Judge of the Song Dynasty

Zhang Fei’s outburst immediately stirred up discussions among the crowd gathered at the entrance.

Killing one’s mother for money? That was an absolutely heinous crime in their time!

Even death by a thousand cuts would not be too severe.

Li Lei, the pen-in-cap, was no pushover. He knew that public opinion was crucial in this case. Feeling angry, he thought these two were truly shameless for playing such an underhanded trick. He quickly turned to Liang Dong, “Registrar Liang, they-!”

Liang Dong raised his hand to signal him to remain calm, then instructed the court recorder: “Don’t record what that madman just said. It cannot be counted as evidence.”

The court recorder nodded.

Liang Dong furrowed his brows and glared at Xu Zhiqian, but she kept her eyebrows tightly knitted and her hands clenched into fists, completely oblivious to his angry gaze.

Striking his gavel, Liang Dong shouted, “Silence!”

The entrance finally quieted down.

Xu Zhiqian snapped back to attention, her red lips slightly parted as she breathed heavily, suddenly realizing her back was completely soaked with sweat. Qingmei, who stood beside her, quietly handed her a silk handkerchief, “Sister Qian’er.”

Xu Zhiqian took it and carelessly wiped her face, thinking to herself, that was close! So close! Thank goodness Zhang San was there, otherwise-!

At this moment, Madam Liu approached the court.

Liang Dong asked as usual, “Madam Liu, have you been taking care of Old Lady Huang next door for the past two or three years?”

“Yes, Your Honor, that’s correct,” Aunt Liu nodded nervously.

Liang Dong asked, “You’re not related to her, so why did you take care of her?”

Xu Zhiqian immediately frowned at Liang Dong, as this question clearly showed bias. But then she thought, since Zhang Fei had just played an underhanded trick, it was reasonable for Liang Dong to be somewhat biased.

Aunt Liu replied, “I just saw that the old lady lived alone with no one to care for her. It was pitiful. As neighbors, we help where we can.”

Liang Dong nodded and asked Aunt Liu, “Did you ever think she would give you her house?”

Aunt Liu shook her head repeatedly, “I never thought that way.”

“You’re lying!”

Li Lei suddenly shouted, pointing at Aunt Liu, “You clearly coveted Old Lady Huang’s house and deliberately drove a wedge between mother and son.”

Aunt Liu frantically protested, “I didn’t! Don’t wrongly accuse me!”

Li Lei said, “Didn’t you say that Old Lady Huang personally told you that her son had forced her to tell others she didn’t want to live with him?”

Aunt Liu replied, “That’s exactly what the old lady told me. I’m not lying.”

Li Lei snorted, “Do you have any witnesses?”

Aunt Liu said, “It was just me there at the time. Besides the old lady, I was the only one who knew.”

Li Lei asked again, “When Old Lady Huang transferred the house to you, wasn’t she bedridden and unable to get up?”

Aunt Liu nodded.

Li Lei continued, “Besides you and the notary Uncle Niu, were any of Old Lady Huang’s relatives present?”

Aunt Liu shook her head.

Li Lei immediately turned to Liang Dong, “Registrar Liang, the facts are very clear. Madam Liu clearly coveted Old Lady Huang’s house, deliberately sowed discord in their mother-son relationship, then took advantage when Old Lady Huang was ill and confused to persuade her to transfer the house to herself.”

Madam Liu had never been to court before. Seeing this man telling such blatant lies, she frantically exclaimed, “I never drove a wedge between them! That day, Old Lady Huang asked Uncle Niu to call me over. I didn’t persuade her to do anything. If you don’t believe me, ask Uncle Niu!”

Xu Zhiqian suddenly spoke up, “Madam Liu, don’t panic. Let me ask you, how long had Old Lady Huang been ill?”

Madam Liu saw Xu Zhiqian and felt slightly more at ease, answering, “She had been sick for about a year or two.”

Xu Zhiqian asked, “Did her son know about it?”

