Wang Anshi and Sima Guang both regarded Zhang San as their weapon, but the force is mutual. In fact, Zhang Fei also regarded Wang Anshi and Sima Guang as his left and right arms.

Regarding the progress of judicial reform, Zhang Fei promoted it through Sima Guang, and in terms of policy, Zhang Fei promoted it through Wang Anshi.

It’s just that Wang Anshi and Sima Guang were rather casual in using Zhang Fei, after all, they were in a superior-subordinate relationship.

And when Zhang Fei uses them, he needs to use his brain more and use interests to persuade them during the mobilization and the process of their struggle.

Regarding the policy on wing troops, Zhang Fei had already mentioned it to Zhao Xu and obtained Zhao Xu's consent, but that was only in private. On the surface, it still had to be promoted through Wang Anshi.

He cannot allow any force in the court to dominate, because that would be very detrimental to the current public security, procuratorial and judicial systems. Once a single force dominates, there are only two possibilities: either the public security, procuratorial and judicial systems will disappear completely, or they will become the only ones in power. However, this is also a dead end!

How could the emperor allow the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs to dominate?

After Wang Anshi finished talking with Zhang Fei, Sima Guang came over immediately.

"Did that man threaten you?"

Sima Guang asked with a serious look.

...

...

Wang Anshi has always supported expanding the powers of the Imperial City Bureau, attempting to use his authority to suppress public opinion, because he knows that public opinion will definitely be unfavorable to him. Secondly, this lawsuit is also related to him, and a trial will be very unfavorable to him.

Zhang Fei smiled and said, "It's not a threat, it's just a criticism."

Sima Guang said nervously: "Don't be influenced by him. This lawsuit will have a huge impact on the entire public security, procuratorial and judicial system. We cannot afford to lose this lawsuit."

Zhang Fei pretended to be ignorant and asked, "Is it that serious?"

Sima Guang opened his mouth at first, then sighed: "I don't want to add more pressure to you, but if you lose this case, the chief judge will most likely be forced to resign. Although we will also lend a helping hand, no one knows what will happen at that point, so it's best to win this case."

Zhang Fei nodded and said with a smile: "Master Sima, rest assured, I will not lose."

Hearing this, Sima Guang heaved a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "I knew you were sure to win."

After that, he coughed and said, "Okay, I won't keep you any longer. Go ahead and get busy."

"yes."

When they returned to the table, Li Guozhong walked over and the two of them greeted each other.

Li Guozhong smiled and said, "I guess Prosecutor Zhang must have been under pressure to file this lawsuit."

Zhang Fei pretended to be curious and asked, "What do you mean?"

Li Guozhong said: "Because it is almost impossible for your procuratorate to win this lawsuit, I even think that our victory is somewhat unfair."

Zhang Fei smiled and said, "I hope you can win, so that the people won't think that our procuratorate is cheating. Winning every time will also reduce the people's expectations of watching the lawsuit."

Li Guozhong said confidently: "We will definitely win this lawsuit."

"Perhaps."

Zhang Fei said very modestly.

A hint of disappointment flashed across Li Guozhong's eyes. He exchanged a few more pleasantries and returned to his seat.

Zhang Fei also returned to his seat.

The young prosecutor Zhou Zheng was very unhappy and said, "How dare you be so arrogant when you are defeated?"

Zhang Fei chuckled and said, "Keep calm, he is not here to show off, but to test me."

Qi Ji said: "Test?"

“It should be.”

Zhang Fei nodded and said, "Maybe he is just like you, and doesn't know how to prove this lawsuit, so they came to test me to see if I have any tricks up my sleeve."

Wang Gong asked with a smile: "Do you have any hidden tricks?"

Zhang Fei couldn't help but shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Where is it hidden? It has been used tens of thousands of times, but you have never learned it."

"What's the trick?"

"major!"

"???"

"cough!"

Suddenly, he heard a cough behind him. Fu Bi turned around and saw Han Qi walking towards him slowly with the support of his son. After looking at him for a while, Fu Bi stroked his beard and smiled, "You look better than before."

