"Sparrows? Doesn't that mean Runtu is going to rot in jail? I remember he used to catch sparrows with millet and spear badgers with a steel fork..."

"Not just Runtu, the old village doctors who catch toads for medicine are also suspected of illegal hunting. The more they catch, the heavier the sentence!"

"Someone trafficked a woman and didn't even get sentenced this harshly. Aren't there issues with these regulations?"

...

Looking at this content, Ma Ming felt his eyes had been truly opened. He had hardly heard of the information netizens were sharing. Not just parrots, but sparrows, frogs, and toads were all considered protected wildlife. Once the hunted number accumulated to over twenty, it directly constituted a crime!

This kind of legal education was very rare among the public; there was almost no promotion of it. This led to most people, including himself, being completely unaware that such activities were illegal, even criminal. The phenomenon of hunting frogs and toads in the countryside was rampant.

That said... isn't a report guaranteed to be accurate with each instance?

This was just about Class III protected animals; the sentencing for endangered wildlife like parrots was even more absurd. An example explained in a post detailed a case where selling three had actually led to a twelve-year prosecution under the law!

Good thing I don't like keeping small animals... Having read these posts, Ma Ming thought to himself with lingering fear.

...

「Jin City. Nursing Home.」

"These netizens... really brought up many defensive strategies."

While working, Qin Mu was also preparing for the trial of this case. For this, he had specially posted anonymously on a forum to ask for defensive strategies. Most netizens expressed shock and amusement. There were also quite a few netizens who were genuinely engaged in legal research, and they proposed several other defensive directions, for example, defending from the perspectives of law enforcement, the judiciary, and legal education.

The regulations on the protection of endangered wildlife were mainly criminal laws added because forestry and other relevant departments had discovered through decades of statistical investigation that poaching and indiscriminate hunting were severe. This type of criminal law... had many inappropriate elements in its sentencing. Though it had been improving, many unreasonable aspects remained.

Another very obvious issue was the lack of legal education, which had led to public understanding failing to keep pace over the decades. Most people were confused about these laws and, unwittingly, could easily commit offenses. While enforcing the law, the authorities had not shouldered the responsibility of educating the public. Many people violated criminal law not intentionally, but inadvertently. Such cases were rampant and, contrary to the legislative essence of criminal law, this trend was not worth encouraging.

After sorting out the suggestions from the forum, Qin Mu took a deep breath. There are three days left.

To be honest, he still wasn't very confident about this case. The law clearly stated that Song Yun's actions had violated relevant judicial interpretations, and court trials were based on relevant laws and judicial interpretations. His defense needed to go against the prevailing regulations. Most primary courts tended to stick to the rules, wary of challenging current laws, fearing unnecessary trouble.

Let's hope it works. If the defense fails... then we'll appeal for a second trial! If primary courts lack the courage, then we'll take it to the intermediate court! Qin Mu thought silently, already psychologically prepared for the first defense to fail.

「Time passed slowly.」

「Three days later.」

The day of the trial finally arrived. Song Yun arrived early at the nursing home to meet up with Qin Mu, Wang Dachui, and others, and they headed to the court.

...

「Jin City Court. Second Criminal Court.」

At nine fifty, ten minutes before the court session, Song Yun stood in the defendant's dock, looking somewhat nervous.

Qin Mu cautioned, "When the court session begins, remember to respond as we discussed earlier. Don't get nervous at all; just listen to Dachui." While he spoke, he gestured toward Wang Dachui, who was dressed formally in a suit.

"I... I'm actually nervous too..." Wang Dachui glanced at the empty plaintiff's seat and swallowed hard. This lawsuit... I'm facing a prosecutor from the procuratorate. The plaintiff is the public prosecutor.

"No worries, just focus on the seven key defense points, hold your ground, and take the initiative." Qin Mu patted Wang Dachui's shoulder, offering some comfort as well. These seven key defense points... I spent five whole days preparing them. There might be a chance to convince the judges of the collegial panel. Only by gaining their approval... could this lawsuit have a chance of victory.

"Yeah, you two shouldn't be too nervous. Look at the spectators' gallery; it's full of our people from the nursing home!" Song Tiancheng, who was beside them, also offered reassurance and pointed to the spectators' gallery.

Forty elderly people with white hair and walking sticks sat upright, their expressions serious, a demeanor fully prepared for battle.

"Exactly! They're the Court, we're the Nursing Home—both are 'Institutions'! We're on the same level, so there's no need for us to be intimidated!"

"Steady, don't panic, perform brilliantly, and we can definitely win!"

"The entire courtroom is filled with our people now; the other side only has two prosecutors. We just need to argue based on reason!"

"We've already won in terms of spirit!"

...

Zhang Qingyuan and others, who were nearby, also cheered for Wang Dachui and Song Yun.

The two's lips twitched. They took several deep breaths, patiently waiting for ten o'clock to arrive.

Qin Mu returned to his seat in the spectators' gallery. This time... I have no right to defend, I can't participate in the defense, so I can only leave it to Wang Dachui.

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