Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Your Honor, this is a copy of the inventory of the Gu family’s assets that I obtained from another source. For this reason, I did a comparison between the inventory of assets submitted by Gu Yanran and forwarded to me by the county. From this, it can be clearly seen that the defendant, Gu Yanran’s submitted inventory of assets is at least two-thirds less than the inventory I received. As a result, I have reason to believe that the defendant intentionally concealed assets that belong to the Gu family to begin with and has questionable intentions, so she is guilty of fraud.” Gu Nianzhi looked in Gu Yanran’s direction and enunciated each word carefully. Her eyes were glued to Gu Yanran so as not to miss a single change in her expression.
However, Gu Yanran was probably well-prepared, so she controlled her expressions well. She displayed the appropriate amount of shock, then gave a slight smile. Shaking her head, she seemed to be sighing with a look of disbelief.
The judge looked down to read the inventory of assets Gu Nianzhi submitted, then the comparison image of the two inventories. After a long time, he finally looked up to ask Gu Nianzhi, “Where did you get this inventory of assets?”
Eyes flashing, Jin Wanyi quickly followed up the judge’s question. “Right, Gu Nianzhi. Where did you get this inventory of assets? How strange, didn’t you lose your memory? How could you remember how many assets the Gus possessed? Also, you left the Gu household seven years ago, so where did you get this inventory of the Gu family’s assets?”
Gu Nianzhi glanced at Jin Wanyi, then looked at the judge. She deliberately hesitated before mumbling, “Do I have to say it?”
“Of course. Otherwise, how will we know if your inventory of assets was obtained legally or not? Evidence in court must abide by principles of procedural justice. Once there is a procedural error, then even authentic evidence cannot be used in testimony,” Jin Wanyi declared passionately and recited the legal provisions with ease. She appeared professional and keen. “If you cannot state the source, then your inventory of assets was illegally obtained. It cannot be used as legal evidence to begin with.”
Gu Yanran finally felt reassured by Jin Wanyi. She thought maybe all the money she had spent on lawyer fees was worth it after all…
The judge also spoke. “Plaintiff, please answer the question. An important principle in an estate feud is to firstly confirm the legality of the contested object. Only by using this basis can the property be distributed.”Read more chapter on vipnovel
Gu Nianzhi also appeared sheepish. After some time, she finally said quietly, “Ye Xuan gave it to me.”
“Who is Ye Xuan?”
Jin Wanyi’s heart hammered wildly. She was so excited, her heart was about to leap out of her throat. Finally, Gu Nianzhi was falling into their trap… Jin Wanyi was so excited, her hands trembled slightly.
Gu Yanran closed her eyes quickly and thanked the heavens in her heart. That person could be said to never leave any loose ends. But Gu Yanran still had her suspicions, because that person was also the one who told her that her father, Gu Xiangwen, had a lawyer. She had no idea all along. If she had known, then she would’ve dealt with that lawyer a thousand years ago. She wouldn’t have waited until now. But how did they know?
Gu Yanran was still suspicious as her eyes scanned through the court. Somehow, she ended up colliding with Gu Nianzhi’s gaze, and her mind suddenly froze. Gu Nianzhi’s stare swept across Gu Yanran’s face. Gu Yanran could only remember Gu Nianzhi’s brilliant eyes that were glossy as ink and dark like the very finest black velvet. They appeared soft and luminous under the lights, yet dark and bottomless to conceal all her thoughts and feelings. How did this 19-year-old girl have such a calm and collected gaze in face of an increasingly embarrassing situation? Gu Yanran’s heart chilled, but when she looked back again, she discovered Gu Nianzhi had already looked down to organize the loose files on the desk in front of her.
The judge banged his gavel. “Plaintiff, who is Ye Xuan? Please answer the question of the court.”
Gu Nianzhi slowly looked up and quickly glanced at Gu Yanran before looking away. She looked at the judge and coughed quietly. “Ye Xuan was one of the orphans once sponsored by my father, Gu Xiangwen. After my father met his unfortunate demise, Ye Xuan worked under Gu Yanran as the Gu family’s computer supervisor and treasurer. Therefore, I trust the inventory of assets he has provided.”
“So it’s this Ye Xuan. No wonder.” Jin Wanyi perked up and immediately threw out her own blockbuster. “Your Honor, the inventory of the Gu family’s assets provided by the plaintiff is not reliable. In representation of my client, I ask the court to consider this carefully and not accept the contents of this inventory of the Gu family’s assets provided by the plaintiff.”
“Objection!” Gu Nianzhi immediately rebuked Jin Wanyi’s suggestion. “This inventory of assets was provided by the treasurer, the person who was the most familiar with the Gu family’s assets. May I ask why the defendant’s lawyer is saying it is not credible?”
Jin Wanyi revealed a victorious smile, eight pearly teeth gleaming at Gu Nianzhi. She then turned to face the judge and said with great righteousness, “Because Ye Xuan deliberately planted this evidence to frame my client. Your Honor may not know this, but although Ye Xuan was an orphan sponsored by Mr. Gu Xiangwen, when Mr. Gu Xiangwen passed away in the accident and Miss Yanran had to support the Gu household alone, he took advantage of her and infiltrated the household. He has a wolf’s ambition to not only forcefully take Miss Gu Yanran, but he also abused her frequently. He tortured my client’s body and soul. May I ask how we are supposed to believe evidence provided by such scum?!”
