Chapter 122: Hidden Strategy
The next morning.
“Wow! Lady Xu, what did you do last night? Why do you look so haggard?”
Zhang Fei was startled by Xu Zhiqian’s dark circles under her eyes.
Xu Zhiqian glared at him resentfully, “Isn’t it because of you?”
Zhang Fei immediately understood and laughed.
Xu Zhiqian stomped her foot lightly, “How can you still laugh?”
“I won’t laugh! I won’t laugh!”
Zhang Fei added, “But I can’t tell you! You understand that.”
Xu Zhiqian said, “But you two talked for a whole day. Can’t you say even a single word?”
Curiosity truly killed the cat. What could a pen-in-cap and the Emperor talk about for an entire day?
The key point was that Zhang Fei hadn’t even entered officialdom yet.
It was very absurd!
Xu Zhiqian tossed and turned all night, unable to figure out what they had talked about.
She felt very frustrated.
Zhang Fei pondered for a moment, then beckoned her to come closer. Xu Zhiqian quickly leaned in, disregarding any propriety between men and women.
Zhang Fei whispered, “To put it simply, I made up a very complicated excuse to decline His Majesty’s invitation to be an official.”
Xu Zhiqian asked, puzzled, “Why did you decline?”
Zhang Fei shrugged, “Because I enjoy the thrill of being a commoner and outwitting officials. Don’t you think it’s exciting?”
Xu Zhiqian froze for a moment, “But this is not a long-term plan. You can’t afford to lose, and you won’t win every time.”
Zhang Fei whispered, “It’s different now. With His Majesty backing me, it’d be like suing people by imperial decree. No one would be able to stop me.”
“Suing people by imperial decree, really?”
Xu Zhiqian said excitedly.
Zhang Fei nodded, “This time, you can help the common people seek justice.”
Xu Zhiqian asked again, “But you declined His Majesty’s invitation. Why would he still support you?”
This woman was truly hard to fool! Zhang Fei said, frustrated, “Hey! Xu Zhiqian, you’re going too far. Asking question after question, you just need to know the outcome!”
Xu Zhiqian said, “Alright! I won’t ask anymore.”
“Let’s go! I have a lot to do today.”
The two of them took a carriage to Fan’s Bookstore.
As soon as they arrived at the front door, they heard a bustling noise inside. Peeking in, they saw the bookstore was packed with people.
“Li Si, go through the back door and head straight to Mr. Fan’s house.”
“Yes.”
…
“Brother San, Lady Xu, please have some tea.”
A charming woman brought two cups of tea for Zhang Fei and Xu Zhiqian.
It was Fan Li’s wife, Lady Liu.
“Thank you, Madam.”
Zhang Fei smiled and nodded.
Before they could drink the tea, Fan Li hurriedly entered, “Where is Brother San?”
“Here.”
Zhang Fei raised his hand so Fan Li, who was right in front of him, could see him.
“Oh my! Brother San, you’re finally here.”
Fan Li rushed over, grabbing Zhang Fei’s sleeve, crying and sniffling.
Zhang Fei said, “I heard you were ill, but you seem to be walking briskly, not like someone who’s sick!”
“That… that’s all because you scared me.”
Fan Li was still shaken, “I’ve been a pen-in-cap for so many years, but I never imagined I’d be suing the imperial court. Never.”
Zhang Fei laughed, “Alright! No more talking about it. It’s all in the past.”
“It’s not over yet.”
Fan Li quickly said, “Look at the bookstore; it’s almost bursting with people.”
Xu Zhiqian suddenly asked, “They should be here because of corvee labor, right?”
Fan Li nodded, “Yes, but not all of them. Some have suffered because of the corvee labor and hope Brother San can seek justice for them. Others are about to serve and hope for help.”
As he spoke, he seemed to remember something, “Many people are also here to inquire about tax calculation.”
The bookstore’s new tax service had been widely discussed, with many doubting its success. But after the recent case, people thought it might work, so they came to inquire about the price. If the price was right, they hoped to hedge their bets.
They still needed to bribe where necessary, but if something went wrong, they could use lawsuits to seek justice.
Zhang Fei said, “Tell them the court hasn’t ruled that the corvee labor law violates ancestral law. If they have real grievances, we can take the case, but if not, we can’t help.”
Fan Li nodded, “That’s exactly what I told them. Such cases are enough to handle one at a time, not every day.”
