Too Bad I Take Things Seriously-Chapter 474 - 201: Husband and wife are birds of the same forest; when disaster strikes, they perish together!_3

Chapter 474: Chapter 201: Husband and wife are birds of the same forest; when disaster strikes, they perish together!_3

It was almost beneath mention. But say what you will, Meng Lei definitely had a talent for borrowing money.

700,000—in some small cities, that could buy an entire house outright. Even in big cities, it could at least cover a down payment.

「In the courtyard.」

Qin Mu, also sitting among the crowd, listened to the prosecutor’s accusations. He was slightly surprised and couldn’t help but take a deep look at Meng Lei in the defendant’s dock.

According to the relevant regulations on fraud, if the amount exceeded 500,000, the sentence is more than ten years!

And this evidence was all solid, accompanied by the lenders’ statements and other such documents. It formed a complete chain of evidence. The proof was ironclad.

Just when Qin Mu thought Meng Lei couldn’t refute it, in the courtroom scene, Meng Lei, in the defendant’s dock, suddenly raised his head. He said to the Judgment Chief, "There’s no problem with this evidence. I did indeed borrow money, but..."

He paused, staring intently at Tian Shulan beside him.

He said, word by word, "Many of the borrowings after our marriage were instigated by Tian Shulan!"

As soon as his words fell, the entire courtroom suddenly fell silent for a few seconds.

Then, Tian Shulan, also in the defendant’s dock, her expression changing drastically, quickly stood up. "Meng Lei! Don’t you dare spread such vicious slander!"

"Your borrowing was all your own doing! What does it have to do with me?!"

"If you’re going to make such wild accusations and try to drag me down, I can sue you for defamation!"

Tian Shulan, who had been relatively calm, suddenly panicked. She furiously berated and accused Meng Lei, trying to shift all responsibility onto him.

BANG—

In the courtroom, the gavel sounded.

The Judgment Chief spoke sternly, "Order! Other defendants, you are not to speak until it is your turn!"

After speaking, he looked at Meng Lei again and asked, "Do you have any evidence for the instigation you just mentioned?"

The case, up to this point, had suddenly developed a new branch: co-offending!

Generally speaking, even if they were married, Meng Lei’s actions were his own. They wouldn’t necessarily implicate Tian Shulan.

But if instigation could be proven, that would change everything. If instigation occurred, it would constitute a joint offense.

"I have evidence!"

In the defendant’s dock, Meng Lei took a deep breath and said through clenched teeth, "Tian Shulan and I have many chat records." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"When we were buying a house in Yangcheng, we didn’t have enough for the down payment, and she was the one who told me to borrow money."

"On many other occasions, when she wanted to buy bags or cosmetics, she had me borrow money from colleagues."

"She was aware of all my borrowing."

"And she participated in spending the borrowed money..."

Tian Shulan didn’t know about matters before their marriage, but she was aware of what happened after they were married.

To ensure Tian Shulan was imprisoned, Meng Lei’s memory became sharper than ever. He dredged up one post-marriage incident after another.

Hearing his account, Tian Shulan gradually turned pale, her expression growing increasingly frantic.

Meng Lei’s actions had completely blindsided her and far exceeded her expectations.

「Meanwhile, in the nursing home.」

Zhang Qingyuan and the others were also staring wide-eyed, dumbfounded at the scene.

"Meng Lei, oh Meng Lei, how many more surprises do you have up your sleeve?"

"Is this what they call ’one person goes to jail, the whole family goes to jail’?"

"’Spouses are birds of the same forest; when disaster strikes, they die together.’"

"Didn’t Xiao Qin mention this crime of instigation before? How is it sentenced?"

"..."

Even Zhang Qingyuan and the others, who prided themselves on being experienced, were dumbstruck.

They had seen defendants curse at judges in court.

They had seen defendants backstab their lawyers.

This was the first time they’d witnessed infighting in court, with defendants accusing and exposing each other.

For a moment, Meng Lei’s name spread throughout the nursing home.

In the crowd, Wan Zhongyuan also felt a surge of emotion and couldn’t help but look towards Qin Mu. "If this crime of instigation is proven true, how many years would she get?"

Qin Mu glanced at the lively broadcast. He corrected, "Legally, ’instigation’ isn’t a distinct crime. It falls under the principles of joint criminal enterprise, where the instigator is treated as an accomplice."

This means that for whatever crime was instigated, the instigator receives the same sentence as if they had committed the crime themselves.

"So you’re saying... she’ll also be sentenced to more than ten years?" Wan Zhongyuan swallowed nervously and pressed further.

Qin Mu thought for a moment, then shook his head. "That depends on the amount Meng Lei borrowed after their marriage, and how much of that Tian Shulan instructed him to borrow and was aware of."

Actually, the judgment in this case was quite straightforward. Given the special nature of a marital relationship, many actions are assessed jointly.

As long as it could be proven that Tian Shulan instigated Meng Lei’s initial borrowings after their marriage, knew about them, and they jointly spent the money, then her subsequent actions would inevitably be considered part of a joint offense. She could only avoid this if it were proven that she had repeatedly and explicitly advised Meng Lei against borrowing money.

Secondly, it depended on the amount borrowed after marriage.

If the amount borrowed after marriage exceeded 500,000, her sentence would likewise be over ten years!

「In the university classmates’ group chat.」

Meng Lei’s sudden move also left his classmates utterly astounded.

"That’s the Meng Lei I know, never hesitant when it counts!"

"Only Meng Lei could live with a woman like that."

"Tian Shulan didn’t hire a lawyer for Meng Lei, and Meng Lei retaliated in court—what a guy, a true straight-shooter, a role model for us all!"

"I have a nagging feeling Tian Shulan is no pushover, either."

"..."

The scene from the trial’s live broadcast was another real eye-opener for them.

During the cross-examination, Meng Lei bluntly admitted to all criminal charges. At the same time, he dragged Tian Shulan down with him, making her tremble with rage.