Translator: 549690339
About half an hour passed.
The chief judge and the panel returned to the courtroom.
The courtroom was quiet.
The chief judge spoke, “Considering that the defendant has provided sufficient evidence, this court has decided to accept the defendant’s plea of not guilty. Please, the defendant, give a statement on the incident.”
“Thank you, Your Honor.” Song Zhizhi bowed respectfully.
Then, she raised her voice and said, “The plaintiff accused me of bribing servant Zhou Xiaoqing to frame her which resulted in a miscarriage on March 29. Zhou Xiaoqing insisted in court that it was I who instructed her to administer the abortion pills, and testified that I had given her a substantial amount of money, and both the bribes and the briber were apprehended. Yi Wenhan also claimed in court that I still had feelings for him, thereby inferring that I acted out of jealousy and harmed Nie Xiaofei. To this end, I have valid evidence to prove my innocence.”
“Present your evidence,” the chief judge commanded.
“First, Zhou Xiaoqing testified that I gave her the abortion pills. However, through investigation, it was not I who gave Zhou Xiaoqing the abortion pills, but my housemaid Zhu Fengdan, for which I
have evidence to prove. Please, Your Honor, allow me to produce my evidence and the witness.”
“Granted.”
Song Zhizhi asked Wen Tian to retrieve the evidence taken away by the panel, took out a USB stick from within it, and while playing the video, narrated, “This is footage I obtained through the extensive traffic surveillance, which shows Zhu Fengdan leaving the Song Residence and walking to a nearby pharmacy on the afternoon of March 28. The surveillance from the pharmacy shows Zhu Fengdan consulting with a staff member, purchasing abortion pills. I request permission to summon the pharmacy’s witness and bring the suspect Zhu Fengdan from the Song Residence for confrontation.”
“Granted,” the chief judge nodded.
Thus, the court adjourned again, waiting.
Song Zhizhi had prearranged for Xiaochun to monitor Zhu Fengdan at the Song Residence and to call Ji Baijian immediately if any changes occurred. Apparently, everything was under control.
Half an hour later, a trembling Zhu Fengdan was brought to court.
Song Zhizhi directly asked the pharmacy’s attendant, “Do you remember the woman in front of you? She purchased a drug from you on March 28.”
“I remember,” the attendant hurriedly responded, “Because a woman her age could not be pregnant, I asked her if she was buying it for her daughter and specifically explained how to use it. Abortion pills, unlike other drugs, can be severely harmful, so we always caution our customers during the sale.” “So, you can confirm that she purchased abortion pills from you, correct?” Song Zhizhi confirmed.
“That’s correct.”
“Thank you,” Song Zhizhi smiled, then turned to the chief judge and said, “In the video, Zhu Fengdan arrives at the pharmacy and makes the payment at 4:16 in the afternoon, which aligns with the sales record of the pharmacy’s computer, confirming that Zhu Fengdan indeed purchased abortion pills at the pharmacy.”
The chief judge nodded.
Song Zhizhi looked directly at Zhu Fengdan and asked, “Mother Zhu, why did you buy abortion pills?”
“1…1 have a niece who got into a dishonorable situation and got pregnant with someone else’s child. I bought it for her. Is there something wrong with that?” Zhu Fengdan was a bit flustered, she stuttered as she spoke but would not admit to anything.
Song Zhizhi was expecting that.
She said, “Mother Zhu, you may not understand much about the law, allow me to inform you here that contumacy, depending on the severity, can be punishable with imprisonment. In other words, you could go to jail. Imagine, you have two sons in college, is it worth it? Also, having a criminal record means your sons and even your grandchildren could not pass the state examination standard, they won’t be allowed to become civil servants, join the military, or engage in financial management, and so on.”
Zhu Fengdan abruptly paled..