Now that things have come to this, it's like a tit-for-tat confrontation.
Lu Gong sent someone to tell Wang Wenshan that if he wanted to sue Zhang Fei, he would have to go to court with him.
After all, neither of you can produce any concrete evidence.
If this was not done, Kaifeng Prefecture might have to take the blame.
Naturally, Lu Gongzhe did not want his reputation to be ruined by these two people.
Although he was unhappy with Zhang Fei, he also believed that Wang Wenshan had an unshirkable responsibility for the situation having come to this point. If it were Wang Anshi, Sima Guang, or other upright ministers, they would be so anxious to avoid suspicion when encountering such a thing that they would never take the initiative to find Zhang Fei.
Wang Wenshan agreed immediately and said that he would definitely go to court with Zhang Fei.
This atmosphere has already been created. Even taking a half step back would be a sign of guilt.
The key point is that he doesn't think Zhang Fei has evidence, so he is not afraid at all.
Both sides acted very tough.
Go straight to the climax!
The news soon became known to everyone in the city.
People quickly bought melon seeds and waited for the show to begin.
This thing has been going on for so long, it has to have an ending!
It's a rotten ending with no asshole.
At the same time, Wang Wenshan also cried in the court, saying that he was blackmailed by Zhang Fei last time because he thought his nephew was at fault first, so he chose to give in. He did not expect to get such a result.
Judging from the results, Wang Wenshan’s words are of course more credible.
After all, the amount of compensation paid in the Li Si case did set a record in the landlord community.
To most people, this is unreasonable.
I don’t understand why Wang Wenshan agreed.
You have to know that most officials in the court supported Wang Wenshan. Even if it was Wang Wenshan who ordered people to beat Zhang Fei, it was justified in their opinion.
This guy is really hateful. We taught him a lesson last time, but he didn't repent. He took out another mortgage, causing many officials to reluctantly cut their losses, but it was a good deal for Wang Jiefu.
Now, some neutral officials have begun to side with Wang Wenshan, believing that it is more likely that Zhang Fei committed extortion.
Of course, this incident also alarmed Song Shenzong.
On the issue of housing prices, Song Shenzong finally adopted Zhang Fei's suggestion, which shows that he admired Zhang Fei very much.
He quickly found Xu Zun and asked him the reason.
"I see!"
Song Shenzong nodded and asked, "But does he have any evidence to prove it?"
Xu Zun was silent for a moment, and said truthfully: "As far as I know, he... he probably doesn't have any solid evidence."
Song Shenzong immediately said: "If that's the case, why didn't you stop him? He was clearly acting on impulse. You should have told me first, and I would have made the decision for him!"
Xu Zun said: "I have warned him, but he seems very confident, and based on his previous performance, he often takes people by surprise, so I think he must have a way."
Song Shenzong frowned and said, "But now this matter is getting bigger and bigger. If he loses, it will not be easy for me to protect him!"
A woman from Dengzhou made his imperial judgment a joke. It shows that in the judicial system, it is not so easy for the emperor to protect someone!
Xu Zun felt relieved after hearing this. It was not an easy task, which meant that he could still be saved. He hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. From what I know about him, he is a very cautious person and will not act impulsively."
Song Shenzong nodded and said, "I hope so!"
... ...
Lu Gongzhe did not want to use this incident to increase the attention of Kaifeng Prefecture, nor did he want to deliberately delay it for a few days to increase the exposure. He chose to open the trial immediately.
He expected a quick victory.
This case is also very simple. It all depends on who can produce solid evidence to prove that he is telling the truth and the other party is lying.
There is always someone lying anyway.
However, the number of people who came to Kaifeng Prefecture to watch has set a record.
Although the Song Dynasty had always allowed citizens to sue officials, there had never been a case of officials and citizens going to court. Generally speaking, they would just exchange petitions, or at most conduct investigations and trials behind closed doors.
Since Zhang Fei's arrival, going to court seems to have become more and more common.
A carriage slowly arrived at the gate of Kaifeng Prefecture, and Wang Wenshan and Chen Yu got out of the carriage.
"Wang Sinong!"
"Brother Wang!"
Immediately, many officials came forward to greet them.
