"If this is true, then this travel group is sowhat dubious. But if it’s false... then these defendants are utterly shaless."
"They can’t produce any substantial evidence. We can’t just take their word for it, right?"
"The other elderly mbers of the travel group are really thoughtless, donating and then wanting their money back? God will not forgive them."
"..."
They had witnessed the entire proceeding.
They saw the evidence presented by Qin Mu and the fierce clash between the parties.
George argued that the opposing evidence was invalid.
Qin Mu used this to illustrate the attitude of the other elderly mbers in their travel group.
This made them waver slightly, but not by much.
All of them were adults; they wouldn’t be easily swayed by re words.
At the plaintiff’s table, Xu Liming witnessed this scene and couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction. The weight on his mind finally lifted. Monts ago, Qin Mu’s counterattack had taken him by surprise, but George was no pushover and had blocked that move. The judge had also dismissed the validity of Qin Mu’s initial evidence. Things should be stable now, he thought, glancing at George beside him.
"Mr. Qin, this..."
anwhile, at the defense counsel’s table, Chen Tiankuo looked nervously at Qin Mu. The recent clash might have seed intense, but in reality, they were at a disadvantage. It was obvious that neither the judge nor the jury was on their side. If things continued like this, losing was only a matter of ti. He truly couldn’t see how this was a situation of great advantage anymore.
"No problem," Qin Mu remained composed, reassuring him with a confident smile.
Then, Qin Mu pulled another piece of evidence from his briefcase and handed it to the clerk.
In front of everyone in the court, he said loudly, "Here is the criminal record certification we’ve obtained from the local law enforcent."
"Recently, an employee of Red Sunset Travel Group took advantage of his position to embezzle the collected donations. He has confessed, and relevant authorities are investigating the whereabouts of these funds!"
The mont he finished speaking, expressions shifted throughout the courtroom.
Starting with Xu Liming at the plaintiff’s table.
He furrowed his brows.
He stared intently at Qin Mu, his face filled with confusion.
He couldn’t understand how Qin Mu had suddenly brought up this issue, and even secretly obtained a criminal record certificate from local law enforcent.
His instincts told him Qin Mu’s move was definitely not aimless; trouble might be brewing.
"These are two separate cases. His evidence... is irrelevant and poses no threat," George’s lip twitched as he casually reassured Xu Liming.
In comparison, his reaction was far more composed; he showed no sign of concern whatsoever.
Even... he didn’t even need to argue; the judge would surely dismiss this irrelevant piece of evidence from Qin Mu.
BANG—
Sure enough, in the courtroom, Old Judge Anthony, upon seeing this, banged the gavel.
Frowning, he said, "Please, defense attorney, present evidence according to procedure. This evidence is irrelevant to the current case and does not support your point. Please present new evidence."
As a judge, he too was sowhat discomforted by Qin Mu’s rash behavior.
This piece of evidence obviously pertained to a different, unrelated case.
The current case discussed whether there was a voluntary agreent to donate between the parties. Zhao Wan’s embezzlent of those donations had no necessary connection to it.
At the defense table, Chen Tiankuo flushed with embarrassnt upon hearing the judge’s reprimand.
Looking at Qin Mu, he cautiously asked, "Did you... bring the wrong evidence?"
To be honest, he couldn’t believe Qin Mu would commit such an obvious blunder. In his view, only inexperienced attorneys who hadn’t handled many lawsuits would fail to understand the connections between cases. These were clearly two different cases. Even if they were connected, there was no necessary or causal link. The evidence had no supportive value. Although... Qin Mu really did seem like a rookie lawyer.
But Qin Mu simply turned to him, smiled slightly, then stood upright and addressed the judge, "I apologize, the evidence I just presented is indeed unrelated to this case, but..."
As he spoke, his tone shifted.
He then looked towards the jurors and said seriously, "Although I am not religious, I know that God’s glory cannot be desecrated."
"These donations were intended for the church, to be used for God and to serve the faithful, so that their souls might ascend to heaven after death."
"But they..."
"They dared to tamper with this money, misappropriating and stealing it, which is utterly unforgivable!"
"I just wanted to let everyone know how sordid this travel group is internally, not as pristine as it appears on the surface!"
After speaking, he quietly returned to his seat. He said nothing more, leaving the twelve jurors with ample room for their imaginations.
He had played his part and now retreated, his true purpose veiled.
At that mont, he felt just like one of those legendary charlatans, except he was manipulating the jurors’ ’faith’.
Indeed.
When selecting the jury, he had deliberately screened each potential juror’s background, ensuring they t several criteria: for instance, being impoverished or living under modest circumstances, being devout, and having donated multiple tis.
Wealthy people wouldn’t be greatly moved by this kind of thing.
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