Chapter Thirty-Six: Lawsuit

  Listening to the adult's words, both the plaintiff and defendant in the hall responded accordingly. Song Shiran handed over the indictment again, Mei Xizheng pretended to take a look, and then handed it over to Zheng Tuo, who gave it to Fan Xian for review. After reading it carefully, Fan Xian found that it was not much different from his own expectations, nodded slightly, and returned it.

  Song Shi-ren coldly said, "I just don't understand why this Fan Xian, Fan Gongzi, has come up to the public hall, yet still stands proudly, without bowing or paying respects. With such behavior, it's no wonder he committed such a brutal act last night!"

  Fan Xian glanced at the judge and curiously asked, "Do you need to kneel in court?" He had been reading books in Danzhou every day and was familiar with the laws of Qingguo, so he naturally understood the crux of the matter. This question was intentional.

  "Nature, how dare you not respect the dignity of the imperial court?" Song Shiran frowned at his opponent. In fact, he was extremely unwilling to fight this lawsuit today, after all, the opposing party was the Fan family, a family that did not show off its power but was actually feared by many people. However, there was no way out, as he had already walked too far down the path of being a minister and could not turn back, so it was impossible for him to refuse.

  Fan Xian chuckled and said: "Why doesn't Mr. Song kneel?"

  Song Shi-ren narrowed his eyes and looked at the young man, guessing whether he was really a bumpkin or just pretending to be one. He said stiffly, "I have an official title, and according to imperial regulations, I should not kneel when meeting my superior."

  Fan Xian bowed his head and asked: "Student has seen teacher, does student need to kneel?"

  Song Shi-ren knew that the other party must have a title, but he had checked earlier in the Ministry of Works and found that this Fan Xian did not seem to have participated in the imperial examination. How could he be a scholar? He slapped his hand on the folding fan and asked: "May I ask, Mr. Fan, what year did you enter the imperial examination?"

  Fan Xian replied politely, "The previous year's Huazhou prefectural examination." These were actually things that Fan Jian had arranged beforehand, before Fan Xian entered the capital. However, he himself didn't know about it until today when he was going to file a lawsuit and only then did he realize that he had unknowingly become a xiucai.

  The matter of kneeling or not kneeling was thus settled, and the trial officially began. Both sides circled around the topic several times, stating their respective opinions. Guo Baokun insisted that it was Fan Xian and several guards from the Fan residence who had beaten him up yesterday, while Zheng Tuo maintained that Fan Gongzi had been at home all day yesterday, with many servants as witnesses. As the debate intensified, the murmurs of the onlookers outside the Kyoto Prefecture also grew louder. Surprisingly, more people believed in Fan Xian's innocence, thinking that such a handsome and delicate young master couldn't possibly be capable of violence, while Guo Gongzi, sitting in his wheelchair with injuries, didn't seem like a good person at all.

  Mei Zhi Li looked down at the noisy crowd below, feeling annoyed, and waved her hand to silence everyone.

  "Dare I ask, sir, the culprit is standing right in front of you, why don't you quickly take him down?" Song Shiran took the lead, thinking that what was written on the indictment was clear and severe, but the prefecture master remained silent for half a day, perhaps he had already decided to side with the Fan family, so he hurriedly pressed on.

  Zheng Tuo smiled slightly: "Mr. Song, your mouth is a bit too fast. Guo Gongzi was attacked last night, according to the case file, he was put in a sack and then suffered this tragic fate. Since his head was already covered before being beaten, how could he see the face of the perpetrator? How can we be sure it was Fan Gongzi who did it?"

  "Nature has heard the voice of Mr. Fan, and Mr. Fan himself admitted it at that time. Is he going to deny it now?" Song Shiran looked at Fan Xian with a sarcastic tone, "A man should take responsibility, doesn't he have even this bit of courage?"

  Fan Xian naturally knew that the other party was provoking him, but his face remained calm and somewhat stunned, as if he didn't quite understand why the other party wanted to frame him. Zheng Tuo's voice rang out again in a timely manner, full of sarcastic meaning: "Voice? I have studied Qing law examples carefully, and I've never heard of any case where guilt was determined by voice."

  Song Shi Ren was not in a hurry, and slowly said: "If the voice is not enough to prove Mr. Fan's identity, then I invite you all to see a poem." After finishing this sentence, he took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, and slowly recited it.

  ……

  ……

  Sitting behind the desk, Mei Zhi Li was a bit distracted, but suddenly hearing this poem, he was invigorated and said: "Good poem, good poem, I don't know who wrote it?" After saying this, he realized that he was in court now, not in his study, and what was in front of him was not a poetry meeting, but a trial. He coughed twice and asked Song Shi Ren to hand the poem over.

  He read it carefully again, and felt that the author of this poem was not only talented but also had a rare skill in refining words. He curiously asked Song Shiran: "Who wrote this poem, and what is its connection to this case?"

  Song Shi-ren respectfully replied, "This poem was written by Fan Xian, the young master of the Fan family, at the poetry gathering in the Jingguo Wangfu yesterday. And last night, when Fan Gongzi intercepted Guo Gongzi on the street and ruthlessly struck him down, he also recited these few lines of poetry, explicitly stating that he wanted to make Guo Gongzi do this and that."

  Mei Zhi Li was shocked, looking at the young man on the stage with a sincere and bright smile, never expecting that this person from Fan's residence could write such a poem. After hearing what Song Shi Ren said next, he was even more puzzled and headache, thinking to himself "You hit people just hit them, why do you still have to recite poetry?" This kind of place where people show off their bravery and ferocity, is not exactly the place for elegance and refinement. Now it's all over, they've been caught in a trap by the opponent.

