"How can this be possible? That rapist dared to be disrespectful to me. I, Xu Zhiqian, will not forgive him."
Although Xu Zhiqian had completely sobered up, her beautiful face looked even more rosy, just like the sunset in the sky.
Suddenly, I heard the voice of a maid outside the door, "Sister Qian'er!"
Xu Zhiqian immediately said, "Come in."
The maid slipped into the room sideways, closed the door, and walked to Xu Zhiqian in small steps, panting and saying, "Sister Qian'er, I have already found out. The man's name is Zhang San, and he was brought by the master from Dengzhou."
Xu Zhiqian wondered, "How could Daddy associate with such a shameless person? Did Daddy learn bad things in Dengzhou? No, I have to go find Daddy and ask him clearly."
The maid quickly stopped Xu Zhiqian, "Sister Qian'er, the master has already ordered that you are not allowed to leave the door without his order. Besides, the master is also very angry now, Sister Qian'er, you should wait for two days before making any decision."
After hearing this, Xu Zhiqian's eyes flashed with guilt, and she stamped her feet fiercely, "I'm really pissed off."
And Zhang Fei over there was not much behind.
Tossing and turning.
Can't sleep at night!
After what happened in the afternoon, Zhang Fei couldn't fall asleep.
I heard that the ancients attached great importance to reputation and could get married by just touching hands. Will the benefactor blame me for this? That's bad. Although the woman is pretty, I don't want to marry a drunk woman. No, I have to explain it again tomorrow. I can't give the Xu family any chance.
The next morning.
Zhang Fei came to the front yard and said to Xu Zun with an embarrassed look on his face: "My benefactor, what happened yesterday, I really was...!"
Before he could finish, Xu Zun said, "I don't want anyone to mention what happened yesterday again."
Looking at his attitude, he didn't seem to want to rely on me. That's good! That's good! Zhang Fei felt a little relieved, and said with joy: "Don't worry, I will never mention it again."
Xu Zun glared at him and said sternly, "I will go to the palace to see the emperor later. Before this case is over, you must stay in your room and not go anywhere."
Zhang Fei was stunned and asked, "Is there any danger outside?" He thought, the people in the Northern Song Dynasty are all gentlemen, they should not try such tricks as assassination.
Xu Zun said, "This matter is of great importance, and we must not create any more complications." After a pause, he added, "You have many ways to stir up trouble!"
Zhang Fei nodded awkwardly: "I understand."
... .．
At this moment, Song Shenzong Zhao Xu was already dizzy with the noise of this case. Being an ambitious man, he was unwilling to waste too much energy on this extremely ordinary case.
But it doesn't mean that he wanted to give up or admit defeat. He was eager to win quickly and make the final decision. That's why he adopted Wang Anshi's suggestion and hurriedly transferred Xu Zun back to the capital to preside over the Dali Temple.
Because the Dali Temple was the highest judicial institution in the Northern Song Dynasty, it had great say in criminal cases. Not long ago, they even rejected the judgment of Song Shenzong.
This actually made Song Shenzong very unhappy and embarrassed. It was you who took the initiative to let me make the final decision, but after I made the final decision, you rejected it.
Are you kidding me
The young and energetic Song Shenzong is not someone you can easily mess with. Since he can't win against you, he might as well cut off the source of your trouble. I'll let someone else go up.
Of course, from this we can see that Song Shenzong absolutely supported Wang Anshi and was determined to win this battle.
In fact, he couldn't afford to lose, because this was the first anger since he ascended the throne, and now all he had left was anger. If he didn't turn things around, it would have a huge impact on the imperial power.
Therefore, as soon as Xu Zun returned to Beijing, Song Shenzong immediately summoned Xu Zun into the palace.
After giving Zhang Fei instructions, Xu Zun hurried to the palace.
When they entered the hall, they saw that in addition to Emperor Shenzong, there were also Hanlin Academy Grand Secretaries Wang Anshi and Sima Guang, as well as some officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate.
The most eye-catching among them was Wang Anshi, because he was unkempt and sloppy, his beard was almost dirty, and even his belt was crooked. With this look, standing in the hall, he was definitely the protagonist.
Sima Guang was just the opposite. His hair and beard were combed neatly. Although his clothes were a little old, they were very clean and tidy, and he was meticulous.
At this time, Wang Anshi and Sima Guang were almost in their fifties. Although they were not as energetic as those in their twenties or thirties, they were experienced and it could be said that this was the peak period for a civil servant.
In fact, this group of people is also the last glory of the Song Dynasty's civil service team.
such a pity... !
