Judge of the Song Dynasty

Xu Zhiqian faintly felt a sense of being tricked!

She was unquestionably the victim, but now she found herself facing the risk of apologizing.

What on earth was going on?

Had she been knocked on the head and lost consciousness?

Unfortunately, it was too late.

After the two arrived in the hall, Zhang Fei seemed almost afraid that she would change her mind. He quickly explained the entire housing loan plan to her.

After listening, Xu Zhiqian couldn’t help but feel very surprised. She even stopped rubbing her aching shoulders.

“How does a pen-in-cap like you understand all this?” It was something she had never expected because, in her view, this plan was purely a business transaction. Wasn’t Zhang Fei just a pen-in-cap?

This subverted the image of a pen-in-cap in her mind.

How shallow, Zhang Fei, drinking tea to sober up, thought. He said, “The key to this plan lies in whether the law supports it, not in how clever the plan is. Without legal assurance, who would dare to lend such a large sum?” Xu Zhiqian nodded, “True! Without legal protection, who would dare to lend such a large sum.”

Zhang Fei said, “Alright! Apologize!”

Xu Zhiqian was startled, “This is a speculative plan.”

“Do you think I came up with this plan on a casual whim?”

Zhang Fei, seeing her speechless, snorted, “Actually, I had planned this way before. Because the highest skill of a pen-in-cap is not to litigate. On the contrary, it is to strangle the lawsuit in its cradle. Once in court, every outcome is possible, and the situation becomes very uncertain.

I hoped to contact those wealthy merchants to cooperate with them under the guise of avoiding lawsuits. I want to help them make money legally. This is not colluding with the enemy or doing something illicit. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Think about it; I have no status or position. If I collude with them and engage in illegal activities, the result would be that I would become their servant. How could I do such a foolish thing? I defend the law more than anyone because it is my way of making a living.

So, apologize.”

Faced with reality, Xu Zhiqian had to admit that she was in the wrong, “Fine, I apologize.”

Zhang Fei said, “Start apologizing from our first encounter.”

“Why?”

“Who was the one who threw herself at me? Whose maid, without any reason, cursed me as a lecher? And who repeatedly called me a scoundrel? Also, who stepped on my foot? And after I proved my innocence in front of your father, I immediately let you go.”

“Sorry!”

Xu Zhiqian blushed, her voice barely audible.

Zhang Fei chuckled, “Chen Yuteng’s apologies are much more sincere than yours.”

Xu Zhiqian raised her head directly, “I admit that I had prejudices against you from the beginning, and for that, I am sincerely sorry.”

Zhang Fei, with a serious expression, said, “I, Zhang Fei, formally accept your apology, Xu Zhiqian.”

Suddenly, Xu Zhiqian asked, “What about tonight?”

I knew you’d bring that up. Zhang Fei cleared his throat, straightened his posture, and looked directly at Xu Zhiqian, saying, “What happened tonight, I admit, was an intentional act of retaliation on my part. I am very sorry for that and am willing to make amends. I can help you massage your injured deltoid muscle.”

Xu Zhiqian questioned, “What deltoid muscle?”

“Uh, it’s the shoulder.”

“I don’t want you to massage it.”

“Due to the goodwill of the victim, who has graciously declined my compensation, this compensation will no longer count. Ahem.”

Zhang Fei continued, “In fact, I already feel very regretful. Perhaps this will be an indelible stain on my life. Because as a man, one should be generous. Not petty, calculating every little thing, seeking revenge for every offense. Such conduct truly reflects the behavior of a petty person, a person worse than pigs and dogs.”

“Enough!” Xu Zhiqian interrupted him, “This is not an apology at all; it’s clearly just veiled insinuations!”

Zhang Fei looked puzzled, “Lady Xu, why would you think that?”

“I…”

Xu Zhiqian paused for a moment, almost letting slip that she thought her own actions were petty. She snorted, “I formally accept your apology.”

“Good! Let’s consider our grievances settled.” Zhang Fei continued, “In the future, I will consult with you first on official matters.”

“Really?”

Xu Zhiqian found it hard to believe!

“Of course,” Zhang Fei smiled, “Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, why hide anything from you? I haven’t done anything shady.”

