The Jingzhao prefect was in charge of all matters in the capital, and he was also a high-ranking official in the area, as he governed the city together with the three prefectures. Situ Xun had been firmly in this position for eight years, and although he was not very diligent, he had handled numerous cases, but he had never encountered such a difficult case.
It’s not easy to get the money from Donglin Marquis Mansion!
Si Tuxun sat in the court, sighing in his heart, as if there were nails under his buttocks, making it uncomfortable to sit. He looked at the two groups of people standing in the court, gritted his teeth and slammed the gavel heavily: "Madam Donglin Marquis, if you have any grievances, just tell me, I will handle it impartially!"
This sentence was suspicious of trying to cover up the truth. The case was still unclear, so how could he be so sure that the Liu family had been wronged? Rong Xuan was originally resting with his eyes closed, but when he heard this, he seemed to have noticed something and opened his eyes to look at the Liu family.
Madam Liu had an imperial decree, so she didn't need to kneel. She wiped the tears from her eyes with a handkerchief, signaled the servant to present the complaint with her eyes, and said with tears in her voice: "My Donglin Marquisate has no grudge against the Nalan Mansion, and I have always been careful to do my duty in the court. But I don't know how I offended the Prince of Ruling, who actually brought a hoe to the mountain to dig up the ancestral tomb of my Liu family in the middle of the night. Yesterday, the people of the Five Cities Military Department caught him red-handed, and there are witnesses and evidence. Please, sir, do justice for us!"
A bunch of people gathered outside to watch the excitement. When they heard Mrs. Liu's accusations, they were immediately in an uproar. People live by their face, trees live by their skin. Having their ancestral graves dug up is like having their face trampled on. No wonder the Liu family was so angry. No matter who was in charge, this matter would not be resolved peacefully.
Nalan Chun was about to say something when he heard this, but Rong Xuan raised his hand to stop him: "No hurry."
Let the other lawyer jump around for a while.
Situ Xun adjusted his official hat, obviously having a headache: "So, the Prince of Ruling did dig up the Liu family's ancestral grave?"
Madam Liu gave Nalan Chun a cold look and said, "The evidence is irrefutable. If you don't believe it, you can summon the troops from the Five Cities Military Department to confront us."
Situ Xun waved his hand at the head of the police, signaling him to summon witnesses. Soon, a man in armor came to the court. It was Liu Juque, the commander of the army last night.
He looked at his nose with his eyes and at his heart with his nose, and bowed to Situ Xun symbolically and said, "General Liu Juque greets the Lord Jingzhao Yin."
Last name Liu
Rong Xuan thought about what happened last night and thought to himself, no wonder the other party was so persistent, it turned out to be a branch of the Liu family. So, when he testified later, he would definitely side with the Liu family
Nalan Chun nervously tugged at Rong Xuan's sleeve and said in a low voice, "Rong Xuan, it's over! Liu Juque and Donglin Hou are from the same family. They are clearly a nest of snakes and rats, in cahoots with each other and colluding with each other!"
It's really hard for him to say so many idioms in one breath.
Rong Xuan thought, you are scared now, but what were you doing when you were digging up other people's ancestral graves? He pulled out his sleeves calmly, intending to listen to what Liu Juque had to say.
Liu Juque said, "I was on patrol last night and happened to meet the Liu family's cemetery keeper who came to report to the police that a strange man went up the mountain to dig graves late at night. I immediately took people to check, but I saw the Prince of Ruling digging graves and coffins in front of the Liu family's ancestral tomb..."
"Wait a minute—"
Before Liu Juque finished speaking, Rong Xuan suddenly interrupted him: "Commander Liu, the wife of the Marquis of Donglin has sued the young prince for digging up graves, that's fine. But since you are a witness, you shouldn't deliberately confuse people. The young prince clearly went up the mountain to plant trees, when did it become digging up graves and coffins? You are exaggerating like this, are you trying to deliberately influence the adults to make a judgment?"
Liu Juque recognized Rong Xuan and his face turned ugly for a moment: "But the young prince is clearly digging graves!"
Rong Xuan opened his fan with a swish and fanned it twice slowly: "Let me ask you, when you arrived last night, did you see the young prince pick up a hoe and dig a small hole in the mountain?"
Liu Juque didn't think much about it: "Yes."
