58: Chapter 57: Procuratorate Headquarters Makes a Move, Zhang Wei Begins the Investigation 58: Chapter 57: Procuratorate Headquarters Makes a Move, Zhang Wei Begins the Investigation Dongfang Capital, Procuratorate Headquarters.
Zhang Wei had visited Iron Island Prison and t with Wang Yuqing, and the prison had a record of this.
And as the prosecuting party, the Procuratorate Headquarters would be the first to know about it.
“Good, good, I understand, thank you for the reminder, Warden!”
Zhao Chunming put down the phone, his smile vanishing rapidly, replaced by a brooding cloudiness.
“It’s that kid again, why does he always pick cases like these!”
He was also frustrated, this case having such a large impact.
And the result is that the sa kid is taking up the cases for the defense.
Zhang Wei!
Just thinking of the na made his teeth itch with hatred.
Is there no other public defender in Dongfang Capital?
Or is Wang Yuqing too poor to afford another lawyer?
Why is it always Zhang Wei, do we at the Procuratorate Headquarters have so bad karma with this kid?
“This ti, I really want to see what you’re going to do!”
Zhao Chunming gritted his teeth and walked out of his office into the larger one outside.
In the office, the prosecutors from the Serious Cris Division all stuck their heads out, looking at Zhao Chunming.
“The Warden just called from Iron Island Prison.
A public defender has taken on Wang Yuqing’s case.
Guess who the lawyer is?”
“Director Zhao, what’s the point of guessing?
What’s there to worry about with a public defender?”
A male prosecutor at his side laughed, showing disdain.
A public defender taking a case generally ant they were juggling 20-30 various cases at once.
Getting them to focus exclusively on a single case was nearly impossible.
Moreover, public defenders were usually either small-ti lawyers who couldn’t make it into large firms or law students still in their internship, hardly a concern.
However, among the prosecutors, one of the won stood up.
“Director, since you ntion it that way, could it be that this public defender is rather troubleso?
Otherwise, you wouldn’t specifically step out of your office and take the initiative to share this news with us, right?”
The one asking the question was Xiao Baihe.
As the rising star prosecutor, she naturally sensed sothing out of the ordinary.
Normally, cases taken by public defenders were of little concern even to the regional Procuratorate’s Office, much less for Zhao Chunming, the Director of the Procuratorate Headquarters, to single them out for attention.
Unless, the person taking the case was extraordinary!
Xiao Baihe’s reasoning was clear, and that’s also why she could beco the ace of the office.
“Xiao Baihe is right, the person taking the case is indeed a bit troubleso!”
Zhao Chunming nodded, “The one taking the case is still that kid, that law student called Zhang Wei!”
“Zhang Wei!”
“Him again?”
“Is this kid deliberately going against our headquarters?”
“Boy, this must be the second or third ti already.
Does he deliberately pick the big cases from our headquarters?”
The prosecutors in the large office all showed expressions as if they had swallowed flies.
Why is it again Zhang Wei, why is it always Zhang Wei?
“Director, let do it, I want to et that kid!”
“No, let handle it.
I will settle the score for our headquarters!”
“Director, let go, I will definitely win against that kid!”
Soon, so began to realize this was a good opportunity to seek rit.
All the evidence in this case pointed to the suspect Wang Yuqing, surely a perfect chance for the Procuratorate Headquarters to redeem itself from past humiliations.
Moreover, the whole city was watching this case.
Winning would bring imnse fa.
Being the prosecutor for this case would undoubtedly be a win-win situation.
Instantly, all the prosecutors were clamoring to be the lead prosecutor for the case.
“Director, please let do it!”
From the crowd, Xiao Baihe spoke up as well.
As soon as she opened her mouth, the others around her fell silent.
Once the ace prosecutor requested to enter the fray, the others had no chance.
Seeing this, Zhao Chunming nodded approvingly, “Mm, since Xiao Baihe you have made such a request, then…”
Dinglingling…
Just as he was about to announce the decision, his office phone rang again.
Zhao Chunming hurried back to his office and quickly picked up the phone.
“Ah, it’s the chief inspector, yes, tell , tell …”
“Mm-hmm, okay, okay, I understand!”
“Definitely, definitely, we absolutely won’t slack off, we will handle it ticulously.”
“Right, right, you’re correct, we must always rember that!”
