On July 5, the much-anticipated case of Kato Shoichi's serial child abuse and murder officially entered the pre-trial preparation stage. In the morning, both parties selected jurors.
According to the application submitted by Shan Jingfan, in order to ensure that the case can be heard in the most fair way, the range of jurors will be diversified to the maximum extent possible. The ten jurors will be composed of three Japanese, three Westerners and four Central Asians.
It was extremely rare that during the jury selection stage, the prosecution and the defense engaged in a fierce competition. Cheng Lingyu and Shan Jingfan both rejected the juror candidates agreed by the other side several times. In addition, both sides asked the jurors many questions. In the end, only three jurors were determined after a whole day, one each from Central Asia, the West, and Japan.
The court had to announce that a new jury selection would be conducted in three days, because most of the juror candidates originally selected by the court had been rejected by both parties, and it was necessary to prepare new juror candidates.
This lawsuit is destined to be recorded in the history of Donghai’s legal community.
As the deputy prosecutor, Lu Ming spent most of his time quietly observing.
Our strategy for selecting defense lawyers had already been discussed and determined. Especially for Orientals and Westerners, we would try to select females, and those who would show basic sympathy when answering questions. For Central Asians, we would try to select males, the kind who would have a strong personality as reflected in the questions asked.
Lu Ming had some different opinions at the time, but as a result of everyone's unanimous discussion, he did not insist.
There was quarreling in the court almost the entire day. When the court adjourned at around five in the afternoon, Lu Ming immediately stood up and walked through the side door. If he had walked through the main door, the media swarming outside would have been even more troublesome. Moreover, the spotlight under the spotlight was destined to belong to Cheng Lingyu and Shan Jingfan.
…
"Lu Bian!"
In the corridor, Lu Ming heard someone calling him from behind. He turned around and saw that it was Cheng Ye.
A lawyer at Liu Hanming Law Firm, he was also Lu Ming's first case and the "good young man" lawyer who helped Bisi clear her grievances.
Cheng Ye looked at Lu Ming with mixed feelings.
A few months later, the status of the two men had completely changed. Lawyer Lu Qianxing had gone from being a rookie lawyer to a talented debater known to everyone in the Beiguan legal community. He was promoted to the second level in his first year as a registered lawyer, and was even more popular than his boss Liu Hanming at the time.
Moreover, not only did he defeat his boss Liu Hanming technically, but he also became a treasure in the eyes of his boss Liu Hanming. It is rumored that the boss is preparing to spend a lot of effort to invite this young lawyer to join him, and is likely to offer him generous conditions as a senior partner.
Not surprising. Not only did he set a record by being promoted to the second-level lawyer in the shortest time, but he was also able to participate in a major case like the Kato Shoichi case, which attracted much attention. His future prospects can be said to be bright.
As for myself, several months have passed and I am still the junior lawyer in that firm. Or rather, there hasn't been much change in these years. It's as if I can already see the end of my life.
Thinking of this, Cheng Ye sighed softly in his heart, but then adjusted his mentality and smiled: "Lu Bian, I won't go to the wedding banquet for your promotion to the second level!" He took out a red envelope from his briefcase, "Congratulations to Lu Bian for his great achievements in the future!"
Lu Ming was slightly stunned. He had been very busy with various things recently and had not planned to hold a wedding banquet. However, Wang Daan had mentioned it several times. After all, this was a very grand wedding event and he had to hold a banquet to entertain guests and make it a full sense of ceremony.
After thinking for a while, Lu Ming took the red envelope and said with a smile, "Thank you, Lawyer Cheng." Just like in his previous life, when people give you a red envelope in person, if you refuse it, it would be too insulting.
But Cheng Ye had obviously prepared a red envelope, as if he knew that he would appear in court today and came to wait for him.
Seeing Cheng Ye hesitated to speak, Lu Ming smiled and said, "Lawyer Cheng, what's the matter?"
Cheng Ye seemed to be worried about not being able to start a conversation. Seeing Lu Ming taking the initiative to ask, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief, but shook his head and said, "Originally, I didn't want to trouble you, Lu Bian. I have a very good friend who is a reporter. I have always wanted to do an exclusive interview with you..."
