Chapter 108: Chapter 108: Nobody Should Criticize the Judge This Time, Right?
This was certainly an impulsive act. He had openly insulted the judge in front of dozens of people in court. Although the judge did not take it to heart, it was clear the judge’s impression of him had turned extremely negative. This is human nature; when reviewing cases and considering sentencing, there would inevitably be some bias.
Besides this, Bo Xingxian’s capabilities were actually not bad. Especially during the final statement, he firmly grasped several key points: he argued that he was deceived by a misleadingly edited video, that his goodwill had been exploited, and he also actively admitted his guilt and apologized to Qin Mu, the victim of cyberbullying. His attitude was sincere, showing a heart of repentance.
The law is meant to guide people upwards, not just to apply harsh punishments relentlessly. There were also many humanized considerations. This is why those who actively reform while in prison can be released early.
Under all these circumstances, the judge and the collegiate bench’s view of the eight instigators would be inclined favorably.
In contrast, Liang Shuqi had openly insulted the judge in court and showed no regard for the "victim." In comparison, the judgment result was definitely not optimistic.
"Forget it, I did my best anyway," Zhang Wei consoled himself quite helplessly after Liang Shuqi was taken away by the bailiffs. This time, he had performed perfectly. If the sentence reduction had been successful, it would have become a hallmark case for publicity at his law firm. Unfortunately, fate played its tricks, and he was saddled with an utterly inadequate team—even more outrageous than previous ones.
"I can only try to work harder for those people tomorrow to reduce more of their sentences," he sighed. Shaking his head, he too left the Second Criminal Court.
...
「Jin City.」
「Nursing home.」
After the court session the next day, Qin Mu and Wang Dachui returned here.
"How did it go? Was there a verdict? Was it just another session of pointless bickering?"
"Probably. I listened all day yesterday and didn’t understand a word. It was all about determining guilt and sentencing; why can’t they discuss something we old folks can understand?"
"Yang Minghui and the other two had it right; they simply didn’t show up, and their judgment was quick."
"Dealing with lawsuits is too troublesome..."
Upon arriving at the nursing home, Zhang Qingyuan, Li Weiguo, Song Tiancheng, and other elders gathered around. Although they had not joined the spectacle today, they were still quite concerned about the case’s progress.
Qin Mu did not hide anything and recounted the day’s events in court.
"What? Insulted the judge? That’s thrilling?"
"I heard the judge was the Judgment Chief; doesn’t he have a lot of power?"
"That guy is definitely going to get a harsh sentence! I only said a few swear words myself, yet he dared to directly confront the judge!"
"It’s a pity, it was such a lively scene, and we actually missed it today!"
"..."
Having heard this, everyone was excited, albeit with a hint of regret. The first day was uneventful. The second day brought such an explosive event.
"Tomorrow, remember to call us when you go!" Zhang Qingyuan and the others exchanged glances, eager to join the excitement again.
Seeing this, Qin Mu’s lips twitched slightly. Actually, today’s events in court were also completely unexpected for him. Initially, he thought Zhang Wei was holding all the winning cards and would succeed in the sentence reduction. Who could have expected Liang Shuqi to pull such a stunt? Combined with the previous performance of Yang Minghui and others, Zhang Wei’s luck was just too unfortunate.
"Wait a minute!" Mentioning luck, Qin Mu’s expression shifted as he suddenly realized something. He now had a luck bonus of 500 points, effective for ten years. But he had always felt that his luck had been entirely used up on his videos going viral and that one fishing trip. Now it seemed very likely he also had a passive luck bonus.
Qin Mu blinked, murmuring, "Could it be... aside from my videos always going viral, do I also have the luck to always win lawsuits?" No. To be precise, it’s the ability to make the opposing lawyer’s luck worse. No matter how hard they try, it only makes the sentences heavier and heavier. However, luck is such a mysterious thing. I can’t figure out right away whether it’s due to my own luck value, or maybe... it’s simply because Zhang Wei’s luck is really that bad.
Perfect, there’s a defamation trial tomorrow... Qin Mu took a deep breath. He decided to observe the situation further tomorrow. If my luck value indeed has such a "wonderful use," it would definitely be a powerful weapon!
...
「The third day.」
「Nine o’clock in the morning.」
Zhang Qingyuan and the others arrived on time at the nursing home entrance, insisting that Qin Mu take them to court to attend the hearing again. Qin Mu couldn’t say no to them. Helplessly, he took them to the Second Criminal Court of the Jin City Court. At ten in the morning, the court session restarted.
"Will there be a bold person insulting the judge today?"
"Yesterday’s defendant was probably an exception; today, there shouldn’t be anyone that foolish."
"Even if they don’t insult the judge, insulting other members of the judicial panel is fine too. Otherwise, what’s the point of attending a trial?"
"Let’s hope it gets exciting..." Old Zhang and the others whispered among themselves in the gallery, their expressions filled with anticipation. They never shied away from a good spectacle.
"Silence!" At the bench, Zhou Quanmin frowned as he heard the loud voices of Zhang Qingyuan and the others. If he remembered correctly, this group of elderly people hadn’t come to watch yesterday. But today... it seemed these old men had come specifically to see him get insulted again.
BANG. He took a deep breath, struck the gavel, and announced, "Today, the Second Criminal Court of the Jin City Court will continue to try the third case in the series related to the takeaway food poisoning incident."
As he spoke, he glanced at the court marshals by the door, who immediately understood and opened the courtroom doors.
Outside, fifty-six defendants were led by the marshals into the courtroom. The fifty-six individuals formed a long queue, majestically proceeding to the defendants’ dock.
"Damn!" the hot-tempered Song Tiancheng blurted out. This scene was indeed astonishing. Fifty-six defendants filled the dock to the brim. Even the number of court marshals present was three times the usual, due to this large group of defendants. Otherwise, if these fifty-six people started to argue and brawl, the marshals might not be able to stop them.
Actually, the phenomenon of an excessive number of defendants had occurred in past trials. Legally, there are stipulations for such situations. Criminal cases do not require everyone involved to be present at the trial. If a notarized power of attorney is granted, defendants can even avoid appearing in court altogether by fully entrusting their defense to a lawyer, as long as the lawyer is present.
However, these fifty-six people were not very trusting of Zhang Wei. They dared not place their fates entirely in the hands of a lawyer they had just met. Even if it meant losing the case and facing imprisonment, they wanted to understand exactly how they ended up there.
Moreover, in court, they still had the most important right as involved parties: the right to make a final statement! If they didn’t appear, they would lose the chance to present their own arguments and fight for themselves.