Judge of the Song Dynasty

Actually, what Chen Yuteng did was quite common, and wasn’t some heinous crime. Many officials also played word games to obtain land belonging to ordinary farmers. In fact, there were more unseemly acts than this.

Why should my nephew receive such harsh punishment when he’s just doing what everyone else is doing?

This isn’t fair!

Based on this, Wang Wenshan certainly wouldn’t let his nephew be charged with the crime of wife abduction. This charge was a serious criminal offense. Once convicted, it meant a penal facial tattoo[1] and an uncertain future.

Of course, he wouldn’t consult a notary, as notaries were mostly former government clerks, not as legally adept as the officials. So, he sought advice from his own student, Chen Yu, an official from the Ministry of Punishments.

“I didn’t know there were so many things going on behind the case,” Chen Yu nodded slightly.

Wang Wenshan sighed, “My nephew is not a bad person, but he’s easily swayed by women. It was that woman’s incitment that led him to this. We would be willing to settle things by giving up on interest and returning the land and Lady Zeng to Li Si.”

That the matter had reached the Kaifeng Prefectural Office at all meant that it was a loss for Wang Wenshan. As a high-ranking court official, he preferred to resolve matters amicably. Anything else would have to wait.

Chen Yu shook his head, “Teacher, I’m afraid this won’t work. If we say that interest has been discharged, it implies that both Xiangfu County and Kaifeng Prefecture’s judgments were wrong. Xiangfu County may be amenable, but can Kaifeng Prefecture accept that?”

Speaking softly, he added, “From what I know, this matter has reached the Hanlin Academy. It seems amicable resolution might not be possible.” Wang Wenshan was greatly surprised, “How could such a minor case end up at the Hanlin Academy?”

Chen Yu sighed, “Teacher, you should be aware that Wang Anshi is advocating for reforms, and this matter involves the common people incurring debts. He’ll surely seize this opportunity to make a big issue out of it.”

Wang Wenshan suddenly felt anxious, “So, what can we do now?”

After some thought, Chen Yu said, “Was this really Lady Zeng’s idea?”

Wang Wenshan nodded, “Absolutely true.”

Chen Yu asked, “Teacher, do you think Lady Zeng and Li Si might be conspiring to extort your nephew through this?”

Wang Wenshan shook his head, “That’s highly unlikely. They’re not extorting my nephew.”

As he said this, he suddenly looked at Chen Yu.

Chen Yu said, “For all we know, they might actually be trying to extort you.”

***

It was late in the morning when Zhang Fei leisurely emerged from his room. He had handed over Li Si to the Kaifeng Prefectural Office, so he was free at the moment. Coincidentally, he saw Qingmei carrying a bamboo basket filled with fruit. His mouth watered a bit, so he proactively greeted her, “Qingmei, those melons look really good.”

Qingmei immediately shifted the basket to the other side and said, “These aren’t for you.”

Zhang Fei asked, “Do you have guests at home?”

Qingmei replied, “What home? This isn’t your home.”

She had always regarded Zhang Fei as a lecher and never gave him a friendly look.

Life under someone else’s roof was really tough. Even a maidservant dared to argue with me. Zhang Fei felt slightly displeased and asked, “By the way, how’s the search for my new lodgings coming along?”

Qingmei looked puzzled, “What lodgings?”

Zhang Fei said, “Didn’t your Lady Qian’er instruct you to help me find another place to stay?”

Qingmei shook her head, “Lady Qian’er never told me that.”

“What?”

Zhang Fei widened his eyes and asked, “She didn’t instruct you to do that?”

“No,” Qingmei nodded.

“This is unbelievable!”

Zhang Fei couldn’t help but curse, “I knew that woman couldn’t be trusted.”

Qingmei stamped her foot and pointed at Zhang Fei, “Who are you cursing?”

“The widow next door,” Zhang Fei replied irritably.

Qingmei paused for a moment and said, “Widow? There’s no widow next door!”

As she realized this, she found that Zhang Fei had already walked away, and she stomped her foot in frustration, “You lecher, I’ll make sure to tell Lady Qian’er.”

“This woman is so two-faced. She chased me away with words but still wants me in secret. She obviously has ulterior motives. It’s better to rely on myself. After all, I have nothing to do right now, and money will be available soon.”

Muttering under his breath, Zhang Fei left the Xu residence and ventured onto the streets. After some contemplation, he decided, “I might as well check out the area around Xiang-guo Temple; I’m more familiar with that area. Plus, that area has a vibrant recreational scene, which suits a single guy like me.”

