How angry, furious, and ashamed Sima Guang was, and how happy Wang Anshi, his bad friend and rival, was.
A gentleman is open and honest.
Wang Anshi did not think there was anything to be avoided, nor was he happy about his victory. After all, Sima Guang did not announce the verdict in public. With his understanding of Sima Guang, he knew better than anyone that Sima Guang would definitely continue the investigation and retrial, and the lawsuit would have to be fought.
He just felt good to see Sima Guang suffer such a big setback. After all, he had seen Sima Guang's eloquence and he rarely doubted his life because of being criticized by others.
He had already laughed out loud in the classroom, and now he was laughing all the way home.
When he got off the carriage, he saw a middle-aged man in his thirties standing in front of his house. He was immediately overjoyed, "Ji Fu!"
As the saying goes, it is better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early.
"Teacher."
The man immediately stepped forward and bowed.
This man's name is Lu Huiqing. He is a Jinshi graduate and now works as a proofreader in Jixian Hall. More than ten years ago, he and Wang Anshi became master and disciple.
Wang Anshi smiled and said, "You came at the right time. I must have a few drinks with you today."
Lu Huiqing was a little surprised and asked, "Master is so happy, could it be that Sima Dashi really lost to a man who only knows how to write."
Wang Anshi laughed a few times and said, "Come on, let's go upstairs and talk."
When he entered the house, Wang Anshi first ordered the servants to bring the wine and food quickly, but before the wine was served, he could not wait to tell Lu Huiqing about Sima Guang's embarrassment in the hall.
He spoke with great excitement and vividness, but after listening to him, Lu Huiqing frowned, pondered in silence, and did not respond.
Wang Anshi was slightly embarrassed, and a little guilty. Was he too happy to see someone else's misfortune? Was he not a gentleman? So he asked, "Ji Fu, don't you find this funny?"
Lu Huiqing was slightly startled, and hurriedly said: "Master, we should seize the opportunity to defeat them in one fell swoop, so as to avoid more trouble at night."
Wang Anshi was stunned for a moment and asked, "What do you mean?"
Lu Huiqing said: "When my teacher was arguing with Sima Daxueshi, the ministers in the court had their own opinions. In terms of the facts, whether the sentence should be reduced or not, they all had their reasons. But now it is different. The argument now is over-defensive. The key issue is filial piety. If my teacher can focus on filial piety, the other party will be powerless to resist. My teacher can even win more support in the court and lay a good foundation for the new law."
Wang Anshi's eyes lit up.
This is really a wake-up call!
... ...
When discussing whether to have the case re-examined by the Dali Temple a few days ago, both sides made it very clear that they wanted to decide the outcome and not drag it on any further.
Therefore, on the second day after the trial, Song Shenzong summoned Sima Guang, Wang Anshi, and a group of judges for questioning.
Upon seeing each other, Sima Guang looked really haggard, with dark circles under his eyes almost as dark as those of a national treasure. He must have stayed up all night studying the case.
Song Shenzong was present at the scene yesterday and saw how Sima Guang was defeated. He felt sorry for him and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
Sima Guang hurriedly said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. This is my duty and it is not hard work."
He looked slightly embarrassed.
Song Shenzong asked again: "Then I wonder if there was any result from the trial yesterday?"
Sima Guang said cautiously: "Since the other party has raised some new doubts, we are currently investigating, so I dare not make a rash decision."
"Your Majesty, I do not agree with this."
Xu Zun immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, in fact, it was very clear yesterday that Ayun had no intention of murdering. She only wanted to stab Wei Ada to delay the marriage because she wanted to mourn for her mother. This was excessive self-defense. In addition, Ayun surrendered herself, so her sentence should be reduced by two levels. In addition, Ayun has been in prison for four months and has received the punishment she deserves. I suggest that the court should be lenient and release Ayun immediately."
"I agree."
Wang Anshi also immediately stepped forward and said, "I think the evidence presented by the other party is enough to prove that Ayun is a kind and filial child, not a cruel and vicious villain as Sima Daxueshi believes. The court should treat him leniently."
