Chapter Summaries

Lin Yue asked her father, Lin Guodong, whether taking a child from relatives would be illegal in Wang Mei’s custody case, and showed him Xu De’s legal analysis. Lin Guodong could find no law against the plan and called it immoral instead, leaving him shaken and questioning his wife about child theft.

• Lin Yue asked Lin Guodong whether a lawyer could legally take a child when the child’s mother held custody and had already won a court ruling.
• Lin Guodong realized she meant Wang Mei’s case and warned her that taking the child would be wrong, but he struggled to identify a law it would violate.
• Lin Yue showed him Xu De’s detailed documents arguing that Wang Mei and her lawyer could retrieve the child without breaking the law.
• Lin Guodong read the analysis repeatedly, then declared the plan immoral and a violation of professional ethics rather than illegal.
• Lin Yue left to change for dinner, while Lin Guodong remained stunned and later asked Su Xin whether stealing a child was illegal.

As the Li Family Village Case drew public attention, prosecutors, judges, and lawyers prepared for the first trial while Xu De’s defense submitted no evidence. The trial began on November 10, leaving the courtroom battle about to unfold.

• Lin Guodong told Su Xin to wait for the trial in two days, hinting that Greenwood City’s prosecutors and judges would be in for a surprise.
• Prosecutor Hu Guang learned that Chen Wei had gathered witness statements in Li Family Village, while defendant’s lawyer Xu De had submitted no evidence.
• Judge Liu Jianguo worried that the defense might be overwhelmed at the public trial, but Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin ordered preparations to proceed as usual.
• Chen Wei reviewed his documents, Hu Guang and Wang Wei checked the prosecution’s materials, and Xu De finished writing a document as public discussion of the case intensified.
• On November 10, the first trial of the Li Family Village Case began.

Reporters Zhang Xia and Zhang Wang arrived at the packed Greenwood City Intermediate People's Court just before the Li Family Village Case began. The judges, prosecution, plaintiffs, defendant Wang Qiang, and his rookie defense lawyer took their places, and Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin opened the hearing by identifying the murder case.

• Zhang Xia and Zhang Wang reached the courthouse as the prisoner transport van carrying Wang Qiang arrived.
• Zhang Xia joined reporter Liu in the crowded courtroom and learned that the case would be heard by the First Criminal Division, Team One, including chief judge Zhang Bingxin.
• Prosecutor Hu Guang and his team took their seats alongside the victim's parents, Li Youcai and Liu Cui, and their lawyer, Chen Wei.
• Wang Qiang entered between court bailiffs, followed by his young defense lawyer, Xu De, whose lack of criminal case experience surprised the gallery.
• Zhang Bingxin and the other judges took the bench, and Zhang Bingxin struck the gavel and announced that the case concerned Li Erniu's murder.

At Wang Qiang’s murder trial, the prosecution argued that he intentionally killed Li Erniu, while the victim’s counsel demanded 218,343 yuan in compensation. Xu De rejected their account and claimed Wang had acted to protect seven police officers, leaving the courtroom stunned.

• Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin opened the trial, and Prosecutor Hu Guang read the indictment charging Wang Qiang with intentional homicide.
• Chen Wei argued that Wang was solely responsible for Li Erniu’s death and sought 218,343 yuan in compensation for Li Youcai and Liu Cui.
• Li Youcai and Liu Cui confirmed Chen Wei’s account and described their loss, while the gallery reacted with disbelief at the compensation demand.
• Zhang Bingxin asked the defense whether it objected to the prosecution’s and plaintiffs’ claims.
• Xu De rejected their accounts as unsupported speculation and declared that Wang had acted to protect seven police officers at the scene.

Defense lawyer Xu De argued that Wang Qiang did not commit intentional homicide but acted courageously to protect seven police officers during a standoff in Li Family Village. The courtroom was left stunned as Xu framed the killing of Li Erniu as an act of courage under Greenwood City regulations.

• Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin interrupted Xu De to clarify whether the defense claimed Wang Qiang had protected the police, and Xu confirmed it.
• Xu De asked who had been present at the scene, and prosecutor Hu Guang listed six groups, including the police, trafficking victims, villagers, and the people involved in the confrontation.
• Hu Guang argued that Wang Qiang had committed intentional homicide with indirect intent because he knew his actions could cause death and did not stop.
• Xu De challenged the prosecution’s account, claiming Li Erniu struck first and that more than forty armed people had surrounded the police and trafficking victims.
• Xu De declared that Wang Qiang had stepped forward against the lawbreakers to protect the police and qualified as someone who acted courageously under city regulations, leaving the courtroom stunned.

