190: Chapter 191 The court declares: Li Yong is acquitted and released!

After Xiaoya was led out of the courtroom, the prosecution's bench fell into a dead silence. Chen Mo sat in his chair, his fingertips unconsciously picking at the edge of his files. His eyes, once as sharp as an eagle's, now held only cold frustration. Xiaoya's confession was like a key that completely unlocked the gap in the 'perjury chain.' From Zhang Cheng's recorded threats to the forged medical records from Tianhua Group, and then to the video of Wang Haoyu's cash transaction, all the evidence pointed toward 'the Wang family's deliberate framing.' The 'perfect indictment' he had meticulously constructed was now shattered beyond repair.

Zhou Ming hurried back from outside and leaned into Chen Mo's ear, his voice trembling: "Lawyer Chen, this is bad! When we went to summon Wang Tianhua and Wang Haoyu, we found their home empty. All the valuables in the villa have been moved out. It looks like they fled in advance!"

Chen Mo's fingers jerked to a halt. A flash of ruthlessness crossed his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a sense of powerlessness. He knew that Wang Tianhua hadn't fled out of fear, but because Tianming Group had arranged it behind the scenes. They wanted to protect Wang Tianhua as a 'pawn' to keep him for the future fight over the anti-cancer formula. But now, without the support of the Wang father and son, he didn't even have the last bit of breathing room in court.

"Court is now in session! We will proceed with the closing arguments." The sound of the Presiding Judge's gavel broke the silence, and everyone's gaze refocused on the center of the courtroom.

Wang Jingdong stood up. He didn't present any new evidence but instead picked up a thick file—it was a record of Li Yong's 'acts of kindness' over decades of medical practice. His voice was no longer sharp, but instead carried a warm weight: "Presiding Judge, members of the jury, over the past three hours, we have seen forged medical records, recorded threats, and videos of monetary transactions. All of these point to a meticulously planned frame-up. But we should look even closer at what this elderly man, accused of 'disregarding human life,' has done over the past forty years."

He flipped open the file and read out names and stories one by one: "In 1985, he carried his medicine box and walked twenty li of mountain roads to save a village woman in difficult labor. During the 1998 floods, he provided free consultations in the disaster area, catching such a severe chill himself that he nearly faced amputation. During the 2020 pandemic, he donated all the remaining masks and herbs in his home to the community, while he himself suffered from a fever for half a month due to a lack of medicine. Old man Zhang Jianguo was paralyzed for seven years, and he cured him without taking a cent. When a child in a neighboring village caught a strange illness, he went into the mountains overnight to gather herbs and saved a life."

Wang Jingdong's voice gradually rose, carrying an irrepressible excitement: "He has no medical license, but he possesses a healer's heart more precious than any license. He has no fancy clinic, but he has built a 'harbor of life' in the hearts of countless people. Yet the Wang father and son, for the sake of an anti-cancer formula, did not hesitate to use capital, power, and lies to try and nail such an elderly man to the pillar of shame as a 'quack.' This is not just an injury to Li Yong, but a desecration of everyone who upholds justice!"

These words were like a stone cast into everyone's hearts. The villagers in the gallery grew red-eyed, and some secretly wiped away tears. In the live-stream comments, messages like 'Divine Doctor Li has worked hard' and 'The Wang family must pay the price' filled the screen. Even the members of the jury looked at Li Yong with a few more degrees of respect and sympathy.

Chen Mo opened his mouth to retort, but found himself speechless. All the evidence stood with the defense, and all reason and sentiment favored Li Yong. Any defense he made now would appear pale and weak. He could only sit silently at the prosecution's bench, watching Wang Jingdong finish his closing statement and watching the Presiding Judge announce, "Court is adjourned for ten minutes for the collegial bench to deliberate."

