Take the ferry across Victoria Bay from the Star Ferry Pier. Even if you are a public servant, or even if you are going to attend a court hearing, you still have to gather together with other people who are working across the sea, break the waves, and drift to the other side.
Jiayi looked out the window, trying to see the Avenue of Stars that she saw in her memory when she traveled here in her previous life through the small window, which was actually very stable and not swaying.
But she failed. She only saw the cold blue sea in the early morning, the blue-gray high-rise buildings full of aloof temperament, and large groups of clouds that changed from cold blue to cold gray. In
Hong Kong, a city accustomed to sleeping late and getting up late, the court starts work very early, at an exaggerated seven o'clock, which makes the detectives of the police station daunted.
It turns out that to pronounce justice, you have to hurry up.
Hong Kong's legal system belongs to the Anglo-American legal system. Many people in law classes call it the maritime legal system, which is probably to distinguish it from the mainland legal system.
Jiayi, who has watched many Hong Kong dramas since childhood, is not unfamiliar with the court. Those handsome lawyers who are powerful and eloquent, the completely different jury system, and the defendants standing in glass cabinets like British and American dramas... are all engraved in her memory. While making people fear the law, they also have a special sense of intimacy because of their childhood memories of watching dramas.
Therefore, when walking to the court, Jiayi's mood is different from that of others. She has something more, the emotions of a young person from another time and space.
It may be an exaggeration to call it a pilgrimage, but it does have a similar feeling.
But after arriving, Jiayi found that this place was different from the ones filmed in old Hong Kong dramas.
It also looked like a company. There was a big fountain in front of the High Court located in Queensway South, which looked like the central business districts of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in the 21st century - those cities really like to build all kinds of fountains in the center of the commercial street.
The court is adjacent to the Teaware Museum. You can find great teahouses just by walking outside. Even if you don't drink tea, you can take a walk in the park that half surrounds the court.
It is really less cold and solemn, and more free and open.
When standing by the fountain, Jiayi's nervousness was reduced a lot.
Fang Zhenyue and others followed the signs with information such as "Number of reserved seats for media", "Media channel", "Petitioner channel", and "Auditor's channel" into the court. Jiayi went to the bathroom alone.
After going to the bathroom in a hurry, Jiayi tidied her white shirt and black suit jacket, wiped her black mid-heeled high-heeled shoes with a wet tissue, patted her straight trousers, raised her head slightly in front of the mirror, observed her expression, and confirmed that it was correct. Then she walked out of the bathroom with this expression and stood by the fountain waiting for others.
As she expected, the eyewitness Zhao Zhicheng came very late, only ten minutes early.
The moment the policewoman, who was already chilled by the late autumn, saw Zhao Zhicheng's lazy figure, she took a deep breath, made her eyes a little colder, and took the most imposing steps to approach the scoundrel.
When she approached him, she was discovered. Zhao Zhicheng turned around and teased: "Madam, are you waiting for me?"
Jiayi held her head high and walked side by side with him. Unlike his swaying posture, Jiayi held her head high and walked out with a majestic and dignified posture.
Jiayi raised her chin slightly, facing forward, not even glancing at Zhao Zhicheng, let alone responding to his words, she only said in a low and cold voice:
"The police already have concrete evidence that the defendant Lin Wangjiu did not push the deceased, including multiple reports and test reports provided by the Forensic Science Department, as well as the deceased's medical records and so on.
"I don't know if you have ever heard of a saying, 'One piece of environmental evidence is more useful than ten witnesses'. This is a police term, which means that evidence will not deceive people, but people will lie, so the judge will tend to favor the evidence when making a verdict.
"Zhao Zhicheng, your false testimony is nothing to the defendant Lin Wangjiu."
"..." Zhao Zhicheng turned his head to look at Yi Jiayi and found that she was not looking at him at all. The slightly raised profile of her face was still clear in the morning mist, and every curve between the ups and downs showed him arrogance, contempt and confidence.
The swaying amplitude of his walk unconsciously became smaller, and his nonchalant expression was slightly restrained. He stared at her for a while, and then he calmly forced a sneer on his face:
"Madam, are you threatening me? If you were so stable, would you wait for me here? Haha."
"..." Yi Jiayi turned her head with a smile, and a pitying and playful look swept across Zhao Zhicheng's face. She smiled softly as if she remembered something, and then said proudly:
"I'm afraid you don't understand what a threat is?