Upon seeing this scene, Xu Zun's heart couldn't help but skip a beat. It seemed that it was just as Liu Zhao said. This case had alarmed the entire court.
After all, he is not a prime minister-level figure, so there is no need to welcome him with such a grand ceremony.
"I will pay you a visit, Your Majesty."
"Quickly, excuse me."
After the ceremony between the emperor and his ministers, Song Shenzong first commended Xu Zun's political achievements outside. It was precisely because Xu Zun's previous political achievements were very good and he was deeply loved by the people from all over the country that the court sent him to Dengzhou for training. It was only a matter of time before he would return to Beijing for promotion, but now it was more than a year earlier.
"Your Majesty, I am deeply honored by your praise." Xu Zun responded humbly.
Song Shenzong smiled and said, "You are too modest. From the case of Ayun, we can see that you are truly impartial, honest and fair in your official duties!"
Sima Guang and other opposition ministers immediately gave Song Shenzong a look of disdain.
Impartial and impartial.
Who recognizes it
We don't recognize it.
Song Shenzong pretended not to see it and said to Xu Zun: "However, many ministers in the court are puzzled by your opinion on this case, especially the point that Ayun surrendered himself to reduce his crime. I wonder if you have any explanation for this?"
Xu Zun said: "Your Majesty, I only raised doubts about the Dali Temple's verdict and adhered to the principle of lesser punishment than more serious crimes. If the Dali Temple wants to uphold the verdict, it must give the people of the world a reasonable explanation and also give a detailed explanation of our dynasty's laws."
But he immediately added, "In addition, there are new witnesses and evidence in this case. Some people think that even if Ayun surrenders himself and gets a reduced sentence, it is unfair and should be considered excessive self-defense."
He no longer wanted to argue with Sima Guang and the others about the issue of reducing sentence by surrendering himself. He also understood in his heart that, as Zhang Fei said, both sides had their reasons. It would be impossible to convince the other side just by talking about reasons, and it would eventually turn into a power game.
But before he finished speaking, Sima Guang immediately stood up and angrily questioned: "This is really outrageous. How can it be excessive self-defense when you go to someone else's house to commit a crime? You are simply confusing right and wrong."
This really caught Sima Guang off guard. He was already very unhappy and unacceptable about the reduction of sentence after turning himself in. Now he was even more arrogant and accused of excessive self-defense. He was simply treating the law as a joke.
Song Shenzong and Wang Anshi also frowned slightly. They did not expect that what they longed for was a final decision, but now you have done it again. When will it be settled
Although they supported Xu Zunde, they were also dissatisfied with the new doubts raised by Xu Zunde.
It's really a bit too much.
After all, they had no preparation.
Xu Zun immediately said, "What the Grand Secretary Sima said makes sense. I was also very confused when I learned about this. However, the people have grievances to appeal, and it involves human lives. We cannot ignore it. I have investigated this and the other party does have reasons to appeal. It's just that based on the system of our dynasty to investigate different cases, in order to avoid suspicion, I asked the Tokyo Road Cao Tixing to preside over this case. But when the trial was about to begin, I received the imperial edict from your majesty, so I brought all the people involved in this case to the capital, hoping that it can be tried in the capital."
Sima Guang's expression changed, and he said with a smile: "Xu Sishi is truly impartial. Since Xu Sishi has already stated that this case is subject to a separate investigation, then if it is now tried by the Dali Temple, it will violate the law and can only be handed over to the Ministry of Justice or the Court of Criminal Justice for trial."
Wang Anshi was very depressed.
He and Emperor Shenzong recalled Xu Zun to the capital in the hope that Xu Zun could support them in the Dali Temple. If they did not allow the Dali Temple to try him, what would be the point of Xu Zun's return.
Xu Zun said: "What the Grand Secretary Sima said makes sense, but the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Criminal Justice have already made a ruling on this case and have always insisted on their own rulings. Therefore, I think that even if the Ministry of Justice or the Court of Criminal Justice conducts a trial, it will not be enough to convince the public."
Sima Guang frowned slightly, but found it difficult to refute.
As far as human nature is concerned, no one wants to overturn their own verdict and slap themselves in the face. However, the judicial departments in the DPRK have already made their own verdicts, and they will definitely judge the cases based on their own judgments. This is indeed unfair to the prisoners.
Wang Anshi immediately asked, "Then who should judge the case according to Xu Si's opinion?"
But her eyes seemed to say, Me! Choose me!
Xu Zun suddenly looked at Sima Guang and said, "I think it would be very appropriate for Sima Guang to be the Grand Secretary."
