Chapter 33: Counterattack! Counterattack! And Counterattack Again! |
Li Li was just about to open her mouth when Li Sheng suddenly yanked her arm from behind.
But Li Li merely glared back at him fiercely. Jerking her hand away from his grasp, she jogged over to Xu De''s side, a somewhat sycophantic smile plastered across her face.
"That''s right, that''s right! My mother mentioned it right before she passed away last year."
"They even found someone in the village who could read and write to teach them how to sign their names. Once they wrote them down, they stamped their thumbprints on it."
"Those two miserable dogs have owed that money for ten years and still haven''t paid it back!"
Li Li grumbled and cursed incessantly. Then, cutting her tirade short, she looked back at Xu De and asked cautiously, "Sir, do you think the police handle this kind of illegal stuff... you know, failing to pay back debts?"
Failing to pay back a debt was a trivial matter, completely useless to Xu De.
But if it was a promissory note personally signed and thumbprinted by Li Youcai and Liu Cui that explicitly detailed exactly where the money was going... then its utility would be massive!
It was eleven o''clock at night.
He had caught a massive fish.
He knew that as long as fellow villagers like Li Li were willing, they could absolutely provide some evidence.
But he truly had not expected her to pull out something like this!
A promissory note. She actually held a promissory note signed and thumbprinted by Li Youcai and Liu Cui, containing a detailed description of the money''s destination!
Was this thing useful?
On its own, it actually wasn''t very useful. One could even say its value was incredibly small. Why?
Because it counted as isolated evidence. As long as Li Youcai and Liu Cui made excuses claiming they never bought anyone, or spun some other lies, the prosecutor and the judge would simply refuse to admit it.
It was just like Wang Mei''s situation. Even though she accused Li Youcai and Liu Cui, she still couldn''t do anything to them. The reason lay in the fact that her testimony was also just isolated evidence.
But here was the catch.
Viewed separately, they were indeed isolated pieces of evidence. But if they were joined together... the implications would be monumental!
"Are you certain?"
Xu De''s gaze grew razor-sharp, staring straight at her. Yet his tone slowed down, ensuring he didn''t display any overly intense emotion.
"It''s a promissory note from ten years ago, from before Wang Mei was sold? You''re sure both of them stamped their thumbprints on it?"
"And the purpose of the loan was clearly stated as well?"
Li Li, on the other hand, didn''t dwell at all on the matter of borrowing money to buy a wife.
She cared far more about the illegality of failing to pay back a debt. At this moment, she simply nodded and said, "Yes, that''s right. Three days after they borrowed the money, they brought the person back."
"A while ago, Li Youcai even told us that if any police came to ask whether they participated in buying a wife, we should tell them no..."
It really was true!
Xu De''s heart instantly grew burning hot, and several ideas immediately sparked in his mind.
If the victim Wang Mei''s personal account and identification constituted isolated evidence without any corroborating proof...
Then after this promissory note surfaced...
That isolated evidence would instantly transform into an airtight, unbreakable evidence chain!
An evidence chain.
This was an ironclad, indisputable chain of evidence!
Some people might not have a clear concept of what this meant, so it could be put this way.
Many people believed that as long as they refused to confess after committing a crime, biting their tongues and denying guilt all the way to court, the judge would be unable to sentence them.
In reality, that notion was completely wrong.
As long as the evidence chain was sufficiently ironclad, even if you refused to plead guilty, the presiding judge could completely force a conviction and hand down a verdict!
This was precisely the level of credibility and value an evidence chain held in a court of law.
''The only reason Li Youcai and Liu Cui managed to escape punishment, and even dared to fight for custody and open their mouths like lions to demand a staggering 230,000 yuan in the criminal incidental civil lawsuit...''
''Is precisely because the police couldn''t secure an airtight evidence chain!''
Light and shadow flickered across Xu De''s eyes as countless schemes surfaced in his mind.
''Now that the evidence chain is in my hands, that so-called 230,000 yuan is nothing but a joke!''
In a civil lawsuit, you had to be an absolute, blameless victim to receive such a massive amount of compensation. Those two were anything but victims.
Instead, they were accomplices to the perpetrator, Li Erniu, in a human trafficking case!
Under these circumstances...
Setting aside the matter of legitimate self-defense.
Even if Wang Qiang was truly judged to have exceeded the bounds of justifiable defense, if Xu De allowed this compensation amount to exceed even 10,000 yuan, it would mean all his years of studying law had gone straight to the dogs!
Of course, the money wasn''t the main point. The main point was...
''We can now prove that Li Youcai and Liu Cui participated in human trafficking, which ultimately led to Li Erniu''s death!''
''If Li Li and the others are willing to step forward, they can even charge them with abuse, aiding and abetting the rape of a minor, intentional injury, and unlawful confinement...''
Xu De''s brain whirred rapidly, performing a swift calculation.
The next moment, a string of numbers emerged in his mind.
