??36: Chapter 36 What is Justice?
Tan Yingying Breaks Down
36: Chapter 36 What is Justice?
Tan Yingying Breaks Down
(So readers in the group have responded that today’s fragnted chapter is distressing, and Author Germ couldn’t bear it, so I’ve decided to update the chapter at 10 o’clock, but just this once, okay?
There won’t be a next ti~)
…
“Prosecutor Tan Yingying, please tell , what is this?”
Zhang Wei held a cardboard in his hand, this one-ter-wide board appeared in front of everyone like a painting.
On the hearing bench, so people who hadn’t yet co back to their senses from Zhang Wei’s flamboyant move, all subconsciously looked over.
“Isn’t this… our… ”
Next to Guo Wufeng, a prosecutor exclaid in surprise.
Indeed, not just him, including Guo Wufeng, the minor offense division prosecutors all recognized it.
They had no choice, they saw this thing hanging on the wall of their office every day, it was too familiar.
In the courtroom.
“This… this is…” Tan Yingying struggled to speak, such that she couldn’t utter a complete sentence for quite so ti.
“Prosecutor Tan Yingying, what’s the matter, don’t you all discuss it every day, how co you can’t call out its na?”
Zhang Wei didn’t care how embarrassed the other party was and continued to ask, “I rember, you guys seem to refer to this thing as a ‘scorecard’, right?
Is that correct?”
“Actually, it’s called a score board…” Tan Yingying answered in a weak voice.
Only then did Zhang Wei slap his forehead: “Oh, so it’s called a score board~”
He pointed to a spot on the score board and asked again, “Then please tell , why is my client’s na here?”
“Because it was written there.”
“Written there, why was it written there?”
“Uh…” Tan Yingying didn’t know how to answer.
Zhang Wei then showed the score board to the jury bench: “Ladies and gentlen, please look, there are many nas written here, and behind them are so marks, there are √, ×, and ★, you see.”
The jurors all leaned forward, many of them starting to whisper among themselves.
Zhang Wei once again returned to the witness stand: “Prosecutor Tan Yingying, now please tell , what do these marks represent, and what exactly is the purpose of this score board?”
“I… this… it’s so sort of performance incentive chart…”
“Chart?”
Zhang Wei emphasized the last word and winked at Tan Yingying.
“Fine, let’s assu what you said is true, so may I ask, did your minor offense division turn my client into so sort of performance tric?”
“Objection!” Prosecutor Xiao Baihe stood up from the prosecution bench.
“Objection to what, is there a problem with the question I asked?” But Zhang Wei didn’t care at all and retorted Prosecutor Xiao.
“Prosecutor Xiao, I believe I warned you; if you continue this way, I might have to charge you with contempt of court!”
On the judge’s bench, Judge Wang couldn’t sit still any longer and gave Prosecutor Xiao a verbal warning.
Xiao Baihe could only sit down with a look of reluctance, but her eyes towards Zhang Wei were filled with a desire to tear him apart.
“Witness, please answer the question!”
After being called out by the judge, Tan Yingying looked towards the hearing bench, but Zhang Wei stood in front of her first, blocking her attempt to seek Guo Wufeng’s guidance with her eyes.
“Witness, His Honor the Judge has spoken, please answer the question!”
“Do I need to ask again, did your minor offense division turn my client into so sort of performance tric?”
Facing Zhang Wei’s pressing questions, Tan Yingying could only answer in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, “No, it’s not like that…”
“Not like that, then how is it, is this chart rely for decoration?”
Zhang Wei laughed, then his tone turned cold: “Witness, the seat under your butt isn’t for just anyone; it’s the sacred witness stand, and I shouldn’t need to remind you of the consequences of perjury, right?”
“If you say it’s not, then let
ask you, has your supervisor Guo Wufeng ever said this…”
Zhang Wei strived to make himself look serious, his face taut as he pretended to roar, “Who are we, we are the Procuratorate Headquarters of Dongfang Capital, we are absolutely undefeated!”
“If the petty cri departnt is defeated by a rookie lawyer, where would that leave , Guo Wufeng?
How am I supposed to carry on at the Dongfang Capital Procuratorate Headquarters?”
Upon hearing this, Guo Wufeng in the audience could no longer sit still.