Madam Liu glanced at Huang Yongli and said, “Yes, he did. His son came by several times during that period.”

Xu Zhiqian asked, “Did his son ever call for a doctor to treat his mother’s illness?”

“Never!” Madam Liu shook her head and said dejectedly, “Later, when I saw the old lady’s condition getting worse, I even went to find him, wanting him to get a doctor for her. But he ignored me.”

Huang Yongli retorted, “You’re lying. You never came to find me.”

Madam Liu argued, “I definitely did come to find you.”

Knowing this would be difficult to prove, Xu Zhiqian quickly said, “Madam Liu, don’t argue with him. Let me ask you, did Old Lady Huang’s illness go completely untreated?”

Madam Liu became more emotional as she spoke, her voice choking, “Later, I used my own savings to call a doctor, who prescribed some medicine. But it only helped for a short while.”

Xu Zhiqian asked, “Did Huang Yongli never give any money to his mother?”

Madam Liu shook her head repeatedly, “He didn’t even send a single grain of rice.”

Li Lei immediately said, “That’s just your side of the story. Do you have any evidence?”

Madam Liu replied, “I lived next door, how could I not know?”

“But you have no evidence to prove this point,” Li Lei said.

Madam Liu asked, “What evidence?”

Having previously handled cases with Zhang Fei, who was always courteous, Xu Zhiqian wasn’t used to Li Lei’s constant interruptions. She quickly asked, “Madam Liu, when did Huang Yongli learn of his mother’s death?”

Madam Liu looked at Xu Zhiqian again and said, “When I saw the old lady was failing, I had my son go tell her grandson. His family rushed over immediately, but unfortunately didn’t make it in time to see her one last time.”

Xu Zhiqian asked, “When did Huang Yongli first mention the house?”

Madam Liu replied, “He asked about it that very day. I told him the old lady had given it to me, but he accused me of stealing his family’s house and demanded I return it, threatening to sue if I didn’t.”

Xu Zhiqian suddenly turned to Li Lei and asked, “Pen-in-cap Li, do you know when Huang Yongli came to your shop for help?”

Li Lei frowned at Xu Zhiqian, and after a moment said, “The tenth of this month.”

Xu Zhiqian said, “Then you should know that two days before, on the eighth, Huang Yongli went to the Bianjing Law Firm. It was only after we rejected him that he went to your shop.”

Li Lei shook his head and said, “I didn’t know that.”

Xu Zhiqian then said to Liang Dong, “Old Lady Huang died on the seventh. So on the very next day after his mother’s death, Huang Yongli immediately sought legal action.”

Liang Dong nodded slightly and glanced at the two other judges, who were shaking their heads while taking notes.

Xu Zhiqian produced a document, “This is the doctor’s diagnosis and prescription, which proves that Old Lady Huang did not die from an incurable illness, but rather from lack of treatment over a long period. Had she received proper medical care from the beginning, she would not have died so soon.”

“Submit it.”

A court runner took the diagnosis and prescription up, not to Liang Dong but to the medical official beside him.

The medical official examined it and nodded to Liang Dong.

Seeing this, Li Lei began to sweat.

Xu Zhiqian continued, “Earlier, Huang Yongli claimed he had only a minor dispute with his mother, but the evidence shows this was not so simple. How could a mere argument lead someone to ignore their sick mother and refuse to call a doctor, leaving it to a neighbor to finally seek medical help?

After his mother’s death, rather than showing any remorse, he immediately sought legal counsel to try to reclaim the house. This shows Huang Yongli only cared about the property. For this, he not only quarreled with his mother but even wished for her early death – truly unworthy of being called a son.”

“That’s right! When a mother has just passed away, even if the sky were falling, one should be keeping vigil by her coffin, not rushing to file lawsuits. This Uncle Huang is clearly lying.”

“Tsk tsk. I never imagined there could be such a vicious person in this world.”

“He’s worse than an unfilial son – he’s lower than a beast.”

The people at the entrance started discussing again.

