Episode Summary
In "In the Name of Justice" Episode 4, the Steering Group's investigation in Dongping intensifies. Prosecutor Hong Liang controversially meets with key suspect Li Renjun, while a protest by Wanhai Group employees is violently suppressed. In a tense interrogation, lawyer Zhang Wenjing retracts her confession, accusing prosecutor Xie Hongfei of framing her and revealing she only testified falsely to expose a deeper conspiracy. Meanwhile, the accused, Wanhai, gives a coerced and contradictory testimony. Concurrently, Hong Liang secretly investigates the suspicious death of fellow prosecutor Qiao Zhenxing, learning he died under mysterious circumstances at the Yongqing River.
Spoiler Alert
In the Name of Justice, Episode 4 Recap: Undercurrents and Hidden Agendas
The investigation in Dongping deepens, pulling the members of the Steering Group into a web of local power plays, conflicting testimonies, and a suspicious death that looms over the entire case. As Hong Liang and Zheng Yaping pursue separate leads, they uncover contradictions that suggest the Wanhai Group case is far more complex than it appears, with powerful figures manipulating events from the shadows.
The Gist (Spoiler-Free)
The Steering Group's investigation immediately hits turbulence. Prosecutor Hong Liang creates friction by privately meeting with Li Renjun, a person of interest named in an anonymous tip. Meanwhile, a protest by Wanhai Group employees is forcefully shut down, hinting at local interference. Lead prosecutor Zheng Yaping’s interrogations of key figures, lawyer Zhang Wenjing and the accused Wanhai, expose stark contradictions at the heart of the case. Simultaneously, Hong Liang quietly looks into the bizarre death of fellow prosecutor Qiao Zhenxing, uncovering troubling details. With various factions working against each other, a case-within-a-case begins to emerge from the shadows.
Full Recap & Spoilers
A Dinner Laced with Motives
Shortly after arriving at the hotel, Hong Liang receives a dinner invitation from his old classmate, Li Renjun, who is currently the acting Prosecutor General of Dongping and the subject of an anonymous complaint. Hong’s superior, Zheng Yaping, denies his request to attend, but he goes anyway, citing his personal connection. At Li's home, the atmosphere is thick with unspoken intentions. Hong cuts straight to the chase, asking about the death of prosecutor Qiao Zhenxing. Li dodges, instead probing whether the Steering Group's real purpose is to investigate corruption within the prosecutor's office.
In a moment of poignant tension, Hong pours a glass of liquor on the floor in a traditional tribute to the deceased Qiao, irritating Li. Seizing an opportunity, Li asks Hong to leverage his influential father-in-law to help secure his official promotion to Prosecutor General. Hong deflects, stating he keeps his public duties and private life separate. Li defends his actions in the Wanhai case and denies any connection to Qiao's death, but Hong remains unconvinced.
A Protest Violently Silenced
The simmering tensions spill into the open when Wan Chao, a Wanhai Group representative, leads a crowd of employees to the Steering Group's hotel. They hold banners proclaiming, "Wanhai is not a gang," and demand a fair investigation. However, local police, led by Chang Sheng under Wang Yu's orders, move in and violently disperse the crowd, forcibly removing the petitioners. By the time Zheng Yaping arrives, all she finds is the debris of a protest, and she doesn't press for details on what transpired.
Bombshells in the Interrogation Room
Zheng Yaping, accompanied by her team, heads to the detention center to interrogate the lawyer Zhang Wenjing. Li Renjun and another prosecutor, Xie Hongfei, insist on being present. Zhang Wenjing immediately demands they leave, accusing the local judiciary of gross misconduct. When Xie Hongfei labels her the "mastermind" of the Wanhai gang, she drops a bombshell: she accuses Xie of fabricating evidence against her.
Zhang confesses that she initially agreed to provide false testimony against Wanhai, but only as a ploy to get into a courtroom where she could expose the real conspiracy. She claims she was coerced into a guilty plea and was arrested before she could gather the evidence to prove her story. She raises suspicions that Qiao Zhenxing's sudden replacement on the case and Wanhai's equally sudden confession were part of a secret deal.
Next, Zheng questions Wanhai himself. Guided by Xie Hongfei, Wanhai parrots the accusation that Zhang Wenjing was the criminal architect, claiming she forced an executive to sell a distribution center at a loss. However, his account is riddled with inconsistencies and vague details, leading Zheng to suspect he is being coerced.
A Secret Investigation into a Suspicious Death
Making an excuse to leave the hotel, Hong Liang travels to the home of the late Qiao Zhenxing. He finds a family deep in mourning, with Qiao's portrait hanging in the house. After preparing a meal for the grieving family, Hong learns a critical piece of information from Qiao's son, Qiao Feng: Qiao Zhenxing's body was discovered under an ice waterfall at the Yongqing River. He had fallen through an ice hole before his death, a detail that strongly suggests it was no accident. Hong secretly records the details, unaware that he is being watched from a distance.
Burning Questions
The episode concludes with several critical questions hanging in the balance. Will Hong Liang's unauthorized investigation uncover the proof he needs, or will his breach of protocol put him in danger? What is the true nature of the deal behind the contradictory stories of Zhang Wenjing and Wanhai? And most importantly, what really happened to Qiao Zhenxing at the Yongqing River?
