Chapter 120
On the seventh day, the county government held another trial.
Both parties arrived early and their carriages met in front of the county government office.
"Good morning, Boss Zhang."
"Morning, Boss Qin."
Qin Hongde sneered at the calm man. He had waited for seven days but Zhang Fangyuan never came to beg for mercy. Now he was very unhappy to see him at the gate of the county government office.
The original intention was to let the Zhang family voluntarily stop and restrain the edge of the martial arts school, but the Zhang family was stubborn and refused to give in. However, the Zhang family's reputation was also damaged if they lost the lawsuit, so the result was the same.
Thinking of this, his expression improved a little, and the father and son entered the yamen together with their hands behind their backs.
Xu He narrowed her eyes slightly. The chances of winning this battle were not high, but she must not show weakness and lose her momentum in front of the battle. Even though she looked confident of victory, her heart was like a floating duckweed. However, when her husband's broad hand grasped the back of her hand, the duckweed took root again.
"Let's go."
Xu He nodded.
Today, many people came to the review office to watch the fun. Because the case was not open to the public, people were not allowed to go in and watch. They could only listen to the final decision of the county magistrate.
In fact, Zhang Fangyuan did submit an application for public acceptance, but it was rejected by the county magistrate on the grounds that the case was serious and could not attract widespread attention.
As usual, the gavel rang, and the yamen runners banged the boards and shouted in a mighty voice. The county magistrate said, "Today, Qin Hongde and Qin Shang sued Zhang Fangyuan and his husband for malicious competition and intentional assault. Zhang Fangyuan, the seven-day deadline has expired. Do you have any witnesses or physical evidence to present?"
"Reporting to the Lord, the plaintiff Qin Shang has no respect for the law, bullies others by taking advantage of his power, and intends to molest the husband of a commoner. It is not easy to obtain evidence in this case."
"There are many things in the world that cannot be changed, but how can one use the fact that something cannot be changed as an excuse to escape punishment? Anyone who beats the drum to protest his grievances will say that something cannot be changed." The county magistrate said, "Since the defendant has no evidence, he should not speak slanderously."
Zhang Fangyuan said, "Sir, the plaintiff is accusing my husband of seducing me and beating me on this ground. The witnesses and evidence that can be submitted are all from our side, and there is no third party as a witness."
"The Qin family has been rampant for many years, and it is not just one or two days that they have been bullying others. The place where the incident happened is a vegetable market, which is a busy place. There are obviously many witnesses, but I have searched for witnesses everywhere, but no one dared to come forward to testify. This is enough to show how arrogant the plaintiff is in private."
Qin Hongde cursed: "Don't make up stories and slander people without evidence. You can't win a lawsuit by slandering people!"
"Please make a quick decision. The defendant has no evidence and has slandered others with his words. His intentions are really sinister."
"Qin Zhong has a history of molesting decent people in the street. A month ago, he molested a decent woman in Tingle Lane. The woman was very strong and refused to obey. Her husband tried to protect her, but Qin Shang relied on his superior numbers to beat the man severely!"
Qin Shang's face changed, and Qin Hongde's eyebrows also frowned: "Nonsense! If you have evidence, then show it. If you continue to make up slanderous words like this, please let the county magistrate sentence you to a serious crime!"
"Sir, I am not lying. The witnesses are waiting outside the hall. Please summon them for trial!"
The county magistrate, who was under the words "a clear mirror hanging high", glanced at Qin Hongde in the hall, was silent for a moment, and said slowly: "This witness has nothing to do with this case, why do we need to summon him? Does the defendant have any other witnesses or evidence?"
The Qin family father and son breathed a sigh of relief.
Xu He's eyebrows jumped when he heard the voice: "Sir, the witness is strong evidence of Qin Shang's criminal record. Since there is evidence, why not pass it on!"
There is evidence but they don't accept it. Wouldn't it be the same result whether there is a certificate or not? Xu He gritted his teeth. No wonder they said that the trial would not be open to the public. It sounds good to say that it would damage the young man's reputation, but in fact, the water is deeper than this.
"You are so bold and unruly! Are you questioning my authority?"
The county magistrate roared in a majestic manner, and the hall suddenly became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Zhang Fangyuan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the Qin family was always right. If he were to keep his previous temper, he would really want to go up and pull the county magistrate down and beat him up.
