Chapter 19

Qin Yan closed the notebook in her hand with a heavy thud and lowered her voice, saying, "Yefeng, I've been a lawyer for seven or eight years, and I've been involved in no less than a hundred cases. I've also defended some murder suspects like you, but there's one thing: in all the cases I've defended, those murder suspects, through my efforts, have all received some form of reduced sentences, either from immediate execution to suspended death sentences or to life imprisonment. However, no matter what, they all ended up being convicted murderers and were sent to prison, meaning they were all true murderers. But you are different. Through my investigation over this period, I can clearly feel that there are too many loopholes and missing evidence, even fabricated evidence. You might really have been framed. You might not be the real murderer. In other words, the person I am defending this time might really be an innocent and framed good person."

Yefeng was moved by Qin Yan's words. He looked straight at her and said in a low voice, "Lawyer Qin, do you really believe me now? Can you confirm that Liu Yong has a problem? Do you believe that he and Liu Meimei are the real murderers?"

Qin Yan shook her head and resumed her calm and composed expression, saying, "I have many doubts about this case, but that doesn't mean I will completely believe your words. You might think my stance is contradictory and formalistic, but that's the attitude a lawyer should have. As a lawyer, the only thing I believe in is evidence. Before I have effective evidence, I won't make any judgments about your case. I am not a police officer or a judge; I am just a lawyer. Do you understand?"

Yefeng laughed bitterly and said, "I understand, so you added the words 'maybe' and 'possibly' before everything you said just now."

Qin Yan smiled and said, "Yefeng, you don't need to be discouraged or lose heart. After the trial starts, the prosecutor will ask you some questions. You just need to tell the truth. Liu Yong and Liu Meimei, as key witnesses at the scene, will also testify. As your defense lawyer, I will also question them. I will raise all the doubts in your case during the questioning of the witnesses. I will focus on the issues of the body's cremation and the family's signature. I believe the judge will make a fair judgment."

Yefeng didn't know if the judge would be fair. To be honest, since this incident, Yefeng had developed an unconscious resistance and doubt towards the fairness and justice of society. Especially as a migrant worker with no background, even without this incident, how much fair treatment and respect could he receive in society?

After nine o'clock, Yefeng was escorted into the courtroom by a bailiff. After entering the defendant's seat, Yefeng didn't pay attention to who the judges were. He just turned around and looked at his mother and coworkers sitting not far behind him, smiled at them, and then turned back, lowered his head, and silently waited for the trial to begin.

After the trial officially started, a female presiding judge sitting opposite Yefeng first announced the list of judges and court clerks present today, then informed Yefeng of his litigation rights. Then, a person with a court clerk's label in front of him read out the court rules, followed by the prosecutor's statement of the case, and so on.

Yefeng wasn't interested in what these people were saying. He actually hoped the trial would end quickly and send him back to the detention center. Yefeng suddenly felt that standing here for the trial was a waste of time. No matter what these people said or did, no matter how much evidence they presented against him during the trial, no matter how well Qin Yan could defend him, it was all unimportant. When Yefeng truly stood in the defendant's seat, his mood became incredibly calm.

In the face of the Nine Stars Space, after Yefeng truly learned the Soul Capturing Technique, what did these people and these matters amount to? What he needed now was only time.

Yefeng believed that by the time of the second trial, he could completely turn the tide. All of Qin Yan's doubts and defenses, the forensic doctor's false testimony, Liu Yong's background and power, would all be nothing in the face of the immortal techniques.

When he suddenly realized this, Yefeng felt his state of mind become much clearer, as if he had undergone an intangible elevation.

This feeling was very wonderful and made Yefeng very happy. The spatial law had once hinted to him that the Nine Stars Space could do anything, instantly enhancing his cultivation, granting him heavenly treasures when certain conditions were met, but it could not improve or change his state of mind.

Improving his state of mind required Yefeng to understand, enlighten, experience, and feel it himself.

Cultivation, in a certain sense, is the most difficult to cultivate, and that is the state of mind. Without a high enough state of mind, even the highest cultivation cannot be fully utilized.

Therefore, throughout the entire trial, Yefeng only spoke twice. The first time was when the prosecutor questioned him. Yefeng, following Qin Yan's advice, answered truthfully, sticking to the point that he did not kill anyone. The second time was during his final statement, where he said only two sentences: the first was that he was framed and wronged, and the second was that the person who framed and wronged him was Liu Yong, the captain of the criminal investigation team at the Changjiang District Public Security Bureau, and his girlfriend, Liu Meimei.

As for Liu Meimei and Liu Yong testifying as witnesses and accusing Yefeng of murder and theft, Yefeng ignored them. He even looked at them only once and then lowered his head, never looking at them again, especially Liu Meimei. When Yefeng looked at her, she clearly dared not meet his gaze. Yefeng lowered his head not because he was afraid of them or hated them, but because he felt it was no longer necessary.

Yefeng temporarily gave up the opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses in court. He told Qin Yan to save this opportunity for the next trial and asked her to submit his request to the presiding judge. After consulting with the associate judges, the presiding judge agreed to Yefeng's request.

Perhaps the questions Qin Yan raised about Liu Yong on the spot indeed raised the same doubts and suspicions in the judge's mind. The judge required the police and the forensic doctor to provide proof of the deceased's cremation and the family's consent. If the deceased was forcibly cremated without contacting the family, it would be a clear violation of procedural regulations.

According to the legal principle of "he who asserts must prove," since Qin Yan raised the defense questions, she needed to present relevant evidence. Qin Yan's key evidence was two audio recordings.

One recording was of the entire conversation between Qin Yan and the forensic doctor, and the other was of the entire conversation when she went to the criminal investigation team to find Liu Yong.

This surprised Yefeng as well. Qin Yan had not mentioned anything about the recordings to him in the holding room.

It must be said that Qin Yan's sharp eloquence, meticulous thinking, and logically sound counter-arguments played a crucial role in the case, leading to a turning point.

With Qin Yan's help and Yefeng's on-the-spot appeal, Yefeng was granted a second trial, and the judge decided to re-examine all the case files, evidence, and witness statements involved in the case. The judge also required the police and court staff to contact the deceased's family and the crematorium as soon as possible.

Furthermore, a special person was ordered to isolate and investigate the involved forensic doctor.

At this point, the direction of the case had clearly shifted, and the final result of the first trial was somewhat favorable to Yefeng.

After the first trial, Yefeng met his mother again in the holding room and, in front of Qin Yan, sincerely thanked her for taking care of his mother. He also learned from Qin Yan that the second trial was scheduled for a week later.

A week might be a bit tight, but if he worked hard, he should be able to advance his cultivation to ninety percent.

If everything went smoothly, by the time of the second trial, he could put on a spectacular counterattack in front of Qin Yan, the judge, his mother, and his coworkers.

At that time, his fate would truly be in his own hands, and Liu Yong, Liu Meimei, and the police who tortured him would pay a heavy price for their actions.