Chapter 118: Each Getting What He Needs
Cao Dongdong and Ma Xiaoyi were the type of people who sought thrills when they were idle. Generally, ordinary thieves wouldn’t dare to approach them. Now that they had finally encountered a few, they were eager to have a scuffle, but to their disappointment, the thieves were so weak that the fight ended before they could even enjoy it. Zhang Fei suddenly suggested taking these men to the Kaifeng Prefectural Office.
This greatly piqued the interest of Cao Dongdong and Ma Xiaoyi. As a result, the two buffoons escorted Niu Beiqing, Feng Nanxi, and Longshan to the Kaifeng Prefectural Office, banging gongs and drums along the way.
Using Cao Dongdong’s status, they managed to have the gates of the Prefectural Office opened. By this time, it was already the third watch of the night.
Lu Gongzhu, who had already gone to bed, hurriedly got up and rushed to the Kaifeng Prefectural Office in a fluster.
“What is going on?” Lu Gongzhu anxiously asked Huang Gui, “I heard there are new clues in the Shi family case?”
This case had been highly politicized from the very beginning, reflecting the ongoing tensions between imperial power and the authority of ministers, as well as between the reformist and conservative factions.
These two major conflicts were among the most acute contradictions in ancient China, and there was no perfect solution. The case had dragged on, with no resolution in sight.
Now, with this unexpected development, the case had once again made its way to the Kaifeng Prefectural Office. Lu Gongzhu felt like he was on the brink of losing his mind. He had only just managed to shift the case to the Court of Judicial Review, and now it had circled back to the Kaifeng Prefectural Office.
It was as if the matter was haunting him! The current situation was precarious, and any misstep could lead to irreversible consequences. He was extremely tense, not daring to make the slightest mistake.
Huang Gui nodded and said, “Just now, Cao Dongdong and Ma Xiaoyi brought these three men, claiming they attempted to kidnap their sister-in-law from Zhang San’s household.” “Kidnap… kidnap a sister-in-law?” Lu Gongzhu was confused. Huang Gui quickly explained, “That was Cao Dongdong’s version of the story. After our questioning, it turns out these three men are named Feng Nanxi, Niu Beiqing, and Longshan.” Lu Gongzhu frowned, “Those names sound familiar!” Huang Gui added, “They are the ones who were escorting the government’s silver with Shi Tingjun.”
“Yes, yes! I remember now.” Lu Gongzhu slapped his forehead several times and asked, “Weren’t they supposed to be dead? Or does this mean they were the ones who stole the silver?” The case had initially been ruled as dereliction of responsibility, but since no bodies had been found, the authorities had left open the possibility of theft.
Huang Gui shook his head and said, “Prefect, this case is not that simple.” As he spoke, he handed over a few documents to Lu Gongzhu.
“These are their statements.” After reading them, Lu Gongzhu couldn’t help but exclaim angrily, “This is outrageous! Immediately bring Zhang Fei to me.” By the fourth watch, Zhang Fei had arrived at the Kaifeng Prefectural Office, just as Li Kai also arrived.
“This commoner greets Prefect Lu and Vice-Prefect Li.”
“…” Lu Gongzhu and Li Kai both stared silently at Zhang Fei. Zhang Fei remained quiet as well.
Lu Gongzhu suddenly sighed and said, “Zhang San, oh Zhang San, you have gone to great lengths, going around in such a big circle. It was all an effort to clear their names, wasn’t it?” Zhang Fei feigned ignorance, “This commoner does not know what the Prefect is talking about.” Li Kai scoffed, “That Longshan was the coachman you had gotten from the White Crystal Inn earlier. Both your wife and Shi Tingxiu recognized him, and you claim not to know him?” Zhang Fei exclaimed, “I was wondering why Longshan left as soon as Shi Tingxiu came to my house. So that’s what happened! How close I had come to danger!” This was poor acting on Zhang Fei’s part.
