My Lady, To Defeat Scumbags You Must Start Early - Chapter 395
Chapter 395: Chapter 395: Court Appearance (3) Spy in the Disc, Threatening Jun Minghan!
Translator: 549690339
Ji Baijian suddenly stood up in the solemn courtroom, uttering each word deliberately, “I have credible evidence to prove that the mastermind behind this case is not Song Zhizhi, but instead…”
Everyone was looking at Ji Baijian.
Ye Wenhan, Qian Guanshu.
Ji Baili, Xin Zaozao.
Chu Qin, Qin Jingxiang.
Chu Zhaotian, Qin Wenguo.
All the people present were watching him.
Obviously.
Ye Wenhan began to tense up all over.
About Ji Baijian, about this man, it seemed always to be the case: silence before a stunning proclamation.
He took a deep breath.
Struggling to suppress his emotions.
He didn’t know why Ji Baijian could exert such pressure.
Even if he didn’t want to admit it, deep down he was envious. When, oh when, could he have that kind of aura? It’s not some artificial show of presence, but an inherent quality that makes him the center of attention the moment he speaks, the focal point of all eyes. His charisma seemed to captivate everyone.
Such a tense courtroom.
Jun Minghan’s face was also tense.
Concerning Ji Baijian, concerning this man who he hadn’t taken seriously before, who he had purposely provoked just because Jun Mingyu wanted to win him over — now that he really interacted with him, he had to admit that Ji Baijian’s abilities exceeded his imagination!
His eyes narrowed.
When Ji Baijian spoke.
He deliberately paused for two seconds, and said, “It is, Chu Qin!”
Two words.
Ye Wenhan and Qian Guanshu couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
They had feared, for a moment, that Ji Baijian would name one of them.
Involuntarily, they began to sweat.
Just as the entire courtroom was still somewhat shell-shocked, Chu Qin suddenly stood up from the spectators’ seats, “Ji Baijian, what nonsense are you talking about? What evidence do you have?!”
Ji Baijian didn’t even look at Chu Qin.
He addressed the Judgment Chief, “Your Honor, please allow me to present my evidence in court.”
The Judgment Chief glanced at Jun Minghan at his side.
Jun Minghan gave a slight nod.
The Judgment Chief then said, “Allowed.”
Ji Baijian appeared in the center of the courtroom.
Ji Baijian’s gaze shifted to Song Zhizhi.
They were even closer now!
As they looked into each other’s eyes, there appeared to be a slight warmth.
Ji Baijian shifted his gaze, and addressed the Judgment Chief, “Before I present my evidence, I would like to ask Li Sheng a few questions.”
“Allowed.”
“Thank you, Your Honor.”
Ji Baijian turned his head to face Li Sheng.
As Li Sheng faced Ji Baijian, he was extremely nervous; he didn’t even dare to look into Ji Baijian’s eyes.
Ji Baijian asked, “You said that you and Song Zhizhi have a good relationship?”
“Yes”.
“I never saw you and Song Zhizhi interact outside of work.”
“We seldom interact in private, but we are often in contact at work. Zhang He can confirm this, we are often together during working hours.”
“When did Song Zhizhi ask you to bribe Liang Ping?”
“On the 28th of September, at 3 in the afternoon, in her office.”
“Did she give you a bank card and ask you to transfer money to another account and then withdraw the cash?”
“Yes,” Li Sheng agreed promptly.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Li Sheng nodded.
“You ought to know, everything you’re saying now, if it turns out to be false testimony, you will also be subject to legal sanctions!”
“I…” Li Sheng dared not answer.
Ji Baijian spoke, “I’m giving you three seconds to think it through. Three, two…”
“Objection!” Prosecutor Lawyer Yang Gang stood up from his seat, “I strongly object to Ji Baijian intimidating the witness with threatening language. I strongly insist that Ji Baijian present evidence; otherwise, everything we’re doing right now is a waste of time! I even suspect that Ji Baijian has no tangible evidence and is deliberately mystifying things to incite fear, seriously disrupting the order of the court!”
“Objection sustained!” the judgment chief said solemnly, “Please, Ji Baijian, present your evidence, or my court will accuse you of disrupting the normal order of the court session!”
Ji Baijian said no more.
His deliberate questioning of Li Sheng was meant to prevent her from finding other excuses once the evidence came out.
He pulled out a USB stick, “Your honor, may I play this audio clip?”
“Granted.”
Ji Baijian inserted the USB stick into the computer, connecting it to the sound system.
