Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer? -
Chapter 374 - 372: Spreading Rumors? Daring to Slander a Judge?
Chapter 374: Chapter 372: Spreading Rumors? Daring to Slander a Judge?
Civil Court.
The courtroom scene.
Ni Qiuping finally took her seat, but her gaze towards the prosecution and defense was still somewhat resentful.
"I asked you to recommend a psychologist for me, do you all think I was joking?"
"I’m telling you, I’m really close to becoming depressed, the incurable kind!"
However, no matter how much she wanted to complain inwardly, her expression had to remain calm at all times.
"Then, the court declares, the pre-trial officially begins!"
With a strike of the gavel, Ni Qiuping announced, "First, please have the prosecution and defense declare their courtroom arguments!"
She didn’t want to say anything extra.
Because both the attorneys present in court were old hands at this.
They understood what they were supposed to understand!
If they didn’t understand, it was definitely an act.
On the prosecution’s side, someone stood up first.
"Ahem, I am Qin Shaocong, the lawyer representing the prosecution, also known as the plaintiff. I am here on behalf of the plaintiff to accuse the defense, which is the accused party, of their crimes!"
Qin Shaocong pointed towards Zhou Sanliang on the prosecution’s row, explaining, "He is Mr. Zhou Sanliang, a family member of the deceased, whose own older brother is the victim in this case. Behind us sits my client’s mother, a lady who has led a life full of hardship, yet is extremely kind-hearted."
All eyes in the courtroom turned to the prosecution’s witness bench, where Zhou Mother timely took out a tissue to dab at the tears at the corner of her eye.
In everyone’s eyes, she was an elderly mother mourning her son, a woman who had suffered through life’s hardships, now left to live a miserable life with her younger son.
But Lawyer Zhang Wei at the defense’s bench rolled his eyes, thinking that this old mother’s capability to "create a scene" was even more formidable than her son’s.
Especially her method of crying tragically in front of the hospital, which was clearly professionally trained; she could cry on command, truly impressive.
"Now back to the main point!"
Qin Shaocong’s voice suddenly intensified, pointing again at the defense’s bench.
"Dr. Jessica is the negligent party in this case!"
"I know when you see a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, and hot-bodied woman, you might feel sympathy for her, pity her, or even hold a favorable impression of her."
"Let me guess, the defense will use every trick in the book to show this woman’s vulnerable side in court to gain everyone’s sympathy."
"But we will tell you that we, the prosecution, will also prove that because of her mistakes, because of her misjudgment of her own medical skills, and because of her misestimation on how to act on the scene, she caused the death of my client’s brother! This led to a mother losing a good son forever, and caused his children and wife back in his hometown to lose the most beloved father, the best husband!"
Qin Shaocong’s words were decisive, almost as if roaring directly at Dr. Jessica’s nose.
He had managed to feign the emotional aspect perfectly.
At that moment, he seemed to be the side of justice, standing up for the family of the victim, unwilling to back down even in the face of a powerful opponent.
"Well, well, using the family to garner sympathy, playing the emotional card again!"
Hearing Qin Shaocong’s speech and seeing his expressions and actions, Lawyer Zhang Wei knew the opponent’s tactics.
Familial bonds!
Invoking the image of the grieving mother, mentioning the starving children at home, bringing up a wife who lost her husband—it was a formidable weapon in a trial.
"Oh, by the way, I heard a little rumor!"
Just then, Qin Shaocong suddenly interjected, "You may not know that sitting on the defendant’s bench, Lawyer Zhang Wei, is the renowned ’Homicide Lawyer’ of Dongfang Capital, with defense tactics so ruthless and actions so vicious, they strike fear into the hearts of all who hear his name."
Upon these words, all eyes in the courtroom turned towards Lawyer Zhang Wei.
"Hey, hey, hey, that’s a bit much..."
Lawyer Zhang Wei couldn’t help but retort, claiming his innocence.
The deaths of Cheng Lisha and Xu Zhifeng really had nothing to do with me, Zhang Wei!
Zhang Wei protested his innocence for all to hear, but unfortunately, no one else could hear him.
And explaining was pointless. Explaining would equate to covering up, and it was better not to explain at all.
"Right, there’s another piece of gossip, this one about Lawyer Zhang’s love life."