"According to Article 101I of the Criminal Procedure Ordinance, if a witness, appraiser, recorder or translator intentionally makes false testimony, appraisal, record or translation on matters that are of great relevance to the case, with the intention of framing others or concealing evidence of a crime, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention; if the circumstances are serious, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of
not less than three years but not more than seven years. "You gave false testimony to frame a public official, and the case you were involved in was a homicide of the highest level. Do you think it is a serious case?
" "You are in your twenties now? In another seven years, you will be in your thirties. You have spent all your youth in prison.
"Oh, by the way, Stanley Prison has the most beautiful sunrise over the sea. You should like it."
Zhao Zhicheng's face turned pale in an instant.
No matter what Yi Jiayi said or her tone and attitude, they angered him to varying degrees.
Turning around, Zhao Zhicheng opened his mouth to refute, but Jiayi seemed to have anticipated what he was going to say, and seamlessly connected her words just now, interrupting his unspoken angry rebuke:
"Are you trying to say that it may not be possible to prove that you are a perjurer? You may not be sentenced to 7 years?
" "Let me tell you one more thing. The father of Lin Wangjiu's direct superior is one of the top 5 richest people in Hong Kong. He has money and can hire the best lawyer. No, it is safer to hire a whole team of lawyers. What do you think?
"In this way, the police have evidence and the most professional team to sue you. Guess, can you serve the full 7 years?
" "Ah, it's really happy to think about it.
"Not only can we send you to jail and vent our anger, but we can also publicize it in the newspaper to scare future generations from bearing false witnesses. For the police, it's something they have to do no matter how they think about it."
Jiayi suddenly stopped, turned around and smiled at Zhao Zhicheng.
The cold pressure just now turned into mechanical contempt and ridicule the moment she finished speaking.
Zhao Zhicheng looked at her softened features, and when he met her smiling eyes that were clearly curved, he felt more wary than when he faced her cold eyes.
The hairs on his body even stood up when he looked into her eyes, and he felt a sense of horror as if he was watching a horror movie.
"Do your best, I'll keep an eye on you during the trial later."
Jiayi finished speaking, staring at him with a stiff and cold look in her eyes, and slightly pulled the corners of her mouth straight.
This is a very subtle expression: the muscles near the mouth move, but the eyebrows and facial muscles on the nose remain motionless.
She practiced this expression many times in front of the mirror last night, referring to the expression of a tiger when facing its prey.
The tiger will roll its eyes, twitch the muscles around its mouth slightly, and make a subtle expression of baring its teeth - that is the expression of a beast when it is ready to pounce and bite.
Humans will instinctively feel fear for such an expression.
Jiayi could not bar her teeth at Zhao Zhicheng, so she carefully and rigorously learned this micro-expression.
Just for this moment.
Seeing Zhao Zhicheng holding his breath and staring back at her as if he was extremely angry, all the muscles and body language in his body were conveying to her defense and caution.
Jiayi knew that her goal had been achieved, so she suddenly accelerated and walked into the court with big strides.
She left Zhao Zhicheng, who was in a state of confusion, where he was, and did not look back.
...
In the courtroom, Jiayi sat in the audience seat, next to the detectives from Group B.
With a cry of "ah", the red-robed judge walked into the courtroom, and with the sound of the gavel, the solemn atmosphere of the trial filled the entire room.
The prosecutors and lawyers wearing white wigs sat in the first two rows of the litigation area, with the jury seats on the left and the witness seats on the right. The defendant Lin Wangjiu sat in the glass-covered room at the back, looking quietly at the judge who was sitting upright.
Although the judge sat in the top center, with his back against the majestic flag, and was the "master" of the trial, the trial of the maritime law system seemed to be led by the lawyers at the beginning.
The young and capable lawyers had a long time to ask questions, and they spoke in a rhythmic manner, controlling the situation with ease.
Jiayi felt the charm of the classic lawyers in those old dramas, and she envied them very much. She wanted to become such a person, pointing out the way, making powerful speeches, and shining.
Although the detectives prepared a lot of evidence, they still felt nervous and worried when watching the trial.
Especially when it was the turn of the eyewitnesses to go to court to make statements and answer the lawyers' questions, everyone sat up straight and stared at Zhao Zhicheng with their eyes as if they wanted to set him on fire.