The dialogue between two people suddenly filled the courtroom.
“Li Sheng, it’s time for you to testify against Song Zhizhi’s crime.” A woman’s voice suddenly opened the conversation.
“Can I, can I do it?” Clearly, Li Sheng was lacking confidence.
“We’ve prepared all the evidence, all we need now is a witness. You had a good relationship with Song Zhizhi in Commercial Management, if you testify, everyone will believe it!”
“But…”
“No ‘buts’ now. Just firmly state that you’re the woman in the video and that Song Zhizhi gave you money to do all those things! There will be plenty of evidence in court, I’ve prepared a script for you here, there won’t be any slips. Once Song Zhizhi is in jail, I guarantee you’ll be promoted and get a raise.”
“Will I be subject to legal sanctions?”
“Rest assured, in your case, it’ll merely be a warning. When the time comes, I’ll figure out a way to plead for mercy at the court, so you won’t really face legal punishment.”
“But I…”
“If you don’t agree, don’t think about staying at Commercial Management. You know my relationship with Ye Wenhan, don’t you?”
“Alright. But Manager Chu, you have to guarantee, you have to guarantee that I won’t get in trouble, I still have my parents at home.”
“Rest easy!”
Then, the recording ended.
Ji Baijian just looked at Li Sheng in front of him, watching her face turn pale, her body trembling, biting her lip, looking like she was on the verge of collapse.
She didn’t know why this recording, this private conversation she had with Chu Qin, was in Ji Baijian’s hands.
Not just her.
Chu Qin was in the audience, with two on-site staff members standing next to her by now. Since Ji Baijian suspected her of being a criminal suspect, naturally they wouldn’t let her leave. Her face was also extremely pale by this point. How could her conversation with Li Sheng be recorded by Ji Baijian?
She was in no better shape, unable to suppress constant trembling.
She had been very discreet, only having this conversation with Li Sheng after work, after making sure that nobody was around. She was certain that there was no one around!
What exactly went wrong?!
All of a sudden.
She was taken aback.
That night, when Ji Baijian sought her out, deliberately telling her something that she thought was just meant to make her testify against Ye Wenhan. She had paid no serious attention to the hidden objective of Ji Baijian’s visit. The moment he approached her, he was placing a spy device on her!
The more she thought about it, the harder her body trembled.
How could Ji Baijian have guessed what she would do?!
It was not a fluke; he knew exactly what she would do next.
Ye Wenhan was watching Chu Qin from not far away.
His face was as white as a sheet.
He had given her clear instructions to be very careful and cautious, how could Ji Baijian get the upper hand?!
He was grinding his teeth in anger.
Qian Guanshu, who was sitting next to him, wasn’t faring much better.
After a few minutes of sudden silence in the courtroom, Ji Baijian said word for word, “Today, besides making a defense of innocence for my wife, Song Zhizhi, I also intend to accuse Chu Qin of the crime of malicious framing!”
Chu Qin gritted her teeth.
Chu Zhaotian’s face turned pitch black!
He could never have imagined that his daughter would turn out to be the chief culprit.
The thought that occupied him the most was whether he could protect himself in the face of such a big scandal in his family.
Meanwhile, Chu Qin was led to the courtroom by the staff.
Ji Baijian had not yet spoken.
The Judgment Chief spoke directly, “Witness Ji Baijian, please leave the court. According to the law, no unrelated people, including witnesses, are allowed to speak without being summoned by the court.”
Ji Baijian didn’t say much, he turned his head to Wen Tian.
Wen Tian nodded confidently.
Ji Baijian returned to his seat in the observation area.
Qin Jingxiang looked at him and laughed, “You indeed exceed expectations at all times. How did you know that Chu Qin would frame Song Zhizhi at this time?”
Ji Baijian did not answer her.
Qin Jingxiang shrugged, indicating she didn’t care.
Ji Baili was also somewhat curious and couldn’t help asking, ” Brother, how did you get this recording?”
After the first trial, everyone almost thought that the fact of Song Zhizhi’s innocence was conclusive. Then, a series of sudden evidence at the second trial clearly pointed out Song Zhizhi’s crimes. Just at the critical moment, there was a sudden turnaround.
Did he definitely know that the other party might not give up and want to accuse Song Zhizhi?
“Not only that,” Ji Baijian seemed to guess what Ji Baili was thinking, “It’s not just that they can’t accept Song Zhizhi’s innocence, but they’re aware they will find a scapegoat!”