Rong Xuan: "You didn't see anything else?"
Liu Juque hesitated for a moment and shook his head: "No."
Rong Xuan closed his eyes calmly: "Commander Liu is right. Because the young prince is planting trees, and planting trees naturally requires digging holes. Does someone digging holes with a hoe mean digging graves? Then wouldn't all the fruit farmers in Da Zhou have violated the law? You are randomly accusing him of digging graves. Isn't this confusing the public?"
Madam Liu was born into a wealthy family, and her knowledge was not comparable to that of an ordinary woman. Upon hearing this, she looked at Rong Xuan with a sharp gaze and sneered, "Why would a dignified prince go up the mountain to plant trees in the middle of the night, and plant them on the graves of my Liu family? Isn't this excuse too far-fetched?!"
What she wanted to say might not be far-fetched, but that she had a brain disease. However, since this was a court case, she had to swallow it back.
Rong Xuan had already thought of a reason for this. He tapped his palms lightly with his fan and said with a sigh, "Madam Liu, you don't know that there is a reason why the young prince planted trees late at night. When he went to bed last night, he suddenly encountered the late emperor in his dream. It turns out that every year on the birthday of the Empress Dowager, the late emperor would plant trees and pray for blessings. But unfortunately, the old man has ridden his dragon to the west for a long time, and he no longer interferes in worldly affairs, so naturally he can't do the same as before."
Rong Xuan used his skill of lying with his eyes open to the limit: "This year is the 80th birthday of the Empress Dowager, and it also happens to be the wedding of Princess Yannian. The late emperor was very worried, so he came to his dream at night and ordered the young prince to plant two trees for him on the mountain. The place should be north of the capital, where the purple energy is the most prosperous. The young prince has always been filial, so how could he sleep? He carried a hoe to the mountain to plant trees that night, but he was caught by the people of the Five Cities Military Department. He really has no place to complain!"
When he said this, the whole room was in uproar. Mrs. Liu's eyes widened, and she took two steps back in shock, her chest heaving. She had never expected that there would be such a shameless person in the world.
Nalan Chun's face was full of amazement and admiration. He felt that Rong Xuan's reason was really powerful, much stronger than the one he made up last night that he was hungry and wanted to go up the mountain to plant an apple tree!
Situ Xun didn't want to offend anyone, he just wanted to delay time and wait for the order from the person in the palace. But he also felt that this reason was too outrageous, and asked in surprise and doubt: "Is it true that the young prince went up the mountain to plant trees because of the late emperor's appearance in his dream?"
Dreams were not uncommon in ancient times. Officials solved cases through dreams, the gods predicted disasters through dreams, immortals taught magic through dreams, and uprisings and rebellions through dreams. It was a time when everyone could dream. Even Lady Zhaoling, the mother of Emperor Gaozu of Han, became pregnant with him because she had sex with a dragon in her dream.
"Han Shu Gaodi Ji" records: "My mother once rested on the bank of a large lake and dreamt of meeting a god. At that time, there were thunder and lightning and darkness. My father Taigong went to see her and saw a dragon above. She became pregnant and gave birth to Emperor Gaozu."
She even got pregnant in a dream, so what’s the big deal about Nalan Chun planting a tree
Madam Liu was so angry that she shouted in anger, "Nonsense! Even if the late emperor had the chance to send a message in a dream, why didn't he send it to Your Majesty, the Queen, or the Grand Empress Dowager? Instead, he sent it to the Prince of Ruling, a person of a different surname. This is clearly nonsense!"
Rong Xuan smiled and waved his fan, "I don't know the answer to this question either. Madam, why don't you go ask the late emperor in person? Maybe it's because Nalan Mansion is close to the north of the city, so the late emperor came to dream nearby."
Madam Liu was almost pissed off by him.
Nalan Chun finally wised up when he saw this, and forced a few tears to burst out. He covered his face with his sleeves and cried, "When the late emperor was alive, he loved my mother the most. He loved me too, and even my title of prince was conferred by the late emperor. This was his last wish, how could I bear not to do it? Who would have thought that I would be wrongly accused of having my mother's grave dug up? I will never accept this even if I die."
He was just talking nonsense, crying for a long time but no tears came out. But the meaning behind his words was very clear, the late emperor loved his grandson very much, and even personally granted him the title of Prince, so it was not surprising that he appeared in dreams.
