A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1501: A Defense of Innocence! (Please Subscribe!)

After the exam, it would take two months for the results to be released. During those two months, Hua Twelve became a hot topic again, as his album sales officially surpassed ten million copies.

The data broke countless records, causing a major shockwave throughout the mainland music scene.

What does it mean to sell tens of millions of copies of a single album in the mid-1990s Chinese music scene?
That's a number that even the Four Heavenly Kings can only dream of.

Major entertainment news outlets reported on him in turn, with most media outlets directly referring to him as the "King of Mainland China," and the headlines were increasingly exaggerated, such as "Creator of Tens of Millions in Sales," "The Biggest Winner in the Music Scene of the Year," and "Cui Guoming Firmly Holds the Throne of King of Pop."
The local media in Donglin were particularly outrageous, with headlines like "Above the Heavenly King, there is also Cui Guoming!"

Well, after some inquiries, Hua Shier found out that it was Ma Xiao who bought the press release. It turns out that this kind of operation still exists in this day and age.

Media reports reignited Hua Shier's popularity, which had been gradually declining after the Spring Festival Gala, album release, and book publication, bringing it back to its peak, even more intensely than before.

What followed was an overwhelming flood of interview and commercial performance invitations.

Both Ma Xiao and Yang Baihui urged Hua Shier to go out and do some work. In Yang Baihui's own words:

"Brother Cui, you've been resting for more than half a year. Even a tortoise should turn over by now!"

Hua Shier originally planned to wait until the lawsuit against Guo Dapao was over before releasing an album.

But Li Xiaozhen also advised him to go out and work, because this woman had used all the family's savings to buy an apartment.

Hua Shier had no choice but to accept a few interviews and commercial performances, and then spend time in the recording studio recording a new album.

This album contains ten Mandarin songs: "Legend," "The One I Love," "Ugly Monster," "A Person Like Me," "Blooming Life," "Love You Till I Die," "Single Love Song," "Light Years Away," "East Wind Breaks," and "In My Song."

Okay, Hua Shier once again thanks all the seniors in the music industry in his heart. You guys didn't become famous, but I'm going to become famous!
As expected, the new album swept the music scene once again, unstoppable, and even sales in Hong Kong and Taiwan reached new highs.

In December, the exam results came out, and Hua Shier passed the bar exam without a doubt. Li Xiaozhen was not as excited as in the original drama. After all, her husband had been successful all along, earning a lot of money by releasing albums. She felt that her husband was wasting his time taking this exam.

Hua Shier's album sold very well, and he received another invitation to the Spring Festival Gala, to participate in the final rehearsal as he did last year. However, Hua Shier declined and instead spent the New Year with his family in Donglin.

After the New Year, Hua Shier finally obtained his lawyer's license, but even as a lawyer, he couldn't directly take on Guo Dapao's case, according to the "Administrative Measures for Part-time Lawyers and Specially Invited Lawyers" issued by the Ministry of Justice in 1984:
"Part-time lawyers and specially invited lawyers should be under the leadership of their legal counsel office or law firm and accept its assignments to handle various legal matters. They shall not accept clients' entrustment privately or charge fees privately."

Therefore, if Hua Shier wants to meet with clients, review case files, and appear in court as a lawyer, he must find a law firm to be affiliated with.

However, this was easy to handle. Hua Shier discussed with the junior lawyer he had previously hired and agreed to register with their firm, which would essentially be free advertising for him. The lawyer readily agreed and asked him to start working there immediately.

After Hua Shier affiliated with a law firm, he took on Guo Dapao's case. When Da Zeng found out, he was extremely surprised:
"Wow, you really passed the bar exam? But don't get your hopes up too high, there's just too much suspicion about Da Pao!"

Hua Twelve smiled and said:
"I heard that your samples were rejected several times. How come you couldn't get them tested with such strong suspicion?"

Da Zeng shook his head and said, "Your information is outdated. The prosecution has already accepted the case, and I feel the chances of conviction are extremely high. Don't have too high hopes!"

Hua Shier was overjoyed: "Finally, I don't have to wait so long anymore. Otherwise, I would have felt sorry for Da Pao!"

Da Zeng asked, somewhat puzzled, "What have you done to wrong him?"

Liu Tiezhu: I wanted to turn myself in, but he wouldn't let me.
Hua Shier, acting as a lawyer, applied to meet with Guo Dapao. Guo Dapao was somewhat surprised after the meeting.

"Wow, Guoming, you really passed the bar exam? That's impressive, young man! I knew you'd do well no matter what you do!"

Seeing Guo Dapao's radiant face and beaming smile, Hua Shier was speechless. This hardly looked like a murder suspect who had been imprisoned for a year. He reminded him:
"Mind your place! What's with all this excitement? You're about to go to court. Don't act like you've won the lottery!"