Qin Shaocong continued, suddenly changing his tone to a mocking one: "I heard Lawyer Zhang has a girlfriend, and she’s even an outstanding officer from the serious crime unit of the investigation department."
"And what happened? Not only did he get involved with his own psychologist, but I heard that for the sake of making his case easier, he even went to seduce a female prosecutor from the Procuratorate Headquarters. Such a man is simply..."
"Ahem!"
From the judge’s bench, Ni Qiuping suddenly coughed.
Qin Shaocong paused mid-sentence, then quickly corrected himself: "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, what I just said were merely rumors, please don’t take them to heart, it’s just idle talk!"
Idle talk?
Many people in the courtroom looked at each other, and some were already planning to look up the information on Baidu as soon as they got back.
They wanted to see for themselves if a certain lawyer was indeed as lacking in decorum as Qin Shaocong had described.
If that were the case, then this lawyer would truly be shameless!
Not only does he have a girlfriend, but he’s also entangled with a female prosecutor, and his relationship with a psychologist is also ambiguous.
Who knows, maybe he’s even keeping a questionable woman at home, perhaps getting involved with others elsewhere.
Such a person is simply too enviable... no, that’s not right, too detestable!
Hostility!
In the hearing room, among the alternates for the jury, many showed animosity towards Zhang Wei.
And Qin Shaocong, feeling this wave of hostility, had obviously achieved his goal.
"The prosecution rests its case!"
Qin Shaocong stepped down from the stand, returning to the prosecution’s bench, and sat down with a calm demeanor.
Next, it was the defense’s turn.
"Defense, you may begin!"
Ni Qiuping gestured to Zhang Wei and inwardly complained.
You just got smeared by others, so aren’t you going to show some spirit?
Show spirit all you want, but don’t make too much noise, or watch out for my hand!
Zhang Wei, of course, calmly got up and walked to the center of the court.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am the defense attorney Zhang Wei, representing my client Dr. Jessica. In the upcoming court sessions, we will prove that she is a dedicated and responsible doctor. She made what she believed was the most reasonable judgment in a crisis, in line with medical standards. In fact, that day she also treated five other patients—she is a commendable doctor indeed!"
"Furthermore, regarding the death of the deceased, Zhou Erliang, we express our regret, and to the deceased’s brother, Mr. Zhou, and his mother, we extend our sincere sympathies..."
Empty formalities!
At that moment, everyone in the courtroom felt that Zhang Wei’s words were somewhat insincere.
You sprout niceties in court, but they are just pleasantries, we’ve attended dozens of trials, and it’s always the same routine.
Such platitudes naturally have no effect.
Didn’t you see Qin Shaocong still sneering, Zhou Sanliang wearing a mocking look, and the old mother wiping away tears?
But Zhang Wei also knew that these pleasantries were in fact necessary to say, after all, it’s a matter of showing the right attitude.
Even if it’s a pretense, he still needed to present such attitude.
And after the formalities, it was time to make a move.
Zhang Wei raised a finger and suddenly spoke up, "Next is the key point, which is my response to the prosecution’s earlier statements!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Ni Qiuping was the first to widen her eyes.
Holy crap!
What’s going on with you, making a scene even during pre-trial statements, and we haven’t even reached the selection of jurors yet?
Not just Ni Qiuping, Qin Shaocong was no longer calm at this moment either.
He had never imagined that Zhang Wei might have prepared a counter-strategy to his own tactic.
Impossible, right?
Had he anticipated all of this including the move to smear him?
"Slander!"
Zhang Wei uttered two words, then pointed at Qin Shaocong, "His remarks just now are completely slanderous!"
"It’s true I have a girlfriend named Xia Qianyue, who works in the major crimes unit of the investigation department, but we were also college classmates. I often helped her with her studies, and our relationship wasn’t formed overnight."
"As for the other accusations made by the prosecution’s law firm, I deny them in their entirety and reserve the right to pursue legal action for defamation!"
Qin Shaocong, upon hearing Zhang Wei’s words, actually felt a sense of relief.
If you want to deny it, just deny it, why put up such a big show?
If that’s all you do to deny, then I don’t care because I still have a follow-up move, and that is...
"Ahem, I haven’t finished speaking..."
Zhang Wei coughed again, "I know that some of you will go back and search for these terms, but I can tell you that someone has tampered with these hot internet keywords and search terms!"