This case is getting more and more complicated, even the late emperor is involved. Situ Xun wanted to smooth things over, and looked at Liu with a wry smile: "Madam Donglin, this may be a misunderstanding. In my opinion, why don't we both take a step back..."
"Everyone take a step back?!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Liu pushed away the female relatives who were supporting her. Her eyes seemed to be filled with poison, and she stared at Situ Xun with anger: "Then the ancestral tomb of my Liu family was dug in vain?! Someone has to take the blame for today's incident. Since the adults think that the young prince is not at fault, do they think that my Liu family is at fault?!"
The Donglin Marquisate was extremely powerful and did not take Nalan Chun, a prince of a different surname, seriously. Princess Yongning had no real power, so if they offended him, they would be offended. If they let the matter go today, wouldn't everyone be able to bully the Liu family in the future? How could they survive among the rich and powerful
Madam Liu's words were threatening, and her meaning was obvious. If Situ Xun was unwilling to sentence Nalan Chun, he would be the one in trouble. He was just a prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture. If this one was gone, there would naturally be another one.
Situ Xun unconsciously touched the thick stack of banknotes in his sleeve, and broke out in a cold sweat. He regretted that he had taken the Liu family's money because of his greed for money. "Then... then according to Madam's opinion, what should we do?"
Madam Liu said coldly: "What crime should be committed for digging graves? Your Excellency, are you still asking me, a woman, what is the crime?"
Situ Xun was about to speak when Rong Xuan spoke first, and his words were clear: "The Zhou Law states that anyone who discovers a coffin when opening a tomb shall be sentenced to forced labor and exile; anyone who has already opened the coffin shall be strangled; anyone who opens the tomb but does not completely open it shall be sentenced to three years in prison. Sir, is this true or not?"
Nalan Chun privately tugged at Rong Xuan: "Why are you speaking for them? Are you stupid?"
Rong Xuan signaled him not to speak.
Situ Xun wiped the sweat off his face with his sleeve and said with a wry smile, "That's right, that's right. According to the Zhou Law, the Prince of Ruling is indeed... indeed..."
If you really break the law, the worst that can happen is hard labor and exile.
Rong Xuan turned to look at Madam Liu and asked meaningfully, "Then I guess Madam Marquis also thinks this law is reasonable?"
Madam Liu didn't know what he was up to, but after thinking about it, she didn't find any loopholes in this sentence. She frowned and said, "The Zhou Law was compiled by the emperor himself, so it is naturally reasonable."
"Very good!"
Rong Xuan suddenly put away his fan with a bang, and bowed to Situ Xun, saying, "I'm sure you've heard what Madam Liu said just now. Please close the case and find the young prince not guilty!"
Everyone was shocked when these words came out. Madam Liu almost broke her nails: "How dare you! Are you kidding us?!"
Situ Xun also felt that he was being unreasonable and slammed the gavel vigorously: "Asshole! How can you speak nonsense in court!"
Rong Xuan looked him straight in the eyes and said without hesitation, "I am only speaking the truth according to the law. Those who find the coffin when digging up a grave shall be sentenced to forced labor and exile, those who have opened the coffin shall be strangled, and those who dig up but do not dig thoroughly shall be sentenced to three years in prison. Even if the young prince planted the wrong tree at the Liu family's grave, the pit is very shallow, firstly, no coffin was found, secondly, no coffin was opened, and thirdly, no burial objects were stolen, how can he be convicted and on what basis?!"
He was playing with the wording, but Madam Liu refused to buy it. She gritted her teeth and said, "You said you haven't seen the coffin, so you haven't seen the coffin. Who can prove it?!"
Rong Xuan pointed his folding fan at Liu Juque who was standing beside him: "Then Madam Liu should ask the commander. I specially asked him to take a look at the pit dug by the county prince last night. Everyone in the military department can testify that they didn't see the coffin!"
Liu Juque's face turned pale and he didn't expect Rong Xuan to be waiting for him here.
When Madam Liu saw Liu Juque's expression, she knew that what Rong Xuan said was true. She looked at Rong Xuan with hatred in her eyes: "Even if the young prince did not open the coffin, there is solid evidence that he dug up the soil and planted trees in my Liu family's ancestral tomb. It is really an extreme insult, even worse than digging up the grave!"