Guo Dapao: "I'm so happy for you!"

Hua Shier said irritably, "You're really thick-skinned. I took the bar exam just to get you out of trouble!"

Guo Dapao chuckled awkwardly: "So, how are things between my dad and Xiaoxue?"

"Everything's fine, I'm taking care of it for you. Okay, stop with the nonsense. I'm asking you, did you really kill that person?"

Hua Shier knew that Guo Dapao was a chatterbox who would never stop rambling, so he got straight to the point.

Guo Dapao shook his head and denied it: "No, I didn't do it at all!"

"Are you an idiot? You said you killed someone inside? The police used that as the basis for their claim and made you the prime suspect!"

"I'm not going either! I'm just afraid of being bullied inside!"

Guo Dapao got excited when talking about this: "Let me tell you, as soon as I say I'm a murderer, none of those little punks in there dare to mess with me. That's what I am in there now!"

He gave a thumbs-up as he spoke, looking very proud.

Hua Shier thought this person was hopeless, well, he was referring to their intelligence.

Hua Shier knew more about Guo Dapao's case than Uncle Hat, so the meeting was just a formality.

As the case entered the trial stage, Hua Shier went to the court to apply for access to the case file, reviewing, excerpting, and copying the relevant materials. Upon seeing the evidence, he became even more confident. The way cases were handled these days was really crude. In the original story, he could still be convicted with this much evidence. He really didn't know what to say. It felt like he would win without even going to court.

1995年3月25日上午9时

The trial of Guo Dapao, who is suspected of murder, has officially begun.

After going through a series of procedures, we arrived at the stage of legal representation.

The presiding judge struck the gavel: "Now it is time for the defense counsel to present their arguments."

Hua Shier stood up. He was wearing a dark gray Zhongshan suit with a small law firm badge pinned to his left breast pocket.

He didn't have a thick defense statement in his hand, only a few thin sheets of paper. He first nodded slightly to the judge's bench, then turned to the prosecutor's bench, his gaze calm as still water.

"Presiding Judge, Judges,"

Hua Twelve's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear:

"Today, I will plead not guilty for my client, Guo Dapao."

He paused, then turned to the first page of the document:
"According to Article 35 of the Criminal Procedure Law, 'If there is only the defendant's confession and no other evidence, the defendant cannot be found guilty and punished.' This is a basic principle of criminal procedure in our country and the first legal basis for my defense today."

A commotion broke out in the gallery, along with the weeping of the victims' families.

Hua Twelve looked directly at the prosecutor's seat:

"What is the basis for the prosecutor's charge that my client, Guo Dapao, committed intentional homicide?"

There are three points: First, Guo Dapao burned paper money and threw knives by the river that night; second, the time of the deceased's death coincided with the time Guo Dapao went to the river; third, Guo Dapao said in the detention center, "I came here to kill someone."

He shook his head slightly:
"The knife was the meat cleaver that Guo Dapao threw into the river, which was fished out of it."

Hua Shier picked up the physical evidence examination report and presented it to the court:
"This is the physical evidence examination report for this case, issued by the Jiangshi Public Security Judicial Appraisal Center on September 25, 1993. Report number (93) Gongxingwuzi No. 187. The report only states one sentence: 'The submitted knife tested positive for benzidine, and traces of blood were detected.'"

He put down the report and his gaze swept across the room:

"A positive benzidine test only means one thing: there is blood on the knife. But—is this blood human blood or pig blood? The report doesn't say a word about it."

The prosecutor stood up: "Defense attorney, the knife was soaked in the river overnight, and it was the murder weapon. Guo Dapao likely cleaned the knife after committing the crime, which destroyed the bloodstains. It's normal that it can't be detected!" "Normal?"

Hua Shier interrupted him, her voice suddenly rising, "Prosecutor, your statement exposes the biggest logical flaw in this case!"

He walked to the defense table, picked up a yellowed magazine, and held it high:
"This is page 47 of the third issue of the journal 'Criminal Technology' in 1988. The article is titled 'An Experimental Study on the Species Identification of Trace Amounts of Old Bloodstains.' Please allow the defense counsel to read the conclusion in court."

He cleared his throat and read out, word by word:
"This article introduces a technique for species identification of trace bloodstains, whether old or affected by physical and chemical factors, using a 1% ammonia solution as the extraction solvent. Bloodstains from this method have been accurately measured up to 24 years old. The method is simple to operate, the reagents are readily available, and it is easy to promote and apply."

He put down the magazine, his gaze sharp and intense.

"24 years! Did everyone hear that clearly? Bloodstains that are 24 years old can still be detected! So what if they've been soaked in river water for one night? They can still be detected after 24 years of wind, sun, rain, and snow. How can one night of river water wash away all the bloodstains?"

