"Very good! Guan Yi, the right official of the Ministry of Rites, is a scholar of Jingguan, but he advocates giving up the country, disturbing Jingguo and interfering with the cabinet's decision-making. He should be punished. Guan Yi, are you convinced?"
The lobby of the provincial government was so quiet that you could hear the sound of mosquitoes flying.
"I don't accept the result!" Guan Yi held his head high and chest puffed out, his expression unchanged.
"Why?" Fang Yun looked indifferent, as if he was just talking about a trivial matter.
"My people are descendants of Confucius, and the emperors of all dynasties have been open to speech. I am a Jinshi, how can I be convicted for my words?"
Fang Yun said: "What does it mean to be convicted for speech? What is this 'speech'? The law stipulates that those who curse others should be slapped in the face. Does this count as being convicted for speech?"
"Swearing is insulting others. It is a mistake to hurt others, not a crime for words."
"In your opinion, as long as it is proved that what a person said hurt others, it can be considered a fault?" Fang Yun asked.
"That may not be the case. It is possible that the person who spoke was just speaking based on the facts, but some people took it personally and thought that he had hurt themselves. How can this be considered a fault?" Guan Yi said.
Fang Yun nodded and said, "I see. Then as long as it is proven that the person who made the statement has obvious bias and is not speaking the truth, then it can be considered a fault?"
Guan Yi hesitated for a moment and said, "As long as the person does not personally admit that a certain statement was made intentionally, it should not be considered a fault."
"According to you, as long as the criminal refuses to plead guilty, he should not be sentenced even if the evidence is overwhelming?" Fang Yun asked.
"If it is a crime, then the law should be used to punish it. If it is not a crime, but just a matter of speech, as long as the speaker has a reason and evidence, even if there is a mistake, it should be properly handled and not severely punished. For example, although Prefect Yan slandered and attacked me, you just let him sit at home and did not let him speak, which is not considered a severe punishment."
Fang Yun smiled and said, "The reason why I made Prefect Yan shut up for ten days is because his fault was cursing. If he hit someone, I would tie his hands. Different mistakes naturally require different methods of punishment. According to you, as long as it does not hurt the person who spoke, I can do it. Is that right?"
Guan Yi frowned slightly. He knew that Fang Yun wanted to make trouble for him, but he had already determined that Prefect Yan was wrong. If he suddenly changed his words, it would be like playing a trick on his superior, and Fang Yun would have an excuse to take action. If he did not change his words, it would be equivalent to giving Fang Yun the power to punish him.
Guan Yi's mind was as clear as a mirror. He knew that the content he had published in "Xiangzhou Dibao" in recent years did have obvious tendencies.
The other officials present also vaguely understood that if Guan Yi was not a Jinshi, Fang Yun could directly convict him, but Guan Yi was a Jinshi, and as long as he did not commit a serious crime, not to mention the governor, even the king would be unable to do anything to him. At worst, he could just leave and leave a good reputation.
Dong Wencong saw it more deeply. Since Fang Yun did not want to bear the infamy of future generations, he would not punish Guan Yi for the supplement of Xiangzhou Dibao. He should deal with Guan Yi in other ways. Moreover, a few days ago, Fang Yun went to the prison alone to meet several officials who were arrested for investigating brothels. Maybe this matter was related.
Afterwards, Dong Wencong shook his head slightly. Guan Yi and other Qing officials were deeply rooted in Xiangzhou. Even if there was any evidence, only their confidants knew it. Among those arrested, there was definitely no confidant of Guan Yi. Even if Fang Yun caught some evidence, it would be insignificant and it would be impossible to completely bring down Guan Yi.
Guan Yi didn't speak for a long time.
After a long while, Fang Yun slowly said, "Guan Yi, do you know the whole story of the poem 'What's the harm in giving him three feet'?"
The officials present were cheered up, as they realized that Fang Yun was targeting this sentence, because not long ago, Guan Yi had used this sentence "What's wrong with giving him three feet" to suggest that Jing State should cede the disputed land border to Qing State to avoid disputes.
The poem written by Fang Yun came to the minds of many officials.
A letter from home from a thousand miles away is only for the wall, so what if he gives me three feet? The Great Wall is still there today, but Qin Shihuang is no longer there.
Guan Yi left and said, "I heard that your friend in Ji County had a dispute over the land occupation of his house, and you wrote this poem to persuade him."
"No, you are wrong." Fang Yun said.
"Then maybe I heard it wrong." Guan Yi said.
Fang Yun sat on the main seat, leaning back against the chair, looking dignified, and said: "No, you heard the story correctly, but you were wrong to think that I wrote this poem to give advice."
Guan Yi smiled slightly and said, "Fang Xusheng wrote this poem not to advise, but to fan the flames?"
"I wrote this poem in exchange. I gave this poem to Fang Daniu's parents in exchange for them giving up three feet, in exchange for the Fang family and our neighbor the Lu family to be in harmony, in exchange for my housekeeper Fang Daniu and my friend Lu Zhan not to be laughed at. Can you understand?" Fang Yun looked at Guan Yi calmly.
All the officials present were moved. Fang Yun’s words were not profound, but the things hidden behind these words made people think deeply and admire Fang Yun even more.
Some officials looked at Fang Yun and suddenly felt a little regretful. They regretted why they had become enemies with such a respectable scholar.
Guan Yi's forehead was covered with cold sweat. As a Jinshi, he understood Fang Yun's words very well, but he couldn't answer at this time.
Fang Yun said slowly: "Since you don't answer, then I will tell you. If you have a dispute with your neighbor and take the initiative to give in, you are called a wise man. As an outsider, if you persuade both sides without causing losses to both sides, you are called a kind person. However, as an outsider, if you ask one party to give in at the cost of losing its interests, you are called a bitch in our Ji County. To be arrogant, if I just say a word, the two families will go all out to reconcile, and I can still earn the reputation of making neighbors harmonious, but I didn't do it."
Guan Yi lowered his head slightly, thinking rapidly in his mind, looking for a counterattack strategy.
Fang Yun continued, "I wrote this poem and gave it to Fang Daniu's parents. At that time, I didn't try to persuade Fang Daniu to give in. I just said one sentence at the end: if you can give in, give in; if you can't give in, don't give in! If I want Fang Daniu's parents to give in, what will happen to the resentment between the two families? What about the three feet that the two families think they have lost? I think the three feet distance is fine, but Fang Daniu's parents may think that they can't give in the three feet because of face, resentment, or because they want a bigger place! So, I didn't persuade Fang Daniu's parents to swallow their anger and give in like a bitch. Instead, I used this poem to make his parents feel relieved and take the initiative to reconcile with their neighbors."
After listening to Fang Yun's intentions, almost all the officials present were convinced. Even Qing Guan, who opposed Jing State, could not oppose Fang Yun on this matter at this moment.
Fang Yun stared at Guan Yi and said slowly: "If our Jing country had no power to resist Qing country, or if we wanted to gain greater benefits, we would give up some land on the border of Xiangzhou. When Jing country lost the war of civil war, Xiangzhou was annexed by Qing country, not because our Jing country took the initiative to give up Xiangzhou, so the people can understand. But today, it is obvious that our Jing country is rising in national strength. Taking back Xiangzhou and giving the border of Xiangzhou to Qing country will not bring any benefits. As an official of Jing country, you are paid by the people and the country, but you dare to shamelessly persuade hundreds of millions of Jing country people to give up land that should not be given up with our great Jing country. Who gave you the courage! Who gave you the power!" (~^~)