“What does that mean?” Ji Baili still did not understand.
“If Song Zhizhi is innocent, then there must be another criminal. The real culprit is afraid of being caught, so they would use some evidence to frame someone else, and that person seems to be…” Ji Baijian looked at Chu Qin.
So he had put a mini wiretap in Chu Qin’s bag.
Unfortunately, Qian Guanshu was indeed too cunning. None of the wiretap content included conversations between Chu Qin and Ye Wenhan.
Qian Guanshu was indeed very cautious in his actions.
In the court.
Wen Tian faced Chu Qin, “Is the conversation that was just played, your conversation with Li Sheng?”
Chu Qin gritted her teeth without speaking.
“Chu Qin, you should know that you are now in court. It’s not the place where just because you refuse to speak, you won’t have to.”
Chu Qin still didn’t open her mouth.
“Chu Qin, please answer in front of the judge, is this recording a conversation between you and Li Sheng?”
“No!” Chu Qin firmly denied.
Wen Tian’s face changed slightly.
Everyone was watching him.
Chu Qin enunciated each word, “I really don’t know where this came from. It has nothing to do with me. I never had such a conversation with Li Sheng. The software is so advanced on the market now, any two people can have a conversation modulated into our voices! This is just Ji Baijian intentionally fabricating these to frame me, I don’t know what these are!”
Wen Tian frowned.
Chu Qin was still quite calm and not flustered.
She turned to Li Sheng, who was already panic-stricken, “Did you have this conversation with me? Did we ever say these words?”
“No. No, I’ve always had a bad relationship with manager Chu. I couldn’t possibly work for her. These are all fake, all fake!” Li Sheng also insisted, it wasn’t their conversation.
Both were justifying themselves in the court.
Ye Wenhan scoffed.
Chu Qin was indeed a smart woman!
She could still remain calm in the face of crisis!
He almost got suffocated by the evidence that Ji Baijian suddenly pulled out again. It seemed as if Ji Baijian had calculated him thoroughly, as if he knew what he was going to do next.
The court all of a sudden became slightly awkward.
“Our side supports Chu Qin’s point of view. Relying solely on a piece of video is not enough to prove Chu Qin’s guilt, nor is it enough to clear Song Zhizhi’s innocence. I hope the judge can weigh the evidence!”
The Judgment Chief nodded, “If the defendant’s side doesn’t have any other evidence to corroborate, then the recording cannot be regarded as valid evidence to prove Song Zhizhi’s innocence.”
No one in the court had pursued the authenticity of the recording, they just denied its validity abruptly.
Anyone could see the bias in the court!
“Your Honor, I have more evidence,” Wen Tian spoke loudly.
For the first time in court, the situation changed so dramatically, as if it had been reversed and then reversed again.
Other real observers felt like they were watching a spy drama.
The Judgment Chief nodded, “Please present your evidence.”
“Please allow our witness to take the stand, your Honor!”
“Granted.”
Gao Chao was brought to the scene.
“What’s your name?” Wen Tian asked.
“Gao Chao.”
“Tell us about who you are.”
“I am a resident of the Airport District. Once, in front of the media, I spoke ill of Liu Wen, accusing him of acting in his own interests without considering the nation’s. I also criticized the helmsman of Commercial Management, Mr. Ye Wenhan.”
“And then?”
“I was retaliated against. My company fired me, saying I was meddling too much!”
“Okay.”
After Wen Tian finished asking his questions, he took out a letter of legal advice and presented it to the Judgment Chief and the prosecutor.
Wen Tian explained, “We found this declaration during our undercover investigation in the Airport District, instructing everyone not to discuss the relocation issue anymore. We visited many residents and found none of them dared to mention this case anymore.”
“What’s the defense trying to imply?” the Judgment Chief asked.
“Firstly, why was Gao Chao retaliated against? Because he spoke ill of the victim Liu Wen, creating a massive stir in the media and casting certain individuals in a bad light- which was, of course, greatly beneficial to my client. Hence, it’s clear that the retaliation against Gao Chao was not conducted by my client. And the ease with which Gao Chao was terminated suggests that the person behind this is not ordinary.”
“Secondly, the property management’s declaration preventing discussion about the demolition. As many might know, the ongoing demolition had garnered wide support. But the sudden prohibition is obviously driven by fear of people taking the side of the suspect, Song Zhizhi. It expresses a deeper worry that public dissent might affect the trial. In plain language, they hoped that when declaring Song Zhizhi guilty was greeted with collective jubilation, no one would question the dubious aspects of this case. And who has the power to make property management issue such an edict, knowing fully well they don’t possess the qualifications to issue a legal statement?”