Lu Ming immediately waved his hands and said with a smile, "Forget it! Brother Cheng, I'm telling you the truth. This case involving the Japanese is too sensitive. Many media outlets want some inside information. If I release the information without authorization, Inspector Cheng will be furious with me!"
"Lu Bian, don't worry, she is definitely not trying to get exclusive information about your case. As a lawyer from Central China, you broke the record of the youngest person to be promoted to the second rank. In the past, such records were held by Westerners. So, she admires you very much, so she wanted to do an exclusive interview with you. Moreover, all the interview questions will be reviewed by you in advance. Also, she is a reporter for the Daily Empire News, not some third-rate tabloid!"
Lu Ming was stunned for a moment, then shook his head: "Let's wait until this storm has passed!" He thought, goodness! That's even worse. This is one of the largest newspapers in the empire. Although it is not a best-seller in the four northern provinces, the upper class will still learn about the dynamics of the core area of the empire through the Chinese version of the newspaper. If I put my photo on it, wouldn't that be like putting myself on the wanted list
Cheng also sighed, "Okay, since you are so determined, let's talk about it later."
Lu Ming thought for a moment, then took out a business card from his briefcase and handed it over, "Lawyer Cheng, this is my latest contact information, as well as my personal contact information. Please ask her to contact my people when she has time. We'll decide whether to do an interview or not after we communicate!" On the business card was the number of the Wang-Lu Law Firm in Jiniao Building, as well as a personal number, which was the phone number of Room 408 of the Wenderbao Club.
Cheng Ye was immediately delighted and hurriedly took the business card: "Okay, okay, thank you!" In this way, the matter was considered done for him. As for whether the final interview would be done, it depended on the results of the communication between his friend and Lawyer Lu's team.
When Lu Ming walked out, he opened the red envelope and took a look. He was slightly startled. It was a hundred-yuan red bill.
In fact, nowadays, gifts for ordinary colleagues' weddings or funerals are no more than one or two yuan, and five yuan is for close friends. Naturally, gifts between lawyers are more generous, but 10 or 20 yuan is about the same. As for 100 yuan, for an ordinary lawyer like Cheng Ye, it is either that the relationship is very close, or the person to whom the gift is given is very important. Giving too little is actually a curse on the other person.
This process is quite interesting.
Thinking about it, Lu Ming walked out of the east gate of the court, and soon, Sun Luting appeared in front of him.
The black car that was originally parked under the shade of the tree also slowly drove over and stopped under the steps.
"Master, my woman is here..." Sun Luting seemed a little hesitant. Looking at his ears, they seemed a little redder than usual, as if they had been twisted by someone else. But at his age, this shouldn't be the case, right
Lu Ming was stunned.
Sun Luting's face suddenly turned red when he found that Lu Ming seemed to have noticed his ears. He became a little embarrassed and said, "Master, she..."
"Master, why don't you see me? You must be tired of looking at me!" A short figure walked out from the green trees beside the steps. "That's just how you are. You're always slow and fussy. No wonder a few little hooligans can take care of you!"
The person who came over was a country woman. She was wearing a blue flowered jacket and black trousers. Her gray hair was combed neatly. Her face was dark, but without any wrinkles. Her eyes were as sharp as lightning, but not as sharp as expected for an old woman of her age.
"Young master, I, Sun Erniang, am here to greet you!" The woman clasped her fists and spoke very quickly. It was obvious that she was a bold and aggressive person who was good at organizing things.
Lu Ming smiled bitterly in his heart. When Sun Luting first met the "Holy Envoy", he said that his old wife would also be happy, but later, he never mentioned it again. Unexpectedly, the other party came to his door directly.
It seems that he is here to serve the "Holy Envoy".
Sun Erniang, this name also makes people feel a bit weird.
It's up to you. In fact, those who serve the "Holy Envoy" are logically their own followers, or the seeds that their ancestors planted countless years ago, passed down from generation to generation. Seeing how difficult it is for Sun Luting to find a successor, I'm afraid that even if the ancestors have planted a lot of such followers in the past, those that are still inheriting the tradition today are rare.