Zhang Fei nodded with a smile, “I’m here today for the tax calculation service. How are the preparations?”
“Preparations for what?” Fan Li asked, confused.
“We need people!”
Zhang Fei said, “I told you to find people. Don’t tell me you didn’t?”
Fan Li blinked and suddenly exclaimed, “Brother San, I’ve been so scared by you, I couldn’t get out of bed!”
Zhang Fei rolled his eyes, “Mogul, you lack the mental resilience for this. Following me requires more courage. Don’t let all the money you make scare you to death. Although such cases aren’t a daily occurrence, they will happen again.”
Fan Li felt wronged, “You didn’t tell me in advance. I knew nothing. How could I not be scared?”
Zhang Fei paused and smiled apologetically, “That’s true. I should have discussed it with you first. Misunderstandings are inevitable in new partnerships. Once explained, it’s fine. But you need to hurry with the recruitment. Our bookstore is doing well, and I’ll soon launch the tax calculation service.”
“Got it.”
Fan Li nodded, then remembered something, “Recently, Li Guozhong and the Three Financial Bureaus’ officials have been close. I heard they also want to launch a tax service.”
Xu Zhiqian frowned, “Zhang San, you must be careful. If the Three Financial Bureaus issue a decree recognizing only their tax service, it’ll be tough.”
Zhang Fei frowned, “If everyone competes fairly, I have no complaints even if I lose. But if they play dirty, we’ll see them in court. We can’t keep bullying the Kaifeng Prefectural Office!”
Fan Li shivered, almost kneeling.
When did the Kaifeng Prefectural Office become someone to be bullied?
Despite his words, Zhang Fei was very cautious, knowing time was of the essence and needed swift action.
The first issue was internal reorganization.
He wanted to do this since the new year, but the reorganization was delayed due to the recent case.
He immediately ordered the bookstore to close temporarily for internal restructuring.
First, they had to submit their homework.
This meant the housing loan contracts.
The pen-in-caps had already completed their work and recently revised it meticulously.
Initially, they planned to resign and leave, but seeing Brother San actually win justice for the Shi family, the bookstore’s reputation soared. Now, business was about refusing clients, not attracting them.
They had to protect this golden rice bowl!
Zhang Fei handed everything to Xu Zhiqian, not wanting to review each document. To him, the complaint documents written by these other pen-in-caps were trash. He focused on the administrative structure of the bookstore.
The first step was increasing professionalism.
The first thing was attire. Everyone dressed like a loafer, so they needed to inspire confidence.
But they couldn’t dress as flamboyantly as him. That required good looks; imitations would fail.
Then, they planned departments according to the law.
Mainly criminal and civil.
Under criminal were cases like rape and theft; under civil were more categories like property and contract disputes.
They also needed team structures, an archives department, an accounting department, and an intelligence department.
All these were support services for the pen-in-caps.
Fan Li was stunned.
How many people needed to be hired?
Could lawsuits really earn that much?
Before he could ask, Zhang Fei told him to find another place to live as the back courtyard was going to be taken over by the bookstore.
It was practically a physical version of the cuckoo occupying the magpie’s nest!
…
Meanwhile, Emperor Zhao Xu was also making final preparations.
Although the Court of Judicial Review’s lawsuit ended inconclusively for Zhang Fei, for Wang Anshi, the outcome was clear.
Even the slogans were out. Everyone knew reform was imminent.
Zhao Xu did not disappoint them.
The first step was personnel arrangements.
Zhao Xu first summoned the veteran minister Fu Bi back to court, appointing him as Left Vice Director and Manager of Affairs of the Palace Secretariat.
But the real power lay with the State Councilors.
Fu Bi knew he was just a figurehead.
Previously, Zhao Xu had intended to appoint him as Overseer of Works, an ancient title that was prestigious but only honorary. Fu Bi knew that he would only have a nominally high position, and more importantly, he didn’t support Wang Anshi and didn’t want to cause trouble, so he declined. Zhao Xu then appointed him Left Vice Director.
Having no choice, Fu Bi returned.
Wang Anshi was promoted to State Councilor, and Sima Guang was also promoted to State Councilor, and also Chief of the Court of Penal Review.
Lu Hui was sent to Dengzhou, and the Duke of Lu, Wen Yanbo, was appointed Chief Censor, leading the Censorate.
…
“You sly old fox, Sima Guang.”
