Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 189 - 188: Xia Donghai Goes to Court, Fang Yunshu Testifies

Chapter 189: Chapter 188: Xia Donghai Goes to Court, Fang Yunshu Testifies

(Today I took an elderly family member to the community hospital for a vaccine booster shot; the second Chapter might be posted a little later, sorry about that...)

...

Who is Xia Donghai?

Naturally, he’s Zhang Wei’s father-in-law.

However, as the summoned party, Xia Donghai himself was also puzzled.

He just remembered that last night, his darling daughter handed him the phone, and then Zhang Wei, the youngster, started asking if he could help with something.

He himself was still half asleep, and agreed without thinking much about it.

After all, although Li Qinghua disapproved of him, Xia Donghai still considered Zhang Wei his son-in-law.

It shouldn’t be too much trouble for a father-in-law to help his son-in-law, should it?

But then, early in the morning, he received a court summons, instructing him to attend the trial as a witness.

What a situation!

Xia Donghai expressed that the so-called favor turned out to be testifying in court.

But he was also puzzled, as he seemed to have nothing to do with this case, at best he had just watched the scene for a while.

He wasn’t the person in charge of investigating this case, so even if he testified, what could he possibly prove?

Xia Donghai took his seat in the witness stand, and helplessly looked at Zhang Wei.

Is this the little favor you mentioned?

Zhang Wei gave his father-in-law a comforting look.

Unfortunately, neither Xia Donghai nor Li Qinghua, sitting in the corner, appreciated it.

Ironically, it was their first time attending the same trial, and surprisingly, it was Zhang Wei who orchestrated this achievement.

"Hello, Mr. Xia Donghai!"

"Hello, Zhang Wei, today you are..."

Xia Donghai glanced at the prosecution and defense seats, "...you’re the defense attorney?"

"Yes, I represent the defendant Fang Yunshu, and today I have summoned you as a witness for the defense!"

"Oh, then ask whatever questions you have, I’ll try my best to answer..."

"Alright!"

Seeing Xia Donghai’s cooperation, Zhang Wei immediately asked, "Mr. Xia Donghai, how long have you worked at the Martial Association?"

"Ever since I finished my first internship, I joined the Martial Association, and it’s been a whole 20 years now."

"So you’re saying, you have 20 years of experience in field enforcement?"

"Um, you could say that!"

"Then, the defense would like to know, how does an excellent field officer handle a report and the situation after receiving it?"

"This..."

Upon hearing this question, Xia Donghai was stumped.

It’s not that he couldn’t answer; in fact, he could answer very well, and even elaborate systematically to explain it.

If he were free to elaborate, he could even list many actual cases, and it might take an hour or two in court to discuss them all.

But he was confused about how these questions had anything to do with the case at hand.

"I object!"

Sure enough, as soon as Zhang Wei asked the question, Lan Zhengye couldn’t resist.

"Your Honor, what exactly does the defense lawyer intend to achieve by inquiring about the standard practice of field enforcement, and what does it have to do with this case?"

"Also, the defense’s first summoned witness seems unrelated to the case as well. I really don’t understand the purpose of having a civil field officer testify in our criminal case!"

Seeing the prosecutor’s strong reaction, Judge Chen naturally turned to Zhang Wei.

I’ve already allowed you to summon your father-in-law, but at least ask some questions related to the case, alright?

You had your father-in-law come to court to resolve the doubts about the case, not to give a general explanation!

"Your Honor, the defense has summoned my father-in... uh, Mr. Xia Donghai, actually to clarify the doubts everyone has at the scene!"

Zhang Wei almost blurted out the words "father-in-law" but quickly corrected himself after realizing the slip.

"In last Friday’s hearing, the prosecution called a field officer for inquiry and evidence collection, who acknowledged that after receiving the defendant’s report, she went to the scene to meet the reporter and began the investigation. However, our side believes that this field officer’s investigation work was not thoroughly executed, which is why we have asked the experienced field officer, Mr. Xia Donghai, to come and clarify this matter."

After explaining, Zhang Wei looked at Judge Chen, "Your Honor, my client has reported the issue several times. Can you guarantee that the field officer responsible for handling the case managed it correctly every time? Could they possibly never make mistakes or oversights in their actions?"

