Just after being thrown into the lake, seven beautiful women blocked the door calling him "husb

"Clang—!"

A sharp, metallic clang echoed as metal struck the ground.

The stainless steel thermos bounced and rolled awkwardly on the floor.

Every sound it made was like a slap in the face.

It slapped someone hard across the face.

Time seemed to stand still.

Everyone's eyes instinctively turned to the source of the sound, the first row of the audience seats.

Liu Bo, Deputy Director of the Municipal Bureau.

He froze in his seat.

The outstretched hand was still hanging in mid-air, in a comical pose.

That imposing mask that's always been used to giving orders.

With a "crack," it shattered in front of the entire nation.

On the defense stand, Li Zhe and Wang Hao exchanged a shocked look.

They saw it!

This man, who had risen through the ranks and whom they regarded as an unshakeable mountain, lost his composure!

Under Attorney Chen's questioning of "presumption of innocence," he couldn't even hold a cup properly!

An Ran and Wen Yi covered their mouths, the turmoil in their hearts almost overwhelming them.

Qin Kexin looked at Liu Bo's ashen face, then at Chen Ye's tall and straight back.

She suddenly understood.

Every step Chen Ye took before, every explosion of public opinion, and every piece of evidence he presented.

The ultimate goal is this moment, here and now!

In order to drag this big figure, who was hiding in the shadows of the system, out of the background and into the spotlight.

Let him shatter his facade in front of the entire nation!

[Old Deng, you're already on edge? You can't even hold the cup properly?]

This is nothing.

[Wait, when they pronounce the verdict, I'm afraid you won't just wet your pants, you'll be dead.]

Chen Ye's face remained calm and nonchalant, but inside he was overjoyed.

The prosecutor's seat opposite had become nothing more than a background feature.

The young prosecutor had given up resisting, his head bowed, wishing he could bury his face in the case files.

His colleague's lips moved, but it ultimately turned into a powerless sigh.

They lost.

In the first round, they were utterly defeated by Chen Ye alone.

In the dock.

The presiding judge's face was ashen; he merely glanced calmly at the disheveled Liu Bo.

Let's turn our attention back to the prosecutor.

"Prosecutor, do you have any further comments?"

This statement gave the other person a way out.

But it was also a final ultimatum.

The older prosecutor took a deep breath and struggled to his feet.

He knew that he had lost the battle procedurally and had no choice but to choose another battlefield.

A more ethereal, yet also more expansive battlefield.

"Presiding Judge, judges of the panel."

"The flaws and doubts raised by the defense will be verified by our court."

"but!"

He abruptly changed the subject, raising his voice.

"We must emphasize one point!"

"In Hao Bin's case, the original judgment has been in effect for twenty years!"

"For the past twenty years, this judgment has been the legal fact of this case!"

It is a manifestation of the state's judicial authority!

"If it's just because of some so-called 'new evidence' and the pressure from public opinion."

"To so easily overturn a judgment that had been in effect for twenty years..."

He glanced around the courtroom, his gaze sweeping over the reporters frantically typing on their keyboards.

"Then, where is the stability of the judiciary?!"

"Where is the dignity of our laws?!"

"If Hao Bin's case can be overturned today, will all old cases be overturned tomorrow?!"

In this way, everyone will feel insecure, and social order will be completely destroyed!

This will deal a devastating blow to our country's judicial authority!

His words were spoken with great conviction.

He stopped dwelling on the details of the case.

Instead, they raised the issue to the level of threatening the very foundation of the nation.

The weighty label of "judicial authority" was used to pressure Chen Ye and the judge's bench.

This is a form of kidnapping.

This is a shameless logic that uses national interests to hijack justice in individual cases.

On the defense stand, Li Zhe and Wang Hao were so angry that their faces turned red.

What kind of utter illogical nonsense is this!

Because they were afraid of affecting their authority, they allowed a wrongful conviction to continue to exist?

A commotion arose in the gallery.

Liu Bo's ashen face softened slightly.

He sat up straight again, as if he had regained his confidence.

Yes, that's it.

This isn't just a problem with one case; it's a problem with the stability of the entire system!

He believed that the Supreme Court judges could not possibly be unaware of this.

Okay, the truth has been revealed.

[Are you starting to use the moral high ground to pressure me?]

Unfortunately, I'm not one for that kind of thing.

Chen Ye smiled after hearing this.

He did not immediately refute.

Instead, she slowly turned around.

His movements were slow.

So slowly that everyone in the courtroom could clearly see the trajectory of his turn.

He did not look at the prosecutor or the presiding judge.

His gaze passed through the railings and through the throng of people.

Ultimately, it landed in the first row of the family section.