Rong Xuan gestured with his hand to make an egg-sized hole and asked curiously, "Is digging a small hole also considered an insult?"
Madam Liu glared at him: "Of course it counts!"
Situ Xun also nodded repeatedly, and said, "Of course it counts, of course it counts."
"Okay!" Rong Xuan suddenly turned around and walked forward, pulling out a thick stack of papers from his sleeve and slamming them on the desk. He looked directly at Situ Xun and asked word by word, "According to what you said, if digging a pit is considered an insult and should be punished with a serious crime, then what about urinating and defecating on someone's ancestral grave?"
Situ Xun was confused: "Who urinated on someone's ancestral grave?"
Rong Xuan said shockingly: "Of course it is the Liu family."
"Asshole!" Situ Xun slammed the gavel heavily, "When did the Liu family defecate and urinate on someone else's ancestral grave? How dare you say such outrageous words? Come on, drag him away and beat him up!"
He was about to take out chips from the lottery tube when Rong Xuan suddenly stopped him, pulled out a piece of paper, and slapped it in front of him. "The Liu family has a villa at the entrance of Wannianfang Street. There are three green willows in front of the door. Originally, a family surnamed Qiu lived there. The Qiu family moved out of the capital since the war in the previous dynasty. Unexpectedly, when the Liu family built a house, they directly occupied the land of the family, and even enclosed the ancestral tomb of the Qiu family and turned it into a toilet. Now the Qiu family has returned to the capital to return to their ancestors, but they have nowhere to go and can only beg on the street. May I ask, sir, if digging a pit is considered an insult, then what crime should the Liu family be charged for urinating and defecating on the Qiu family's ancestral tomb every day?!"
Madam Liu's pupils shrank slightly when she heard this, and she looked confused and doubtful: "You! Stop talking nonsense!"
Rong Xuan glanced at her with a half-smile in his eyes: "The Donglin Marquisate is very wealthy and has countless villas. Madam Liu is forgetful and probably has forgotten which villa it is. But it doesn't matter, I have other villas here."
After he finished speaking, he pulled out another piece of paper and slapped it heavily in front of Situ Xun: "Young Marquis Liu Jianlai of Donglin Marquis Mansion likes Cuju. He seized a piece of land in the suburbs and turned it into a Cuju field. But that piece of land was specially granted by Emperor Shengzu of Zhou during the Jinghe period as a burial place for fallen soldiers. In the Battle of Changling, countless Zhou soldiers were killed and wounded. A total of 3,600 people from Yuanwei Camp, Hubao Camp, and Zhengde Camp died, and 156 of them were buried here. Liu Jianlai rode his horse on it with his friends every day to play and have fun. I wonder what crime he should be charged with?!"
The Donglin Marquis's Mansion is a wealthy family with a lot of wealth. There are always unfilial descendants who cheat, deceive, and rob women. Rong Xuan finally took out a piece of paper and slapped it in front of Situ Xun, curling his lips and sneering, "Even your mansion, Master Situ, was the outer residence of Master Wang Yannian, the editor of the Hanlin Academy, before it was built. I heard that he had a concubine who was buried under the peach tree outside the courtyard after her death. I wonder if you have seen it? Have you walked back and forth on the woman's grave? If digging a grave is a serious crime, then the Liu family, including you, are guilty of an even greater crime?"
Situ Xun thought of the extremely beautiful peach tree in the backyard where he once drank tea and wine under the tree, and he suddenly felt a chill on his back.
Madam Liu felt dizzy and began to lose her balance. She pushed away the person who was supporting her, and said with gritted teeth, "That land was bought by my Liu family. It is my Liu family's land. No one else can interfere with the construction of the house!"
Hearing this, Rong Xuan looked at her and asked, "Liu family's land? All land under heaven belongs to the king, and all the people are his subjects. No matter how powerful the Donglin Marquisate is, it is still a subject of the Zhao family. This world belongs to the emperor, and the people are the emperor's subjects. When did it become your Liu family's land? There are people buried in the earth everywhere in the world. The emperor just wanted to plant two trees on his own land, but you guys kept biting him. Do you want to rebel?! Lord Situ supports the Liu family, don't you want to rebel with us?!"
