Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 524 - 519 Secretary’s Defense Broken! The Truth Behind the Case

Chapter 524: Chapter 519 Secretary’s Defense Broken! The Truth Behind the Case

In court.

"Secretary Zou, please answer this question!"

"Did my client’s husband, Councilor Mo, ever verbally launch an impeachment against Zhang Tianlong together with several council members?"

Zhang Wei asked this question loudly in the courtroom.

Countless people pricked up their ears, with "gossip" written all over their faces.

It turns out there’s so much going on inside the city council.

"What’s the matter, Secretary Zou, is this question difficult to answer?"

Zhang Wei looked at the secretary in the witness stand with a curious expression.

"Witness, please answer the question!" Judge Liu also urged.

When it’s a question that works in your favor, you answer with such speed.

But why, when asked something unfavorable to you or Zhang Tianlong, do you start to hem and haw?

You’re being a bit too hypocritical, aren’t you?

This isn’t good!

Where is the dignity of my courtroom then?

Even if I can’t do much about Zhang Tianlong, if I can’t handle a secretary, wouldn’t I become a joke?

"Witness, this is a courtroom, and if you do not cooperate with the defense’s questioning, beware that I turn you into a hostile witness!"

"If you still do not comply, then don’t blame me for being heartless. If you refuse to cooperate with the court’s questioning, I will find you in contempt of court!"

Judge Liu tightened his expression, making a "I’m very angry, you deal with it" face.

"Oh, I’d like to add something too!"

Zhang Wei also timely chimed in, raising his hand in support, "If we find out you’re lying in court, that’s perjury, and you know that can land you in jail, right?"

"Contempt of court, perjury, going to jail..."

The secretary’s facial muscles started twitching, and her hands began to tremble.

"Secretary Zou, you will answer the questions properly now, won’t you?"

The secretary turned her head to look at the judicial bench and saw Judge Liu’s warning glance.

"I... I’ll make sure to... answer the questions!"

Hearing the secretary’s tremulous assurance, Zhang Wei was very satisfied.

"Good, I’ll ask again."

Zhang Wei pointed to Yang Chunyuan at the defense’s table and asked, "Did my client’s husband, Councilor Mo, ever verbally launch an impeachment warning against Zhang Tianlong together with several council members?"

"Yes... Yes."

Finally, unable to bear the pressure, the secretary chose to confess under the dual coercion of Zhang Wei and Judge Liu.

"Did Zhang Tianlong indicate to you that he wanted to retaliate against my client’s husband, namely Councilor Mo?"

"There was... No, no... No, no!"

The secretary started nodding, but then quickly shook her head in denial.

"Oh, why did you initially answer ’yes’?" Zhang Wei immediately caught the slip.

"I..."

"Secretary Zou, lying is committing perjury, you know!"

"I..."

"Did he, or did he not indicate that he wanted to target Councilor Mo?"

"There was... Maybe there was, I don’t quite remember..."

In the end, between fear and panic, Secretary Zou could only respond ambiguously like this.

"There was, that’s enough for now."

Zhang Wei let out a slight smile and once again raised his hand toward the prosecution’s table.

"Secretary Zou, have you been in contact with Mr. Li’s appointed attorney, Black?"

"This..."

Obviously, the secretary hadn’t expected Zhang Wei to ask another startling question.

Similarly, Black himself was about to lose his composure, panic appearing on his face.

"Secretary Zou, is there or isn’t there?"

"I..."

"I’m asking you, did you signal Black to find Mr. Li and have him appeal for retrial?"

Zhang Wei stepped forward, closing in on the witness stand and intensifying his tone, "Similarly, did you secretly bribe Dr. Cao to enter the evidence room and tamper with the evidence from 20 years ago?"

"Did you do this because you were secretly instructed by Zhang Tianlong to target Councilor Mo, and therefore you chose to target Forensic Yang?"

Under the barrage of three consecutive questions, the entire courtroom became restless.

Goodness!

What a situation!

No one had anticipated that this case was hiding such a secret.

On the prosecution’s side, Zheng Fenyong looked shocked, then turned to see the response from Mr. Li and Black who were beside him.

Mr. Li looked slightly surprised, but mostly indifferent.

After all, he was already sentenced to life in prison, so what did it matter if he got involved in this?

