Because the whole lawsuit was quite depressing, the people at this time did not hesitate to applaud and cheer for a long time.
However, the country gentlemen standing next to them did not feel any pleasure at all, but just took out their silk handkerchiefs to wipe the sweat from their foreheads.
Although they won the lawsuit, they knew very well in their hearts that the applause and cheers had nothing to do with them. People were all supporting the royal court.
If they were given another chance, perhaps they would consider more carefully whether to file the lawsuit.
This is really too painful.
It almost stripped the underwear of those country gentlemen.
Fortunately, there is a worse one to use as a reference.
Interestingly, the expressions on those officials’ faces were very similar to theirs. They didn’t care about the frustration of failure, and their faces showed a kind of exhaustion after being relieved.
There was a hint of victory on Fan Zhen's face, because he supported judicial reform in his heart. You know, his ideas were very similar to Sima Guang's.
However, this time Zhang Fei did not leave in a leisurely manner amid the applause, but came down from the stage and walked straight towards Fan Zhen.
This scene caused many officials and gentry who were about to leave to stop immediately and look sideways.
"Congratulations to Mr. Fan for winning the lawsuit."
Arriving in front of Fan Zhen, Zhang Fei bowed and said, "The defense just now was really brilliant."
Fan Zhen was actually a little flattered, and he bowed in return, "No, no, I am just showing off my skills in front of Judge Zhang."
There was a hint of doubt in his eyes, as if asking Zhang Fei, what's the matter
Zhang Fei did not keep the secret. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he asked, "I wonder if Master Fan will stay in Hezhong Prefecture or go somewhere else?"
Fan Zhen asked in confusion, "I shouldn't be leaving anytime soon. I wonder why Judge Zhang asked this?"
Zhang Fei said, "It is like this. The Legal Aid Department happens to be short of a director. I would like to invite Mr. Fan to join the Legal Aid Department."
"LAD?"
Fan Zhen was stunned. This was obviously something he had not expected.
Zhang Fei asked, "What do you think, Mr. Fan?"
Fan Zhen was startled and responded, "I'll think about it first."
"Okay." Zhang Fei nodded, and then said, "If there is nothing else, Zhang San will take his leave first."
Fan Zhen suddenly raised his hand and said, "President Zhang, please stay."
Zhang Fei asked, "Does Mr. Fan have anything else to do?"
Fan Zhen asked, "If Judge Zhang is allowed to fight this case, what are his chances of winning?"
"not much."
Zhang Fei thought about it seriously for a while and said, "Fifty percent."
Fan Zhen frowned secretly and said, "Counselor Zhang, would you be willing to tell me how you would fight this case if you were in the position of Court Director Zhang?"
Zhang Fei was not stingy and only said: "It probably has two directions. First, to prove that the clan system is coercive to the villagers; second, to prove that what the gentry did this time would cause great harm to the national interests."
Fan Zhen asked, "But there is no concrete evidence for any of this."
Zhang Fei smiled and said, “Many clan laws are problematic. I will find many villagers to help me prove this point, because your decision did not seek the consent of every villager. This is very likely to be proven.
As for the second point, I will combine the compulsion of the first point and then fight from the perspective of rebellion to prove that this behavior will also cause great harm to the country and the monarch. "
Fan Zhen's eyes widened. This was an area he had never imagined. "You...you are slandering me."
Zhang Fei laughed and said, "I have presented evidence to prove it openly. If you can't refute it with evidence, then it's not slander."
Fan Zhen couldn't help but feel a little scared, and said, "As expected of Zhang Da Erbi, his methods are really cruel."
Zhang Fei chuckled and said, "Fighting a lawsuit is just about winning within the rules, it's that simple. But I think Master Fan has already realized this. After all, Master Fan knows that they are doing this to target the Qingmiao Law."
Fan Zhen smiled awkwardly and could not say anything.
Zhang Fei added: "If there is nothing else, I will take my leave first."
Fan Zhen said: "President Zhang, take care."
"Goodbye."
Having said that, Zhang Fei returned to the patio.
Li Min, Lu Bangxing and Qiu Zhengwen, three cobblers standing next to them, had been eavesdropping on their conversation with their ears perked up.
After Zhang Fei left, they all looked frustrated.
