MWC – Chapter 153 Advance and Retreat Together

I AM DROPPING THIS NOVEL. IF ANYONE WANTS TO CONTINUE THEY CAN. IF POSSIBLE PLEASE SHARE THE LINK SO I CAN BINGE READ TOO.

In the interrogation room, Lu Ming whispered in Han Annie’s ear, “The fifth point, Liu Tao indeed knows something. The badge was originally found by him by chance. But looking at his foolish face, he’s just an outsider. Does he really think that scaring him with my reputation would make his master kill him?”

Han Annie’s ears tickled, and listening to Lu Ming, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

At that moment, the door to the interrogation room opened, and two prosecutors walked in one after the other. The one walking behind was Liu Tao. Seeing Lu Ming and Han Annie laughing and joking together, his face darkened, and he let out a cold snort.

“Commissioner Lu, hello!” The one in front was a man in his fifties from the Western Region, with a slightly graying full beard and hawk-like eyes. He was one of the most senior prosecutors in the Grand Prosecutor’s Office, named Zahavi.

He politely extended his hand and shook hands with Lu Ming.

To achieve even a little success within the empire, someone from the Western Region had to be exceptionally outstanding, especially in the East Sea.

Lu Ming had seen Zahavi from a distance in the Grand Prosecutor’s Office but had never interacted with him privately.

The fact that Chief McCann sent this strong figure to serve as the head of the special investigation team indicated a neutral stance, hoping to thoroughly investigate the case.

Lu Ming shook hands with him and smiled, “My office has been put on hold, so I’m not a consultant commissioner anymore.”

Zahavi smiled, “Just a formality, Commissioner. You don’t need to mind. We have a saying in our culture: ‘After the strong wind passes, the clouds disperse, and we will all see the bright moon,’ right?”

After sitting down, Zahavi looked at Han Annie, “Prosecutor Han Annie, on November 9th, 950 Imperial Year, around 10 p.m., at the scene of the murder at the Golden Bell Hotel, did you privately put a badge into your pocket while collecting evidence?”

Lu Ming waved his hand, “My client refuses to answer that question. At the time, my client perceived the item as a piece of evidence or a rather pretty trinket, with differing opinions.”

“Regardless of how this trinket is defined, Prosecutor Han Annie, did you put it in your pocket while collecting evidence at the scene?” Zahavi took out a small plastic bag from under the file, which contained the badge of the Free Forces’ left-wing group, “Did you put it in your pocket?”

“My client remains silent, and holding it in her hand and putting it in her pocket are two different concepts. Whether it was put in her pocket, my client doesn’t clearly remember. We hope you can provide strong evidence to prove this.”

Zahavi smiled at Lu Ming, “Commissioner Lu, no need to be so tense. We’re not in court right now. I’m just asking casually. These questions don’t matter much, do they? For Prosecutor Han Annie, it would at most lead to an internal hearing in the Grand Prosecutor’s Office, possibly not even a warning.”

Lu Ming waved his hand, “Still, my client has nothing to say. The Grand Prosecutor’s Office does not have enough to discipline my client based on what you’ve mentioned.”

Liu Tao gritted his teeth, “I saw it with my own eyes at the time. She put the badge in her pocket, not holding it in her hand.”

Lu Ming looked at him, “At that time, in the back alley of the Golden Bell Hotel, there were no street lights. You were collecting evidence relying solely on the light from the hotel windows.”

Liu Tao nodded, “Yes.”

“Each of you was responsible for a few meters of a specific area. In such a dark environment, with your eyes wide open, you were afraid of missing anything in your own area. Were you staring at Prosecutor Han all the time? Did you have improper intentions towards her?”

Liu Tao stammered, “I, I just happened to look up and see it!”

Lu Ming picked up a pen and paper on the table and quickly drew.

Although the drawing wasn’t high-quality, the lines clearly depicted the scene in the back alley at that time, as well as the lighting situation from the Golden Bell Hotel windows.

Lu Ming pointed to a specific area, “This is where Prosecutor Han found the badge. Actually, it’s quite far from the light coming from the hotel windows, very dark. And you, Prosecutor Liu, were in a relatively brighter area. When you looked at Prosecutor Han, if it was just a casual glance, you wouldn’t have seen what she was doing. To see clearly in the darker area, your eyes would have had to adjust for a while. This is common sense, Prosecutor Liu Tao!”

“This…” Liu Tao was momentarily speechless.

