Upon hearing this, Zhang Qingyuan’s anger and agitation eased slightly. Taking a deep breath, he said in a deep voice, "I wish to enter a plea of denial!"

Qin Mu had explained this process to him in detail the day before, which was divided into two directions. In civil litigation, this referred to either an admission or a denial of the allegations. If admitted, the jury would be dismissed by law, and the judge would continue to hear the case. In criminal proceedings, however, it was divided into a guilty plea or a plea of not guilty. If a guilty plea was entered, the jury would similarly be dismissed, and the judge would conduct a separate hearing.

At this stage, he certainly could not agree to the plaintiff’s accusations; he had to argue in defense of his reputation. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"What the plaintiff just said is complete nonsense!" He first glared fiercely at Xu Liming, expelling his frustration, then lowered his head to look at the draft in his hand. The draft, prepared by Qin Mu, contained his defensive statement.

"I joined the Red Sunset Travel Group for an overseas trip, and upon arrival, I went to visit a certain church.

"During the visit, the travel group’s personnel suddenly produced an agreement, claiming that signing it would allow us to receive free tourist souvenirs.

"The agreement was written in a foreign language, which we elderly people couldn’t understand.

"Hearing that we could receive something, everyone in the travel group signed their names.

"After signing, they suddenly approached us, demanding that I make a donation!

"It wasn’t just me; the other elderly members of our travel group were also tricked, each being coerced into giving twenty thousand yuan.

"Only I refused to give them money, so I became the defendant and was sued by them!"

As he said this, he clenched his teeth in hatred, increasingly feeling that this world was full of traps.

After studying with Qin Mu for so long, he thought he had seen through enough tricks to avoid being deceived again. But unexpectedly, Xu Liming had taught him another lesson.

Taking a deep breath, he turned to look at the jury behind him and continued, "Moreover, this Red Sunset Travel Group is extremely shady. They charge 100 yuan for a bottle of mineral water, and for a bottle of oxygen, they charge..."

Following the defensive arguments listed by Qin Mu, he exposed all the heinous practices of the Red Sunset Travel Group. Beside him, Chen Tiankuo was diligently translating his words, which echoed throughout the courtroom.

His defensive statement and Xu Liming’s accusations were completely different versions, diametrically opposed.

Upon hearing this, the jurors huddled together and whispered among themselves.

"Is this a dispute between two foreigners? But whom should I believe?"

"A twenty thousand yuan donation—if he didn’t want to give it, he shouldn’t have signed. He signed and now regrets it?"

"I’m more inclined toward the plaintiff. His attitude toward God is so devout; he doesn’t seem like the type who could do such a thing."

"The plaintiff said he was helping the church with donations, while this defendant, an old man, consistently refused to donate and would not even take an oath. Who is right and who is wrong is pretty clear."

"Such incidents often happen in Ames City; I’ve seen similar cases before where someone regrets donating afterward."

"His service to the Lord is truly not devout enough. Oh Lord, forgive the ignorance of your believer; he is just a lost old sheep who will eventually find the right path to heaven."

After hearing the different versions, the twelve jurors hesitated only for a moment before completely leaning toward the plaintiff, Xu Liming, believing he was unlikely to lie. Conversely, Zhang Qingyuan and his elderly companion seemed too afraid to even take the oath. In the jurors’ eyes, this indicated they felt guilty about the matter and dared not swear. Normal people would dare to swear to the Most High, great and almighty Lord. Only those who had lied would be so averse.

"Order!"

In the courtroom, the judge, hearing the noisy chatter, immediately scowled and rebuked them, interrupting the jurors’ whispers.

In fact, most jurors were selected for the first time. Although bailiffs had briefed them on the rules before the trial, some inevitably couldn’t resist discussing the case. In every trial, he had to reproach them several times.

After the room quieted down, he took a deep breath and looked at the twelve "judges" of the jury. He reminded them, "Next, we will enter the evidence presentation phase, where both the plaintiff and defendant have an obligation to provide evidence for their claims.

"The plaintiff’s proof must be based on facts, not contradict common sense or logic, and not infringe upon the legal rights of others..."

In the jury system, due to the varied educational levels among jurors and their lack of legal knowledge, he had to convey some legal principles to them before and during the trial. He asked them to judge the specifics of the case based on these legal principles, rather than simply making decisions based on personal likes and dislikes.

It took a good five minutes for him to convey some basic legal principles to the jurors. However, the jurors looked somewhat dull, as if they were listening to a foreign language, and it was unclear if they had understood his words.

In the defendant’s seat, Chen Tiankuo also translated the judge’s words to Zhang Qingyuan. After hearing this, Zhang Qingyuan looked as if he were suddenly enlightened and couldn’t help but complain, "This jury system is truly a thankless task! The judge even has to impart legal knowledge on the spot?"