Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 207 - 206: The Nanny Goes to Court, Rebutting the Witness Liang Canguang? (Reward for Extra)

Chapter 207: Chapter 206: The Nanny Goes to Court, Rebutting the Witness Liang Canguang? (Reward for Extra)

(Special thanks to the book friend "Cola in a Sprite Bottle" for the 10,000 point reward. The Chapter name is too short to include it, so I have to place you here, sorry about that...)

PS: Author Germ mentioned before about bonus Chapters for the Alliance Hierarch. These past few days, the readers’ group has been lively, and since a reader lord generously rewarded, I’ve decided to add another Chapter for everyone, (*^▽^*)

...

The first round of skirmishing ended with both the prosecution and the defense scoring victories.

The prosecution’s first witness was President Ding, the CEO of Ren’s Film Industry. He presented two figures.

million and 61.3 billion, especially the latter figure, which not only shook the courtroom but also swayed the jury’s opinion of Zhu Tianying.

But the defense counter-attacked with a third figure: 0, which rebutted the prosecution’s accusations.

This number also changed the tide of opinion, salvaging a lot of goodwill for the defendant from the jury.

The prosecution aimed to attack Zhu Tianying for the money, implying she could have killed Ren Xinwei for it, focusing on the money as the motive for murder.

The defense, however, argued that if Zhu Tianying died, she likely wouldn’t receive a cent, emphasizing life as the fundamental reason for the defendant’s counterattack.

The focal points for both sides were different.

However, the prosecution knew that their opening strike had not been decisive.

"A good counterattack!"

Zhang Wei’s eyes narrowed slightly, now clearly aware of the caliber of his opponents.

Jiang Fengzhen was indeed a junior partner at Heizu, who belonged to the Top Ten Firms, and sitting beside her was Hu Yaode, a newly promoted senior partner at Heizu.

Though they might resort to some underhanded tactics outside the courtroom, they also had some level of competency; to mount such a counter-attack was befitting of the title of partner.

In the courtroom.

"Prosecution, do you wish to call a new witness?"

Judge Ni didn’t care if the skirmish between the two parties was intense; the cross-examination of the first prosecution witness had ended, and she gestured towards them to continue.

"The prosecution calls the second witness to testify!"

As Tan Yingying stood and announced, the second witness entered the courtroom and took the stand.

This time it was a middle-aged woman, slightly overweight and looking to be in her forties, with some calluses on her hands.

"Witness, please tell everyone your identity!"

"My name is Xu. I’m the weekday nanny for Mr. Ren’s villa!"

"The weekday nanny? What are your working hours?"

"I work 5 days a week, from Monday to Friday. I arrive at 9 in the morning, and after I finish cleaning by 4 in the afternoon, I leave!"

"So, Aunt Xu, that means you spend five days a week during the daytime with the deceased and Miss Zhu?"

"Yes."

"And how long have you been doing this job?"

"Ever since Mr. Ren bought that villa, he has been employing me. Actually, I’ve served two of Mr. Ren’s wives; it’s been exactly 10 years now."

After finishing her statement, Aunt Xu smiled at the defendant Zhu Tianying as a form of greeting.

Unfortunately, Zhu Tianying did not respond to Aunt Xu’s greeting in any way.

"So, could you tell us, Aunt Xu, what was the relationship between Mr. Ren and Miss Zhu during your time with them?"

"Actually, both Miss Zhu and the previous lady were quite aware of why Mr. Ren chose them. To be honest, if I had a beautiful daughter, I’d have introduced her to Mr. Ren myself."

Aunt Xu appeared unconcerned by the crowd’s opinion and waved her hand: "Really, Mr. Ren was quite good to his wives. Not mentioning Miss Zhu, let’s talk about the previous one. Back then, it was their honeymoon, sweet and happy, and the life of both spouses couldn’t be happier."

"Cough cough!"

Tan Yingying hurriedly interrupted, knowing that if she continued, the judge might have to issue a warning.

"So, the deceased Ren Xinwei was actually quite good to both ladies?"

"Of course. Mr. Ren was very generous; whatever his wife wanted, he almost always bought it for her. Mr. Ren was so wealthy, he wouldn’t mind buying one more piece of jewelry or two. Plus, when Mr. Ren wasn’t traveling, he almost always worked from the villa, not like the few neighbors next door, who despite also being wealthy, their husbands are gone all year round and hardly ever seen."

"Hmm, thank you for your answer, witness!"

Tan Yingying took a deep breath and asked, "Since Mr. Ren Xinwei was good to his wife, what about the defendant Miss Zhu? What was her attitude towards Mr. Ren?"

