Chapter 33: The Road Ahead is Long and Arduous
This lawsuit originally started as a civil dispute case, and Lu Gongzhu had prepared well in this regard. However, little did he know that Zhang Fei, this annoying fellow, did not play by the book, and as the lawsuit proceeded, it turned into a criminal case.
Officials comply with policy, while civilians comply with their covenants – but this situation was not so straightforward.
Since it had become a criminal case, naturally, it needed to be handled with even greater care.
This was because the penalties for criminal cases were far more severe than those for civil disputes.
The key issue was that Lu Gongzhu hadn’t prepared for this aspect. Although he had already sorted out the entire incident’s sequence of events, he didn’t dare to make hasty decisions.
As Zhang Fei left the prefectural office, there wasn’t a single person among the crowd at the entrance who cheered!
There was no applause!
No tears were shed!
No one was moved!
All there was, was confusion! The onlookers completely couldn’t understand what was happening. Even someone as experienced and well-versed in the law as Lu Gongzhu had to think for a long time before he grasped the situation. Not to mention these common people who were just there to watch the spectacle; they were almost entirely ignorant of the law. How could they possibly make sense of this?
The crucial point was that Zhang Fei had come to litigate on behalf of Li Si, but he had immediately sent Li Si to jail.
Without any hesitation at all!
But was this a good thing?
In the future, who would dare to hire you to fight lawsuits again?
Wouldn’t that be asking for trouble?
So, they stood there, dumbfounded, some of them even had a hint of fear as they watched Zhang Fei walk away alone.
Because no one had forgotten that there were two people who came together and only one was leaving.
“Brother Zhang!”
Suddenly, someone called from behind. Zhang Fei turned around and saw Ma Xiaoyi, sweating profusely, chasing after him. “Little Ma?”
Ma Xiaoyi ran up to Zhang Fei and stared at him calmly and blankly. After a while, he finally asked, “Brother, did you win or lose?”
Right! This kid had a bet with his dad. Zhang Fei smiled and said, “Go back and tell your dad what happened. Your dad will give you the answer.”
Ma Xiaoyi, upon hearing this, excitedly pumped his fist and said, “That means we’ve won!”
Zhang Fei just smiled faintly, and then his gaze suddenly flickered a few times. He placed a hand on Ma Xiaoyi’s shoulder and said, “Little Ma, your family runs a pawnshop, right? You must have encountered quite a few disputes.”
Ma Xiaoyi nodded and replied, “We do encounter them often, but they rarely escalate to the prefectural level.”
It was just Zhang Fei. Typically, these kinds of cases wouldn’t reach the prefectural level.
“But things are different now,” Zhang Fei said. “I feel a strong connection with you, and I’d rather not have to face you on the battlefield. But if someone asks me to sue your dad, what should I do?”
Ma Xiaoyi anxiously asked, “Brother, can you win the case?”
Wow, why was he so excited? Zhang Fei furrowed his brow slightly and whispered, “Little Ma, be honest, do you want to inherit the family business early?”
Ma Xiaoyi looked puzzled and said, “What do you mean?”
Was he pretending? Zhang Fei hinted, “What I mean is, it doesn’t matter whom I’m up against. I won’t lose, and I can even send your dad to prison.”
“Send my dad to prison? That’s not acceptable.” Ma Xiaoyi shook his head vigorously and said nervously, “Brother, you’re so honorable. You wouldn’t really sue my dad, would you?”
It seemed like he didn’t have the intention of “inheriting early”. Zhang Fei sighed and said, “This is what I do for a living. It’s how I make a living. If it really comes to that, I’ll be in a difficult position too!”
Ma Xiaoyi asked, “So, what can we do?”
Zhang Fei pretended to ponder and said, “Actually, it’s quite simple. Your family can hire me as your legal consultant in advance. This way, I can even help your family avoid getting entangled in legal disputes and even sue others on your family’s behalf.”
“A legal consultant?”
“Yes.”
Zhang Fei immediately explained the meaning of a legal consultant to him.
Ma Xiaoyi chuckled and said, “This sounds interesting. Alright, I’ll go back and talk to my dad about it.”
This young one learns fast! Zhang Fei patted his shoulder reassuringly and said, “I have to go now! You hurry back and ask your dad about the bet. Farewell!”
Just around the corner, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “If I win this lawsuit, let’s see if you rich folk are afraid or not. If you are, come hire me first! If I don’t make it rich this time, I’ll give up my name! Ah, here comes a big house, long legs, and… Heh heh!”
“Why are you laughing so obscenely?”
“Oh, damn!”
Zhang Fei jumped in surprise, turning his head to see Xu Zhiqian looking at him with a suspicious expression. “Lady Xu? Where did you pop out from?”
Xu Zhiqian said, “I didn’t just pop out of nowhere; I followed you.”
“Followed me?”
Zhang Fei shrugged. “Sorry, you don’t stand a chance.”
Xu Zhiqian huffed, “Aren’t I here now?”
It was just a slip-up, I’m not so easy to catch. Zhang Fei rolled his eyes slightly and continued walking ahead.