“Commissioner Lu seems very concerned about this case… How many times have you been to the back alley?” Zahavi smiled.

“If it were you, you’d be concerned too, right?” Lu Ming smiled slightly at Zahavi and then looked at Liu Tao, “You were staring at my client the whole time. Did you have improper intentions towards my client, turning love into hate, and thus falsely accusing her?”

“You, you’re talking nonsense!” Liu Tao’s face turned red.

Han Annie rolled her eyes. This man beside her was simply a devil; anything he said was twisted.

“Commissioner Lu, this isn’t a courtroom, and Prosecutor Liu Tao isn’t a witness. Let’s move on to the next question.” Zahavi smiled, but his gaze at Liu Tao had a hint of severity.

Liu Tao seemed to realize something, his body slightly trembling, and he lowered his head.

Noticing this, Lu Ming’s lips curled into a faint, fleeting smile.

“Prosecutor Han Annie, what is your relationship with Commissioner Lu?” Zahavi smiled at Lu Ming, “Commissioner Lu, you can answer this question on her behalf.”

Lu Ming smiled, “Oh? Am I walking into a trap, and now I’m also a subject of interrogation?”

Zahavi smiled slightly, “Of course not. You don’t have to answer.”

Lu Ming pondered for a moment and sighed, “Alright, it seems there’s no hiding it. Actually, Annie is the third concubine I’m planning to marry. I give her mother a living allowance every month. Additionally, I’ve rented a long-term room at the Wind Bao Hotel to accommodate my future mother-in-law. My mother-in-law has agreed to marry Annie to me as the third concubine, and Annie has more or less consented.”

Han Annie bit her lip immediately but couldn’t refute it at this moment.

Zahavi was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting the conversation to go in this direction.

Looking at the pile of receipts in the folder, all details of transfer amounts from Lu Qianxing Imperial Bank to Han Annie’s mother.

“Alright, Prosecutor Han Annie, sorry to trouble you today!” Zahavi closed the folder and smiled at Lu Ming, “Commissioner Lu, thank you for your cooperation today!”

Lu Ming smiled, “Prosecutor Han and I are happy to cooperate. After all, I’m still considered a part of the Grand Prosecutor’s Office, right?”

“Of course.” Zahavi smiled broadly.

…

The special investigation team was located at the North Gate Police Station.

After leaving, Lu Ming and Han Annie got into a black business car. Lu Ming shook his head, “Old Zahavi is tough to deal with. Although he might not be one of Old Renault’s or Bucklow’s people, he is very hostile towards me. I can feel it. He really wants to take me down.”

Han Annie, initially ready to settle accounts over the third concubine remark, frowned upon hearing Lu Ming’s words, “I’ve heard rumors about him. He likes investigating cases involving successful people and is very ruthless.”

Lu Ming was taken aback, “Is this another thing your girlfriend told you?” He didn’t even know this himself, as he had no interactions with Zahavi.

Han Annie nodded slightly, “He is a bit misanthropic, believing that most successful people are immoral. He admires historical figures who were harsh officials.”

“In his youth, he even prosecuted and executed his father. This is a secret. Jia Ling saw it in confidential files and always warned me not to provoke him and to avoid any interactions with him.”

“His father was a servant of a wealthy family, stealing valuable items. He handled the case without disclosing the conflict of interest. Without anyone knowing, he acted as the chief prosecutor, won the case, and the court sentenced his father to death. This happened thirty years ago in the neighboring province of Ulan, a very conservative place where servant theft was still a severe crime.”

Lu Ming shook his head, “An extremely self-loathing personality, ashamed of his origins, which leads to arrogance. Such a person in the legal profession might be a disaster.”

“Yes.” Han Annie nodded, “Your analysis seems correct. So, you’re only nineteen years old but have achieved such great success. A genius among the Central Continent people, Zahavi, considering himself talented and a genius among his people, must feel very jealous compared to you.”

Lu Ming coughed, “Annie, look, I’m so outstanding. Let’s quickly settle our matter.”

“What matter?” Han Annie was puzzled.

Lu Ming sighed, “Also, for the sake of this legal trouble I’ve caused, you should quickly marry me as my third concubine. This would solidify our testimony today. Moreover, many of my plans to overturn the case require you to marry me as a foundation, combined with a series of arrangements to confuse the enemy and make them lose their bearings.”

Han Annie was stunned, frowning, “Is that so?” But she was smart enough to immediately understand, turning away and no longer bothering with this man.