Those ten minutes felt as long as a century. Li Yong sat in the defendant's seat, hands clasped on his knees, looking calmly at the judge's bench. There was no nervousness, only a serene waiting for the dust to settle. Zhang Fan sat in the gallery, lightly tapping his knee, feeling very certain in his heart—with the evidence solid and sentiment on their side, they had definitely won this lawsuit.

*Bang—*

The gavel sounded again. The Presiding Judge returned to his seat holding the result of the deliberation. His voice was solemn and clear: "After deliberation by the collegial bench, all prosecution evidence in this case is found to involve 'forgery, coercion, or falsehood.' The testimony of witnesses Xiaoya and Zhang Cheng has clearly proven that this case was a deliberate instigation of perjury and forgery of evidence by Tianhua Group Chairman Wang Tianhua and his son Wang Haoyu to seize an anti-cancer formula, framing the defendant Li Yong. The court now pronounces: The defendant Li Yong, suspected of major illegal medical practice and endangering public safety, is found not guilty on all counts and is **hereby acquitted in court**!"

"Acquitted!"

Those words were like a beam of light, instantly illuminating the entire courtroom! The villagers in the gallery stood up abruptly, bursting into thunderous applause and cheers. Some shouted excitedly, "Long live justice!" and "Divine Doctor Li is cleared!" Some even shed tears. Media reporters frantically pressed their shutters, their camera lenses locked onto Li Yong in the defendant's seat. The live-stream was completely flooded with comments like "Justice has finally arrived" and "Divine Doctor Li has been wronged." The number of online viewers instantly surpassed twenty million, and the word "Explosive" next to the topic #LiYongAcquitted# was both eye-catching and heart-warming on the screen.

A court bailiff walked up to Li Yong and gently unlocked the handcuffs on his wrists. The moment the cold metal left his skin, Li Yong slowly raised his hands and rubbed his wrists, which were marked with red indentations. Then he stood up, gave a deep bow to the Presiding Judge, and turned to the villagers in the gallery to bow again. He didn't speak; his eyes were just bloodshot, and tears welled up but never fell. This elderly man, who had practiced medicine for forty years, hadn't cried when he suffered the injustice, nor when he was framed as a 'quack.' Now that his name was cleared, he couldn't help but have red eyes.

Under the escort of the bailiffs, Li Yong walked out of the courtroom. Just as he stepped out of the courthouse doors, the waiting crowd and reporters immediately swarmed him. Some held flowers, some held signs saying "Divine Doctor Li has worked hard," and patients he had previously cured rushed forward excitedly to grab his hand: "Doctor Li, that's wonderful! You're finally cleared!"

Flashbulbs flickered incessantly in front of Li Yong. He accepted a bouquet of flowers, his voice carrying a hint of a sob: "Thank you, everyone... Thank you, Young Mr. Zhang, thank you, Lawyer Wang... I haven't done anything against my conscience in my life, and I believe that justice will not be absent. In the future, I will continue to treat everyone as long as I can still walk."

On the roadside not far away, Zhang Fan sat in his car, watching Li Yong surrounded by the crowd, a gratified smile appearing on his face. He took out his phone and sent a message to Wang Jingdong: "Good work, Lawyer Wang." He quickly received a reply: "It's only right. Justice is never late."

Zhang Fan put down his phone and turned his gaze back to the courthouse entrance. In the crowd, Li Yong was talking to the villagers, his smile simple and warm. But Zhang Fan knew clearly that the end of this lawsuit was not the finish line, but a new beginning. The Wang father and son had vanished, and Chen Mo had quietly left after the adjournment. The shadow of Tianming Group was inevitably behind this. They hadn't obtained the anti-cancer formula, so they would never give up. The coming struggle would only become more intense.

The sunlight outside the car window was just right. Zhang Fan started the car and slowly drove away from the courthouse. He knew that the war against Tianming Group had only just truly begun. And this time, they hadn't just protected Li Yong and the anti-cancer formula; they had upheld justice—and that would be their most powerful weapon moving forward.