A big black pot flew in the air, and Situ Xun was so scared that he almost fell off his chair. He looked at Rong Xuan with a pale face, angry and anxious, and raised his finger to point at him tremblingly, unable to speak for a long time: "You...you..."
A silver bill accidentally slipped from his sleeve and floated to the ground.
Rong Xuan was sharp-eyed. He bent down to pick it up, only to find that it was a ten thousand tael silver note with Wantong Bank written on it. He raised his eyebrows slightly, then smiled and handed it to Situ Xun, lowering his voice and kindly reminding him: "Sir, your silver note has fallen."
Seeing this, Situ Xun's pupils shrank slightly, and he hurriedly tried to take it back, but Rong Xuan took the banknote back again and asked with a smile: "My Lord, do you know that this is 10,000 taels of silver?"
Situ Xun raised his hand to wipe the sweat off his face and said guiltily: "That is my savings over the years, many years of savings..."
Rong Xuan: "Then, sir, you know that you are a fourth-rank official, with an annual salary of 120 taels, 80 taels of grace salary, and 130 hu of rice, a total of 330 taels. This 10,000 taels of silver is enough for you to serve as the prefect for 30 years, but as far as I know, you have only been in office for eight years, hiss..."
Rong Xuan touched his chin, seeming to be very distressed.
Situ Xun was about to cry, and he only hated himself for not living up to his expectations and being caught by others: "I borrowed it, I borrowed it."
Rong Xuan raised his eyebrows when he heard this: "Borrowed? Did you borrow it from the Liu family?"
Situ Xun was shocked when he heard this, wondering how he knew that, but then he heard Rong Xuan say calmly, "This banknote is from Wantong Bank."
Situ Xun was confused: "What happened to Wantong Bank?"
Rong Xuan glanced at him and said, "Wantong Money House is a shop under the name of the Liu family. Do you understand, sir? The Zhou Law states that if an official embezzles or accepts bribes, he will be flogged forty times for every foot of stolen goods, and one level more for every piece of stolen goods. If he steals eight pieces of stolen goods, he will be sentenced to one year of imprisonment. If he steals more than fifty pieces of stolen goods, he will be exiled for 2,000 miles. You should have more up your sleeve, right?"
This much silver, to put it in an exaggerated way, is enough to send Situ Xun to Africa and back. If necessary, Rong Xuan doesn't mind sending the man who slammed the gavel above in as well.
Rong Xuan held the banknote between his fingers and shook it gently. "This is the evidence of the crime. Please judge the case, sir."
The last sentence was deliberately raised in voice so that everyone could hear it. After speaking, he turned and walked to Nalan Chun's side, waving his folding fan, waiting for Situ Xun to close the case.
Situ Xun was so distraught after hearing this that he collapsed on the chair, knowing that he would offend someone no matter what. The Liu family would never take the initiative to expose the bribery, otherwise they would not be able to escape responsibility. The emperor hated corruption and abuse of power the most. If Rong Xuan made a big deal of it, the lives of his entire family would be in danger.
"boom!"
Situ Xun suddenly slammed the gavel heavily, and after a moment of silence, he spoke word by word, biting his teeth until blood came out of his mouth: "Pass on my order, the Prince of Ruling was entrusted by the late emperor to plant trees on the mountain, and his filial piety is commendable. Although he dug up the Liu family's ancestral tomb by mistake, he did not see the coffin, did not open the coffin, and did not steal the burial objects. It is difficult to convict him, and the court is adjourned!"
After he finished speaking, he threw the gavel away, turned around and left, with an expression of fleeing in a panic, and did not dare to look at the ugly faces of the Liu family.
Nalan Chun was dumbfounded when he saw this, like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world: They won just like that? They won just like that? They really won
The people watching outside were amazed and thought it was amazing that such a wicked act as digging up people's ancestral graves could be justified. The lawyer in white was really a master of debate!
Ji Fan and Zhao Su also stood outside the crowd. One of them had a subtle expression, and the other was thoughtful, but they could not hide their surprise. They thought that even if the emperor came, it would be difficult to judge this case, but they did not expect Rong Xuan to really have the ability to let Situ Xun close the case, and even choked the Liu family so much that they became unreasonable.
what is this
Without morals, anything is possible
After Rong Xuan finished the lawsuit, he saw Nalan Chun staring at him in a daze, so he tapped him on the shoulder with his fan, then stretched out his hand to him without saying a word and hooked his fingertips.
