Chapter 194: Let me Teach you!
The Kaifeng County magistrate was gesturing wildly like he wanted to kill someone – it was truly an unseemly sight.
Even though Zhao Bian was known for being fair, he didn’t want the public to witness this scene, so he quickly ordered the guards to drag Wang Hong away.
Despite nearly twenty years in officialdom, he had been driven mad by a mere pen-in-cap – it was truly shocking!
There was no way to continue the trial.
Since it was almost noon anyway, everyone might as well break for lunch and rest before resuming.
“Step back, step back,” several runners came to the main gate and began dispersing the crowd of onlookers.
This was not a show they could watch.
If they did, the officials would lose everything.
The main gate slowly closed.
Outside the Kaifeng Prefectural Office gates, chaos immediately erupted. When the gates were open, the crowd hadn’t dared to discuss much, but as soon as they closed, everyone began chattering at once. With so many people, it sounded like thousands of buzzing bees.
Listening carefully though, it was all conspiracy theories.
The most outrageous one was that they were going to kill Zhang Fei to silence him.
Li Kai, who had been sitting as an assistant judge, stood up and stretched while complaining: “I knew it would be like this. Whenever this guy shows up, nothing good happens. It doesn’t matter who presides – but why did it have to be at our Kaifeng Prefecture? People will blame the prefecture, not Chancellor Zhao.”
As he spoke, he glanced at Lu Gongzhu in the crowd, wondering if Prefect Lu had arranged for Lu Jiawen to file the complaint. Next time he would send his own brother.
“How shameless!” Xu Zhiqian complained while tidying up the court documents. “Just when they were clearly losing their footing, they chose to adjourn. It’s so unfair!”
Zhang Fei glanced at her sideways, seeing her pouting with resentment, and smiled: “To be honest, I was starting to regret being too harsh. I didn’t expect Wang Hong to crumble so easily.”
Xu Zhiqian turned to look at him curiously: “What do you mean? Did you want to show off more?”
“Of course not,” Zhang Fei clicked his tongue. “Don’t be silly! A longer trial would reveal more issues!”
Xu Zhiqian’s eyes lit up as she nodded: “That’s true, but the other side is too weak – they probably won’t last much longer.”
As luck would have it, Fan Chunren happened to walk by and overheard Xu Zhiqian’s words, causing his face to turn bright red.
Zhang Fei noticed Fan Chunren first and quickly said: “Remonstrator Fan,” to warn Xu Zhiqian.
Xu Zhiqian started, looked up, and became anxious, wondering if he had heard. She stammered: “Un-uncle Fan.”
Fan Chunren had to pretend he hadn’t heard – he couldn’t argue with a young girl, as he wasn’t Wang Hong. He frowned at Zhang Fei and said: “Your methods were dishonorable.”
“Dishonorable?” Zhang Fei looked bewildered. “What do you mean by that, Remonstrator Fan?”
Fan Chunren said: “Everyone knows these two cases have absolutely nothing to do with each other.”
Zhang Fei smiled and replied: “Everyone also knows that Magistrate Wang’s rejection of Wei Yushan’s complaint had absolutely nothing to do with tax collection.”
Fan Chunren was rendered speechless.
Zhang Fei smiled again and said: “Lawsuits are about evidence, not speculation. Right now, all evidence points to Magistrate Wang being suspected of shielding Wei Yushan. However, based on this point alone, Remonstrator Fan hasn’t lost yet, because there’s still one important piece of evidence that hasn’t been presented.”
Fan Chunren instinctively asked: “What evidence?”
“Come now! Remonstrator Fan shouldn’t have overlooked this!” Zhang Fei said: “Why would Magistrate Wang want to shield Wei Yushan? As far as I know, the Magistrate didn’t accept any bribes in this case, and I believe Remonstrator Fan must have investigated this. Since covering up crimes is usually closely related to corruption and bribery, what was Magistrate Wang’s motive for shielding him?”
Fan Chunren was suddenly stunned – yes! How could he have forgotten such important evidence?
He had thought of this point from the very beginning. It was because of this that he had dared to take on the case, but as the proceedings went on, he had completely lost his rhythm because Zhang Fei hadn’t played by the usual rules.
But then he realized that Zhang Fei had already anticipated his anticipation – how could he continue fighting this case?
“Since you’re reminding me of this, you must already have a counter-strategy prepared,” Fan Chunren said dejectedly.
“That’s irrelevant, because you must raise this question – it’s a matter of professional integrity for a pen-in-cap. I’ll go rest now. Farewell!”
Zhang Fei turned and placed his hand on Xu Zhiqian’s shoulder, saying “Let’s go.”
How dare he touch her! Xu Zhiqian startled, shrugging her right shoulder, “What are you doing? This is the Kaifeng Prefectural Office – where are your manners?”
“Sorry, force of habit.”
Zhang Fei quickly removed his hand.
“Habit?”
Xu Zhiqian raised an eyebrow, glancing sideways at Zhang Fei.
