It’s true that man proposes, God disposes!
In Zhang Fei's entire plan, this first step was the easiest one and could be completed with his eyes closed. However, he didn't expect so many unexpected things to happen and almost ruin his plan.
When he returned to the Xu residence, he saw Xu Zhiqian standing gracefully in the front yard as soon as he entered the door. She looked at him, a drowned rat, with her shoulders slightly shaking.
Zhang Fei lifted a strand of wet hair from his forehead and said, "Laugh if you want to, but don't hold it in and hurt your body."
"puff!"
When Xu Zhiqian heard him say that, she couldn't help but giggle. The more she laughed, the more she couldn't stop, and she actually burst into laughter.
She was an insider and was also present at the scene. Her eyes were fixed on Zhang Fei the whole time. She saw Zhang Fei's embarrassment. She was very nervous at the time, but now...!
Just happy.
Zhang Fei looked at her laughing so happily, and thinking of everything that had just happened, he was also struck by the humor and laughed along with her.
The two looked at each other and burst into laughter again.
After a long while, the two stopped laughing. Xu Zhiqian gloated, "You deserved it for being so mysterious."
Zhang Fei said angrily: "You have no conscience. I am doing this for your own good, and you are still laughing at me."
Xu Zhiqian didn't believe it, she rolled her eyes and said, "For my own good?"
"certainly."
Zhang Fei said: "If I create this accident, then in everyone's eyes, this is my personal matter, so that others can avoid speculating that it is your Xu family who is behind it."
Xu Zhiqian was stunned and felt that what Zhang Fei said made sense.
This was an accident, so naturally no one would associate it with the Xu family.
She glanced at Zhang Fei and saw that he had a wicked smile on his face. She snorted and said, "I don't believe it. You are clearly trying to use the gossip to put pressure on Kaifeng Prefecture and promote yourself. You are telling all the injustices in the world for free. You are kidding me."
Zhang Fei did not deny it and laughed, "Kill two birds with one stone. There is no conflict."
Xu Zhiqian asked again: "Now that the first step has been completed, what about the second step of turning oneself in?"
Zhang Fei pretended to be profound and said, "We will know tomorrow."
... ...
Kaifeng Prefecture.
"Jumping into the river to commit suicide in the middle of a busy city?"
Lu Gong snorted and said, "This kid must be playing tricks to win everyone's sympathy."
Huang Gui, the chief clerk, said, "I think so too. Last time, Zhang San used filial piety to help Ah Yun escape punishment. This time, he must be trying to do the same thing again. He will first create public opinion among the people, win sympathy, and put pressure on the government."
Lu Gongzhu nodded slightly and said, "It is very likely, but in this court, everything must be based on evidence and law. If he can't produce solid evidence, it is impossible to rely on sympathy alone. You should immediately order someone to ride a fast horse to Xiangfu County and bring in the court officials related to this case."
Xiangfu County is just next to us, and there is enough time to go there by fast horse.
Huang Gui was stunned and said, "Prefect, this is just a small case. The prefect attaches so much importance to it, maybe it is just what Zhang San wants."
By doing this, he is forcing you to hold a trial.
Lu Gongzhe sighed, "Although this is a minor case, it is a major problem for our dynasty. The people will definitely pay close attention to it, and the court may also pay close attention to it. We must treat it with caution to ensure that we do not arouse public resentment and unnecessary fighting."
Huang Gui understood what he meant. The last time Zhang Fei was able to win the lawsuit, Xu Zun and Wang Anshi had made great contributions. God knows if they were standing behind Zhang Fei. He immediately said, "I will arrange it right away."
In fact, in addition to this, there is another important reason why Lu Gongzhe was willing to accept Zhang Fei's challenge, that is, he was also dissatisfied with the last judgment, and he wanted to fight Zhang Fei personally.
... .．
The next day.
"Do you really have to dress so ostentatiously?"
Xu Zun looked at Zhang Fei and saw that he was wearing a brand new green coat and a small hat of extremely bright color. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Xu Zhiqian, who was standing by, was seeing Zhang Fei's work clothes for the first time and couldn't help laughing.
