In this matter, Zhang Fei's appearance is like adding fuel to the fire.
Originally, this matter had already caused a lot of uproar. After all, it involved royal relatives. It was just so right that Zhang Fei had many conflicts with ministers in the court, so this BUFF was added.
The degree of hatred can be imagined.
It even disturbed the two empress dowagers in the harem.
They don't want this matter to get bigger and bigger.
"Your Highness has greeted me."
"Officials, no need to be polite!"
Gao Taihou looked apologetic and said, "I heard that Dong'er's incident has caused a lot of trouble for the emperor recently."
Song Shenzong hurriedly said: "Those censors have always been like this, don't pay any attention to them."
"How can the emperor say that? If there were no censors, how would the emperor know what was going on among the people?"
"Yes, Madam, you are teaching me that I have spoken out of turn."
Having said that, the young and energetic Song Shenzong still refused to accept it.
"well... ."
Queen Mother Gao sighed, "This boy is really naughty. After this incident, he didn't even reflect on himself and even asked the people to complain for him. As if it wasn't shameful enough."
After a pause, she continued, "My aunt and I mean that this matter should not be continued, so as not to interfere with the government's governance of the country. Let the Kaifeng Prefecture make a fair judgment."
The implication is that the judgment should be made quickly and the matter should be resolved quickly.
They all believed Lin Fei and not Cao Dongdong, and thought that this was the fact.
In addition, according to the law, rape is generally sentenced to two years, but Cao Dongdong was convicted of attempted rape, so he will be sentenced to one to one and a half years. He can go out for a while and come back after things calm down.
If the fuss continues, it will only bring more shame to the royal family.
But Song Shenzong was unwilling to compromise. He had wanted to find Zhang San before, but was blocked by Xu Zun. Now that he knew Cao Dongdong had already invited Zhang San, he was very happy, so he said: "I personally think that Cao Dongdong's behavior is in line with the law, and Kaifeng Prefecture also allows him to ask someone to defend him. If I intervene, someone will take the opportunity to cause trouble. Why not leave everything to Kaifeng Prefecture to handle."
Empress Dowager Gao thought about it for a while and felt that what the emperor said made sense.
Kaifeng Prefecture has already given its permission, and if we interfere further, we will only attract criticism.
After struggling for a while, Empress Dowager Gao said, "I'll go ask my aunt again!"
... ...
Fan's Bookstore!
"Are you crazy?"
Li Guozhong glared at Fan Li with his eyes bulging, his hair standing on end with anger.
Fan Li said: "Thank you for your concern, I am very sober."
"wide awake?"
Li Guozhong asked: "If you were sober, would you sell the bookshop to Zhang San?"
Fan Li's eyes suddenly narrowed, his eyebrows raised, "May I ask the head of the guild, if you don't give it to Zhang San, what else can I do? Just sit there and wait to die? I remember that when the head of the guild stole my customer, he didn't have this attitude."
"I knew it! I knew it!"
Li Guozhong paced back and forth anxiously, "This is clearly Zhang San's conspiracy. We have all been played by him. Can't you see that?"
"This is not a conspiracy, this is an open conspiracy."
Fan Li laughed coldly, "Zhang San confessed to me at the beginning, but we had the opportunity to make his plan fail. It was the leader who was only interested in profit and didn't care about our lives. You can't blame me for finding another way out."
"You... well, well, wait for your regret! The evidence in this lawsuit is solid. You think Zhang San is a god. If you lose this lawsuit, humph, you can just wait for your business to close down!"
Having said that, he threw his sleeves behind him and left angrily.
... ...
Xu Mansion!
"I see!"
Xu Zun nodded.
Zhang Fei further explained: "The reason why I didn't inform my benefactor in advance is that as far as I am concerned, this is just a business deal, and I now have the right to sue anyone."
Xu Zun asked Zhang Fei: "Are you sure you can win?"
As he spoke, he added: "Now many imperial censors in the court, as well as the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Criminal Justice are all paying attention to this case, and the only solid evidence in this case is the confession letter, which is not so easy to fight!"
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "If I can't win, I won't take it."
Seeing that he was full of confidence, Xu Zun felt relieved and said with emotion: "In fact, things shouldn't have come to this point. If Lin Fei had listened to Qian'er's advice and could have turned back from his mistakes, it would have been good for him and everyone else."
Zhang Fei said: "Instead of being frustrated to death, it is better to go crazy. In fact, I can understand Lin Fei very well."
Xu Zhiqian suddenly asked: "If it were you, would you make the same choice as him?"
Zhang Fei said: "If you ask me, I might say no, but if I were him, maybe I would. It is said that the times create heroes, but in fact, they also create many pitiful, hateful and pathetic people, but people only remember the heroes."
... ...
Hanlin Academy.
"How ridiculous! How ridiculous!"
I saw a sixty-year-old man sitting in the Hanlin Academy, slapping his head and stamping his feet, "Little Ear Pen, he really doesn't know how high the sky is and how deep the earth is. Does he really think he can change the world with just his mouth?"
As he spoke, he looked around at Wang Anshi, Sima Guang, Liu Shu, Lu Gongzhuo, Xu Zun and other officials, pointed at them and said: "You are the pillars of the court, but you are manipulated by a man with a pen, and you are indifferent. This has never been heard of since ancient times."
