Chapter 41: Adding Fuel to Fire
In the afternoon, the crowd in front of the Xu manor gradually dispersed, but it was foreseeable that more people would come here in the future, seeking Zhang Fei’s help.
To get paid for borrowing money; could there be anything more wonderful than that?
Therefore, those who came today were all opportunistic individuals. Simply put, they owed money and didn’t want to repay, instead hoping to make a profit.
Although this was already within Xu Zhiqian’s expectations, she still felt somewhat disappointed. Moreover, she considered it a thankless task. While helping organize records, she said to Zhang Fei, “Zhang San, don’t you think what we’re doing is too ostentatious?”
Zhang Fei stopped his work and asked, “Lady Xu, what do you mean?”
Xu Zhiqian said, “If doing this can really help innocent commoners who have suffered injustice, then I wouldn’t mind; I would have a clear conscience. But in the current situation, as you’ve seen, the people coming here for help are mostly opportunists.
This may cause misunderstandings and dissatisfaction among some officials in the court. I think we should keep a lower profile. If we really encounter cases of injustice, we can intervene quietly. Just like the case of Li Si back then. Making such a big fuss now is really a thankless task!”
She didn’t deny the importance of the matter but believed that efforts should be focused where they would yield results, so as not to end up busy without making a difference and attracting unnecessary trouble.
Zhang Fei nodded slightly and said, “That’s a valid point, but this is not something we intentionally arranged. These people came on their own. We can’t just drive them away. Wait a few days, and when they see that we’re not making much movement, and that it’s not easy to trick us, things will settle down.”
He thought to himself, once those big fish take the bait, I can use this opportunity to strike out on my own. I believe it won’t take long for those big fish to be caught. It’s only a matter of days, so there shouldn’t be any problems. Xu Zhiqian nodded slightly, thinking that Zhang Fei’s words also made sense. The wind had already started blowing, and they couldn’t suppress it. There had to be a process to let it die down.
In fact, her concerns were not completely unshared by Zhang Fei. He wasn’t blinded by victory, and he genuinely hadn’t anticipated so many people coming so quickly. However, he had no choice; staying hidden wouldn’t provide an opportunity for advancement. His previous actions, including jumping into the river and marketing himself, were all calculated for the sake of his career.
He wouldn’t let this situation persist for too long.
Certainly, there were risks, but risks always accompanied benefits.
Conversely, benefits were always accompanied by risks.
The commotion in front of the Xu manor was significant, and those wealthy moguls would clearly see it as long as they weren’t blind.
Recalling the Ayun case, Zhang Fei had also stirred up anger and dissatisfaction among many ministers in the court. The judges and censors nearly turned the roof upside down, but once the matter passed, nobody paid attention to him.
However, during the Li Si case, the situation became somewhat delicate. On the surface, most people in the court were relatively quiet, unlike during the Ayun case when there was widespread condemnation of Xu Zun and Zhang Fei.
But as the saying goes, a truly vicious dog doesn’t show its teeth.
Wang Wenshan, also a member of the scholar-official class, had a clear understanding of this. He knew what his colleagues were thinking. Now, seeing the situation at the Xu manor, he was overjoyed. This was truly a heaven-sent opportunity for him!
There was no need to wait to take revenge on a mere pen-in-cap.
The pent-up anger felt like a bone stuck in the throat— it had to be vented!
Forget about waiting for a few days; he couldn’t even wait for a single day.
At an inn known as the Pan Inn.
In a large private room on the second floor, five people were seated. They were all dressed in luxurious clothing and held themselves in refined demeanors.
On the table, a variety of delicious dishes lay still and untouched, completely intact.
Wang Wenshan, sitting at the head of the table, scanned the others and asked, “Do you all know what happened in front of the Xu manor?”
As soon as he finished speaking, a loud bang was heard.
A man slammed the table in anger and shame, saying, “How could we not know? Gentlemen, you all should go take a look. One might even mistake it for the Kaifeng Prefectural Office. If this continues, who would still respect us officials? He’s just a mere pen-in-cap; how can we let him act so high and mighty above us?”
This man was named Guan Deng and held the position of Director of the Imperial Treasury.
