Corolla of Thorns

Four staff members of the City Appearance Supervision Brigade of Chengnan District, Beichuan City, Hanchuan Province, had a dispute with the 39-year-old shop owner Bai Yanglin during the enforcement process of correcting the illegal operation of the "Buy for Free" snack bar. The four of them forced Bai Yanglin into the car. On the way, they found that Bai Yanglin's face was blue and he had no pulse. He was taken to the hospital and died. The procuratorate's forensic doctor determined that Bai Yanglin died of heart failure caused by a fatty heart. This identification aroused suspicion and dissatisfaction among the relatives of the deceased and the local people. Relatives of the deceased and thousands of people strongly demanded a review of the cause of death. Leng Mei, director of the Forensic Office of the Provincial Procuratorate, was appointed as the chief forensic expert to conduct a review and appraisal of the case together with forensic experts from the court, public security, and justice. The original appraiser, Gao Wang, was Leng Mei's fellow student, while the re-appraisers, Professor Wei Zhendong and Lin Haiyin, were nationally renowned forensic experts and Leng Mei's graduate tutors who were close to her parents. Overturning these two appraisals, Leng Mei experienced a struggle of conscience. One of the suspects involved in the case, Wang Jiabao, is the nephew of Leng Mei's husband, the nanny Wang Aniang. The nanny is alone and relies on her nephew to support her in her old age. However, the review and appraisal will put her in jail. Leng Mei has gone through an emotional test. To everyone's surprise, Leng Mei's identification conclusion has undergone substantial changes...