Jiayi sat in the audience seat close to the aisle, frowned, and stared at him with a cold expression.
Zhao Zhicheng sat on the witness stand surrounded by wooden fences and swore that what he was going to say next would be true. But when he read the word "honesty", he kept thinking back to the expression and words of Officer Yi Jiayi. This made him stumble several times while reciting the oath, and he became more and more nervous under the watchful eyes of the public.
He had never felt afraid when his adrenaline surged during street fights.
A man who seemed not to be afraid of death now felt like sitting on pins and needles.
Zhao Zhicheng seemed to see those black and white eyes staring at him, and her threatening words were like sharp bells ringing in his ears, making him look towards the seats in the court.
He didn't even know that his eyes were a little anxious when he was searching for that figure.
Finally, he saw Officer Yi Jiayi sitting by the aisle. She even looked quiet there. But when their eyes met, he felt an electric shock like a cold knife slashing his eyes.
Stanley Prison... 7 years... Sufficient evidence... I will definitely sue you... The best legal team...
Those words kept repeating in his mind, and Zhao Zhiben's not-so-smart brain was so sluggish that he could hardly think of anything else. He also answered the lawyer's questions haltingly, and even a little bit incoherent.
When the lawyer revealed his past criminal record one by one and kept asking him "Do you agree?", he was rubbing his head on the chair like a person with ADHD, and kept digging his fingers into the wooden table in front of him.
"I agree."
"I agree."
"I agree..."
Every "Do you agree?" was like a death knell approaching in the countdown. Zhao Zhicheng realized the reality of "sufficient evidence" and understood that Officer Yi was not just threatening him. He understood that they really had a lot of evidence and a lot of preparation.
So was it worth it for him to give false testimony just to vent his anger on the police and sacrifice his 7 years of freedom?
If the risk was so great, if he could really be discovered if he gave false testimony, would he really do it?
The negative answer was about to come out, and he became more and more hesitant.
When people are entangled in choices, they are always extremely anxious and painful, and may even feel panic.
Zhao Zhicheng was still filled with anger. He didn't know whether he was angry at himself for being so cowardly and weak, or at the police's strong counterattack.
He clenched his fists and stared at his whitening knuckles. When the judge shocked the court with the gavel, he lowered his head and told the truth.
"I only saw a man running in front. When he was about to jump on the fence, he suddenly fell down. The man behind him didn't touch the deceased. He was still several steps away from the deceased. At that time, the man chasing behind shouted at the man in front to stop and cooperate with the police, but the deceased ignored him..."
The lawyer was stunned. This was different from the information he had received in advance.
But he quickly adjusted his mood, turned around and pointed at Lin Wangjiu in the glass case, and questioned Zhao Zhicheng: "Is the person you said who chased the deceased this police officer Lin Wangjiu?"
Zhao Zhicheng looked up at Lin Wangjiu, nodded, and then lowered his head. After the lawyer asked again, he answered: "Yes."
Jiayi closed her eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and exhaled forcefully.
She stood up, bowed to the judge, and turned to leave.
There are so many interesting teahouses outside the court. Before the trial ends, she wants to go and have a cup of hot tea, taste the tea fragrance of Hong Kong, and experience the peace and happiness after many days of running around and worrying.
...
In the courtroom, the reporters sitting in the media seats gasped or sighed in confusion after hearing what Zhao Zhicheng said, and some even turned around and whispered to the people around them.
"How could this happen?"
"Isn't he a witness for the opposing party? Didn't he say he saw the police officer push someone?"
"Yes, how did he suddenly become Officer Lin's witness?"
"I think he heard that the police had too much official evidence and was afraid that the defendant would obstruct justice, so he changed his words temporarily."
"Tsk, it turned out to be like this... I really didn't expect it."
"It's an opportunity, I can write about it later."
"Yes, for example, [In the face of justice, no one dares to lie] [During the trial, the false witness was inspired by the righteousness of the court and spoke frankly]."
"That's right."
The reporters were shocked, and the detectives sitting in the gallery were also surprised.
Zhao Zhicheng had provoked him many times before, but he refused to budge. How could he suddenly change his ways?
Everyone was talking in private, and the judge had to slam the gavel in the courtroom again to quiet everyone down before the trial could proceed.