But for Black, his face was stricken with panic, and despite the air conditioning in the courtroom, his forehead had already begun to sweat.

Seeing the reaction of the original prosecution team, Zheng Fenyong knew very well what kind of secret the case contained.

"Damn it, so it’s like this! I’ve been used as a pawn in someone else’s game in this case!"

Zheng Fenyong couldn’t help but slam the table, his face a mixture of emotions.

He clenched his teeth and struggled to control his expression.

He might have made a mistake, but the reputation of the Southern District General Procuratorate could not be lost!

Similarly, Mo Juren on the hearing bench was also shocked.

What’s going on?

Is this Zhang Tianlong’s revenge?

Zhang Tianlong, to get back at me, has chosen to go after my wife?

Why?

At first, Mo Juren could hardly believe it, but after seeing his secretary’s expression, he had to believe it.

Behind the entire affair, it was very likely that Zhang Tianlong was orchestrating it.

Or to say, even if Zhang Tianlong didn’t carry out the plan personally, he had certainly given a nod to his subordinates to handle it.

Zhang Tianlong was working against him behind the scenes!

Mo Juren couldn’t resist the urge to beat his chest and stomp his feet, wondering how Councilor Head Zhang could have concocted such a scheme.

On the defense side.

"Could it really be like this?"

Yang Chunyuan had never imagined that she suffered so much because of this.

Mo Juren was looking to impeach Zhang Tianlong, and although the attempt ultimately failed, Zhang Tianlong harbored a grudge against Mo Juren.

In the end, Zhang Tianlong probably couldn’t find a way to retaliate against Mo Juren, so he turned his weapons toward her instead.

As it turns out, his strategy indeed achieved its purpose.

Because she was attacked, questioned, and charged.

And her husband, Mo Juren, also suffered criticisms, missing the opportunity to attend the city council, with his status as a councilor practically nullified.

One has to say, Zhang Tianlong’s methods were effective.

Not only did he target Yang Chunyuan, but he also implicated Mo Juren, to the point where the latter had even considered submitting his resignation.

Yang Chunyuan truly hadn’t expected that Zhang Tianlong could be so malicious, launching such a vicious scheme simply because her husband showed a hint of wanting to impeach him.

On the bench, Judge Liu was also silently astonished.

He could have predicted anything, but not that his case would trigger such a complicated series of events.

That even the head of the city council was involved.

However, with his many years of experience in presiding over criminal cases, he knew that the secretary’s testimony was not enough to initiate impeachment against Zhang Tianlong, let alone implicate him.

Although he would submit the secretary’s testimony to internal affairs, it was clear that such a minor accusation was not going to shake Zhang Tianlong’s position.

So, the case will follow its current course.

Judge Liu decided to take it one step at a time.

As for Zhang Tianlong, what could he, a mere judge, do?

If the blame came down, Zhang Wei would be the one to take the fall.

I, Liu, know nothing; I’m just responsible for maintaining order in the courtroom.

On the hearing bench, the jury whispered and murmured among themselves.

This time, everyone’s mind conjured up the same plan.

Zhang Tianlong secretly indicated that he wanted to take down Mo Juren, and since Mo Juren had a good reputation with no visible flaws in the short term,

Zhang Tianlong executed Plan B—since he couldn’t deal with him directly, he would target his family.

He instructed his secretary to contact Black and Dr. Cao; Dr. Cao accessed old evidence, forging records that entered into the archive, altering evidence. Black then found Mr. Li to file an appeal!

The Procuratorate accepted the case and subsequent investigation revealed issues with the DNA comparison results in the original evidence—not matching Mr. Li—so could there be a problem with a case from 20 years ago?

The Southern District General Procuratorate took up the case, deciding to investigate Yang Chunyuan and initiate prosecution.

In the end, Yang Chunyuan’s potential tampering with reports 20 years ago was exposed, affecting Mo Juren as well.

Yang Chunyuan might face imprisonment, while Mo Juren, impacted by the prosecution of his wife, suffered damage to his reputation and had to leave the city council, losing his position as a councilor.

Thus, the plan was completed!

Perfect!

The jury members who loved conspiracy theories had already conjured up all sorts of details in their minds.

