Chapter 67: Being a True Thug
Along Bian River Street.
“Brother San! Hold on! The Kaifeng Prefectural Office is just ahead! Brother San! Brother San!” Li Si shouted with tears streaming down his eyes. He was helping Zhang Fei, who seemed to be at death’s door, hobble along the street.
“What’s wrong with these two?”
“Look at their swollen faces, could they have been robbed?”
“Huh? Isn’t that Pen-in-Cap Zhang San?”
“Oh! It really is Zhang San and Li Si.”
“It seems like they’re heading to the Kaifeng Prefectural Office.”
“Let’s go, let’s go and see what’s going on.”
At the Kaifeng Prefectural Office.
It was already late afternoon, and with the end of office hours approaching, the guards at the gates of the office gradually lost focus. They started to chat idly, resembling elementary school students waiting for school to be over. One of the guards sighed deeply, “Ah, finally it’s time for us to go on leave.”
Another guard said, “We should have gone long ago, it’s all thanks to that Zhang San.”
“Don’t mention that Zhang San, I never want to see him again.”
“You won’t see him now even if you want to, since he can’t even step into the courtroom anymore. Why would he come here, to go to jail?”
“Zhang… Zhang San?”
“Who are you trying to scare? I won’t be fooled by you.”
“No. Look quickly, it’s really Zhang San.”
One guard pointed ahead, lips trembling.
The other guard turned around only to see a young man with a swollen face supporting another person, none other than Zhang Fei.
Behind him were more than twenty people, craning their necks curiously.
“Quickly, go and inform the prefect, Zhang San is here again.”
The guards at the gate felt as if facing a formidable enemy.
A while later, Li Si led Zhang Fei to the gate of the Kaifeng Prefectural Office.
A guard pointed at Zhang Fei and said, “Zhang San, what are you doing here again?”
Zhang Fei, who had seemed at death’s door just moments ago, slowly lifted his head, looking at the gatekeeper with a bewildered expression, his arm hanging on Li Si’s shoulder swaying, “Brother Guard, hello!”
The guard erupted, “It’s never good to see your face.”
“Brother Guard, forgive me, actually, I didn’t want to come here either, but as you can see, we are now seriously injured!”
The guard noticed Li Si’s bruised face and although Zhang Fei only had a bruise on his cheek, he held his abdomen with one hand, unable to stand steadily. He seemed to be even more severely injured. This caused the guard to feel extremely pleased!
Serves you right!
The gods are finally awake!
Then Zhang Fei continued, “Why are we seriously injured? It’s because we were beaten up just now. I believe Prefect Lu wouldn’t want to see such incidents happening in the capital of the Song empire. So…!”
As he spoke, Li Si quietly moved his feet and they arrived at the drum tower.
When Zhang Fei picked up the drumstick, the guard finally reacted, suddenly turning pale, trembling all over, “Stop!”
It was too late, Zhang Fei swung the drumstick and struck the drum.
Boom boom boom!
The sound of the drum echoed.
The crowd behind them suddenly became spirited.
Zhang San had returned to the Kaifeng Prefectural Office.
There was going to be a good show to watch!
Within the prefectural office.
At this moment, Lu Gongzhu was busy attending to some official matters. He was about to go on leave, when suddenly he heard the sound of drums outside the office, which startled him, “Who is beating the drum?”
He didn’t know why but the first person who came to his mind was Zhang Fei. But he immediately realized that Zhang Fei couldn’t possibly be the one drumming now.
Before he could speak, a runner rushed to the door and bowed, “Reporting to the prefect, Zhang San is here again.”
“Is it really Zhang San?”
Lu Gongzhu abruptly stood up. Even though he was known for his fairness and strictness, he couldn’t stand this fellow.
Always coming to beat the drum!
Treating the Kaifeng Prefectural Office as if it were a latrine.
The crucial point was that Zhang San no longer had the right to litigate.
But when he saw Zhang Fei and Li Si supporting each other as they entered, he couldn’t help but be puzzled, “What are you two doing here?”
Zhang Fei loosened his belt, revealing the huge shoe mark on his abdomen, saying, “Reporting to the prefect, we were beaten up by someone.”
Well beaten!
That was what everyone in the courtroom thought.
Including Lu Gongzhu.
The Chief Clerk, Huang Gui, frowned, “Who told you that being beaten allows you to come and beat the drums of the Kaifeng Prefectural Office?”