"This..."

Judge Chen, now feeling helpless, glanced at Li Qinghua, who returned with a glance that said, "It’s up to you, I really don’t know anyway."

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the court would now like to ask for your opinion. Do you wish to understand the operational standards of field officers during law enforcement?"

The jurors exchanged glances with each other, and, after a moment of eye contact, quite a few actually nodded their heads.

Clearly, the matter of field law enforcement was alien to them, and many among them were curious to learn more about it.

"Alright then!"

Judge Chen nodded in agreement and waved at Zhang Wei and Xia Donghai.

Please continue!

"Okay, here I go!"

After organizing his thoughts, Xia Donghai began to elaborate, "Actually, our field enforcement isn’t as serious as the public imagines. Once we receive a report, an operator will initially understand the situation, then it will be assigned to different departments. The tasks we field officers are generally in charge of involve civil disputes and security checks, like marital spats, neighbor quarrels, fights between strangers, between spouses, neighbors..."

There on the stand, Xia Donghai embarked on a lengthy explanation.

Even Zhang Wei had to admit, his father-in-law was truly a veteran field officer, his 20 years of service were not for naught.

After discussing some theories, Xia Donghai could instantly cite several vivid examples, quickly capturing the attention of the jury.

With 20 years of experience, even if he hadn’t dealt with many cases daily, the accumulation over two decades had given him countless experiences.

These cases were as if ingrained in his DNA, almost effortlessly recounted.

And so, an hour passed...

An hour and a half passed...

In the courtroom.

The jury was riveted.

Observers in the gallery would nod occasionally.

But only...

Zhang Wei had already switched his stance countless times, his legs starting to feel numb, as he had been standing for 90 minutes straight.

On the prosecution’s bench, Lan Gaojian propped his forehead with one hand, looking thoroughly exasperated.

Next to him, Zhao Jing had yawned countless times and was on the brink of falling asleep.

In the gallery.

Lin Yumeng was already resting her head on the armrest, quietly snoring, while Tie Ruyun was fighting off sleep, though his eyes were bloodshot.

Next to him, Zhao Chunming looked grim, his gaze towards Zhang Wei cold and calculating.

He was constantly wondering what the purpose was behind Zhang Wei bringing a stranger to testify in court.

Was it just to waste time? That would be nonsense!

The newcomers beside him were note-taking, while many others stared up at the ceiling to pass the time.

It was so damn boring.

They were all frustrated. How could the witness talk for so long?

Did he consider field work a side job, with his real profession as a comic storyteller?

In the courtroom, Xia Donghai was still going on.

"...Actually, there’s a method to handle these kinds of group brawls too. You need to clarify who threw the first punch. Usually, the person who initiates the fight bears the most responsibility, while the others have lesser culpability. However, there are exceptions, like when it’s many against one. Even if the single person struck first, it might have been in self-defense, so they wouldn’t bear responsibility..."

"Stop!"

Seeing that Xia Donghai had no intention of stopping, Lan Gaojian could sit still no longer.

He glanced at the time and objected, "Your Honor, it has been an hour and a half. Is the defense really planning to let this witness speak all day?"

"If the witness intends to continue this educational presentation, for the sake of the trial’s progress, the prosecution must request the court to temporarily reject the qualification of the witness’s testimony!"

Seeing Lan Gaojian was serious, Judge Chen, also struggling to stay awake, nodded in agreement.

"Defense counsel, if you wish to continue having the witness enlighten us, please do so privately and don’t waste everyone’s time!"

With the judge saying as much, Zhang Wei had no other option.

"Mr. Xia Donghai, you’ve spoken for quite some time, you must be tired. Have some water!"

Of course, his first concern was to take care of his father-in-law; that was the duty of a good son-in-law.

"Oh!"

Xia Donghai quickly poured himself a glass of water, the fifth one he had drunk.

"Witness, concerning the earlier trial’s investigation and case tracking activity of that field officer, do you consider her professional?"

"Although there were some minor flaws, and her attention to the case noticeably waned after the defendant reported multiple times, the initial case tracking and investigation were faultless!"

"So, you’re saying that after multiple reports, the field officer did exhibit a degree of negligence?"

