As soon as these words came out, Shen Ruiming was really a little confused. He really didn't expect this: in his impression, when the summary court was just established and there was a maid case, senior senators were sent to defend. Other than that, , basically the defendants defended themselves. Although the Senate allowed the defendants to find their own lawyers, few people had the money to hire one. Even the gentry, not many knew about this system.
Shen Ruiming pondered for a moment and said: "The elders in Guangzhou are basically very busy. I have communicated with you before: only elder Zhang can come to help. Or I can handle the prosecutorial affairs alone and leave the defense to Xiao Zhang Yuanlao."
Liu Xiang thought for a moment: "Can Xiao Zhang do it? This case is as bloody as a Thai horror movie. Not to mention that she has no experience in legal practice, can a little girl endure this?"
"Well, we'll have to wait until Xiao Zhang and I meet to see if it will work. In essence, this trial is a big show we put on for the locals in Guangzhou. Without one of the main actors, the show will be very ugly."
"In this case, let's have a meeting tomorrow." Liu Xiang thought for a while and felt that this public sacrifice alone was not enough to "educate the people". It would be obvious to have a large-scale and public trial.
Early the next morning, Shen Ruiming washed up neatly, picked up his briefcase and headed to the Guangzhou City Hall.
Originally, he thought that the elders would relax after occupying Guangzhou, but he did not expect that he was the last one to arrive in the conference room. Shen Ruiming's face felt slightly hot, and he greeted several elders. When he saw that Zhang Yunmi had also arrived, he He nodded to her.
"How's it going? Are you mentally prepared?"
"Oh, actually I was just a primary school student in the old time - I mainly learned foreign languages in Fangcaodi, but I didn't know anything about law..."
"Haven't you been helping me sort out the case files recently? You can be considered a legal assistant at a law firm," Shen Ruiming waved his hand to signal Zhang Yunmi not to interrupt in a hurry, "I know you want to say that you have no experience. It's okay. Who doesn’t come from a blank piece of paper? I remember the first time I went to court with my master to litigate..."
Seeing that Shen Ruiming was beginning to immerse himself in self-praising, Zhang Yunmi quickly changed the subject: "Legal work is relatively professional, right? I have never been exposed to this knowledge. It would be bad if the defense lawyer's work was messed up - ―Besides, I really can’t muster up the energy to defend these bunch of heartless non-human beings.”
"Actually, it's not as difficult as you think, and there is no need for you to write a defense statement. In fact, this trial is only superficial, and its essence is just a big show for the indigenous people." There were no indigenous people present at this meeting. He is not afraid of being overheard: "Of course, the 'big drama' here is not a derogatory term, but it means that this is a modern legal education class for the people of Guangzhou. Your appearance as a defense lawyer is an important step in our judicial trials. It is an integral part of the law. Using this as a template to tell people how to file a lawsuit correctly will not only benefit the people, but also reduce our own workload."
Shen Ruiming also explained the focus of this trial, which is to have a public trial and a public verdict to enhance the participation of the indigenous people. Although the "jury" system of the maritime law system seems to be more conducive to "mass participation", taking into account social sentiment, This is tantamount to giving the local gentry a green light to intervene in the judiciary.
"You are a woman - in traditional concepts, women are always associated with benevolence and compassion, and you are also a veteran. It is most appropriate for you to be the defense lawyer."
"To be honest, I really don't want to be a defense lawyer for these beasts - I want to vomit after reading the materials!" Zhang Yunmi still has some psychological shadow.
Shen Ruiming said a few words of encouragement, and Liu Xiang and Liang Xinhu also encouraged her, which stabilized her mood.
Today's meeting is actually a "director's meeting", which is to review the trial process for tomorrow's public trial of the thirteen main criminals to ensure the best results.
All legal documents, including opening statements, indictments, defense statements...even confessions and witness statements have been carefully revised. Shen Ruiming's requirements are: "No loopholes, no logical problems, and complete details."
The first two are easy to say, after all, they have real evidence and are not fabricating unjust or false cases out of thin air. However, the words "complete details" are more difficult. They will inevitably make the prisoners suffer countless hardships and torture them to death just to make them remember. Come up with some details.
The prisoners all accepted the agreement in private: plead guilty and follow the trial process. In exchange for this, Shen Ruiming guaranteed that firstly, they would not be "cut to pieces", and secondly, their bodies would not be handed over to Cui Hantang after death. Disposal. Compared to the former, the latter seems to frighten these murderous demons who kill without blinking an eye.
Despite this, Shen Ruiming still required preparations to be made, especially the collection of personal and material evidence, in case the prisoner suddenly recanted his confession or the confession was incorrect and inconsistent.
"This is our legal education in the judicial field for Guangzhou and the people of the entire Ming Dynasty. Success alone is not enough. Our requirement is 'perfection'!" Shen Ruiming said.