Only Uncle Jiu, who was inside the glass case, tilted his head slightly, watched Jiayi leave, and pursed his lips in thought.
...
The trial ended smoothly, and the judge ruled that Lin Wangjiu was not guilty of murder or manslaughter, and the defendant was released in court.
Qiu Susan stood up and looked up at the high ceiling, and she smiled unconsciously.
Turning her head, she said to Fang Zhenyue, "The incident in which Uncle Jiu was punished for misbelieving the informant's false information has come to an end. Ximing has been found, and some old things that could not be let go are finally settled."
"Maybe there was no way I could save him, and he died of illness in the old house, so Ximing collapsed." Fang Zhenyue followed Qiu Sushan out of the court, took off the muted BB call from his waist, turned around and asked Fang Zhenyue, "Where is Yi Jiayi?"
Fang Zhenyue then also took off the muted BB call from his waist, read the message left by Jiayi, and replied, "In the teahouse next door, it seems that she believed that Uncle Jiu was fine, so she secretly ran away to enjoy herself."
"Call Uncle Jiu back to the police station to continue working, and then go to the teahouse to pick up Yi Jiayi." Qiu Sushan held the BB call, and a smile appeared on her face when she looked up.
"Madam, don't be so cruel. Uncle Jiu just survived this ordeal, and you won't even give him half a day off?" Liu Jiaming came over and glared at Qiu Sushan with a tilted head in mock anger.
"We've been working on this case for a few days, and Uncle Jiu has only had a few days off." Qiu Sushan tapped Liu Jiaming's arm, "You go and call Uncle Jiu!"
"Yes, madam!" Liu Jiaming responded loudly.
"Which teahouse is Eleven in?" Qiu Sushan asked Fang Zhenyue, but she didn't hear the answer. She turned around and found that he was standing there, staring at Zhao Zhicheng who walked out of the court.
The scoundrel walked out with his head down and was immediately surrounded by reporters.
The reporters only asked questions like "Why did you suddenly change your words?" "Is there any inside story?" "Were you threatened by someone?" "Did you give false testimony before? Do you feel guilty now, or what?" Some of them were malicious traps, and some were just digging for the truth.
Zhao Zhicheng just kept walking forward, pushing the reporters away without answering.
He seemed to know that his presence here today was really a joke and he had lost face.
"If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place." Sanfu was also looking at Zhao Zhicheng and couldn't help complaining.
"You won't cry until you see the coffin." Fang Zhenyue patted Sanfu on the shoulder, "The fact that everyone has found evidence to this extent must have been an important factor in forcing him not to give false testimony." Sanfu
smiled and followed Brother Yue out of the court, walked around the fountain, and turned to a small teahouse surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows not far away.
Seeing Gary following him, Fang Zhenyue took out a bottle of the most expensive bruise spray from his pocket and threw it.
Gary caught it with one hand, looked down at the trademark of the small bottle, and couldn't help laughing.
"Thank you, Brother Yue." Gary shook the small bottle in his hand cheerfully, as if getting medicine for injuries was something worth celebrating.
The young detective accompanied Brother Da Guangming and Jiayi to do the push-down and fall experiment. He didn't take it seriously, but someone cared about the bruises on his body. He felt happy.
He felt that the fact that Uncle Jiu was acquitted became even more gratifying.
Fang Zhenyue walked into the teahouse in a line, only to find that there were 7 small tea bowls on the long table where Jiayi was sitting. She seemed to have calculated that everyone would come at this time, and ordered tea for everyone.
Everyone sat around, each holding a cup and sipping it while it was still hot. The esophagus was warm, the mouth was filled with the aroma of tea, and the body and mind felt relaxed.
"Why hasn't Uncle Jiu come yet?" Jiayi peeked out the window and finally saw Liu Jiaming pulling Uncle Jiu away from Aunt Jiu, and the two of them strode towards this side.
I don't know what they said, but suddenly they all lowered their heads and laughed. Liu Jiaming even patted Uncle Jiu on the back, as if to help Uncle Jiu get rid of bad luck.
Uncle Jiu flashed into the small teahouse, and the proprietress who was leaning over the counter greeted him with a smile as the door opened.
Uncle Jiu was refreshed, nodded to the proprietress, and then walked to the table where everyone was sitting.
