In fact, Lu Gongzhe was not absent by chance. He was in the Ministry of Justice at that time, arguing with his colleagues.
Otherwise, Li Kai would not be willing to defend Kaifeng Prefecture alone.
Kaifeng Prefecture today is like hell!
It turned out that Wang Wenshan went to the Ministry of Justice to complain that the Kaifeng Prefecture was too biased towards Zhang Fei, investigating this and that, and no one knew when it would end!
This also caused dissatisfaction among many ministers, so they put pressure on Kaifeng Prefecture.
But Lu Gongzhe was also a tough guy. He said he was protecting Wang Sinong's reputation.
There are so many people listening in the hall. What will people think if Kaifeng Prefecture doesn't investigate
Most people would think that they are protecting each other among officials.
Not most of the time, but definitely.
Zhang Fei would also definitely file a lawsuit with the Dali Temple, because this was a case that had been tried publicly in Kaifeng Prefecture, and he was qualified to file a lawsuit with the Dali Temple.
That kid lives in Xu Zun’s house!
If the Dali Temple found evidence, Lu Gongzhe would be in an awkward position. The key point was that he also knew the trick in Li Si's case.
Lu Gongzhe had been an honest man all his life, and he was unwilling to fall into this trap and ruin his reputation in his later years.
So even though Xu Zuncong did not interfere in Zhang Fei's affairs, he provided great help to Zhang Fei. His presence was equivalent to leaving a way out for Zhang Fei.
If Xu Zun hadn't existed, Zhang Fei wouldn't have been so noisy.
While the quarrel was still going on here, news came from Kaifeng Prefecture that there was also a problem in the Sinong Temple, which was also related to this case.
This letter of evidence is even more detailed. It records very detailed events and how they specifically operated.
According to the current situation, once this news comes out, it will inevitably cause an uproar in the court.
However, instead of exploding, the court calmed down.
Because of this clue, the ministers in the court realized that someone was supporting Zhang Fei behind the scenes. This was not a simple lawsuit between a citizen and an official, but a political struggle.
They dare not act rashly before they know who the enemy is!
... ..
Palace.
"Are they afraid of this?"
Wang Wenshan looked at Guan Qie angrily.
That's it
Are you scared by a trumped-up charge
Guan Qie sighed, "Wang Sinong, calm down and listen to my explanation."
After a short pause, he explained, "This matter is not as simple as it seems. Wang Sinong should also be aware of the charges. It is impossible for Zhang San to obtain this information alone. It is obvious that someone in the court is secretly helping Zhang San."
Wang Wenshan said excitedly: "Needless to say, it must be Xu Zun's doing."
Guan Qie shook his head and said, "Xu Zun has only been back in Beijing for a few months. Even if he knew, he couldn't know it so clearly. The Dali Temple doesn't care about these things."
Wang Wenshan frowned, "Then who in your opinion could have done this?"
"It's still unclear at the moment." Guan Qie said, "That's why everyone is afraid to make it public. The key is that Kaifeng Prefecture insists on investigating. But if they really continue investigating, I'm afraid this case will become even more complicated."
"That's why I...!"
Halfway through his words, Wang Wenshan was startled and looked at Guan Qi in horror.
Guan Qie didn't dare to look him in the eye, he lowered his head and sighed: "The best way at the moment is to let Wang Sinong go to the local area to avoid the limelight for a while, and come back after the limelight has passed."
"What did you say?"
Wang Wenshan's face was grim. "I am the head of Sinong Temple, but I was driven out of the capital by a spy. How can I return home with dignity?"
Looks very much like Chen Yuteng back then.
Guan Qie said: "You didn't lose to Zhang San, but to the man behind Zhang San. Alas... Wang Sinong really shouldn't have gone to court with Zhang San in the first place, that's what he's good at. But we also have our own methods. He can't kill us even if he tries a hundred times, but as long as we catch him once, he will definitely die. Wang Sinong must not act on impulse!"