"Wrong! Wrong! We were wrong from the beginning. We were confused by the opponent's flaws and were so busy fighting with them that we ignored our demands in this lawsuit."
"But we don't seem to have any concrete evidence."
"So we were not well prepared before. We should have found more villagers to testify, so that it would be more convincing."
As he spoke, Li Min couldn't help but glance at the VIP seats nervously, just in time to see Yuan Jiang waving his sleeves and leaving angrily.
"Meta-Bachelor! Meta-Bachelor!"
When He Chunlin saw Yuan Jiang leaving angrily, he pretended to shout a few words and a strange look flashed in his eyes.
At this time, Wei Yingfang came over and whispered, "It seems that Master Yuan will not give up."
He Chunlin said: "He was so embarrassed in court and lost the case in the end, how could he give up so easily?"
Cao Yi whispered, "But he can't do anything to the imperial court at the moment, so he can only write a letter to Wang Jiefu. At present, Wang Jiefu is in the limelight in the court, and he is the only one who has the power to check and balance this judicial reform."
Wei Yingfang glanced at the long stage. Although Zhang Fei had already left, he sneered and said, "Let's see how long he can be so proud."
... ...
On the procuratorate side, since there were a large number of trainee prosecutors, Chen Qi and Wang Shen did not need to sort out these documents, and left them to the trainee prosecutors. At this time, they stood aside and talked with Su Che.
"Prosecutor Su, did you expect this result?"
Chen Qi asked curiously.
In previous lawsuits, Su Che usually studied very seriously, but this time he was relatively relaxed.
Su Che smiled and said, "From a judicial point of view, the gentry obviously has the upper hand in this lawsuit. As long as Mr. Fan does not make obvious mistakes, the chances of losing the lawsuit are very small. But the question is whether the imperial court will rule in favor of the gentry. This is the key."
Chen Qi suddenly realized, "Yes! This ruling will greatly hinder the new law. If this situation is not stopped, many people will use the imperial court to block the new law in the future."
Wang Shen said: "But Master Wang will definitely not give up."
Su Che nodded and said, "So, this lawsuit is just the beginning. The real difficulties are behind."
In fact, everyone's attention was focused on this point at the beginning.
The question is whether the imperial court dares to reject the government's ban, because this is not an ordinary ban, but it concerns the Qingmiao Law, which has become a symbol of the new law.
In the judicial system, you can say that there is no direct evidence to prove that the other party is targeting the Qingmiao Law, but in politics, this is a clear provocation.
In this case, if you rule that the ban is invalid, it will most likely lead to political retaliation.
Can the royal court withstand it
... ...
Zhang Fei returned to the patio and helped Xu Zhiqian clean up. Then the couple walked along the corridor towards the lounge.
"Are you planning to invite Mr. Fan to the Legal Aid Department?"
"Um."
Zhang Fei nodded, "Because he performed very well in this lawsuit, with a clear context. Every question he asked was actually effective. On the contrary, there were many ineffective questions on the essay contest side. Even if they were effective, they didn't catch them. Their performance was not satisfactory."
Xu Zhiqian nodded and said, "You didn't remind us of the essay contest in advance."
Zhang Fei said: "I am the presiding judge and I must enforce the law impartially."
Xu Zhiqian glanced at Zhang Fei and thought, why are you pretending in front of me? It's not like you haven't done this before. She chuckled and said, "I'm afraid you don't want them to win the essay contest at all."
Zhang Fei sighed, "Don't make it sound like I'm cheating. They are useless and can't win. Who can they blame?"
Xu Zhiqian said: "But you would rather deny the government's decree. In this way, the power of the imperial court will be expanded."
“Shh…!”
While they were talking, they entered the lounge. Xu Zhiqian put down the documents and rolled her eyes at Zhang Fei again, saying, "Why are you still hushing? I think they will soon realize that the biggest winner of this lawsuit is our Royal Court."
Zhang Fei picked up a piece of cake and ate it while answering vaguely: "But maybe this is what many people expect."
"Um?"
Xu Zhiqian looked at him puzzledly.
Zhang Fei said: "Have you not heard this saying? If you want to destroy someone, you must first make him crazy. They just want to push us to the commanding heights of power in Hezhong Prefecture, so as to provoke the relationship between those ministers in the court and judicial reform."