"Miss Zhu, ah!"

Aunt Xu glanced at the defendant’s dock and recalled, "At first, it seemed like they were both quite good to each other. Mr. Ren really liked Miss Zhu, doting on her in every way, almost indulging her every request."

"Miss Zhu also liked the gifts from Mr. Ren quite a lot, could they be said to be inseparable in the first two years?"

"The first two years?"

"Yes."

Aunt Xu glanced again at the defendant’s dock, then continued, "Starting from the third year, I could feel Miss Zhu changing, becoming a bit temperamental, liking to smash things when upset, and she would occasionally swear and curse people out loud in the house."

"Honestly, it’s really not proper for a young lady to like cursing at people so much..."

"Objection!"

Seeing the real person speak like this, Jiang Fengzhen immediately objected, "This is hearsay evidence!"

"Ahem!"

On the prosecution’s bench, Zhang Wei coughed and made a fist-pumping gesture at the same time.

"Your Honor, as the villa’s maid, the witness is merely giving a truthful account of what she observed during her work, and the prosecution believes this does not fall under the category of hearsay evidence!"

Ni Qiuping pondered for a moment and then nodded, "Objection invalid, the witness may continue their statement."

Jiang Fengzhen frowned but had no choice but to sit down.

Tan Yingying continued to ask, "Are you saying that, starting from the third year, the defendant’s personality gradually became worse?"

"You could say that, after the third year, I felt like Miss Zhu had become a different person, and then starting from the fourth year..."

Aunt Xu hesitated before speaking slowly, "From the fourth year on, Miss Zhu and Mr. Ren would occasionally have conflicts. Sometimes they would argue over some trivial matters, but in my opinion, they were nothing serious."

"How often did they argue?"

"It started with once a month, then it became every few weeks, and later on, it was several times a week. By the end of the fourth year, they sometimes argued every single day."

"Did this continue until this year?"

"Not at all!"

Aunt Xu shook her head, reminiscing, "They argued quite frequently in the fourth year, but this year, they stopped arguing. I thought they had made peace and were over it."

"Was that not the case?"

"Of course not. Mr. Ren spent less time at home, so that’s why they stopped arguing."

Aunt Xu laughed.

To have an argument, you need at least two people to quarrel, don’t you?

With only one person left in the house, how can you still argue?

"So, Aunt Xu, if they weren’t arguing, what did the defendant, Miss Zhu, mostly do at home by herself?"

"Miss Zhu, she..."

Aunt Xu glanced at Zhu Tianying again, this time with real hesitation.

"Aunt Xu, I know there are things you don’t want to say, but you are sitting on the witness stand right now, and the court is waiting for your response!"

Seeing Tan Yingying speak like this, Aunt Xu could not help but sigh, "Actually, starting from the time around the New Year, I felt something was off about Miss Zhu. It was like she had someone on the side."

"Someone on the side?" Tan Yingying blinked, her innocent self seemingly not understanding.

Aunt Xu sighed, confessing, "Well, it’s like the old saying goes, she was fooling around with a lover!"

Upon this statement, the entire courtroom was aghast.

Good grief, the husband isn’t home, and you go fooling around with a lover?

This topic is explosive!

All eyes shifted from the witness stand, turning towards the defense bench.

They all wanted to see what kind of reaction this Zhu Tianying would have to such an accusation.

Regrettably, Zhu Tianying seemed to have predicted this accusation, remaining silent in her seat without any response.

"Objection!"

The defendant remained silent, but Jiang Fengzhen would not.

"Your Honor, is this not hearsay evidence, plain and simple? Is the witness not speculating subjectively, slandering my client’s innocence?"

"Ahem!"

On the prosecution’s bench, Zhang Wei "spoke" again, tapping his finger on the desk, producing a "tap tap tap" sound.

Understanding immediately, Tan Yingying asked before Judge Ni could speak, "Aunt Xu, you said the defendant has been fooling around with a lover outside. Do you have any evidence?"

This move effectively preempted Judge Ni’s objection, and she too was curious whether the prosecution’s witness had any evidence.

If there was no evidence, she would rule that the witness’s statements were false accusations.

But if there was evidence, she would not need to speak.

"Of course I do!"

Aunt Xu immediately raised her voice, "I’ve seen Miss Zhu with that lover in the house more than once. They were always in that upstairs room, doing who knows what during broad daylight!"

"May I ask, Aunt Xu, did you see what the lover looked like?"

"I did. That young man looked pretty sturdy!"

Tan Yingying quickly walked to the prosecution’s bench and took a photo from Zhang Wei’s hands.

"Is this the person?"

