"Hmph. What's so significant about it?" The old minister snorted coldly and said, "Do you know about Chen Tianxiu?"
"Yes, the grandson of Vice Chairman Chen!" Zhang Tianhua heard this and said, "Wasn't he murdered? That case caused a huge uproar in Beijing back then. However, who exactly killed him seems to be classified by the higher-ups."
"That's classified for you," the old minister said, his temper flaring as he glared, "I'll tell you, the person who killed Chen Tianxiu was Lin Chuan. That kid, in a fit of rage, chopped Chen Tianxiu up. It was Chen Zhenlin, that old bastard, who protected Lin Chuan back then. Almost caused another casualty that year."
"My goodness." Zhang Tianhua was shocked speechless.
The old minister sneered and said, "Now you know how formidable that old fox Chen Zhenlin is."
"So, that ans our Ministry of Justice can't intervene in this matter," Zhang Tianhua hurriedly said.
"Correct, so you should head back to Beijing," the old minister replied.
"But… what about Song Ming!" Zhang Tianhua said with an awkward expression.
"It's fine, just tell him that our Ministry of Justice can't handle this," the old minister stated, "If he insists on causing trouble for Lin Chuan, then let him sue Lin Chuan in the military court. However, I'm afraid he won't win against Lin Chuan, not with Chen Zhenlin around. I'd advise him to drop it."
"Yes, of course!" Zhang Tianhua nodded imdiately upon hearing this.
The old minister chuckled and then continued, "Alright now, Chen Zhenlin is fiercely protective of his own. Don't get into any direct confrontations with him."
"Yes!" Zhang Tianhua nodded at once, saying, "I will return to Beijing tomorrow."
"Good," the old minister nodded.
After finishing speaking, Zhang Tianhua imdiately hung up the phone.
After hanging up the phone, Song Ming, who was beside him, looked at Zhang Tianhua curiously. This sudden attention made Zhang Tianhua feel sowhat embarrassed, unsure how to proceed with the conversation.
"Director Zhang, is there sothing inconvenient to disclose?" Song Ming inquired eagerly.
Watching Song Ming's eager and desperate gaze, and witnessing his rapid aging over the past few days that made him seem over a decade older with unexpected flecks of white in his hair, Zhang Tianhua felt at a loss for words, his heart filled more with guilt.
"Old Song," Zhang Tianhua sighed, and said, "The old minister asked to tell you sothing — if you can't stand up to them, then avoid them. Of course, if you insist on confrontation, then take it to the military court. But with Chen Zhenlin around, the chances of success are not great!"
Thud…
Song Ming sat down abruptly, as if all his strength had been drained from him.
These past days, Song Ming hadn't slept; he spent all his ti lobbying anyone he could, attempting to open every door possible, to avenge his son — it was all worth it. To this day, Song Hao's body was still in the morgue. He didn't rush to cremate him, planning instead to wait for Lin Chuan's death, using Lin Chuan's blood to honor his son. But who could have anticipated, just as success seed within reach, that everything would suddenly flip a full one hundred and eighty degrees.
"How could this happen? How could this be…" Song Ming said, breaking down.
"Song Ming, don't be too hard on yourself," Zhang Tianhua patted his shoulder, saying, "In another sense, you haven't lost. Think about it; if Chen Zhenlin wasn't involved, maybe Lin Chuan would actually be dead. Strictly speaking, he shouldn't have faced death in legal terms. Because your son killed his mother, that's why he killed Song Hao. And the only reason he was sentenced to death was due to the influence you wielded behind the scenes. Now, Lin Chuan lives because of the connections backing him."
Song Ming was taken aback and said, "So what you're saying is, I've lost due to the influence behind the scenes."
"Right!" Zhang Tianhua nodded and said, "Plainly speaking, your connections just couldn't compete with Lin Chuan's, understand?"
"I understand," said Song Ming, nodding.
"So, what are you planning to do?" Zhang Tianhua asked.
"My son cannot have died in vain," Song Ming stated, clenching his teeth. "I must avenge my son, even if it costs my life."
"Really, why bother?" Zhang Tianhua said helplessly.
Song Ming looked earnestly at Zhang Tianhua and declared, "Maybe to outsiders, as the Deputy Secretary, I have a high status and no worries about sustenance. But in truth, I'm just an ordinary person, a father, a father who was looking forward to holding his grandchildren. Now, my son has been killed, how can I, as a father, just let it go?"