Huang Yongli watched anxiously, “Don’t slander me! The house would have been mine sooner or later, why would I be in a hurry?”

Xu Zhiqian sneered, “Didn’t you just say that if the house was sold, your business could reach new heights? Clearly you’re desperate for that house.”

“I…”

Huang Yongli was at a loss for words.

That was a lie – he wasn’t urgently in need of money. He simply despised his elderly and sick mother and didn’t want to support her. He figured that as the only son, the house would eventually be his anyway.

Li Lei was inwardly distressed, realizing he had shot himself in the foot. He hurriedly said to Liang Dong, “Old Lady Huang knew her son was busy trying to make money to support his family. Not wanting to worry him, she hid her illness – that’s only natural. As for Huang Yongli rushing to file a lawsuit, it was because he was furious. He firmly believed his mother would never transfer the house to Madam Liu. Even if his mother was angry with him, she had two grandsons – what grandmother wouldn’t think of her grandsons on her deathbed? Clearly, Madam Liu is lying.”

Pen-in-caps were still accustomed to various forms of sophistry rather than focusing on empirical evidence, since they didn’t earn much money and couldn’t afford to spend time investigating evidence.

But their approach was clearly outdated.

“It’s not Madam Liu who’s lying – it’s that Old Lady Huang had completely given up hope in her son.”

Xu Zhiqian said to Liang Dong, “Your Honor, Old Lady Huang didn’t suddenly fall ill – she had been sick for a year or two, as all the neighbors knew. During this time, though Huang Yongli visited rarely, if he had truly cared, he couldn’t have failed to notice. Clearly, Huang Yongli’s greed turned to hatred, and he watched her die without helping.

As for her two grandsons, Huang Yongli’s sons, yes they are innocent as they’re still young and don’t understand worldly matters. And according to our dynasty’s laws, they do have inheritance rights.

But our dynasty’s laws don’t just seek to punish evil – they primarily aim to promote virtue. If the court awards the house to the two grandsons, it’s equivalent to giving it to Huang Yongli. Then nobody would care about filial piety in the future, instead only using their children to fight for their parents’ property. This is certainly not what the imperial court would wish to see.

Therefore, I humbly request Your Honor to respect Old Lady Huang’s final wishes and award the house to the kind-hearted Madam Liu, while also using this case to warn Old Lady Huang’s two grandsons never to follow their father’s example, but to be properly filial to their parents.”

“Well said!”

A woman in the corridor couldn’t help but applaud.

Liang Dong frowned and glanced over, about to strike his gavel, when suddenly more shouts of condemnation erupted from the entrance.

“To disregard even his mother’s life for an old house – such a person deserves to die!”

“Zhang San is right, this person is worse than a beast.”

“He still has the nerve to use his two sons as an excuse. Perhaps when he’s old, his sons will treat him the same way.”

Outside the door, Fan Chunren, hearing the crowd’s condemnation, said to Zhang Fei, “It seems your strategy worked.”

Zhang Fei smiled, “They handed this to us themselves. Actually, we had no evidence to prove Huang Yongli neglected his mother out of greed for the house – he admitted it himself.”

Fan Chunren asked, “If you were helping Huang Yongli argue the case, what would you do?”

Zhang Fei glanced at him and chuckled, “Remonstrator Fan, it would be impossible for you to win.”

Fan Chunren responded with an “Oh, is that so?”

Zhang Fei smiled and said, “I would have had Huang Yongli’s wife join the case and make him admit his mistakes. After all, they’re after money, not dignity.”

Fan Chunren frowned, completely taken aback by Zhang Fei’s tactics. “That’s despicable,” he scolded.

Zhang Fei shrugged, “Despicable but not illegal.”

“How is it not illegal? You’re instigating his wife to lie in court.”

Zhang Fei chuckled, “His wife wouldn’t need to lie. She could shift the blame to Huang Yongli in court. Who knows what happens between husband and wife? Even a wise judge finds domestic disputes difficult. As long as they can’t prove Huang Yongli’s unfilial behavior in court, it works in his favor. His two sons could play a crucial role then, and it might just end with compensating Aunt Liu a hundred strings of cash.”

