Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 415 - 411: Removing a Juror, Motion to Postpone Denied

Chapter 415: Chapter 411: Removing a Juror, Motion to Postpone Denied

Saturday evening.

Zhang Wei received a phone call from the city court.

"What’s this? An emergency motion and it has to be on the weekend?"

Zhang Wei was startled, since when does the court not take a break on the weekend?

That’s not right!

Something big must have happened, something so urgent that the city court calls for an immediate gathering of judges and both the prosecution and defense parties even over the weekend.

"All right, I will be there first thing tomorrow morning!"

Zhang Wei responded and hung up the phone.

But he was not in a good mood.

"It looks like the prosecution is starting to play tricks. It must be Zhang Lang... No, Qin Yang might be involved too. That old guy’s experience is undeniable, maybe he’s the one calling the shots and Zhang Lang is carrying them out!"

Zhang Wei thought of many possibilities.

For a victory in court, some people have no bottom line and will resort to all sorts of underhanded tactics.

In criminal cases, the prosecution might worry about their reputation, but Zhang Lang is not a prosecutor, and his bottom line has always been a mystery.

"I must be on guard!"

Zhang Wei muttered to himself, and then went to find Zhao Xiaoxiao on the second floor.

"Xiao Xiao, I’ve always had a question about that chat room you mentioned, as well as those missions to attack the Yuanfeng Series."

"What’s the problem you’ve thought of?"

Zhao Xiaoxiao stopped fiddling with her computer and turned around.

"Think about it. Someone posts a mission, and you just go do it without investigating or asking why. Aren’t you guys being foolish?"

"Hmph, believe it or not, I’ll kick you to death!"

Zhao Xiaoxiao said and was about to get up and raise her foot.

"No, no, no, I’m scared, isn’t that enough?"

Zhang Wei quickly raised his hands in an apologetic gesture, but he soon pointed out the issue, "Speaking of the mission publisher, have they really been caught?"

"I remember during Zhang Lang’s testimony on Friday, he showed a photo, saying that person was a foreign spy, right? And that person even signed a confession?"

Zhang Wei recalled the details from the court hearing on Friday. He remembered Tan Yingying opening a photo, where in front of a seated brown-haired man, there was a piece of paper with a signature on it.

But the contents of that paper were not shown in detail in any photos.

Was it because the signed confession’s contents were classified by the CSB Department, or was there something fishy about the photo itself?

"Speaking of which, Xiao Xiao, what do you think about Zhang Lang’s character? Would he deceive and play tricks on us?"

"His character? If he says he’s a good guy, then there probably are no bad guys in this world!"

Zhao Xiaoxiao was utterly contemptuous of Zhang Lang’s ways and character.

If she ran into such a person on the street, she might as well spit on him.

Zhang Wei narrowed his eyes, speculating, "So, do you think that person he caught is a real spy?"

Xiao Xiao tilted her head, shaking it, "Who knows?"

"Right, back to the chat room business, I want to ask about the mission publisher. Can you find out anything?"

"It’s a bit difficult, because our network IP must be under surveillance. If I were to use my methods, I would be easily tracked by the CSB Department. Moreover, the chat room is highly covert; its very existence is meant for the anonymity of hacker exchanges. To break through its defenses would take a long time, and I’m afraid I won’t make it in time."

"If there was no interference from the CSB Department, how long would you need to break into the chat room?"

"Hmm, it might take more than 72 hours..."

"So that’s three days?"

Zhang Wei frowned, calculating in his mind.

If he suggested a court delay in tomorrow’s emergency motion, he wondered how much opposition he would face.

At any rate, Qin Yang would definitely oppose it. As a participant in the case, Zhang Lang would certainly oppose it as well.

Old Li might support him, but Old Li is just a judge; the chances of him making a decision are not great.

"The court hearing might be delayed, or it might not; even if it is, you still need to evade the CSB Department’s surveillance. Do you think Zhang Lang would give you the chance?"

Zhao Xiaoxiao pursed her lips, her expression saying it all.

How could Zhang Lang possibly give them a chance?

"And there’s really a slim chance of postponing the court hearing, because Zhang Lang might not only be a participant in the case, but he could very possibly use the Zhang Family’s resources to influence the court. I need to prepare a backup plan. If you can’t do it, who else could break through the chat room’s defenses?"