Xu Zhiqian asked: "But you don't seem worried at all?"
Zhang Fei chuckled, "The Emperor supports me, Scholar Wang supports me, Scholar Sima supports me, Lord Fu supports me, what do I need to worry about? Are you worried that I'm not arrogant enough?"
Xu Zhiqian looked at his smug face and rolled her eyes slightly, "It's really strange, Scholar Wang and Scholar Sima are incompatible in the court, but they both support you."
Zhang Fei said: "The reason is very simple. To govern the country, we must first govern the officials. This is their common demand. The abolition of the ban this time is only to ensure that the new law can be better implemented in the future."
Xu Zhiqian nodded thoughtfully.
Suddenly, Cai Jing said from outside the door: "Teacher, are you in there?"
Zhang Fei first took out a silk handkerchief and wiped his mouth, then said, "Come in."
The four little golden warriors walked in dejectedly.
"The student has met the teacher."
"I am very disappointed with your performance today." Zhang Fei said mercilessly.
The four little golden men were all embarrassed and silent.
Zhang Fei asked again: "Do you know where you are wrong?"
Shangguan Jun said awkwardly: "I hope the teacher can give me some pointers."
Zhang Fei sighed sadly: "We are judicial personnel. We only need to focus on one thing, that is, evidence, evidence, and evidence. Only on the basis of evidence can we consider moral issues. I remember that I emphasized this point in class.
Your indecision is because you are more concerned about right and wrong, gain and loss. These are all based on your subjective judgment. You have been completely led astray by the defense.
The defense is merely attacking the other party's personal morality and interests, and thus inferring that the prosecution is extremely malicious in doing so. However, they do not have such specific evidence to support their argument. They cannot even prove that the other party is targeting the Qingmiao Law.
Regarding the defense's testimony, we only need to focus on one point, that is, whether this low interest rate can achieve monopoly and whether it can manipulate the market. "
The four of them shook their heads at the same time.
Zhang Fei said: "Since they can't, and the defense has not provided any concrete evidence, then they have no chance of winning this case. You have to remember that this is not an illegal act against the Qingmiao Law. You can't distort the judicial trial just because the other party is the government."
After such a thorough lecture, the four little golden men could only nod their heads in obedience.
indeed!
They just attached great importance to the confessions of Liang Youyi and others. You made a fortune by loan sharking, and now they say they want to crack down on loan sharking. Who will believe you
This is still the old trial thinking. It was very critical in the previous trial process, but it is actually useless in the royal court.
I lend money at high interest rates today and crack down on usury tomorrow. Is that not possible
This can only question his motives, but cannot be taken as evidence, unless there are witnesses to prove that they held a meeting to discuss this issue, then it must be considered seriously.
Xu Zhiqian felt sorry for the four of them, so she said, "This is also their first time trying a case like this, so it's inevitable that they are a little overwhelmed."
Zhang Fei glanced at Xu Zhiqian, his expression softened a bit, and said, "It actually has nothing to do with this case. The key point is that both parties have spies, which led to your thinking being completely guided by the spies. Your performance is more like that of an audience member, not a judge, and you have failed to demonstrate your professionalism."
"The students understand. The teacher's teachings will be remembered by the students."
"It's not enough to just remember, you also have to know how to use it flexibly."
"Yes, student note... student..."
At this moment, Li Si's voice came from outside the door again, "Third brother, Cao Yanei, Fu Zhubu and others are here."
"Please take a closer look at the arguments of both sides and think carefully about what specific evidence the defense lacks. Cai Jing, come with me."
"yes."
After giving the order, Zhang Fei took Cai Jing and Xu Zhiqian out the door.
When we arrived at the small pavilion by the lake, we saw the three police officers eating cooked mutton and drinking fine wine, looking very relaxed and comfortable.
Seeing Zhang Fei coming, Cao Dongdong said sourly: "You were so impressive just now. The people were cheering and applauding you."
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "This prestige is for you, do you want it?"
"no!"
Fu Shichun said quickly: "We are timid and don't dare to be so powerful."
Cao Dongdong looked at Fu Shichun with deep contempt, but didn't say much.
"You can't refuse."
Zhang Fei sat down and said, "I asked you to come here today just to show off my power to you."