“Thank you, chief inspector, for caring about the work of our Major Cris Unit, I will arrange it now, arrange it this instant!”
Shortly after, Zhao Chunming ca out again, but his expression had changed, becoming even more cautious than before.
“Director…” Xiao Baihe stood up again, her face showing her eagerness to volunteer.
“No, I can’t let you take this one!”
But Zhao Chunming waved his hand, “Just now the chief inspector called , he said we must handle this case with utmost solidity because he is also paying attention to this case, and our Procuratorate Headquarters cannot afford another loss, and moreover, we must win handsoly!”
In his heart, he had already begun to consider the candidates, the first to be ruled out were the group of underachievers in the office.
Quickly, he thought of the suitable candidate.
“Huang Fang!”
Zhao Chunming yelled out, his voice even startling the neighboring office.
An assistant prosecutor with her own independent office walked out; she was Huang Fang.
This woman, appearing to be in her thirties, walked briskly, her face bearing a confident smile.
“For this case involving Wang Yuqing, which the chief inspector is paying attention to, you will be the chief prosecutor!”
“I understand!”
Huang Fang nodded solemnly, her expression remaining calm.
After all, she had handled many cases, and this was just yet another one.
“Zhao Jing, co out, too!” After giving the order, Zhao Chunming called out another na.
Within the large office, a girl slightly younger than Huang Fang stood up.
Zhao Chunming walked up to the girl, reminding her, “This ti, you will be the deputy prosecutor, assisting Huang Fang in handling this case!”
“Director Zhao, is it necessary to assign an assistant?
I can handle this case on my own!”
His action caused Huang Fang a bit of dissatisfaction.
“Huang Fang, I know your capabilities, but this case is no trivial matter.
The chief inspector specifically called to instruct , so I must ensure the case is thoroughly handled!”
Zhao Chunming warned, then said to Zhao Jing, “Zhao Jing, you are thoughtful and calm in handling affairs.
You will assist Huang Fang, and this ti we must make that fellow understand, our Procuratorate Headquarters is not a place he can provoke at will!”
“I understand!” the girl nodded emphatically.
“Huang Fang!” Zhao Chunming then looked at Huang Fang, expecting her to express her stance.
“I understand, too!”
The latter naturally did not dare to object, after all, the other party was still her nominal leader.
“That’s very good!” Zhao Chunming finally felt at ease.
As he walked back to his office, he muttered, “This ti two against one, we cannot possibly lose, especially with so much evidence supporting us, the advantage lies with our Procuratorate Headquarters!”
The people in the large office, seeing that Zhao Chunming had made the arrangents, naturally lost interest in competing for the role.
However, this did not affect their discussions.
“With Huang Fang taking action this ti, and Zhao Jing assisting, it seems Director Zhao is determined to win!”
“Isn’t that obvious?
The chief inspector himself made the call, how could Director Zhao not take it seriously!”
“Huang Fang was once the ace of our Major Cris Unit too.
After becoming an assistant prosecutor and moving to an independent office, she now gets to handle such a big case, it’s really enviable!”
“What’s the use of your envy?
You don’t even have the chance to assist her.
Although Zhao Jing is not Xiao Baihe, she is still one of the top three perforrs in our office every month.
You and I are always middle perforrs, we don’t qualify to be involved.”
“That’s not necessarily true; it’s not hard to get involved in this case.
We can attend the trial when it starts!”
“Isn’t that obvious?
I want to see for myself how that defense attorney nad Zhang Wei is going to defend!”
“When the ti cos, we’ll all go, and together we’ll cheer for Huang Fang and Zhao Jing!”
The discussion within the large office grew louder as many prosecutors thought about attending the trial to observe.
Xiao Baihe sat at her desk, her eyes reflecting a complex mix of emotions.
“It’s a sha, I didn’t get the chance to go against Zhang Wei, otherwise I would have let him know that provoking our Procuratorate Headquarters was a mistake!”
She felt disgruntled because the opportunity to defeat Zhang Wei had not co her way.
But when she recalled Zhang Wei’s cheeky, grinning deanor, she also felt a flicker of doubt.
What if Zhang Wei won again this ti?
It seed like this guy had a knack for picking tough cases and turning them around every ti.
“No, no, no, that’s impossible.