Zhang Fei hurriedly explained: “It’s just a habitual gesture, regardless of gender.” Then he turned his head and said softly: “You just said this is the Kaifeng Prefectural Office, so by that logic, it would be fine anywhere else?”
“That’s not what I meant at all.”
Xu Zhiqian blushed, “Don’t get any strange ideas.”
With that, she took her documents and quickly walked toward the small courtyard on the left.
“Hey! Wait for me, I’m not familiar with this place!”
Zhang Fei hurriedly chased after her.
Li Kai, who was supervising work nearby, nearly coughed up blood hearing Zhang Fei’s words, thinking: Not familiar with this place? You’ve probably spent as much time here as you have at your own home.
“Young Master Zhang.”
Just as they entered the corridor on the left, an official in his thirties blocked Zhang Fei’s path.
Zhang Fei looked at him: “You are?”
The official said: “I’m here on Prince Chang’s orders to assist Young Master Zhang.”
“His Highness!”
Zhang Fei couldn’t help but look around.
“Young Master, please rest assured, no one will come here.”
“Oh.”
Zhang Fei nodded, thinking that Prince Chang truly had far-reaching influence.
The official quickly said in a low voice: “From the current situation, it seems the other side doesn’t intend to defend Wei Yushan.”
Zhao Hao had to send someone to monitor the proceedings, and this official must also be well-versed in law.
Earlier when Remonstrator Fan had skipped over Wei Yushan, he had been very anxious.
Zhang Fei pondered briefly, then asked: “Are you in contact with Wei Yushan?”
The official nodded.
Zhang Fei instructed: “Remonstrator Fan will definitely abandon him. Quickly go to Wei Yushan and tell him that when he appears in court later, he must not shirk responsibility. Instead, he should take all the blame upon himself and be brave in admitting his mistakes and offering compensation.”
The official looked at him puzzled, “If he does that…!”
That would surely seal his fate.
Zhang Fei said: “Though he may lose legally this way, it will give all the officials present a sense of security. Right now those officials are very nervous, afraid more ugly matters will be exposed. As long as Wei Yushan dares to admit his mistakes, I guarantee someone will plead for leniency on his behalf.
If Wei Yushan shifts the blame to Wang Hong, then those officials will expose all his past misdeeds, and he’ll become the scapegoat. Therefore, this is currently the only solution.”
The official nodded slightly.
Zhang Fei continued: “From my investigation, Wei Yushan has also donated to Wang Hong multiple times, giving money for flood management projects and road works. This point must be emphasized, as it explains why Wang Hong helped him.”
The official’s eyes lit up, then he asked curiously: “But wouldn’t that make it impossible to prosecute Wang Hong?”
Zhang Fei replied: “He’s already a dead fish. My biggest worry now is how to keep my word to the Prince. If Wei Yushan doesn’t do as I say, he’ll bear all consequences himself – it has nothing to do with me.”
“Understood.”
The official nodded and said: “I’ll go inform Wei Yushan first. Farewell.”
Xu Zhiqian stood at the corridor entrance, peering inside. Seeing Zhang Fei approach, she asked, “Who was that?”
Zhang Fei sighed: “The Prince’s man.”
Xu Zhiqian asked: “What did he want from you?”
“What else? He also noticed that Remonstrator Fan plans to abandon Wei Yushan.”
Zhang Fei let out a sorrowful sigh: “Zhiqian, it’s really not easy for me. I have to seek revenge, get justice for Geng Ming, litigate against Remonstrator Fan, and help with Wei Yushan’s sentence. I’m exhausted. Here, let me lean on you.”
He put his hand on Xu Zhiqian’s shoulder.
Seeing his behavior, Xu Zhiqian felt both annoyed and amused, but noticing there was no one around, especially no elders present, she let him be.
The two arrived at the small courtyard.
Li Si was already busy there.
“Brother San, Miss Xu, you’re here. Please have something to eat quickly.”
“Li Si, how did you get in?” Zhang Fei asked curiously.
Li Si answered: “Benefactor had someone let me in. The Madam just had Xiao Tao bring over some food.”
Xu Zhiqian smiled: “Sister Gao is really thoughtful.”
Zhang Fei chuckled: “A perfect complement to you.”
Xu Zhiqian glared at him.
“Ahem, let’s eat.”
The two sat down, and while eating, Xu Zhiqian asked: “Why did you remind Remonstrator Fan earlier?”
Zhang Fei smiled: “He must have thought of this point already, but he planned to first use tax collection to explain why Wang Hong rejected Geng Ming’s complaint, then present evidence showing the Magistrate hadn’t taken any bribes. This approach could basically help Wang Hong escape punishment. But he didn’t expect I would appeal my own case and combine the two cases, which threw him off balance.
I was worried he had already admitted defeat in his heart and forgotten this crucial point, leading to me going too far and getting Wei Yushan exiled.”
Xu Zhiqian humphed: “Actually, for someone like Wei Yushan, exile would be too light.”
Zhang Fei, eating a piece of meat, said unclearly: “Our capabilities are limited now, we can only do this much. If we go too far, things will get out of hand.”