The courtroom was silent.

Hua Shier didn't stop, and picked up another document:
"This is page 156 of 'Forensic Evidence Examination,' published by the Masses Publishing House in 1988 and compiled by Wu Yabiao et al. The book clearly states: 'Once bloodstains dry and adhere, their binding force to the carrier is extremely strong; even after prolonged soaking and washing, they can still be detected by appropriate methods.'"

He turned to the prosecutor:

"Prosecutor, you said my client 'cleaned the knife.' Okay, even if he did, can he wash away the blood in the joint of the handle? Can he wash away the blood around the rivets? Can he wash away the blood in the grooves on the back of the blade?"

The prosecutor opened his mouth.

Hua Twelve sneered:
“It can’t be washed off! Because those areas are impossible to reach with regular wiping! And according to forensic science, the older and more entrenched the bloodstains are, the more firmly they accumulate in these crevices and corners. River water can only wash away the fresh bloodstains that may remain on the surface of the blade. Those pig bloodstains that have accumulated over the years simply cannot be washed away!”

He walked to the judge's bench, slowed his speech, but every word carried immense weight:
"Your Honor, here's the first fatal problem: if the prosecutor's logic holds true, and river water can wash away blood completely—then, please tell me, nothing should be found on this knife. But the forensic report says 'blood traces were detected.' What does this mean? It means the river water didn't wash away the blood!"

"Since it wasn't washed away, the blood remaining on the knife should be intact. It should be possible to perform species identification to distinguish whether it's human blood or pig blood. It should also be possible to perform blood type identification to compare with the deceased's blood type."

He turned around and looked directly at the prosecutor:
"But did you do it?"

The prosecutor remained silent.

“No.” Hua Shier raised his voice. “You only did the most basic preliminary test to confirm the presence of blood, and then you stopped. You didn’t do any of the subsequent species testing or blood type identification. Why didn’t you do them?”

He asked himself and answered:
"Because you dare not do it! You know in your hearts that this knife cuts pork every day, so there must be pig's blood on it. If a species test is conducted and it is found to be full of pig's blood, then the accusation of it being the 'murder weapon' will completely fall apart!"

The prosecutor suddenly stood up: "Defense attorney, that's subjective conjecture! The technological conditions at the time were limited—"

"Limited technical conditions?"

Hua Shier laughed, a laugh full of sarcasm: "Prosecutor, the study I just cited from 1988 is now six years old. Let me show you an even more recent one."

He picked up another magazine:
"This is from the 1993 issue of the *Chinese Journal of Forensic Medicine*, Volume 3, page 104. The article is titled 'A Study on Species Identification of Human Bloodstains Using ABC-ELISA.' The conclusion is: 'This method has high sensitivity and specificity, and can accurately distinguish between human blood and animal blood.'"

He slammed the magazine on the table with a loud thud.

"The technology from 1993 was capable of accurately distinguishing between human blood and pig blood! And the forensic report in this case was issued on September 25, 1993—note, the same year!"

He faced the judge's bench and spoke, word by word:
"So, it's not a matter of limited technical conditions at all, but rather two possibilities: either the investigators were not professional enough, or the investigators simply didn't bother to distinguish between them! All they needed was the phrase 'blood on the knife,' which was enough to write 'human blood' in the indictment and to accuse my client of murder!"

"I hope it's the first possibility; if it's the second, then it's blatant disregard for human life!"

Hua Shier took a deep breath and pulled out the last document from the file bag—a new report he had obtained after applying for a re-evaluation before the trial.

"Your Honor, this is an expert report reissued by the Criminal Technology Department of the Provincial Public Security Bureau upon the request of the defense counsel and with the consent of the court. Report number (94) Public Criminal Property No. 021."

He held up the report so that everyone could see it:
"This report conducted a comprehensive inspection of Guo Dapao's meat cleaver. The key areas of inspection included: the joint between the blade and the handle, around the rivets, and the grooves on the back of the blade—those hard-to-reach areas that daily wiping cannot reach."

He paused, then read it out, word by word:
"Test results: Benzidine test positive; species test - negative for anti-human hemoglobin serum, positive for anti-porcine hemoglobin serum. Conclusion: A large amount of animal blood (porcine) was detected in the submitted knife, but no human blood was detected."

An uproar erupted in the courtroom.

Hua Twelve raised his tone:
"Did you hear that? Pig's blood! This knife only has pig's blood on it, no human blood!"

He walked over to Guo Dapao and put his hand on his shoulder:
“My client, a butcher who has sold pork for eight years, it’s only natural that his knife would have pig’s blood on it. If this knife really was the murder weapon, piercing someone’s heart, how could there not be a drop of human blood on it? Does the river have eyes, only washing away human blood and not pig’s blood?”