"Wang Sinong, you can't be soft-hearted this time. You must punish that troublemaker."
"That's right! These unruly people are extorting money from our officials. We must not encourage this trend!"
"Brother Wang, we all support you. If the villain fails to produce evidence today, and Kaifeng Prefecture does not punish him immediately, we will go to His Majesty to impeach Kaifeng Prefecture. I think Kaifeng Prefecture should bear a great responsibility for the fact that the villain has come to this point."
... ...
A large group of officials surrounded Wang Wenshan and cheered him on.
Even though Zhang Fei was just an informant, he was hated by the court no less than Wang Anshi. These gentlemen really disliked this guy.
Too arrogant!
He doesn't take these gentlemen seriously at all.
The key point is that this involves a class issue.
If Wang Wenshan wins this lawsuit, he must kill this guy completely and never give him another chance to make a comeback.
"Thank you all for taking the time to support me. I am really...!"
When he finished speaking, Wang Wenshan choked up and remained silent.
When the officials saw this, they became even more furious. Look, this is how people have been bullied.
How could this be possible
At this time, three old men were seen walking here. They were Wang Anshi, Sima Guang and Chen Shengzhi.
Chen Shengzhi looked at Wang Wenshan who was surrounded by people not far away, then turned his head to look at Wang Anshi and Sima Guang, "Who do you think will win this lawsuit?"
Sima Guang shook his head and said, "It's hard to say! From what we have learned so far, that guy probably doesn't have any hard evidence, so he wants to go to court. This is his usual trick."
Wang Anshi heard the hidden meaning in his words and laughed, "Junshi seems to still be upset about the last incident with Ayun!"
Sima Guang glanced at Wang Anshi and said, "How did he win last time? Don't you, Wang Jiefu, have any idea?"
Wang Anshi laughed and then said, "If you lose, you should admit it. You can't put the blame on others. This is not what a gentleman does."
Sima Guang was extremely angry, but he had to admit it.
He did lose that trial.
Suddenly someone shouted, "Zhang San is here."
Everyone looked up and saw Zhang San wrapped in a tattered cloak, limping towards them with the support of Li Si.
Everyone still vaguely remembers the man in the bright and beautiful clothes.
In the blink of an eye, it became like this.
It's really pitiful!
I really feel the same way!
Wang Anshi asked curiously, "Why isn't he dressed as an ear writer today?"
Sima Guang said: "He is not here to sue, he is the victim and the defendant. But I heard that his leg was fine, how come he became lame in such a short while?"
After saying that, he realized that this guy was trying to gain sympathy.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted, "Zhang San, we support you."
"Zhang San, you must seek justice."
... ..
Many people came to cheer for Zhang Fei.
The case of Li Si is very gratifying to the people.
This case is a continuation of the Li Si case, so of course they support Zhang Fei.
have a look!
This is what they did to people.
This is too much.
Who hasn’t been bullied? It’s just that they didn’t dare to stand up. Now that Zhang Fei has stood up to challenge the authority of the masters, no matter whether he is right or wrong, they will definitely stand on Zhang Fei’s side.
With tears in his eyes, Zhang Fei bowed to his fellow villagers to express his gratitude.
In front of the Kaifeng Prefecture, the camps suddenly became clear.
There are officials and people in the hall, and there are also officials and people outside the hall.
... ...
After a long while, the gate of the government office slowly opened, and the judge Li Kai came out personally and brought Wang Wenshan and Zhang Fei in. He also personally invited Sima Guang, Wang Anshi and other officials into the courtyard.
This case was really just a very small one, but it had become so serious that the Kaifeng government had to pay enough attention to it.
After they went in, everyone gathered around them immediately.
The citizens had no room to stand, and those standing in front of the government office were all wealthy people like Ma Tianhao and Chen Maoqian.
Xu Zhiqian, who was used to slipping out the back door, quietly came to the front yard and found that there was no seat left, and the people standing in front were all high-ranking officials of the court.
Chen Shengzhi, Wang Anshi, Sima Guang, Qi Hui, Wang Shiyuan, Tang Jie... ... .
Minor officials like Lu Huiqing and Chen Yu have already been relegated to a corner.