"It’s fairly common because we often encounter people who are overly suspicious. Sometimes, they report inexplicable cases, like receiving dreams from deceased relatives, suspecting a burglary in their own home when it’s actually the neighbor’s cat..."

"Stop!"

Seeing Xia Donghai about to launch into another lengthy speech, Lan Zhengye immediately stood up to interrupt.

"Defense?" Judge Chen also yawned and then gave a warning look.

If you dare to keep going, I really will use the gavel!

"Ahem, my apologies, Your Honor!"

Zhang Wei quickly apologized, then walked back to his seat and took out several photographs.

"Since we have delayed everyone’s time for so long, let me directly ask the final question!"

He spread out the photographs in front of Xia Donghai.

"Witness, what do you see?"

"I see a dog door, but it’s been sealed shut with wooden boards and nails!"

"And this one?"

"I see a security system, and just one look at this equipment and you can tell it’s not cheap. However, such systems are usually found in wealthier homes, and this house’s grade doesn’t seem to match up with it!"

"What about this one?"

"Goodness, there are even dowels stuck in the windows. Does the owner of this house often have visits from thieves, what with the security system and dowels?"

"That’s not the case!"

Zhang Wei shook his head. The photographs he provided were taken inside the defendant’s home.

"Although I have asked this question of the prosecuting witness in a previous court session; here, I must still ask Mr. Xia Donghai, you’ve been on the job for 20 years, so you must have entered many homes, seen many houses, and encountered quite a few individuals living alone, haven’t you?"

"Yes."

"Then with your professional perspective, do you think the owner of this house is in some kind of panic or fear?"

Xia Donghai lowered his head, looked at the photos again, "I believe the owner of this house is very, very afraid. She can feel that outside the house, someone is threatening her!"

"Of course, this is based on my experience and judgment and does not represent the actual events."

This answer was much better than the one given by that female field agent before.

"Thank you very much for your answer. I have finished my questions!"

After thanking Xia Donghai once more, Zhang Wei returned to his seat.

The jury seemed puzzled by the last question, with a few even starting to exchange glances with each other.

"Witness, I want to ask, what is your relationship with the defense lawyer? Why is he treating you so politely?"

Lan Zhengye naturally noticed that Zhang Wei treated this witness differently compared to the others.

"That guy... ahem, the defense lawyer, he is my son-in-law!"

Xia Donghai did not deny it and directly revealed their relationship.

"Son-in-law?!"

Lan Gaojian obviously didn’t know Xia Qianyue, but that did not prevent him from continuing to inquire, "Then, since you have such a relationship with the defense lawyer, might your answers be..."

"Prosecutor, I don’t know what you’re trying to imply, but all my answers are based on careful consideration of what I’ve actually seen. Like those photographs, my judgment comes from 20 years of experience in fieldwork, and it has nothing to do with being that guy’s father-in-law. As for the earlier science talks, it’s the same. My answers don’t have any direct connection with that guy."

"Moreover, my daughter hasn’t even passed through his family’s door, so legally, he and I are actually strangers, at most aware of each other’s names and professions."

"This..."

Lan Zhengye, finding Xia Donghai’s response well-reasoned, was suddenly at a loss for words.

Not to mention that because Xia Donghai, this witness, has been diligently and honestly completing his fieldwork for over 20 years, he couldn’t find any angle to attack.

"Forget it, there’s no point in dwelling on this witness. It would only be a waste of time!"

Lan Zhengye decided not to cross-examine any further as it would just be a waste of time.

"Your Honor, we have also finished our questioning and we thank the witness for his informative session!"

The last use of the word "informative" was said with an increased emphasis.

Xia Donghai slowly stood up, his legs cramping from sitting too long.

Dragging his numb legs, he walked down step by step, and before leaving, nodded at Li Qinghua in the corner.

"Defense, do you have any more witnesses to present?"

"Your Honor, the defense believes it’s almost noon, so how about we continue after lunch? Our defendant is actually a bit hungry!"

Hearing Zhang Wei’s answer, Judge Chen was startled for a moment, and even Fang Yunshu from the defense bench opened her mouth in surprise.

The former thought, shouldn’t this be something I propose?