Nalan Chun was slow to come back to his senses. Seeing this, he was confused and subconsciously extended his hand. Unexpectedly, Rong Xuan slapped it away with a slap: "Young prince, why are you acting so stupid? Where is the three thousand taels of silver?"
His fees are very high, Nalan Chun wouldn't want to get it for free.
"So it's for this." Nalan Chun pulled his hand back in pain, followed Rong Xuan out, and took out silver from his sleeves, unable to hide his admiration: "But Rong Xuan, you are too good, you actually won the lawsuit! You didn't see that the people from the Liu family were almost fainted from anger just now."
After he finished speaking, he took out three thousand taels of silver and handed it to him.
Rong Xuan took the silver and stuffed it into his sleeve without even looking at it: "It's easy to win a lawsuit, but it's hard to resolve a grudge. I'm afraid the Liu family will hate you."
Nalan Chun didn't care: "I can't be afraid of other people's jealousy and hold myself back everywhere. Their jealousy is worthless to me, so I'm not afraid of them."
The Donglin Marquis's mansion has a daughter as a concubine and has given birth to a prince, so they must have the intention to seize the throne and will confront the prince sooner or later. Nalan Chun is a member of the prince's party, so he will naturally fight to the death with them.
The two of them walked to the gate of the government office, but saw that the people had not yet dispersed, and were all watching the excitement with great interest. Rong Xuan looked around, bowed to the four directions, and said calmly: "I am Rong Xuan, and I have read the Zhou Law and am honored to be a lawyer. If you have a lawsuit in the future, please come to me. I will do my best. No matter whether the other party is a royal relative or a bully, I will definitely redress the injustice for the victim."
This case made him famous, and 99% of the lawyers in the Great Zhou Dynasty would have to give him a backseat from now on. Just as everyone was applauding, a beggar in ragged clothes hid behind the crowd, stared at Rong Xuan for a moment, then quietly turned around and left.
Zhao Su stood there, thinking that if what Rong Xuan had just sued the Liu family was true, she would not sit idly by and would report it to His Majesty. Thinking of this, she stepped forward and bowed to Rong Xuan, saying, "Mr. Rong, what a coincidence! I didn't expect that we would meet again."
Rong Xuan had seen her in the teahouse and smiled as he bowed in return, "Your Highness, what a coincidence."
Zhao Su glanced at Nalan Chun, then looked at Rong Xuan: "I didn't expect that Mr. Rong is not only an excellent swordsman, but also a master in court debate. I am sorry that my brother is useless and has caused trouble for you."
A carriage was parked quietly not far away. The curtain was lifted and a bony hand stretched out. The man did not show his face, but just silently hooked his fingertips at Rong Xuan, his complexion was as cold as jade.
It was an extremely casual action, yet it felt very seductive.
Rong Xuan took a look and felt an inexplicable itch in his heart. He came back to his senses and looked at Zhao Su, curling his lips and smiling: "It's my duty to help others get rid of their misfortunes after receiving their money. I have something else to do, so I'll take my leave now."
He nodded slightly to Zhao Su, then turned and got on a carriage on the side of the road. Zhao Su was sharp-eyed and found that the carriage seemed to be Ji Fan's, and he was stunned for a moment.
Seeing Zhao Su standing there in a daze, Nalan Chun couldn't help but wave his hand in front of her eyes: "What's wrong with you? Are you stupid?"
When Zhao Su heard him calling her stupid, he finally came back to his senses. His tone became heavier and he said seriously, "Nalan Chun, you are getting bolder. Who allowed you to dig up the Liu family's ancestral grave?"
Nalan Chun curled his lips: "Who made them do something bad? Otherwise, I would not bother to go up the mountain in the middle of the night."
Zhao Su had also heard about the assassination, but he had no solid evidence. He frowned and said, "You shouldn't have rashly used this method to seek revenge. It's really too stupid."
Nalan Chun stuck his neck out and shouted in grievance: "The assassin didn't stab your butt, he stabbed my butt! Of course you are not in a hurry!"
Zhao Su choked: "You!"