First-Class Lawyer

Yan Suizhi’s tone was featherlight and exceedingly calm, as though he was touching on something that was practically a sure fact. There wasn’t the slightest sign of him ‘shaking too visibly’.

From his tone to the contents of what he said, the state of affairs vastly differed from what Prosecutor Bard envisioned, so much such that his ‘polite, near perfect’ smile had at once solidified on his face. 

Two seconds later, in the gallery, Brewer Manson gradually pulled his senses back together.

His assistant spoke what was also on his mind. “What the heck is this intern up to?”

This didn’t mean to say that the statement “my client is not guilty” held great sway. It wasn’t as if the outcome would change with an empathic mention of this point. Only, the proverbial safe defence play was right there for the picking, yet this intern chose not to use it, deliberately choosing to stir up trouble; and it was this that went contrary to all expectations.

However, his assistant soon let out a joyous laugh. He furtively pointed to the front rows, telling Brewer Manson, “Now I really believe that Mr Gu didn’t meddle in the case. Boss, look…” 

Brewer Manson’s gaze followed where he pointed towards, to see Gu Yan pressing his fingers to his temple after the intern made his opening statement.

From their angle, they could only see the back of Gu Yan’s head and weren’t able to see his expression. But naturally, with Gu Yan’s personality, even if they couldn’t see his expression, the action of him massaging his temples fully exposed his resignation.

“That intern seems to be a headache for him,” his assistant said, “I suspect… that he might not approve of the intern’s way of handling things, either.”

Brewer Manson let out a nasal grunt. When his gaze once again turned to the defence table, it was with a hint of disbelief and hunger to watch a good show.

In a sense, Gu Yan’s reaction had just about put them at ease.

After making that statement, Yan Suizhi didn’t mention anything else, nodding at the judge and sitting down.

In fact, there was a reason why he had made such an opening statement.

The previous case involving Joshua Dale was set in the unique backdrop of Wine City. From the judge to the police, and even to the jury, there was a bit of a bias and the ass was already crooked from the outset. No matter how it was made, the opening statement would reflect intense antagonism, which would be detrimental to their case. Therefore, Gu Yan’s method was the most appropriate. 

But it was different this time. Tian Qin was much more upright than Wine City. Those who sat on the side of the law were more open-minded; the jury and judge were relatively impartial. However, this also meant that they were more easily convinced by evidence, and this was precisely where Chen Zhang lost out. If the prosecution was an adept hand at controlling the psychology of the jury, he would surely dump Chen Zhang’s confession straight out from the very beginning.

This was the item that would easily trigger an attitudinal bias. As soon as it was released, the jury would immediately stand on the opposing side of Chen Zhang and have the preconceived notion that he was guilty. Each subsequent rebuttal was a tug-of-war. A victory for Bard pulled them further towards a guilty verdict, whereas a victory for Yan Suizhi pulled them back a little.

But, needless to say, the road to pull them back was much longer.

Now, Yan Suizhi’s decisive opening statement was achieving a similar effect. It gave the jury a preconceived skepticism that would only grow stronger the briefer the statement. That way, when Bard later whipped the evidence out, at least the jury would hesitate for a moment before taking sides. 

As Yan Suizhi arranged his seat and sat back down, he caught a glimpse of Gu Yan’s fingers leaving his temple out of his peripheral vision.

The corners of his lips quirked up slightly. Relaxing back in his seat, he raised two fingers without a turn of his head, beckoning.

“…”

After a second, Gu Yan leaned forward from the row behind, his breath falling very close to his nape. 

Barely moving his lips, Yan Suizhi whispered very softly, “Don’t get a headache. Relax, I don’t joke around at the defence table.”

He was just more free-willed by nature. But when it came to trials that involved personal freedom or even life and death, he never joked around. He weighed every word that he uttered in court.

Gu Yan knew this, naturally. But what gave him a headache had nothing to do with this.

He really wanted to tell Yan Suizhi, ‘Please hold yourself back a little.’ 

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After taking it all into perspective, at the end of the day, the one place that he could let up a little—was the defence table in the courtroom…

Yan Suizhi could feel Gu Yan behind him move his lips, as if he wanted to say something. But in the end, except for the breath that fell gently behind him, Gu Yan didn’t rush to speak.