Xu Zhiqian said: “Then we should make him pay more compensation, add another thousand strings.”
Having gained the upper hand, she, who despised evil, wanted to deal Wei Yushan the harshest punishment possible, as she hated people like him the most.
Zhang Fei exclaimed in surprise: “So much?”
“Five hundred strings then.”
“Alright.”
In the back courtyard.
The attendees were all important officials, so the Kaifeng Prefectural Office had ordered several tables of food and wine from White Crystal Inn to entertain them.
But even with such delicacies served, they had no appetite. Upon arriving at the back courtyard, they gathered around Zhao Bian to persuade him.
“Chancellor Zhao, we can’t continue the trial. If we do, it might provoke public outrage – the consequences could be severe!”
“Indeed! This kind of case should be tried behind closed doors.”
“It’s all Zhang San’s fault. When their Bianjing Law Firm was punished before, he accepted it. But now he’s gone back on his word – such dishonesty has embarrassed the imperial court. It’s absolutely despicable!”
“That kid is too cunning, mixing the two cases together in the litigation. As for the previous case, everyone knows the real reason he was punished. This is too unfair to Magistrate Wang.”
The trial had everyone panicked.
It was exposing everything about them, and heaven knew what else Zhang Fei might ask.
As for Han Qi, Fu Bi and the other high officials, they just sat silently to the side.
“Enough!”
Zhao Bian waved his hand and said, “You’re all giving me a headache.”
Everyone finally quieted down.
Zhao Bian suddenly looked toward Lu Gongzhu, who was hiding to the side, and asked, “Prefect Lu, what’s your view?”
After all, this was the Kaifeng Prefectural Office.
Lu Gongzhu hurriedly replied, “This case involves my unfilial grand-nephew. Chancellor Zhao should decide as he sees fit.”
He completely distanced himself, feeling grateful for Lu Jiawen.
He actually enjoyed trying cases and delivering justice to the people, but ever since Zhang Fei arrived, he’d grown to dislike it. Zhang Fei’s litigation always left judges in a difficult position.
Zhao Bian nodded, sweeping his gaze across everyone, and sternly lectured: “What are you all thinking? Stop the trial? If we stop now, what will the public opinion become? If you truly want to save face for the imperial court, we must see this through to the end, punish those who deserve punishment, and seriously address these issues – not try to cover things up or bury our heads in the sand. The people outside aren’t truly foolish; they can see through such simple matters.”
“Chancellor Zhao speaks wisely. I support this approach.”
Wang Anshi immediately agreed, but was met with numerous looks of disdain.
This Wang Anshi would exploit any opportunity to promote his New Policies.
How shameless.
Sima Guang nodded and said: “I also support Chancellor Zhao’s view. Given the situation, we can only continue the investigation to its conclusion. Some of these issues needed to be resolved anyway.”
Wen Yanbo, Han Qi, and Fu Bi also gave slight nods.
They currently had two choices: either see it through to the end, or stop here – or drag it out until everyone forgot about it.
But even considering the imperial court’s interests, they had to continue.
If they didn’t, the Kaifeng Prefectural Office’s reputation would certainly be ruined.
The court’s authority would suffer a major blow.
Though many officials were reluctant, seeing that the high-ranking officials thought they should continue, they had no choice but to accept it.
See it through to the end.
What results would this trial produce? Fan Chunren and Qian Yi were arranged in the small courtyard on the right, but they had no appetite for the lunch prepared for them by the prefectural office!
Qian Yi suddenly let out a bitter laugh: “I never imagined Zhang San would actually give us hints – clearly he doesn’t take us seriously at all.”
It was truly depressing.
Their opponent even reminded them of their only chance to turn things around.
It could even be seen as an insult.
Fan Chunren said: “But the fact is, Wang Hong didn’t receive any benefits from Wei Yushan in this case. Why would he protect Wei Yushan?”
Qian Yi said: “They say Wei Yushan has always admired Wang Hong’s way of doing things, and had donated money and grain before to help the Kaifeng County office build water works and repair roads.”
“But that’s not bribery!” Fan Chunren said.
Qian Yi said: “But can you be certain whether there was bribery between them or not?”
Fan Chunren said: “I’ve asked Wang Hong about this repeatedly, and he assured me he never took a single coin from Wei Yushan. Just now Zhang Fei himself said Wang Hong didn’t accept bribes.”
“Indeed!”
Qian Yi said: “That’s why wrongful conviction cases are usually tied to corruption and bribery. But Zhang Fei’s argument earlier didn’t explain why Wang Hong would protect Wei Yushan. If he can’t produce evidence to prove this point, then his previous arguments won’t stand either.”
“But he gave us hints, which means he must be confident of victory, yet we can’t figure out what he’s planning.”
Fan Chunren dejectedly slammed his fist on the table, “He’s reading the Song Code of Punishments, and we’re reading the same code. How is it we can’t even guess how what charge he intends to bring? This is ridiculous.”