"If you have searched for information about me recently and entered ’Zhang Wei’ in the search engine, the information that pops up will mostly be detrimental to me. This is the tactic used by the prosecution’s attorney, they’ve tampered with the Qian Degree search engine!"
"Objection!"
From the prosecutor’s bench, Qin Shaocong stood up, "Judge Ni, the defense attorney is the one who’s slandering now. He is fabricating groundless accusations, tarnishing my integrity!"
"Judge Ni, whether it’s slander or not, let everyone in the courtroom take out their phones and search to find out!"
Zhang Wei said, emphasizing, "I invite you to enter ’Zhang Wei’ into Qian Degree, and I guarantee that the first page of links that come up will be comments and articles targeting me, inevitably filled with negative information about me!"
"Judge Ni, Lawyer Zhang must be joking. The courtroom is a solemn place and phone use is strictly prohibited!"
Qin Shaocong certainly wouldn’t let Zhang Wei get his way.
"Are you kidding me? Although I secretly spent money, it wasn’t for you to reveal it right now."
"This search result only makes sense after the jury or the audience has left."
So he definitely opposed it.
And he didn’t just oppose, he also wanted the judge to take a stand.
"Judge Ni, you aren’t going to condone Lawyer Zhang’s actions, are you?"
"This..."
Ni Qiuping indeed faced a dilemma, but she knew that using a smartphone in court was not allowed.
So she decided she couldn’t agree to Zhang Wei’s...
However, Zhang Wei had anticipated this and with a nonchalant smile, he changed tack, "Oh, right, Judge Ni, when I noticed the prosecutor’s attorney manipulating the trending searches, it was targeted not only at me but also at you!"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
Two astonished voices issued from the mouths of Ni Qiuping and Qin Shaocong respectively.
Ni Qiuping’s surprise stemmed from never imagining someone would dare to go so far.
Qin Shaocong was astonished because he had never anticipated that when manipulating the trending searches, it would involve the judge as well.
Did I do it?
I didn’t do it, did I?
"That’s impossible!" Qin Shaocong immediately denied.
"How could it not be possible, Qin Shao, stop pretending. Are you afraid Judge Ni isn’t impartial enough, so you arranged some negative posts for her too?"
Zhang Wei merely smiled faintly and then looked towards the judge’s bench.
"Cough, cough, the court had considered this carefully just before, and since Lawyer Zhang suspects there’s a problem with Qian Du’s trending searches, let’s all take a look!"
As she spoke, she gave a meaningful glance to the clerk beside her, who immediately took out a mobile phone and then handed it over.
In the court, everyone started to search on their phones.
When searching "Zhang Wei" on Qian Du, after entering...
Countless messages popped up, each one a piece of negative news about Zhang Wei, of all sorts.
"Everyone, please click on any one of the trending searches and then look at the publication time. Isn’t it true they were all posted today?"
The time of publication is usually overlooked, but as everyone opened the trending searches and made a point to glance at it, they found it indeed to be the case.
"Please continue to enter keywords, such as the name of the person concerned, or ’Jincheng Law Firm,’ ’Homicide Lawyer,’ and see if it’s the same situation."
The crowd in the courtroom did as instructed and soon discovered it really was the case.
Zhang Wei smiled faintly, then spoke loudly, "Everyone, search for Judge Ni’s name now, and let’s see what comes up."
Many people entered "Ni Qiuping" into the search bar.
"Shocking, Jincheng’s battle for the Summit of Guangming ended with the fate in the hands of Master Exterminator!"
"Ni Qiuping, seen by the world as a menopausal old class president?"
"Cold-faced judge (×) The judge who likes to scowl (√)"
"Rumors of the judge’s relative’s child joining Jincheng Law Firm for an internship, can she remain impartial?"
...
A series of information was all published today, and mostly negative posts.
The audience in attendance exchanged glances.
Qin Shaocong also felt the pressure.
On the judge’s bench, Ni Qiuping’s face had turned as dark as Bao Qingtian’s.
"Hiss—huff—"
Fortunately, after taking a deep breath, she managed to compose herself.
"Don’t be angry, don’t be angry, I’m not getting angry, I’m not the kind of judge who likes to scowl..."