  This person, Mei Zhili, has a rich experience, but being able to sit in the key position of Kyoto Prefectural Governor for so many years is still due to his skillful "mediation". Kyoto is a place where dragons and tigers are hidden, and the wealthy and noble gather. If he were only impartial and upright, it would be impossible to last long. When he first entered the palace, Guo Gonggong passed on to him a four-character motto: "Quell the affair and pacify the people". Mei Zhili has since adhered to these four characters and has indeed safely passed many years.

  So for today's case, he still maintained this attitude and would not make any decisions on his own. He would just let the two governments negotiate privately. If it really didn't work out, he would drag the case on for a few more days and then hand it over to the Ministry of Punishment. Since it was "muddying the waters", he definitely couldn't let the case become an ironclad one in his own government, so he looked at Fan Xian and Zheng Tuo with some worry.

  Zheng Tuo had once been a tutor in Mei's mansion for some time, so he naturally knew what the old master was worried about. He chuckled and said: "It's really absurd and laughable. Think about it, at the poetry gathering, there were many talented scholars, and people were talking loudly. When Fan Gongzi's poem came out, it was astonishing, of course someone would copy it out, and others knowing this poem is not unusual, more importantly..."

  He gave Song Shiren a cold look and sneered, "Is Master Fan suffering from madness? He wrote this poem in the afternoon, and at night he would go beat someone up while reciting poetry?! Not to mention how ridiculous that scene is, it only shows that he's trying to frame himself, what an idiot! This clearly shows that someone has a grudge against Guo Gongzi and also knows about the conflict between Fan Gongzi and Guo Gongzi at the wine tower a few days ago, so they deliberately misled Guo Gongzi into thinking that the perpetrator was Fan Gongzi."

  A few words later, the young master came down and said something reasonable. However, Fan Xian, who was standing aside with a smile, heard him say - "Only fools would be so stupid", and couldn't help but cough twice in embarrassment. Meanwhile, Guo Baokun, sitting in his wheelchair, had already lost his temper and scolded: "Don't think you can talk your way out of this! This illegitimate son relies on the power of the Fan family and doesn't care about the law at all, that's why he dares to be so reckless!"

  Upon hearing the three words "illegitimate child", Zheng Tuo's face immediately darkened, and he deeply felt that Young Master beating him into a wheelchair was a very wise move. He coldly said: "As a compiler in the palace, Guo Gongzi should pay attention to his words. Although I know you have grievances in your heart, this anger cannot be vented indiscriminately. After all, you are close to the Crown Prince, and hurting the dignity of the palace is not good."

  This remark is a stab at Guo Baokun, and also subtly points out that in terms of power and influence, the Fan family cannot compare to the Guo family, which has produced the Crown Prince's close relative. The previous words spoken by Guo Baokun naturally do not hold water. As expected, outside the city walls, the common people are discussing it heatedly, and more and more people believe that Fan Xian is innocent.

  Fan Xian's face showed no expression, but in his heart he was deeply impressed with Zheng Tuo. The things he had arranged the previous night were all utilized by Zheng Tuo without any omissions. It was strange to say that Song Shi Ren, this prosecutor, did not seem as anxious as Guo Bao Kun. He smiled and said: "Prefect Sir, my young master is injured, may we proceed with the case after he has rested?"

  Mei Zhi Li nodded and had the bailiffs take Guo Baokun, who was still fuming with anger, to the back. At this time, Song Shi Ren turned around and saluted Fan Xian and Zheng Tuo, saying: "So it seems that Master Fan is not willing to admit to hitting someone." For some reason, after Guo Baokun left, his face looked more radiant, as if he felt that the real battlefield was about to begin.

  Zheng Tuo and Fan Xian smiled at the same time, not saying a word. The Cow Lane was so dark, with no witnesses or evidence, what could you use to prove that we were the ones who beat him? Moreover, the indictment clearly stated that the guards of the Guo Mansion had been knocked unconscious by the anesthetic, and even if you let them come and testify that "the one who beat him was Fan Xian", no one would believe it. Even Mei Zhili furrowed his brow, calling Song Shiran to the front, saying in a low voice: "Let's just leave it at this for today."

  Song Shi-ren, however, clasped his hands together and frowned, saying: "The honorable Guo Gongzi was openly beaten in the street, this is a matter of great importance, how can it be settled so hastily?"

  Plum Blossom held the ritual instrument and said in anger, "When did this official ever say to conclude the case? It's just a postponement for further investigation. You, the Guo family, only said you were beaten, but you must produce evidence of who beat you." Since ancient times, corporal punishment has not been used on high officials, and even if Fan Xian was not a scholar, it is estimated that the Kyoto Prefectural Government would not dare to use corporal punishment on him. Therefore, they wanted the Fan family to speak out themselves, which is basically an impossible task.

  But then Song Shiran turned around and asked: "Was Master Fan in the mansion all night yesterday?"

  Zheng Tuo replied: "Exactly, all the people in the mansion can testify."

  Song Shi-ren coldly said, "Bring the witnesses up." Mei Zhi-li only then realized there were still variables and nodded. Then some people from the Guo household brought a group of people onto the platform. These people had different attire and occupations - there was a tangyuan seller, a night watchman, a sedan chair bearer waiting for business at the street corner, and even a prostitute.

  Zheng Tuo slightly furrowed his brow, feeling something was off. The onlookers curiously asked: "What is this?"