The gavel made a dull thud. The county magistrate did not want to procrastinate any longer and just wanted to close the case hastily. He thought that the two families should have sorted out the matter clearly within these seven days and would not need to hold a retrial and would withdraw the lawsuit. However, the case went to court as scheduled.
The Zhang family found evidence of Qin Shang's criminal record. Once the case is tried, it will surely lead to many more incidents. It is better to close the case quickly: "Since there is no other evidence, this case will be..."
Before he finished speaking, the lawyer suddenly bent forward and whispered something beside the county magistrate, who became slightly displeased.
"Please come in."
The people in the hall were confused. After a moment, an elderly man walked into the hall. Qin Hongde and Qin Shang did not recognize this man and looked at each other in confusion.
"How did he come?"
Xu He asked Zhang Fangyuan beside him in a low voice. When the Zeng family's people came that day, Zhang Fangyuan rejected them. After discussing, the two of them did not plan to look for the Zeng family, so why did they come to the court for trial again?
Zhang Fangyuan shook his head slightly. He didn't know what the Zeng family meant by this trip. He was slightly moved. After all, the Zeng family couldn't bear to see their grandson's family being falsely accused?
"How come you are here, Mr. Tongzhi? Please take a seat."
The county magistrate put on a smile and bowed slightly to invite the visitor to take a seat. A rank higher than his own could overpower the person. The county magistrate was of the seventh rank, while the prefectural governor was of the sixth rank. They were his immediate superiors and could suppress him.
Although he was unhappy about his colleague's sudden involvement, he still had to appear respectful on the surface, otherwise he would be reported and all his work for this year's evaluation would be in vain.
"Master Zhao, there is no need to be so polite. There is a case today, and I am just here to take a look as usual." Zeng Tongzhi sat down calmly and said, "Master Zhao, please continue with the case."
It would be difficult for the magistrate, who was in a hurry to make a final decision, to just throw out a verdict. How could he say that the case was finally closed when the jury had just arrived?
The magistrate said: "Defendant Zhang Fangyuan, you said you have brought a witness. I will call the witness to court this morning!"
Zhang Fangyuan and Xu He looked at each other, without showing any expression but seeing a hint of smile in each other's eyes.
"Call the witnesses!"
Zhang Fangyuan couldn't find any witnesses from the day of the incident a few days ago, so he had to reorganize his thoughts. He turned around and thought of the young woman who had been bullied by Qin Shang before. He asked about her residence and went to her house in person.
The young couple's family was already poor. The husband was seriously injured and not only did his treatment cost a lot of money, but the man was bedridden and unable to work, so the family had no income, and their already poor life became even worse.
After so many days, the man was still lying in bed. The woman cried all day and looked haggard. She hated Qin Shang even more. Zhang Fangyuan and Xu He went to his house. The couple remembered the Zhang family's kindness and resented Qin Shang, so they agreed to come and sue and testify.
“Mrs. Shen Xiaolian has met you, sir.”
"Ms. Shen, I was told that Shang Qinshang had flirted with you, and your husband tried to protect you but was beaten. Is this true?"
"My Lord, it is true."
The woman told him everything that had happened on the day of the incident, and she burst into tears when she spoke of the most emotional parts.
Qin Hongde and Qin Shang had gloomy faces. They were about to close the case but a Tongzhi suddenly showed up. They didn't know if the Tongzhi was from the Zhang family. If so, the case would be in their hands. The two of them were very nervous and uneasy. They lost their previous arrogance and did not even roar to refute what the woman said.
The magistrate had been trying to figure out what his boss meant, and had not listened carefully to the woman's complaints. He lowered his eyes to look at the co-magistrate's face and asked tentatively, "If you were treated so unfairly, why didn't you file a complaint with the county government when the incident happened? Why did you wait until today to go to court?"
"The Qin family is powerful, and they threatened me that day. My husband and I are just ordinary people, how dare we report it to the authorities?" The woman cried and wiped her tears: "My husband was covered in blood that day. I was at a loss, and I was so worried about his safety that I really didn't have the extra energy and thought to report it to the authorities. I hope you can investigate it!"
"Do you have any evidence?"
