Chapter 26: The Dagger is Revealed at the End of the Scroll! |
Words carry weight.
But...
The weight of these words was far too heavy!
The moment the defense attorney, Xu De, finished speaking, Courtroom One fell into a dead silence. Despite holding over four hundred people, it was so quiet that everyone could hear each other''s heartbeats clearly.
No one''s brain could process the turn of events. They raised their heads, staring at him in a daze, their minds entirely blank.
They could understand a heated confrontation between two opposing sides.
Under such circumstances, it made sense for the defense lawyer to desperately push for a ruling of legitimate self-defense or even accidental death.
But... what was this about acting bravely for a just cause!?
At the defendant''s seat.
Was he... was he acting bravely for a just cause?
"Your Honor, my client and I refuse to acknowledge the charges presented by the public prosecution."
"Furthermore, the victim''s legal representative has absolutely no basis for their exorbitant demands, and we will absolutely not agree to them!"
After delivering these words, Xu De felt a surge of satisfaction in his chest. He slowly sat back down.
"The defense has concluded its statement."
On the judge''s bench.
The stern face of Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin showed a hint of astonishment. He stared at Xu De for a long time before realizing that what he had just heard was not a hallucination.
Only then did he hesitantly look toward the prosecution.
"Public prosecution, do you have any differing opinions regarding the statements just made by the defense?"
Truthfully, asking this question was redundant.
As long as the person sitting in the prosecutor''s seat was human, there was no way they would not be agitated after hearing the angle Xu De was taking.
Sure enough.
The moment those words fell, before Prosecutor Hu Guang could even open his mouth, the victim''s legal representative, Chen Wei, was already losing his temper.
"Absurd, absolutely absurd!"
"Your Honor, this is clearly a crime of passion, triggered by the defendant''s extreme emotional distress over the abduction incident!"
At the prosecution''s bench, the blood rushed to Chen Wei''s head, turning his face bright red.
His speech was rushed, his blood pressure clearly spiking. He glared at Xu De with furious eyes and shouted.
"This so-called acting bravely for a just cause is completely ridiculous, a total distortion of reason!"
Chen Wei had anticipated that the opposing counsel might harshly question the prosecution, and he had expected them to play on the court''s sympathies.
But he truly never expected Xu De to say something so shocking right off the bat!
Acting bravely for a just cause?
If this was actually confirmed, forget about receiving compensation... Li Youcai and Liu Cui would be lucky if they didn''t have to pay out of their own pockets!
Chen Wei slammed both hands on the table and sternly declared, "I request that the opposing side''s defense be dismissed!"
Hearing this.
At the defense table, Xu De remained expressionless, not yielding an inch.
"Please produce evidence to refute my claims!"
"You!"
Chen Wei''s blood surged once again, and he was just about to retort.
Fortunately, Prosecutor Hu Guang saw that the situation was taking a bad turn and immediately spoke up to interrupt him.
"Opposing counsel."
"Are you aware that the essence of acting bravely for a just cause is to protect oneself or others by stopping an ongoing unlawful infringement?"
Hu Guang lowered his eyes, his tone carrying a heavy sense of oppression.
"According to the case files, during the course of the homicide, the victim never engaged in any unlawful infringement."
"It was the defendant who, while in the vehicle, actively, preemptively, and emotionally initiated the conflict with him!"
The most crucial point of acting bravely for a just cause is that there must be an ongoing unlawful infringement.
It could be a fist, or it could be a knife, but whatever it is, it must exist and be present!
These so-called claims of ''I suspected'' or ''I believed'' were purely attempts to escape guilt and amounted to robber''s logic.
"When the conflict escalated, no one at the scene faced any personal danger because of the victim!"
Hu Guang shook his head, stating the facts as they were.
"The so-called danger entirely originated from the villagers at the scene, and had nothing to do with the victim himself."
The danger came from the villagers, yet the person Wang Qiang killed was Li Erniu. This was clearly not legitimate self-defense, and even less so acting bravely for a just cause.
However...
"Public prosecution."
"You claim that the danger originated from the villagers, so I must ask..."
Xu De furrowed his brows. He took a deep breath, and his tone gradually took on a hint of gunpowder.
"Why would the villagers inflict danger upon the seven police officers present at the scene!?"
As he spoke, he did not give the opposing side a chance to explain.
"It was because of the abduction case!"
"In other words, the root cause of the threat to the personal safety of the police and the defendant was the abduction case!"
"And the core offender in the abduction case was the deceased, Li Erniu."
"In summary, we can absolutely conclude: The villagers of Lijia Village and Li Erniu came into conflict with the police because of the abduction case, and the defendant, Wang Qiang, engaged in a struggle with the criminal, Li Erniu, in order to protect the police and the other personnel at the scene!"
"In the end, Li Erniu''s attempted intentional homicide resulted in his own death, while my client acted in legitimate self-defense."
The moment these words were spoken.
The people present finally understood what he meant.
"This... seems to make sense."
"Hold on, my brain is still a little twisted, give me a second..."
"Why is the prosecution... frowning? What are those prosecutors whispering about?"
"..."
In the public gallery.
The attendees who had come to listen all widened their eyes, unable to resist lowering their heads to whisper in quiet voices.
Even Zhang Xia, the reporter who wanted to document the case, could not help but put down her pen and paper to join the discussion.