After a moment more, when the prosecutor had already risen to his feet, and when there was already another person on the witness stand, Gu Yan’s low voice finally came from behind. “Do as you will.” 

Yan Suizhi blanked for a moment, returning to his senses when Prosecutor Bard spoke.

The man on the witness stand was a policeman from the police headquarters in Zone 3, surnamed Guan.

Sure enough, Bard knew the easiest way to bring the jury to his side when fighting a case like this.

The intern on the opposing counsel played a curveball so audaciously that he felt ill at ease. He intended to make this a quick fight. So, the first thing he whipped out was none other than Chen Zhang’s oral confession. 

When Yan Suizhi saw the policeman’s identity, his eyebrows lifted.

“Guan Wenji, ID no. 117765290, a policeman. Were you the one who signed off the transcript of the defendant’s oral confession?” Bard asked.

“That’s right, I did.”

Guan Wenji was a tall and strong man with thick eyebrows and upturned eyes. Due to the constant pressure of handling cases, he characteristically wore a scowl on his face. Even on the witness stand, he still gave a type of inhumane oppression. It was normal that a policeman like him would be put in charge of obtaining a confession. 

“Did the defendant accurately confess to the accused crime within 36 hours?” Bard cast the transcript of the oral confession on the holographic screen. Every word that Chen Zhang said was recorded on it, made clearly visible to the jury.

Guan Wenji nodded. “Yep. It was among the smoothest confessions of the cases that we deal with. Generally, people who consider themselves to be caught red-handed would behave like this. Needless to say, we are greatly relieved by this.”

His voice was very hoarse. Anyone could tell that he had not gotten much rest after pulling an all-nighter. His eyes were bloodshot, his stubble covered his chin, and he looked exhausted.

This man had a very tactful way of speaking. He knew when to be more direct with his words, and when to use a more euphemistic approach. Even his attitude towards Chen Zhang came across as level, which made it easy to draw in the jury’s favour and make them more convinced by what he was saying. 

Even if… what he was saying actually contained leading words.

Those willing to believe him would inadvertently and subconsciously imprint the phrase ‘consider themselves caught red-handed’ in their minds.

“Was there anyone else involved in the interrogation process aside from you?” Bard asked.

Lawyers didn’t really want to know anything about the interrogation process. They knew it well enough from their access to the case file and their prior preparations. Every question they asked was for the jury to listen to. 

The questions they asked would give expression to what they want the jury to know, and what details they wanted the jury to remember.

Guan Wenji smoothly responded, “There were two other officers. The involved personnel during the multiple oral confessions were not the same. I was in charge, so only my signature is on these, but the more complete document should have everyone’s signatures on them. After all, an oral confession doesn’t count if I’m the only one involved. Even if Mr Chen Zhang is a suspect, we can’t treat him like that.”

He did more than just answer the question; he showed a good attitude and even took it upon himself to explain the parts that could potentially be used as loopholes to take apart a case. Bard also cooperatively found that page with the various signatures on it and nodded in the direction of the jury.

“Was the defendant sober when the confession was obtained?” Bard asked, and immediately followed up with, “By which, I’m asking if he was influenced by alcohol, hallucinogenic drugs, or mental conditions?” 

When Yan Suizhi heard Bard ask this question, the fingers supporting his chin tapped out a rhythm like he was playing a piano. His beautiful eyes narrowed slightly in thought, but there was a small smile hanging off the corners of his lips, hidden behind his fingers.

Such that even when Bard looked up, he only saw his narrowed eyes and assumed that he was fuming. At once, the tail of Bard’s sentences raised in assertiveness, and he looked sure of victory.

Guan Wenji shook his head in denial. At times like this, it would be very useful to approach directly. “He wasn’t intoxicated, nor did he consume hallucinogenic drugs of any kind, and he isn’t mentally ill. In fact, in order to solve the case with greater prudence, we did a comprehensive medical evaluation on Mr Chen Zhang. As you know, current diagnosis instruments are able to give detailed evaluations across every area, including Chen Zhang’s night vision and visual acuity, not to mention mental conditions.”