While the latter was speechless because she was not hungry at all.

"Fine, fine, considering the earlier delay, let’s adjourn for now. We’ll resume after lunch!"

Judge Chen felt a bit hungry after being mentioned by Zhang Wei and decided to take a short break for lunch.

The court adjourned.

However, this time Lan Zhengye approached the defense’s bench.

"Lawyer Zhang, what game are you playing? Are you trying to deliberately delay the proceedings?"

"Prosecutor Lan, you misunderstand. If I wanted to delay the proceedings, I would have just had the defendant fake an illness or file a motion to postpone the trial. Why would I need to go through all this trouble?"

"Hmph, whatever you’re planning to do, your client will absolutely not escape legal punishment!"

With a cold huff, Lan Zhengye turned and left.

"Let’s go have lunch, Ms. Fang. You’ll need to testify in court this afternoon!"

Zhang Wei offered a word of comfort and, under the watch of the court officers, went with Fang Yunshu to the preparation room to eat.

...

Afternoon, 1 o’clock.

Zhang Wei checked his phone and saw that there were still no messages.

"It seems it’s unavoidable now; I really didn’t want the client to have to appear in court!"

Clearly, there had been no breakthrough from Zhao Qingyan’s side, which made Zhang Wei very helpless.

The only way to delay time was to have Fang Yunshu testify in court.

Allowing a client to face the prosecution’s attack is very dangerous.

Especially since Fang Yunshu had previously been trailed and followed, her mental state had been in a haze for several months.

Now, to have her face questioning by a senior prosecutor was akin to throwing a lamb into a tiger’s den.

But with no news from Zhao Qingyan’s side, this was the only move Zhang Wei could make.

Returning to the courtroom, Judge Chen declared the continuation of the trial with the strike of his gavel.

"Defense, call your next witness," he said.

Zhang Wei reluctantly rose to his feet, "Your Honor, the defense requests that the defendant Fang Yunshu be called to testify in her own defense!"

"Granted!"

With a knock of the gavel, Judge Chen couldn’t help thinking to himself that it was finally happening.

After spending so much time that morning, it was about time for the defendant herself to take the stand. He really couldn’t endure much more of this.

Prosecutor Lan also perceived Fang Yunshu preparing to testify and displayed a confident smile, as if he had anticipated this.

He knew that the defense didn’t have many options left, and Fang Yunshu was their final act of defiance.

Once the defense’s testimony ended, his cross-examination would be the prosecution’s coup de grâce!

But for now, let them take the stand and say their piece,

Even though he knew it was all in vain.

But watching the opponents struggle with all their might before being crushed by his own hand was a great pleasure.

In any case, Fang Yunshu took the stand.

"Ms. Fang, as the defendant in this case, you must have a lot, a lot to say to everyone," initiated Zhang Wei, emphasizing the word "a lot."

His insinuation was clear; speak at length because you might not get another chance once the prosecution starts their cross-examination.

"Yes," Fang Yunshu nodded.

"Alright then, please tell the court about your thoughts on the murder of Zeng Xiang; no need for my questioning, the jury is already waiting for your response!"

Zhang Wei moved aside to the jury box, giving Fang Yunshu the floor.

Fang Yunshu bowed her head and, after a moment of gathering her thoughts, finally looked up at the jury.

"I want to declare first, I will not deny that I killed someone because I did kill my ex-husband, and that is an indisputable fact!"

"But what you may not know is that at the moment of his death, I actually felt a sense of relief because the long-standing fear he had instilled in me finally disappeared!"

"I am not admitting to being afraid, and that’s why I killed. It’s only after killing my ex-husband that I realized how scared I had been of him, so it wasn’t until after he took his last breath in front of me that I felt..."

Fang Yunshu began her testimony, but the first thing she did was admit to killing Zeng Xiang.

"Oh, admitting to the crime voluntarily, what a tactic!"

On the prosecution’s bench, Lan Zhengye watched the defendant on the witness stand beginning to tell her story and felt slightly surprised.

Normally, a defendant would never do such a thing. Even if you killed someone, you’d vehemently deny it.

But this defendant had done the opposite, and it was obvious someone was advising her from behind.

That person was clearly Zhang Wei!