As Zhang Wei spoke, he looked toward Zhao Xiaoxiao, his expression becoming strange.

"Hey, hey, hey, you’re not thinking of finding that guy, are you?"

Xiao Xiao immediately panicked, jumping off the chair.

"Xiao Xiao, let’s talk sense here, Uncle Zhao is still your real dad, after all."

"No way, I refuse to beg him!"

"That’s fine, I’ll just go myself!"

Zhang Wei chuckled, no need for you to beg, Zhao Qingyan will still choose to help us.

If it comes to it, I, Zhang Wei, can ditch my pride and plead with the other party.

"Humph, get lost, I don’t want to see you again!"

"Alright, I’m off then~"

Seeing his second daughter issue the order to leave, Zhang Wei naturally turned and departed.

After descending the stairs, he headed straight for Zhao Mansion.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Uncle Zhao, I need help!"

"Coming, coming!"

Zhao Qingyan opened the Zhao Mansion entrance and welcomed Zhang Wei inside.

Five minutes later, Zhang Wei left Zhao Mansion first and then made a beeline for Zhang’s Martial Arts School next door.

Unfortunately, he wanted to see Zhu Erdan and Liu Dashun, but Zhang Xinwu said the two had not yet returned.

"These two rascals really don’t make things easy for me!"

"But whatever the case, I must prepare for the worst. Could it be that these two got kidnapped?"

"If they were kidnapped, the CSB Department would be the likely culprits, Zhang Lang’s people are capable of such deeds, considering they keep watch over us 24/7. That means it’s time to get ready!"

"However, no matter, if they dare betray us, I’ll make them understand the price of a wrong choice can be very heavy!"

Zhang Wei returned to Lin Mansion and started to rest.

Then, at the Zhao Mansion entrance, Zhao Qingyan sneaked out.

He glanced back at Lin Mansion next door before leaving the street.

And his destination was clear, his own company.

...

The next day, morning.

Zhang Wei got out of bed and went to Zhang’s Martial Arts School first.

Regrettably, Zhu Erdan and Liu Dashun had still not returned.

As for the two of them, Zhang Wei had lost all hope; either they’d been out on a wild spree for too long, or they’d been kidnapped.

He had important matters to attend to and couldn’t afford to waste his attention on them.

He called Zhang Xinyan, asking his designated driver to take him to the city courthouse.

Soon, he was in Judge Li’s office at the courthouse.

"Old Li, you’re looking good, have you gotten enough rest?"

Seeing Old Li again, Zhang Wei smiled.

The man’s listlessness had vanished, and he seemed to have recovered his vitality.

It seemed that last night was the first time in a while he’d had a decent sleep.

"It’s okay, mainly because I had my wife’s cooking and saw my daughter, I felt a bit of relief."

Old Li waved his hand, but his smile quickly faded.

"So, what brings you here today? The court notified me last night, and I have no clue what’s going on."

"You don’t know? Then it must be the prosecution stirring things up?"

Zhang Wei wasn’t surprised; after all, he’d guessed that the ones who could pull this stunt were only Qin Yang and Zhang Lang.

Talk of the devil and he’s sure to appear!

Just as Zhang Wei was mulling things over, the office door swung open, and in walked Qin Yang and Zhang Lang.

Qin Yang’s expression was as calm as ever, seemingly unaffected by the trials of Thursday and Friday, still confident.

As for Zhang Lang, he wore that same eternally unchanging grim look, but his eyes carried a hint of mockery when he looked at Zhang Wei.

Behind him, as always, followed several subordinates, silent, merely present to back up their leader.

"Now that everyone’s here, let’s all take a seat!"

Old Li, seated at the head, gestured to the sofas in the office, inviting everyone to sit.

"Go ahead, what’s this prosecution about that required dragging me from home on the weekend?"

"Here’s the thing, Judge Li, we’ve noticed some issues within the jury involved in the adjudication of this case!"

Zhang Lang didn’t beat around the bush and directly stated.

With that, he gestured to a subordinate behind him, and promptly received a dossier in his hands.

"The jury?"

Zhang Wei was somewhat surprised; he hadn’t expected that there would be an issue with the jury.

"The jury has a problem?" Old Li also froze.

Isn’t the jury picked by yourselves? What problem could there be?

Zhang Lang directly handed the documents he had in his hands to Zhang Wei, then passed another set to Old Li.