It really feels like the decisive battle in Kaifeng Prefecture!
Fortunately, Lu Gong had a lot of experience, and he was not at all afraid of such a situation.
“Mighty... Powerful...” Still the same.
Of course, Wang Wenshan still received special treatment. He sat at the lower left, while Zhang Fei stood in the middle.
Lu Gong slammed the gavel and said, "Zhang Fei, you are suing Wang Sinong for hiring a killer to hurt someone, do you have any evidence?"
Straight to the point.
Wang Wenshan looked at Zhang Fei very calmly.
Zhang Fei said: "Of course I have evidence. First of all, during the trial of Li Si, Wang Sinong, an official appointed by the court and Chen Yuteng's uncle, secretly came to me. No matter what he said at the time, he was suspected of interfering with the judiciary."
Lu Gong frowned, looking a little unhappy.
You are talking nonsense again. Don't you have evidence
Take it out!
He was getting anxious.
Nowadays, the punishment for obstruction of justice is not so strict. As Chen Yuteng's uncle, Wang Wenshan went to Zhang Fei to find out the situation, which was not enough to constitute the crime of obstructing justice.
Wang Wenshan didn't care, as if he had expected it. He sighed and responded, "You are right. My actions were indeed inappropriate, but do you understand how heartbroken I am as an uncle when I learn that my nephew has done such a thing? I am really ashamed of my deceased sister, so I came to you, hoping to apologize to Li Si on behalf of my nephew, and said that no matter how the government judges, I will compensate Li Si.
I remember that you said that you had to pay 500 strings of cash before the matter could be settled and Li Si could forgive you. My nephew was unwilling to do so at first. After all, 500 strings of cash is not a small sum. I had to force him to agree."
He explained all this in a very gentle tone, but he was hinting that Zhang Fei had blackmailed him.
"Mr. Wang Sinong is so forgetful!"
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "I remember that Wang Sinong made it very clear at the time that if I continued to sue, I would never be able to defend myself in court again."
After hearing this, Wang Wenshan was stunned.
Why don't you play by the rules? Last time you complained, you didn't mention this!
Lu Gong was also dumbfounded.
Why is this brought up again
There was an uproar outside the hall.
The people all thought to themselves that they knew it was the case, and I guessed at that time that it was revenge.
Xu Zhiqian, who was standing in the corner, was delighted. What a good trick of transplanting flowers and trees. She secretly glanced at the officials in front.
As expected, some of them no longer had any calmness on their faces, and all of them looked guilty.
They had totally forgotten about it.
Xu Zhiqian thought to herself, let’s see if you dare to use such shameless means in the future.
Sima Guang muttered to himself: "This is a trap."
Wang Anshi laughed and said, "Fortunately it wasn't you, otherwise you would have lost again."
Sima Guang glared at him but thought to himself, good boy, you really have some amazing skills!
They hadn't thought of that either.
Although in essence, that is the cause and this is the result, they can be said to be the same thing.
However, restricting disputes was the result of discussions in the imperial court, not a decision made by the Kaifeng Prefecture. From this point of view, these are two different things.
But Zhang Fei cleverly put this result into his conversation with Wang Wenshan, and the nature of the conversation was different.
“Nonsense!”
Wang Wenshan reacted and stood up and said, "You are talking nonsense. I never said that."
He is really wronged!
He didn't say this at the time, but he did it later.
Lu Gongzhu also asked Zhang Fei: "Do you have any evidence to prove this?"
Zhang Fei sighed, "I don't have the power to investigate, and if I investigate, I'm afraid I'll alert the enemy and make them destroy the evidence. But I heard that Kaifeng Prefecture received dozens of complaints in one morning. Doesn't Governor Lu feel strange? It's obvious that someone is behind this. Governor Lu can send people to investigate. He has found so many people and done so many things, so there must be clues left."
This kid has no martial ethics!
Lu Gongzhu asked, "But what needs to be proven now is whether Wang Sinong hired someone to hurt someone."