Wang Anshi was stunned for a moment, and he felt as if his love was snatched away. Whose side are you on
Song Shenzong also couldn't understand, and in a hurry, he blurted out: "Why?"
After all, he is still relatively young and a little impatient.
Xu Zun said: "Your Majesty, I seek justice. First of all, Sima Dashi is not an official of the Ministry of Justice or the Dali Temple. Sima Dashi was not directly involved in the previous judgment.
Secondly, this time I am the one who accepted the appeal, and then the case will be tried by the Grand Secretary Sima. I believe the result of the trial will be convincing enough. "
He said this very cryptically, but those present were all the smartest geniuses in the world today, so how could they not understand
If you object, then you go ahead and review it, and you will naturally have to accept the results of the review!
However, Xu Zun underestimated the significance of this verdict to Song Shenzong and Wang Anshi. They could not afford to lose!
Because this case involves a power game.
If Wang Anshi failed, the new law would have to be shelved for a while. Song Shenzong obviously did not want to wait any longer, otherwise he would not have the audacity to recall Xu Zun.
In fact, everyone understood that recalling Xu Zun meant asking the Dali Temple to change its course. There had been discussions about this in the court for a long time, and the criticism was very severe, and people were almost scolding Song Shenzong. But Song Shenzong withstood the pressure and insisted on recalling Xu Zun, and you could scold him or not.
Seeing that Song Shenzong and Wang Anshi both seemed very hesitant, officials from Sima Guang's faction quickly stood up and expressed their support for Xu Zun's suggestion.
At this moment, Song Shenzong and Wang Anshi regretted their decision.
If he had known this would happen, he should not have called Xu Zun back and let Sima Guang to interrogate him. What results would this interrogation yield
It’s not that they thought Sima Guang would be partial and pervert the law. On the contrary, they very much recognized Sima Guang’s talent, which was what worried them.
But they were the ones who called the person back. If they rejected Xu Zun's suggestion, wouldn't that be a slap in their own face? It would also be too embarrassing. They had to finish the sex appointment even if they had to cry!
Song Shenzong had no choice but to ask Sima Guang: "What do you think?"
Sima Guang completely ignored the resentful look of Song Shenzong and immediately agreed.
This is simply a pie in the sky, there is no reason not to take it.
Song Shenzong was extremely reluctant, but he finally adopted Xu Zun's suggestion and let Sima Guang preside over the case.
After the meeting, Wang Anshi grabbed Xu Zun and asked, "What do you want to do?"
I fought for you, but you wanted to stab me in the back. Wang Anshi was of course very angry, and he was also very anxious. He had been preparing for a long time, and now the arrow was on the string and had to be shot.
Xu Zun said with a smile: "Don't be upset, Jiefu. I did this just to silence them. If I or Jiefu were to judge them, no matter what the result would be, they would not accept it. If we continue to argue like this, when will it end?"
Wang Anshi's expression eased a little, but he was still worried, so he asked again: "So, you are sure of victory."
Xu Zun hesitated for a moment and said, "If I lose, I will also be implicated."
Wang Anshi felt that listening to your words was like listening to a conversation.
... ..
On the other hand, Sima Guang had it much easier.
"Excessive self-defense?"
Wang Shiyuan, the judge of the Criminal Court, swung his sleeves and laughed, "No matter how much we investigate this case, it cannot be excessive self-defense."
However, Liu Shu, the doctor of the Ministry of Justice, said solemnly: "We must not be careless. I know Xu Zhongtu's character very well. Although he is picky and likes to show off his academic knowledge, he will never let things go."
This was not the first time Xu Zun had done this. He was a repeat offender and was very famous in the court because no matter where he served, he always liked to find fault and find all kinds of reasons to exonerate the suspects. The officials from the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice hated him to death.
But Xu Zun always stayed within the norms of the law. He never used his power to change the verdict or to exonerate anyone.
Wang Shiyuan asked, "Why is Xu Zhongtu so determined to save the woman who committed the crime? Could it be that they are having an affair?"
"Don't talk nonsense. Xu Zhongtu's character is well known to everyone. After his wife passed away, he never remarried. If you say that he had an affair with the criminal woman, I absolutely don't believe it."
Sima Guang flatly denied it. Although he had different ideas from Xu Zun, he also admired Xu Zun's character very much. He then said, "This case has been investigated for several months. The whole story is clear. Xu Zhongtu just used a trick to cover up his crime. His reasons are not convincing at all. Unless he cheated secretly and completely overturned his previous confession, this case cannot be excessive defense. But if he does this, he will ruin his own future and his reputation will be ruined."