Chapter 237 - 138: The Review Begins

The four of them brushed past the provincial government staff and, guided by memory, headed for the fourth floor.

Before long.

That heavy, rosewood-colored wooden door reappeared before them.

Two police officers stood at the entrance. They weren’t the same ones as last time—the shifts must have changed.

"Hello, we’re from the Lusen City Intermediate People’s Procuratorate..."

Huang Shi stepped forward and presented his credentials to them.

Once their identities were confirmed, the two officers, one on each side, pulled the heavy door open.

GROAN~!

The characteristic groan of a heavy object echoed in their ears as the rosewood door swung open.

The conference room came into view once again.

The review conference was scheduled to start at 10:30.

The team leaders from the various cities in Qingwu Province had already arrived. At the sound of the door opening, a dozen or so people glanced back before turning their attention forward again.

"Jeez, it’s even more crowded than on the first day!"

Beside him, Lin Yue surveyed the sea of heads in the room and muttered under her breath.

"That’s normal."

"This is the final day of the review, so everyone has to be here. The people we saw on the first day were just a fraction of the total,"

Huang Shi whispered.

The conference room was so packed you couldn’t spot an empty seat, but that was to be expected.

A single case can involve a huge number of personnel.

Take the Li Family Village case, for example. Zhang Bingxin, Hu Guang, Zhang Mang, and the others were all considered case handlers. In theory, they were also required to come to the provincial capital to report on their work.

And for this competition, there were a full sixty shortlisted cases alone!

Never mind anyone else—if you just count three prosecutors per case for the prosecution, well, you can do the math for sixty cases.

And that’s not even counting the huge number of panel members.

"Jeez, you can tell this is the provincial capital. Back in the city, a conference room this size could be split into two courtrooms,"

Zhang Bingxin muttered.

Then he motioned for the others to find seats.

"Alright, let’s find a place to sit. It’s only going to get more crowded. The bigwigs up front haven’t even arrived yet."

As he spoke, the others nodded and began looking for seats.

Luckily, the back rows weren’t too crowded, so they were able to find seats together.

Once settled, Xu De glanced toward the front, and his eyebrows immediately rose.

"Is that an extra seat up on the dais?"

Zhang Bingxin followed his gaze, his expression tinged with uncertainty.

The front row of the conference, where the representatives from the four major branches—Public Security, the Procuratorate, the Courts, and the Police—were supposed to sit, was currently empty. That in itself wasn’t strange.

The crucial part was...

There was an extra seat!

"I wonder who that one in the very center is for,"

Xu De murmured.

But before he could speculate further, the main doors behind them were suddenly pushed open, and a familiar figure strode in.

The man didn’t rush to his seat. Instead, he stood at the entrance, scanning the room, until his gaze finally landed on Xu De.

And just then, Xu De caught sight of him out of the corner of his eye.

That man...

’Feng Ji!’

A jolt went through Xu De. He narrowed his eyes at the man before looking away.

Feng Ji, however, just chuckled. Without a word, he shot Xu De a meaningful glance and then headed to his seat among the review panel.

’He wasn’t worried about the task he’d given Sun Qiao. There was no chance of a mistake.’

’I’m the president of the Provincial Bar Association, with immense power and a vast network. If Xu De really thought he could screw me over... I have countless ways to make him pay.’

’As for Xu De...’

’Heh, president of the Provincial Bar Association...’

Each man harbored his own schemes, his heart filled with contempt for the other.

’Who knows how long Feng Ji has held that position? Ten years, twenty, maybe even thirty.’

’For him to act so brazenly toward me... it isn’t because he’s stupid.’

’It’s habit.’

’That’s right. Pure habit.’

’Feng Ji’s moves against the 18th Middle School case were practiced. The audience’s reactions were just as smooth, as if the whole thing had been rehearsed.’

’And what does that mean?’

’It means I’m not the first victim!’

’How many people had suffered this way over the past few decades? It was impossible to know. But looking at it in reverse...’

’...it was clear that no matter how unwilling his victims were, none of them had ever managed to hurt Feng Ji in the slightest.’

’His law firm was still thriving, and his position as president remained unshakable!’

’But that raised another question. In all those decades, no one had ever...’

’...completely flipped the table!’