"Yes, yes, that’s him!"

Following Aunt Xu’s identification, Tan Yingying passed a copy of the photo to the judge’s bench.

"The person in the photo is the senior disciple of Yangxin Hall, a traditional Chinese medicine therapy institution in our city, Liang Canguang!"

Tan Yingying disclosed the identity of the man in the photo and then spoke to the clerk, "Please record that the witness has accused the defendant Zhu Tianying of infidelity, with her lover’s name being Liang Canguang!"

"Objection, the accusation is false!"

It was at this moment that Jiang Fengzhen stood up.

She had to stand and speak out because if the prosecution managed to prove Zhu Tianying’s infidelity, the direction of the court would completely change.

No one would believe a woman who had cheated, no matter how pitiful she might be.

Furthermore, even if Zhu Tianying were to be acquitted of the murder charge, the proven infidelity would make it harder for her to inherit Ren’s Film Industry afterward.

Therefore, even for the future, Blackfoot had to help Zhu Tianying shake off all accusations of murder and infidelity.

"Defense, your base for objection is this particular point, does it mean you have evidence to prove the witness’s statement false?"

"Of course, your honor, the defense has adequate evidence to prove this point!"

Seeing Jiang Fengzhen’s response, Judge Ni once again looked towards Tan Yingying.

At this moment, Tan Yingying turned to look at Zhang Wei in the prosecution’s seats.

She saw him make a slight hand gesture, a signal that meant "wait and see."

Tan Yingying understood and turned to face the bench, "Your honor, the prosecution has no comment on the defense’s challenge!"

"Defense, where is your evidence?" Judge Ni once again looked towards the defense.

The prosecution isn’t objecting, so now it’s time for you to present evidence to refute the claim.

"Your honor, in fact, it’s quite simple to prove if this is a slander, just by asking Liang Canguang to come to court and testify for himself!"

"So where is Liang Canguang, I remember seeing his name on the list of witnesses."

"Yes, but unfortunately, he’s on the prosecution’s witness list!"

Judge Ni then looked back at Tan Yingying, "Prosecution, what do you say?"

Tan Yingying turned her head, and immediately Zhang Wei shook his finger, and she got the message.

"Your honor, the prosecution has no objections!"

"Very well, this court announces that Liang Canguang is summoned as a rebuttal witness to testify!"

Under the watchful eye of the entire courtroom, Liang Canguang took the stand as a witness.

Watching Liang Canguang sit in the witness box, Tan Yingying asked first, "Liang Canguang, please tell everyone your identity."

"I’m the eldest apprentice under Master Huang of Yangxin Hall, and my fellow disciples all call me Senior Brother."

"So, Liang Canguang, what is your relationship with the defendant Zhu Tianying?"

"Miss Zhu is our client at Yangxin Hall, I’m responsible for helping her with her physical health, and also instructing her in maintaining fitness and learning some basic martial arts."

Hearing his response, Tan Yingying was not surprised.

But from the prosecution’s seats, Zhang Wei’s eyes suddenly flickered.

"Learning martial arts?"

He closed his eyes in contemplation, starting to ponder something.

Yangxin Hall offered traditional Chinese medical services, implying that its disciples were likely well-versed in medical skills. As the eldest apprentice, Liang Canguang’s abilities would not be bad—at least stronger than the average person.

Though he had encountered a certain Simple-minded person and had no chance of fighting back, he should still be able to teach Zhu Tianying some real skills.

This meant that Zhu Tianying was not as weak as she appeared and might even have some means to protect herself!

Zhang Wei seemed to have caught onto something, his gaze turning towards the courtroom.

He was not the prosecuting lawyer in this case, so he couldn’t ask questions.

Meanwhile, Tan Yingying had moved on to a crucial question.

"Liang Canguang, did you engage in a romantic affair beyond friendship with Zhu Tianying, becoming her lover and engaging in secret relations with her multiple times at one of Ren Xinwei’s villas?"

"I..." Liang Canguang, when asked this way, was momentarily speechless.

He looked towards the defense bench, seeing both Jiang Fengzhen and Hu Yaode shake their heads simultaneously.

And Zhang Wei, watching their reaction, was unsurprised.

"I did not, my relationship with Miss Zhu is strictly professional; she is my client, and I am her instructor—that’s all!"

"Liang Canguang, you do realize you gave a statement during the interrogation by the serious crime team, right? It wasn’t what you’re saying now!"

"The situation at that time..."

"Your honor, during the interrogation by the serious crime team, the witness Liang Canguang was subjected to violent treatment. His testimony was obtained under duress, qualifying it as illegal evidence!"

