with. When they claimed the prize, the tax had already been deducted once. It could not be subject to double taxation. Meaning... Chen Ping and Xie Lianqing had to pay the tax money out of their own pockets to make him whole! With this lawsuit over, his prize money was essentially tax-free! All of this, though it sounded ludicrous, was within the permissible scope of the law. Any 'loss' incurred on this prize money would be borne by the embezzlers.

At last, the trouble is resolved.

After concluding this thorny case, Qin Mu stretched languidly. Taking Zhang Qingyuan and the other seniors with him, he returned to the nursing home.

Upon his return, he received a message from Qing Lan.

"UP, what have you been up to these days?"

During these past few days, aside from when she was live streaming, Qing Lan would sporadically send him messages whenever she was free. He, in turn, would reply intermittently.

He admired her personality. Although she was beautiful, she didn't have a spoiled princess attitude and was very approachable. That much was clear from how her fans teased her daily.

"Just finished a lawsuit," Qin Mu thought for a moment and replied briefly.

"Wow, UP! Do you live at the courthouse now? It feels like you're either in a lawsuit or on your way to one!"

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