This ti, the case is being handled by Huang Fang, who was the ace prosecutor before I arrived, along with the assistance of Zhao Jing.
Even I couldn’t win against them, let alone him!”
Xiao Baihe hurriedly shook her head, dispelling the “unrealistic” thought from her mind.
However, she also decided that once the court date arrived, she would drag Tan Yingying along to observe.
She wanted to see what Zhang Wei had up his sleeve to contend with them!
…
Iron Island Prison, eting room.
Zhang Wei was unaware of who the Procuratorate Headquarters had deployed to deal with him for this case.
He was chatting with Wang Yuqing.
They talked about a lot, but Zhang Wei did not inquire about the details of the case; instead, he asked about Wang Yuqing’s work and personal life.
He had to make sure there were no oversights in this case, so his questions had to cover all bases.
Watching Zhang Wei, who had filled several pages of his notebook with details, including Wang Yuqing’s daily routine and sleep quality, Luo Feixiang was at a loss for words.
After all, Zhang Wei was the defense lawyer, and he was just Wang Yuqing’s friend.
And as a law professor, he knew one rule: in matters of the case, outsiders should not interfere with the attorney.
“Alright, I’ve got a pretty good understanding of your situation.
Let’s talk about the case now, shall we?”
After a long discussion, they finally got to the heart of the matter.
“First question, there should only be 5 people who can enter the laboratory, who else is there besides you?”
“Besides , there are 3 other researchers in my group; they are all colleagues from the dical University.
The fourth person is Professor Tan, the sponsor of the laboratory.
Not only is he the financial backer, but he is also the head of our mushroom research group and he convened all of us for the research.”
Zhang Wei picked up his notebook and began to note these details.
“Second question, do you know the victims, Councilor Yang and spouse, and why would soone target them?
Do you understand that aspect?”
Wang Yuqing thought for a mont and ventured a guess, “Maybe it has to do with research funding.
Councilor Yang is in charge of the preliminary review of scientific research funding for Dongfang Capital, and he seed to want to cut the funding for many laboratories.”
“So, besides your laboratory, other labs also had their funding cut, all by Councilor Yang?”
“Yes, it’s not just our dical University, several labs in that area had their funding reduced.
But, the problem is, the mushroom from our lab is what killed Councilor Yang, which I can’t deny.”
Zhang Wei nodded, acknowledging Wang Yuqing’s point that many people were dissatisfied with Councilor Yang, yet the murder weapon definitely ca from the dical University’s lab.
“Third question…”
Zhang Wei took a photograph from his briefcase.
It was a surveillance photo showing a public mailbox.
This was also verified by the Procuratorate and the Health Departnt who investigated and confird this as the source from where the mushroom-contaminated letters were sent—all the letters with the mushroom ca from here.
“Have you seen this mailbox before, or have you ever used it to send mail?”
Wang Yuqing looked at the photo and nodded, “Of course, this mailbox is just a few blocks away from the dical University.
Many colleagues send letters, submit to scientific journals, all mailed through this public mailbox—I’ve used it several tis too!”
“Alright then!”
Zhang Wei nodded and quickly noted down these details.
“One last question, how did you et Professor Luo?”
Wang Yuqing was slightly startled by this question, and Luo Feixiang was taken aback as well.
What did this question have to do with the case?
Luo Feixiang couldn’t hold back and asked hastily, “Zhang Wei, how is this question related to the case?”
“How is it not related?” Zhang Wei spread his hands and countered, “Weren’t you brought in for questioning?
Would the Procuratorate focus on you without any reason?”
“Feixiang, you were taken away for questioning?” Hearing about Luo Feixiang’s ordeal, Wang Yuqing was also surprised.
She didn’t expect her case to involve Luo Feixiang.
Seeing Zhang Wei look towards her, she hesitated for a mont and then began to recount, “I t Feixiang at a university mingling event.
He was at the law college and I was at the dical University.
I was a junior to him…”
Hearing Wang Yuqing’s story of how they t and beca friends, Luo Feixiang blushed slightly.
After all, this was a tale from their youth, from over a decade ago.
He did not expect Wang Yuqing to still rember.
Zhang Wei, of course, listened intently, and when he heard that Luo Feixiang would send Wang Yuqing text ssages every evening, he smiled knowingly.
Well, well, who would have thought Professor Luo, you too were quite the devoted admirer!
