"Don't look at me like that."
Facing Xu Zhiqian's suspicious look, Zhang Fei explained, "Li Si is a wretch, but now he has a cellmate with the wealthy man Chen Yuteng. Moreover, Li Si surrendered himself, so his punishment can be reduced. I will try to save Li Si from caning, and let him watch Chen Yuteng being beaten. Then he will vent all his anger."
Xu Zhiqian smiled lightly at first, then she stopped smiling and said coldly: "I don't believe it."
Zhang Fei said calmly, "Why don't you believe it?"
Xu Zhiqian said: "Maybe this is enough for Li Si, and it can indeed make him vent his anger, but if you can't keep Li Si safe, who will dare to sue you in the future. Besides, where can you find a hundred strings of cash to give to Li Si? It is not written in the contract that you don't have to give it if he goes to jail."
Zhang Fei smiled awkwardly.
"You want to use this to blackmail Chen Yuteng?" Xu Zhiqian expressed her suspicion.
"Tsk... Do you know how to speak? You are familiar with the law and are considered a professional, but how can you say such irresponsible things?"
"Then what should I say?" Xu Zhiqian asked.
Zhang Fei corrected him word by word, "If Chen Yuteng is willing to pay a settlement fee to compensate for his wrongdoings and ask for Li Si's forgiveness, I think the government might accept it. After all, this case is not easy to judge."
As expected. Xu Zhiqian said with disdain: "You are clearly blackmailing me."
Hey... Why do you love to be so serious? But you've got the wrong person. When I get serious, even I get scared. Zhang Fei retorted: "According to what you said, the original alliance of Shanyuan was also a blackmail of our country by Liao?"
“… … !”
Xu Zhiqian was so frightened by this accusation that her face turned pale. Who on earth couldn't speak? How could she dare to continue to argue? She didn't even dare to mention blackmail anymore. She asked, "How much do you want for this settlement?"
She also deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of "settlement money".
Zhang Fei slowly raised his hand, facing her chest, and shyly spread out his five fingers.
Xu Zhiqian stood up suddenly, "Five hundred strings of cash?"
It definitely wasn’t fifty strings of coins, because Zhang Fei promised to give Li Si one hundred strings of coins. Could it be that he was actually paying for it himself
Zhang Fei said very conservatively: "This is an ideal amount. It's not certain, not certain."
Xu Zhiqian said unhappily, "You wanted 500 strings of cash, but you only promised to give Li Si 100 strings of cash. Aren't you too greedy?"
Zhang Fei sneered and said, "First of all, I can't guarantee how much I can get. I am sure of the 100 guan, so I promised 100 guan. Secondly, you are so ashamed to say that, isn't it you who forced me to do this?"
Xu Zhiqian was confused: "When did I force you?"
"You are such a... woman!" Zhang Fei rolled his eyes and said, "Isn't it because you wanted me to get out of here that I was forced to take on this lawsuit? Otherwise, I would have to sleep on the street. If you allow me to continue living here..."
Before he could finish, Xu Zhiqian waved her sleeves and said, "Don't even think about it. I've asked Qingmei to help you find another place to live."
Zhang Fei's face lit up when he heard this, and he kept bowing and saying, "Thank you! Thank you!"
Xu Zhiqian glared at him and thought, he might not be able to take so much money, so let's wait and see the results.
... .．
There's a huge quarrel going on over here, but Lu Gong over there is no less quarrelsome!
After adjourning the court, Lu Gongzhe felt that this was all a big deal, and immediately went back to review the Household and Marriage Law. He felt that what Zhang Fei said made sense, but he also felt that something was wrong. For a moment, he really didn't know how to judge.
So he consulted with his good friend Qi Hui from the Court of Justice and Liu Shu, a doctor in the Ministry of Justice.
“This is just bullshit.”
As soon as Qi Hui heard the result, he couldn't help but say, "How can this play be sold and Shan Qu coexist? This is impossible."
As he said this, he looked at Lu Gong in surprise and asked, "You don't understand such a simple question?"
Lu Gong smiled bitterly and said, "I thought so before, but this case cannot be viewed that way. Because the law does not specify that these two crimes cannot coexist. You have to see whether Zeng's actions correspond to the crime of leaving without permission, and whether Li Si's actions correspond to the crime of selling a play."
After Qi Hui heard it, he made another comparison and was stunned. After a while, he said in disbelief: "From this perspective, these two charges can really coexist."
Liu Shu suddenly said, "The key is still in the second contract. If Chen Yuteng had not pursued the interest, nothing would have happened. But now that he has, this problem has arisen. He has brought this upon himself."
