☔ In the Name of Justice 以法之名 ☔ (2025) Discussion: Episodes 8 - 11
Welcome
Welcome to the the episode discussion series for In the Name of Justice 以法之名. This series will be co-hosted with u/rabatjoie2 ☂, and we will be following platform's VIP release schedule.
🎬Premiered: June 24, 2025 on Youku 👖 (MDL)
🎬# of Episodes: 36
🎬Genre: Internal Affairs | Legal | Crime | (Light) Suspense
🔗Links: Announcement Post | Character Wiki Post
🔗Episode Discussions: All | Ep 1 - 3 | 4 - 7
❗ Please use Spoiler tags in comments if you are revealing info from future episodes ❗
🚬The importance of cigarettes
Cigarettes once again proved their significance by providing a crucial clue to Hong Liang just as he was about to leave Dongping City. He realized what was also visible in Qiao’s “confession” video, and deduced the fact that someone else must have been present during the recording. This not only demonstrated how sharp-eyed and detail-oriented he is, but also showed that he still had lingering doubts about his old friend’s death and had clearly been thinking about the case deeply.
🌤Under the sun
Hong’s persistence and return paid off almost immediately when he finally received an invitation to meet the whistleblower, none other than Prison Warden Ma Chong Yang. The shift in his demeanor before and after Ma revealed his identity was interesting, and the investigation note handover scene was beautifully shot. This moment reminded me of the powerful handover scene in We Are Criminal Police, and there is definitely something undeniably solemn and moving about this type of exchange, and it gave me such a strong sense of hope and relief, knowing that Qiao’s efforts, which we now realize he risked and gave his life for, might finally see the light of day.
The ensuing deduction conversation between Hong and Ya Ping was exciting to watch as we saw them inch closer to the truth. However, I did find it a bit anticlimactic when their final suspect turned out to be Li Ren Jun, especially since both of them appeared genuinely shocked and hesitant to accept it.
They had both already seen the whistleblower letter, so they should have been mentally prepared for this possibility. I could understand Hong reacting that way, as he clearly still regarded Li as a friend. But Ya Ping’s hesitation felt more puzzling as she has no personal relationship with Li, and thus far she seems to be a pretty strict and professional prosecutor.
I came across some comments suggesting that in the original version of the scene, >!they actually concluded that the entire law enforcement structure of Dongping City was involved. That interpretation would make much more sense given their reaction!<.
Mirror Mirror on the wall, Who's the most guilty of them all
🎭Some rejoice, while others grieve
First off, I felt that the Consultant Group was primarily focused on Zhang Wen Jing’s case, as they seemed genuinely surprised by Li Ren Jun’s connection to Wan Hai’s defense lawyer, Cheng Zi Jian. Or was this an oversight? If their hidden agenda was to investigate Li Ren Jun (since his name appeared in the whistleblower letter) then they should have already gathered some background information on his connections.
That said, perhaps the limited time they had meant they couldn’t dig too deeply, which makes Hong’s “observer” and "Red or White Pocket delivery" role all the more important and necessary.
While the Li family was busy celebrating a new marriage between Li’s younger sister and none other than Wan Hai’s defense lawyer, Cheng Zijian, Qiao’s widow and daughter were living in heartbreaking contrast. 😥
The list of "Umbrella Corp Staff" grows
One thing I found surprising was how Li Ren Jun seemed unaware of a lot of what might be going on. His sister is marrying Wan Hai's defense lawyer and moved into a house that's obviously above their paygrade, and only now finding out that it was a gift from Cheng's employer (?), the newly introduced CEO of Tian Long Corp., Chen Sheng Long. And how does his sister not realize that such gift is suspicious especially since her brother is a prosecutor?
Either way, we finally get to see a very likely mini boss behind Cheng Zi Jian, and a likely group photo of one part of Umbrella Corp., with knowing and unknowing members 😆
We are also introduced to Xiong Lei, the General Manager of the Dongping City Recycling Facility. He and his men appear to be the ones who have been eavesdropping on the Consultant Group and are likely responsible for intimidating Qiao’s brother-in-law, who was detained at the same facility.
We also have one expelled member: Chen You Cai. He’s been an intriguing character, initially turning on Wan Hai seemingly for his own gain, but now it looks like he might turn against Umbrella Corp as well, driven by the ongoing mistreatment and blatant disrespect he’s endured. I can’t wait to see that moment unfold! (Even though You Cai currently seems more interested in returning to his hometown 😅 -- but hey, anything is better than joining up with the "new gang" that Wan Hai's son is seemingly trying to organize?!
⚖On the side of Justice
First, I think we can safely consider Police Chief Xu as part of the "Justice Group." While he may have initially been more interested in keeping his hands clean, it now seems that he is growing concerned about the possibly flawed conclusion in Qiao’s case. He subtly encourages Qiao’s brother, Qin Feng, by offering investigative leads.
This proved incredibly useful, as it ultimately helped Qin and Hong uncover the initial crime scene. That entire sequence was without a doubt the highlight of these four episodes for me.
👐The "Body-Snatchers"
Considering we’re only about a third of the way into the series, it’s clear that many more obstacles still lie ahead for the "Justice Group". One major blow comes with Qiao being cremated ahead of schedule, effectively preventing a second autopsy and robbing his wife, Zhou Mei, of the chance to see him one last time.
We still don’t know who contacted Cheng Zi Jian to push this forward, and it remains ambiguous whether it was Prosecutor Xie or someone else. Could it be that Ya Ping and Hong spoke too loudly in their hotel room and their plan was overheard by the eavesdropper? I currently suspect that the surveillance setup only covers the hallways, so it’s possible someone else tipped off the Umbrella.
In any case, this is sure to enrage the Consultant Group and further confirm their suspicions about the true cause of Qiao’s death as well as the presence of a powerful Umbrella Corp. Hopefully, this incident also becomes a turning point and enables the group to gain more direct investigative authority, something their current assignment doesn’t yet allow.
🗨Discussion Questions
- What are your thoughts on Hong Liang at this point? Do you think he’s really a coward, as Ya Ping often suggests?
- Have you picked up on any questioning or interrogation techniques from our Teacher Zheng Ya Ping?
- What’s your impression of You Cai, is he going to stand up against Wang Yu and those behind him?
- Any guesses on who might have called Cheng Zi Jian?
- And finally, has anyone moved into or out of your sus-list?
🍵Fluff Corner
New vocab acquired
New moral value acquired (thanks to Joie!)
That's it for this post, over to you!
Posted Jun 28, 2025, 4:34 PM UTC