“Based on these two points, I have good reason to suspect that my client is being framed! The only thing now that still can’t rule out his innocence is the question of where the vanished 500,000 in cash went?! The 500,000 in cash truly did disappear into thin air, and we can’t provide evidence to prove otherwise. However, we found that the 500,000 had also vanished from Chu Qin’s account. Where did Chu Qin’s money go to?!”
Wen Tian spoke with intense momentum.
Chu Qin looked at Wen Tian.
Yes.
She did withdraw money, using it to bribe Liang Ping.
She had been very discreet, money going in and out, creating many transactions. She never thought it would get traced.
She watched Wen Tian hand a bank statement to the Judgment Chief and the prosecution.
“The bank statement shows that Chu Qin made deposits and withdrawals through four accounts, creating the illusion of regular spending. But this behavior suggests she’s intentionally making up transactions. Meanwhile, my client’s account was directly short of 500,000 – a clear invitation for investigation. Your Honour, don’t you find this peculiar?”
The Judgment Chief was somewhat silent, seemingly in deep thought.
Perceptive people could tell he was waiting for the prosecutor’s response.
In response, prosecution lawyer Yang Gang stood up and declared, “Lawyer Wen, you presented quite a bit of evidence, but none of it convincingly proves Chu Qin’s guilt. Firstly, we’ll exclude the recording provided by Ji Baijian; recordings can be synthesized with software nowadays and can’t be considered credible evidence. Secondly, so-called threats against Gao Chao and the legal notice issued by property management only prove that someone didn’t want this issue to snowball. Anyone who wanted to suppress the news could have done this, including Commercial Management or government officials. As the situation intensifies, it only affects Yanshang Country more – not enough to prove that Chu Qin is behind it. Lastly, I’ve examined Chu Qin’s account activity; in my opinion, she was just making normal transactions. As for your client’s abrupt withdrawal of 500,000, if it wasn’t an invitation for investigation, then it only shows your client wasn’t smart enough!”
“Lawyer Yang,” Wen Tian, unfazed by his sharp words, appeared remarkably calm as he began, “You are one of the top lawyers in our country. Among all the lawyers in our country, you are ranked in the top three. You’ve fought countless cases with an eighty-three percent win rate, which I deeply admire. Therefore, any opinion you make in court will likely be emulated and studied by other lawyers. Furthermore, as you are representing the prosecution today, you are representing our high-ranking official, a man much respected and of noble birth. If I’m not mistaken, this is the first time Mr. Jun has appeared in court in this capacity. I believe it demonstrates Mr. Jun’s attention to this case.”
Wen Tian then paused.
At that moment, Yang Gang seemed somewhat delighted.
Firstly, he was indeed an ace lawyer, and public acknowledgement would naturally make him proud.
Secondly, the fact that Jun Minghan’s first case was his responsibility meant he would gain significant reputation within the legal industry.
He looked at Wen Tian, wondering if Wen Tian was trying to appease him now.
Regardless, Wen Tian still wanted a future in law. Buttering up his seniors wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
The next second, he heard Wen Tian say, “But don’t you think your words just now are rather ridiculous, Lawyer Yang?”
The room went into a stunned silence!
“You said that none of the evidence against Chu Qin is valid. Why then can it assert that my client is guilty? Firstly, the vanished 500,000? Secondly, the confession from criminal Liang Ping full of holes? Thirdly, the sudden identification by a Li Sheng out of the blue? Lawyer Yang, you’ve been in law for so many years – do you think these can be considered credible evidence?!”
At that moment, Yang Gang found himself speechless, rendered mute by Wen Tian, a mere Wen Tian.
“I now strongly suspect that the prosecution is deliberately covering for the real suspect and intentionally framing my client!” Wen Tian’s words echoed throughout the courtroom, sentence by sentence.
Jun Minghan’s face tightened instantly.
His gaze shifted, landing a hard stare on Ji Baijian.
Ji Baijian met his gaze squarely, as if he knew it was coming.
In that instant of eye contact,
Jun Minghan felt the threat emanating from this man.
The words from Wen Tian clearly reflected Ji Baijian’s intentions!
The message was clear – he’d better think carefully about how he intended to deliver a fair judgment before everyone in this courtroom!