Anyway, the truth of this case was nothing more than that!

Above the courtroom, everyone looked toward the witness stand.

However, they no longer expected an answer from the secretary, because they all believed that they had grasped the truth.

"Secretary Zou, you must be panicking inside, aren’t you?"

Just then, Zhang Wei sharply noticed that Secretary Zou’s hands had begun to tremble.

"Yes, after all, if you admit it, you’re likely to drag Zhang Tianlong down with you, and with his vindictive nature, he will certainly not tolerate you."

"But if you choose not to answer now, you will go to jail for perjury, and you won’t be able to return to your previous position ’just below one person and above ten thousand others’, right?"

Zhang Wei walked over to the secretary and sneered, "Secretary Zou, now whether you answer or not, you’re dead either way; you’ve got nowhere to hide!"

"You..."

Secretary Zou’s eyes widened, staring at Zhang Wei in horror.

She knew he was right, she was done for.

Today’s case would definitely involve Zhang Tianlong.

Although this case wasn’t serious enough to cause the Councilor Head any pain, it was bound to have some impact on his reputation.

And as a direct witness, especially one who served as a stepping stone to attack Zhang Tianlong in court, Secretary Zou would lose his trust.

For someone who had become worthless, Zhang Tianlong would undoubtedly discard her without hesitation.

Secretary Zou knew, she was finished.

And all this was because of the man before her.

The expression of horror on her face quickly turned to one of spiteful venom.

She was full of hatred!

Why did Zhang Wei have to summon her, why did he have to reveal the truth, why did he have to put her in a situation where death was certain!

"Secretary Zou, you made contact with Black, you bribed Dr. Cao, you attempted to obstruct justice, and frame my client, Madam Yang Chunyuan, have you considered the consequences of your actions?"

"Moreover, it’s because of your connections, and the implication of your master behind the scenes, that this public trial took place, that this case exists, everyone has been used by you and your master behind the scenes, what great schemers you are!"

Zhang Wei, looking mockingly at the secretary, said, "Now, it’s your turn and your master’s turn to reap what you sowed!"

Having said that, the secretary finally couldn’t hold back any longer and stood up abruptly.

"Zhang Wei, I hate you, I fucking hate you, why did you have to summon me, why did you have to ruin me!"

The resentful and fearful curses echoed throughout the entire courtroom.

The secretary pointed at Zhang Wei, her fingers twisted like claws, her face contorted with terror and savagery.

"Hmm, I hit the nail on the head!" Zhang Wei observed this scene, his expression still unfazed, not surprised in the slightest.

He had seen the irrational things that people who break under extreme pressure do.

The reaction of Secretary Zou just showed that her psychological quality was too poor, it only took him a few words to break her defense.

Too weak!

"Why, why did you do this, when these tasks were all supposed to be done in secret, how did you know, how did you know... "

On the witness stand, Secretary Zou continued to howl spitefully.

"Court Guard, take her away!"

Judge Liu quickly signaled to his subordinates to take action.

The secretary was then escorted away by two court guards, straight into custody.

It was believed that what awaited her was interrogation by the investigative department.

With the secretary taken away, the courtroom finally quieted down again.

"Judge Liu, since witness Secretary Zou has been taken away, our side has finished questioning."

Zhang Wei said, turning to look at the prosecution’s bench.

"Oh Duo, I forgot, there’s still an important person here!"

All eyes in the room suddenly focused on Black.

Being stared at by so many people and seeing Secretary Zou’s miserable state, Black immediately went weak at the knees, and with a thud, he fell to the floor from his chair, utterly embarrassed.

"Someone, please bring him up here!"

Seeing this, Judge Liu signaled his subordinates to bring Black to the witness stand, guarded by the court guard.

"No, I confess, I’ll tell the truth, it was all Secretary Zou who made me do it, it was all Secretary Zou...", Black blurted out, wailing and crying, his face almost turning into a tearful mess.

"Oh, you’ve confessed, then that’s good," Zhang Wei chuckled, gesturing to the court guard, "Gentlemen, please escort him away as well."

The court guards looked at Judge Liu, and upon seeing his nod, they also escorted Black away.

At that point, only Zheng Fenyong and Mr. Li were left on the prosecution’s bench.