After hypnotizing herself countless times inwardly, Ni Qiuping finally managed to show a "kind smile."
"Lawyer Qin, what’s the story with these trending searches?"
Although Ni Qiuping was asking the question quite amiably, her twitching eye corner seemed to tell everyone that her heart was far from calm.
The subtext of her words: If you don’t give a good answer, I, Ni Qiuping, will show you what’s coming to you today, and let you understand what it means to be Master Exterminator!
A few beads of sweat appeared on Qin Shaocong’s forehead.
Meanwhile, his mind was buzzing, "I didn’t even do anything, are the folks stirring up the trending searches that bored, offering buy-one-get-one deals?"
"I wanted you to hype Zhang Wei, not to serve up the judge’s deal too!"
Wait a minute... Who said it was me who did it!
Qin Shaocong finally realized where the problem lay.
He glared at Zhang Wei, internally cursing up a storm.
You sneaky little twerp, daring to turn my own plan against me, using my strategy to target me.
Zhang Wei also "kindly" returned Qin Shaocong a look.
That’s right, I did turn your plan back on you, what are you going to do about it?
This trick Xu Zhifeng once used on me, and now you, it’s truly laughable.
"Qin Shao, Judge Ni is waiting for your answer, why are you silent now?"
"You..."
"Qin Shao, this is a court of law, you’re not thinking of getting kicked out, are you? The young master of Long Teng, getting kicked out on your first day going head-to-head with me, imagine how long that will trend if it hits the hot searches?"
Hearing Zhang Wei’s words, Qin Shaocong finally realized he almost fell for Zhang Wei’s trick.
But then, he felt the piercing gaze from the bench and quickly looked up.
"Judge Ni, I’m innocent!"
"Heh!"
Ni Qiuping performed an expert eyeroll at Qin Shaocong right there on the spot.
I believe you, my ass.
You say you’re innocent, do you take me for a fool?
It’s clear you wanted to put pressure on me, so you stirred up all this stuff, you think I don’t know?
I am a judge, do you think I can’t see through such trivial matters?
Seeing the distrust in Ni Qiuping’s eyes, Qin Shaocong felt bitter inside.
He wanted to say, it really wasn’t him, he wasn’t that idle to smear a judge.
It was all Zhang Wei, all this guy’s doing on purpose, knowing my moves and then using them against me.
How infuriating!
Now Qin Shaocong had no choice; he knew denial was futile and had to swallow the bitter pill.
"The court declares that the trending searches issue cannot be taken into account as evidence in the future, nor can the jury use the trending searches as a basis for judgment during deliberations!"
"If I find out that during the jury’s discussions, or while the court is in session, anyone talks about the content of the trending search, I will directly expel them from the court!"
"If a jury member is involved in the discussion, the court will directly disqualify them and their seat will be filled by an alternate juror!"
After stating several demands, Ni Qiuping then took on an indifferent expression.
But in the end, she made sure to give Qin Shaocong a fierce glare, leaving him speechless.
All because of Zhang Wei!
On the other hand, Zhang Wei shared a smile with Jessica.
"Zhang, you’re incredible, you predicted all of this."
"It’s not that I’m incredible, it’s that I’ve been burned a few times, so I’ve learned from experience!"
Zhang Wei smiled slightly, quite calm inside.
Buying hot searches to smear others, this move had been used against him more than once.
So before setting out, he had prepared countermeasures.
Trending searches can’t be suppressed, and if you’re spending money to boost them, why should I spend money to take them down, only to let the search company make money from both ends?
And what if the search company takes my offer and asks for more money from the other party, earning a third wave of profit?
So I’d rather deploy my second strategy, a counter-move using your trending searches, setting the stage with the ’judge’s dark materials’ prepared for me.
This way, it led the judge to directly declare there’s a problem with the trending search, effectively resolving the issue once and for all.
"Ultimately, from the beginning, I had people keep an eye on the changes in the trending searches, I was already guarding against your move!"
Zhang Wei looked at Qin Shaocong, a wariness flashing in his eyes.
In dealing with any enemy, he must be fully prepared, and that’s one of his strengths.
Consideration needed on every front, that’s what makes an excellent defense lawyer.
And now, the more crucial task lay ahead: selecting the jury.
Zhang Wei and Qin Shaocong, once again ready to go, prepared for the next move.
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