Han Qi sat down and said with a self-deprecating smile: "I listened to your advice and stayed away from alcohol and women, hoping to live two more days."

".!"

Fu Bi laughed twice.

With your current situation, you wouldn't be able to handle wine and women even if they were placed in front of you.

Han Qi took a look at the scene and said with emotion: "I no longer have high hopes for the public security, procuratorate and courts!"

"Oh?" Fu Bi asked curiously, "Why?"

Han Qi said: "It seems that the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs are very glamorous, but to me, they feel like trapped beasts that are still fighting."

He was the prime minister of three dynasties and had a thorough understanding of the relationship between power. After this series of events, he also discovered that the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs were not conducive to the imperial power.

Any idea that is not conducive to imperial power will be looked down upon.

Fu Bi nodded and said, "Actually, I've had this feeling before."

Han Qi asked, "Has it disappeared now?"

Fu Bi replied: "A trapped beast still fighting will never see the light of day, which makes people feel desperate. But the police, procuratorate and courts are different. After every conflict, people always feel that the light of day is coming. It is not like a trapped beast still fighting, but more like climbing over hills. The end seems to be near, but also seems to be far away in the horizon, just like that."

"Mirage."

Han Qi said first.

Fu Bi nodded.

Han Qi thought for a moment and said, "That's right."

Like Han Qi, many of the ministers present, whether they supported the public security, procuratorial and judicial systems or opposed them, actually had this feeling to some extent.

In fact, many new ideas emerge and grow in struggles. However, unlike the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs, those ideological struggles are limited to verbal disputes among literati, while the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs are directly reflected in reality. It is like walking on a tightrope. If you are not careful, you will be finished.

However, the people outside the court thought the exact opposite of what they thought. Their eyes were full of expectations, and they always firmly believed that the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs could give them justice.

The Imperial City Administration was not only unpopular among the ministers, but also unpopular among the people.

Since ancient times, no one has liked this institution.

After a while, Zhao Yan finally appeared in the seat of the president of the court, but today he had an assistant beside him, who was Cheng Yi.

Strictly speaking, this was the first trial that Cheng Yi attended. Although he had been catching up on Zhang Fei's trial transcript recently, when he actually participated in it, even Cheng Yi couldn't help but feel a little nervous and hesitant.

Zhao Yan was not a man who would procrastinate. He asked Cheng Yi to briefly introduce the lawsuit, and then announced the start of the trial.

This was just a one-way lawsuit. The Imperial City Bureau did not initiate the lawsuit to sue the two soldiers. Logically, they should have done so, but they did not do so. They just responded to the lawsuit.

Because judging from the prosecution's litigation situation, as long as they can prevent the prosecution from forcing a confession under torture, it can indirectly prove that the two soldiers are guilty. So why bother to divert their energy to attack? In court, saying too much is a mistake.

Next, if they initiate a lawsuit, it means that the Imperial City Bureau will be connected with the public security, procuratorate and courts. Things have become so deadlocked that they are even more reluctant to connect with the public security, procuratorate and courts. As long as they win the lawsuit, they will hand the case over to the Dali Temple.

As the prosecutor, Zhang Fei stood up first and said, "I beg the judge to summon the first witness Hu Changbai and the second witness Qiu He."

"pass!"

After a while, a cry of surprise was heard outside the yard.

Upon hearing this, the officials also turned their heads to look, and saw four court guards carrying two bamboo sedans into the court. On the upper half of the sedans lay two men in their thirties or forties, with their shoulders hunched and their necks tilted. They were fixed with splints from their feet to their shoulders, and their bodies were bandaged like big dumplings.

The people outside the courtyard immediately pointed and talked, and the sound of discussion rose one after another.

This preconceived image led people to directly believe that this was a confession obtained under torture!

Suddenly, someone shouted angrily, "They are just pretending to win everyone's sympathy. They walked out of the Imperial City on their own a few days ago. How can it be so serious?"