The drums of the Kaifeng Prefectural Office couldn’t be beaten indiscriminately.
During Li Si’s case, Zhang Fei didn’t beat the drum either.
The Kaifeng Prefectural Office was in charge of the capital city, and Lu Gongzhu’s main responsibility was akin to that of the mayor. He also concurrently served as the highest-ranking judge in Kaifeng Prefecture.
However, within the jurisdiction of Kaifeng Prefecture, there were five other courts and many other judges. Whether it was a civil dispute or a criminal case, they usually went to those five courts.
After they finished their trials and gave their judgments, Lu Gongzhu would review them again. If there were no errors, he would announce them publicly.
That was the general process.
Lu Gongzhu’s main responsibilities were in agriculture and irrigation, the economic livelihood of the people, not solving cases. He would only personally adjudicate cases involving officials or major criminal cases.
Li Si’s case shouldn’t have come to the Kaifeng Prefectural Office in the first place, but Lu Gongzhu at the time wanted to have a word with Zhang Fei. Plus, Zhang Fei had stirred up public grievances, so he personally handled the case.
Zhang Fei said weakly, “I understand. But me being beaten is related to the Kaifeng Prefectural Office. Moreover, the prefect is also involved, so I can only come here to seek justice.”
Related to me? Lu Gongzhu asked curiously, “How so?”
Zhang Fei said, “I had just moved out from the Xu residence. As soon as I stepped into my new home, several masked men covered me with a sack and viciously beat me up.”
Lu Gongzhu asked, “How is this related to the Kaifeng Prefectural Office?”
Zhang Fei replied, “I’ve only just recently arrived in Bianjing, and I don’t know many people here. Those whom I’ve offended can be counted on one hand. I’ve only handled Li Si’s case, which was litigated in the Kaifeng Prefectural Office and ultimately mediated by the Kaifeng Prefectural Office. However, shortly after that, I was attacked in retaliation. If this spreads, who would dare to come to the Kaifeng Prefectural Office to file complaints?”
Lu Gongzhu’s expression gradually became serious, “Are you saying Chen Yuteng sent people to attack you?”
Zhang Fei shook his head.
Lu Gongzhu asked, “Then what do you mean?”
Zhang Fei said, “I believe it was Director Wang of the Agricultural Affairs Bureau who sent people to attack me.”
“Director Wang?” Lu Gongzhu exclaimed in surprise.
“Yes.”
“Do you have any evidence?” Lu Gongzhu asked.
Zhang Fei replied, “During the time I was defending Li Si, Director Wang came to see me and tried to intimidate and entrap me, but I refused him and even rebuked him for breaking the law.”
Lu Gongzhu frowned, “Why didn’t you mention this earlier?”
If that were the case, Zhang Fei certainly had the right to beat the drum here to seek justice. This not only involved revenge but also implicated a high-ranking court official.
Zhang Fei sighed, “I naturally hoped to avoid trouble as much as possible!”
Is that so? Lu Gongzhu was not convinced and asked, “Do you have any evidence?”
Zhang Fei said, “It was broad daylight; surely someone must have seen it.”
After a moment of contemplation, Lu Gongzhu said, “Even so, it doesn’t prove that Director Wang threatened you.”
Zhang Fei replied, “Yes, and I guess a man of Director Wang’s status was had nothing better to do than to come have tea and chat with me, a humble pen-in-cap.”
Lu Gongzhu snorted, “Stop talking nonsense here. I will investigate this matter thoroughly.”
Zhang Fei said, “That’s exactly what I hope for.”
When it came to Director Wang, Lu Gongzhu couldn’t afford to ignore it.
In the Song Dynasty, it was actually permissible for civilians to sue officials because there were no legal provisions prohibiting it. Although there might be differences in local practices, the Kaifeng Prefectural Office had many precedents, and it attached great importance to such cases.
The logic was simple: with so many literati and officials in Bianjing, if the Kaifeng Prefectural Office couldn’t stand up for the people, who would still respect it? This also involved a question of the office’s authority.
As Zhang Fei had mentioned, his beating could be seen as a continuation of the Li Si case, for which Lu Gongzhu, who had mediated the case, naturally bore some responsibility.
So Lu Gongzhu instructed Huang Gui to take Zhang Fei downstairs to record his testimony.