“You have been very diligent, thank you.” Bard said. 

Based on what was said in the oral confession and Chen Zhang’s behaviour, he asked Guan Wenji a few more questions.

It was clear that throughout this examination, Bard wanted to impart on the jury several impressions—Chen Zhang had confessed very quickly, and very readily; the police officer in charge of obtaining the confession had followed the rules to the letter; and most importantly, torture wasn’t used to extract the confession nor was he coerced; further, Chen Zhang was very sober when he confessed.

This gave the oral confession credibility.

When Bard sat down, he surreptitiously observed the expressions of the jury members and was able to tell that the messages he wished to convey had essentially been conveyed. 

He wasn’t the only one. Yan Suizhi glanced at the jury and also felt that the purpose of Bard’s earlier examination had been achieved.

Once the suspect’s confession was nailed down, there wouldn’t be any stones left for him to turn.

Look, quick game.

Bard whistled merrily in his mind. 

The judge’s gaze once again fell upon Yan Suizhi. “You may begin the cross-examination, Mr Ruan Ye.”

Yan Suizhi nodded, standing up. He wasn’t in a hurry to start the cross-examination. Instead, he first measured Guan Wenji up on the witness stand.

Guan Wenji started to feel uncomfortable at this, frowning as he stared intensely back at him.

“Officer Guan Wenji?” After being stared at for several seconds, Yan Suizhi finally and unhurriedly spoke. “I’ve come across some brief information before, involving you. You were once disciplined by the police department, isn’t that right?” 

The intensity of Guan Wenji’s stare faded. “…Yes.”

“I see that that it was classified as a violent confrontation?” Yan Suizhi continued to say.

Guan Wenji, “…Yes.”

“You got into an altercation with a colleague due to divergent opinions regarding a case, and each punched the other?” 

“Yes.”

Yan Suizhi smiled and asked warmly, “Are you a quick-tempered and easily provoked person?”

Guan Wenji, “…”

How the fuck can I answer a question like that right after you dredged up my dark history? 

Let alone Prosecutor Bard, even he could see what this defence lawyer was angling at—first, use some facts to admit that he had an explosive temper, move on to how impatient he would be if the other side didn’t behave the way he wanted to, perhaps even resorting to threats or violence, then moving on to taking the confession—whether by accident or conscious design, he had created a psychological ‘torture’ effect on Chen Zhang…

He was only too clear of this trap.

So, Guan Wenji deliberated for a moment, took a deep breath to readjust his mindset, then said, “Actually, if you read further into the file, you’ll find that I wasn’t in a good frame of mind that day. I wasn’t able to sleep for a day and night before that incident. I was completely focused on the case. I believe that everyone can understand, no one would be in a good mental state under over-exhaustion; when losing control of emotions, there are times that over-exhaustion would cause you to exhibit some abnormal behaviour. In fact, I wasn’t even sober at that time, I can’t even remember what exactly was said that made me throw the punch.”

When he said that, the damn defence lawyer actually nodded very sympathetically. And the damnedest thing of it all was that the other man actually went along with his words, saying for him, “Fair enough, and that incident happened a long time ago. I seem to remember it was five years ago? At the police headquarters in Zone 3?” 

What the hell is he getting at?

Guan Wenji was unable to quite catch what the other was planning anymore. The case he had worked on overnight left his brain a little muddled at this moment. He had been prepared for the type of questions that Bard had asked him, so he was able to respond well to them at his own pace. But now, he was a little lost.

He floundered for a moment, then nodded. “Mhm, yeah. That’s correct.”

He unconsciously answered before feeling that something or other was off. It wasn’t until he saw the opposing defence lawyer nod again and pull up something, about to press the projection controller that he reacted, changing to say, “Ah! My bad. It wasn’t at the police headquarters in Zone 3, it was at the branch police station on 1 East Street. I wasn’t yet transferred to the headquarters back then.” 

Yan Suizhi smiled. He shook the pages of the document in his hand and said, “Oh, I was just about to expose you. You changed it in the nick of time.”