Li Kai couldn’t bear to watch anymore, thinking that even the laziest govnerment runners at the door could act ten times better! Lu Gongzhu wasn’t convinced either; there were too many holes in Zhang Fei’s story. He couldn’t believe Zhang Fei had put all his effort into just fighting lawsuits.
“It seems you don’t intend to tell the truth.” Zhang Fei responded, “It’s not that I don’t want to speak, but rather I don’t know where to begin. I also wish to know the truth.” Lu Gongzhu nodded and said, “Since you don’t wish to speak, you may leave now.”
“This commoner takes his leave.” After Zhang Fei left, Li Kai remarked, “It seems we were wrong about him before. He’s not here to cause us more trouble, but rather to help reduce our burden.” This series of events was obviously a setup, clearly intended to show them that this wasn’t a conspiracy, but rather an offer of terms: he only sought the truth of this case.
If you don’t give me justice, I won’t let it go. After all, I’m just a commoner, and at worst, I’ll die. But you officials are different.
Lu Gongzhu sighed and said, “Wang Anshi was right; many issues have reached a point where they can no longer be ignored.” Why did Zhang Fei make such a simple case so complicated? Lu Gongzhu understood better than anyone.
If it hadn’t been stirred up like this, would the Kaifeng Prefectural Office have taken it so seriously? No, they wouldn’t. This was undoubtedly systematic robbery by the bureaucracy; without reforming the law, the authorities wouldn’t be able to make a fair judgment.
But now things were different. That very night, the Kaifeng Prefectural Office ordered the arrest and interrogation of the transport officer who had escorted the silver.
By dawn, news of the case had spread throughout the city. For court officials, they didn’t see this as an unexpected development, but rather as a glimmer of hope.
This lawsuit had dragged on until now, and with the emperor’s involvement, it had become politically disadvantageous for them, causing them to lose face and leaving them in a difficult position.
At this point, a quick return to the criminal aspect of the case would be highly beneficial to them!
More importantly, they weren’t fools; Zhang Fei was clearly trying to scare them. Why didn’t he just say so earlier? Why create such a big fuss?
Isn’t it just about seeking the truth? Isn’t it just about targeting that corrupt transport officer? Did you have to blow things out of proportion and turn it into a matter of ancestral law? Thus, the court ministers all displayed righteous indignation and a strong sense of justice.
“Investigate thoroughly! It must be thoroughly investigated! We must get to the bottom of this and make sure no criminal escapes.”
They were truly united in their outrage! Their only demand was to wrap up the case quickly. Such a small case had now garnered the full support of the civil and military officials, so the Kaifeng Prefectural Office naturally had free rein to act.
Who would dare to interfere? The overbearing Transport Commission? Even the Transport Commissioner was the first to voluntarily submit a memorial to the throne, taking responsibility for the matter. It’s worth noting that the investigation hadn’t even yielded any results yet.
After a round of harsh interrogation, the river transport officer confessed. The case implicated five other officials, with the mastermind being Registrar Chen Jing from the Tax Bureau, along with Manager Liu Shang from the Agricultural Affairs Bureau, and three minor officials from the Transport Commission.
At the Kaifeng Prefectural Office:
“When our men arrived, they had all hanged themselves.” Huang Gui reported to Lu Gongzhu.
Lu Gongzhu was shocked, “So quickly?” Huang Gui remained silent, merely nodding. Lu Gongzhu frowned and asked, “Are we sure it was suicide?” Huang Gui nodded, “The coroner has already examined them, and there’s no doubt about it.” Lu Gongzhu looked gravely at the five corpses covered with white cloth before him. After a long while, he sighed, “If Zhang Fei hadn’t filed a complaint against the court first, this case would have been impossible to solve!”
… In the Hall of Delegated Rule.
“Five thousand taels! For five thousand taels, my officials conspired for personal gain and committed murder. What use do I have for you?” Emperor Zhao Xu threw the Kaifeng Prefectural Office’s memorial to the ground, raging in the hall.
His anger was genuine, not an act. The government’s frequent confiscations of property were already excessive from people serving as runners for corvee service, though they were at least legally justified. Such measures were intended to prevent corvee runners from stealing government property, though the law had its side effects.