However, he hadn’t gone far when a middle-aged man suddenly blocked his path.

“May I ask if you are Zhang Fei?”

“It’s me,” Zhang Fei nodded.

The middle-aged man clasped his hands and said, “My master wishes to see you.”

Zhang Fei asked, “Who is your master?”

“You will know when you get there.”

So pushy? Zhang Fei grinned and said, “Sorry, I’m not interested in finding out. Excuse me.”

With that, he circumvented the middle-aged man. Suddenly, two burly men emerged from a nearby corner.

Zhang Fei frowned, took a step back, looked at the middle-aged man, took a deep breath, and then bowed his head, saying, “I’m sorry.”

The middle-aged man paid it no mind and gestured, “This way, please.”

Zhang Fei hesitated a bit and said, “If you plan to take me to some remote place, I’ll shout for help right now.”

The middle-aged man said, “My master is at the teahouse over there.”

With that, he pointed to a teahouse across the street.

Zhang Fei nodded and said, “Lead the way.”

Inside the teahouse, there was only one well-mannered elderly man, around fifty years old, sitting there.

Zhang Fei examined the old man for a moment, then bowed respectfully, saying, “Humble Zhang San greets Director Wang.”

The old man looked somewhat surprised at Zhang Fei, but after a moment, he stroked his beard and smiled, “An impressive young man! Please, have a seat.”

This man was none other than Wang Wenshan, the Director of the Agricultural Affairs Bureau.

“Thank you,” Zhang Fei sat down.

Wang Wenshan said, “I believe you have already guessed the purpose of my visit.”

Zhang Fei nodded.

Wang Wenshan sighed and said, “My nephew did make a mistake in this matter, surely you do not intend for both sides to suffer.”

Zhang Fei smiled and said, “I ask for your forgiveness, Director Wang, but we simply have no choice.”

“I understand,” Wang Wenshan smiled and nodded, saying, “I have a better solution. Perhaps it would be feasible…?”

Zhang Fei quickly responded, “Director Wang, please go on.”

Wang Wenshan continued, “My nephew will return both the wife and the land to Li Si, and the borrowed money won’t need to be repaid. In addition…”

He suddenly looked towards the middle-aged man who had brought Zhang Fei here.

The middle-aged man immediately placed a small wooden box on the table. When he opened it, it revealed two hefty silver ingots.

“Here’s a hundred taels of silver, consider it my gratitude to you,” Wang Wenshan said.

Zhang Fei glanced at the silver and said with a smile, “Director Wang, do you know why I’ve been studying law? It’s because I’m afraid of accidentally committing a legal offense. I really want this silver, but I can’t accept it because it’s against the rules.”

Wang Wenshan furrowed his brows, saying, “So, it seems like you’re determined to see my nephew die.”

Zhang Fei chuckled, “Not necessarily.”

Wang Wenshan asked, “Then what do you propose?”

Zhang Fei said, “Have your nephew willingly admit his mistake, apologize to Li Si, and offer a compensation payment of five hundred strings.”

Wang Wenshan was slightly surprised, “Five hundred strings? Your appetite seems rather large.”

In his mind, he thought, so this man thinks a hundred taels of silver, roughly amounting to a hundred strings, is too little.

Zhang Fei grinned and said, “How about a thousand strings then?”

Wang Wenshan narrowed his eyes and remarked, “Young man, you’re just a commoner.”

Zhang Fei shrugged, “I’m like a clay tile with nothing to lose. A porcelain vessel that hits a clay tile will be damaged. If I can make your nephew and Li Si become prison buddies, maybe I can make us two prison buddies as well.”

Bang!

Wang Wenshan slammed his hand on the table.

The two burly men at the door immediately rushed in.

In the face of this sudden turn of events, Zhang Fei stared fearlessly at Wang Wenshan.

Wang Wenshan gazed at Zhang Fei for a moment, looking puzzled, and asked, “Aren’t you afraid? Nobody would pay attention to the disappearance of a mere pen-in-cap.”

Zhang Fei chuckled, “Who are you trying to scare? I dare you to lay hands on me. I guarantee you that there are many people with a keen interest in me right now. Such as the Hanlin Academy? Or perhaps the Court of Judicial Review? I doubt you would want to go down with me?”

Wang Wenshan was already regretting calling those two men in. It was just getting awkward. After a while, he nodded with a smile and said, “A newborn calf is truly unafraid of tigers.”

