MWC – Chapter 76 The Three Weirdos of Lu Clan (Part 2)

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

The Chief Judge’s office was elegantly decorated, with curtains in a medieval style.

Chief Judge Christine, probably around forty years old, was well-maintained and appeared as a beautiful blonde with blue eyes, wearing a black judge’s robe with a distinctive allure. Perhaps it was due to the significant authority represented by the judicial uniform.

Lu Ming and the plaintiff’s lawyer sat in front of the judge’s desk, both observing Christine’s expression.

Christine was reviewing the motion Lu Ming had submitted.

It was a motion to expedite the court hearing, with three main reasons: although Baoyin Bank wasn’t a major bank nationwide, it had many depositors in the Donghai and Beiguan areas. Freezing the bank’s assets affected tens of thousands of depositors’ lives, and many businesses faced difficulties in obtaining further loans from Baoyin Bank for their operations. Secondly, the plaintiff’s lawyer’s claim of waiting for the police to arrest the fugitive film company owner was unrealistic. The plaintiff’s lawyer was merely stalling for time, aiming for Baoyin Bank’s bankruptcy out of personal vendetta, which violated professional ethics. Lastly, and most importantly, the case itself was absurd, and Lu Ming wished to explain this in detail in court.

Beside Lu Ming sat the plaintiff Liang Dong’s lawyer, Michael Smith from Johnson-Smith-Stewart Law Firm.

This firm, one of the largest in Donghai and on par with Reid Law Firm, had Michael Smith as one of its elite attorneys, a level six barrister.

In the legal profession, barristers above this level were extremely rare, and the title was awarded by the Imperial Bar Association based on contributions rather than merit points.

As for Royal Barristers, they required royal certification and had special contributions, almost equivalent to an honorary title. The entire Federation Empire had only about a dozen living Royal Barristers, most of whom received the title post-retirement.

Therefore, the barrister title was a lifelong dream and the ultimate goal for most elite lawyers, though many ended their careers far from this dream.

Johnson-Smith-Stewart Law Firm boasted seven or eight barristers, including one high-ranking barrister. As one of the most powerful firms in Donghai, it was naturally among the top ten in the empire.

The Baoyin Bank case was one of the most significant cases for any law firm, and Johnson-Smith-Stewart had assembled a team of two barristers for it.

Reid Law Firm also sent a similarly strong team, with high fees reflecting the importance of the case.

Michael Smith glanced sideways at Lu Ming. Despite being only a level two lawyer, Michael did not underestimate him, especially since this young lawyer recently won a high-profile case in Donghai using innovative strategies, reportedly his own ideas.

Very impressive! Michael Smith nodded, noting that the young lawyer appeared calm and composed, showing maturity beyond his years.

However, this was an economic dispute, entirely different from a criminal case. Michael, unfamiliar with criminal law, had reviewed the case file in detail, sensing that Lu Ming was a genius in criminal defense. But no one could excel in everything, and economic disputes required understanding complex legal texts and gathering relevant precedents, along with selecting the right judge.

Christine, the youngest chief judge in Donghai’s circuit courts, was a conservative who valued precedents, especially frequently cited ones. 

Moreover, the “neighbor principle” was a widely accepted guideline in economic disputes. Therefore, winning this case shouldn’t be too difficult.

However, his client wanted more than just winning; they wanted to drag Baoyin Bank down. As a lawyer, when a client insisted on a strategy despite legal advice, he had to comply, even if it meant losing the case.

Luckily, following the client’s strategy wouldn’t lead to losing the case, though the final compensation might not be fully recoverable.

In fact, an expedited hearing would benefit his client.

Christine looked up from the motion and said to Lu Ming, “You think this case is absurd. Why? You don’t have to wait for court; you can tell me now, right?” She leaned back, ready to listen.

“Maybe if you make a good argument, I’ll dismiss the case right now!”

Clearly, she was unhappy with the wording in Lu Ming’s motion, her last sentence even tinged with sarcasm.

Lu Ming also sensed a peculiar, critical look from her, unlike a judge’s typical gaze at a lawyer, more like a mother-in-law evaluating a prospective son-in-law, and dissatisfied at that.

“I, I’m not ready…” Lu Ming smiled wryly. He was prepared, but revealing everything now would undermine the grand show he had orchestrated.

Christine frowned, her discontent visible, but she suppressed it. “Fine, your motion makes some valid points. The hearing is scheduled for the day after tomorrow at 3 PM in Courtroom One.” She turned to Michael, “Smith, any objections?”

Michael Smith nodded, “No objections, Your Honor.”

Christine acknowledged and made a note in her book with an elegant pen.

Lu Ming and Smith stood up. Christine suddenly said, “Lu, stay a moment.”

Lu Ming sat back down.

After Smith left and closed the door, Christine scrutinized Lu Ming again.

“I know, my mentor thinks you’re special, but my daughter just graduated from the military academy at eighteen…” She paused, remembering that in the empire, with guardian consent, marriage age was as low as twelve. For traditional Zhongzhou people, her daughter at eighteen wasn’t too young, and the young man opposite her was only nineteen. “In short, my mentor wants you two to meet. I won’t go against her wishes, but you must consider it carefully!”

Lu Ming was stunned. No wonder she looked at him so critically; this explained everything.