Defense attorney Xu De argued that Wang Qiang’s killing of Li Erniu was connected to the ongoing trafficking case and the ten years Li had imprisoned Wang Mei, reframing the trial as a question of legitimate self-defense rather than intentional homicide. The courtroom was left stunned as Xu De demanded to know whether Wang Qiang’s actions were self-defense or murder.

• Xu De rejected the charges and compensation demand, claiming Wang Qiang had acted bravely to protect people from danger arising from the trafficking case.
• Hu Guang challenged the claim, arguing that Li Erniu posed no immediate threat and that Wang Qiang had initiated the confrontation.
• Xu De linked the villagers’ threats to the trafficking case and argued that Li Erniu’s conduct had created the danger at the scene.
• Chen Wei argued that Wang Qiang’s duty to protect his daughter meant his actions could not qualify as an act of bravery, and Hu Guang realized Xu De had led them into a trap.
• Xu De argued that Li Erniu’s imprisonment and abuse of Wang Mei had not ended when the killing occurred, then asked whether Wang Qiang’s actions amounted to legitimate self-defense or intentional homicide.

Xu De argued that Wang Qiang’s killing of Li Erniu was part of the ongoing trafficking case and that Wang Qiang had acted in self-defense to protect Wang Mei. He entered a not-guilty plea, leaving the court to consider whether the two incidents should be tried as one case.

• Xu De argued that Wang Qiang’s actions should be judged from the start of Wang Mei’s unlawful imprisonment, prompting murmurs in the courtroom.
• Chen Wei realized Xu De had used his earlier concession about the standoff to argue that the trafficking case was still ongoing, and he angrily accused the defense of fabrication.
• Xu De reminded Chen Wei that he had conceded coercion, then maintained before Zhang Bingxin that the trafficking case had not ended.
• Wang Wei argued that the arrest operation had ended once Wang Mei boarded a vehicle protected by seven officers, making the later conflict a separate incident.
• Xu De cited the officers’ statements that Li Erniu had tried to lead Wang Mei off the vehicle, arguing that she remained in danger and that the trafficking case was ongoing.
• Xu De invoked the rules for trying related cases together and argued that Wang Qiang’s actions qualified as self-defense before entering a not-guilty plea.

Xu De argued that Wang Qiang was not guilty, citing legitimate self-defense, a heroic act, voluntary surrender, and a lack of conclusive evidence that Wang Qiang had deliberately killed Li Erniu. The hearing ended with Xu De asking the presiding judge to acquit Wang Qiang.

• Xu De argued that Li Erniu’s continued hold over Wang Mei meant the danger had not ended, supporting Wang Qiang’s claim of legitimate self-defense.
• Wang Wei struggled to answer Xu De, while Chen Wei stayed silent as Liu Cui and Li Youcai demanded that he respond.
• Xu De presented Chen Wei’s submitted mental health evaluation showing Wang Mei was mentally sound, then argued Wang Qiang had no legal duty to protect her and qualified as a heroic actor.
• Xu De stated that Wang Qiang had turned himself in after Li Erniu’s death and challenged the prosecution to prove that Wang Qiang had deliberately driven the knife into Li Erniu.
• Xu De argued that the evidence was insufficient and asked the presiding judge to find Wang Qiang not guilty.

Xu De’s unconventional defense undermined the prosecution’s witness testimony and left key facts unresolved. The judges adjourned Wang Qiang’s trial, with a resumed hearing and verdict date to be announced later.

• Xu De argued that the chaotic scene and the struggle over the knife left open the possibility that someone else had caused Li Erniu’s death, making the eyewitness accounts unreliable.
• The gallery recognized that the prosecution’s case had been weakened, while Chen Wei and the prosecutors struggled to respond to Xu De’s arguments.
• The judges agreed that Xu De’s claims required investigation and could not be ignored without risking an appeal and retrial.
• Xu De said the defense had nothing further to add, and Hu Guang and Chen Wei reserved their positions.
• Zhang Bingxin adjourned the Wang Qiang Case because key facts remained disputed, and he said the resumed hearing and verdict dates would be announced separately.

After Xu De forced the Wang Qiang hearing to adjourn, reporters swarmed him, but he refused to comment and left to prepare another surprise for the prosecution. He and Lin Yue headed for Li Family Village, while Chen Wei returned to his firm and erupted at Sun Hao over the disastrous hearing.

• The court adjourned the Wang Qiang case, and reporters rushed to interview Xu De as Wang Qiang left under escort.
• Xu De ignored the reporters, resolved to prepare another surprise for the prosecution, and left the courthouse with Lin Yue after learning she had found the people he sought.
• Liu Cui and Zhang Xia decided to write about Xu De's courtroom performance and rush their story into the next morning's edition.
• Chen Wei returned to Yang Teng Law Firm battered and furious, then learned his old classmate Sun Hao was waiting for him.
• Sun Hao asked Chen Wei whether he had won the case, and Chen Wei roared at him and swung a fist.

