Chapter 751 I, Fang, am willing to serve the Second Young Mistress with utmost loyalty!

Looking at Fang Xuning's clenched hands and flushed face, Shen Wantang knew that he was moved.

What man in the world with any ambition doesn't want to achieve success and fame? Especially someone like Fang Xuning, who has a special skill, is even less willing to fade into obscurity.

She said seriously, "It's not a matter of price, but I do have conditions."

"What are the conditions?"

"You and your team of lawyers must obey my orders, and your words and actions must be restrained. You must not speak recklessly, accept cases casually, or use underhanded means to defend yourselves, lest you ruin the reputation of lawyers."

"this……"

Fang Xuning hesitated. Obeying Shen Wantang's orders would mean working for her from now on, and he was reluctant to risk his life for someone else.

Being bound by rules about their words and actions is a double-edged sword. The advantage is that it can improve their reputation as lawyers, and more people will trust them and be willing to pay them for their help.

However, the downsides are also obvious. Their flexibility has decreased. Sometimes they can successfully exonerate people by being unreasonable and using extreme measures. The bigger a case becomes, the harder it is for the government to suppress it. When they stir up public resentment, even the government has to give in.

He was always called a litigious scoundrel, and the government didn't like him either, for this reason.

Seeing his hesitation, Shen Wantang felt slightly relieved. He wouldn't be trustworthy if he agreed immediately, because anyone would hesitate upon hearing such conditions.

"When I say 'obey me,' I don't mean you have to obey me in everything. It means that when I need you to do something, you have to put down what you're doing and do it as quickly as possible. My business should come first. I won't interfere with anything else."

Shen Wantang said calmly, "In addition, I will also give the lawyers a monthly allowance and bonus based on their performance. Lawyer Fang is quite capable, so I will give him fifty taels of silver for the first month. As for the bonus, you will naturally receive one after you handle Chen Xiaowu's case well."

"Fifty taels?!"

Fang Xuning looked shocked: "I haven't done anything yet, and you're already giving me fifty taels a month?"

As expected of a young mistress from a wealthy family, she's incredibly generous!

This is much better than him taking on cases all by himself!

If he works for Shen Wantang for just one year, he can buy a house in one of the few prime locations in the capital! He'll never have to rent or move again!

The title of the top lawyer in Dafeng is impressive, but it is really unattainable. However, this fifty taels of silver is real money!

"Of course you can't just do nothing. Didn't I tell you, you need to organize all the good lawyers and form a legal team? I think with your connections and abilities, that shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

Fang Xuning looked excited: "Second Young Madam has found the right person. There is no lawyer, big or small, in the capital that I, Fang Xuning, do not know!"

Shen Wantang smiled and said, "Getting to know them isn't difficult. The challenge is getting them all together to form a team of lawyers that no one dares to underestimate."

Fang Xuning coughed lightly: "Actually, the lawyers I know are all living a very frugal life."

“When ordinary people ask us to write their lawsuits, we don’t earn much money. If it’s one or two taels of silver for a lawsuit, we’re cursed for being heartless and corrupt. If we help them defend their cases, we can only ask for two or three taels of silver at most, and even that is not affordable for many people.”

"Moreover, many people do not trust lawyers. They would rather spend money on connections and finding ways to get things done, or bribe the yamen officials in hopes of getting a lighter sentence. So very few people are willing to spend money to hire a lawyer."

"Most lawyers don't take on many cases throughout the year. Many of them have other jobs. People like me who make a living solely through advocacy can be counted on one hand."

Shen Wantang understood: "You don't need to worry about the money. Anyone who is willing to join your team of lawyers and obey my orders will receive at least two taels of silver per month."

Fang Xuning's eyes lit up: "Is this really true?"

"Of course it's true. However, even if you take my money, you can't just sit idle. You have to do things, like writing petitions and defending the people. These are the most basic tasks. Those who do well will be rewarded at the end of the month, and those who don't will be dismissed. We don't keep useless people in the legal team."

Fang Xuning nodded repeatedly: "That's how it should be, that's how it should be!"

Shen Wantang turned her head: "Dujuan, give the things to him."

Du Juan, carrying a box, stepped forward.

Fang Xuning took the box, opened it, and found that it contained a lease agreement for a house.

He looked up in astonishment: "Second Young Madam, what is this?"

"This is a house I specially chose facing the street. It's not big, but it's more than enough to accommodate a dozen people. You'll be working here from now on, so it'll be a proper place to work."

Fang Xuning was somewhat excited: "The Second Young Madam has thought things through so thoroughly that she has even prepared a storefront for us! This house has three courtyards and three entrances, making it a large mansion. It can not only accommodate more than a dozen lawyers, but also many people who come for help!"

This was something he had never dared to imagine before!

Historically, only government officials and wealthy merchants had such storefronts. Now, even lawyers have their own independent storefronts!

That's so professional! This is incredibly professional! It instantly elevates the image of these lawyers!

Shen Wantang's preparations were so thorough, and he was so willing to spend money. It seems that his claim of being the top lawyer in Dafeng was not just a bluff, but could actually come true!

Moreover, the second young mistress of the Duke's mansion is the highest branch he has been able to climb so far!

In the past, he never had the chance to curry favor with such prominent and wealthy families!

Because no one was willing to condescend to associate with a "litigious scoundrel" like him, and he could also see that Shen Wantang had no worldly prejudice against him; she respected him more than most people.

Money, connections, a house, face, respect—he had it all in a single day.

Fang Xuning carefully put away the lease documents, bowed respectfully to Shen Wantang, and solemnly said, "I agree to the Second Young Madam's conditions! From now on, I, Fang, am willing to serve the Second Young Madam with utmost loyalty!"

Shen Wantang was not surprised by this result, because if it were her, she would also find it difficult to refuse such generous terms.

People live their lives for fame or fortune, and if they could achieve both, everyone would flock to it.

She wasn't manipulating lawyers, but rather human nature.

Shen Wantang discussed some details with Fang Xuning, and then let him leave.

After all, the top priority today is to rescue Chen Xiaowu.

As Du Juan watched him leave, she couldn't help but say, "Young Madam, from what I see, this lawyer isn't as unreasonable or crazy as the rumors say. He seems quite normal, doesn't he?"

Shen Wantang chuckled: "He's a lawyer, and he's a master of manipulation. He's long since mastered the art of saying one thing to one person and another to another. He can't get any benefit from my unreasonable arguments, so naturally he has to act more normal."