Sima Guang immediately retorted: "Those are just some side evidence and the inferences of those who wrote the pens, and they cannot be used as solid evidence."
Wang Anshi argued: "But the Grand Secretary Sima could not find any evidence to refute these evidences. Based on the suspicion of guilt, Ayun should be released."
Sima Guang said, "I just ordered an investigation. How do you know that I can't find evidence? Besides, Ayun himself admitted that he killed Wei Ada because he was ugly."
Wang Anshi said: "Ayun's confession has been proven to be invalid in court. If the murderer's confession can be used as strong evidence, then every murderer will not admit his crime. And I believe Xu Shisi will not provide false testimony."
Sima Guang snorted, "Filial piety and murder cannot be confused. This is a criminal case, not a discussion of a person's morality. If everyone judges a criminal case based on a person's morality in the future, what is the point of the law?"
Wang Anshi smiled slightly and said, "May I ask, Grand Secretary Sima, which law did you base your conclusion that Ayun is a ruthless villain?"
Sima Guang did not determine the sentence based on the law. On the contrary, he actually based it on etiquette and law. He believed that although the law did not recognize the relationship between Ayun and Wei Ada as husband and wife, in terms of etiquette and law, they were already husband and wife. Ayun should know in her heart that what she had done was to murder her husband, which was a heinous crime.
"okay!"
Song Shenzong suddenly interrupted the argument and said, "Since this case has been handed over to Sima Xueshi for trial, I believe Sima Xueshi will give the people of the world a fair judgment."
"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty."
Sima Guang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I will definitely not let your majesty down."
After hearing this, Wang Anshi stopped arguing and a smile flashed in his eyes.
Xu Zun seemed a little surprised.
That's it
... ...
When he returned to the mansion, he immediately called Zhang Fei and said, "You lost."
Zhang Fei was stunned. "I lost?"
Xu Zun nodded and said, "The emperor has allowed the Grand Secretary Sima to continue the investigation. No matter what the result is, a verdict will not be given within ten days at least."
Zhang Fei's face became more confident after hearing this, and he said, "It's not even ten days yet."
Xu Zun said: "As long as the government allows the Court of Criminal Justice to investigate, it will be impossible to close the case so quickly."
Zhang Fei said: "But I don't have the habit of giving up early, what should I do?"
Xu Zun laughed and said, "Okay, okay. Believe it or not. I'm telling you this not because I'm afraid you'll default on your promise, but to remind you to be prepared. Grand Secretary Sima is not so easy to deal with."
Zhang Fei said confidently, "He will definitely lose."
Xu Zun was puzzled. Who gave him such confidence
... ...
Although Wang Anshi did not continue to argue with Sima Guang in front of Song Shenzong, he immediately attacked Sima Guang when he returned to the Hanlin Academy. He accused Sima Guang of ignoring objective evidence out of anger, for the sake of face, and for not wanting to admit that he lost to a little kid. He also quoted Zhang Fei's words, saying that Sima Guang was unprofessional and did not know how to try a case.
Sima Guangniu's temper also flared up, and he immediately retorted back.
This case was the main culprit that caused division in the court, and everyone took sides because of this case.
The reformists around Wang Anshi also stood up and pointed at Sima Guang.
But what is different from before is that this time the reformists have an absolute advantage because most conservatives choose to remain silent or disappear.
The atmosphere in the court immediately became unpredictable.
"Jun Shi, this case cannot be tried any further, it must be closed immediately."
Liu Shu, a doctor in the Ministry of Justice, found Sima Guang privately and said this with an anxious look on his face.
Sima Guang wondered, "Why?"
Liu Shu sighed, "Because most people in the court are no longer willing to punish Ayun severely."
Sima Guang frowned and asked, "Is this related to filial piety?"
Liu Shu nodded.
Sima Guang immediately retorted: "You should know that is just Zhang Fei's one-sided statement. There is no conclusive evidence to prove that Ayun committed the crime to defend filial piety."