Everyone turned their heads to look and saw that it was the eunuch Li Zhien. He was filled with anger and his eyes were wide open.

MD

I've always been the one who wronged others, but today you guys are trying to do this to me right away. I'm an expert in this area!

"quiet!"

Zhao Yan angrily rebuked: "You are not allowed to speak without permission, otherwise, I will order you to be expelled from the imperial court."

Li Zhien snorted and sat down again angrily.

Li Guozhong also turned his head to look at Zhang Fei, his eyes full of contempt. You are a senior prosecutor, and you are trying to treat us like this. Where is your agreed status?

Zhang Fei held up a document and said seriously, "Five days ago, the police station invited the best doctor in Beijing to treat the first and second witnesses. This is their diagnosis.

They can indeed walk now, but they are very likely to fall. At the same time, their shoulder bones and ribs are fractured to varying degrees. If they fall, the consequences will be disastrous. The doctor told them to rest in ** for a few days, but since they are key witnesses in this lawsuit and must be present, we can only carefully carry them here for safety reasons. "

Li Guozhong couldn't help but mutter, "Is it that serious?"

You're just trying to gain sympathy. You've put in so much effort, and you're afraid that others will think you're not professional enough.

"Present."

Zhao Yan said immediately.

Cheng Yi, who was in court for the first time, felt that this trial was really different. Even this small detail was brought out in the diagnosis report.

After Zhao Yan carefully read the diagnosis reports of the two, he asked the two witnesses, "Two witnesses, are you able to testify soberly now?"

"Can."

They both answered at the same time.

Zhao Yan nodded and said to Zhang Fei, "The prosecutor can now proceed with the questioning."

"yes."

Zhang Fei first asked Hu Changbai: "Hu Changbai, do you remember what you were doing during the evening of the 18th of last month, from about 1:15 to 2:15?"

Hu Changbai replied weakly: "At that time, I made an appointment with Brother Qiu to drink at Chen's Tavern in Xiangfu County."

Zhang Fei continued to ask: "Is the Brother Qiu you are talking about the second witness Qiu He?"

"Yes."

Hu Changbai just nodded slightly.

Zhang Fei asked, "Why did you invite the second witness Qiu He to drink at Chen's Tavern that day?"

Hu Changbai said: "It's because we received our full monthly salary that day, so we agreed to have a few drinks together."

Zhang Fei pretended to be puzzled and asked, "A full monthly salary? Does it include bonuses?"

"It's the monthly salary." Hu Changbai said.

Zhang Fei was even more curious and asked, "Is this something worth celebrating?"

Hu Changbai said: "Because it was difficult for our soldiers to receive full monthly salaries in previous years, but we received full monthly salaries last month, so we thought we should celebrate."

Zhang Fei asked: "How much is the full monthly salary?"

"Three hundred coins."

"You soldiers only get three hundred coins a month?"

"That's not the case. This is salary, as well as food, cotton, and pickles."

"Calculated in full, how much money can you earn each year?"

"If we calculate the full amount, we can probably get just over 23 kan per year."

A guan is 1,000 wen, and a guan is between 770 and 820 wen. In the imperial court, only the guan was counted, not the guan, because there was no exact number.

Zhang Fei asked again: "How much can you actually get?"

"Usually it's around twenty strings of cash." Hu Changbai said.

"You took so much less money, didn't you report it to your superiors?"

"Some people complained, but it was no use."

"Why?"

"Because our superiors will find all kinds of excuses, saying that we don't work hard, and then they will deduct our salaries."

"Is it true that you didn't work hard enough?"

"Of course not."

"Do you have any proof?"

"There are tens of thousands of soldiers in Xiangfu County, but only a few of them can receive full salaries."

"Can this money satisfy your living needs?"

"This little money is not enough in the capital. We usually do some handicrafts in the camp to earn a little money to supplement the family income."

"be opposed to."