Gu Nianzhi appeared very shocked, which perfectly indicated she knew nothing about that side of Ye Xuan. Gu Yanran gloated secretly and was even more impressed by that person’s plans to take down three birds with one stone.
“What’s more, Ye Xuan not only wanted my client, but also wanted the Gu family’s entire fortune! My client is only a delicate woman and has been suffering silently under Ye Xuan’s perverse ambitions, yet she bravely refused his demands. Ye Xuan saw that he was unable to reap any benefits from my client, so he began to threaten her and said if she refuses to obey him by handing over the entire fortune, then he will make sure she won’t get a single penny!” Jin Wanyi illustrated it vividly like she was writing a novel. Many people in the courtroom listened with keen interest, including Gu Nianzhi.
Her dark, sparkling eyes widened as she exclaimed in shock, “No way? How could Ye Xuan be this kind of person? Lawyer Jin, are you sure you are defending in court and not storytelling in the teahouse?”
Jin Wanyi felt her face grow a bit hot. Her previous statements were made to create a preconceived perception for the people in the courtroom, so she deliberately exaggerated things a bit. That way, she could beat Gu Nianzhi to the punch and create a terrible image of Ye Xuan. It had been somewhat crossing the line, but all lawyers used all sorts of methods and means during lawsuits, as long as they weren’t illegal.
Hadn’t Gu Nianzhi used many tricks herself in the courtroom before? Jin Wanyi grumbled internally about Gu Nianzhi as she turned to tell the judge, “Your Honor, Ye Xuan abused my client, and I have evidence of that.” As she spoke, she presented the photos of the injuries on Gu Yanran’s body that had been taken in the hospital that day. “These photos are ironclad evidence that Ye Xuan abused my client. I implore Your Honor to consider it carefully and not accept testimony from Ye Xuan,” Jin Wanyi stated gravely.
Gu Nianzhi’s eyes narrowed slightly as she glanced at Jin Wanyi in silence. Now she understood what Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran were plotting. They wanted to make Ye Xuan lose all credibility as a witness. As long as he lost credibility, then any testimony he gave could be suspected of being fabricated and would not be accepted by the court. The judge looked down at the photos, the medical examination report by the doctor, and the police officers’ signatures. Gu Nianzhi kept quiet the entire time and waited for the judge to finish examining the photos before saying, “Your Honor, can you allow me to see those photos?”
“Objection.” Jin Wanyi immediately jumped up. “These photos concern the privacy of my client. I ask Your Honor to seal them for the archives and not distribute them.”
“Haha.” Gu Nianzhi finally chuckled, then wiped the smile from her face to say icily, “Lawyer Jin, that’s not right. How can you bring out evidence to support your views, then forbid others from seeing it? Also, I’m not just anyone. I’m the plaintiff in this case. If you say that these photos are unrelated to this case, then I’ll absolutely not look at them. But you were the one to throw out these photos as evidence to refute the inventory of the Gu family’s assets that I submitted. Then that means the photos are in fact related to the case, so may I ask what reason you have for refusing my request to examine the photos?”
Jin Wanyi looked down to avoid her gaze as she said, “These photos are indirect evidence. According to the law, the decision will be made in accordance by the judge.”
“Fine.” Gu Nianzhi also didn’t look at her but turned to face the judge at the center of the podium. “Your Honor, I can agree to not looking at the photos, but I want to see the medical examination report and testimony by the police. Also, I request permission to summon the doctor who examined the defendant, Gu Yanran, as well as the police officers Gu Yanran was in contact with at the time. I need to cross examine them in court.”
The judge nodded. “Granted.” He spoke as he put away the photos but ordered someone to bring the medical examination report and police testimony to Gu Nianzhi.
Gu Nianzhi never wanted to look at Gu Yanran’s disgusting photos anyway, so it was even better that she wasn’t allowed to see them. However, she still needed to fight for them to avoid appearing too calm and cause the opponents to grow suspicious. Soon after, the court staff photocopied the medical examination report and police testimony and placed them before Gu Nianzhi.
Then the judge announced, “Due to the appearance of new evidence, today’s proceedings are now concluded. The court will verify the new evidence submitted by the defendant, and also summon the doctor and police officers. The trial will resume next Monday.”
With the bang of the gavel, the second day of the estate feud trial ended on a minor note. Gu Nianzhi took her time putting away all her files and photocopies, placing them in her laptop bag.
Jin Wanyi and Gu Yanran shared a smile, both full of confidence. Jin Wanyi walked up to Gu Nianzhi with a smile and reached out to her. “Lawyer Gu, thank you for taking it easy on me today.”
Gu Nianzhi didn’t look up or shake Jin Wanyi’s hand. In fact, she didn’t even look at Jin Wanyi, and her face was icy as she slammed the laptop bag hard on the desk and zipped it up loudly. She left the courtroom without looking back.
On the side, Ma Qiqi was anxious upon seeing this and called out Gu Nianzhi’s name before chasing after her.
Gu Yanran laughed out loud. “Oh my! Just look at her face. I’ve never seen it so glum before! She doesn’t have any class at all.”
Jin Wanyi grabbed her arm to walk her outside and said quietly with a smile, “Ok, Yanran. You need to keep your tongue under control. We still have a hard battle coming up next Monday.” Gu Yanran immediately wiped off her smile, but the amusement in her eyes shimmered. Somehow, she couldn’t help it.