"Third brother, why are you showing off?"
Ma Xiaoyi squatted on the stone bench and looked at Zhang Fei expectantly.
Zhang Fei stretched out his hand to the side, and Cai Jing immediately handed a thick stack of documents to Zhang Fei. Zhang Fei took the documents and put them on the table.
Cao Dongdong and the other two immediately picked up one and started reading it.
After a while, Ma Xiaoyi suddenly asked, "Third brother, these seem to be cases of bullying the people and dominating the market?"
Fu Shichun frowned and said, "And they are all related to business."
"Not only that." Zhang Fei said, "Almost all of the defendants are officials from Hezhong Prefecture."
Ma Xiaoyi chuckled and said, "I really like to help the weak and punish the strong. I don't even dare to do this in the capital."
Fu Shichun glanced at Ma Xiaoyi gloomily, and then said to Zhang Fei: "After dealing with so many things at once, will they become desperate and cause chaos? You know, the governance of the prefecture and county cannot be separated from them."
Zhang Fei said solemnly: "We have been afraid for a long time and have been preparing for a long time, but these problems will eventually have to be faced. And now is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We have just rejected the ban of the Transportation Bureau, and the morale is high. Those corrupt officials will definitely be afraid of us, and at the same time, the rural forces will still need to rely on us to resist the new policy.
If the Royal Police cannot effectively suppress these people, then they will not be able to win the trust of the people and revitalize the judiciary. Now that your police station has been making money quietly for more than half a year, it is time to show your fangs. "
"What a great phrase!" Cao Dongdong slammed the table. "We've been waiting for this day so long that we've almost fallen asleep. It's time for our police station to show off its power. Okay, we'll take this job."
Ma Xiaoyi also nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
After seeing this, Fu Shichun could only nod.
Although the police station has developed well, they are also very frustrated because people are more in awe of the royal court than the royal police. They were even driven back not long ago.
Power is a zero-sum game. If you want to exercise power, someone will inevitably be hurt.
The key is that you have already raised a flag, and you must do what you say. When the people encounter injustice, you must settle it. Otherwise, no one will believe the imperial court.
Zhang Fei said unhappily: "Yanei, we are on official business, not organizing a robbery."
Having said this, he paused for a moment and then said, "In addition, I will send Cai Jing to assist you and provide you with legal advice."
... ... .
Transport Department.
"I have already seen that they are in the same group. We really shouldn't respond to the lawsuit. Let them enjoy themselves. See what they can do."
He Chunlin was trying his best to add fuel to the fire in front of Yuan Jiang.
Yuan Jiang glared at him, "When did you say that? Why don't I remember it?"
He Chunlin smiled awkwardly.
Yuan Jiang added: "Also, do you think I want to respond to the lawsuit? There is no other way. Now the yamen runners have been transferred to the Royal Police. Once the Royal Court makes a judgment, the Royal Police will definitely not execute our orders. Then this ban will become a joke."
Wei Yingfang pretended to be worried and said, "What can we do? In a few months, there will be a shortage of money. By then, there may be no one to borrow money. This will make the Qingmiao Law a joke."
Yuan Jiang snorted, "I will write to Master Wang right away to inform him of the situation here. If this judicial reform has such great power, then this new law will not be enforceable."
After hearing this, He Chunlin and the others were overjoyed. This was exactly what they had been expecting.
But before he could feel proud, Yuan Jiang suddenly said, "Just filing a complaint with the imperial court is not enough to vent my hatred. As for those landlords and gentry, they are openly opposing the imperial court. The imperial court should no longer give them face."
Wei Yingfang asked, "I wonder what Master Yuan is going to do?"
Yuan Jiang said: "I will also petition the court to send the tax commissioner here as soon as possible."
"Tax Commissioner?"
Wei Yingfang and He Chunlin exclaimed at the same time.
Yuan Jiang smiled coldly, "This tax commissioner is the natural enemy of these big landlords."
He Chunlin hurriedly said, "Master Yuan, please calm down, please calm down, this matter needs to be considered carefully!"
Yuan Jiang glanced at him and said, "You don't have to pay taxes, what are you afraid of?"
"I... ."
He Chunlin almost bit his tongue. I don't have to pay taxes, but my family has to pay! Brother, are you messing with them or us