My goodness, this kid surnad Zhang had been eavesdropping outside the door that day.
In fact, it wasn’t Zhang Wei eavesdropping, but rather Guo Wufeng’s voice was so loud that he heard it standing at the stairwell.
After imitating Guo Wufeng, Zhang Wei continued to ask, “Did your supervisor ever say these words?”
“Probably…
probably yes…”
“Then why do I feel like this scorecard and my client have beco so sort of quantifiable performance evaluation figures?”
Zhang Wei looked at Tan Yingying, and seeing that she remained silent, he pointed to the listening bench, “Don’t deny it, as it happens, your supervisor Guo Wufeng is also in court.
If you think you can lie, do you believe I can get him to co up here too?”
That was a ruthless move!
Guo Wufeng was about to erupt, but upon hearing this sentence, his face completely collapsed, twisting into the shape of a chrysanthemum.
The prosecutors behind him exchanged glances, montarily at a loss for words.
anwhile, the lawyers sitting next to them all began whispering to each other, murmuring among themselves.
In the court, Zhang Wei didn’t care what others thought and continued to press, “Now answer my question.
Prosecutor Tan Yingying, has my client beco your performance quantification figure?”
Zhang Wei inched closer, his tone growing colder, “Please answer yes or no, and a reminder, this is the third ti I’m asking!”
Faced with his aggressive questioning, Tan Yingying finally couldn’t hold back any longer, tears welling up in her eyes, and after a long struggle, she managed to say, “Yes, it is!”
“Oh~ so it is, you actually consider my client as a performance evaluation figure.
Is it that only by convicting him can you achieve a good performance evaluation, and failing to convict ans a poor one?”
“No wonder there are check marks and crosses on this, and my client is marked with a star.
I was wondering what that ant.
So, it turns out to be a big jackpot!”
“Your petty cri departnt normally handles minor offenses.
Suddenly, there’s a major cri, and you feel like you’ve hit the jackpot, don’t you?”
After finishing his performance, Zhang Wei looked at Tan Yingying.
She didn’t speak, but Zhang Wei continued to question, “Please tell , are you insisting on convicting my client because of performance evaluation, or to save face for your supervisor?”
“Don’t deny it just yet, I want to remind you, in light of the testimony confird earlier and you admitting what your supervisor said, ask yourself if you dare make false testimony in court!”
Tan Yingying imdiately shut her mouth, too frightened to speak.
“Now, please think carefully and then answer my question seriously.
Are you convicting my client because of performance evaluation?
Is it to save your supervisor’s face?”
This question also drew the attention of the entire audience, whether in the jury box or the listening bench, even Judge Wang on the judge’s bench turned to look at Tan Yingying, waiting for an answer.
“Yes, it is…” Under the scrutiny of so many people, Tan Yingying finally responded.
“You, you actually, you actually do this, I’m so heartbroken…” Zhang Wei’s mouth twitched, his deanor sowhat grief-stricken.
“But this is how our office has always operated, and the headquarters has always been like this, hasn’t it?” Tan Yingying almost cried out in her own defense.
“But are you not supposed to convict suspects for the sake of justice?”
Zhang Wei’s next remark, however, made the entire courtroom fall silent!
As if he didn’t understand, he asked again, “Isn’t the exercise of prosecutorial power supposed to be for justice, to adjudicate the guilty and pardon the innocent?”
This ti, it was a soul-searching question.
Tan Yingying couldn’t speak, as tears began to streak her eyes; she was on the verge of collapsing.
But Zhang Wei had no intention of letting her go and once again posed the soul-searching question, even raising his voice:
“What has your petty cri departnt turned my client into, a stepping stone for performance evaluation, instead of a citizen deserving justice?”
“Prosecutor Tan Yingying, look at , look at the Martial Association, look at the man sitting in the defendant’s seat!”
“Tell us, the reason you prosecuted him, is it based on the law, for justice, for the glory of fairness and faith, to find the guilty party, and not for so-called performance or to save face for your supervisor?”
“Co on, dare to tell everyone, dare to declare that you pursue justice like this, dare to speak out!!!”
Faced with Zhang Wei’s roar, Tan Yingying couldn’t hold back any longer, breaking down and crying in court.