Xu Zhiqian had initially wanted to catch up but stopped when she noticed passersby looking. She shot a resentful look that seemed to pierce through Zhang Fei’s back.
The two returned to the Xu residence one after another.
“Benefactor?”
As they entered the gate, they saw Xu Zun strolling in the front yard, which surprised them both.
Xu Zhiqian also found it quite surprising. “Father, why have you returned so soon?”
“I…” Xu Zun straightened his beard. “I came back to get something.”
Xu Zhiqian, seeing her father’s odd expression, smiled and said, “I think you’re in no mood to work, right?”
Xu Zun glared at her. “You’re quite clever.”
He acted indifferent on the surface to avoid arousing suspicion, but in reality, he was very concerned because this issue had been troubling him. He couldn’t focus on work, so he returned home to wait for the outcome.
Xu Zhiqian lightly snorted. “If we’re talking about cleverness, it’s actually that fellow Zhang San who’s clever. He came up with the idea to use matrimonial law in this lawsuit and even managed to get Li Si sent to prison.”
“Matrimonial law?”
Xu Zun was also taken aback and asked urgently, “What’s going on exactly?”
Xu Zhiqian immediately explained the whole process to Xu Zun.
“So that’s how it is!”
Xu Zun stroked his beard and chuckled, “Marvelous! Marvelous!”
Although Xu Zhiqian wasn’t fond of Zhang Fei, she couldn’t help but be amazed by this. She turned to Zhang Fei and asked, “How did you come up with using matrimonial law in this lawsuit?”
There was a hint of admiration in her eyes.
She and Xu Zun were the only ones who understood the strategy now, and she finally understood why Xu Zun valued him so much. This approach was indeed extraordinary.
Using matrimonial marriage law to fight a loans dispute.
This was unprecedented!
So, she was curious about how he came up with it.
Zhang Fei smiled and said, “It’s actually quite simple. This lawsuit involves both miscellaneous law[1] and matrimonial law. Since we couldn’t make a breakthrough with miscellaneous law, we had to focus on matrimonial law.”
Xu Zhiqian pondered and said, “In hindsight, it does seem simple. But why couldn’t I think of it before?”
Zhang Fei replied, “That’s because you seek to pursue justice within the rules, while I pursue victory within the rules. It means I can do whatever it takes to win.”
Listening intently nearby, Xu Zun nodded in agreement.
Curiously, Xu Zhiqian looked at Xu Zun and asked, “Father, do you agree as well?”
Doing whatever it takes! Wasn’t that something her father usually despised?
Xu Zun smiled and said, “In fact, Zhang San and I have discussed this before. If one person uses legal means to pursue an unjust outcome, while another uses illegal means to pursue a just outcome, who do you think is right and who is wrong?”
Xu Zhiqian, looking conflicted, asked, “Father, how would you choose?”
Xu Zun stroked his beard in silence.
Zhang Fei chuckled and said, “Benefactor, you’ve spared many a Chen Yuteng.”
Xu Zun immediately gave Zhang Fei an approving look.
Xu Zhiqian suddenly understood. If Xu Zun was willing to obtain a just outcome by unlawful means, he wouldn’t be troubled by the case. She asked, “But why not use legal means to pursue a just outcome?”
Xu Zun looked at Zhang Fei with a hint of expectation.
Zhang Fei smiled and explained, “Because whether something is legal or not is clearly defined by law. We can know for sure if it’s legal or not. But whether something is just or not doesn’t have clear rules. Take the case of Ayun, for example. Some people believe Ayun shouldn’t be put to death, while others think Ayun committed an abomination. They each have their own reasons, so who is the one pursuing justice?
While legality and justice are closely related, they are not the same.”
Xu Zun nodded and said, “Actually, if everyone behaved lawfully, the world would be much more peaceful.”
After thinking for a while, Xu Zhiqian suddenly asked, “What if pursuing justice through legal means leads to an unjust outcome? What if the law itself is flawed?”
Zhang Fei shrugged and said, “That’s not my concern.”
Xu Zun fell into a brief silence and then sighed, “The road ahead is long and arduous; we shall keep searching for answers.”[2]
Zhang Fei chuckled, “As the saying goes, the spear came first, then the shield was invented. And I am that spear.”
Xu Zun laughed and said, “You’re already making excuses for yourself to do bad things! You’re not plotting something else, are you?”
Zhang Fei smirked, “No, of course not.”
Xu Zhiqian looked at Zhang Fei with suspicion and suddenly asked, “Even if you win this lawsuit, Li Si will still go to jail, won’t he?”
Before Zhang Fei could respond, Xu Zun stood up, looked at the sky, and said, “It’s been some time, I need to get back to work. I won’t be coming back for lunch.”
Xu Zhiqian looked at the sky as well and realized that it was almost lunchtime. She thought her father was extremely diligent. She was about to get Xu Zun to stay for lunch, but as she opened her mouth, she suddenly realized Zhang Fei’s plan and turned to Zhang Fei.
[1] It was mentioned earlier in chapter 28 that the part of the Song Code that dealt with loans and interest rates were in the “miscellaneous” section of the Song Code.
[2] This is a quote from a poem by Qu Yuan, a poet and politician of the State of Chu during the Warring States period.