Fan Chunren nodded, “Indeed, domestic affairs are often beyond a judge’s wisdom.”

Bringing Huang Yongli’s wife into it would muddy the waters, making it difficult for the judge to determine whether it was the wife preventing the husband from taking in his mother, or if it was the husband’s own unwillingness.

Only the two of them would know the truth.

Making the responsibility unclear would benefit Huang Yongli significantly.

Li Lei had actually planned the same strategy, given Huang Yongli’s excessive behavior. He had hoped to use the house to obscure Huang Yongli’s responsibility while emphasizing property ownership, but unexpectedly got caught in his own trap.

Just then, Li Si suddenly ran over, “Brother San, Miss Xu and the others are coming out.”

Zhang Fei looked up to see Xu Zhiqian and Qingmei walking out.

Fan Chunren said to Zhang Fei, “I’ll take my leave.”

“Farewell, Remonstrator Fan.”

Shortly after Fan Chunren left, Xu Zhiqian hurried over.

Zhang Fei asked, “What’s the verdict?”

Xu Zhiqian shook her head, “We’ll probably have to wait until the afternoon.”

Then, blushing, she looked at Zhang Fei and whispered, “Thank you so much for earlier.”

Zhang Fei said seriously, “I accept no thanks except a pledge of marriage – I almost got myself a beating.”

Xu Zhiqian playfully swatted at him, “I’m being serious.”

Zhang Fei casually caught her delicate hand and smiled, “Seriously, if I wasn’t worried about you being too discouraged, I wouldn’t have helped.”

Xu Zhiqian asked, “Why?”

Zhang Fei said, “Because you’ve turned litigation, a highly professional job, into some heroic crusade against injustice.”

Xu Zhiqian asked puzzled, “Isn’t that right?”

“Of course not.”

Zhang Fei continued, “Litigation has only one principle – protecting the client’s interests. You can choose to only help the weak or work pro bono, but this principle cannot change.”

Xu Zhiqian shook her head, “I don’t quite understand.”

Zhang Fei explained, “Take this case – you never considered negotiating with Huang Yongli because you believe someone like him deserved punishment, no room for discussion. But the reality is that by taking this to court, Madam Liu faces risks. She might get less, or even be falsely accused.”

“Victory isn’t guaranteed. What you’re doing violates the principle of protecting your client’s interests. You’re just focused on fighting injustice, but objectively, that’s your personal desire, not what Madam Liu wants. Perhaps losing this case would have taught you more. Unfortunately, I couldn’t bring myself to let that happen.”

Xu Zhiqian choked up, “Telling me this now teaches me the lesson all the same.”

Zhang Fei rolled his eyes, “How is it the same? I’ve told you this many times, but did you ever listen?”

Xu Zhiqian’s eyes suddenly welled up, “I’m listening now. Really.” Official source ıs NovєlFіre.net

Seeing her about to cry, Zhang Fei was startled, “What’s wrong?”

Xu Zhiqian said tearfully, “I was truly scared earlier. I was afraid I would leave Madam Liu with nothing. If the court didn’t award her the house, she could be charged with fraud, and if that happened…”

Earlier, when Liang Dong and that pen-in-cap Li Lei had launched their coordinated attack, she had been completely overwhelmed and at a disadvantage. Her heart had been gripped by fear.

She had been worried that if they lost the case, Madam Liu might be convicted.

She had been terrified then.

Previously, she had always attended court with Zhang Fei, who would take the lead. Zhang Fei was always composed and even had time to chat with her, so she hadn’t felt this pressure.

Only when she stood in court alone did she feel the weight of that pressure, almost suffocating her.

Zhang Fei gently pulled her into his arms, though he grumbled, “I was really foolish. I should have let you try court earlier instead of wasting words.”

Xu Zhiqian buried her head in his chest, sobbing, “Go ahead and laugh all you want, you can have your fill today.”