With another wave of his hand, the two burly men immediately left the room.

He hadn’t forgotten that Zhang Fei was currently staying at Xu Zun’s house.

Even though Xu Zun had remained aloof from the case and acted as a bystander, without him, the situation might have turned out differently.

Zhang Fei might not even be admitted into the Kaifeng Prefectural Office.

“Even if my nephew is willing to settle the matter, I’m afraid the Kaifeng Prefectural Office wouldn’t agree,” Wang Wenshan said.

Zhang Fei smiled and said, “You would probably find persuading Kaifeng Prefecture easier than persuading me.”

After Zhang Fei left, Chen Yu emerged.

“This guy is even greedier and more cunning than we imagined,” Chen Yu said with a touch of frustration.

“What insolence! I won’t let this guy off,” Wang Wenshan said, clenching his fist and pounding the table. He turned to Chen Yu and asked, “Based on what he just said, can we accuse him of extortion?”

Chen Yu shook his head and said, “Without evidence, it’s going to be very difficult to make a case.”

Originally, they had hoped to have Zhang Fei accept the silver and then accuse him of conspiring to extort them.

But they had underestimated Zhang Fei. The craft of a solicitor was to package illegal activities as legal ones.

Extortion?

This was a settlement payment.

Wang Wenshan exclaimed, “Are we really going to let him get away with this?”

Chen Yu pondered for a moment and said, “Teacher, even ten years is not too late in exacting revenge.”

At present, the most critical thing was to settle the matter and avoid further complications. They, as officials, knew that such matters had to be resolved as quickly as possible. The longer Chen Yuteng was in custody, the more uncertainties could arise.

“Ten years?” Wang Wenshan scoffed, “If it takes ten years for me to get revenge on a pen-in-cap, then there’s no point in me holding this position. When my nephew is released, I won’t let him off lightly.”

After leaving the teahouse, Zhang Fei didn’t choose to visit Xiang-guo Temple after all; he just wasn’t in the mood for it. Back at Xu Zun’s residence, he leaned against the doorframe, catching his breath.

He was indeed afraid, but he had no choice. With his current commoner status, if he was humble and subservient, he would never be able to be a litigator.

He had to be bold. No, he had to be both bold and tough. Being smooth wasn’t out of the question, but it couldn’t be done right now.

After a brief pause, Zhang Fei planned to return to his room. However, while walking halfway there, he noticed a figure hiding behind a potted plant. It turned out to be Xu Zhiqian. He thought, “It’s your fault for deceiving me.”

He intended to approach Xu Zhiqian to discuss things but took a step forward and heard a man’s voice. He turned his gaze and saw Xu Zhiqian standing next to a handsome young man.

Both of them were of a similar age. There was no need to mention Xu Zhiqian’s beauty, but the young man was equally impressive in looks and demeanor.

They looked quite compatible together.

“What a perfect pair of lovebirds. Oh well, I won’t disturb your romantic rendezvous. I’ll deal with this lady later,” Zhang Fei thought. He discreetly lightened his footsteps and quietly moved towards his room. Fınd the newest release on novel⁂fire.net

“Zhang San!” Suddenly, he heard a clear call.

“I didn’t even want to interrupt you, but you called me yourself. And so affectionately. Are you trying to drive up your bride price?” Zhang Fei rolled his eyes and then turned around, offering a polite greeting, “Madam Xu.”

Xu Zhiqian wore a gentle smile and kindly said, “Come here; I’d like to introduce you to someone.”

Was this lady trying to be coquettish? Zhang Fei really hadn’t seen this side of Xu Zhiqian before. He was taken aback for a moment but thought that with her boyfriend present, she naturally had to act more gentle and lady-like. Otherwise, who would dare to marry her!

However, he genuinely didn’t understand why he needed to approach them. But since she had called him, he had no choice but to go over.

Xu Zhiqian reached out to the handsome young man at her side and said, “This is my father’s student, Wang Ye.”

“Wang Ye?” Zhang Fei exclaimed.

The handsome young man nodded slightly and said, “Wang Ye. Ye as in the word for one page of paper.”

Zhang Fei let out a long “Oh” and chuckled, “Wang Ye! Well, that’s a great name!” [2]

[1] Tattooing of the face was used as a punishment in ancient China. It was seen as shameful and unfilial to allow one’s face (given by one’s parents) to become tattooed.

[2] Zhang Fei is referring to the fact that Wang Ye sounds like the Chinese term for prince, so someone calling you by that name would sound like he’s calling you prince.