"We’ve discovered that, among the 12 jurors, 2 have breached the jury’s regulations. These are the pieces of evidence that they violated the rules!"

As he spoke, Zhang Lang pointed at a part of the evidence.

Zhang Wei saw the evidence—it was a juror’s social media account posting some rather extreme comments.

Inclusive but not limited to, there were phrases mixed in with the text such as "damn trials," "boring as hell," "really tm unlucky to be involved in this kind of thing"...

But Zhang Wei sharply noticed that within the statements made by this juror, there was one that read, "What the hell is this so-called networking security department, from now on we can’t freely use the internet, being monitored by these damn people?"

Zhang Wei had an understanding of the situation.

This person must be an egotist and was hearing for the first time about a powerful networking security regulatory department like the CSB in Dragon Country, so they vented on the internet.

"I think this juror is actually alright!"

"Are you joking, Lawyer Zhang? This person has already cursed our CSB department, showing that they are prejudiced against us. How could such a person make a fair and just decision during the verdict!"

Zhang Lang naturally scoffed at Zhang Wei’s supposed "alright."

It seems this juror despises not your defense, so of course, you have no objections.

But I care deeply about this matter; this juror absolutely cannot stay!

"Judge Li, I beseech you to see the truth!"

"I have seen these pieces of evidence."

Old Li smacked his lips; Zhang Lang had already made his stance very clear and presented such stark evidence, it would indeed be somewhat unreasonable if he opposed.

"In that case, the court agrees to remove the qualifications of this juror. On Monday, I will notify the alternate jurors to have the next eligible candidate fill the position!"

As Old Li spoke, he flipped the documents in his hand to the second page, "I can understand about the first one, but what about this second one? His information seems normal to me?"

"Judge Li, we conducted a background check on this juror and discovered that he lives in Chengbei District, and has had dealings with lawyers from Qingmu Law Firm due to some previous lawsuits!"

"Qingmu Law Firm?"

Old Li recalled the fact, quickly figuring it out.

The person in charge of Qingmu Law Firm is Li Qingmu, a member of the Li Family!

Isn’t Zhang Wei’s mother-in-law also from the Li Family?

"Isn’t this a bit far-fetched? What does Qingmu Law Firm have to do with me, Zhang Wei? On the contrary, I’ve even faced off against them in a previous case."

Of course, Zhang Wei maintained his innocence; he truly had no relations with Qingmu Law Firm.

It’s just that my mother-in-law and the partners and person in charge of Qingmu Law Firm belong to the same family. But this has nothing to do with the clients of Qingmu Law Firm, and it’s questionable whether their clients are even aware of this connection.

However, Zhang Lang was unyielding, still insisting, "Judge Li, our actions are also to avoid any conflict of interest. This client might be aware of the relationship between Lawyer Zhang and Qingmu Law Firm, and could very likely make a biased judgment in favor of Lawyer Zhang during the trial!"

"Therefore, for the fairness and justice of the court, and the rules of the jury, I request that you remove this juror!"

Truth be told, Old Li thought it made sense to dismiss the previous juror.

But regarding the dismissal of this one, he felt that Zhang Lang was being rather overbearing.

"Senior Procuratorate Qin, what do you think?"

"Judge Li, I think Mr. Zhang’s suggestion is very good, I have no objections."

Qin Yang naturally supported the idea.

Although he himself also felt that the juror might not even know Zhang Wei, what if there was a chance they did?

To extinguish this ’what if’ was just a matter of speaking; why wouldn’t he do it?

"Lawyer Zhang, what do you think?" Old Li then looked at Zhang Wei.

"Since the prosecution feels so strongly, I also have no objection."

Zhang Wei thought it over and didn’t oppose the suggestion.

"Alright then, later I will have the clerk send a message to both jurors, informing them that they do not need to attend the subsequent hearings!"

After having spoken, Old Li looked at both parties, "Anything else?"

"We’re already satisfied!"

Having achieved their objective, Zhang Lang and Qin Yang naturally had no follow-ups.

"Actually, I do have a small request!" But just then, Zhang Wei raised his hand, "The defense requests a 2-day postponement of the trial!"

This request didn’t come as a surprise to Old Li.

It’s always common for the defense to request a postponement.

Usually, as long as the reasons given are valid, he would consider it.