Xu De and Lin Yue traveled with Wang Chao to Li Family Village to steal a child back, while Chen Wei blamed Sun Hao for the courtroom disaster and beat him at the law firm. The group reached the dark village, where their dangerous rescue attempt was about to begin.

• Chen Wei attacked Sun Hao at the Yang Teng Law Firm, accusing him of setting him up and ruining his reputation in Xu De's case.
• Sun Hao fled without understanding why Chen Wei had beaten him and wondered where Xu De had gone.
• Xu De drove Lin Yue, another Lin Yue, and Wang Chao along a dark rural road as they headed to retrieve a child from Li Family Village.
• Wang Chao explained that his university had been upgraded to Project 985 after he enrolled and again before he graduated.
• Lin Yue worried about the danger of entering Li Family Village but resolved to help Wang Mei and Xu Hong.
• Xu De stopped the van outside the unlit Li Family Village and announced that they had arrived.

Xu De, Lin Yue, and Wang Chao secretly rescued Li Yang from Li Family Village, then bribed Li Sheng and Li Li to let them pass. Xu De learned that Li Sheng and Li Li might have an IOU proving Li Youcai and Liu Cui had bought Wang Mei, leaving him with a possible decisive piece of evidence.

• Xu De led Lin Yue and Wang Chao into Li Family Village to retrieve Li Yang while Wang Mei waited in the car.
• Wang Chao picked the lock, and Xu De found Li Yang inside and carried him out of the house.
• At the village entrance, Li Sheng and Li Li confronted the group, but Xu De paid them to look the other way.
• Xu De suggested Li Youcai and Liu Cui's property could be vulnerable if they were imprisoned, prompting Li Li to reveal that her family had an IOU from them.
• Li Li said the IOU stated the money had been borrowed to buy a daughter-in-law and bore Li Youcai's and Liu Cui's fingerprints, so Xu De stopped and questioned her about it.

Xu De uncovered an IOU linking Li Youcai and Liu Cui to Wang Mei’s purchase and planned to use it with witness testimony to build a case against them. He kept the IOU secret until Wang Qiang was spared prison, then left Li Family Village with a new strategy for the trial.

• Li Li told Xu De that Li Youcai and Liu Cui had borrowed money to buy Wang Mei and that she had an IOU bearing their thumbprints.
• Xu De realized the IOU could corroborate Wang Mei’s account and help establish a chain of evidence against Li Youcai and Liu Cui.
• Li Li named Old Zhang’s family and Li Erniu’s second uncle’s family as additional witnesses, and Xu De told her to keep the IOU secret while he recorded statements from her and Li Sheng.
• Li Li and Li Sheng fetched the IOU, which Xu De checked before giving them money and his contact information.
• Xu De rejoined Wang Chao and Lin Yue, then planned to submit Li Li’s recanted testimony when court opened and keep the prosecutor working on the case.

Xu De’s courtroom performance in the Li Family Village case made him famous across Greenwood City after the morning papers reported that the prosecution’s evidence had been rejected. As Xu De headed back to court with Lin Yue and the others, Cashier Li and her coworkers at Jinmao Law Firm began reacting to the news.

• Xu De paid Wang Chao one thousand yuan, and Lin Yue gave Xu De seventeen hundred yuan to cover part of the money he had spent on the case.
• Lin Yue took back one thousand yuan Wang Chao owed her, but Wang Chao returned Xu De’s pay while keeping the empty envelope.
• Newspaper readers learned that the court had adjourned without a verdict and ordered the prosecution’s evidence reinvestigated after Xu De challenged the case for three hours.
• People across Greenwood City praised Xu De as the morning papers spread news of his courtroom performance.
• Xu De left for court with Lin Yue and the others, while Cashier Li discovered the newspaper report at Jinmao Law Firm and called her coworkers to read it.

The morning paper reported that Xu De had gotten the prosecution’s indictment rejected in the Wang Qiang Case, astonishing the lawyers at Jinmao Law Firm. Sun Hao realized Xu De’s success could expose his mistreatment of him, while Director Han mistakenly praised Sun Hao for backing Xu De.

• Cashier Li showed the firm’s lawyers the paper, and they marveled that twenty-five-year-old Xu De had outargued the prosecution in his first criminal case.
• The lawyers learned Xu De had no criminal-case experience and concluded that his courtroom performance marked him as an exceptional talent.
• Sun Hao arrived with a swollen face, read the headline about Xu De, and feared that Xu De could tell Director Han how he had obstructed him.
• Director Han praised the case and credited Sun Hao with recommending Xu De, promising to reward him.
• Sun Hao stood trembling and sweating as the other lawyers watched, aware that the truth could ruin him.