But the truth was even more appalling: some officials had actually found ways to rob the wealth of corvee runners, lining their own pockets in the process. Tang Jie and other officials from relevant departments immediately stepped forward to admit their guilt and take responsibility.
This case filled them with both anger and shame. It was truly outrageous. Wang Anshi suddenly stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, have you ever considered why a lowly registrar and a mere manager would dare to treat human life so lightly?” Emperor Zhao Xu immediately asked, “What do you think?” Wang Anshi replied, “In my opinion, it’s all because the law itself is flawed. These corrupt officials know that the imperial court usually doesn’t investigate such cases thoroughly, as the imperial court benefits from it as well. That’s why they dare to act recklessly. The root of this evil lies not in individuals but in the law. Therefore, while the court may impose severe punishment in this case, it will be difficult to prevent such incidents from happening again. In my view, only by reforming the law can we eliminate the root cause of such problems.” Lu Gongzhu immediately stepped forward and said, “I concur with this view.” Wang Anshi’s proposal aligned with his own thoughts.
For the imperial court, only by convicting those corvee runners could they confiscate their assets and ensure they didn’t suffer a loss, which was why the imperial court wouldn’t investigate such cases thoroughly.
Chen Shengzhi and many other officials also stepped forward to support Wang Anshi. This case had indeed stirred up much anger, and they all felt it was time for change.
If things continued like this, it would lead to ruin!
Emperor Zhao Xu suddenly glanced at Sima Guang, who, after some hesitation, also stepped forward and expressed his support for reform.
In truth, his words weren’t insincere; but he hadn’t said that he supported Wang Anshi’s reforms. Many officials then voiced their support for reforming the Corvee Labor Law.
Emperor Zhao Xu swept his gaze across the assembly and said, “In my opinion, even if we announce the severe punishment of the true culprits in this case, it will not be enough to quell public outrage. Therefore… Prefect Lu.”
Lu Gongzhu immediately stepped forward, “Your Majesty.”
Emperor Zhao Xu said, “After the Kaifeng Prefectural Office completes the trial of this case, you must make a public announcement that the court will reform the Corvee Labor Law within this year.” This young emperor clearly had some strategy, ensuring that the officials couldn’t renege by making the announcement first.
Lu Gongzhu replied, “I obey your command.” The assembled ministers all cried out, “Your Majesty is wise!” This included conservative stalwarts like Tang Jie and Lu Hui.
Their dispute wasn’t about whether to reform but how to reform. The emperor hadn’t completely burned his bridges by immediately declaring his support for Wang Anshi’s reforms, leaving some room for maneuver.
However, everyone knew that the emperor would inevitably implement Wang Anshi’s reforms. The real battle would come when those reforms were actually put into effect.
… As for the case itself, it had almost reached its conclusion. The masterminds and accomplices had all committed suicide out of guilt. Now, it was up to Zhang Fei to decide whether to accept this outcome.
After all, Zhang Fei wasn’t fighting a criminal case but rather a case based on ancestral law. Thus, Lu Gongzhu summoned Zhang Fei to the Kaifeng Prefectural Office to show him the trial results.
After reading the verdict, Zhang Fei asked, “Were they truly the masterminds?” Lu Gongzhu sighed and said, “To be honest, I cannot be certain. Perhaps they were, perhaps they weren’t. I have my own doubts, but the trail does indeed end with those five. I dare not deceive you; who knows how much evidence you might hold.”
Zhang Fei hesitated, remaining silent. Lu Gongzhu also said nothing. He knew Zhang Fei would most likely agree. The imperial court would never recognize that Zhang Fei was the one who defined ancestral law for them; even if the case continued, it could neither be won nor lost. The Kaifeng Prefectural Office had already done its utmost, and further investigation would be extremely difficult.
Seeing Lu Gongzhu’s silence, Zhang Fei knew there were no more terms to negotiate, so he nodded in agreement.