As an official of the Ministry of Justice, he was very well versed in the law. It was because Chen Yuteng set a trap in the first contract, over-emphasizing the principal and over-emphasizing and ignoring the interest, that there were loopholes in the contract itself, which gave Zhang Fei the opportunity.
“That’s where the problem lies now.”
Lu Gong said with some depression: "Even if Chen Yuteng brought this upon himself and Li Si confessed his guilt, what about Zeng? You and I both know that she is innocent! She sold herself out for Li Si, but ended up being convicted of leaving without permission. This is not fair. If she is sentenced this way, it will also attract a lot of criticism."
In the previous case of Ayun, he initially stood on the side of Wang Anshi, which shows that he also cared more about the reasons behind it and was more willing to decide whether to adopt a more severe or more lenient punishment based on the original intention of the prisoner.
He believed that Li Si and Zeng were both victims and the government should not punish them. This was why he did not make a verdict on the spot, not because he wanted to protect Chen Yuteng.
Qi Hui frowned and said, "But there is no reason to absolve Zeng of the crime of leaving without permission. If her crime is not established, then the other two people's crimes cannot be established either. But we can't sentence them like this."
The more he talked, the more he felt something was wrong, so he said, "Zhang San is clearly just playing word games. We don't need to argue with him."
The government may not approve of this kind of word game. Today, the leaders are officials, not lawyers. To be honest, they are not that rigorous.
Lu Gong said: "That's true, but what do you think Chen Yuteng is playing?"
Qi Hui was suddenly speechless.
Chen Yuteng is also playing word games. We cannot treat people differently. Even if we want to distinguish them, we cannot do so in the same case. That would be too ugly and difficult to convince the public!
Liu Shu said: "I think the problem still lies in the interest. If the interest is judged to be irrelevant, then there won't be so many problems."
Lu Gongzhu sighed and said, "Zhang San had expected this a long time ago, so he did not ask Li Si to surrender at the beginning, but found a random reason to question the judgment of Xiangfu County, and induced me to publicly declare that the judgment of Xiangfu County was correct. If the judgment is to be made that the interest is wrong, then the judgment of Xiangfu County must be overturned. The key is that Li Si was also whipped in Xiangfu County. God knows whether Zhang San will sue Xiangfu County as well."
The three of them looked at each other.
Sue the authorities
this... ... .!
I guess he doesn't have the courage.
but.
Is it necessary to slap yourself in the face for Chen Yuteng
It is said that a dead Taoist friend is not a poor Taoist, but the key point is that Chen Yuteng is only half a Taoist friend.
... ..．
Because this case was so strange, it spread quickly in the court, especially since the instigator was Zhang San, which led to everyone talking about this case.
Among them was the Hanlin Academy, the highest think tank of the Song Dynasty.
It was already night, but Wang Anshi and Sima Guang, two workaholics, were still working in the Hanlin Academy.
Starting with Bao Zheng, the two of them were almost always the last to get off work. After get off work, they would often find a teahouse to continue debating.
Today is no exception.
"I have seen this kind of thing many times. Anyone with a discerning eye knows that the instigator of this case is Chen Yuteng. This man is really greedy. Not only did he steal someone's wife, but he also wanted to occupy Li Si's ancestral land. People like him should be severely punished to serve as a warning to others. As for Li Si and Zeng, I think they can be acquitted."
Wang Anshi said this with indignation.
He himself hated these unkind rich landlords, and when he saw this case, he was immediately furious.
Sima Guang felt a headache when Wang Anshi saw the explosion on the spot, and quickly comforted him: "Jiefu, don't get excited. Yes, you are right, Chen Yuteng is indeed greedy, but have you ever thought that Zhang San was originally helping Li Si to sue, but why did he personally send Li Si to jail
It is because he knows that the law is not merciful and cannot be judged based on one's own likes and dislikes. Everything must be convicted according to the law. Even a scribe can do this. How can you, as a senior official of the court, treat the law as a joke?"
He was a first-rate genius. When he heard the result, he knew what Zhang Fei was planning and that this matter would definitely not end there, so he advised Wang Anshi to be patient.
"Child's play?" Wang Anshi sneered, "Do you think that human life is a joke? Those greedy landlords have forced the people to perish together before they have a chance to seek justice. Isn't this infuriating?"
Sima Guang was also annoyed by the criticism. I am not Chen Yuteng. Why are you criticizing me? Do you think I am easy to bully? He immediately retorted: "You are really unreasonable. I didn't say I would not help Li Si get justice. It's just that I think we should start from the law and not act on impulse."
Wang Anshi waved his hand and said, "I think this law has problems. This case is just the tip of the iceberg. Fortunately, we have the help of noble people. More people will not even have the chance to perish together. If this continues, the people will be full of resentment and the country will be in danger. The court must seek reforms to solve the problem."