If he wanted to find someone to sue, she would never find this kind of person.
It doesn't look reliable!
Zhang Fei explained seriously: "There is no other way. Since I can't wear the official uniform, I can only wear something brighter to give myself a bit more confidence and make it easier for people to remember me."
Xu Zun nodded slightly and said, "I heard that Kaifeng Prefecture sent a fast horse to Xiangfu County yesterday afternoon. I believe that Kaifeng Prefecture is on high alert now. You can't be careless!"
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "This is exactly what I expected."
Xu Zun said, "What do you mean?"
Zhang Fei said, "Because what Kaifeng Prefecture brought back is the ironclad evidence I want. That's why the scene yesterday was staged."
Xu Zhiqian was confused and said, "I have studied the Xiangfu County verdict countless times. There is nothing wrong with the verdict. You can't overturn the Xiangfu County verdict."
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "I didn't say I wanted to overturn the Xiangfu County ruling."
Xu Zun saw that Zhang Fei was unwilling to talk more, and also knew his style of litigation, so he laughed and said, "If I were not so busy with official duties, I would like to go and learn."
Xu Zhiqian hurriedly said, "Dad, don't feel sorry. Your daughter will go for you."
Xu Zun glared at her unhappily.
... ..．
Kaifeng Prefecture.
There was a huge crowd of people in front of the government office gate!
After what happened yesterday, this matter has become a huge sensation.
However, usury is a social problem, not an individual problem.
Litigation in this area is the most difficult.
Generally speaking, in most lawsuits of this kind, the creditors win. Unless it is an extremely blatant extortion, tantamount to robbery, it is difficult to win.
The vast majority of landlords are not stupid. They have plans and are prepared to be sued.
Zhang Fei spoke so righteously and confidently yesterday, which made the citizens very curious.
Regardless of whether they can win or not, they are more concerned about whether Zhang Fei will come.
Don't brag.
Most people think that Zhang Fei is just talking nonsense.
"Here he comes! Here he comes! Look, that Zhang San is here!"
Suddenly someone shouted.
"Where! Where!"
A fair-faced young man came out of the crowd and spotted Zhang Fei in green clothes and a green hat. He immediately waved his hands and ran over, "Brother Zhang San, Brother Zhang San."
After a while, he ran to Zhang Fei, looked him up and down, and said admiringly: "Brother Zhang San, you look so handsome today!"
This simple and heartfelt remark made Zhang Fei immediately regard him as a confidant. He just wanted to burn yellow paper and chop off the chicken head with him. He completely forgot everything that happened yesterday. He clasped his fists and said, "I am Zhang Fei. May I ask your name, brother?"
"My name is Ma Xiaoyi."
Ma Xiaoyi patted his chest and said, "Just call me Xiao Ma."
"Little Pony?"
"That's fine! That's fine!"
Ma Xiaoyi chuckled.
Although Ma Xiaoyi is a few years younger than Zhang Fei, "brother" nowadays does not only mean older brother.
I was wondering why you are so righteous, it turns out it's Brother Ma. Zhang Fei smiled and nodded, suddenly pointed at the bruised corner of Ma Xiaoyi's left eye and said, "Did your father beat you?"
Ma Xiaoyi just laughed at this and said, "Third brother, many people over there just said that you dare not come, but I believe you will come."
Zhang Fei asked: "Why?"
Ma Xiaoyi said, "I have asked about you. It turns out that you are the one who helped Dengzhou Ayun win the lawsuit. You were able to win such a difficult lawsuit, let alone this small lawsuit. But my father said that you will definitely not win."
"Really?" Zhang Fei thought of the middle-aged man from yesterday and asked curiously, "Why did your father say that?"
Ma Xiaoyi said, "Because my father runs a pawn shop."
"Um?"
Zhang San and Li Si immediately looked at Ma Xiaoyi with a defensive look.
The main business of pawn shops today is lending at high interest rates.
you...
this...
It turns out to be an enemy!
