Chapter 80: Trial (1)
Ignore you?
Lu Gongzhu’s eyebrows twitched a few times. If it were possible, he really wanted to give Zhang Fei a good beating. He believed this was the sentiment of many in the court.
But not everyone supported Lin Fei and opposed Zhang Fei. In fact, there was a faction that supported Zhang Fei: the imperial relatives. Although they kept silent, deep down, they firmly supported Zhang Fei because civil cases involving commoners gave these imperial relatives headaches. Not only did they face pressure from the Empress Dowagers, but they also had to deal with the imperial censors.
If civil cases could be settled civilly, that would be advantageous for them. It provided them with a means to solve problems—money. If money could solve the problem, could it really be called a problem?
Many of imperial relatives quietly came to watch in front of the Kaifeng Prefecture. This included Cao Ping, who was alone, hiding behind the side door of the main hall—the door through which Lu Gongzhu entered and exited. After all, being the relative of a suspect and having a special status, giving him a special seat was reasonable. What if someone threw rotten eggs at him?
Of course, Cao Ping hoped that Zhang Fei could win this lawsuit. For him, this was the perfect solution. Winning in front of everyone’s eyes would shut up any detractors. Otherwise, even if Cao Dongdong were ruled innocent, he would still be severely criticized.
Before long, Lin Fei and Cao Dongdong were brought to the court.
Zhang Fei glanced at Cao Dongdong and almost laughed out loud. His face was bruised and swollen. Zhang Fei knew Dongdong’s father had done this. The Kaifeng Prefectural Office wouldn’t dare to use torture on him, though it was legal.
Cao Dongdong, at this moment, was far from his previous haughtiness. As he entered the court, he looked at Zhang Fei with resentment.
Zhang Fei nodded slightly as if to say, “Stay calm. With me here, you have nothing to fear.” But in his heart, he thought, “You deserved it. How dare you cover me with a sack and beat me.” On the other hand, Lin Fei looked furious, as if he wanted to kill someone.
Huang Gui first bowed to Lu Gongzhu and Zhang Fei.
Zhang Fei made a gesture as if to invite him to proceed.
People outside the court were eagerly awaiting.
This was the first public trial with both sides having defense attorneys. Previously, in commercial disputes, both sides would also hire notaries, but that was limited to exchanging complaint documents. Officials would question each side individually, and then give a judgment. They would not let them argue against each other in a single court session.
Sima Guang, Xu Zun, and Wang Anshi also looked expectant, but their perspective was different from most people. They were observing this public trial system to see if it was worth recommending to the imperial court and then promoting nationwide.
Huang Gui let Lin Fei narrate the events of that day.
Lin Fei passionately recounted what happened that day, causing angry murmurs from the audience at times. This only added to Lu Gongzhu’s workload. It was quite uncomfortable to bang the wooden bar that served as a gavel in the middle of winter. If you weren’t careful, you could hit your thumb, and that really hurt!
He rarely presided over cases in winter.
Tang Jie and the other officials, seeing that the scholars at the door were all inclined towards Lin Fei, couldn’t help but nod in relief.
Huang Gui was experienced in the field though it was his first time playing this game. He had also learned some tricks. He specifically picked details that were unfavorable to Cao Dongdong, seemingly intending to provoke public anger.
After questioning Lin Fei, Huang Gui began to question Cao Dongdong.
The initial testimonies of the two were similar: they went hunting and drank at the Lin family’s house. But when it came to the conversation at the banquet, they diverged.
“You said Lady Lin seduced you with her eyes while pouring wine for you at the banquet?”
“Yes.”
Cao Dongdong nodded.
Huang Gui asked, “Could it be that Lady Lin was shy, and you misunderstood?”
Upon hearing this question, Zhang Fei couldn’t help but nod in praise, thinking, “Looks like he’s well-prepared!”
Lu Gongzhu saw this but wondered, “Was there something wrong with the question?”
Cao Dongdong angrily retorted, “What nonsense are you talking about? Seduction and shyness, how can I not tell the difference? I’m not you!”
Huang Gui exclaimed, “How so?”
Cao Dongdong argued reasonably, “Although I’m younger than you, I understand women better than you. I have more concubines than your household has maidservants. Do you believe me?”
Upon hearing this, many in the court shook their heads!
But many more remained silent.
Because keeping concubines was a common practice in the Northern Song Dynasty. But it wasn’t something you should openly boast about.
Although Cao Ping was hiding alone by the door, he couldn’t control his son’s recklessness. He also covered his face, ashamed to face others.
“I believe you! I believe you!”
Huang Gui nodded repeatedly and then said, “Since I don’t understand what seduction means, could you demonstrate it for everyone?”
“Of course!”
Cao Dongdong seemed eager to perform, and he started to squint and wink at Huang Gui.
“Ouch!”
Forgetting about the injury in the corner of his eye, he suddenly winced in pain.
This caused the sturdy bailiffs on both sides to desperately hold back their laughter.
Huang Gui and Zhang Fei burst into laughter.
It was fine for Huang Gui to laugh, but Zhang Fei, you too?
Cao Dongdong immediately glared at Zhang Fei, “Zhang San, aren’t you on my side? Why are you laughing at me?”
Zhang Fei chuckled, “But I’m also a human being!”
Lu Gongzhu lightly banged the gavel, “Zhang San, you set the rules yourself, you must abide by them.”
“Apologies!”
Zhang Fei quickly bowed and solemnly said, “I was wrong, I won’t do it again.”
Not able to interrupt with objections was a rule that was definitely advantageous for him, so he had to uphold this rule.