"Sister Liu, why do I feel like something is off..."
Sister Liu beside her: ...
What a joke, did she, a veteran reporter with over a decade of experience, really think it didn''t feel off!?
"The case hasn''t been decided yet, let''s keep watching," Sister Liu said, shaking her head.
...
"What is this kid babbling about!?"
At the prosecution''s bench.
Prosecutor Wang Wei wore an expression as if he had just seen a ghost as he looked at Xu De, and then he turned toward Hu Guang.
"Does he not know that fulfilling a personal obligation does not constitute acting bravely for a just cause?"
Wang Qiang and Wang Mei had a father-daughter relationship.
From a legal standpoint, it was expected for Wang Qiang to protect Wang Mei. Even if he indirectly protected others, his primary motivation was his obligation, so it did not constitute an act of acting bravely for a just cause.
Could Xu De possibly be unaware of this regulation!?
"This young man..."
Hu Guang furrowed his brow. He had a nagging feeling that Xu De''s true intentions lay elsewhere.
But if the opposing side never intended to argue for acting bravely for a just cause in the first place... then why bring up that specific phrase?
Was he trying to...
In a flash.
It was as if a current of electricity suddenly sparked through his mind.
Hu Guang''s eyes widened, his pupils slightly constricting, as a possibility surfaced in his brain!
He was just about to speak, but unexpectedly...
"Defense attorney, from a legal standpoint, Wang Qiang''s protection of Wang Mei is an obligation, something he ought to do, rather than a so-called act of bravery for a just cause!"
"Therefore, although a coercive relationship existed at the crime scene, it has nothing to do with acting bravely for a just cause. Furthermore, this coercion also has absolutely no relation to the deceased, Li Erniu!"
By his side.
When the victim''s legal representative, Chen Wei, noticed that the prosecutor had no intention of speaking, he stood up. His face was stern, his slanted eyes fixed intently on Xu De.
"What your side has stated completely fails to meet the criteria of Article 183 of the Civil Code!"
When these words fell.
Hu Guang closed his eyes, his heart sinking.
''It''s over, we have fallen into a trap...''
Fallen into a trap... Chen Wei had been played. Or rather, the young, solitary upstart on the defense side had possessed the sheer audacity to play the entire prosecution bench!
Why would he think so?
Because...
"So, your side means to say that the defendant, Wang Qiang, does not meet the criteria for ''acting bravely for a just cause'', but..."
Almost the very instant the opposing side''s voice fell.
Xu De immediately picked up the thread. He let out a deep breath, a relaxed smile appearing on his face as he looked gently toward the opposition.
"But you do not deny that when the conflict occurred, the danger faced by the police and the others entirely stemmed from the abduction case, correct?"
At this point.
Xu De paused. He did not give the over four hundred people present any time to react. His expression instantly shifted, becoming solemn, his tone booming, his voice echoing throughout the entirety of Courtroom One.
"Your Honor."
"The facts of the case are now very clear!"
"Through the evidence provided by the police, based on the danger the police felt at the time of the incident, it is entirely evident that the abduction case involving the deceased, Li Erniu, had not yet concluded at that moment!"
"Therefore, the opposing side''s unlawful act of imprisoning the victim, Wang Mei, Wang Qiang''s daughter, for ten long years had also not concluded!"
"I would like to ask everyone present, especially the public prosecution..."
"Does this ten-year-long imprisonment and abuse count as striking the first blow? Does it count as threatening Wang Mei''s personal safety!?"
At this moment, Xu De revealed his true intentions, just like the dagger revealed at the end of the scroll.
The case... could not be split into two!
If they only looked at Wang Qiang and Li Erniu, then it was a pure crime of passion, falling under the category of intentional homicide. If he argued from that angle, he would undoubtedly lose!
Therefore, there was only one thing he needed to do.
Consolidate the case facts, transforming this trial from starting at the moment Wang Qiang committed the killing, to starting at the moment Li Erniu bought a human being!
First, he used acting bravely for a just cause to attract the opposing side''s attention, secretly betting that they would overlook the detail that ''the villagers coerced the police due to the abduction''.
As soon as they overlooked it and subconsciously agreed...
He could perfectly ride that momentum to definitively conclude, based on the aforementioned information, that the abduction case had not ended!
And as long as the abduction case had not ended at the time of the killing, then Wang Qiang had a valid cause. There was no intentional homicide, and the only person who struck the first blow could be Li Erniu. As for the point in time when the opposing side struck...
That would be the very moment he imprisoned Wang Mei ten years ago!!!
So, the moment these words fell.
Everyone in the entire courtroom fell into shock, their hearts rising to their throats!
"Please tell me."
"In this abduction case."
"A father first has his daughter stolen, and the daughter is subsequently imprisoned and tortured for ten years. When resistance occurs under these ongoing circumstances, is this considered fulfilling a legal obligation through legitimate self-defense, or is it..."
As he spoke, Xu De paused. He reached out and slammed both hands forcefully onto the table. The loud rapping sound echoed through the entire courtroom like war drums or rolling thunder, making people''s eardrums numb!
Immediately after, he spat out two terrifying words!
"Intentional homicide!?"
Suddenly.
The two words acted like a fierce gale, sweeping outward with him at the center.
Everyone in the gallery widened their eyes, their hearts pounding at a frantic pace!
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