Just as Zhang Fei was taken downstairs, Vice-Prefect Li Kai hurriedly arrived, “I heard Zhang San is here again?”
Lu Gongzhu replied, “We’re recording his testimony.”
Li Kai wondered, “But does he have the qualification to litigate?”
Lu Gongzhu said, “He’s here to file a complaint, not to litigate.”
“File a complaint? Against whom?”
“Director Wang.”
Lu Gongzhu then briefed Li Kai on the whole matter.
Li Kai said, “He’s really audacious. Based on what he said, why should he accuse Director Wang of hiring thugs to harm him? If he angers Director Wang and can’t find solid evidence, Director Wang could counter-sue him of false accusation, which would be an even bigger offense.”
Lu Gongzhu sighed, “Because it involves Director Wang and is related to the Li Si case, I’ve decided to handle this case. As for the outcome, it depends on whether we can find evidence. We just need to handle it fairly.”
Li Kai smiled bitterly, “How can we investigate this? That kid didn’t even see the faces of those who beat him.”
Lu Gongzhu pondered for a moment and said, “You should go to Director Wang’s house first and ask him if he did visit Zhang San during the trial of Li Si’s case.”
“Lady Xu!”
Just as Zhang Fei and Li Si finished giving their testimonies and stepped out of the gate, Xu Zhiqian rushed over in haste.
“What… what happened to you two?”
Seeing Li Si’s swollen face resembling a pig’s head, Xu Zhiqian couldn’t help but be shocked.
In just the blink of an eye, how had things turned out like this?
Upon seeing this woman, Zhang Fei couldn’t help but feel annoyed, “You really jinxed things.”
“Jinx?”
Xu Zhiqian was momentarily stunned, then remembered what she had said earlier in the morning and couldn’t help but chuckle.
“You’re still laughing, ah!”
Annoyed, Zhang Fei didn’t notice and accidentally pulled at his wound again.
Xu Zhiqian sighed lightly, “If I had that ability, you wouldn’t even know how many times you’d have died.”
“Wow, what a venomous woman!”
“Enough! You’re both injured like this and still bickering. Come to my house for now.”
The Xu manor.
What a joyful departure in the morning, and how awkward the return was now.
Xu Zun didn’t mind this at all; he just said, “You were too impulsive this time. It’s not wrong to file a complaint at the Kaifeng Prefectural Office, but you can’t accuse a high-ranking court official without any evidence. Do you know the consequences?”
Zhang Fei frowned, “I know, but this is just a small case. People get beaten every day. If I don’t sue Director Wang, the Kaifeng Prefectural Office won’t take it seriously. It’s likely they’ll just ignore it. If that’s the case, they’ll send people to beat me up every now and then. I must resist.”
Xu Zun furrowed his brows tightly, “Although that’s true, you still don’t have any evidence. You should have consulted with me first. I would have urged the imperial court to investigate this case. If Director Wang countersues you, the consequences could be mild or it could be very severe.”
Zhang Fei asked, “Do you think he’ll retaliate against me?”
Xu Zun frowned slightly, “I think it’s very likely.”
Zhang Fei was pleased to hear this, “That’s good! I was afraid he wouldn’t sue.”
Xu Zhiqian exclaimed in surprise, “Have you gone mad from being beaten?”
Zhang Fei glared at her impatiently, “I’m perfectly clear-headed. Right now, it’s just an investigation, and it’s not within my control. I don’t believe the Kaifeng Prefectural Office can find the people who beat me. But if Director Wang countersues me, then this case becomes an official court case. Once it becomes a court case, I can use my abilities.”
Xu Zhiqian puzzled, “You don’t have any evidence. What are you going to use against him?”
Zhang Fei said, “My mouth! I’ll keep biting at him and make his whole family uneasy. Just wait, I’ll make them understand how to truly be a thug.”
A thug?
That’s not right!
What are you planning?
Xu Zun couldn’t help but look at him.
Zhang Fei also noticed and quickly said, “Benefactor, I’ve been forced into a corner. Besides, I’m much better than them. At least I’m using legitimate means.”
Xu Zun pondered for a moment and asked, “How can I help you?”
Zhang Fei said, “I only ask for your help in getting a fair trial.”
Without Xu Zun’s support, he couldn’t play this thug game.
Xu Zun nodded.