Li Guan once told him that if he won the lawsuit against the Japanese, she would introduce him to a noblewoman as a girlfriend.

This Judge Christine, it was rumored, came from a prestigious family. However, she was already divorced and lived alone with her daughter.

Could she be the noblewoman Li Guan mentioned?

Clearing his throat, Lu Ming said seriously, “Rest assured, Your Honor, how could I be worthy of your daughter? I won’t be meeting her. I’ll tell Li Guan that I don’t want to meet, and I definitely won’t mention our conversation today to her!”

Christine’s expression softened a bit, and she waved her hand, “Alright, you may go. Don’t be too modest. You are still an excellent lawyer!”

As Lu Ming left, Christine suddenly felt something was off. Why did it seem like his words, “worthy or not,” were dismissive? It felt like he was saying, “Don’t worry, even if I meet her, I won’t like her, so it’s better not to meet.”

His tone was sincere and not at all mocking, yet it left her with this impression.

Christine frowned, then suddenly heard a commotion outside, growing louder and louder.

After a while, the noise gradually subsided. A female assistant clerk gently knocked on the door and led in a bailiff, “Your Honor, we hope the noise outside didn’t disturb you?”

“What’s going on?” Christine asked casually. Commotion or even fighting was not uncommon in court.

“It’s Lawyer Lu’s apprentice fighting with Smith’s clerk. They even attracted reporters who were taking photos nonstop.”

“Oh.” Christine didn’t think much of it and waved them away.

But in the evening, when she saw the evening edition of *The World Journal*, there was a report about the commotion outside her office that morning. The headline read, “Baoyin Bank Case Turns into Farce, Lawyers from Both Sides Brawl Outside Chief Judge’s Office, Wine Bottle Smashed Overhead!”

Christine was taken aback. She flipped through the pages, frowning in thought.

…

In the restaurant of Room 408 at Wind bao Club, Lu Ming put down the newspaper, smiled, and served Tie Xiaojia a chicken drumstick, then said helplessly, “You were the hero of the day, but next time, don’t be so hot-headed!”

Tie Xiaojia responded with an “Oh” and added, “That guy was just too annoying!”

Sitting at the table with the white tablecloth were also Chen Qinghua and Tong Xiao’e. Chen Qinghua looked very uneasy, as if sitting on pins and needles.

On Lu Ming’s other side sat a slightly plump woman in a silver uniform skirt, who was now somewhat reproachful, “Lawyer Lu, I hope next time, you won’t use me as a bridge!”

She was Li Xuemei, a reporter for the *Daily Empire News Digest*, whom Cheng had introduced.

Originally, Lu Ming had arranged an exclusive interview with her today, saying they would shoot some footage at the Ninth Circuit Court, especially since he wanted her to take a picture of himself and the foreign lawyer from the other side together.

Who knew that upon arrival, she would encounter the scene of Lu Ming’s young apprentice smashing a wine bottle over the clerk’s head? The news instincts kicked in, and she took a shot.

However, such incidents didn’t align with her newspaper’s style, so she transferred the photo to a friend who worked as a gossip columnist for *The World Journal*.

Li Xuemei vaguely guessed that Lu Ming wanted this case to return to public attention, but his methods seemed a bit underhanded.

Seeing Li Xuemei’s displeasure, Lu Ming felt somewhat helpless. This really wasn’t his plan.

He had originally intended for Li Xuemei to capture a photo of himself and Smith together, a duel between a second-tier lawyer and a top-tier foreign lawyer, hoping to attract attention.

But who would have thought that Smith’s foreign clerk, with his typical Western arrogance, would harass Tong Xiao’e while they were waiting together, speaking in particularly vulgar terms, which led to Tie Xiaojia smashing a beer bottle over his head.

“Reporter Li, what you said, I actually didn’t want to explain, but your understanding makes it seem like I instructed my apprentice to seduce and cause trouble, which is a great insult to me and especially to my apprentices!” Lu Ming’s face was very serious.

Li Xuemei was stunned, then lightly nodded, “Alright, I apologize. I misunderstood you!” She thought for a moment, “What about our interview?”

“We’ll start in a while. Before that, Reporter Li, please eat more. We might be busy until very late today!”

Li Xuemei immediately became excited, “Great, I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time!”

She had always wanted to do an exclusive interview with the youngest second-tier lawyer in Donghai history. Who would have thought that this young lawyer would make such a splash in the Japanese case, almost determining the Japanese’s guilt from a technical perspective? In that trial, this young lawyer had practically taken the lead in the defense.

Now, interviewing him had become very difficult as he kept a low profile and never accepted any media appointments.

Today, finally, she had her chance.

Just as Lu Ming was about to mention that it would be best not to include any frontal photos in the interview, his gaze shifted to the side.

He saw Tong Xiao’e timidly thanking Tie Xiaojia, seemingly in tears, while Tie Xiaojia hugged her shoulders, comforting her.

But something about Tie Xiaojia’s actions and expression seemed odd. Even as Tong Xiao’e cried in her arms, Tie Xiaojia’s face turned red.

While others might not think much of it, Lu Ming was a bit helpless. Could it be that Tie Xiaojia liked women?

When Old Wen called her “little guy,” was he perhaps hinting at something?

But in this era, coming out of the closet, especially for a woman, would be social suicide!

If it turns out that his apprentices, who he had trouble managing, caused such a scandal, what use would they be?