Final Verdict!!!

How did judges decide cases? And what did they base their decisions on?

To be honest, nearly ninety percent of people believed judges ruled solely according to laws founded on morality, or else bowed to public opinion.

They were right, but not entirely.

Take a few examples.

In later years, extreme court cases often went viral online. The most common involved "bride prices, division of marital property, and affairs."

Most people found those cases upsetting, even infuriating, and cursed the courts and judges.

But that raised a question.

Some judges certainly had problems. Yet others had no stake whatsoever in either side's interests, and might not even share their values!

So why would those judges risk a public backlash to hand down rulings that seemed almost "antisocial"?

Because the four factors behind a judgment—politics, public opinion, morality, and law—could...

Clash!

"Tricky. This is really tricky."

At the judges' bench.

Zhang Bingxin looked toward the courtroom floor. Anxiety scratched at his chest like a cat's claws.

This case had become a cactus. No matter where he grabbed it, he would end up with a hand full of thorns.

After a long moment, he drew a deep breath and turned to the prosecution.

He still had to finish the last step of the proceedings.

"Prosecution, in light of what the witnesses, the victims' representatives, and the defense have said... do you have any further objections?"

At the prosecution table.

What more could the prosecutors say?

Clearly, nothing.

"Presiding judge, we..."

Wang Wei glanced at Hu Guang beside him. His lips moved for a moment.

The case had reached this point, and both men were completely spent.

The man across from them hardly seemed human. He was like one of those "AI robots" in foreign films; no matter what angle they tried, he shut them down completely.

How could anyone outargue a robot with a computer for a brain!?

"We have no objections."

Wang Wei fell silent after that. Weariness rose from deep in his bones and weighed down his body.

No objections...

Their position was clear.

The spectators erupted.

Those three words carried enormous weight in a trial. They meant...

"No objections? So they're conceding? The defense convinced them!?"

"That's Hu Guang from the municipal Procuratorate's Second Procuratorial Department! He isn't even going to put up a fight!?"

"What fight? Forget Hu Guang himself—just imagining myself in his place makes it hard to breathe. Where would he find the strength?"

"Before you talk about fighting, look at the stack of evidence the defense brought out!"

"..."

In the gallery, the once-quiet rows of seats filled with whispered conversations. Disbelief covered every face.

No objections... The prosecution had conceded!

Faced with the defense's mountain of arguments, they had not even tried to bargain. They had simply admitted defeat!

"My God."

Shock crossed reporter Zhang Xia's face. She covered her mouth and looked at her equally stunned senior colleague, Liu Cui.

And that was an outsider's reaction.

Lin Yue, the Law True Lord watching from the gallery, and Wang Chao, a top student from a prestigious university, were even more shaken.

"Does that mean... he won!?"

Wang Chao clutched his head with both hands and stared wide-eyed at the courtroom floor.

A moment ago, the two sides had been locked in a fierce tug-of-war, and he had wondered whether they should cut their losses. Then, in the next instant... Xu De had unleashed an unstoppable combination.

The battle had turned at once, leaving every charge from the prosecution looking feeble!

Lin Yue was no calmer. Emotions surged inside her as she gazed at Xu De's back.

She thought of the "Partner Law Firm" they had discussed yesterday, and her breathing quickened.

Their three-person team seemed to have produced... a monster whose abilities defied belief!

On the courtroom floor.

Zhang Bingxin no longer had the energy to quiet the gallery.

He drew a deep breath and looked toward the plaintiffs.

"Plaintiffs... do you have any further objections in this case?"

Li Youcai and Liu Cui shook their heads at once. They could hardly wait for the verdict so they could go find their grandson.

As for Chen Wei...

Chen Wei was exhausted. He slumped in his chair, barely strong enough to breathe.

Hearing the judge's question, he gave a bitter look.

Objections?

What objections could he possibly have? He had none to begin with, and even if he did...

They would seem insignificant beside the stack of "materials" the other side had produced.

What could those materials do? Reduce a sentence!

By how much, to leave him this helpless?

Put it this way. Under ordinary circumstances...