Judge Zhang Bingxin and Judge Liu Jianguo received defense witness statements reversing testimony from Li Youcai’s relatives, while Procurator Wang Wei learned that his overnight review had been undermined. After Li Youcai and Liu Cui threatened to use their grandson Xiaoyang to pressure Wang Mei, Xu De’s call suggested the child was with her, leaving the couple panicked and checking whether he was still in the village.

• Zhang Bingxin and Liu Jianguo learned that Sun Dong was interviewing Li Youcai and Liu Cui, then went to the litigation service center to meet Xu De.
• Xu De submitted statements from Li Sheng and other Li Family Village residents that denounced Li Youcai and Liu Cui, and Liu Jianguo realized Li Sheng and his wife had changed their testimony.
• Wang Wei submitted witness statements he had reviewed overnight, then learned that Li Sheng and Li Li had already reversed their accounts.
• Li Youcai and Liu Cui threatened to use their grandson to force Wang Mei to comply, but Xu De called Wang Mei and asked whether Xiaoyang was with her.
• Li Youcai and Liu Cui recognized Xiaoyang’s voice on the call, then phoned Old Zhang at the village shop and asked him to check whether Dahu was still at Li Sheng’s house.

After learning that Dahu had gone to Wang Mei, Li Youcai accused defense lawyer Xu De of stealing his grandson and demanded that prosecutor Wang Wei intervene. Wang Wei realized Wang Mei had custody after Li Erniu’s death and concluded that taking her son might be legal, leaving Li Youcai without help.

• Li Youcai and Liu Cui learned from Old Zhang that Dahu had left Li Sheng’s home to find his mother.
• Li Youcai became enraged, collapsed in the courthouse lobby, and was revived by Wang Wei.
• Li Youcai told Wang Wei that Xu De had stolen his grandson and demanded that he arrest him.
• Wang Wei considered that Wang Mei had sole custody after Li Erniu’s death and told Li Youcai he had no authority to intervene because their actions might be legal.

After the police and Procuratorate confirmed Xu De had lawfully taken Li Yang, Li Youcai and Liu Cui confronted him at his law firm. Xu De hinted that Li Youcai could get his grandson back if he signed a Letter of Understanding for the Wang Qiang case, leaving Li Youcai to decide what Xu De meant.

• Wang Wei told Li Youcai and Liu Cui that Xu De had broken no law by taking Li Yang without a physical confrontation, and reminded them to attend the hearing in three days.
• Li Youcai and Liu Cui reported Li Yang's disappearance to the police, but Detective Li Xiang told them the Legal Affairs Division found no crime and the police would not open a case.
• Li Youcai and Liu Cui took their complaint to the Procuratorate, where Wang Wei explained the situation to Prosecutor Hu Guang, but they received no help.
• The day before the retrial, Li Youcai and Liu Cui visited Xu De at his law firm and demanded to know where Li Yang was.
• Xu De told Li Youcai that he wanted a Letter of Understanding and a Criminal Settlement Agreement for the Wang Qiang case, then suggested Li Youcai could sign one if he wanted his grandson back.

Xu De pressured Li Youcai and Liu Cui into signing a Letter of Understanding and a Settlement Agreement by making them believe they could still see Li Yang. He left them with a signed agreement but no promise of custody.

• Xu De reminded Li Youcai that Wang Mei was Li Yang’s mother and sole legal guardian, making clear he would use the boy as leverage.
• Liu Cui urged Li Youcai to prioritize their grandson, and he agreed to sign the Letter of Understanding.
• Xu De presented a prepared document and warned that signing under coercion would be illegal, while clarifying that Li Youcai could spend time with the child.
• Li Youcai and Liu Cui pressed their fingerprints onto the Letter of Understanding and Settlement Agreement.

Xu De finalized agreements with Li Youcai and Liu Cui, then recruited Wang Chao and Lin Yue to help establish a law firm by revealing evidence and a strategy for Wang Qiang’s case. On November 15, Wang Qiang’s trial began at the Greenwood City Intermediate People’s Court.

• Xu De explained why Li Youcai could not revoke the Letter of Understanding or Criminal Settlement Agreement and planned to honor the promise of visitation rights.
• Xu De offered Wang Chao a twenty percent stake in a new law firm, and Wang Chao agreed to join.
• Lin Yue agreed to invest 150,000 yuan for a twenty-nine percent stake after Xu De showed her the settlement, IOUs implicating Li Youcai and Liu Cui, and his plan to recover compensation for Wang Mei through inheritance.
• Xu De prepared to face the prosecutor, Chen Wei, Li Youcai, and Liu Cui at the hearing, with his agreements, evidence, witnesses, and Wang Qiang’s voluntary surrender ready.
• On November 15, an escort vehicle carrying Wang Qiang arrived at the Greenwood City Intermediate People’s Court, and the case went to trial.