Justifiable Defence Episode 4 Recap
> Justifiable Defence Recap
On the night Duan Hongshan was abducted by Zhou Delong, there was a full moon. A fisherman explained that this meant no one was present at the East Suburb Fishery because the farm-raised yellow croakers kept there cannot be exposed to light, not even moonlight, or they turn silver and lose value. This absence of people made the fishery a suitable location for Zhou Delong to bring Duan Hongshan.
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Fang Lingyuan received news that one phone had been found, believed to be the one Zhou Delong used for livestreaming, based on Duan Hongshan's description. Recovery of data from the seawater-damaged phone was difficult, but the technical team was working on it. Fang Lingyuan asked who found the phone and was told it was a pretty female diver brought in from the aquarium.
Later, Fang Lingyuan questioned Duan Hongshan again about the time it took him to drive from the fishery to the police station, which he stated was forty-three minutes in the victim's car, precisely measured by the duration of a song playing on the music player. She noted that fishermen at the site claimed the drive took at most thirty minutes and that they hadn't heard any calls for help.
Fang Lingyuan questioned if he had taken a detour to delay help for a severely injured person, suggesting he might have intended to temporize. Duan Hongshan denied delaying, stating he had just survived a life-or-death struggle, was injured and it was dark and raining; taking a little longer was reasonable, and he clearly understood the conditions for justifiable defense, wouldn't intentionally put himself at a disadvantage. Fang Lingyuan pressed him on whether he knew Zhou Delong.
Duan Hongshan reiterated that he only knew Zhou Lin's mother from the original case and did not know Zhou Delong before the kidnapping. Fang Lingyuan then told him Zhou Delong lived right next door, listening in and spying on him, suggesting Duan Hongshan might have acted first to protect his daughter.
Duan Hongshan insisted he had never met Zhou Delong before the abduction and stated he couldn't prove this, just as he couldn't prove he didn't bring the knife into the library. Fang Lingyuan informed Duan Hongshan that photos found at Zhou Delong's home showed frequent contact between Duan Hongshan and Mei Zheng recently. Duan Hongshan did not respond to this. Fang Lingyuan concluded the case had many suspicious points that needed time to sort out.
She also informed him that families from over twenty cases he had handled previously had come back to the procuratorate, calling him a murderer and demanding appeals and retrials, leading to an investigation by the Provincial Procuratorate. She noted his family, including his daughter Duan Yingying, were now regarded as the suspect's family and were likely having a difficult time at school. After facing difficulties at school, Duan Yingying went to Li Mufeng.
She asked him to take her to see her father at the detention center. Standing outside, she asked Li Mufeng if her father had really killed someone. He told her he believed Director Duan only acted to protect himself and it was an accidental killing.
When she mentioned others calling her father a murderer and a bad person, Li Mufeng explained that killing someone doesn't necessarily lead to conviction, and even if convicted, it doesn't automatically mean a person is bad. Duan Yingying commented that she used to think distinguishing good from bad was easy, but no longer felt that way.
Fang Lingyuan went to Mei Zheng and showed her the photos found at Zhou Delong's house showing her frequent contact with Duan Hongshan, asking for an explanation. Mei Zheng stated she had answered everything fourteen years ago and this wasn't the place for such questions, pointing out that the photo wasn't from fourteen years ago.
Mei Zheng commented that in Wuyan, if you want to avoid someone, they'll never find you, but if you want to see someone, you can do so within a day. She questioned what a single photo could prove. Fang Lingyuan countered that one encounter might be a coincidence, but not multiple encounters, including those not photographed. Mei Zheng was then called away.
Fang Lingyuan visited Li Mufeng at his glassware workshop, stating she wasn't there officially but just to find him. She admired his seaweed glasswork and pointed out a bubble. Li Mufeng communicated with his master via sign language, and the master, visibly angered, took the piece and smashed it, explaining it was a work ethic of striving for perfection. Fang Lingyuan apologized to Li Mufeng for habitually suspecting him in the past.
Li Mufeng accepted her apology, saying he was used to suspicion but hadn't expected an apology, having thought "you people" never apologized. Fang Lingyuan responded that they were human, made mistakes, and should apologize when they did. Later, Fang Lingyuan spoke with Prosecutor Gong about the case. She stated that some evidence was still missing.
Prosecutor Gong asked for her thoughts, and Fang Lingyuan replied that if it was justifiable defense, Duan Hongshan should be acquitted, but if it was murder, she would prosecute. She dismissed rumors that Duan Hongshan had broken down in detention, describing him as a calm, objective, rational, and excellent prosecutor capable of enduring. She stated her sole concern was the truth, even if it wasn't easy for everyone to understand.
Prosecutor Gong noted that Duan Hongshan was similar to her fourteen years ago. Fang Lingyuan reiterated the truth's importance and that the law would provide the answer once it was found. Prosecutor Gong mentioned there were a few days left before the decision on approving the arrest and she would hold a hearing on May 8th, believing it to be the fairest approach.
Li Mufeng came to see Fang Lingyuan at the procuratorate, stating he wanted to help prove Duan Hongshan acted in justifiable defense by showing that Zhou Delong had intended to harm him. He showed Fang Lingyuan a text message from Zhou Delong saying, "I'll kill you sooner or later, just you wait." Li Mufeng explained that Zhou Delong had sought him out after his release from prison, threatening to never let him go.
Six months prior, Zhou Delong found his store and threatened to kill him, Duan Hongshan, and Mei Zheng, calling them his enemies and saying he wouldn't let them go. Li Mufeng believed Zhou Delong was resentful that Li Mufeng only received a four-year sentence and that Duan Hongshan was commended for the case. Neighbors intervened during the confrontation at the store. Li Mufeng stated that if Duan Hongshan hadn't fought back, he might have been killed.
Ding Yi submitted a recusal application to Prosecutor Gong, citing regulations that prevented his continued involvement in Duan Hongshan's case. However, Prosecutor Gong informed him that after review by the Provincial Procuratorate and the Party committee, his recusal was not required, and he should diligently assist Deputy Chief Prosecutor Fang Lingyuan. Fang Lingyuan interrogated Duan Hongshan again. She noted his previous statement that Zhou Delong desperately chased and attacked him and that he stabbed Zhou Delong in the chest.
She pointed out that the autopsy confirmed a fatal stab wound to the chest, but despite claiming a desperate struggle, Duan Hongshan only had scrapes on his body and face, with no knife wounds. She questioned how he could inflict a single fatal stab wound instinctively without knowing where he was stabbing, suggesting it might have been too coincidental or even deliberate. She asked if he would risk his career to kill someone over a complaint letter.
Duan Hongshan then proposed a hypothesis that everything, from him taking Jiang Ting's case, to the anonymous report, to his kidnapping, was orchestrated by someone connected to the fourteen-year "6. 28" case. He described this person as skilled in law and strategy, particularly knowledgeable about justifiable defense, and capable of deliberately bringing people with killing intent together like dangerous chemical reagents.
Fang Lingyuan noted this description sounded like Duan Hongshan himself, but he countered that he was the chemical, not the one who mixed them, and that he also desperately wanted to find this person to clear his name but couldn't while in detention, so he was sharing his thoughts with his prosecutor. Meanwhile, Jiang Ting was in detention, repeatedly calling for an officer and asking who was handling her case, wondering if Duan Hongshan had abandoned her.
When she was told Fang Lingyuan was now in charge, she became highly agitated, believing Fang Lingyuan was deliberately trying to harm her and prevent her from going home as revenge. Officers tried to calm her as she became increasingly distressed, crying out that she was dying and wanted to go home. She was scheduled for psychological counseling.
