Recaps

Xu De took on Wang Qiang’s criminal defense and devised a legal strategy to help Wang Mei regain her child without surrendering her father’s case. The arc ended with Xu De arguing in court that Wang Qiang had acted courageously to protect the police.

• Xu De regained memories of his future life, helped Zhang Hu respond to his wife’s infidelity and an extortion attempt, and gained a cooking skill through the case system.
• Sun Hao assigned Xu De the legal-aid case of Wang Qiang, whose daughter Wang Mei had been abducted and sold as a child.
• Police freed Wang Mei from captivity in Li Family Village, where her father Wang Qiang killed Li Erniu during a confrontation with armed villagers.
• Xu De took Wang Qiang’s defense as Li Youcai and Liu Cui fought Wang Mei for custody of her son and sought a severe sentence for Wang Qiang.
• Xu De planned to help Wang Mei retrieve her child without breaking the law, while Lin Yue and Lin Guodong examined the legality and ethics of his strategy.
• As Wang Qiang’s trial approached, Xu De refused to trade the child’s custody for a Letter of Understanding and prepared an unconventional defense.
• At trial, Xu De challenged the prosecution’s account and argued that Wang Qiang had stepped forward to protect seven police officers from the armed crowd.

Xu De challenged the case against Wang Qiang, uncovered evidence of the villagers’ false testimony, and secured a settlement from Li Youcai and Liu Cui. The court found Wang Qiang not guilty, and he left the courthouse free and reunited with his daughter.

• Xu De argued that Li Erniu’s abuse and control of Wang Mei had continued when Wang Qiang intervened, making the killing an act of legitimate self-defense, and the court adjourned to investigate disputed facts.
• Xu De and his companions retrieved Li Yang from Li Family Village, where Li Li revealed an IOU showing that Li Youcai and Liu Cui had borrowed money to buy Wang Mei.
• Xu De submitted new witness statements and secured Li Youcai and Liu Cui’s signatures on a Letter of Understanding and Criminal Settlement Agreement in exchange for access to Li Yang.
• At the second hearing, Xu De argued that Wang Qiang had acted in legitimate self-defense when Li Erniu attacked him with a sickle, and that Wang Qiang had voluntarily surrendered while the scene remained chaotic.
• Li Li testified that someone had struck Wang Qiang as he tried to leave, then exposed that Li Youcai and Liu Cui had urged villagers to lie to police.
• Xu De presented the settlement and Letter of Understanding, while the prosecution and plaintiffs raised no further objections to the case.
• Zhang Bingxin ruled that the evidence was insufficient and the law had been incorrectly applied, then declared Wang Qiang not guilty.
• Xu De had Wang Qiang’s handcuffs removed and guided him through the release paperwork, and Wang Qiang left the courthouse free and reunited with his daughter.