Chapter 349: Chapter 241: Backstab! Courtroom Tactics!

"Purely taking it out of context!"

Taking it out of context... in other words, you really did say something like that, huh!?

The courtroom erupted.

This was almost the same as admitting he’d bribed someone!

And this time, even before Zhao Jiaqi spoke, Sha Jin went on, raising his voice over the noise in the courtroom as he said:

"First of all, about the so‑called payment of the family’s medical expenses."

"It was not undertaken by me, nor by Blue Shield Law Firm!"

"It was my client, ’Superstar Pharmaceutical Group’, seeing that the entrusting party was in difficulty, who decided that regardless of whether the case was won or lost, they would provide free medical aid for their family members!"

"This is an act of humanitarian care, not so‑called bribery!"

"Our meeting with Wu Fang and Kong Jian was also only to understand the details of the case, and the alleged bribery of the defendant is pure fabrication!"

Hearing this, Wu Fang and Kong Jian were instantly consumed with rage.

"Bullshit, what you clearly said back then was that as long as we pled guilty, you’d cover the medical costs!"

This was a blatant blur‑out of reality, but they were helpless against it.

It was just a matter of one sentence, and without objective evidence, there was simply no way to prove it.

It could even be said that... if Superstar Pharmaceutical Group really did treat the family regardless of winning or losing, then even if Sha Jin’s words had been fake, they would become true!

As for whether Han Chengguang was willing?

He’d be more than willing!

Spend a little bit of money and bring enormous positive PR to the entire company—only an idiot would say no!

Sha Jin ignored the dock and instead looked toward Zhao Jiaqi.

"Your Honor, opposing counsel is suspected of bribery and of colluding on testimony. The plaintiff requests that the defendant’s statements be disqualified!"

Zhao Jiaqi felt a headache coming on.

Keep stirring, both sides keep stirring, and the case is getting messier and messier...

"Plaintiff, regarding what you just stated, do you have any objective evidence?"

Zhao Jiaqi suddenly asked.

A smile appeared on Sha Jin’s face as he said with a laugh:

"Your Honor, we... also have witnesses!"

Witnesses... they also have witnesses!?

In an instant.

The courtroom was stunned.

The two sides were accusing each other of bribery. Logically there had to be one side lying, and if it was a lie, chances were they wouldn’t have any evidence.

But now... why did it look like both sides had evidence!?

"What witnesses?" In the dock, Feng Nan’s face showed unease.

Xu Liang narrowed his eyes, realizing what the other side was going to do, but he wasn’t anxious.

Sha Jin said, "The defendant’s client is not just Feng Nan, Wu Fang, and Kong Jian. Rather... this case involves more than seventy users of the fake drugs, victims all!"

"Before the hearing, someone from the Mutual Aid Association, driven by a sense of justice, came to talk to us."

"And what they told us was... the defense attorney for the defendants asked all of them to collude on their statements and collectively fabricate testimony!"

Fabricate testimony!?

"Where are the witnesses now!?" Zhao Jiaqi asked sternly.

"The witnesses are in the Intermediate Court, in a separate waiting room—three people in total—currently standing by to be called." Sha Jin replied.

Without hesitation, Zhao Jiaqi directly announced that the witnesses were to be brought in.

Not long after.

Three witnesses entered the courtroom from the side door and finally stopped at the witness stand.

Before they came in, everyone was curious who these three were, including Feng Nan!

After all, Xu Liang had never contacted anyone unrelated to the case, but if they were related to the case... then who could they be!?

It wasn’t until the three stepped into the courtroom that Feng Nan’s pupils suddenly shrank.

They were skin and bones, their faces completely bloodless, wearing clothes washed until they were white, the whole person exuding a morbid aura of being at death’s door.

They were clearly...

Three of the seventy‑two members of the Mutual Aid Association!

"Jiang Yu!? Lin Shu? And Yang Hao!?"

Feng Nan was instantly shocked, his eyes filled with uncontrollable disbelief, as if he’d just seen something unimaginable.

These were his own people!

Of the cheap smuggled generics that Li Ye, Wu Fang, and Kong Jian brought in, these three had taken them too!

If not for that one bottle of medicine from Li Ye last year, Yang Hao’s mother probably wouldn’t even have lived to see the New Year!!!

But now how come...

"Your Honor, all of our witnesses have appeared." A smile spread across Sha Jin’s face.

Witnesses... they really were witnesses for the plaintiff!

Feng Nan stared at the three in disbelief, while Yang Hao and the other two guiltily avoided his gaze.

But Zhao Jiaqi couldn’t care about that. After thinking for a moment, he began to question them.

"Witnesses, according to the plaintiff, the defense counsel once asked you to collude on your statements?"

"Is that true?"

As soon as he said this.

Feng Nan’s face turned ashen as he glared daggers at these three ’traitors’, wishing he could devour them alive.

Yang Hao swallowed hard, forced a weak smile, recalled the instructions Sha Jin had given him, then looked at Zhao Jiaqi and was the first to speak:

"That’s right."

