Chapter 56 - 48: Even a Death Sentence Can Be Pardoned!!

At the prosecution’s table, Chen Wei gasped for air, his face exceptionally grave. His heart hammered in his chest as if it were about to burst through his ribcage and leap into his throat.

Once her words landed, Chen Wei stared at Li Li, his expression utterly foul.

He knew this witness existed, but he never imagined Xu De would choose to bring her to the stand under these circumstances.

He also never predicted that a simple "allegedly" and an "I don’t know" from Li Li could so easily define the nature of the case!

What would happen to Chen Wei once the case was characterized this way?

A scolding?

No. While he would certainly be reprimanded, he didn’t actually care about that.

Why?

Because in the legal field, prosecutors aside, no one cares if you’re a shyster, if your reputation is good or bad, or if your methods are dirty. Clients... they only care if you can win!

As long as you could win, you’d have an endless stream of cases, even if everyone despised you.

And if you lost? You’d hit rock bottom, forced to survive on consultations. But consultations weren’t about skill; they were almost entirely about reputation. And with a ruined reputation, you couldn’t even get consultation work...

"The plaintiff moves to have the witness dismissed!"

Chen Wei was extremely anxious. His hands clenched unconsciously, and his voice dropped half a pitch.

He was trying to save his career. Unfortunately...

"Objection!"

At the defense table, Xu De suddenly let out a cold laugh. His hawk-like gaze locked onto Chen Wei.

He stood up in court and looked at the witness.

"Witness, the plaintiff accuses you of changing your story multiple times, making your testimony completely unreliable. Can you please tell us why you changed your story?"

A witness changing their story does indeed lower their credibility, but if the reason for the change was brought to light, that credibility could be restored.

At the same time, Chen Wei was also wondering about this.

His brow furrowed, his furious expression faltered, and he subconsciously glanced at the witness, Li Li.

Chen Wei couldn’t figure it out.

He truly couldn’t understand why she would testify for the defendant and accuse her own relatives, Li Youcai and Liu Cui!

After all, she was from Li Family Village. They were neighbors who saw each other all the time.

What if Li Youcai and Liu Cui went home and caused trouble for her after the trial was over?!

’On what grounds... Just how did the other side convince Li Li?!’

It wasn’t just Chen Wei.

At this moment, the three prosecutors, the hundreds of spectators in the gallery, and the three judges on the bench all turned to look at Li Li with puzzled expressions.

But could she say she was after Li Youcai’s property?

Of course not.

The next second, Li Li spoke slowly...

"The two of them went around the village at first, getting us all to lie to the police."

Li Li said casually, ripping away the last fig leaf covering the plaintiffs’ testimony.

"My conscience couldn’t take it, so I came to testify. It’s not just me; a few others are willing to testify too, but they were busy these last two days, so they sent me here alone."

Lies... a guilty conscience... came to testify...

She spoke in plain language, different from the jargon-laced speech of the prosecution and Xu De, but it was no less devastating!

"Perjury? The plaintiffs colluded with others in the village? All the testimony was fabricated!?"

"Wait, then what about the evidence the prosecution has..."

"No wonder, no wonder the defense lawyer kept hammering on the credibility of the testimony during the first hearing. He saw through it even back then!?"

"Colluding with the entire village to commit perjury? Is... is that even possible?"

"..."

False evidence... The prosecution had used evidence deliberately fabricated by the plaintiffs!

Although the prosecution had their own doubts and didn’t use the testimony during this second hearing, it didn’t change the fact that their case involved fabricated evidence!

This was a sensitive criminal matter, with an initial charge of intentional homicide, even! For a case like this to involve fabricated evidence...

Suddenly, a commotion erupted in the gallery again, this time one that was difficult to suppress. The courtroom grew chaotic, and shocked expressions were everywhere.

At the prosecution’s table, prosecutors Hu Guang and Wang Wei’s faces turned ashen. The two of them glanced back at Li Youcai and Liu Cui, but they could only swallow their anger and bite the bullet.

They truly had doubted the credibility of the testimony, which was why they hadn’t used a single word of it this time.