“Wuu wuu wuu…
I, I, wuu wuu wuu…
I don’t know, I don’t know, wuu wuu wuu…”
She lifted her head and the scene before her was that of Zhang Wei, with his eyes wide, staring intently at her.
Tan Yingying lowered her head again, tears uncontrollably streaming down.
Zhang Wei, on the other hand, was completely relaxed, all the pent-up pressure finally being released at that mont.
After shouting out loud, he felt so exhilarated~
He looked towards the observers’ seats, only to see Guo Wufeng snort coldly and quickly leave the courtroom.
This was a place he could no longer stay, as watching Zhang Wei show off in court, unable to stop him, was truly agonizing.
In the plaintiff’s seats, Xiao Baihe saw Tan Yingying’s pain and couldn’t bear it, but was powerless to stop it.
If she acted, she would be charged with contempt of court and would have to leave the courtroom in resentnt.
But she had not anticipated that Zhang Wei’s questioning could break Tan Yingying’s defense; this was not sothing a junior lawyer could achieve.
The other people in the courtroom, witnessing Tan Yingying’s breakdown and tears, naturally had varying expressions.
How could they have imagined that a court hearing could break a prosecutor’s composure, and even cause her to cry on the spot!
Of course, this was also related to Tan Yingying’s soft temperant, sothing that could not have been achieved with soone of strong willpower.
Now that Tan Yingying had cried and Zhang Wei had his mont, it was naturally ti to wrap things up.
“Prosecutor Tan Yingying, I am very sorry, the previous question touched upon so matters in your heart, making you feel guilt, that was my mistake, and I apologize to you once again!”
“However, this is court ti, please restrain your tears, do not delay everyone’s valuable ti.”
“How about this, I retract the previous question, and now it’s your turn to ask questions, if you wish to question yourself, please feel free…”
Zhang Wei said, returning to his seat.
As for Tan Yingying, she finally managed to hold back her tears, but clearly, questioning herself was not possible.
This is the advantage of summoning an opponent, it prevents them from cross-examining!
This move, ah, is called prawn brains and pig hearts!
After Tan Yingying finally made her way back to her seat, Zhang Wei then stood up again.
“Your Honor, the defense does not have any more witnesses to call!”
From beginning to end, Zhang Wei had not intended to let the defendant Lin Xiao take the stand for questioning, completely denying the plaintiff any opportunity.
“Alright, since that’s the case, the closing argunts will start in 30 minutes; both sides of the hearing prepare accordingly, and the court will take a brief recess!”
Judge Wang took off his glasses and began wiping them.
Zhang Wei then entered the conference room with the defendant Lin Xiao, his wife Chen Lan, and Zhang Hui.
On the other side, Tan Yingying was also led away by Xiao Baihe, but before leaving, Xiao Baihe glared fiercely at Zhang Wei, who in return smiled at her.
“This damn guy, making Ying Ying cry in front of so many people, and he even dares to smile at !”
Xiao Baihe was itching with anger but had no way to deal with it.
…
30 minutes later, the hearing resud.
After Tan Yingying finished her closing argunt first, it was finally Zhang Wei’s turn.
He imdiately stood up, walked into the well of the court, and then said with utmost solemnity:
“I want to ask everyone, what is justice?”
Upon these words, the eyes of all present flickered with mories of the soul-searching questions posed earlier.
Because even the prosecutor had been reduced to tears by the questioning, the scene was deeply etched in everyone’s mory, to the extent that upon hearing this question, they all subconsciously thought of that scene.
“Justice is actually very simple, doing the right thing is justice, but sotis it is hard to achieve because what is right and what is wrong require a clear demarcation.”
“I want to ask one more question, what was the cause of the deceased’s death?
It was brain death!
But there are many reasons that can lead to brain death; a person who engages in constant brawls and heavy drinking, what do you think caused his brain death?
Was it because he fell down on the road by himself, was it because he was drunk to stupor and took a fall, or was it due to quarreling with friends or neighbors, ultimately unable to vent his burning rage?”
“There are many possible causes of brain death, even forensic scientists cannot determine the exact reason for Wei Hong’s death, but…”
Zhang Wei said this, raised a finger, and pointed it towards Tan Yingying:
“But the rookie prosecutor from the departnt of minor offenses, Tan Yingying, told us all the reason she was convinced of: because my client, Lin Xiao, pushed Wei Hong on Thursday night, leading to the latter’s death on Sunday night three days later, they determined my client to be the murderer.