He turned to face the prosecutor:
“Prosecutor, didn’t you say the blood was washed away? Fine, please explain: why is the pig’s blood still there? Why can’t the old pig’s blood in those crevices be washed away by the river overnight, but the human blood can be washed away so easily?”

The prosecutor's face was ashen, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Hua Twelve gave him no chance to breathe and continued the attack:
"Let me add some basic forensic medicine knowledge for the prosecutor. This is a textbook on forensic medicine published by the Masses Publishing House in 1985, edited by Guo Jingyuan, page 312."

He held up the textbook so that everyone could see the cover:
"The benzidine test is the most commonly used method in bloodstain pretreatment. It is extremely sensitive; even when the blood is diluted 20 times, it will still show a positive reaction." 20 times! Did everyone hear that clearly?

He slammed the book shut.
"What does 20 times mean? Even the smallest trace of blood, completely invisible to the naked eye, can be detected as long as there is 0.001 milligrams of hemoglobin residue! So, if there has ever been human blood on this knife, even if it is just a tiny bit, even if it has been soaked in water or wiped with a cloth, as long as there is a trace amount of residue, it can be detected!"

He raised his voice:
"But what was the result? Nothing was detected! The newly conducted species test found a large amount of pig blood in the joints of the handle, around the rivets, and in the grooves on the back of the blade—these are the dead corners that the river water cannot wash away! But not a single drop of human blood!"

"The only reasonable explanation is that this knife has never been stained with human blood!"

He turned to face the judge's bench, his voice steady yet powerful:
"Your Honor, let me summarize the evidence in this case:"

"The murder weapon? There was a knife, but it only had pig's blood on it, no human blood."

"Bloodstains? Yes, but they're pig's blood, not human blood."

"The time of the crime overlaps, but hundreds of people take walks along the river every night. Are all of these hundreds of people murderers?"

"Motive? His prior conviction for prostitution precisely demonstrates that my client believes in resolving problems with money, not violence. He earns a considerable amount of money selling his body, so he wouldn't kill someone for a pittance. Therefore, the motive is invalid!"

"Confessions? Yes, but that's just bragging in the detention center. I've conducted a survey of a hundred ex-convicts recently, and the results show that they all believe it's normal to brag in prison to pretend to be tough!"

Article 35 of the Criminal Procedure Law clearly stipulates that: if there is only the defendant's confession and no other evidence, the defendant cannot be found guilty.

He paused for a moment, then spoke slowly and deliberately:
"There's no motive for murder, no primary crime scene, no eyewitnesses, and now they haven't even found the actual murder weapon. Look at this so-called chain of evidence—is this what you call a chain of evidence? It's riddled with holes! Don't you find it laughable?"

He walked to the judge's bench, slowed his speech, but every word carried immense weight:
"Your Honor, I am standing here today not to plead for leniency, but to seek justice. This justice is written in Article 35 of the Criminal Procedure Law; this justice is written in forensic medical literature; this justice is written in this report of re-examination."

"The 1985 textbook tells us that the sensitivity of the benzidine test is as high as 20 times; the 1988 research tells us that 24-year-old bloodstains can still be detected; the 1988 textbook tells us that bloodstains have an extremely strong binding force to carriers; the 1993 research tells us that human blood and pig blood can be completely distinguished."

He raised his voice:
"So much scientific evidence points to the same conclusion: this knife only has pig's blood on it, not human blood. This knife is not the murder weapon!"

"But what did the prosecutor say from beginning to end? 'It might have been washed away,' 'It might have been cleaned up,' 'Technical conditions were limited'—all 'possible,' all 'speculation,' not a single piece of conclusive evidence!"

He turned to face the three judges:

"Your Honor, the investigation of this case made a fatal mistake from the very beginning: when the knife was retrieved and the benzidine test was positive, the investigators should have asked—was the blood from a human or a pig? But they didn't. Because they had already determined that Guo Dapao was guilty, they only needed the four words 'blood on the knife' to be enough."

"Therefore, they selectively ignored species identification, selectively ignored the old bloodstains in the crevices, and selectively ignored all the evidence that could prove Guo Dapao's innocence."

"And the result? The result is that Guo Dapao, that unlucky guy, was imprisoned for more than a year, while the real culprit may still be at large."

Hua Shier looked toward the judge's bench, his voice steady and powerful:
"The defense attorney earnestly requests the court to strictly adhere to Article 35 of the Criminal Procedure Law, uphold the principle that 'the defendant cannot be found guilty based solely on his confession without other evidence,' and declare my client, Guo Dapao, innocent in accordance with the law."

Thank you to 08a and Little Tiger of the Demon Realm for the donations, and thank you to all the brothers who voted with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you so much!