Justifiable Defence Episode 9 Recap
> Justifiable Defence Recap
A new inmate, identified as number 033 Wang Hao, was brought into the detention center and assigned to the care of Duan Hongshan and Qiao Guan. Wang Hao quickly spread the word about Duan Hongshan among the other inmates, identifying him as a prosecutor who had killed someone. At home, Fang Lingyuan returned to her parents.
Her father had gone out for a delivery despite her repeated suggestions to hire someone or use delivery services due to the dangers of biking alone. Her mother mentioned how her father had gone out early specifically to buy something because Fang Lingyuan looked thinner. During dinner, her mother brought up past events, and Fang Lingyuan apologized to her father for something related to a dress, saying she was okay now and no longer wanted to wear a new dress.
In a conversation with Prosecutor Gong, Fang Lingyuan discussed the hearing for Jiang Ting's case. Evidence presented suggested that Zhang Yuan likely had a history of domestic violence. If Jiang Ting's actions were deemed justifiable defense, then Zhou Delong's complaint against Duan Hongshan would be unfounded, and it would support that Duan Hongshan's handling of the case fourteen years prior was correct.
Fang Lingyuan noted the coincidence of these events seeming to clear Duan Hongshan, wondering if she was seeing the whole truth and if her own investigation was sound, acknowledging that people change. She also questioned Prosecutor Gong about her relationship with Jiang Ting and whether it influenced her taking the case. Back in the detention center, the inmates' attitudes towards Duan Hongshan shifted after Wang Hao's revelations.
During recreation time, Qiao Guan directly confronted and struck Duan Hongshan, blaming him and other prosecutors for his father's death. When questioned, the other inmates, including Wang Hao, falsely claimed Duan Hongshan had provoked Qiao Guan by cursing first. Later, Fang Lingyuan met with Duan Hongshan. She showed him a phone, which he confirmed was the model Zhou Delong used during his livestream.
Fang Lingyuan pointed out that Zhou Delong was sixty-seven years old and had cancer, suggesting he posed no threat to Duan Hongshan's life. Duan Hongshan countered that Zhou Delong's actions were premeditated and planned, and that he was ambushed, leaving him no choice but to fight back to survive. He argued that with an incomplete chain of evidence, the law dictates favoring the suspect.
He also expressed his belief that his status as a prosecutor was preventing his release, fearing that the public would question the judicial system for protecting its own if he were let go. Lei Shuang informed her daughter, Duan Yingying, that her father, Duan Hongshan, was sick and couldn't come home because he was in the detention center, which has its own doctors. Yingying was upset, saying her father rarely gets sick and must be suffering.
Lei Shuang suggested that although they couldn't visit him, Yingying could write him a letter. Yingying mentioned writing before but her mother had hidden it, resolving to write another one. Lei Shuang later met with Duan Hongshan and proposed applying for bail based on his health issues, so he could see Yingying. Duan Hongshan refused, stating he wished to terminate her representation and defend himself.
When Lei Shuang questioned his decision, mentioning all she had done for him, he brought up the case from fourteen years ago, suggesting Zhou Delong's revenge was a result of her inadequate follow-up and explanation of the legal reasoning to Zhou Lin's mother back then. Lei Shuang countered that she had paid a heavy price for that case over the past fourteen years, losing her prosecutor job and daughter's custody, having to rebuild her career as a lawyer.
She accused him of planning this, perhaps using her. Duan Hongshan took responsibility, admitting his fault lay in not knowing how to choose the right people over the years. He stated the matter needed a conclusion after fourteen years. Lei Shuang acknowledged his intention to defend himself but urged him not to give up, emphasizing that he was Yingying's father and she wouldn't allow her daughter to have a murderer as a father.
Li Mufeng went with Duan Yingying to Duan Hongshan's house to look for envelopes and stamps for her letter. Yingying wanted to draw a picture for her father, and Mufeng encouraged her. While searching, Mufeng found a stack of postcards addressed to Duan Hongshan, all from Mei Zheng. He also found an aquarium ticket stub and secretly put it in his pocket. Yingying asked Mufeng if anyone had written to him when he was in prison.
In the detention center, Duan Hongshan signed two documents: a House Transfer Agreement and a Custody Transfer Agreement with Lei Shuang. He noted that he had changed the visitation terms in the custody agreement to allow Lei Shuang to see their daughter once a week. Lei Shuang stated she would take everything left for Yingying. Recalling his time in prison, Li Mufeng remembered receiving a letter that contained a Proof of Leave of Absence.
Later, in the rain, Li Mufeng was waiting for a ride when Fang Lingyuan arrived on a bicycle. She offered him a ride, but after riding a short distance, her bike chain fell off. As they stood in the rain, she gave him her umbrella. Fang Lingyuan asked Li Mufeng if he had found closure regarding his past.
He replied that it wasn't quite closure, but he had given himself accountability by withdrawing his appeal, which helped prove Duan Hongshan's original handling of his case was correct and that Zhang Yuan was the real bully. Mufeng then showed her the aquarium ticket stub he found at Duan Hongshan's house, mentioning that Duan Hongshan divorced four years ago, which was also when he started contacting Mei Zheng frequently.
Fang Lingyuan recalled Mei Zheng claiming she hadn't been in contact with Duan Hongshan and that Mei Zheng was the one who had found the phone submerged in the water. Reflecting on the connected events, from the Jiang Ting case to the anonymous report against her and her abduction, Fang Lingyuan felt it was all orchestrated, as if someone was mixing dangerous chemicals. She believed that finding this person would reveal the full truth.
