Chapter 322: A Miracle in Desperate Times (Part 2)

On February 25th, the day of the third trial in the Little Brooke fraud case, Zhou Ming and lawyer Alan arrived at the door of the Brighton Court. Looking at the situation outside, Zhou Ming smiled: 'I knew that today's trial would be extraordinary, but I didn't expect the view to be so spectacular.'

'As expected, Old Brook is a very cunning politician. He wants to make the best use of this last court hearing. It seems that today is destined to be very unfavorable for us,' said Alan with a heavy tone.

The reason why both Zhou Ming and Alan said so was because they saw the reporters waiting at the court gate. They were obviously called by Old Brook for the purpose of publicizing the case of Little Brook, so that the court's verdict would be broadcasted as soon as possible. Once the result is in their favor, they will face a lot of public pressure.

'Since there are so many reporters here, then Lawyer Allen, today we need to cheer up.'

Zhou Ming said this to Allen and got off the car first. Allen followed him helplessly. He knew very well that by doing this, Lao Brook was preparing to knock them down and then stomp on them a few times, but why was Zhou Ming so indifferent to all this?

'Look! Over there is the Chinese Zhou Ming and Lawyer Allen!'

Zhou Ming and Alan had wanted to sneak into the courthouse, but the reporters were obviously waiting at the door to block them, so they were quickly discovered. With a shout, the reporters all gathered around them at once, asking them questions.

'Hello Mr. Zhou Ming and Attorney Alan. Can you tell us why you are still insisting on continuing with the proceedings when all the evidence has been overturned and even the prosecution has dropped the charges? Is it because of your personal grudge with Mr. Brook? Are you deliberately using the proceedings to settle your personal score? Mr. Zhou Ming, is it true that you were exposed to having an immoral relationship with your female class teacher?'

Zhou Ming was surrounded by a lot of people, but Alan was also not spared: 'Can Attorney Alan tell us why you want to pursue this lawsuit? Is it because Zhou Ming has given you a lot of money, or is it for some other reason? You, as the most prestigious attorney in Massachusetts, have volunteered to take on such a lawsuit. Don't you feel like you are gambling with your own future and reputation? What is your purpose in doing this?'

Facing one question after another from the reporters, Zhou Ming and Alan did not answer, but just pushed their way through the crowd with bodyguard Zhang Lin's way opening the way, and entered the courthouse.

However, as soon as they entered the courthouse, they saw a familiar figure waiting here: 'Isn't this Zhou Ming from China and barrister Alan? Are there a lot of reporters outside interviewing you? It seems that you will soon become the newsmakers dominating the headlines in Massachusetts. Congratulations.'

'Brooke, don't think that you've won just because the prosecutor's office has withdrawn the charges,' Zhou Ming said.

The person in front of them was the person they had sued, Brock. Since the prosecutor's office had dropped the charges against him, without a judicial authority, he naturally no longer needed to be detained and forced to appear.

'Oh, I'm so scared, so you haven't given up the charges against me? What should I do?'

Little Brooke said to Zhou Ming with a very exaggerated expression, but then he changed the subject and continued, 'But do you think you can still do it? Now that the testimony of the black man and the bitch Jie La is invalid, how can you convict me? You are now like an idiot who has walked onto a cliff, and in front of you there is only one way to go, which is to jump.'

'Of course,' continued Xiao Brook, 'you can't not come today, because I'm ready. I'll sue you for defamation. Do you know why all those reporters are here? They're here to see your desperate and aggrieved expression!'

'But I think I might disappoint you today, because we Chinese believe that there is always a way out of a desperate situation.'

Zhou Ming left Xiao Brook with these words and walked into the court, ignoring how Xiao Brook was jumping up and down behind him.

The court opened at 9am. Zhou Ming and Alan walked into the courtroom and sat down. After the judge had made his usual opening remarks, this time before Alan could say anything, Brooke's lawyer, Sapir, stood up and spoke.

'Good morning, Your Honour and members of the jury. Today is already the third ridiculous court appearance in which my client has been accused of fraud. Please forgive me for using the word ridiculous, because this accusation seems to me to be a farce!

Sapir continued, 'First of all, there is our private prosecutor, Mr. Zhou Ming, who harboured a grudge against my client from the start and therefore immediately and maliciously suspected my client when the fraud occurred. Then there is the witness, Mr. Hem, who, after failing to defraud Zhou Ming's dormitory convenience store, did everything he could to get off the hook, and insisted that it was my client who instructed him to do so.'

'This is very unfair to my client!' Sapir emphasized, and pointed at Ming Zhou and continued, 'What are they? A crazy person with delusions of persecution and a fraudster. Such a combination would be possible if they ran for president, but it is absolutely impossible to prove my client's guilt in court in front of the judge and the jurors!'