Even if this incident hadn’t occurred, he would have told Xu Zhiqian. The reason was simple – he had no one else around him whom he could trust and rely on.

After all, he couldn’t go to Xu Zun for help in this matter.

If Xu Zhiqian didn’t agree, he would find a way to make her agree.

He had no other choice!

“I’ll trust you for now!” Xu Zhiqian, oblivious to the situation, asked, “Are you planning to involve my father?”

The key to this plan was to persuade the imperial court, and the only person Zhang Fei could rely on for that was Xu Zun.

Zhang Fei shook his head with a smile, “It is true that I stayed in Bianjing in the hopes of getting protection from your father, but that’s as far as it goes. This is my personal matter; I wouldn’t trouble him.”

Curious, Xu Zhiqian asked, “Then who do you plan to seek help from?”

Zhang Fei hesitated for a moment and said, “Wang Anshi.”

” Academician Wang?”

Xu Zhiqian was surprised and asked, “Will he help you?”

Don’t you know he has already helped me a lot? Zhang Fei confidently said, “I will persuade him.”

“You can persuade Academician Wang?” Xu Zhiqian was astonished.

His reputation for being stubborn was not in vain.

Zhang Fei said, “If Academician Sima hears that, he would certainly feel very hurt.”

“Why?”

As soon as the words were out, Xu Zhiqian immediately realized that he was referring to the fact that he had ‘persuaded’ Sima Guang at the Court of Judicial Review, so Sima Guang would be hurt if she implied that his rival Wang Anshi would be able to stand up against Zhang Fei.

She returned to the main topic, “Are you trying to use this to break free from constraints?”

“No!” Zhang Fei shook his head, “This is a counterattack. I must make them pay an equal price, and at the same time, I want to fight for the rights that rightfully belong to me.”

Xu Zhiqian became more confused as she listened. After all, this was just about property prices. Even if they succeeded, it wouldn’t harm Director Wang and the others. She asked, “What do you plan to do?”

Zhang Fei said, “The Ma family will send over some accounts, and based on those accounts, we will formulate a very detailed plan. After all, Academician Wang is not easy to fool. We must show some real capability. We can discuss the details later.”

The next morning.

“I heard you had another argument with Qian’er last night?” Xu Zun casually asked.

Zhang Fei awkwardly said, “Not an argument, just a little disagreement.”

Xu Zun asked, “Disagreement about what?”

He was afraid that Xu Zhiqian and Zhang Fei would get into a quarrel as he didn’t want to take sides.

Zhang Fei didn’t plan to hide his plans from Xu Zun, so he briefly explained his intentions.

Xu Zun’s surprise was slightly less than Xu Zhiqian’s because he had seen some of Zhang Fei’s insights into current affairs. He stroked his beard, finding it difficult to comprehend. He asked, “Are you trying to find another way out through this?”

“Kind of.”

Zhang Fei restrained himself more in front of Xu Zun.

Xu Zun asked, “Won’t this be a bit cumbersome?”

Although the imperial court had restricted lawsuits, essentially cutting off Zhang Fei’s livelihood, it was just a restriction on him appearing in court. Now, he was directly suggesting a new policy and even planned to persuade Wang Anshi.

Xu Zun thought, was it really necessary?

Zhang Fei said, “It is very important to me that I am able to make a living.”

“That makes sense.” Xu Zun nodded with a smile, pondered for a moment, and then said, “How about this? After you’re ready, let me know. I’ll invite Wang Anshi to the manor, and you can talk to him yourself.”

“Ah?”

Zhang Fei suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed, “Benefactor!”

Xu Zun smiled, “I can be a bit stubborn, but not to the point of being outdated. As long as you don’t commit crimes or engage in immoral acts, I am willing to support you. Besides, I’m just inviting Wang Anshi for a meal at home. Whether you can persuade him or not depends on you. Actually, given Wang Anshi’s temperament, I can’t be of much help anyway.”

It turned out that he had always felt that it was unfair to Zhang Fei in the matter of restricting lawsuits, but he hadn’t been able to provide much support to Zhang Fei. Without violating principles, he was willing to offer some help to Zhang Fei.