Li Lei suddenly stood up and said excitedly: "What the prosecutors asked has nothing to do with this case. They just want to win everyone's sympathy. Their behavior is very despicable."

Cheng Yi was the only one in the audience who was shocked. He had never seen such a brutal Erbi. The court transcript would not record their tone.

Zhang Fei argued: "These questions are all about why they said those words in the bar. They are the cause of this case and are of vital importance."

After that, he did not forget to sarcastically say, "Our procuratorate is not like some people who like to cut off the beginning and the end."

Li Lei also said sarcastically: "If the front is pretending to be pitiful and the back is trying to gain sympathy, then we are indeed ashamed of ourselves!"

Zhao Yan glanced at the two of them and asked, "Do you want to make some time so you can have a fight first?"

The two of them remained silent.

Zhao Yan snorted majestically, and then said, "This judge also hopes to clarify the causes and consequences of this case. Objections are invalid, and the prosecutor can continue to question."

Li Lei sat down unhappily.

Cheng Yi asked quietly, "Grand Judge, what is the significance of their opposition?"

Zhao Yan had told him before that if he didn't understand something, he could ask immediately. This would help him understand that it was a last-minute effort and that extraordinary measures had to be taken. Moreover, during the trial, the chief judge was relatively relaxed.

Zhao Yan replied: "He just wanted to remind everyone that the other party was trying to gain sympathy, so as to reduce everyone's sympathy for the two witnesses."

"I see."

Cheng Yi nodded slightly, feeling even more uneasy. These people were so cunning, but the chief judge could only negotiate with them according to the rules. Could he judge them himself?

He is a great advocate of moral governance, educating people with morality, which is very similar to Sima Guang's concept. However, in this trial, everything is done with means from the beginning, without any martial ethics. If you are not careful, you will fall into it. If you look at it from a moral perspective, you will basically see it wrongly.

If he were to judge the case, he would definitely scold Li Lei, asking why he was not allowed to speak. That would be tantamount to playing into Zhang Fei's trap. The chief judge was their target.

Zhang Fei took this opportunity to take a sip of tea, adjust himself a little, and then continued to ask Hu Changbai: "Do you know why I gave you the full monthly salary last month?"

Hu Changbai replied: "The higher-ups didn't say what the specific reason was, but there are rumors in the camp that it's because of the hearing a few days ago."

"Is it a hearing about the Daimyo River Defense?"

"Yes."

"But what does this have to do with your monthly salary?"

"Because our camp has also been repairing the river recently, they said that the higher-ups were afraid of being investigated, so they gave us the full monthly salary that month."

"I see."

Zhang Fei looked down at the copy, then looked up again and asked, "No matter what the reason is, you received your full salary last month. You must be very happy drinking this wine, right?"

"Not really."

Hu Changbai said this aggrievedly.

Zhang Fei asked: "Why?"

Hu Changbai said: "Because we know that once this rumor is over, things will return to the way they were before. And I think the higher-ups have the money to pay full salaries. I complained a few times while I was drunk."

Zhang Fei asked: "Do you remember what you said?"

Hu Changbai said: "Because I drank a lot at that time, I really only remember some of it roughly."

Zhang Fei asked: "What did you say?"

"I."

Hu Changbai looked around nervously, hesitated for a while, and then mustered up the courage to say: "Let's talk about the hearing first. The sailors were not given food and clothing in the middle of winter. They don't treat us soldiers as human beings at all. We get up early and go to bed late every day. We work harder than anyone else, but we get less than anyone else. If we take a break, we may be whipped. People often work themselves to death, but they only get such a small amount of money. They can't even get a full salary. It's really unfair."

Zhang Fei nodded and asked Qiu He, "Qiu He, what was your reaction when Hu Changbai said this?"

Qiu He said with a sad face: "I was also drunk at the time, so... so I just agreed with a few words."

Zhang Fei asked: "So you agree with what he said?"

Qiu He said: "We soldiers often encounter the same situation as those sailors, and it's even worse than theirs, but no one stands up for us soldiers, so we just start complaining."