'Therefore,' Sapir concluded, 'I am not here to emphasize or prove anything, but to make everyone see clearly that my client is the victim of this farce orchestrated by a madman and a liar!'

As Sapir's last word fell, there was an immediate burst of applause, and the judge rapped his gavel to indicate silence.

When the room fell silent, the judge looked at Zhou Ming and Alan and asked, 'Prosecution, do you have anything else to say? If not, I will adjourn the court and begin the verdict.'

Facing the judge's inquiry, Zhou Ming and Alan looked at each other. Finally, Zhou Ming stood up and said, 'Your Honour and members of the jury, in fact, I have a lot to say, but now I feel that no matter how much I say, it seems to be useless. So I only have one question for Your Honour, and I hope you will answer me truthfully.'

'The plaintiff asks, as long as it is within my duties and is related to this case, I will answer you truthfully,' the judge said.

'Your Honour, please rest assured that my question will definitely be related to the case and will not exceed your scope of authority. I will not ask you whether you will marry someone like me,' Zhou Ming then asked, 'I want to ask if you will acquit Brooke?'

'I'm sorry, I can't answer this question, because the verdict I still need to consult with the jurors' opinions, not just me alone can decide,' the judge replied.

'Since Your Honour cannot answer this question, then let me help you. I say you will definitely acquit Brooke.'

Zhou Ming spoke in a loud voice, so that the entire courtroom could hear him. Everyone was taken aback by this answer, and they all whispered to each other in disbelief. Even the judge froze there, momentarily forgetting to knock the wooden mallet to demand silence in the courtroom.

However, Zhou Ming obviously was not surprised. That was not enough, so he continued, 'The reason I said this is because I know that Your Honour has a deep friendship with the Brook family, and it is even possible that he has accepted bribes from the Brook family. Therefore, I can assert that he will definitely acquit Brook!'

Zhou Ming then took out a stack of photos and handed them to the lawyer Alan, asking him to distribute them to all the reporters in the hearing room. Meanwhile, he said, 'I am not a paranoid lunatic suffering from persecution. Everything I have said is based on facts, just like the accusations against Brook's classmates. And the basis for what I said about the judge is these photos you can see.'

'I happened to come across these photos in a restaurant in the centre of Brighton. They show the judge and Brook's family butler having dinner together. The time is written on the back of the photo. shows the time, which was a month ago, right after the first trial. I suspect that this must have been after that trial, because all the evidence was very unfavorable to Student Brooke, so the old butler came up with this method to change the verdict,' said Zhou Ming.

If Zhou Ming's previous words only surprised everyone, then at this moment Zhou Ming's words shocked everyone.

No one could have imagined that Zhou Ming would produce such evidence. His target was actually the presiding judge of this trial, taking everyone by surprise. Sapir stood there, not knowing what to say, while the judge was stunned for a while before saying, 'Private prosecutor, these words of yours are completely groundless and non-existent. You are insulting and slandering the judge in court. I have the right to evict you from court!'

'Your Honour, if you want to do this, please make the order quickly, because you are now the only judge in the trial. I have already submitted a complaint to the higher court and reported you to the judicial department for violating the Basic Law for Judges,' Zhou Ming said.

As if to prove Zhou Ming's words, as soon as Zhou Ming's words fell, the courtroom door was immediately opened, and several people in FBI uniforms walked in. The lead officer said, 'Hello Judge Galler, I am Deputy Director Mueller of the FBI Massachusetts Branch. According to the report that you are suspected of judicial violations, please assist us in the investigation. You have the right to remain silent, but everything you say will be recorded.'

As Mueller finished speaking, the two FBI agents behind him put on handcuffs and went up to arrest the judge.

Then Mueller said to the old butler sitting in the dock, 'Hello, you are suspected of obstructing justice. Please also come with us to assist in the investigation. You have the right to remain silent, or consult your lawyer before you speak.'

The old butler was then treated the same way as the judge and was handcuffed and taken away by two FBI agents.

At first, the butler did not react, but when the coldness of the handcuffs stimulated his nerves, he immediately struggled: 'Let me go, I haven't done anything illegal, I haven't obstructed justice, you can't arrest me!'

The butler yelled and yelled, but the FBI agents simply ignored him. The butler then turned his anger on Zhou Ming, and he angrily cursed, 'Zhou Ming, you yellow-skinned scum, you won't end well, I won't let you go!'

'I'm very sorry that our intervention has disrupted this trial, but I don't think this trial is valid anymore.'

With these words, Mueller left with his men, but before he left, he gave Zhou Ming a deep look, and after he left, several people walked in.

The leader of the group came in and announced, 'Hello everyone, I am Judge Snieter of the Massachusetts Circuit Court. In view of Judge Galler's illegal actions during this trial, this case will be transferred to the Massachusetts Circuit Court for retrial.'