Wang Wenshan opened his eyes angrily and stared at Guan Qie, his whole body trembling. After a long while, he closed his eyes, sighed, and sat down on the chair, "What are you going to do?"
Guan Qie said, "We will report to His Majesty and impeach you, Wang Sinong, for interfering with the judiciary. This case has a great negative impact on the court and should be ended as soon as possible. It is not appropriate to continue like this."
After hearing this, Wang Wenshan was unwilling to give in. "Is there no other way?"
Guan Qie said: "This is the safest way. At present, the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light. If we continue to entangle in this case, it will be disadvantageous to everyone. Is it really worth it for a mere spy?"
Wang Wenshan suddenly looked at Chen Yu who had been silent beside him.
Chen Yu looked at Wang Wenshan with guilt on his face, sighed and said nothing.
This is no longer Wang Wenshan's personal case, but involves the entire Sinong Temple. If we really investigate it, God knows what the result will be.
The key is that we still don’t know what the enemy in the dark is planning.
The officialdom is not a place where surprise attacks are important, but one must focus on stability. As long as you have the green mountains, you will not be afraid of running out of firewood. No one is willing to go all in with Wang Wenshan because it is not worth it.
Wang Wenshan never thought that he would lose so badly.
After all, it was just a small eucalyptus, but he lost precisely because of this small eucalyptus. It was precisely because it was too small that the court officials felt it was not worth it.
Wang Wenshan sighed, "Okay!"
... ...
After persuading Wang Wenshan, the discussion in the court began to change. Within three days, Song Shenzong received more than ten letters criticizing Wang Wenshan.
Putting aside the truth, Wang Wenshan also has an unshirkable responsibility for the situation having come to this point. He should not have gone to Zhang Fei privately while the Li Si case was still under investigation. This constitutes the crime of obstructing the judiciary and is a violation of the law knowingly.
At the same time, if the case continues to be investigated, it will be protracted, and this will cause great damage to the prestige and reputation of the court. Therefore, they pleaded with the court to immediately bring Wang Wenshan to justice, demote him to Tokyo, and end the case.
Today, Song Shenzong, as usual, summoned Wang Anshi to the palace to ask for advice.
After discussing current affairs, Song Shenzong suddenly asked, "Sir, what do you think of Wang Sinong's case?"
Wang Anshi said: "I also think that the case should be closed as soon as possible."
Song Shenzong said, "But I think many of them are guilty of their crimes!"
Wang Anshi nodded and said, "I know that, but if we continue to investigate, it will only force them to fight to the death, which may make the case more complicated. However, this case has attracted the attention of many people. If the people see that the court ministers are so shameful, it will indeed affect the prestige and reputation of the court."
Although he also hates evil, he still needs to have some overall perspective as he is in a high position. If this case continues to make trouble, it will interfere with his reform, and his reform is to solve these problems, which is the fundamental solution. In the end, this case will not solve any problems.
Song Shenzong sighed heavily, "If this continues, how can the country prosper?"
Wang Anshi hurriedly said, "Your Majesty is far-sighted and thoughtful, which is a blessing for the country. I think if you want to change it, you can only change it from the root. A single case is only a temporary solution, not a fundamental solution."
At this point, he changed the subject and said, "However, the Sinong Temple is in charge of the Changping Warehouse, which involves disaster relief matters in various places. If it is controlled by someone with bad intentions, the consequences will be disastrous. Now it seems that the Sinong Temple is already corrupt and must be rectified."
Song Shenzong understood immediately and asked, "Do you have a suitable candidate?"
Wang Anshi immediately said, "I think Lu Huiqing is a very good candidate. I gave him the house tax issue, and he performed very well, handling the complicated official duties in an orderly manner. The official duties of the Ministry of Agriculture are also very complicated, so I think he is a very suitable candidate."
The Sinong Temple was of vital importance to his reform. If he could seize it while taking it over, it would be a blessing from heaven.
Song Shenzong nodded.
... ..