A hint of glee flashed in Wang Wenshan’s eyes.
An elderly man with white hair also had an angry expression and said, “This is all that Wang Anshi’s fault. If he didn’t stir up trouble in the imperial court causing us to feel hesitant and restrained, how could we tolerate that pen-in-cap’s audacity?”
This statement was not entirely wrong. Xu Zun could take thirty percent of the credit in Zhang Fei’s success in his lawsuit, while Wang Anshi could take fifty percent of the credit. If it weren’t for Wang Anshi’s political moves, Zhang Fei wouldn’t have won so easily.
But, as the saying goes, heroes are created by the circumstances of the times.
Zhang Fei had seized the opportunity, and this was also a kind of ability.
Wang Wenshan immediately said, “Lord Xu makes a valid point. Therefore, we should show some strength and discipline this audacious pen-in-cap.”
Lord Xu nodded in agreement.
After all, Wang Anshi now enjoyed Emperor Zhao Xu’s trust and had considerable support in the court. It wouldn’t be easy to bring him down immediately.
So, why not use this opportunity to kill a chicken to warn the monkeys?
If they meticulously and seriously dealt with a pen-in-cap, it would be an entirely simple matter.
Guan Deng immediately asked, “I wonder if Director Wang has any brilliant ideas?”
Wang Wenshan turned his head to look at Chen Yu beside him.
Chen Yu smiled and said, “The Xu manor is currently packed with people. I think Zhang San must be overwhelmed alone. In that case, why don’t we find someone to help him share the burden? Let some other pen-in-caps also assist the commoners in going to the Kaifeng Prefectural Office to beat the drums and appeal for justice.”
Upon hearing the first half of Chen Yu’s speech, Guan Deng and the others looked puzzled, but with the second half, everyone instantly understood. Smiles appeared on their faces simultaneously, and they finally lifted their wine glasses.
Two more days passed.
The commotion in front of the Xu manor had slightly subsided. Zhang Fei chose to spend money renting a small teahouse diagonally across the street as his temporary office. After all, he didn’t want to cause too much trouble for the Xu family.
The number of people seeking help didn’t decrease, and not all of them were opportunists. Some were genuinely wronged and had come specifically to seek Zhang Fei’s assistance.
However, Zhang Fei was extremely anxious at this moment, with a furrowed brow. He wondered, “This shouldn’t be happening! Are those wealthy moguls stupid, or do they just not care about the exorbitant compensation? Even so, there shouldn’t be not a single person!”
He didn’t use bait; he had thrown the net directly, but even so, not a single big fish had been caught. This was beyond his expectations.
Helping poor people in lawsuits was possible, but making a living out of it was incredibly difficult, especially during the Northern Song dynasty. To support a family and stand out, one had to earn money from the wealthy—that was the way forward.
Just as he was about to go to the street corner to see for himself, Li Si appeared, walking towards him.
“Brother San!”
“Li Si?”
Zhang Fei looked at Li Si, who was sweating and carrying a large bundle. “Why are you here?”
Li Si gasped and said, “I went to buy some paper and ink and came back.”
Zhang Fei immediately got angry, “Who asked you to buy these things? Didn’t I tell you to stand at the street corner?”
Li Si hurriedly said, “Brother San, rest assured, Qingmei is helping me keep watch there.”
“What? You let Qingmei stand there for you?” Zhang Fei suddenly felt uneasy, and a sense of foreboding arose.
“Yes, that’s right. Qingmei said the ink and paper at home were used up and Miss Qian asked her to buy some back. But she’s a delicate girl, so how can she carry so much? So, I exchanged tasks with her.”
“You.”
Zhang Fei pointed at Li Si, furious but helpless. “Haven’t you had learnt your lesson? A woman’s words are not to be trusted. The more beautiful they are, the more likely they are to deceive you.[1] Forget it, forget it. I’m not your mother. Why bother telling you these things? I’m going to settle the accounts with that woman. It’s really infuriating. I knew there that someone should have come to me by now.”
[1] This is a reference to the wuxia story Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre, which is quite famous and has had many film adaptations. These were the final words of the main character’s mom to the MC, and foreshadows the plot to come.