The day of the public trial came soon. Several streets outside the Guangzhou Municipal Court were blocked with water. The scene was like a temple fair. People wanted to see how the Australians interrogated these thieves.
The "Yangcheng Express" has been serializing the extra issue about the "Making Inn Case" for many days. Every time the extra issue comes out, it is sold out, and within two or three hours, there are crude pirated copies printed with movable clay type and ink. Appearance - This is what local people who used to print newspapers did.
The majority of public opinion agents also spared no effort to talk about various "secrets" in the materials they received at teahouses, wine shops, and in front of and behind houses and by wells.
Therefore, although the case has not yet gone to trial, public opinion has been fully mobilized.
At this moment, there was a sea of people outside the Guangzhou Municipal Court. The National Army and the police who came to maintain order had to set up a cordon around the perimeter and prohibited people from entering the streets around the Municipal Court. Many people simply climbed up to the roof to satisfy their curiosity with a distant view. the only way.
Vendors squeezed in and out of the crowd, loudly selling cigarettes, melon seeds, Australian candies, braised chicken feet, duck necks, and chicken and duck heads, as well as crude pamphlets—pirated copies of extra-issue copies of the Yangcheng Express.
"Chief, it's almost time."
The secretary reminded Liang Xinhu, who was sitting on a wicker chair with his eyes closed and meditating. Today he was dressed neatly: a black robe, and the badge on his chest was a scale under the morning star - a bit like the Ming and Qing dynasty.
Liang Xinhu nodded and stood up. The secretary quickly put on the Song-style black gauze long-winged hat and handed him a thick model of the "Imperial Code" book - the reason why it was a model was naturally because the code had not yet been compiled.
Once the compilation is complete, it cannot be contained in a thick dictionary. It is just a prop.
Most of this attire can be said to be a combination of ancient and modern Chinese and foreign styles, which fully reflects the advanced nature of the Senate in the field of law.
Liang Xinhu walked into the Guangzhou Municipal Court with a calm face and a solemn demeanor. In the auditorium, many elders and many gentry from Guangzhou were already present. Liu Xiang did not attend today, and was replaced by Lin Baiguang. Naturally, Gao Ji, a local gentry, would not refuse.
, but he can only be regarded as a businessman. However, there are several respectable Jin gentry here - not housekeepers, nor family members.
The court was originally converted into a public hall, and could accommodate only fifty or sixty hearing persons. Today, in order to expand its influence, all the chairs except for the special auditorium were removed. Now it is packed with people, and I have the best luck.
, and squeezed until they reached the iron fence of the trial area.
Soldiers from the White Horse Brigade maintained order in the court. Although the people were vying to squeeze in to the front to see the case being decided, and there were so many people, with shining bayonets in front, the crowd always maintained basic order.
Seeing the judge appear, the crowd immediately aroused a commotion, which spread quickly from the court to the surrounding streets like ripples.
"The judge has arrived, everyone stands up!"
The sudden noise made everyone tremble. Fortunately, there was a commentator arranged in the crowd to tell the people: This is a loudspeaker specially arranged by the Senate so that people who cannot enter and sit and listen to the court hearing can do so.
Be the first to know what happened in the hospital.
The noisy sound in the loudspeaker continued for a while, but soon became quiet. The crowd outside seemed to feel something, and gradually stopped talking.
Liang Xinhu strode to the judge's department, sat down on a high-backed chair, picked up the gavel and struck it three times:
"The court is now in session!"
Liang Xinhu's secretary acted as the clerk of the trial. After reading out the court discipline, Shen Ruiming also walked in from the passage and sat down at the prosecutor's seat.
Zhang Yunmi's appearance caused a commotion among the crowd. First of all, everyone was not familiar with the concept of "defender". Although there are so-called "lawyers" in Guangzhou, they generally do not appear in court - and most of the lawyers are involved in civil cases.
, most people avoid such major criminal cases, how can anyone take the initiative to get involved! What’s more, the case of Maojia Inn is so heartbreaking, how can there be any reason to "defend" it? Secondly, naturally this "
The identity of "female senator" caused a commotion.
There are female elders among Australians, which is nothing new in Guangzhou. But the female elder in front of me is not only beautiful, but also young. She also works as a "lawyer", which is a bit shocking.
"Could this Australian be insane? How can such a criminal defend himself?"
"Pull it out, cut it into pieces, and feed the meat to pigs and dogs. It will be an advantage for them!"
"He also got a pretty pink girl to be a lawyer - this Australian is really unique..."
"Too high...the feet are too big..."
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ps:
A base for book lovers
The braggart’s message board;
Introduce and sort out important figures and event information;
Showcase the style of the Lingao community and a traveling exhibition of outstanding fan and material works;
Organize online or offline gatherings of elders from time to time (the content is temporarily confidential);