So this is the justice that the departnt of minor offenses stands for!”
“I think you all heard it, they didn’t even confirm the specific cause of death, they didn’t even consider why Wei Hong fell to the ground, how much he drank that day, didn’t he have any idea in his mind?”
“In my view, the departnt of minor offenses just want to find soone to convict, to fulfill so ambition in their hearts, like drawing a big star ★ on the performance column of the scoreboard, to save face for their supervisor in front of colleagues at headquarters, and the like…”
“So I want to ask, does her action really concern justice?”
At that point, Zhang Wei ca in front of the jury, smiled bitterly, and said, “If you call that justice, then I have nothing to say!”
“But please think about it, if my client, Lin Xiao, were to be convicted today, then one day the people from the Martial Association show up at your doorstep, saying they want to take you away for questioning, and the reason is that you were cycling too fast last week, which scared an old lady by the roadside, and then three days later when the old lady died, you would be identified as the murderer, would you accept that outco?”
“So, ladies and gentlen, please touch your conscience and ask yourselves, what is justice?”
Zhang Wei touched his own chest, reiterated with emphasis, “Let us feel our heartbeat, let us confirm that we are living beings, and then, after questioning our hearts, ask again, what is justice, what the heck is justice!”
“Cough cough, the lawyer is advised to mind his language!” In the courtroom, Judge Wang coughed.
“Sorry, Your Honor, I got too carried away, but that concludes my closing statent!”
Zhang Wei quickly apologized, but after nodding to the jury, he returned to the defense bench.
“Both sides have presented their closing statents, court is now in recess…”
As the judge and jurors entered the conference room one after another, the whole courtroom beca tense.
“Lawyer Zhang, you’ve worked hard…” The defendant Lin Xiao could hardly speak.
“Junior brother, your closing statent was so powerful.” Zhang Hui was equally surprised.
If it were her, she would never have been able to give such a closing statent; this was definitely not sothing a rookie could co up with.
“Don’t worry, the judge is on our side!” Zhang Wei replied with a confident smile to the two.
“Why do you say that?” Zhang Hui was puzzled.
Zhang Wei raised a finger: “It’s simple.
In a criminal trial, there’s a fundantal principle of human rights protection, and that is ‘Innocent until proven guilty’!”
“Innocent until proven guilty…”
Zhang Hui muttered a few tis and then nodded firmly.
Innocent until proven guilty!
At this stage, none of the evidence from all parties could definitely prove that Lin Xiao was the murderer or that it was Lin Xiao’s shove that caused Wei Hong’s death.
Therefore, based on ‘Innocent until proven guilty’, he would not be the murderer.
Although those on the bench may not know this, the judge certainly does, and will bring up this concept during the final deliberations.
Lin Xiao glanced at his wife in the hearing area and couldn’t help but ask, “So, Lawyer Zhang, how long will they deliberate?”
“It should be quick, though I can’t predict it for sure, as jury matters aren’t sothing any lawyer can guarantee 100 percent!”
That was the truth.
The jury was made up of 12 people with different personalities; even the most skilled lawyer couldn’t possibly guess the thoughts of 12 different minds.
He couldn’t influence the thoughts of 12 people, so in the last mont, he could only leave it to fate.
Luckily, the jury ca to a decision in just 30 minutes
As everyone waited anxiously, the foreperson of the jury announced loudly:
“After discussion by our jury, in this case of accidental manslaughter, due to insufficient evidence provided by the prosecution, we determine that the charge of manslaughter against the defendant Lin Xiao…
is not established!”
“Oye!”
As the words “not established” were pronounced, Lin Xiao leaped up.
Zhang Hui showed a relieved expression.
In the hearing area, there were mixed reactions of joy and dismay; lawyers were thrilled, so even clapping and cheering.
anwhile, the prosecutors from the departnt of minor offenses were all deflated, their spirits drained.
On the prosecution’s side, Tan Yingying almost couldn’t stop herself from crying again, while Xiao Baihe’s expression was extrely complicated.
She saw Zhang Wei and Lin Xiao shake hands, then walk towards the hearing area, et up with Xia Qianyue and embrace on the spot.
“Zhang Wei, I’ll rember you!”
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