The Chief Justice's resounding judgment still did not bring applause and flowers.

There was still dead silence in the hall.

Everyone opened their eyes wide and stared blankly at the president.

You must have heard it right.

Freeze the annual currency?

Is this kind of operation still possible?

Even Fu Bi, Han Qi, Wang Anshi and Sima Guang were all stunned.

this.

Does the Chief Justice still have this power?

Using annual tribute to compensate the people sounds like there is nothing wrong with this, but why are they so surprised and why didn't they think of this beforehand?

...

...

They just don't think the Grand President has this power.

The annual tribute was based on the Treaty of Chanyuan and the diplomatic relations between the two countries. Moreover, the relationship with the Liao Kingdom was the most important diplomatic relationship of the Song Dynasty.

Freezing the annual tribute is equivalent to freezing the Alliance of Chanyuan!

You have to know that there are only more than a hundred households, not all of them came. If all of them came, although it would not be to the point where the Liao Kingdom would lose money, there really wouldn't be many left.

Not to mention that the Council of State does not have this power, even the emperor may not be able to make the decision alone.

It is no exaggeration to say that this judgment is even more fatal than Wen Yanbo’s claim!

Suddenly, there was an explosion of cheers outside the yard.

"good!"

"Well judged!"

"Grand Judge!"

The people who came to their senses were suddenly filled with excitement.

He has to be the chief judge!

The president did not disappoint us.

The judgment was too harsh.

They don’t care whether the chief judge has the power or not, this ruling is really great.

yes!

Don't we have to give them annual tribute every year?

Let them pay with annual tribute!

After their cheers rang out, Zhang Fei slowly stood up and left, leaving everyone with a dashing back view.

After all, this is the first time that the Grand Judge has held a trial, and the case must end with applause and flowers, otherwise it would not be in line with Zhang Fei's character.

Zhao Xu saw all of this. When Zhang Fei came into the hall, Zhao Xu said disdainfully, "You really love to show off."

Zhang Fei chuckled, "Your Majesty, I am just throwing out some ideas. When Your Majesty solemnly announces to the nation that the Chanyuan Alliance will be abolished, the people will surely be united."

Zhao Xu was a little nervous when he heard this. "We have to win the war first. In fact, you and I both know that now is not the best time to go to war with Liao."

Zhang Fei said: "Your Majesty, please rest assured. We have made the most thorough deployment. As long as we can win the battle, we have enough evidence. The Liao Lord will definitely fall into our trap. Because for the Liao Lord, internal stability is the most important thing compared to the annual tribute."

Zhao Xu suddenly looked outside again, "Those people outside will definitely not give up, they will definitely stop you."

Zhang Fei laughed and said, "It's too late!"

The ministers, who had just come to their senses, immediately fell into panic.

Although the hardliners in the court have gained the upper hand and the Song and Liao dynasties have become unstable, they believe that being tough is just a diplomatic means, or a diplomatic strategy, and does not mean going to war directly.

If Wen Yanbo advocated going to war with Liao, he would definitely not get much support.

You can shout loudly, but you can't really do it.

What's more, the anti-Liao hardliners headed by Wen Yanbo did not actually constitute the majority in the court. It was just that due to the rising public opinion, the doves dared not speak out, making it seem as if they had the upper hand.

But this verdict was tantamount to declaring war on Liao.

However, few ministers in the court believed that the court was prepared for this.

But they did not dare to openly overturn the verdict. After all, the public outcry was surging and all the people stood on the side of the chief judge. No one dared to risk the wrath of the world.

So they chose to question whether the Chief Justice had the power to freeze the annual tribute.

There is no problem with the verdict, but the question is, on what basis do you, the Chief Judge, freeze the annual tribute?

This had never happened under the old judicial system.

While Zhang Fei was talking with Zhao Xu, they ran to ask Fu Bi, Zhao Yan, Sima Guang and others.

Does the Chief Justice have this power?

Fu Bi, Zhao Yan and others couldn't say for sure. They really didn't know whether the Grand President had this power, and they couldn't give a specific answer.

At least they did not support the Grand President in their words and believed that the Grand President had this power.

Those ministers then used this as an excuse to submit memorials to the emperor, hoping that he would immediately issue an order to force the chief judge to revoke the judgment and find another way to compensate the people.

In just one day, Zhao Xu received hundreds of memorials regarding the case.