Guan Wenji, “…”

“So are you not in a good mental state right now too?” Yan Suizhi set aside the pages in his hand and continued to ask, “How long has it been since you last got some rest?”

Guan Wenji defended, “I have been chasing a case and haven’t closed my eyes until now. 28 hours, probably. As I said earlier, it’s actually quite normal to be less than sober and be in a poor mental state when you’re over exhausted. I’m sure you can understand that. But look. I haven’t lost my temper even though you’re bringing up old accounts. You can see that that one time was just that. I don’t have a bad temper, and if I was really an irritable and easily angered person who always made mistakes like that, I wouldn’t have been transferred to the headquarters in Zone 3. The whole police station can testify for that, there’s no need for me to lie.” 

When speaking, he seemed to find a foothold, for he saw several of the jury nodding their heads in distinct agreement with his words. So, he went along with the flow and blocked another path for the defence lawyer. “Also, although I’m in a state of over-exhaustion and may have slipped up in what I said, the answers I just gave about the confession are all in order. Each point I made corresponds to the evidence. What Mr Bard projected on the holographic screen is the best evidence.”

By the time he finished, he had already composed himself, and he looked across at the young defence lawyer with his chin jutted upwards.

After such an explanation, the opposing counsel could no longer use ‘violence to force a confession’ as a breakthrough, nor could they use ‘the confession lacks credibility in court’ to take apart the earlier examination.

Yan Suizhi said, “So the contents, signatures, and date-time information on the document on the holographic screen are all in order?” 

Guan Wenji, “Of course. It’s impossible for there to be errors in the submitted document. We also won’t allow that to happen.”

Yan Suizhi nodded, and directly adjusted the projection controller, briefly grouping the confessions on the holographic screen, picking out the beginning and end of each one, and directly marked the time information on it down to the minute and second. He pointed with an electronic pen, saying, “Then let’s take a look at this confession document that is absolutely free of any errors…”

“The first confession started from 23:11:29 p.m. on December 7, and ended at 04:19:11 a.m. on December 8. The second confession started from 04:42:41, which was less than half an hour apart. This statement took 7 hours to record, followed by a third statement, which started less than half an hour later…”

“There were five confessions in total, between each, the longest interval was 42 minutes and the shortest interval was 10 minutes. The whole duration took exactly 36 hours.” Yan Suizhi slowed down his speech, and each word was clearly and distinctly spoken. “Before that, there was a series of procedural formalities following the arrest of the suspect. Cutting away the loose ends, it should amount to 42 hours, as evidenced by the video of the arrest. Did I make a mistake with my math?” 

Guan Wenji, “…No.”

“Thank you for answering.” Yan Suizhi raised his eyebrows. “Mr Bard, on the prosecution, posed an interesting question earlier. He asked, ‘Was the defendant sober?’ and immediately afterwards, he refined the question to whether ‘he was influenced by alcohol, hallucinogenic drugs, or mental conditions.’”

Yan Suizhi smiled. “An ingenious trick, swapping the two like that. Officer Guan Wenji’s denial of the latter three would give an erroneous perception that my client, Chen Zhang, was sober when his statement was taken.”

“Officer Guan, you just happened to say this yourself two minutes ago.” 

Yan Suizhi looked down and sorted through the documents, finding the page that the court recorder had just shorthanded. He ticked off a line, magnifying it threefold on the holographic screen. The visual impact of it was slightly shocking, causing the courtroom to go into an uproar.

Yan Suizhi didn’t even lift his head. As he arranged the papers, he joked, “Hush, don’t shout.”

On the holographic screen, the words of Guan Wenji’s testimony during the cross-examination were now glaringly big: I believe that everyone can understand, no one would be in a good mental state under over-exhaustion; when losing control of emotions, there are times that over-exhaustion would cause you to exhibit some abnormal behaviour. In fact, I wasn’t even sober at that time, I can’t even remember what exactly was said that made me throw the punch.

“In that case, Officer Guan—” Yan Suizhi dropped those papers in his hand on the table and raised his eyes to look at Guan Wenji. “I want you to look at what you said, and give me a fair and impartial answer. 42 hours without sleep; can that be considered as being in a completely sober state?” 

Guan Wenji, “……………”