Ma Xiaoyi blinked, and seemed to realize that he had said the wrong thing, and said hurriedly: "But I am helping you, and I bet with my father that you will win."
"... ... ?"
Who would believe this!
"Are you Zhang San from Dengzhou?"
Suddenly I heard someone in front of me say.
Zhang Fei looked up and saw a scholar blocking his way. He nodded and said, "It's me. What advice do you have for me?"
The scholar ignored Zhang Fei and suddenly turned to Li Si and said, "Brother, don't trust this man. He once used filial piety to help a murderer who murdered her husband escape punishment. It is said that the murdered woman had an affair with him. He is really a shameless villain."
Li Si looked at him in confusion, but he was honest and thought it was a good thing as it proved that his third brother was capable.
I could faintly hear people in the crowd talking about the case of Ayun.
It turned out that the case had already been known to the whole city, but people only heard of Zhang San but didn't know him.
After Zhang Fei protected his home yesterday, everyone suddenly realized that this person was most likely Zhang San from Dengzhou.
This time they finally saw the real person.
Zhang Fei just smiled indifferently, ignored the scholar, and continued walking towards the gate with Li Si.
The scholar snorted, "You dare not speak out, are you guilty?"
Zhang Fei stopped, turned around, and said, "I won't argue with you because every word you say here is like shit. It's meaningless except for being smelly. You don't have to take responsibility, and there's no result to be achieved. If you have the ability, go to court and argue with me."
As he spoke, he pointed his thumb toward the government gate and said, "I'm going in now. Do you want to go?"
The scholar's fair face suddenly turned bright red, just like the rising sun in the east.
Ma Xiaoyi beside Zhang Fei said, "Yes! Yes! Don't just talk here, go in and talk to my third brother."
Then someone in the crowd said, "Zhang San, I support you."
"I support you, too."
"As for the Ayun case, it was clearly her uncle's fault. She was just trying to protect herself."
"good!"
... ...
Regarding the Ayun case, the court was divided into two factions, and the people were divided into several factions. There was endless debate about this, with some opposing Zhang San and some supporting him.
All kinds of rumors were flying around.
But this is all very normal.
This has been the case throughout history. If you cannot express opinions that are different from others, how can you demonstrate your intelligence and talent
"Thank you very much, everyone! Thank you very much, everyone!"
Zhang Fei bowed, and with the support of many people, he brought Li Si to the gate of the government office.
A clerk in uniform was standing in front of the door. Without waiting for Zhang Fei to salute, he asked, "Are you Zhang San?"
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "That's me."
"Come in with me."
The clerk led Zhang Fei and Li Si into the government office.
Ma Xiaoyi also wanted to follow in, but was stopped by the yamen runners at the door. He could only stand at the door depressed and wait.
After a while, the gate of the mansion opened wide.
"Go to court!"
“Mighty… mighty…!”
Compared with the majesty of Kaifeng Prefecture, the Dengzhou Prefecture is not worth mentioning at all!
A solemn lobby with yamen runners in distinctive uniforms.
The sense of majesty is self-evident.
But I saw Lu Gong sitting in the court wearing official uniform.
In fact, yesterday's incident did put some pressure on Lu Gongzhe. Normally, this kind of civil lawsuit would not be heard in public, and even the Kaifeng prefect would not need to come forward. However, Lu Gongzhe believed that Zhang Fei acted out that drama to play the sympathy card, so he simply held a public trial to prevent Zhang Fei from spreading rumors and causing trouble outside.
He also believed that no matter who won or lost in this case, he would be able to accept it, because he sympathized with Li Si's situation in his heart, but at the same time he wanted to teach Zhang Fei a lesson, so he was very willing to give Zhang Fei a chance to perform.
"Pass it to Zhang Fei and Li Si."
"Pass it to Zhang Fei and Li Si."
After a while, Zhang Fei and Li Si came into the hall.
When he arrived in the court, Li Si cried out that he was wronged without saying a word.
Lü Gong slammed the gavel, stopped Li Si, and asked, "What grievance have you suffered?"
But his eyes were looking at Zhang Fei.