But how big is the impact of this judgment?

Zhao Xu did not dare to neglect it and immediately convened a meeting in Chuigong Hall to discuss the matter.

"Why does the Grand Court President freeze the annual tribute between our dynasty and the Northern Dynasty? Who gave the Grand Court President this power?"

The meeting had just begun when the censor Yang Ji questioned Zhang Fei.

The Censorate has never been a monolithic entity. In fact, they are supported by various forces behind them. After all, many powerful people are not convenient to speak, and they cannot even participate in such meetings. Many things have to be said through the Censors, because the Censors have the privilege of reporting to the emperor upon hearing news.

This is also why many important officials in the court climbed up the ladder through the Censorate, because the Censorate was a great opportunity to make connections.

This Yang Ji represents the interests of the pro-Liao faction in the court.

After all, the two countries have been on good terms for decades. Although there are conflicts in between, their interests are actually very close and the relationship between them is actually very complicated.

There were also many pro-Song factions within the Liao Kingdom.

Zhang Fei was bewildered and said, "Yang Yushi, I am the chief judge, can't I even judge a civil case?"

An official immediately stood up and said, "The chief judge certainly has the right to rule in favor of the people of Hedong, but what we question is your power to freeze the annual tribute. This is simply unheard of."

Zhang Fei asked in return: "If you think my judgment is correct, then why don't I have the power to freeze the annual tribute? The two are causally related!"

Yang Ji said excitedly: "This annual tribute is based on the Chanyuan Alliance, which is a foreign affair, and it is very important to our dynasty. If the Grand Court President freezes the annual tribute, it will definitely undermine the Chanyuan Alliance. Isn't the Grand Court President interfering in foreign affairs? Does this conform to the system of separation of politics and law?"

Many ministers nodded.

In fact, they have been suffering from Zhang Fei for a long time. In their opinion, Zhang Fei often uses judicial power to interfere with administration, and this has happened more than once or twice. However, every time he can find a suitable reason to exonerate himself.

But you can't excuse yourself this time. You have already frozen the annual tribute. How can this not be interference in foreign affairs?

But Zhang Fei was furious when he heard this, and said excitedly: "You censors are really good at ignoring right and wrong, confusing right and wrong, and putting the blame on others."

After hearing this, Yang Ji was dumbfounded.

I have confused right and wrong.

Are you serious?

Even Wen Yanbo and the others looked at Zhang Fei in surprise.

Where does your confidence come from?

The Chief Censor Feng Jing could no longer bear it and stood up and said, "I hope the Grand Court President can tell you clearly, why did our Censor turn the tables?"

Zhang Fei said righteously: "At this moment, it is clear that you are using your foreign affairs power to interfere with our judicial system, but you accuse me of using the judicial system to interfere with your foreign affairs. Isn't this turning the tables?"

"???"

Everyone in the hall had a look of question marks on their faces.

Including the most familiar Zhang Fei, Wang Anshi and Sima Guang.

Brother, where did you get this from?

Feng Jing also looked puzzled and asked, "You said that we are using foreign affairs to interfere with the judiciary?"

"That's right."

Zhang Fei asked, "May I ask the Minister, have the people of Hedong suffered any losses?"

Feng Jing nodded.

Zhang Fei asked, "Is the perpetrator Liao?"

Feng Jing nodded and said, "It is the Liao Kingdom."

"That's it, isn't it?"

Zhang Fei replied: “I have never thought about destroying the Chanyuan Alliance. I have never even thought about this issue. I just defend the legitimate rights and interests of the people of my dynasty based on the concept of the rule of law.

In the eyes of the Supreme Imperial Court, the people of my dynasty have lost their land and homes, so they deserve compensation. The perpetrator is the Liao Kingdom, and this is indisputable. At the same time, the Liao Kingdom did not come to defend itself, so I can only compensate those people in this way.

This is just a very simple civil lawsuit. The relationship between the perpetrator and the victim is not complicated at all. Isn't it natural to order the perpetrator to compensate the victim?

And you guys always use foreign affairs to argue with me instead of arguing with me from a judicial perspective. Who is interfering with whom?"

Feng Jing was completely confused by Zhang Fei.

Is that the case?