As Liang Canguang struggled to respond, Jiang Fengzhen stood up.

At the same time, Hu Yaode revealed a cold smirk.

"This time, let’s see how you die. If you use illegal testimony, you’ll be implicated as well!"

This move was undeniably vicious; as the Martial Association Investigation Department, although it has law enforcement authority, it can’t harm civilians, let alone use violence to coerce a witness into giving falsified testimony.

Such actions are not allowed by law.

When Liang Canguang recorded his statement, his body bore multiple injuries. Even if he had told the truth, Hu Yaode could have used the excuse of coercion as a rebuttal.

In this case, if the illegal procurement of evidence were definitively proven, even this lawsuit could become an invalid trial.

Hu Yaode was already eager to see Zhang Wei’s flustered expression.

But when he looked towards the plaintiff’s bench, he saw Zhang Wei looking calm, even smiling at him.

"What’s going on, you little brat, aren’t you afraid the judge will declare this trial invalid?"

He was dumbfounded. Zhang Wei’s reaction was all wrong, it didn’t match what he had expected.

"Hmph, foolish, did you think I hadn’t anticipated this move? I, Zhang Wei, have been wary of your trick all along," Zhang Wei said with a sneer, giving Tan Yingying a meaningful glance.

The latter got the hint and, before Judge Ni could speak, preempted him by saying, "Your Honor, in light of the witness’s accusation against the Investigation Department, we request that the officers who were responsible for apprehending Liang Canguang at the time testify in court to confront him and to prove their innocence!"

"The court approves!"

Ni Qiuping, of course, had no objections, because illegal procurement of evidence was a very serious allegation. If mishandled, it could affect the validity of the trial, and had to be dealt with seriously.

Soon, Lin Ruonan and her team from the Martial Association Investigation Department’s Major Case Squad arrived in court.

At the same time, Xia Qianyue also stepped out from the observer’s seat.

The courtroom now had several more officers from the Investigation Department.

"Liang Canguang, since you claim to have been coerced by force, tell us who injured you and how you got those wounds?"

"She hit me!"

Liang Canguang naturally pointed out the person who attacked him, Xia Qianyue.

"This..."

But as soon as he had completed his identification, the entire courtroom fell silent.

Because the person he had pointed at was neither Lin Ruonan, who seemed to be leading the group, nor any of the other taller and sturdy members of the Major Case Squad. It was, in fact, a delicate-looking young woman.

"Liang Canguang, besides this person, did anyone else attack you?"

"No, she was the only one who hit me!"

Seeing Liang Canguang unflinchingly pointing at Xia Qianyue, many in the courtroom laughed.

You say you point out who, but you choose a woman, and clearly a newcomer at that.

Does she have combat ability?

You must be joking.

Such a "slender and fragile" young lady could probably cry "boo-hoo" for ages if any one of us punched her casually.

"Miss Xia, the witness has identified you as his attacker, saying that you engaged in violent law enforcement. Let me ask you first, how long have you been with the Major Case Squad?"

"I joined the Major Case Squad about half a year ago. I’m still an intern."

"And before that?"

"Before that, I was interning in field operations. Actually, I graduated from school less than a year ago..."

"Oh, less than a year after graduation, still a newcomer!"

Tan Yingying immediately repeated.

The looks in the courtroom directed at Liang Canguang were now off.

You, a tall and burly man, claim to have been beaten by a diminutive young lady. Who would believe you?

"Witness, you claim to have been assaulted by Xia Qianyue, an officer of the Major Case Squad, resulting in multiple injuries over your body. Now let me ask you, how long have you practiced martial arts?"

"I’ve been practicing martial arts for over ten years since I was a child."

"Over ten years of martial arts training, and yet you’re unable to defeat a recent graduate who is an intern?"

"I..."

Liang Canguang was at a loss for words for a moment.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I really was beaten by her. She’s incredibly strong in combat. She knocked me flying with a single punch, truly!"

"Your Honor, the prosecution believes that witness Liang Canguang’s accusation is purely defamatory. To conceal his own affair with the defendant, he has chosen to lie in court!"

"Your Honor, I didn’t, I really was beaten by that woman! She’s a monster, her strength is outlandish, she..."

"Enough!"

Judge Ni was fed up with Liang Canguang. This man was blatantly lying.

Such a recently graduated young lady, thin limbs and all, how much strength could she possibly have?

You, who have practiced martial arts for years and are physically imposing, are now saying that you were defeated by a young woman. Aren’t you ashamed?

Judge Ni could not possibly believe Liang Canguang. She considered everything he said as an excuse.

If you dare lie in court, you’re done for!