Zhang Fei said: "The prefect has forgotten that, in addition to this, Wang Sinong also sued Xiaomin for falsely accusing him. So if we can find out that Wang Sinong was the one who did it secretly, it will be enough to prove that Xiaomin did not falsely accuse him, and prove that he was lying. He did threaten Xiaomin. So why did he lie? It's very simple, because he hired someone to beat Xiaomin. One lie requires countless lies to make up for it, but under the bright and clear sky, the truth will eventually come out!"
Lu Gong was silent and pondered.
When Zhang Fei sued Wang Wenshan, the reason was that Wang Wenshan had threatened him, but Wang Wenshan firmly denied it. If it can be proved that Wang Wenshan had indeed threatened Zhang Fei, it can indirectly prove that Wang Wenshan is very likely to have hired someone to hurt someone.
However, Zhang Fei did not produce the evidence on the spot, but asked Kaifeng Prefecture to investigate.
"That's nonsense."
Wang Wenshan said to Lu Gong excitedly: "Prefect Lu, he is just slandering me. He cannot be trusted. No one has deprived him of his right to sue."
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "That's because the current emperor is wise, but it doesn't mean you haven't done it before. I remember that Wang Sinong once reported to the emperor, accusing me of inciting litigation."
Boy, be careful with your words!
Many ministers in the court became inexplicably nervous.
Wang Wenshan said angrily: "I was just discussing the matter at hand."
Zhang Fei immediately said, "But Wang Sinong just said that he apologized on behalf of his nephew and was willing to compensate. How kind he was. But then he turned around and blamed me. Doesn't Wang Sinong feel that this is self-contradictory?"
Wang Wenshan's mind began to fail to keep up with Zhang Fei's pace. He was speechless for a moment before he said, "Li Si is Li Si, and you are you. I feel sorry and sympathize with Li Si, but I also feel ashamed that you, a villain, took the opportunity to blackmail and extort me."
Zhang Fei immediately said: "So you sent someone to beat me up."
Wang Wenshan said: "You... You are slandering me. How can I, a minister of the imperial court, use such despicable means?"
Zhang Fei immediately asked: "Then why did you obstruct Kaifeng Prefecture's investigation?"
"When did I obstruct Kaifeng Prefecture's investigation?"
"Then investigate!"
Zhang Fei spread his hands, "If you haven't done it before, what are you afraid of?"
"How could I be afraid?"
Wang Wenshan was sweating profusely. He continued, "You said you had evidence, but now you haven't produced any."
Zhang Fei said: "Almost everyone knows that the last restraining lawsuit was against me, but no one investigated the matter at the time. I believe I am not the only one who is curious about this matter."
The citizens at the door nodded.
The citizens are not stupid. They all know that it is aimed at Zhang Fei.
Zhang Fei said: "As long as Kaifeng Prefecture investigates, they will definitely be able to find evidence. This is ironclad evidence. But Wang Sinong, you said you came here to clear your name, so why don't you let Kaifeng Prefecture investigate thoroughly, so that Wang Sinong can be cleared of all charges."
Wang Wenshan immediately bowed to Lu Gongzhe and said, "Please ask the governor Lu to send someone to investigate immediately so that I can be cleared of all charges."
That being said, that's all he could say.
Lu Gong was still a little hesitant.
This is not evidence!
Zhang Fei said: "The net of heaven is vast and wide, nothing can escape it. As long as Kaifeng Prefecture goes to investigate, they will definitely be able to find evidence. I am even willing to bet my life on it."
Wang Wenshan asked excitedly, "Really?"
Zhang Fei asked, "Wang Sinong, do you want to bet with me on heads?"
“… … !”
Wang Wenshan is stupid. I bet my head with you. No punishment will be imposed on scholars and officials. My head is safe, why should I bet with you? He stammered for a moment.
Agreeing to it would be a huge disadvantage.
If I don't agree, it seems like I'm guilty.
I regret it now, why say that
Lu Gongzhe originally thought that Zhang Fei would make the final decision like last time, but he did the opposite this time. If he investigated, it would take a while to close the case. But there was no other way. Both parties demanded an investigation, and Zhang Fei also threatened that he would not be able to not investigate. So he spoke up to help Wang Wenshan out, "Who is lying? I will find out. Let's stop here today and adjourn."