''A minimum sentence of fifteen years!''
''No... their attitude is extremely vile, and they even assaulted police officers, committed perjury, and repeatedly obstructed rescue operations...''
''Twenty years!''
''A minimum sentence of twenty years, and whether it becomes life imprisonment depends entirely on the judge''s personal discretion!''
With multiple offenses combined, the explicit crimes alone would bring a sentence of at least twenty years, with a high probability of twenty-five years.
Although it might not reach a literal life sentence.
But... Li Youcai and Liu Cui were already in their sixties!
Never mind a life sentence; even if they were sentenced to ten or twenty years, they would basically have to stay in prison until they died. It was no different from a death penalty!
At this very moment.
Xu De''s conservative trial strategy quietly began to shift, becoming... aggressive!
Counterattack...
Counterattack, and counterattack again!
Xu De wanted to satisfy his client... no, he had to push his client''s satisfaction level straight to the absolute maximum!
Exonerating Wang Qiang? Saving him from the misery of prison counted as satisfaction?
That was merely expected; that was how it ought to be.
He had to make Li Youcai and Liu Cui reap what they sowed, suffer the consequences of their own evil actions, and stay in prison until they died!
"Is there anything else?"
Xu De''s eyes burned with anticipation as he stared at Li Li, pressing for more information.
"What I mean is, does anyone else know about this? If we can get just two more people... that will be more than enough!"
A single person''s accusation still wasn''t entirely safe.
If he could get two or three independent neighbors to identify them together, then Li Youcai and Liu Cui would never escape the palm of his hand!
Li Li initially wanted to shake her head.
After all, if others got involved, would she still be able to keep all the benefits for herself?
But on second thought, if there was no one else... she wouldn''t even get a single bite. Besides, calling a couple more people would add an extra layer of security, ensuring that after Li Youcai went inside, no one else would swoop in to snatch the spoils.
"Old Zhang''s family, and also Li Erniu''s second uncle''s family."
Li Li thought it over and provided a few familiar names.
"Old Zhang saw them borrowing the money back then. Li Erniu''s second uncle was also asked for a loan that year, though his promissory note didn''t contain any information about buying a wife, and the money was never paid back either."
Xu De immediately replied, "That''s enough."
He pondered for a moment before adding:
"Let''s do this. Aside from me, do not hand this promissory note over to anyone else for the time being."
"First, record a witness statement for me regarding Wang Qiang''s killing of the man."
"It must be objective, accurate, and completely truthful. If the police come, don''t be afraid either. Just speak the truth!"
The matter of the promissory note couldn''t be revealed just yet.
The primary task was to exempt Wang Qiang from criminal punishment, which absolutely required Li Youcai and Liu Cui''s cooperation in signing the letter of forgiveness and the Criminal Settlement Agreement.
Revealing the promissory note now would only drive them into a corner, causing Xu De to lose those two major weapons.
Therefore...
''Once Li Youcai finishes signing and Wang Qiang is exempted from punishment, I will immediately deploy the promissory note to complete the evidence chain, putting those two on trial and clearing them out right on the spot!''
Xu De made up his mind.
Looking at Li Li in front of him, he reached into his pocket and handed over his remaining 400 yuan.
"After we finish recording the statement, give me the promissory note first."
"Consider 300 yuan of this as Li Yang''s recent maintenance fees."
"As for the other 100, you can use it for phone bills. Find someone to call this number to contact me."
Xu De pulled out the pen and paper he carried with him, writing down a string of digits.
Then, he recorded the witness statements with Li Li and Li Sheng.
He waited until she went back home to fetch the promissory note and returned. Once Xu De confirmed the promissory note was valid.
Only then did he secretly bid the two of them farewell.
Watching his departing figure.
''3,400 yuan... a family couldn''t even make this much after farming the land for two years!''
''Not to mention... that house belonging to Old Li''s family, and those few plots of fertile land!!!''
Li Li and Li Sheng stood at the village entrance, their minds filled with these exact thoughts.
Warm, enthusiastic expressions broke out on their faces as they waved goodbye, their gazes making it seem as though they were parting with some cherished, close relative!
As for Xu De.
After walking a good distance away, he arrived beside Wang Chao, who had been waiting further down the path, and together they walked over to where the van was parked.
Inside the vehicle, Lin Yue, who had brought the child back long ago, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the two return completely unscathed.
Immediately afterward, she looked at Xu De with curiosity and questioned him.
"Where did you go?"
"Nowhere special, I just managed to pick up a little something."
A trace of a smile surfaced on Xu De''s face. He turned around, narrowing his eyes as he looked back at the dark, silent, and dead Lijia Village.
This time...
The harvest was boundlessly rich!
"Head back the way we came!"
"Once the court opens, we''ll hand over Li Li''s revised deposition."
"Let''s add some serious pressure to the prosecutor''s workload and ensure he loses a few good nights of sleep!"
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