Zhang Fei was even more unreasonable. "If you feel that you owe Liao by doing this, the Political Affairs Hall can ask the national treasury to make up the money. I will not interfere. I am only judging according to the law. I cannot order the court to pay compensation. This is unreasonable! Think about it, isn't this the case?"

quiet!

The hall suddenly became silent.

If you put it that way, it seems to be true.

really!

The case has come to this point, and the chief judge can only make this ruling. There is no doubt about who is the victim and the perpetrator. Any other ruling would be a wrong one.

There's nothing wrong with this!

As for diplomatic affairs, they are the responsibility of the Political Affairs Hall. If they think it is not conducive to the relations between the two countries, they can make up the money!

If the Grand Chamberlain does not allow the court to fill the position, it would be interfering in foreign affairs.

However, Zhang Fei did not say in his judgment that the court was not allowed to pay out of its own pocket. One thing is one thing.

Now they are using diplomacy to question the Chief Justice, which clearly shows that foreign affairs should be interfering with the judiciary!

Fu Bi, Zhao Yan and others were all thoughtful.

This is another trick I learned.

I can only say that the separation of politics and law is truly profound.

Yang Ji felt a little embarrassed, but he said confidently: "But the chief judge threatened to freeze the annual tribute in public, which will affect the relationship between our country and the Liao Kingdom."

Zhang Fei smiled and said, “If I were to consider this, I would summon all the officials from the border states and ask them why they would damage the relationship between our country and the Liao Kingdom.

What on earth did they do to anger the Liao Kingdom so much that they sent out troops? Could it be that freezing the annual tribute is more destructive than sending out troops? "

Nothing wrong.

There's really nothing wrong with it.

Yang Ji was speechless immediately.

Zhang Fei said aggrievedly: "We in the Supreme Court are only responsible for judicial affairs, and we don't care about anything else. Don't let the Supreme Court handle everything, we are too busy to handle it."

"???"

Feng Jing almost vomited blood. You still don't care about anything. Since you took office, every case you handled involved administration, military affairs, and diplomacy. You are almost overwhelming the government.

This guy is so shameless!

What’s even worse is that you can’t refute him.

Even Wang Anshi wanted to beat this guy up. He really deserves a beating.

But then again, since Zhang Fei has already asked for the money, the national treasury can make up the difference, so no one is too lazy to argue with it, and the key is that they can't afford to argue with it.

They have now realized that the Chief Justice only made a judicial decision, and he did not forbid the annual tribute to the Liao Kingdom. If the national treasury wants to make up for it, he has no right to interfere.

So everyone looked at Zhao Xu eagerly.

I've seen enough of this excitement, why don't you say something?

Seeing everyone looking at him, Zhao Xu slowly spoke: "Foreign affairs are foreign affairs, judicial affairs are judicial affairs, and the chief judge made the judgment according to the law. I don't think there is any problem in this."

Wen Yanbo immediately stood up and said, "Your Majesty, since there is no problem, the court should execute it according to the law, and should not secretly make up for it. If this gets out, it will make people all over the world laugh at it, and then the majesty of the emperor will be completely gone."

Zhao Xu nodded.

Yang Ji said weakly: "But doing so will destroy the Chanyuan Alliance."

Wen Yanbo angrily rebuked: "When the Northern Dynasty chose to send troops, it had already violated the Chanyuan Alliance. If only one party upholds the alliance, it is doomed to fail."

Yang Ji was scolded so much that he dared not say a word.

Many ministers opened their mouths several times but held back.

Although Zhang Fei said so, if the emperor secretly paid the money, it would indeed make the world laugh at him. The Grand Court President is so tough, but you, the emperor, are so cowardly.

The main reason was that the Liao Kingdom sent troops first, and Zhang Fei conducted the trial only after a month. Now the whole country knows about this.

This has a significant impact on the monarch.

Wen Yanbo continued, "Also, there are only a hundred households coming to claim compensation, but in fact, the Liao Kingdom's military action this time involves more than two thousand households of civilians, and they will come to claim compensation. I suggest that all annual tributes be temporarily frozen this year, and a decision will be made after the review is completed."

Zhao Xu hesitated for a moment, then looked at Zhang Fei and said, "Grand Judge, is this the case?"

Zhang Fei said, "Your Majesty, what Duke Wen said makes a lot of sense. According to the court system, if the people of Hedong come to sue, as long as they produce the land deeds, the imperial court must rule in their favor and give them equal compensation. As for whether to pay the annual tribute, this is not my responsibility, and I dare not speak rashly."