But who would have thought they’d still get screwed over by the plaintiffs...

Chen Wei wasn’t feeling any better. In fact, he was even more apoplectic than Hu Guang, cursing up a storm in his head.

’When you want someone to do something for you, you don’t fucking ask them directly!’

Veins bulged on Chen Wei’s forehead. He turned to look at the guilt-ridden, fidgeting Li Youcai and Liu Cui, clenching his fists to stop himself from screaming at them.

’Is this the kind of thing you can just ask someone to do out loud?’

’Couldn’t you drop hints? Play the victim? Find a relative to go lobby for you?!’

’But no, you had to ask them yourselves... Were you afraid your chances of winning were too high?!’

But he still forced down his rage, took a deep breath, and deliberately changed the subject.

"Your Honor."

"Regarding the matter of civil compensation, my side... is willing to make some concessions compared to the first hearing."

Chen Wei said, bracing himself.

A compensation of 230,000 would have been a decisive victory, but with the prosecution being suppressed like this, it was clearly impossible to get 230,000.

Then... 100,000!

Even if it was just 80,000, this case wouldn’t be a total loss for him. He could completely pin the blame on the prosecutors.

After all, this was a civil suit attached to a criminal case.

’If the criminal case is lost, isn’t it normal for the civil outcome to be a bit lacking!?’

’It’s all the prosecutors’ fault for being useless!’

As for whether the defense would be willing to negotiate... they probably would.

Eighty thousand yuan for a human life. Who would say that’s not worth it?!

Unfortunately...

Just as Zhang Bingxin was about to say something, before he had the chance...

"Objection!"

Xu De suddenly spoke again, interrupting everyone’s thoughts. He stood once more and stated bluntly:

"Your Honor, the defense has an objection regarding the civil compensation portion of this case!"

Another objection?

’Seriously? A civil suit is purely about objective reality and compensating according to legal precedent. There’s basically no room for argument, so what could there be to object to?’

This time, it wasn’t just the gallery that was baffled.

Even the three judges on the bench were completely mystified. They exchanged glances, each seeing the same confusion in the others’ eyes.

Finally, Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin couldn’t help but speak up.

"Counsel for the defense, shouldn’t you... hear the plaintiff’s terms first?"

’They’ve already said they’re willing to make concessions. Aren’t you supposed to start by haggling and then negotiate from there?’

"The defense wishes to state its objection!"

Xu De repeated.

Hearing this, Zhang Bingxin fell silent for a moment before finally saying:

"The defense may proceed."

As his voice fell, Xu De didn’t speak immediately. He lowered his head, looking for something on his table.

Everyone watched, puzzled, their eyes following his movements, until...

He held up a piece of paper.

’This is...’

Chen Wei squinted. He couldn’t see clearly from nearly ten meters away, but the format of the paper gave him a very familiar feeling, until...

"Your Honor, this is the settlement agreement signed by the plaintiffs after communicating with our side prior to this hearing."

Xu De was expressionless. He looked at the presiding judge as if he were discussing some trivial matter.

"The plaintiffs, Li Youcai and Liu Cui..."

"...are willing to settle with the defendant, Wang Qiang, regarding the consequences of this case. The compensation amount has already been agreed upon, and there is no need for a second negotiation during this trial."

A... a settlement agreement!?

Zhang Bingxin: ?

Hu Guang, Wang Wei: ?

The Gallery: ?

The moment his voice fell, you could hear a pin drop in the vast expanse of Courtroom Number One.

Everyone stared, mouths agape, at the document being held up. Some even rubbed their ears, as if to make sure they hadn’t misheard.

’Are you telling me...’

’...that Li Youcai and Liu Cui, who just moments ago were so hostile they looked like they wanted to kill Wang Qiang... have forgiven the defendant?’

’Forgiven the man suspected of killing their own son?!’

Huh?

HUH??

Hu Qing, the rookie prosecutor who had been silent all this time, there only to learn, looked back at the guilty-looking Li Youcai and Liu Cui, then at the document in Xu De’s hand. His gaze darted back and forth between them, but in the end, his mind was still filled with question marks.