Zhang Fei also stood up at the right time. He first recounted everything that Li Si had experienced in a vivid and emotional manner. After fully mastering the language of the Northern Song Dynasty, his emotional expression became more and more natural.
The onlookers at the door all shook their heads and sighed after hearing this.
After finishing his speech, Zhang Fei said excitedly: "This is totally unreasonable. Under the circumstances at that time, unless Li Si sold his ancestral land at a low price or used his ancestral land to repay the debt, he would not be able to repay the principal or interest.
So in this case, how could Li Si use his wife to repay the principal of the debt, because he could not pay the interest either. In the end, he would have to use the ancestral land to repay the debt. So why not just fulfill the first contract directly? If he could not pay it back, he would use the ancestral land to repay the debt.
Not to mention that the neighbors all knew that Li Si loved his wife very much. So, this is not in accordance with the cleanup at all, this is clearly a fraud."
Someone outside the door suddenly shouted, "Well said! That's really well said!"
If it’s not Ma Xiaoyi, then who is it
At the same time, there were bursts of discussions at the door.
really!
This is extremely unreasonable.
What's the point
However, Xu Zhiqian, who was standing at the side door of the court thanks to his connections, was secretly anxious. He thought that although this statement made sense, it lacked evidence to prove that Li Si was deceived and not caused by his own mistake. If he wanted to win the lawsuit on this basis, it would be wishful thinking.
Lu Gong clapped his hands three times in amazement. After silence fell at the door, he asked Li Si, "Li Si, how did you discuss it?"
Li Si replied: "I negotiated with Mr. Chen at that time to use my wife to pay off all debts."
Lu Gongzhuo asked again: "But as far as I know, there was a reader at that time. Did the reader make any mistakes?"
Li Si shook his head.
Lu Gongzhu asked: "Since you heard him read the principal, why didn't you raise any objection at that time?"
Zhang Fei immediately spoke up, "Reporting to the prefect, Li Si has never been to school. He does not know the difference between principal and debt, and the person who read the announcement did not explain it further, so I think the person who read the announcement should also be held responsible for this."
Lu Gong slapped the wooden stick and shouted, "Look at the first contract. It clearly states the relationship between the principal and the interest. How can I believe that he doesn't know what the principal means?"
Zhang Fei said: "Just because Li Si signed the first contract doesn't mean he knows the meaning of it."
"Then he should ask someone to clarify. This is not an excuse." Lu Gongzhuo turned to Li Si and said, "Li Si, why don't you tell the truth!"
Li Si was so frightened that he trembled and said hurriedly: "I understand, but I was thinking of my wife at the time, so I didn't care."
Zhang Fei said excitedly: "I object! I object! The prefect's words are threatening, which is unfair. I demand that Li Si's words be ignored."
With his dancing and his bright clothes, he really looked like a street acrobat, which was really hilarious.
Here comes the trick again. Lu Gong frowned and said, "I also sympathize with Li Si's experience, but all these consequences were caused by his carelessness. You have no solid evidence to prove that there is a problem with this contract."
Zhang Fei immediately questioned: "Does the prefect dare to guarantee that there are no problems with this contract and Xiangfu County's judgment?"
You dare to scare me? Lu Gong said very confidently: "I have investigated this matter thoroughly. The contract is written very clearly and the process is in full compliance with the government regulations. There is no problem. The judgment of Xiangfu County is also correct. I would like to warn you here. Before signing the contract, you must make sure to understand it clearly. Otherwise, you will suffer the loss only."
Although people in ancient times pursued justice in terms of results, you had to provide evidence, and the facts proved that it was Li Si's own carelessness, not any suspicion of fraud in the process.
It is written in black and white, clearly and plainly.
Zhang Fei raised his head and sighed, then slowly said, "Since there is no problem with this contract, Li Si will face jail time."
Lu Gong was slightly startled and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Zhang Fei bowed and said, "Li Si committed the crime of selling his wife for fun. I surrender myself on behalf of Li Si and I hope the prefect will show leniency."
Li Si immediately knelt down and shouted: "I am guilty, I am guilty."