"Prosecutor Zheng, sorry, but with both witnesses taken away, there’s no chance for you to cross-examine."

"Hmm, Lawyer Zhang, stop joking with me, even if I were to cross-examine, would it make any difference?"

Zheng Fenyong sneered, "This is indeed of little significance!"

Zhang Wei also showed a smile.

The outcome of the case had been sealed the moment they found Secretary Zou.

What followed was merely procedural.

"Judge Liu, our side concludes presenting evidence. According to court procedure, we submit evidence concerning Secretary Zou’s secret communications with Lawyer Black and the bribery of Dr. Cao!"

As he spoke, Zhang Wei took out a USB drive from his pocket and handed it directly to Judge Liu.

After submitting the evidence, he even gave Zheng Fenyong a slight smile, causing him a gloomy expression.

"Okay, I know."

Judge Liu took the evidence and asked a Court Guard to find a laptop to check it. He only glanced through it before nodding his head.

Because he knew that Zhang Wei would not lie about such a matter.

This evidence would later be passed to the investigative department to convict Secretary Zou.

minutes later.

"Jury, have you reached a verdict?"

"Yes, we’ve made our decision!"

"Very well, then the foreman shall announce it!"

"We declare that in the public prosecution case against Ms. Yang Chunyuan by the Southern District General Procuratorate, the defendant Ms. Yang Chunyuan is not guilty!"

With the foreman’s announcement, the courtroom was a mix of joy and sorrow.

At the prosecution’s table, Zheng Fenyong looked bitter, because he had lost.

In fact, this case had problems from the start, but he didn’t expect the final issues to erupt as they did.

What was originally an investigative negligence case of the forensic personnel turned out to involve the internal strife of the city council, and even more surprisingly, the behind-the-scenes figure turned out to be Zhang Tianlong, the Councilor Head of Dongfang Capital.

Moreover, since Zhang Wei had provided related evidence, there was nothing he could do.

At the defense table, there was nothing but elation.

Yang Chunyuan stood up excitedly, taking a deep breath.

"Fantastic, we won!"

Mo Yuzhu also cheered, embracing Zhang Wei tightly.

"Ahem, Classmate Mo, don’t hug me so tightly, it’s a bit suffocating..."

Perhaps due to the excitement, she was especially enthusiastic today and held him so tightly that it became uncomfortable for Zhang Wei.

"Sorry, so sorry..."

Mo Yuzhu, belatedly realizing, hurriedly let go of Zhang Wei, then apologized with her head down and face flushed.

"It’s okay... I actually felt quite good!"

Zhang Wei quickly made a pun.

He just wasn’t sure if it was the feeling from the hug or the euphoria of winning the case that felt better.

"Lawyer Zhang, thank you so much!"

Councilor Mo, from the spectator seats, also rushed down excitedly, gripping Zhang Wei’s hand tightly.

"Councilor Mo, it was nothing, just my duty, especially since Classmate Mo and I are friends!"

"Ha ha, you lad, still not planning to change how you address her, eh?"

Mo Juren patted Zhang Wei’s shoulder, all smiles.

"Ha, change how I address her?"

Zhang Wei was confused. Was he being asked not to call Mo Yuzhu ’Classmate’ and instead use her given name?

Someone blinked in confusion.

"Lawyer Zhang, congratulations!"

Zheng Fenyong came over as well, nodding at Zhang Wei.

"I never thought, after nearly ten years without a loss, I would meet you here in Dongfang Capital!"

"Prosecutor Zheng, I was just fortunate to be on the side of justice."

"Are you saying I picked the wrong side this time?"

"Isn’t that the case?"

"Indeed, I did not investigate thoroughly this time. It was my negligence!"

Zheng Fenyong said, bowing to Yang Chunyuan, "I’m sorry, Forensic Yang, for the inconvenience caused to your life and work due to our oversight; it was our dereliction of duty!"

"This time, the General Procuratorate will seriously reflect on our mistakes in the work, and we will take this case as a warning for the future."

After speaking, Zheng Fenyong apologized to Zhang Wei and the others, then took his leave.

Watching his departing figure, Zhang Wei couldn’t help but reflect.

Both from the Zheng family, why was there such a vast difference between Zheng Fenyong and his brother Zheng Qian?