Liu Shu said: "But the key to the matter is not this, because most people in the court believe that Ayun is indeed a filial daughter. After Zhang San's disturbance, if Ayun is severely punished, it will make people in the world question loyalty and filial piety. When a person faces the issue of loyalty and filial piety, he should compromise and become a disloyal and unfilial person. The bad influence will be immeasurable!
Wang Jiefu and his colleagues also focused on this issue and blamed us.
If we continue to argue, most people will choose to stand on their side. As we all know, Wang Jiefu is not arguing about loyalty and filial piety, but about new laws. He clearly wants to use this case to gain more support so that he can carry out reforms in the future.
So no matter what, this case must be brought to an end, and we must also express our understanding of Ayun’s original intention.”
After hearing this, Sima Guang was stunned.
Anger, depression, entanglement, struggle, pain, and many other expressions were intertwined on his resolute face.
Only then did he suddenly realize that he had already been completely defeated.
He was also aware of Zhang Fei's routine, which was to use filial piety as a shield, but he ignored the political significance of "filial piety".
Loyalty and filial piety are the foundation of Confucian rule.
The basis of all rule is the so-called political correctness.
The literati of the Song Dynasty were unwilling to destroy the meaning of loyalty and filial piety for this small case.
Within two days, many retired scholars and officials came to the palace, hoping that they could give Ayun a light sentence and make a judgment that would have far-reaching significance for society.
Wang Anshi's renewed attack this time caused disunity among the conservatives. Although some people still supported Sima Guang, some people had already stood on Wang Anshi's side in this case. Of course, there were also many people who chose to remain silent.
If Sima Guang continued to argue, the officials who opposed the new law would be forced to be tied to Wang Anshi's chariot just because of this case.
The core members of the conservative faction, whose main demand is to oppose Wang Anshi's reform, have realized the seriousness of the problem. If they continue to investigate now, they will really be picking up sesame seeds and losing watermelons. They also understand that Wang Anshi is eager for them to fight with him, the longer the better, and it would be best if they were directly sentenced to murder and injury.
If we delay it for one more day, there might be one more person standing on Wang Anshi's side.
A verdict must be given immediately.
Many conservatives stood up before Sima Guang made his verdict, expressing their support for sentencing Ayun to excessive self-defense and giving their own reasons.
The meaning is very clear. We did not lose, and we do not admit that the previous judgment was wrong. It is just that we now have new evidence and we agree with it. We are willing to retract the previous judgment. This just reflects our fairness and justice!
Sima Guang was really screwed and felt very aggrieved. I also acknowledge the doubts raised by Zhang Fei. I just want to investigate the details that Zhang Fei mentioned. Is that not possible
The answer is no.
Because one thing can be proven, that is, Ayun has indeed been taking care of her seriously ill mother, and has indeed refused her uncles and aunts by saying she would observe mourning, which is enough to prove that she is a filial daughter. Therefore, no one is willing to touch that bottom line for a little girl.
No matter how bad Sima Guang's temper was, he did not dare to risk the disapproval of the world. The key point was that this involved political struggle, so he could only make a compromise. Only two days later, he gave the final judgment.
The longer this matter is delayed, the more disadvantageous it will be for him.
Ayun was found guilty of excessive self-defense.
On the one hand, the verdict pointed out Ayun's violations of the law, but on the other hand, it praised Ayun for his filial piety towards his mother.
This is actually telling people all over the world that loyalty and filial piety are worth defending with one's life.
This will set Ayun up as an example, so of course he cannot be punished too severely.
Sima Guang also adopted Xu Zun's suggestion.
This was already excessive self-defense, so there was naturally no such thing as an extremely serious crime. It was definitely appropriate for him to surrender himself to reduce his sentence. In addition, Ayun had been in prison for several months and had received the punishment he deserved, so it was decided to release Ayun.
This is definitely not a legal judgment, but a political judgment.
But for a man of the ear pen, it doesn't matter, as long as he wins.