What's wrong with this lawyer?!

The courtroom was filled to capacity, so it was common for the judge to hold court in the office. There was no choice, with the old courthouse having so few courtrooms and cases urgently awaiting trial. What can you do?
Your journey continues at empire

A clerk, a judge, along with the plaintiff and the defendant, could start the proceedings anywhere; location didn't matter.

The last time was so close that Old Tang's saliva could spray the opposing attorney's face...

Normally, when the trial ended and the court adjourned, it wouldn't be a big deal for Judgment Chief to put on his shoes, but a mishap occurred; the shoe suddenly flew to the middle of the courtroom...

At that time, Old Tang was desperately trying not to laugh, but he couldn't hold it in.

Probably the only thought in Judgment Chief's mind was to execute everyone in the room immediately, including me...

Besides, there was the time when Judgment Chief hammered the gavel, only for it to break due to poor quality—it not only broke off but also flew into the air...

That time, Old Tang nearly suffered internal injuries trying to suppress his laughter. No matter how solemn the occasion, accidents can happen. It was truly irresistible...

Back to business, Old Zhou's slacking did not last long, as during the evidence presentation phase, Lushan suddenly produced new evidence!

"This is the contract our company signed with Lu Dongxu, proving that his money was an investment in our company, not a loan!"

What? Both Old Tang and Old Zhou were stunned. What was this twist? It wasn't mentioned in the statement of defense, nor was this evidence submitted within the given time limit.

Old Zhou, who had been loafing about, became serious, "Defendant, why did you not submit this piece of evidence within the evidence period?"

Lushan quickly replied, "It's been quite some time; this contract was signed a long time ago, so we only found it a few days ago. I apologize."

The contract was handed over, and Old Zhou started to feel a headache. The most dreaded thing in a courtroom was an unexpected event.

"Defendant, let me clarify with you now, if this contract is a forgery, you could be fined, detained, and if the case is serious, you could face criminal charges!" Old Zhou said sternly.

"It's absolutely genuine; the other party's signature is also on it. If they don't believe it, they can have it appraised."

Raising a judicial appraisal on the spot could complicate things if there was a reason for it.

Lawyer Tang had already received the new evidence and handed it to Lu Dongxu saying, "Take a look and see if it rings a bell."

Lu Dongxu took one look at the contract and exclaimed in surprise, "This, I did sign this before, but I remember he said he wanted the company to also take responsibility."

"So he had me sign it. I thought since we were relatives, it would be fine..."

While talking, Lu Dongxu immediately became tense, "Lawyer Tang, this...does this not affect our case?"

So, is this actually true?

Lawyer Tang had already activated his skill Photographic Memory.

He needed to review the minutiae of the contract in the shortest possible time.

Swipe, swipe, swipe, in less than a minute, both Lu Dongxu and Old Zhou saw Tang Fangjing put down the contract.

"Lawyer Tang?"

A smile appeared on Old Tang's face as he said, "It's fine, it won't affect us."

Meanwhile, Old Zhou had already spoken up, "Plaintiff, do you want to apply for a judicial appraisal or request a deferral for your defense?"

He hadn't looked at the contract closely, just glanced over it, and it indeed appeared to be a genuine investment contract.

"We don't need to apply for a judicial appraisal, nor do we need to request a defense deferral. I can start cross-examination right now," Lawyer Tang said directly.

"Judgment Chief, I would like to ask the defendant a few questions."

Old Zhou glanced at Lushan sitting there and likewise was very direct, "Agreed."

"Defendant, I want to ask, you confirm that this contract is genuine and valid, right?" Lawyer Tang began.

What a question—of course, it's genuine if I brought it forward.

"It's definitely genuine, if you don't believe it, you can apply for a judicial..."

Lawyer Tang interrupted him, "No need, the defendant only needs to answer my questions."

"My second question is, you said my client did not make a loan, but an investment. What type of investment is it?"

Lushan was taken aback, "Investment is investment, what types are there..."

"You don't know? Let me explain." Lawyer Tang really seemed like a legal educator, starting to give a legal lecture right in the middle of the trial:

"Investment is divided into equity investment and debt investment. The former means giving out equity shares; the investor becomes a shareholder in your company and is entitled to dividends each year."

"The latter is an investment based on debt, seeking a higher return than bank interest rates. There are only these two types of investment, so which one is yours?"

Lu Dongxu was utterly bewildered. The lawyer he hired was teaching the defendant about the law in court?

However, he trusted Tang Fangjing, confident that Lawyer Tang was not simply messing around.

Lushan's CPU was overheating; he may have run a company, but his understanding of the law was average at best.

Equity investment was out of the question since the money was inherently borrowed, not intended for sharing in company profits. It was only intended to procrastinate and to entangle it with company finances.

So he certainly couldn't claim that the other party was a shareholder, for that would entail paying dividends each year. Impossible.

"It's a debt investment!"

Though he didn't understand what exactly debt investment was, it sounded mundane enough.

Upon hearing this, Lawyer Tang feigned surprise, "Debt investment? Are you sure?"

"Sure, it's definitely not equity investment..."

"Judgment Chief, I believe that the other party is engaging in illegal operations. The characteristic of debt investment is the purchase of bonds, and the company must have the qualification to issue bonds."