Zhang Fei said: "So you are just complaining about your own situation and the injustice you have encountered."

Qiu He nodded.

"I have no problem for now."

Zhang Fei sat down.

Zhao Yan then signaled to the defense that they could proceed with the questioning.

Li Lei stood up and asked, "Hu Changbai, where are you from?"

Hu Changbai said: "I am from Xuzhou."

Li Lei asked: "What did you do before you joined the army, and why did you join the army?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Gong immediately found a copy of the document and placed it in front of Zhang Fei, "This is not easy to refute."

Zhang Fei glanced at him and picked up the document again to read it.

Hu Changbai replied, "I was a farmer before. Ten years ago, my hometown was hit by a flood and all my farmland and houses were washed away. It happened that the government was recruiting soldiers, so I joined the army."

Li Lei asked: "According to what you said, this flood and the government's conscription of soldiers are just a coincidence?"

Hu Changbai shook his head and said, "That's not the case. Because of the flood, Xuzhou was full of refugees, so the government decided to recruit soldiers."

Li Lei continued, "If the court did not recruit you into the military camp, how do you think you would live?"

"I object."

Zhang Fei stood up. "How can people be convinced that the other party is leading the witness to speculate about things that have not happened and make statements that are unfavorable to the witness?"

"I take that back."

Before Zhao Yan could even speak, Li Lei spoke first, and then asked Hu Changbai, "How did you make a living before you were drafted into the army?"

Hu Changbai said: "I make a living by begging."

Li Lei asked: "Can begging help you make a living?"

Hu Changbai said: "Of course not."

Li Lei asked: "Have any people around you starved to death because they couldn't beg for food?"

Hu Changbai nodded and said, "Yes."

Li Lei asked: "Is it a lot?"

Hu Changbai said: "Quite a lot."

Li Lei asked, "Are you happy after being recruited into the camp?"

Hu Changbai nodded, "I was very happy at that time."

Li Lei asked: "Have your wife and children been able to get enough food and clothing because of this?"

Hu Changbai said: "Yes."

Li Lei asked again: "If I say that this policy at that time saved your family, do you agree?"

Hu Changbai said: "I agree."

Li Lei asked: "During these ten years, have you had the opportunity to leave the military camp?"

Hu Changbai said: "I haven't thought about it."

"Why?"

Li Lei said: "You have such a hard time in the military camp, why don't you think about leaving?"

Hu Changbai said: "My family doesn't even have an acre of land or a house now. I left my hometown early. If I leave the military camp, I will have to live a life of displacement again."

Li Lei asked, "So the military camp gave you and your family a chance to survive, and also provided you with shelter, but you are complaining that the military camp treats you unfairly?"

"I object!"

"I take that back."

Without waiting for Zhang Fei to stand up, Li Lei quickly took it back, and then asked Qiu He: "Qiu He, where are you from and why did you join the army?"

Qiu He said: "Brother Hu and I are from the same hometown. I also joined the army because of the flood."

Li Lei asked again: "During these ten years, have you ever thought about leaving the military camp?"

Qiu He shook his head. "My situation is similar to Brother Hu's. Besides, my wife died in the flood. I don't even have a home. I can only stay in the military camp."

"so."

"I object."

As soon as Li Lei opened his mouth, Zhang Fei raised his hand.

Li Lei said depressedly, "I haven't even said what Prosecutor Zhang objects to."

Zhang Fei said confidently: "I object to what you are going to say next."

Zhao Yan couldn't help laughing. He felt that Zhang San, now the chief judge and prosecutor, was still the same as Erbi back then. His level hadn't improved at all. He coughed and said, "The objection is invalid. The defense continues to question."

Li Lei hesitated for a moment, then decided to forget it. If he told it, Zhang Fei would still oppose it, and it might even lead to ridicule. He then said, "I want to summon Chen Ting, the owner of Chen's Tavern, to testify in court."

(End of this chapter)