But they only know about the "Holy Envoy", which can be considered a firewall. The inheritance of the "Holy Envoy" is their own firewall.
However, due to various reasons, this firewall is of little use in my current situation.
According to the original idea of our ancestors, these people should not be able to see themselves without going through various tests.
"Hmm, it's my aunt." Lu Ming pondered over it and said with a smile, "Thank you for coming all the way here. How about this, Uncle Sun, you accompany my aunt around today. Also, my aunt can stay in the room downstairs!"
"Young master, what's the use of aunt and uncle? You should call me Erniang and call him Old Sun! This man is so rude!" Sun Erniang said while glaring at Sun Luting.
Sun Luting nodded and said, "That's what I originally wanted the master to call me..." But Sun Erniang glared at him and he was so scared that he dared not speak.
Lu Ming burst out laughing. Come to think of it, if there really was a martial arts world, Sun Tiezhang should be a well-known hero, but he had bronchitis.
Alas, the end of the martial arts world and the tragedy of the martial arts world. Nowadays, there is no martial arts world and no martial arts world. These people are no different from ordinary people.
"Young master, I just came to see you. When it comes to protecting you, I am definitely not as good as this old ghost. Please don't worry about me. I will go to see the Holy Envoy later!" Sun Erniang lowered her voice when she said the rest.
Lu Ming smiled and nodded.
…
After a trip to the Royal Alice Institute of Technology, Lu Ming had a clearer idea of how to handle this case, and he was in a good mood.
When she got home, Zhen asked timidly, "Master, can I celebrate for you today?"
Lu Ming was stunned for a moment before he realized that it was to celebrate his promotion to the second level. Zhen also knew about it from what Pamela said. Although she didn't quite understand it, she just knew it was a great thing, but she also prepared a table of delicious food. Unfortunately, he was too busy that day and didn't go home at all. Recently, he was busy with the case of the Japanese people, and the case was complicated, so he had no time to go home. He often sat there frowning and thinking, and she didn't dare to disturb him.
Today, finally seeing her face turn from cloudy to sunny, she carefully brought up the matter again.
Looking at her delicate and gentle figure, Lu Ming suddenly felt a little sad in his heart. If he separated her from the world, she would not be able to survive. She would not know anything and would not understand anything. She only knew that she depended on him and her mood was determined by his joys and sorrows.
However, she has an extremely powerful green bead in her body, and she wonders if one day, she will completely disappear.
"Celebrate, let's celebrate today!" Looking at her beautiful eyes full of expectation, Lu Ming forced a smile.
Zhen was immediately overjoyed, "Okay, Master, I'll go prepare it!" Preparing such a large table of dishes was very laborious, but she was not afraid of the trouble at all, and was extremely happy. However, she then said carefully, "Yes, it will take a long time to prepare, Master, don't worry..."
“No hurry…” Lu Ming gently pulled up her slender hand, causing her body to stiffen instantly.
"Come, sit with me for a while, and I'll help you prepare the meal!"
"Ah?" Zhen was stunned, but she had already been pulled by Lu Ming. She followed Lu Ming to the sofa involuntarily. Lu Ming sat down and gently applied force. Zhen did not dare to struggle, so she sat in Lu Ming's arms. Her pretty face immediately turned red with shame, and she curled up in Lu Ming's arms like a cat, not daring to move, let alone look up at Lu Ming.
If Zhen fainted from excitement, Lu Ming was ready to call her back immediately after Bizhu came out.
Fortunately, it was probably not the first time I hugged her gently, so the reaction was not as intense as the first time.
The beauty in my arms is so soft and boneless that she seems to have no weight at all when sitting in my arms, but the smooth and soft touch is still there. The feeling is just like holding a marshmallow in a dream. I am afraid that no man can stand this kind of stimulation.
But Lu Ming had no distractions. He just hugged her gently, his heart full of tenderness. He smelled the fragrance of her hair and just thought, and hoped, that you would not become an illusion and would always be with me until old age.