How could he not know Zhang Fei's plan? He knew it clearly in his mind, but for him, this was a gift that was delivered to his doorstep, and he had to take advantage of it!
"you... ."
Sima Guang felt that this old man was too dishonest. We were obviously discussing the case, but he brought it up with the reform.
Can we still have a pleasant chat in the future
Although the two of them often argued with each other, they actually had a very good relationship. This was because they both admired each other's morals, character and intelligence, so they would often argue in the hope of convincing the other. If the other party was a shameless villain, Wang Anshi and Sima Guang would not have bothered with him.
It was not until Wang Anshi began his reforms that the two of them completely fell out.
Suddenly, someone at the door said, "What are the two scholars arguing about?"
The two turned around and saw a young man in a jade-white robe entering the room. They quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty."
The person who came was Song Shenzong.
Now he is full of energy and wants to show his talents. He often comes here at night to discuss state affairs with the Grand Secretaries of the Hanlin Academy.
"No need to be so polite."
Song Shenzong sat down and asked again: "What are the two scholars arguing about?"
Wang Anshi hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I was just discussing a lawsuit in Kaifeng Prefecture."
Song Shenzong asked curiously, "I wonder what kind of lawsuit has caused the two of you to argue so fiercely."
Sima Guang smiled awkwardly and felt a little embarrassed.
Wang Anshi was very calm and said truthfully: "It was a lawsuit about private debt."
After hearing this, Shenzong's expression changed slightly.
Sima Guang looked at Wang Anshi with contempt.
Wang Anshi pretended not to see it and told Song Shenzong the reason.
"This Zhang San again?"
Song Shenzong was slightly stunned, and seemed to care more about the person who whispered to him.
Sima and Wang nodded at the same time.
"Haha... This person who spies on others is really extraordinary. Just one trip to Kaifeng Prefecture can alarm the entire government and the public."
Song Shenzong smiled with amusement. Wang Anshi and Sima Guang looked at him with a depressed look on their faces. He could not help but cough and asked seriously, "But this case seems to be quite contradictory. Zhang San helped Li Si in the lawsuit, but ended up sending Li Si to jail. It is even more contradictory to go and sell the opera without permission."
Wang Anshi patiently explained it to Song Shenzong.
Song Shenzong suddenly realized and couldn't help but say: "Zhang San is really amazing."
Sima Guang said: "Although Zhang San sent Li Si to prison, his purpose was to help Li Si and hope that Chen Yuteng would be punished."
"Lose eight hundred of your own and injure one thousand of the enemy."
Song Shenzong nodded and asked, "How do you two think this case should be judged?"
Wang Anshi immediately said: "I think Chen Yuteng should be severely punished, and Zeng and Li Si should be exonerated."
Sima Guang said, "I disagree. The law is not a joke. Although we all know that Chen Yuteng is the real culprit, I also agree to pardon Li Si and Zeng, but the verdict must be based on the law, otherwise it will be difficult to convince the public."
Song Shenzong nodded slightly, as if thinking about something.
... ..．
This incident caused quite a stir, and Wang Wenshan was the first to learn of the news. She immediately sent someone to inform her nephew Chen Yuteng, who also rushed to the capital as soon as possible.
In fact, Kaifeng Prefecture had already sent people to arrest the couple.
Palace.
"Uncle, I am innocent. It was Li Si who framed me."
Thirty-year-old Chen Yuteng knelt in front of his uncle Wang Wenshan and cried like a child.
For someone like him who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, going to jail for two years is no different from being killed, and he can't bear this kind of suffering.
Wang Wenshan was also angry at him for not fighting back and said, "You are really greedy. It's not enough to want someone's wife, you also want someone's ancestral land. All of this is your own fault."
Chen Yuteng cried, "It's unfair! I am innocent! I and Zeng were in love with each other. In fact, the contract was Zeng's idea. She wanted to prevent Li Si from giving up. So she left a trick behind.
The result was exactly as Zeng had expected. Li Si had clearly sold Zeng to me, but he was still saying outside that I had taken his wife away from him, ruining my reputation. That’s why I decided to use this as an excuse to drive him out of Xiangfu County.”
Wang Wenshan asked, "Are you serious?"
Chen Yuteng said, "I would never lie to anyone but my uncle. Before, Li Si had a serious illness, and Zeng came to my pharmacy to buy medicine. After a few visits, she...became close to me."
Wang Wenshan frowned and thought for a while, then said, "You get up first."
Chen Yuteng didn't dare to stand up for a moment, and asked, "Uncle is willing to help me?"
Wang Wenshan hesitated for a moment and said, "You go to Kaifeng Prefecture first. Don't worry, your uncle will never let you go to jail. We can't afford to lose this man!"