Zhang Fei thanked him, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Meanwhile, Ma Tianhao quickly delivered the requested information to the Xu manor.

A total of ten carts of documents.

“So much?” This update ıs available on NoveI-Fire.ɴet

Xu Zhiqian, looking at the room full of documents, was astonished.

Zhang Fei wryly smiled, “Considering that we are trying to persuade Wang Anshi, even ten carts wouldn’t be surprising. He is worth our efforts.”

Xu Zhiqian respected Wang Anshi a lot and suddenly found it quite reasonable. She helped Zhang Fei organize the documents.

“Huh? These are the records of Shophouse and Residence Office!” Xu Zhiqian, holding one account book, appeared somewhat surprised.

Zhang Fei laughed, “As long as there’s money…”

Xu Zhiqian glanced at him.

Zhang Fei blinked and coughed, “I only know that these were sent by the Ma family. It has nothing to do with me. I am legal.”

“Sophistry!”

Xu Zhiqian rolled her eyes and picked up another book. After flipping through it, she found that it was the housing transaction records of the largest trading brokerage in Bianjing. However, it wasn’t very detailed, just the annual transaction volume and prices—quite general data. She couldn’t help muttering, “The Ma family is really well-informed!”[1]

Zhang Fei knew that Xu Zhiqian was obsessed with everything being done properly and above board. So he just ignored her exclamations and focused on his work.

Xu Zhiqian glanced at Zhang Fei and asked, “What do you need these for?”

Zhang Fei replied, “I need to calculate how much interest would allow the Ma family to make a profit while being low enough for the government to find it acceptable. I also need to prove how much tax revenue the government can gain.”

Xu Zhiqian, feeling a bit dizzy, asked, “How long will this take?”

“Not long.”

Zhang Fei continued, “You just need to write down my plan with a pen; I’ll handle the rest.”

Xu Zhiqian was skeptical. After all, there were ten carts of data here!

However, Zhang Fei effectively proved he wasn’t lying. It took him only five days to complete all the calculations.

Although the ancient accounts seemed like a lot, they weren’t extensive, and the data was straightforward.

Ten carts?

It was like having ten sheets of A4 paper.

After all, Zhang Fei used to do this kind of work!

For Zhang Fei, the most challenging part was writing, and Xu Zhiqian could perfectly complement that.

By now, the weather had gradually cooled. The brilliant and spectacular summer sunsets gradually disappeared, replaced by the desolation, gloom, and withering of autumn.

At the gate of the Imperial City, the heart of imperial government operations.

” Xu Zun, it’s quite rare that you actually want to treat me to a meal.”

Wang Anshi pretended to be astonished as he spoke to Xu Zun.

Xu Zun, a man of few social engagements and even fewer invitations, handled everything fairly and was highly respected by the gentlemen in the imperial court, such as Wang Anshi and Sima Guang. However, there were also quite a few people who disliked him.

This guy was not one for social niceties.

If you fell into his hands, it would be miserable.

Xu Zun truthfully replied, “Actually, I’m just doing this on behalf of someone else.”

Wang Anshi felt even more surprised. “I wonder who could persuade you, brother Xu.”

Xu Zun said, “Zhang San.”

Wang Anshi was stunned, “Zhang San?”

Xu Zun nodded and continued, “Zhang San said he wants to give policy advice to you. He initially wanted to visit your manor himself, but I was afraid it might be too abrupt, so I thought about inviting you to my manor.”

Wang Anshi was curious, “You have a close relationship with him. Why doesn’t he directly make his suggestions to you?”

Xu Zun replied, “Because this matter involves finances and is beyond my jurisdiction.”

Wang Anshi became even more curious, “Does he understand finance as well?”

Xu Zun smiled, “This kid is really unfathomable!”

“If you say so, then I must see for myself,” Wang Anshi said. “By the way, he wouldn’t be offering me advice for no reason, would he?”

Xu Zun replied, “Of course, he has a request.”

Wang Anshi shook his large sleeves, “The things in my sleeves are not easy to take.”

Xu Zun chuckled, “His mouth is not easy to deal with either.”

“Haha. Please, after you.”

“After you.”

[1] Xu Zhiqian is surprised that the Ma family has access to information that she believes they shouldn’t.