Chapter 220 - 131: Beheading, Hosting a Feast, and Accepting the Headless Dog

"Heh, Ape, you have to understand, in a provincial capital like Wutong City, a place rich with political resources, the nepotism is far beyond anything you can imagine."

Qian Hao shook his head.

He was from Yanjing, with a prominent family background and excellent mentors. His perspective was on a level an ordinary person could never match.

"Like what?" Wang Chao asked doubtfully.

"Like what?"

"Like everything I was just talking about."

Qian Hao said casually:

"Are classic cases important? Yes, they are."

"And because they’re important, you have to fight for them. Even the top three law firms in the province have to fight for them!"

"So, in a situation like this, would you assume the three parties would be at each other’s throats, giving each other low scores?"

In theory, yes. There are only so many slots, and the three law firms are competitors. Logically, they should be fighting amongst themselves.

Following that logic, ’if my own case gets shot down, and a case from an out-of-town firm is about to be selected—one that could beat my rival’s case... shouldn’t I help that out-of-town firm?’

"They won’t."

"You have to understand, sometimes companies would rather spend money to smash and destroy their own products than give them away for free."

Qian Hao shook his head.

"It’s the same with those big law firms in Wutong City."

"There aren’t many slots to begin with. They have to ensure a certain quota stays local every year, until this system becomes widely known and solidifies into an unspoken rule."

"Normally, the provincial capital takes three slots. When there are fewer slots available, they still take about two."

’How many slots are there for criminal cases in a year?’

He didn’t know about previous years, but Qian Hao’s family had told him there were only five slots for criminal cases this year!

In other words, even with so few...

...the unspoken rule dictates that the three big firms, Lanhua included, must take two of the slots!

And Qingwu Province has a total of sixteen prefecture-level cities!

This means the remaining fifteen cities, before the competition has even begun, are already locked in a battle for the only three remaining slots...

"So."

"Sometimes, for the sake of this unspoken rule—this so-called ’market preservation’—competitors will maliciously give low scores to cases from outside the city."

"Lawyer Xu has two cases shortlisted."

"If both of his cases are selected, and Wutong City must have two slots, that leaves the other fourteen cities fighting over a single slot. Do you think... that’s reasonable?"

Qian Hao asked.

Wang Chao hesitated. He didn’t argue, but fell into deep thought.

Qian Hao continued, speaking as if to himself:

"So, they either have to knock out Lawyer Xu’s nominations..."

"...or they have to give up their own unspoken rule about quotas. If they set that precedent, the unspoken rules will no longer favor them in the future."

It would be one thing if Wutong City’s firms didn’t have any shortlisted cases this year, but as it stands... they have four cases shortlisted this year.

"In short."

Qian Hao looked in the direction Xu De had gone, shook his head, and sighed.

"It’s going to be tough."

...

...

「At the same time.」

「One-thirty in the afternoon.」

「Qingwu Province, Wutong City.」

Wutong City is the provincial capital of Qingwu Province, its political center and economic heart.

The entire city was developing with a vibrant, competitive energy. Its economy was flourishing, presenting a picture of prosperity.

If you ignored the cell phones and just looked at the commercial streets and pedestrian malls, you might even think you were in the year 2026!

It had a youthful feel.

Just like Hai City.

「Wutong City, Rongfu Avenue, within a kilometer of the courthouse.」

Inside an office building.

"Director, this is the complete shortlist for this year. A total of ten criminal cases have been nominated."

Lanhua Law Firm.

Inside an office.

The firm’s director, Feng Ji, adjusted his glasses. He shifted his gaze to the person standing before his desk, then took the file they offered.

He was well-built but thin, standing 1.8 meters tall. His gaze was naturally imposing, his hair was impeccably styled, and he wore gold-rimmed glasses.

He mulled it over as he read.

Lanhua Law Firm was solidly ranked second in Qingwu Province, a province with a population in the hundreds of millions. It often competed with Gao Zheng and Jinyang for the top spot.

But among them, Lanhua was widely considered the true number one in the province.

First, there were Lanhua’s vast resources.

In terms of political resources, they had deep partnerships with the government. Whether it was the municipal bureau or the provincial department, Lanhua would take on any work related to the judicial field.

Second were its economic resources.

Lanhua Law Firm’s business portfolio covered the legal affairs of fifty percent of Wutong City’s large corporations!

If not for the limitations of antitrust laws... he could have even established a monopoly in Wutong City!

Then there was its personnel and status.

Lanhua Law Firm had over a hundred employees. Gold Medal Lawyers were a dime a dozen, and their interns were, at a minimum, graduates of 211 universities. Numerous professors and experts from prestigious universities served as consultants.

Feng Ji himself was also the president of the Provincial Bar Association!

In terms of overall strength, it would take the combined forces of Gao Zheng and Jinyang to surpass Lanhua.

Moreover, an authoritative body had ranked it 13th among all law firms in the country!

But this year...

"Two criminal cases?"

Feng Ji’s brow furrowed as he looked at the information in his hand.

"Yes, we have two cases shortlisted this year: the ’Gang Crackdown’ case we worked on with the government, and another homicide."

Sun Qiao, the head of the Criminal Law Department, replied.

"Gao Zheng and Jinyang each have one case."

Feng Ji said, "No, I’m talking about him."

Feng Ji shook his head, extended his hand, and pointed to two of the cases on the list.

"The Li Family Village Case? The No. 18 Middle School Case?"

"What are these two cases?"

Feng Ji’s brow tightened as his gaze shifted to the personal information of the lawyer handling the cases.

He spoke, murmuring softly.

"Handling lawyer, Xu De... 25 years old, male, graduate of Yanjing University, founder of Houde Law Firm..."

On the file,

Feng Ji stared at Xu De’s young face, his brow slightly furrowed.