His senior had told him that the pace of a trial could change in an instant, and that you never knew what rare occurrence might happen next.

But what Hu Qing wanted to say right now was...

’Isn’t this a little *too* rare!?’

"A settlement agreement?"

Compared to everyone else, Chen Wei’s mind was a complete blank. He stared at the document, a ringing in his ears. His stunned gaze then shifted back to Li Youcai and Liu Cui.

The two still looked guilty and didn’t dare to meet his eyes. It was obvious the settlement agreement was real.

"You!"

In his daze, a rush of blood surged to Chen Wei’s head.

Chen Wei’s face flushed red, the veins on his forehead bulging visibly, throbbing. He clenched his jaw, his hands balled into tight fists, his knuckles white. He didn’t even notice his nails digging into his palms.

’What do you call this...’

’...I’m up here fighting for compensation...’

’...and the plaintiffs have surrendered and settled behind my back?!’

’The most crucial thing is... if you were going to settle, you should have said so earlier! I could have played it off, said I persuaded you to reconcile, and earned a good reputation for it... but what’s the meaning of keeping it a secret?!’

’Waiting until we’re in court, at the very last minute, to screw me over one more time?!’

Chen Wei’s breathing became ragged. His vision started to blur, his blood pressure soaring as he gasped for air.

The others all wore different expressions.

Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin opened his mouth. While Chen Wei was deafened by the ringing in his ears, the judge checked with Li Youcai and confirmed that they had indeed signed the settlement agreement, and that they were only asking for a mere nine thousand yuan.

At this, all three on the judge’s bench fell silent.

Nine thousand yuan to no longer pursue justice for their son’s life...

After a long time, Zhang Bingxin finally opened his mouth, preparing to say something else.

"The prosecution..."

But it was obvious that Xu De had no intention of letting anyone on the prosecution’s side off the hook. He spoke again.

"Your Honor, the defense has not finished its statement."

"In addition, the plaintiffs also submitted a letter of understanding to our side, expressing their willingness to forgive our client for the harm he caused them in this case."

He then took out the letter of understanding.

Now, the already silent courtroom became even more so. Everyone was lost in a whirlwind of thoughts and a prolonged state of shock.

Only Xu De’s not-loud, but very clear, voice continued to ring out.

"The defense has concluded its statement. If the prosecution and the plaintiff have any further objections, they may present them now. If there are no objections regarding this matter..."

Xu De paused, then a few more words left his lips.

"Then, I ask the Presiding Judge..."

"To rule!"

He spat out two words.

Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin wanted to speak but stopped, then wanted to again, feeling as if he had a fishbone stuck in his throat.

The case had reached a point where the trial phase was essentially over.

It was indeed time for the judge’s bench to step in and deliver the verdict.

But here came the problem...

How could he possibly rule?

Rule him not guilty?

But theoretically, the procuratorate and the courts almost never allow for a not-guilty verdict in a case where there was a clear killing, a conflict between the parties, and a loss of emotional control.

In a country of over a billion people, the number of cases per year where an adult who clearly killed someone was found not guilty was in the single digits. The number announced each year was likely no more than five!

No court or judge would dare to issue such a verdict rashly.

So, rule him guilty?

Thinking of this, he looked down at the record on his desk, compiled by the court clerk from the evidence presented and verified by the defense:

[Confession + Justifiable Self-Defense + Good Samaritan Act + Special Defense + Testimony + Witness + Letter of Understanding + Settlement Agreement + Special Circumstances...]

On the judge’s bench, Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin, robed and always known for his stern, rigid, and unflappable gaze, now stared at the long list of ’factors’ before him...

His old-fashioned face showed a slight flicker of emotion; he looked like he wanted to speak but couldn’t, as if a fishbone were caught in his throat.

The corner of Zhang Bingxin’s eye twitched.

’This... how am I supposed to rule on this? With a string of factors like this all piled up...’

’Even a capital offense could be reduced to an acquittal and immediate release from the court!!!’