Zhao Xu nodded and looked at everyone again.

At this point, Wang Anshi, Xue Xiang and other reformists understood what was going on and immediately stood up to express their support.

Sima Guang and others also expressed their support one after another.

Although the Grand Court President has only frozen part of the money, you either have to pay all of it or give nothing at all. If you give less, the Liao Kingdom will not give up. Don't end up losing both the wife and the army.

Zhao Xu nodded and said, "Let's do this. Before this case is concluded, we will freeze the annual tribute to the Liao Kingdom."

It’s over!

This time it's all over.

This is the rhythm of breaking with the Liao Kingdom.

Those doves were hit hard by this combination of punches and were completely powerless to fight back. Although this was not the first time, in the past, they would definitely stop the emperor and persuade him to put the overall situation first. But now the judiciary is interfering and the emperor is hiding behind the judiciary. They feel powerless. Although Zhang Fei also left a loophole, they actually have no choice.

Unless they can find evidence to overturn the Grand Judge's decision.

They really hate the separation of politics and law now.

This seemingly ordinary meeting will surely go down in history as it will re-establish the relationship between Song and Liao.

The Grand Court's ruling is almost irreversible.

It also caused an earthquake-level effect among the people.

On that very day, all merchants and dignitaries in the capital who were trading with the Liao Kingdom stopped trading with them, and immediately sent people to chase after the goods that had already been shipped.

Everyone knows that as long as the annual tribute to the Liao Kingdom is frozen, the probability of war will increase significantly. If the goods are sent to the market at this time, wouldn't that be giving them directly to the Liao Kingdom?

Of course, many merchants had already planned a way out for this. Their goods were not shipped to Xiongzhou, but to Dengzhou.

Although going out to sea has certain risks, it also saves a lot of unnecessary expenses. You have to know that the public security, procuratorial and judicial systems are not widespread in the North, and the officials in the customs there are all very rich.

Why are many officials in border states doves? Because they control trade, which brings huge profits.

Therefore, for businessmen, traveling by sea is very cost-effective.

However, the merchant's actions seemed extremely outrageous to many ministers in the court.

Because in the past, if this situation occurred, the people would definitely fall into panic, and they would often be able to use this force to force the emperor to change his policies.

But now, both the people and the businessmen are cooperating very actively without any complaints or panic.

Sima Guang, Wang Anshi and others were curious about this phenomenon, and after some inquiries, they finally understood it.

The reason is very simple, that is, this judgment was made by the Chief Justice to defend the legitimate rights and interests of the people, which is of vital importance.

You are fighting for my interests, so of course I will support you.

It's that simple.

However, the news soon spread to Hebei. Since there was a long interval between the lawsuits, there was plenty of time for it to ferment in various places.

If a war breaks out with the Liao Kingdom, Hebei will definitely be the hardest hit area. You have to know that before this, the people on both sides are very tired of war.

But now that this news has reached Hebei, it has led to high morale among the police and the people of Hebei. There is no complaint. The people of Hebei are actively cooperating with the work of the royal police. If the Liao soldiers go south, they must immediately take refuge in designated places. It can be said that the police and the people are of one mind.

This left both Fan Chunren and Su Shi dumbfounded.

In fact, their opinions were more in line with those of Han Qi, Wang Anshi, Sima Guang and others, who believed that now was not the time to go to war with the Liao Kingdom.

The situation with Western Xia was still at a stalemate. Although it was favorable for the Song Dynasty, if the Song Dynasty did not deal with Western Xia, it could only use half of its military force to deal with the Liao Kingdom.

"Our chief judge is truly extraordinary!"

Fan Chunren couldn't help but sigh as he watched the people take the initiative to help the Xiangbing Corps build fortifications. "This verdict seems to have refreshed everyone's spirit."

Su Shi smiled and said: "His brilliance does not lie in the final judgment, but in the publicity beforehand. He resisted the invasion of Liao in the name of defending the legitimate rights and interests of the people, and naturally he would be supported by the people.

If they can overcome this difficulty, the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs will surely be more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Just imagine that even when facing the Liao Kingdom, the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs have defended the legitimate rights and interests of the people in this way. Who will question the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs in the future?"