After leaving the hall, Wen Yanbo grabbed Sima Guang, “You hide at the back and let us charge forward. It’s infuriating.”
It was a shock for Wen Yanbo.
There was no prior indication.
He thought he’d get an honorary title like Fu Bi, just to support the Emperor.
Unexpectedly, he got a real position, and such a crucial one.
Wen Yanbo went to ask Lu Hui what was going on.
Lu Hui truthfully said he recommended Sima Guang, who then recommended him.
Obviously, once Wang Anshi began reforms, conservatives would use the Censorate to fight back.
Wen Yanbo would be on the front line.
That was fine.
He wasn’t afraid of trouble.
The key issue was that Sima Guang went to the Court of Penal Review, which had little to do with the reforms. Wen Yanbo was truly angry.
It was too underhanded.
Sima Guang laughed, “Does Duke Wen really believe I, Sima Guang, am such a shameless person?”
“If I did, I wouldn’t have agreed with His Majesty.” Wen Yanbo said, “But you need to explain what’s going on?”
Sima Guang pulled him aside, “I did this to avoid a repeat of the factional strife during the Qingli Reforms.”
Wen Yanbo was startled, “What do you mean?”
He didn’t personally experience the Qingli factional strife but knew from friends like Fu Bi how dark it was.
It was truly frightening.
That’s why he opposed the reforms.
Sima Guang said, “Once Wang Anshi starts the reforms, regardless of the new laws, officials in court will definitely fight. We can’t stop it.”
Wen Yanbo slightly nodded.
Although Sima Guang had become the conservative leader, it wasn’t because he was handsome, but because his policies of cutting expenses aligned with conservative values.
If he supported Wang Anshi, he wouldn’t lead the conservatives.
Sima Guang continued, “While we can’t stop the fighting, we can regulate it to avoid factional strife.”
Wen Yanbo asked, “Regulate the fighting?”
Could that be done?
During the Qingli period, they used every trick in the book, lowering the bar each time, making Fan Zhongyan, Fu Bi, and others disheartened and leave.
Only Han Qi stayed, continuing to fight.
Although he didn’t win, Han Qi’s reputation soared, even gaining the Emperor’s respect.
Han Qi earned his current position through his own efforts.
Sima Guang said, “Lawsuits. Solve it in court.”
Wen Yanbo was completely stunned, “Are you crazy? Are such things dealt with in a judicial court?”
Sima Guang said, “It couldn’t be done before, but now it can. If Zhang San can sue the court using ancestral law, why can’t we sue the new laws?”
On the surface, Wang Anshi seemed to have won, but if there was no benefit, why would Sima Guang support Zhang Fei?
Wang Anshi won in the short term, but Sima Guang won in the long term. When reforms began, Wang Anshi would be on the defensive, and Sima Guang on the offensive.
Wen Yanbo frowned, “Yes! That’s a solution. Oh… I get it. You wanted the Court of Penal Review, and I got the Censorate. The Ministry of Punishments opposes the reforms, so aside from the Court of Judicial Review, the other judicial departments aren’t under Wang Jiefu.”
Sima Guang said, “I have ways to win over the Court of Judicial Review. Compared to the new laws, factional strife is more terrifying.”
Wen Yanbo nodded, “That’s also my concern. Alright, I’ll support you.”
If they played this way, the Court of Penal Review would be the crux of the political battle, not the Censorate. Sima Guang would be on the front line, and the Censorate would assist.
“Thank you, Duke Wen.” Sima Guang bowed.
Wen Yanbo said, “By the way! You have been appointed State Councilor and you lead the Court of Penal Review, but Wang Anshi only has a position as State Councilor. There must be a reason.”
Sima Guang asked, “What do you think?”
Wen Yanbo stroked his beard, “There’s a saying, ‘To govern a country, first govern the bureaucrats.’ Wang Anshi won’t overlook this. It seems he’ll first reform the corvee labor law. Since this isn’t about officials, he might suggest His Majesty create a new department to handle the reforms, bypassing the existing bureaucracy.”
Sima Guang nodded, “You’re right. That fits Wang Jiefu’s aggressive style. But don’t be too aggressive like Lu Hui. Let’s wait and see. Since Wang Anshi is so confident, he might not fail.”
Wen Yanbo sighed, “Reforms need time. His methods treat the symptoms but not the root cause. Success is unlikely.”