This old man was none other than Tang Jie, the Prime Minister of Planning, who was also the Councillor of State, a prime minister who combined power and fame. He was honest and upright in his official duties, and was incorruptible. Since he took office, he had never been afraid of the powerful. When he was the Chief Censor, the powerful in the court really feared him like a tiger, and his reputation was comparable to that of Bao Longtu.
If not for this, he would not have dared to criticize Wang Anshi and Sima Guang!
Wang Anshi said: "Prime Minister Ji is wrong. Zhang San did everything according to the law. We cannot blame him just because he was the scribe."
Tang Jie looked at Wang Anshi, this troublemaker, with displeasure. "He has fought so many cases in Kaifeng Prefecture, and he has never produced solid evidence. He just turned black into white with his mouth. Now that the evidence is solid in this case, he wants to use the same trick again. If he succeeds in this case again, haha, you will all be laughed at by future generations."
In the case of Ayun, he firmly supported Sima Guang and even had a heated argument with Wang Anshi over it. It was not until Zhang Fei brought up the political correctness of filial piety that he was forced to shut up.
But he was not convinced. Zhang Fei won the lawsuit without any hard evidence.
Previously, he also supported restricting the right to sue, and he advocated that investigations must be based on evidence. However, this person specializes in exploiting legal loopholes, which is a crooked approach.
And this time it involves royal relatives, he really couldn't help it and had to stand up and take charge of the situation.
Xu Zun certainly supported Zhang Fei and said, "In court, the law comes first, and in the ring, success or failure is the key. As long as we enforce the law impartially, why should we be afraid of being laughed at by future generations?"
Tang Jie glanced at Xu Zun and sneered, "I almost forgot that the person who wrote the ear pen was your disciple, Xu Zhongtu. No wonder!"
Xu Zun is a well-known eccentric in the legal world. He often comes up with wild ideas, which leave his colleagues speechless. In the Ayun case, he is the culprit and Zhang Fei is at best an accomplice.
Xu Zun said: "If I have ever been partial to someone or perverted the law, then you can impeach me."
Although Tang Jie didn't like Xu Zun, he also knew Xu Zun's character and said, "I am only discussing the matter at hand. I have nothing against Xu Si. I think this is unfair."
Wang Anshi asked, "What do you think is unfair about this?"
Tang Jie said: "Haven't you noticed that there has only been one person who keeps an eye on the court all along?"
Everyone looked at each other.
Although there was only one spies, the government had always been against Zhang Fei.
But then again, the presiding judge must be fair after all. He can only raise questions but cannot argue with the person who wrote the letter. He is different from the person who wrote the letter.
Lu Gong said: "Lin Fei can also hire someone to seduce him."
Tang Jie said: "You should have heard how much it costs to hire Zhang San nowadays. Only a young master like Cao Dongdong can afford it. Lin Fei definitely can't afford it. Even the coach is like this, let alone ordinary people."
Sima Guang nodded slightly and asked, "I wonder what Ji Xiang thinks about this?"
Tang Jie said: "In the past, few people with spies came to court to defend themselves. Now Zhang San's appearance has obviously broken this rule. I think the government should set up another office to help the people and deal with spies. This is fair."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone nodded in agreement.
In this way, it is not only fair, but the government also has one more card in its hand, which is beneficial to the court's rule.
Look, compared with Wang Wenshan and others, the difference is obvious.
Xu Zun was also interested in this and asked, "But I wonder if this government office is on the accusation side or the defense side?"
Tang Jie said: "The opposite of the ear pen person."
Since the government is in the middle, it doesn't matter which side it is on. The purpose of this move is to check and balance the people who have spies and cannot let them perform a one-man show.
Xu Zun said: "If you want to do this, I don't recommend that the government take on this role. If one party is from the government, then the government is very likely to favor its own people, which is actually unfair."
Tang Jie said: "If the presiding official wants to be partial, then he will be partial. What does it have to do with whose people it is?"
Xu Zun insisted: "Can the Prime Minister guarantee that the government will not deliberately favor the people on his side for the sake of face?"
Tang Jie was silent for a while, then asked, "According to you, what should we do?"
Xu Zun frowned and thought.
Sima Guang suddenly said, "Why not do this? The government can establish a cooperative relationship with the tea and snack merchants. The court has already granted them a monopoly. In addition, the government can also exempt them from taxes in exchange for their service to the government."
Tang Jie nodded slightly. The tea and snack people were a supplement to the government, but they did not belong to the government in name. It was very suitable. He then asked others, "What do you think?"
The others also nodded.
Lu Gong then asked, "Then this case will be tried after this matter is settled?"
Tang Jie said: "That's not necessary, you just need to send the chief clerk Huang Gui to help Lin Fei."
Lu Gong immediately asked, "Isn't this against the rules?"
Tang Jie said: "This matter is urgent. Currently, only Huang Gui is familiar with this case. As long as you, Magistrate Lu, enforce the law impartially, it will be fine."
Lu Gong then looked at Sima Guang and Wang Anshi.
Wang Anshi said: "To be fair, we should inform the other party first. If the other party raises doubts, we should discuss it with them."
Sima Guang also nodded in agreement.
Tang Jie thought about it for a moment and nodded.
This case must be resolved quickly and must not be delayed.
Lu Gong nodded and said, "Okay!"
In fact, he is the one who feels the most wronged.
What sin did I commit to meet such a weirdo like Zhang San
He has only been in Kaifeng Prefecture for a few months. If he is not in Kaifeng Prefecture, he must be on his way to Kaifeng Prefecture.