Surrendering voluntarily (up to 40% reduction), excessive self-defense (60–80% reduction), a Letter of Understanding (40% reduction), a settlement agreement (up to 50% reduction), special circumstances (50% reduction to exemption from punishment), justified self-defense (acquittal)...

Just looking at those figures left Chen Wei close to despair.

Even a death sentence set for immediate execution would owe two lives back after all those reductions were stacked together!

So...

"We..."

"Have no objections. We'll abide by the court's decision."

Those words drained Chen Wei of his last shred of strength. He stared blankly at the ceiling.

Now.

The decision was back in the judges' hands.

Every anxious gaze settled on the three figures seated above them.

At the judges' bench.

"The prosecution and the plaintiffs have conceded..."

Judge Sun Dong spoke quietly, his expression grave.

Liu Jianguo frowned as he considered it.

If the plaintiffs had conceded, the defendant should win. But the defense had argued for an acquittal...

An acquittal. For a defendant who had unquestionably killed someone!

Among the countless courts serving a nation of more than a billion people, no more than five would dare issue such a ruling in an entire year!

Why?

Because the rule of law mattered. If the law appeared to encourage fighting back even when it caused death, others would follow that example. Society needed stability.

In other words, the law sought stability. It was morality that sought justice!

If they relied on the "evidence" to openly champion justified self-defense, countless killings and brawls would follow, throwing society into chaos!

That was why "justified self-defense" had nearly become a dormant provision, extraordinarily difficult to invoke.

"If there's no other way... what about excessive self-defense?"

Liu Jianguo felt as though he were being roasted on a hot plate. Brow furrowed, he spoke under his breath.

"We don't invoke the dormant provision. We find him guilty of excessive self-defense, but in light of the defense attorney's evidence, we decide not to impose a penalty."

"Wang Qiang would be guilty but exempt from punishment and released on the spot. It's practically the same as an acquittal!"

An exemption from punishment?

It was indeed the first choice for most judges in this situation. Both sides could accept it, and the law would retain its deterrent force.

But...

"Hah..."

Zhang Bingxin was silent for a moment. Then he raised his solemn face and met Liu Jianguo's and Sun Dong's eyes.

In this case...

That obscure lawyer had left the court no room even to find excessive self-defense and impose the lightest possible outcome: exemption from punishment!

Unless they abandoned all shame and forced a conviction.

The other two paused. They understood what he meant, though they seemed to want to say more.

In the end... Liu Jianguo fell silent and raised no further objections.

The three judges reached a consensus, their gazes growing resolute.

Zhang Bingxin drew a deep breath, his judicial robe rising over his chest. Sitting tall, he picked up the gavel before him and raised it high.

Bang!!!

The sharp crack rang through the silent First Courtroom, rebounded off the walls, and reached every ear.

Everyone looked up.

At the judges' bench, all three judges rose together.

"We will now deliver the verdict."

Zhang Bingxin studied the document in his hands, his solemn expression as immovable as a statue's. He began:

"After a hearing conducted in accordance with the law, the presentation and examination of evidence by both sides, courtroom debate, and final statements, this court has concluded its review."

"The court finds..."

"The victim, Li Erniu, initiated an unlawful attack that was immediate, urgent, and ongoing; the defendant, Wang Qiang, remained the party under attack throughout, with no intent to provoke, retaliate, or engage in a fight..."

"In acting to protect his own lawful rights and interests and those of others, the defendant, Wang Qiang, did not exceed the necessary limits in his counterattack, its means, or its force..."

"The prosecution's charge that the defendant committed 'excessive self-defense and intentional injury resulting in death' is based on unclear facts and insufficient evidence, and applies the law incorrectly. This court does not uphold it..."

"The judgment is as follows."

"Pursuant to Article 20, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Law of the Eastern Kingdom..."

"Pursuant to Article 162, Item 2 of the Criminal Procedure Law of the Eastern Kingdom..."

"The defendant, Wang Qiang..."

Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin paused.

In that instant.

Everyone tried to still their pounding hearts and stared wide-eyed at the judges' bench. They even held their breath, afraid the slightest sound might drown out the verdict.

Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin lifted his head. Two words rang out, loud and clear enough to pierce the room.

"Not guilty!!!"

All at once, everyone in the First Courtroom jolted!