The tears fell on the elderly mother who had been silently weeping since the trial began.

Zhang Hongzhi.

An ordinary rural woman, as ordinary as can be.

At that moment, she was being held tightly by her husband, her whole body convulsing violently from excessive grief.

His gray hair lay disheveled on his forehead, which was etched with the lines of tears and the passage of time.

That weathered face had long been washed clean of color by tears.

She was wearing a faded blue cloth dress.

That was the most presentable outfit she could wear when going out.

Her hands gripped her husband's arm tightly.

The knuckles protrude from the exertion, making them appear exceptionally aged.

All eyes in the courtroom were focused on this pitiful mother, following Chen Ye's gaze.

The four words "judicial authority" that were just being touted were now being used extensively.

Faced with this mother's silent grief.

It appeared so pale, so ridiculous.

Chen Ye looked at her quietly, then turned back to the judge's bench.

His voice was no longer sharp, but it carried a powerful, choked-up yet resolute strength that could penetrate the heart.

"presiding judge."

"Judicial authority." He repeated those four words, emphasizing each one.

"It has never been demonstrated by upholding a wrong judgment!"

The words fell.

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Ye's voice suddenly turned into a thunderclap!

"Hao Bin was twenty-one years old when he was executed!"

"His life was forever frozen in that summer!"

"And his mother, Zhang Hongzhi!"

Chen Ye pointed his hand at the thin figure.

"She appealed for nineteen years to seek justice for her son!"

"Nineteen years!"

"She traveled to every government office, big and small, across the country!"

"She wore out several pairs, dozens of pairs of shoes!"

"She went from a middle-aged woman to an elderly woman with white hair!"

Every word Chen Ye uttered was like a heavy hammer blow, striking everyone's heart.

In the family section was Hao Bin's father, a man who had remained silent his entire life.

At this moment, he finally couldn't hold back his tears.

The prosecutor asked, "What does she want?"

"Let me tell you!"

"What she wants is not compensation from the state!"

Chen Ye's voice trembled slightly.

All she wanted was one sentence—

He paused for a moment, then used all his strength.

He roared those words at the entire courtroom.

"My son is innocent!"

boom!

These five words carry more power than any previous legal provisions or evidence analysis!

It broke through the psychological defenses of everyone present!

In the audience, many of the seasoned journalists had tears in their eyes.

On the defense stand, An Ran's tears could no longer be held back and rolled down her cheeks.

Qin Kexin also turned her head away, her shoulders swaying slightly.

Chen Ye turned around and once again faced the three judges of the collegial panel.

His eyes burned with an unprecedented flame!

"If we refuse to correct our mistakes simply because it has been in effect for many years!"

"If we, because of so-called 'authority'."

To simply ignore these bloody and suspicious points!

"Then, may I ask you—"

Where is the authority of the judiciary?!

Where is the spirit of the rule of law?!

Chen Ye took a deep breath and scanned the entire solemn courtroom.

"The reason why this court can hold a public hearing here today is because..."

It's not just about clearing Hao Bin's name.

"It's also to tell everyone!"

Tell this elderly mother with white hair!

"Tell the millions of ordinary people who are following this trial!"

Justice may be delayed!

But it will never be absent!

After he finished speaking, he took a step back and bowed deeply to the judge's bench.

"The defense counsel's arguments have been presented."

"We urge the panel of judges to overturn the original judgment!"

"The original defendant, Hao Bin, is found not guilty!"

silence.

A deathly silence.

The entire courtroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Chen Ye's last words still echoed in everyone's ears.

Everyone was stunned and deeply moved by the defense.

In the prosecutor's seat, the elderly prosecutor slumped down, his face ashen.

In the audience, Liu Bo leaned back in his chair, knowing that he was finished.

The presiding judge sat silently on the high bench.

He looked at the young lawyer who was still bowing.

Looking at the old mother who was almost fainting from crying.

Looking into those eyes, some filled with shock, others with anticipation.

for a long time.

He picked up the gavel in front of him.

"Both the prosecution and the defense have presented their arguments in full."

His voice was dignified and steady.

"The court is adjourned. The panel of judges will deliberate and announce the verdict at a later date..."

Upon hearing the words "sentencing to be scheduled at a later date," everyone's hearts skipped a beat.

This means there will be no results today.

The hope that had just ignited on Hao Bin's parents' faces dimmed again.

however.

The presiding judge's words were abruptly cut off halfway through.

He put down the gavel that he had raised halfway.

Look around the courtroom.

A hint of determination flashed in those deep eyes.

He paused for a full five seconds.

Then, he spoke slowly and deliberately, with unwavering conviction.

"The verdict in this case will be announced in court today!"