However, after Zhang Wei made this request, both Zhang Lang and Qin Yang disagreed.

"The prosecution objects!"

"I also object!"

The two of them voiced their opposition almost simultaneously.

"Zhang Wei, what’s your reason?"

"Judge Li, considering that last Friday, the prosecution’s witness Mr. Zhang provided a lot of additional evidence that wasn’t on the public list, to effectively challenge these pieces of evidence, our defense requests a two-day delay to prepare."

Zhang Wei spread his hands, presenting a very reasonable rationale.

Whose fault is it that you, Zhang Lang, brought out so many undisclosed pieces of evidence during last Friday’s trial?

In order to refute your evidence, I do need some time, right?

"I think this reason is acceptable!"

Old Li nodded and then turned to look at Qin Yang and Zhang Lang.

He was prepared to agree; a two-day delay wouldn’t really hurt anybody.

After all, he could go home, and after work, he could spend time with his wife and daughter. Even a longer delay wouldn’t matter to him.

"Judge Li, the prosecution vehemently opposes Lawyer Zhang’s proposal!"

Qin Yang was the first to oppose: "The prosecution believes that Lawyer Zhang is simply stalling for time!"

"Judge Li, on behalf of the CSB Department, I also express my objection, and neither I nor my subordinates wish for any delay in the trial!"

Zhang Lang also expressed his dissatisfaction and even took out his phone, threatening, "Because of this, I have decided to inform the Chief Judge of the city court about my objection to the postponement!"

"Oh ho, you’re threatening us now?"

Zhang Wei couldn’t help but laugh upon seeing Zhang Lang getting ready to call for backup.

Old Li hasn’t even expressed his stance, and you’re already playing the Chief Judge card?

Sure enough, Old Li’s expression started to look a bit sour.

But Zhang Lang didn’t care about that; he didn’t want his case to have any errors and stepped out of the office to make the call.

Soon after, Old Li’s office phone rang as well.

"It’s a call from the Chief Judge!" Seeing the number on the caller ID, Old Li shook his head.

"Hello..."

A few minutes later, the phone call ended, and Old Li’s face was grim.

Meanwhile, Zhang Lang returned to the office with a triumphant look on his face.

"Mr. Zhang, you really do have quite the significant backing, to be able to persuade the Chief Judge like that."

"Judge Li, you just need to do your job!"

Hearing this tone that seemed almost like an order, Old Li’s brow furrowed tightly.

But when he thought about how the other party had even brought his own boss into the matter, there was nothing he could do.

"The court understands."

He said, then looked at Zhang Wei, "Counsel for the defense, the court regrettably must deny your request for a delay in the trial."

"I get it, I get it..."

Zhang Wei didn’t say much else, for once Zhang Lang had utilized the Zhang Family’s resources, he naturally had no counter.

"Then, in that case, I’ll be heading back to prepare for Monday’s trial."

Having said that, Zhang Wei got up to leave.

There was no point lingering in this place any longer.

Even if he continued to push for it, Zhang Lang and Qin Yang would keep opposing.

Old Li was wrapped up by Zhang Lang’s influence and couldn’t make the decision.

So from now on, it would depend solely on himself and his companions...

Thinking of his companions, Zhang Wei’s departure suddenly paused.

"Speaking of which, my two clients said they were going out to get some air, but they haven’t returned all day?"

"Mr. Zhang, Senior Procuratorate Qin, have either of you seen my clients Zhu Erdan and Liu Dashun?"

Zhang Lang and Qin Yang exchanged glances, then Zhang Lang said with a smile: "Lawyer Zhang, if you can’t keep an eye on your own clients, why are you asking us?"

"Who knows, maybe they will return by Monday. Anyway, I know they won’t vanish."

Zhang Wei glanced at them and muttered to himself as he left: "I just find it strange, the CSB Department is supposedly keeping an eye on us every day, so how could they not know where my clients are?"

Zhang Lang and Qin Yang’s expressions subtly changed after hearing Zhang Wei’s murmur.

"Then I too will take my leave to prepare for Monday’s hearing!"

Qin Yang immediately bid farewell to Old Li and left without even waiting for Zhang Lang.

Zhang Lang, on the other hand, seemed to think of something and a cold smile crept across his lips.

He was planning to teach Zhang Wei a good lesson in Monday’s hearing!