The woman quickly handed over the medical records and medicines from the clinic, and said, "My husband can be my witness, but he is still bedridden at home due to his injuries."
"Sir, if what this woman said is true, why didn't they file a lawsuit earlier? But the defendant Zhang stood up. It's hard not to speculate that Shen was bribed by the Zhang family!"
The county magistrate said nothing and glanced at the Tongzhi again. Seeing that the wind had changed, the Tongzhi did not look unhappy. Instead, he sipped his tea leisurely. The magistrate breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that it was just a formality, so he felt relaxed and free from any constraints.
He thought that this Tongzhi had just arrived in Siyang and must have inquired about the Qin family's status in Siyang. He thought that he could get a share of the pie by coming here.
Afterwards, we can just let the Qin family go and take care of everything.
The magistrate felt much more at ease.
"It is recorded here that on the day of the incident, Shen had benefited from the defendant, gave you money, and sent servants to take your husband to the clinic. Is Shen sure about this?"
"My Lord, Boss Zhang is a kind-hearted man and he did lend a helping hand."
The gavel rang: "You are such a bold woman, you have been secretly dealing with the Zhang family, and now you dare to testify in court. Do you know what the punishment for perjury is?"
Zhang Fangyuan and Xu He were also shocked. How could they be accused of perjury for no reason?
How could the Tongzhi dare to be so biased here? Zhang Fangyuan couldn't help but look at his grandfather.
Their eyes met, Zeng Tongzhi put down the teacup, smiled slightly, and looked calm and relaxed. Seeing that he seemed to be oblivious to what was happening outside, Zhang Fangyuan suddenly understood.
"Your Excellency is wronged! I would never dare to do that!"
"You were previously benefited by the Zhang family, but you have been slow to report to the authorities. You are just relying on one-sided statements to accuse Qin Shang of molesting you? Without any witnesses, who knows if it was Qin Shang who did it? How can you prove it with just the prescription? It is true that Zhang Fangyuan gave you money!"
"This official thinks you are giving false testimony for a favor. The Zhang family has bribed you to make a false accusation!" The county magistrate said confidently, "The Qin family is a wealthy family in the city. How could they be interested in flirting with a married woman like you? This official thinks this is a trumped-up charge!"
"My Lord, please check carefully. I only helped this woman when she was in trouble. If I had helped her, I would have hired the best doctor to treat her. Her husband would not still be bedridden!"
"Stop trying to quibble!"
Zhang Fangyuan saw that he was just going through the motions by bringing the witness, and now having the witness made him appear to be in the wrong, and he felt cold in his heart.
Zeng Tongzhi glanced at Zhang Fangyuan inconspicuously. Seeing that the man did not show any sign of begging for mercy or repentance at this critical moment, he lightly swept his sleeves and mentally reprimanded Zhang Fangyuan for not knowing how to bend and stretch, and for acting on impulse. Even if he turned the tide today, he would not be useful in the future.
Those who are unruly and uncontrollable are not the best candidates to be recruited, even if their young sons are valuable.
Never mind. Instead of letting Zhang Fangyuan make me angry again and again, it would be better to meet a few promising poor scholars who are no worse than Zhang Ruijin if they are respectful.
"The case has come to this point, the county magistrate should have made a decision earlier."
Zhang Fangyuan clenched his fists. It would have been fine if the Zeng family had ignored his help, but they actually came to trample on him. Fortunately, he did not follow the Zeng family's suggestion.
The magistrate listened to the speech of the co-magistrate, and smiled: "The defendant Zhang Fangyuan has no strong evidence to refute the plaintiff. The defendant is sentenced to compensate the Qin family for medical losses and other losses of 300 taels. For beating an innocent person, he shall be punished with 20 strokes of the cane. For malicious commercial competition, it is not appropriate for Zhang to open a martial arts school. His subordinates are prohibited from operating the Ji'an martial arts school."
The verdict was drawn out and was about to be thrown down when the door that was closed for not hearing cases was suddenly pushed open. A group of people came in and lined up. The magistrate looked at the man in scarlet robes who walked in from the middle after the officers and soldiers deployed their forces, and his hand holding the verdict trembled slightly.
Zeng Tongzhi, who was sitting with his legs crossed, was startled at first, then stood up from his seat in a daze.
"Why is the magistrate here?"
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