On the second day, Song Shenzong summoned Lu Gongzhe to the palace and said that the Zhang San case had seriously affected the daily affairs of Kaifeng Prefecture and the image of court officials. He also said that Wang Wenshan had not evaded the case in time and was suspected of interfering with the judiciary, which led to today's disaster. Therefore, he planned to send him to Jiangzhou as a judge.
In the Song Dynasty, officials were not subject to punishment. Unless they committed serious crimes, they would be demoted to serve as officials in other places.
Lu Gong let out a long sigh.
Your Majesty is wise!
Lu Gongzhe was also tired. He felt that there was no justice at all in this case. Although Zhang Fei was a victim, it was different from the cases of Ayun and Li Si. This time Zhang Fei used all kinds of crooked means and told lies. He filed a lawsuit today and will file another one tomorrow. It was obvious that he was not seeking justice, but revenge on Wang Wenshan.
Let’s close the case quickly!
On the same day, Song Shenzong issued an imperial decree, demoting Wang Wenshan to be the Tongpan (Tongpan) in Jiangzhou on the grounds that he had behaved improperly, interfered with the judiciary, and broke the law knowingly.
The charge of "interfering with the judiciary" is very particular. You can think that Wang Wenshan used intimidation and bribery to retaliate against Zhang Fei, which all constitutes interference with the judiciary, but you can also think that he just met with Zhang Fei in private.
It can be regarded as a reasonable ending to this case.
Xu Mansion.
"What?"
Zhang Fei said depressedly: "It's over now, I haven't had enough fun yet!"
Xu Zun asked: "What else do you want?"
Zhang Fei said embarrassedly: "I just think this punishment is too light. I was beaten up, and in return the murderer gets a trip at public expense?"
Travel at public expense
Xu Zun said angrily and amusedly, "Even if it is proven that he instigated others to beat you, this is almost the punishment. Besides, you can't prove it."
Zhang Fei asked, "What about selling official positions, corruption and bribery?"
Xu Zun sighed and said nothing.
Wang Wenshan is still okay. There are people who are more greedy than him. Do you want to sue him
The tricks in the store and house affairs were similar to those in the Sino-Agricultural Temple. After Wang Anshi took over, didn't he just let bygones be bygones
In fact, upright ministers like Wei Zheng and Bao Zheng also compromised for political reasons.
“It’s great to be an official!”
Zhang Fei sighed and said, "My benefactor, I wonder when Wang Wenshan will leave Beijing?"
Xu Zun asked in surprise: "Why are you asking this?"
Zhang Fei said: "I'm going to humiliate him."
Xu Zun frowned and asked, "Is it really that serious?"
A gentleman always knows when to stop.
In his opinion, this is already very difficult.
Zhang Fei said truthfully: "Otherwise, I can't vent my anger."
It has come to this, do you still care about stepping on it one more time
... ...
Early this morning, Zhang Fei came to the South Gate to witness his victory with his own eyes.
Wang Wenshan stared at Zhang Fei with his eyes fixed, as if he wanted to eat him alive, "I really misjudged you this time!"
Zhang Fei said: "You are not mistaken, you are stupid. Remember I reminded Wang Sinong that your porcelain can't beat my tile. My attitude at that time was very serious, but unfortunately Wang Sinong didn't take it to heart. No, Wang Tongpan."
"You..." Wang Wenshan gnashed his teeth in anger, "Don't be so arrogant, I will come back."
The good thing about the civil servants in the Northern Song Dynasty is that they can’t die. Things will change over time.
Zhang Fei raised a smile and said, "Now you can't kill me, do you think you still have a chance three years later? Besides, I don't think you can come back, after all, you are already this old."
Wang Wenshan was shocked and asked, "What do you mean? Who ordered you to do that?"
Zhang Fei smiled profoundly: "Have a good journey. Goodbye, no, never again."
After saying that, he turned and left.
He wanted to plant the seeds of fear in Wang Wenshan's heart. This was the purpose of his coming here.
Just as I turned a corner, I heard a laugh, "You are such a murderer!"
Zhang Fei turned his head and saw that it was Sima Guang.