"I sympathize with you," Zhang Tianhua sighed, "otherwise, I wouldn't have disregarded Lawyer Zhong's face. It's because I'm a father that I've taken your side. But, at this point, it's no longer up to us; this is just the way it has to be."
Song Ming was taken aback, and smiled slightly, "My ntors and Director Zhang have already helped a great deal. From here on out, I must walk the path alone."
"Deputy Secretary Song, I still advise you to bear with it," Zhang Tianhua sighed, "So things, if endured for a mont, lead to calm seas, and a step back opens up the whole sky."
"No!" Song Ming shook his head, "Anything can be compromised, but not this matter—it's absolutely intolerable and non-negotiable."
"If that's the case, then all I can say is take good care of yourself," Zhang Tianhua smiled and then turned to leave, heading back to his suite at the Golden Shield Hotel.
Alone in the office at the courthouse, Song Ming sat depleted of strength, feeling as if he had lost his backbone, utterly unsure of what to do next.
At the entrance of the courtroom.
"Damn, what's going on?" Zhou Kai and the others were utterly bewildered.
"No clue!" Lu Dapao and his crew shook their heads, saying, "Kai, those bigwigs are about to take Brother Chuan away, what do we do... what should we do now?"
"Should we make a move?" Huang Bo mingled within the crowd, a low-frequency communicator pinned to his collar.
"Hold off for now!" Zhou Kai imdiately waved his hand, saying, "This is not the ti to act; we are still unclear about the other side's situation."
At this mont, Li Qiang and Liu Cheng imdiately sent out signals from inside.
"Don't act, absolutely don't act." Li Qiang hastily said, "They're here to rescue Brother Chuan."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Kai quickly said, "Huang Bo, hold back, abort the mission."
After receiving the ssage, Huang Bo imdiately nodded, "Received, received, the operation has been aborted."
The brothers from Jvyi Gang who were in hiding quickly gathered together as the military Humvee rapidly left the scene, leaving behind a crowd of confused people and a bunch of dazed dia reporters with no clue whatsoever.
At this ti, two groups of people ca running out quickly. These people were carrying caras and holding microphones, their faces slightly excited.
"Quick, let's get back." The caraman urged, "Today is definitely big news, really big news!"
"Quick, let's get out of here," said another group as they rapidly got into the news dia's interview vehicles.
It didn't take long for a group of people to hastily leave the scene.
At this mont, the dia reporters camped outside sward over.
"Could you tell us what exactly happened inside just now?" A female reporter urgently asked, "Can you give us a detailed account, please?"
The interviewee was a judicial college student, who recounted the scenario at the scene in detail.
The female reporter's jaw nearly dropped, she said in utter astonishnt, "This... this can't be real, right?"
"No mistake," the student hurriedly nodded, saying, "I haven't exaggerated at all. If you don't believe , you can ask others."
At this ti, many students also began to crowd around.
"This is the most thrilling trial I've ever seen in my life."
"Exactly, exactly, it was so thrilling. Not to ntion Lawyer Zhong's brilliant defense, but the court hijacking at the end, tsk tsk... I'll probably never see this a second ti in my life."
A bunch of students, chattering away, actually left a group of reporters totally flabbergasted. At this mont, they finally discovered what they had missed out on in their lives, what they had lacked. So of them regretted not finding a way to get into the live trial. That way, they could have gathered the most valuable information firsthand. It was at this mont they understood why the two dia outlets that were authorized to enter the court had rushed out imdiately.
Before long, Lawyer Zhong, Tang Yung, and others ca out from inside.
Whoosh...
Just as these students were incessantly recounting the events, the crowd of dia reporters scurried off in a hurry.
"Hey, I haven't finished yet!"
"Yeah, yeah, we haven't finished yet."
A group of students watched as the reporters left.
At this mont, Lawyer Zhong and Tang Yung quickly dove into an Audi car, while Luo Guoqing imdiately drove off. The dia reporters tried to block their way, but with no other choice, Luo Guoqing engaged the reverse gear, backed the car up, then suddenly pulled a 180-degree turn and looped away. The dia reporters couldn't catch up at all.
"Secretary Tang, how did it go?" Luo Guoqing anxiously asked, "What's the result, has Lin Chuan been convicted?"
"Lin Chuan is fine now," Tang Yung revealed a smile.
"What?!" Luo Guoqing was startled and said, "But you said earlier that..."
"Earlier was earlier, now is now," Tang Yung smiled.
"So..." Luo Guoqing awkwardly asked, "Where is Lin Chuan now?"
"Him..." Tang Yung smiled, "He was taken away, probably off for a 'chat'."
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