Qiu Susan took the lead, and all the detectives stood up, raised their tea cups to congratulate Uncle Jiu for regaining his freedom and passing this level with a clear conscience.
Uncle Jiu was moved to tears by the atmosphere and laughed awkwardly.
"Thank you for your hard work in handling this case. Let's have tea instead of wine!" Uncle Jiu picked up the teacup, raised it high to the brothers and sisters in front of him, and then drank it all in one gulp .
"It's what everyone should do." Qiu Susan smiled and raised her cup to drink tea.
Everyone raised their heads to drink tea, as if they were drinking wine.
"Thanks to Gary for helping with the experiment, he fell many times." Jiayi patted Gary on the back and asked Uncle Jiu for credit.
"Thanks to Jiaming for visiting and taking notes."
"Thanks to Brother Yue for transferring the files and asking Brother Da Guangming for the footprints..."
"Thanks to Sanfu..."
"Thanks to Madam..."
Everyone was laughing and praising each other, and Uncle Jiu also smiled and said "thank you" one after another.
Finally, when talking about splitting the team into two to tackle two major problems, insisting on visiting clinics one by one to finally get the medical records, asking Da Guangming and Gary to go to the crime scene to do experiments again and again, and checking the files of the false witness Zhao Zhicheng, everyone's eyes turned to Jiayi.
After counting carefully, I realized that this pretty girl who was waiting for everyone with good tea actually did so many things.
Uncle Jiu tasted Jiayi's persistence and sleepless running during the investigation. She was more devoted than doing her own work, and she also had that trust.
Mingming Shiyi was the last to join the team. He has been a detective for less than half a year, and they have only known each other for a few months...
Lin Wangjiu raised his arms, stared at the young girl, and his eyes were surging.
After a few seconds, his raised hand finally passed Jiayi and landed behind Liu Jiaming's head, gently rubbing the thick and fluffy short hair on the back of his head.
Liu Jiaming felt the strength and restraint of Uncle Jiu's palm, and knew that this palm carried many complex emotions of Uncle Jiu.
Was it gratitude? Was it touching? Was it a rebirth-like relief? Or was it something more profound, more weighty, and more complex?
Liu Jiaming couldn't explain it clearly, but when Uncle Jiu rubbed the back of his head, his chest suddenly felt hot, and something he couldn't explain was mobilized, and he actually felt a little jealous.
Liu Jiaming also knew that he was Eleven's "brain substitute", and Uncle Jiu stretched out his hand to rub the back of Eleven's head, but his hand was not able to reach down.
But Liu Jiaming was forced to get involved in this excitement, when Uncle Jiu put his forearm on Liu Jiaming's shoulder, slowly pulled away and took back his hand. Little Jiaming suddenly rushed over and gave Uncle Jiu a hug.
He hammered Uncle Jiu's back, causing him to cough.
He didn't know what he was going to say or do, but the feeling of emotional filling was very strong. He was enjoying the atmosphere flowing around everyone, and was also venting, conveying and experiencing it.
Uncle Jiu patted Liu Jiaming's shoulder, and when the young man stood up and grinned, he took Liu Jiaming's arm and raised his head to meet Fang Zhenyue's eyes.
The tall man stood a few steps away, not sharing the hug, but also smiling.
Lin Wangjiu nodded, and Fang Zhenyue nodded as well.
The two seemed to have exchanged some kind of signals. Jiayi thought that if translated, it would probably not look so cool. It would just be "Thank you, Sir Fang" and "It's okay, Uncle Jiu."
Fortunately, they didn't speak. This exchange of eyes and small movements retained the cool temperament of the two sirs.
Jiayi pursed her lips, and the factor of joy was dancing at the corners of her lips.
Walking over, she gently hugged Liu Jiaming and Jiu Shu, and boldly stretched out her arms to gently hug Xia Zhenyue, then turned around and patted Sanfu and Gary, and when Qiu Susan rushed over, she tilted her head and leaned on Madam's shoulder.
Jiayi was more generous than the elders in the room, and passed on warmth to every guy who was pretending and was obviously moved but embarrassed to express it.
Everyone looked at her eyes moving around, and after looking at her one after another, I don’t know whose laughter point was triggered first, and laughter suddenly broke out in the teahouse, giggle hehe hahaha...
The sun shone in, generously splashing. The sky was finally clear.