What a pity, after trying to play up to the person for over a decade, they still haven’t got it right.
More than ten minutes later, Wang Yuqing finished speaking.
“Alright, I’ve learned a portion of the case from you, and now I need to go to other places to gather clues!”
Zhang Wei began to pack up his things, ready to leave.
“Lawyer Zhang Wei, what should I do next?” Wang Yuqing hurriedly asked.
“What else can you do?
When the trial date arrives, you’ll be taken out of Iron Island Prison.
Then, until the verdict is out, you’ll be kept in the detention center, which actually makes it more convenient for us to see you.”
“Fortunately, you’ve behaved well in prison, otherwise visiting you here every ti would be too much for us.”
Zhang Wei paused, then joked, “As for whether you will regain your freedom in the future and soar with Professor Luo or keep staying in Iron Island Prison, gazing across the sea at him, depends on whether we can find more clues!”
At this teasing, Wang Yuqing blushed, embarrassed, and lowered her head.
…
Under the indifferent gaze and escort of a bunch of soldiers, the two of them packed up and left Iron Island Prison.
By the ti they returned to the port of Dongfang Capital, it was just around noon.
“Zhang Wei, what do we do next?” Luo Feixiang asked from the driver’s seat, a bit restless.
Zhang Wei lifted his head and looked at the high noon sun.
“What else?
First, let’s find a place to eat, I’m starving!”
“Ah, but…”
Professor Luo wanted to say sothing, but his stomach betrayed him with an untily rumble.
The “gurgle” sound, in the still car, was particularly loud.
“Old Luo, how many days has it been since you ate properly?
Your stomach is protesting!”
Zhang Wei slapped his shoulder, chuckling.
“You little rascal, don’t be so cheeky!”
Luo Feixiang quickly brushed away Zhang Wei’s hand, but he noticed that his mood seed a lot lighter than the previous few days.
Maybe it was because Zhang Wei took on the case.
He had that slight confidence in Zhang Wei, and a certain hope blossod in his heart.
Feeling better, he didn’t mind the trivial matters as much.
“Co on, you pick a place, I’m treating today.”
“Then let’s go to Xiuyelou, I’m familiar with the restaurants there.”
“Why head to Xiuyelou?”
“Because after we eat, we can go right over to the dical University’s lab, otherwise we’d waste the entire afternoon.”
“That does make sense…”
Luo Feixiang nodded unconsciously, almost forgetting that they had more investigating to do in the afternoon.
He started the car and steered towards Xiuyelou University Town in Central Ring.
After a simple al, Zhang Wei didn’t let Luo Feixiang pick up the tab.
Once they had eaten, they imdiately entered the dical University.
The laboratory Wang Yuqing belonged to was part of the dical University Affiliated Laboratory, but because of the case, the entire lab was sealed off.
Not only that, the Martial Association had also arranged for people to guard the scene, and luckily the guards were acquaintances.
“Sister Wang, Xiao Lu, we et again!”
Seeing the two standing guard at the door, Zhang Wei was surprised.
Since Xia Qianyue had joined the major cri unit 7 as an intern, her ntor Sister Wang, having lost a disciple, was reassigned to another group.
This ti, Sister Wang happened to be on duty with her forr apprentice Xiao Lu, guarding the dical University’s laboratory.
“Isn’t that little Zhang?
What brings you here…”
“Oh, I’m here for an investigation, I’m Wang Yuqing’s lawyer.”
“Zhang, how did you end up taking on this case too?
Does Xia Xia know?”
“Of course, but as a public defender, I have to take the cases assigned to , I can’t refuse, can I?
Besides, I believe that Wang Yuqing is innocent, and I’m here to investigate the evidence!”
“Fine, but the lab has been thoroughly searched by the hygiene departnt and the investigative team, I doubt you’ll find anything new if you go in.
Since you’re a lawyer, shouldn’t you be looking at the evidence that’s been made public?”
“Compared to the evidence they’ve released, I prefer doing an on-site investigation.
Who knows what sort of trump card they might be hiding?
If I inspect the scene myself, at least I’ll have a clearer picture.”
After chatting for a bit with Sister Wang, Zhang Wei was let through by the two of them and managed to enter the laboratory.
Luo Feixiang was taken aback, not expecting Zhang Wei to also get by with a bit of charm.
Reviews
All reviews (0)