Parrots are like mynas. They can mimic human speech. Many elderly people used to enjoy keeping them; anyone who kept birds would have a few at home. These creatures... they'd never been considered endangered before.

Qin Mu shook his head and continued to explain, "According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, apart from three types of parrots, all other parrots are considered endangered wild animals."

For the past few days, he had been reading various relevant legal documents. Otherwise, he wouldn't have known that parrots were actually considered endangered animals. The three non-endangered types of parrots are the budgerigar, the cockatiel, and the rosy-faced lovebird. All other parrots are endangered wild animals.

"But... my son raised them himself! He's had them for years, ever since they were young. They're not wild..." Song Tiancheng gulped, still not understanding. "It was clearly stated 'endangered *wild* animals.' His son hadn't gone hunting; they were all captive-bred."

"It's not like that." Qin Mu shook his head. "According to judicial interpretation, keeping any endangered animal, whether captive-bred or wild-caught, is not allowed."

In the minds of ordinary people, the crime of illegally hunting and killing precious, endangered wild animals was only targeted at poachers. But in reality... the Supreme Court's judicial interpretation clarified that protected animals, whether wild or captive-bred, are treated equally and fall under the category of 'precious, endangered wildlife' that cannot be bought or sold. Under Criminal Law, offenses related to precious, endangered wildlife include violating wildlife protection regulations through the illegal acquisition, transportation, processing, or sale of nationally protected valuable, endangered wildlife and their products. The criteria for filing a case specifically stipulate that selling or buying even one valuable, endangered wild animal constitutes a crime.

And Song Yun had raised over a dozen parrots. Although he had raised them since they were young, he must have purchased them from someone else before that. Buying over a dozen already constituted particularly serious circumstances. Therefore, the prosecution's litigation request... was for a twelve-year prison sentence!

The Criminal Law stipulates punishment for the crime of illegally selling valuable, endangered wildlife: up to five years of fixed-term imprisonment or criminal detention, plus a fine. In serious cases, it's five to ten years of fixed-term imprisonment, plus a fine. In particularly serious cases, it's more than ten years of fixed-term imprisonment, plus a fine or confiscation of property.

After Qin Mu finished his analysis, the entire courtyard suddenly fell silent. Song Tiancheng, Miao Cuizhu, Zhang Qingyuan, and the others were too shocked to speak. After Qin Mu's explanation, they finally understood how such an outrageous sentence had come about. But... they still couldn't accept it.

After a long while, Song Tiancheng raised his head, his jaw tight, and asked, "Xiao... Xiao Qin, does... does that mean the evidence is conclusive, and my son... there's no saving him?"

He had initially thought his son was framed and reported by someone. He had even hoped Qin Mu could help clear his son's name. Unexpectedly... it all stemmed from those parrots he raised! From Qin Mu's explanation, the evidence was clearly conclusive. Combined with his experience from attending criminal trials recently, when the evidence was irrefutable, the defendant had almost no chance of winning. This meant... his son was facing twelve years in prison!

Qin Mu sighed and nodded. "According to criminal law, this summons and the copy of the indictment are procedurally sound."

He felt quite helpless about it too. Most likely, someone at the farmhouse restaurant who knew the law recognized the parrots and reported Song Yun.

In fact, similar parrot cases had become quite common in recent years. Judicial records showed several such cases annually. However, relative to the country's vast population, this number seemed insignificant. Added to this was the insufficient effort in popularizing legal knowledge. Common bird species like parrots were often overlooked. Most people assumed that only animals like giant pandas were considered endangered wildlife. To them, parrots were just like mynas—seen everywhere. Consequently, many bird enthusiasts ended up in court each year. Those who had raised just one parrot... were typically sentenced to around two years in prison, which was considered a case of ordinary severity. However, someone like Song Yun, raising over a dozen at once, directly fell into the 'particularly serious circumstances' category! According to criminal law sentencing guidelines, this would warrant a sentence of more than ten years. The twelve years requested in the indictment were procedurally legitimate.

"Is there really no way out?" Song Tiancheng, still unwilling to give up, asked again.

His son was over forty this year. His grandson was still in school. If he was sentenced to twelve years... the family's main pillar of support would collapse. The impact on their entire family would be enormous.

"I can try, but I'm not very confident, and I can't guarantee success," Qin Mu took a deep breath and said solemnly.

This case was different from any he had handled before. The prosecutor's office must have had conclusive evidence to even file charges. With the law being what it was, and the evidence undeniably present... the chances of winning were very slim.

Just then, a system notification echoed in his mind.

"DING! A new event has been detected near the host, triggering a new task."

"DING! Please choose one of the following three task options: One, help Song Yun by pursuing a sentence reduction, aiming for a term of three years or less. Two, speak out against injustice by pursuing probation, striving for a suspended sentence. Three, mount a 'not guilty' defense and win this case."

"Friendly reminder: This case is quite complex, and all three task options are challenging. Exceeding expectations in completing your chosen task will earn a rare reward."

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