"Presiding Judge, before the trial, that lawyer named Xu Liang... once gathered everyone from the Mutual Aid Association and returned all the money that Wu Fang and Kong Jian had made."

"Then he said that once we got to court, we’d say those three never made any profit."

"After that he also said the drug had no problem, and had a few patients who recovered in the hospital disguise their recovery data as if it was the fake medicine that treated them, to pretend the drug was effective..."

"..."

The more the three of them talked, the more they said.

Somehow, even accusations that Sha Jin had clearly never coached them on, they still dumped all in one go onto Xu Liang.

As if... the three of them were even more eager than Sha Jin to see Xu Liang, Feng Nan and the others lose the case!

"Back at the hospital before, was it these three that Sha Jin was in contact with?"

Xu Liang thought it over, not the least bit flustered, and instead figured out when the three had been bought off.

But all Feng Nan could feel was a wave of "betrayed."

Her husband helped them buy the drugs at zero profit, and even Li Ye himself couldn’t bear to take this generic drug...

Yet in the end, what they got in return was a stab in the back... and they were putting in more effort than Sha Jin!

Feng Nan closed her eyes, her expression full of pain.

The sound from the witness stand kept coming.

"Presiding Judge, all these things were what the defendants told us to say!"

"Back then those three, Li Ye and the others, sold to us at nine thousand a bottle, making six thousand profit on each bottle, and the drug had absolutely no effect. Li Guang’s kid was even poisoned to death, alive, right in front of us!!!"

Yang Hao spoke to Zhao Jiaqi with deep emotion, his voice so loud it echoed through the entire courtroom.

Zhao Jiaqi fell silent.

One side says the other side bribed them, the other side says the bribery came from the opposite side.

One side says the other side coerced their testimony, the other side says it’s the opposite side that colluded on statements.

If there were no evidence, it would be fine; she could simply choose not to accept it. But the problem was, they both had evidence!

If it were just evidence, that would be one thing—but the problem was, all the evidence was in the form of witnesses and testimony!!!

Verifying this kind of thing was anything but simple...

Just as the courtroom fell into an eerie silence, everyone utterly stunned—

The seemingly advantaged Sha Jin suddenly spoke up.

"Presiding Judge, in order to ensure fairness and impartiality in this trial..."

"I propose that both myself and opposing counsel be recused!"

For a moment, everyone froze, then all at once looked up.

They saw Sha Jin at the plaintiff’s table wearing a faint smile. Clearly, what had just been said was exactly what he wanted.

Except...

"Recusal?"

Zhao Jiaqi paused, her brows furrowing. She stared at Sha Jin for a long time before finally speaking:

"Counsel for the plaintiff, please repeat what you just said!"

Hearing this, Sha Jin took a deep breath and slowly spoke:

"I request, in order to ensure fairness and impartiality in this trial, that the court recuse the defendant’s counsel, Xu Liang, as well as the plaintiff’s counsel, Sha Jin..."

"and remove us from these proceedings!"

The instant these words fell, everyone in the courtroom was stunned.

Recusal?

What is recusal?

It’s basically no different from expulsion!

Being kicked out of the courtroom, no longer allowed to participate in the investigation or hearing of the case!!!

By rights, no lawyer ever wants to encounter this situation—unless the one being recused is the opposing counsel. But Sha Jin was asking to have himself recused along with the other side...

What did that even mean!?

For a moment, while the people in the gallery were still wondering, reporter Zhang Tao seemed to think of something, and his eyes shot to the plaintiff with sudden shock.

Just then, Chai Shiring was looking at Xu Liang, a gentle smile on his face, but with murder hidden beneath it!

"The case was taken by Blue Shield Law Firm. The firm has nine Top-Notch Lawyers and dozens of elite attorneys. When Dong Jianbao withdrew from the trial, Sha Jin stepped in. If Sha Jin withdraws, there are still plenty of others just as formidable to take over."

"But... what about the other side?"

Chai Shiring glanced at the defense table, where only Xu Liang sat, and a trace of contempt flashed through his eyes.

If the other side loses him...

Who can they send in his place!?

Yang Ruoxi? Or Su Yu!?

Or maybe those few interns!?

Don’t be ridiculous. Those rookies can’t even handle Chen Liang. How are they supposed to go up against someone like Dong Jianbao and his lot!?

In the entire Conscience Law Firm, only Xu Liang could really fight. Even if Chai Shiring used his whole firm, a team built of Top-Notch Lawyers, to trade himself for the other side’s one attorney, he’d still come out way ahead!

This was the difference in a law firm’s foundation.

Even if it was just a straight-up piece-for-piece trade, dragging you out of the courtroom along with him, you’d have absolutely no way to stop it!!!

So...

Sha Jin looked at Zhao Jiaqi and spoke.

"Honorable Presiding Judge, please approve the request."

"The plaintiff... applies to have certain attorneys from both sides recused!"

All of a sudden—

A dark mass of gazes surged toward Zhao Jiaqi like a tidal wave!