Justifiable Defence Episode 15 (Ending) Recap
> Justifiable Defence Recap
Duan Hongshan reflected on how the case involving Li Mufeng fourteen years prior significantly impacted Wuyan City, leading to a drastic reduction in student fights causing injury or death and the near disappearance of campus bullying. He noted that teachers began to reflect, students became more cautious, those who were bullied learned the limits of resistance, and bullies witnessed the direst consequences. However, Li Mufeng countered, questioning what societal changes had to do with his own ruined life.
He explained that while Duan Hongshan was only detained for seven days, he himself endured four years in prison. Despite his efforts to reform and his naive hope for a new beginning, the label of "murderer" stuck with him. He was unable to secure employment, couldn't pass political screening for the bar exam, struggled to rent a place, and was constantly stopped by police. Even his own mother refused to see him.
Feeling utterly hopeless and considering suicide, Li Mufeng was saved by Zhou Delong. Zhou Delong, deeply affected by his son Zhou Lin's death, often experienced mental instability and would sometimes mistake Li Mufeng for Zhou Lin. He firmly believed Mei Zheng was responsible for his son's death and harbored a strong resentment towards her, extending his hatred to Duan Hongshan for persistently assisting Mei Zheng, perceiving their relationship as inappropriate.
When Li Mufeng sought a chance to compensate him, Zhou Delong retorted that compensation was due from Mei Zheng, who he believed seduced his son, and from Duan Hongshan, the prosecutor he deemed unable to distinguish right from wrong. Zhou Delong admitted his own fault for not spending enough time with Zhou Lin, which he felt gave others the opportunity to harm his son. He described vivid dreams of his son, standing covered in blood and reaching out for him.
When asked what he would have done if Li had been the one stabbed years ago, Zhou Delong declared he would have died to atone to Li's family. Convinced Mei Zheng was problematic, he pressed Li Mufeng for the truth about his son's death. Li Mufeng informed Zhou Delong about Jiang Ting's case, mentioning that Duan Hongshan intended to rule it as justifiable defense, likely influenced by Mei Zheng's testimony.
Convinced this was false testimony, Zhou Delong vowed to report Duan Hongshan and remove him from his position. Diagnosed with terminal cancer and having only two months to live, Zhou Delong urged Li Mufeng to devise a plan. His greatest fear was dying before seeing Duan Hongshan face consequences, revealing that his heart had died with his son until he met Li Mufeng, who reminded him of Lin and provided companionship.
With only one goal left—to make Duan Hongshan pay—Li Mufeng presented a plan that Zhou Delong praised as perfect, allowing for revenge and a challenge to the legal system without direct involvement. Duan Hongshan later recalled that on the afternoon of his abduction, Li Mufeng had visited his daughter, Duan Yingying, at her school. Li gave her a glass ball, ostensibly as a good luck charm for an upcoming interview.
Unbeknownst to Duan, the glass ball contained a listening device, allowing Zhou Delong to monitor his home from a nearby location. The plan culminated at the East Suburb Fishery, where Zhou Delong held Duan Hongshan captive. Following Li Mufeng’s instructions, Zhou used a fake livestream application on a phone to stage a public "trial," aiming to coerce Duan into admitting his perceived error from fourteen years ago.
A fake stream was used to avoid leaving digital traces that could lead police to them. During the staged event, Zhou Delong accused Duan of being a corrupt prosecutor, while Li Mufeng, watching from his car, fueled the "chat" with inflammatory comments like "That corrupt official deserved to die." When Duan Hongshan insisted that the law protects everyone, not just the rich, the confrontation escalated.
Duan managed to break free, grab the knife from Zhou Delong, and fatally wound him in self-defense before escaping to report the incident. Later, Li Mufeng arrived at the scene and threw the phone used for the fake stream into the water to destroy evidence. While investigating, Fang Lingyuan observed a piece of glass art, a Prince Rupert's Drop, at a museum.
She learned it contained molten platinum, a component commonly used in cell phones, and realized Li Mufeng's "hiding in plain sight" tactic involved melting his own phone into the art piece and publicly displaying it. She confronted Li Mufeng, referencing specific comments posted during the fake livestream, such as, "If the law won't punish him, then we will."
She noted that the insults Duan Hongshan had recited during the broadcast were the very same ones Li Mufeng himself had faced fourteen years ago. Mei Zheng revealed to Li Mufeng that she was aware of his manipulative actions, including his deliberate disclosure of Jiang Ting's address to Zhang Yuan to keep her out of their trouble. She explained that she had seen Li Mufeng and Zhou Delong together outside Duan Hongshan's residence, which led her to suspect their connection.
When Duan Hongshan was later kidnapped, she correctly surmised Li Mufeng's involvement and realized the entire situation was his design. To aid him and draw him out, she intentionally changed her phone. Mei Zheng declared that they were now accomplices, then abandoned her train ticket and went to the police.
Duan Hongshan, back at the Wuyan Municipal People's Procuratorate, prepared to report on the case, reflecting on his journey from wearing a prosecutor's uniform to a detention center vest and back to his office within seven precious days. He thanked Fang Lingyuan, who in turn thanked him, recalling his closing statement from Li Mufeng's case fourteen years prior.
She cited Duan Hongshan's words about the duty of legal professionals to clarify legal boundaries to prevent crime, saying the speech had opened her eyes and saved her life. This referred to a time in her youth when she was bullied and had considered retaliating with a knife, which she ultimately discarded. Duan Yingying's life at school also returned to normal after her father was cleared.
As a result of the events, Li Mufeng was suspected of unlawful detention, and Mei Zheng was suspected of aiding in the destruction of evidence; both cases were transferred to the procuratorate for legal review.