Fan Chunren nodded and asked, "But the question is whether we can get through this difficult time?"

Su Shi said: "I still don't think now is the time to go to war with Liao. This will interrupt our dynasty's upward momentum, but I also know Zhang San. He is also not prepared for a battle. Maybe there is something we don't know."

Even the ministers of the Song Dynasty were so surprised by this verdict. It is conceivable that the Liao Kingdom had not expected it even more.

In fact, the Liao spies had passed this news to the Liao Kingdom in advance, but the Liao Kingdom did not take it seriously, thinking that the Song Dynasty was just looking for a way out to appease its subjects. This was understandable, and they thought very simply, no matter how you judge, you can always let our Liao officials stand trial.

But they never expected that the Song Dynasty would dare to freeze the annual tribute to them.

This is incomprehensible. You are using our interests to appease your people. What are you thinking?

This made the Liao delegation who were negotiating with Han Wei in Youzhou extremely angry. They were so angry that they rushed directly into the embassy where the Song envoys lived.

"Okay! Okay!"

Xiao Xi gnashed his teeth and said, "We are here to negotiate with you sincerely, but you are secretly planning to tear up the Chanyuan Alliance."

Han Wei said calmly: "To be honest, I just learned about this matter. From what I have learned, our dynasty has no intention of tearing up the Chanyuan Alliance. This is just the ruling of our chief judge. You should have heard about the judicial reform of our dynasty."

Xiao Xi angrily shouted, "Don't try to argue here. If the annual tribute is even a penny less, we will never give up."

Han Wei smiled bitterly and said, "If you think I am quibbling, then I have nothing to say, but if you want to lift the freeze on the annual tribute, the only way is to appeal to the highest imperial court in Bianjing. Anyway, I can't control this matter."

"What did you say?"

Xiao Xi slammed the table, his eyes widening like bells.

In his opinion, this was simply a humiliation.

Victor Han shook his head and said, “I am undoubtedly arguing with you. I am just telling you very sincerely about this solution.”

“Okay, okay!”

Xiao Xi pointed at Han Wei and said, "We will definitely go to Bianjing. At that time, our soldiers will wield swords and ride war horses into Bianjing City. By then, we will really see whether the chief judge has three heads and six arms."

Han Wei put a bundle on the table and said with a cupped hand: “Then Han is in Bianjing, congratulations to everyone.”

The Liao envoys were all stunned.

When did this Song man become so arrogant?

"Goodbye!"

Han Wei bowed and led his men out of the embassy.

As soon as he arrived outside the museum, he said, "As long as Zhang San is still the chief judge, I will never be sent as an envoy to another country. One day, he will kill me."

The last time he was sent as an envoy to Shangjing, Zhang Fei went to Dahuangping to negotiate. A misunderstanding almost led to a fight between the two countries, and he almost couldn't go back. The same thing happened this time.

He was still here to argue with the Liao envoy, but Zhang Fei froze the annual tribute. What's the point of talking about this? If you want to make such a judgment, can you please inform me? You simply don't treat us envoys as human beings.

This happens again and again!

Victor Han was determined not to do such stupid things again.

Having said that, the Liao Kingdom was actually very cautious about its diplomacy with the Song Dynasty. They had been constantly testing the waters before, but it was actually Han Wei's performance that made them believe that the Song Dynasty was just bluffing and did not dare to pay the annual tribute.

But they never expected that the Chief Justice of the Song Dynasty could freeze the annual tribute. This was simply outrageous!

Is your emperor eating shit?

In fact, the Liao Kingdom's spies had also been collecting information from within the Song Dynasty.

From the prime minister to the ministers, all signs indicated that the Song Dynasty had no intention of breaking with the Liao Kingdom.

This news was accurate, because even Wang Anshi and Sima Guang did not guess that Zhang Fei would make such a judgment. Could the Liao spies have guessed it?

This really caught the Liao Kingdom off guard.

What kind of system do you have? It’s so hard to understand!

However, the effect of the Grand Court's ruling was immediate, and soon the trade market with the Liao Kingdom became empty.

Now all the pressure is on the Liao Kingdom.

They have to make a choice.

Because the Song Dynasty did not tear up the Treaty of Chanyuan, nor did it declare war. The annual tribute was only frozen by the judicial department. Do you, the Liao Kingdom, want to resolve it through diplomacy or declare war directly?