Huang Gui graciously said, “It’s alright, it’s alight!”
This smile of his was definitely a plus point.
But Sima Guang and Wang Anshi, as outsiders, seeing Zhang Fei’s intention to laugh, also speculated in their hearts about what killer move he might be hiding.
Huang Gui continued to question Cao Dongdong, “According to the testimony of the Lin family’s maidservant, after you were drunk, Lady Lin originally asked the maidservant to help you rest, but you insisted that Lady Lin help you. Is that true?”
Cao Dongdong nodded directly, “She gave me such obvious hints, and I’m not someone who doesn’t understand innuendo, so I took some initiative. And she didn’t really resist much.”
Huang Gui immediately asked, “So Lady Lin still resisted a bit.”
Cao Dongdong said, “It was just a petite little hesitation.”
As he spoke, he even twisted his buttocks.
This caused another round of laughter outside the door.
Of course, it was all mocking laughter, without exception!
Tang Jie snorted, “This is really embarrassing!”
But Wang Anshi said, “I think telling the truth is not embarrassing at all. At least it’s much better than hypocritical words.”
Tang Jie became annoyed, “I just don’t understand what the Cao family is thinking. Shouldn’t they just confess honestly?”
Sima Guang said, “Let’s not judge hastily.”
Tang Jie glanced at Sima Guang in surprise.
Even Lu Gongzhu shook his head. He was too lazy to bang the gavel; this was never-ending.
Cao Ping watched with a worried expression, thinking, “Could Zhang San be a spy sent by the other side?” He had already learned from Taozi that Cao Dongdong and Zhang Fei had been in contact. So logically, Zhang Fei should have instructed Cao Dongdong on how to answer, but from the current situation, it didn’t seem to be the case at all.
Only Sima Guang understood because he had experienced this tactic before. Zhang Fei’s clients and witnesses were all always telling the damn truth. There was no inconsistency in their testimony; it was really frustrating.
Meanwhile, Huang Gui seemed more confident with each question. “Could it be that Lady Lin resisted vigorously, but in your eyes, her strong resistance turned into just a little hesitation? After all, Lady Lin’s strength is far inferior to yours.”
Zhang Fei nodded in admiration again, thinking, “I should recruit this guy to our bookstore in the future.”
Cao Dongdong sneered, “That’s impossible. How can I not tell the difference?”
Huang Gui didn’t dwell on the issue and continued, “What happened next?”
Cao Dongdong said, “After that, she helped me into the room, and we fell onto the bed…!”
Huang Gui interrupted Cao Dongdong, “You say fell onto the bed, but according to Lady Lin’s testimony, you pinned her down on the bed.”
Cao Dongdong pondered for a moment and said, “It can be considered as such.”
Huang Gui said, “And she also resisted vigorously.”
“No!”
Cao Dongdong replied, “She didn’t resist vigorously.”
Huang Gui asked, “Did Lady Lin say ‘no’?”
Cao Dongdong nodded earnestly, and said, “Yes, she did.”
A wave of cursing came from outside the door.
It was truly shameless!
When someone says no, and you still insist, isn’t that rape?
“Silence!”
Lu Gongzhu quickly banged the gavel a few times, his thumb throbbing painfully.
“What happened next?”
“After that, Instructor Lin burst in and wanted to take me to the authorities.”
“Why didn’t he?”
“Just as I said earlier, he was stopped by Officer Wu. But then they threatened me, saying I had to get promotions for them, otherwise, they would take me to the authorities.”
“Did Lin Fei agree to this?”
“At first, he didn’t agree. Later, Officer Wu said my family had a prominent background, and if Lin Fei went to the authorities, not only would Lin Fei get into trouble, he might even be implicated. That’s when Instructor Lin agreed.”
“Is that so?”
Huang Gui asked with a smile, “Why wasn’t this mentioned in the admission letter?”
Cao Dongdong said irritably, “How would I know? You should ask them! I was scared at the time, and I just wrote what they told me to.”
Huang Gui continued, “Then you sent Xu Zun’s daughter, Xu Zhiqian, to threaten Instructor Lin, forcing him to go to the authorities.”
Cao Dongdong looked wronged, “No. How could tell Lady Xu what to do? I’m usually terrified of her. It was all Zhang San’s idea.”
Zhang Fei immediately looked at Lu Gongzhu.
Lu Gongzhu nodded, “Speak.”
He was puzzled. Why was this kid suddenly so rule abiding?
Zhang Fei immediately said, “I sent Lady Xu, but it wasn’t a threat. I’ll explain later.”
Next, Huang Gui summoned Officer Wu to the court.
He was asked to explain the part where Cao Dongdong signed the admission letter.
Officer Wu’s account was similar to Cao Dongdong’s, but his answers were more plausible.
Actually, there was a suspicious point regarding the admission letter.
At that time, Cao Dongdong was caught red-handed. You could either report the matter to the authorities or settle it quietly.
Forcing Cao Dongdong to sign an admission letter did indeed look like extortion was intended.
However, the presence of Officer Wu made this admission letter very reasonable.
Lin Fei wanted to report to the authorities, but Officer Wu didn’t dare. On account of his good relationship with Officer Wu, Instructor Lin let Cao Dongdong off the hook. The admission letter was to ensure that Cao Dongdong wouldn’t seek revenge, not for extortion.
This was precisely how a commoner would think.
From the moment Officer Wu entered the court, Zhang Fei’s expression became serious. He thought, “This guy’s answers are watertight. Perhaps the plan was concocted by him. I should avoid him later to prevent any unforeseen complications.”