With that thought, Xu De reined in his emotions and stopped paying Feng Ji any mind.

Until...

"The leaders are here."

In the midst of his thoughts, Huang Shi spoke up from behind him. Everyone looked toward the front.

The main doors at the front of the hall had opened, revealing several figures. They were...

None other than Lu Guohua, Song Xuejiang, and the rest!

And along with them were several unfamiliar faces.

"Public Security, Procuratorate, Courts, Police... Someone from the Department of Justice is here, too. Another department-level director..."

"Hiss... With the Political and Legal Affairs Commission taking the lead, they’ve basically brought the entire judicial core of Qingwu Province here,"

Huang Shi murmured.

Suddenly, Zhang Bingxin, who was beside them, seemed to spot something. A look of utter shock appeared on his face, and he blinked in disbelief.

"Wait, is there an extra person?"

"I know, I just said. The Department of Justice and..." Huang Shi replied automatically.

"No, look closer! The one in the very center!"

Zhang Bingxin’s eyes were wide as he stared at the front of the tiered hall, at the middle-aged man at the center of the arriving group.

Huang Shi and Xu De froze.

This time, they both looked up as well.

On the dais, Lu Guohua and Song Xuejiang were smiling and speaking to a man in a formal jacket.

The man was about five-foot-nine, not particularly tall, with a slender build, graying hair, and square-framed glasses.

If one had to describe his overall impression...

He possessed a natural scholarly air.

Indeed, a single glance was enough to feel you were in the presence of a ’great scholar.’ Moreover, his appearance was immaculate, his hair was neat, and his posture was ramrod straight.

It wasn’t just them.

In the rows around them, the other team leaders who had been chatting moments before now fell silent, their eyes fixed on the man.

This man...

"The Political and Legal Affairs Commission!"

Beside them, Lin Yue blurted out, her face a mask of shock.

She added:

"The Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission?"

The moment those seven words were uttered,

A storm erupted in everyone’s mind.

Lu Guohua was the Deputy Secretary. This man’s title didn’t include the word ’Deputy,’ which might sound like a minor difference.

But...

This was the provincial level.

At the rank of Secretary, the half-step difference between the full position and the deputy position was... an insurmountable chasm!

Which is to say...

"Deputy-ministerial?"

Huang Shi, his face a picture of shock, couldn’t help but turn to Zhang Bingxin and Xu De.

"Seriously, it’s just a review conference organized by the Political and Legal Affairs Commission. Why would someone of his rank show up in person!?"

Generally speaking,

For a high-profile event like this, a department-level director is the standard. It’s almost unheard of for anyone higher to attend, and anyone lower wouldn’t be appropriate.

At most, the results would be compiled into a report after the conference and sent over for him to glance at.

He’d glance at it, and if there were no issues, he’d sign off on it.

But now...

He was here in person!

Suddenly, all the people scheduled to present their cases today were cursing their luck internally.

"What’s his name?" Xu De hurriedly asked.

"Du Wei," Lin Yue whispered.

’Du Wei?’

Hearing those two words,

Xu De fell silent. The hand in his pocket fiddled restlessly with the smooth, flat Bank card.

The conference room fell into silence, with only the quiet conversation of the officials at the front breaking the stillness.

On the dais, Du Wei first scanned the conference room, then took his seat. He smiled at the people gathered around him and said,

"Alright, it’s getting late."

"Let’s not delay our other comrades any longer. Have the review begin."

At his words, the others around him nodded, their smiles still in place, and gave the host a meaningful look.

Onstage, the host immediately understood. He picked up the microphone and took a deep breath.

A moment later,

A voice, as clear and resonant as a great bell, filled the conference room, yet it did not feel abrupt.

The host said:

"Esteemed leaders, members of the review panel, and comrades:"

"Good morning, everyone!"

"In order to further the construction of a nation ruled by law, to summarize and refine outstanding practical achievements in law enforcement and the judiciary, and to fully leverage the exemplary and guiding role of landmark cases..."

"Today marks the seventh and final day of our proceedings."

"And now, I declare that the review portion of the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Landmark Case Competition..."

"...officially begins!"

’It’s starting?’

’It’s starting!’

The host continued:

"Next, we will begin the review for case number 53. This is a civil rights protection case... that has garnered significant public attention..."