Chapter 77 Debate in Court Debate in Court
In the court, Su Fengzhang suddenly chuckled.
Mu Wei seemed to have caught something wrong: "What are you laughing at? You actually dare to laugh. It shows that you have no regrets at all, and you are actually smug about it."
Su Fengzhang didn't even look at him. He bowed to the two adults above him and said loudly, "My lords, I don't want to answer this question."
"Why don't you answer? Are you feeling guilty?" Mu Wei jumped up and down.
Even County Magistrate Lu frowned and asked, "Is this question so difficult to answer? Just tell me the truth. Even if you're jealous, it's completely different from this murder."
Su Fengzhang replied, "One yin and one yang is the Tao. Goodness is what continues it, and nature is what completes it. The benevolent see it as benevolence, the wise see it as wisdom. Ordinary people use it daily without knowing it, so the way of the gentleman is rare. Showing benevolence, concealing utility, inspiring all things without sharing the worries of the sages, great virtue and great deeds are achieved! Abundance is great deeds, daily renewal is great virtue. Genesis is Yi, forming images is Qian, and imitating is Kun. Predicting the future through the ultimate number is divination, understanding change is affairs, and the unpredictable nature of yin and yang is divine."
"A benevolent man sees benevolence, a wise man sees wisdom, and a lewd man sees only lewdness."
Mu Wei's face was extremely ugly. He pointed at him and cursed, "You, you actually dared to curse in front of an adult."
Su Fengzhang still ignored him and continued, "Brother Changqing is good at poetry, and I am good at contemporary writing. Although we are not as good as Boya and Ziqi, we are also close friends. Occasionally, we learn from each other and it always complements each other."
"I believe that with Mu Tongsheng's personality, he wouldn't understand this kind of friendship. In his eyes, he would be jealous of those who are stronger than him, and would despise those who are weaker than him."
"I disdain to associate with this person. I also pity him for never having a close friend in his entire life. It's pathetic, sad, and lamentable, but at the same time, extremely hateful."
Before he finished speaking, Liu Xiong and the others clapped their hands and shouted, "Brother Su said it well. The friendship of a gentleman is as pure as water, while the friendship of a villain is as sweet as honey. How can a villain like him understand the heart of a gentleman?"
Not only him, the two adults in the court also felt that it made sense. Su Fengzhang himself was very outstanding, and it was really far-fetched to say that he was jealous of talented people.
Even County Magistrate Lu said impatiently: "Alright, Mu Tongsheng, do you have any evidence? If you do, just show it to us. Don't waste everyone's time here. If you slander your classmates without evidence, you will be convicted."
Mu Wei's face twisted, but after hearing this, he could only say: "Sir, I don't mean to slander Su Fengzhang, but I want to tell you, and everyone present, that this person has been jealous of Changqing for a long time, so he became so vicious and killed people. He..."
Sun Zhubu interrupted him, "Okay, didn't you say you had real evidence? Where's the evidence?"
"I have a witness." Mu Wei turned around and shouted, "Brother Yuan, you tell me."
A scholar was pushed in. He looked panicked and quickly waved his hands, saying, "This matter has nothing to do with me."
"How can it be okay? Weren't you staying next door at that time? That's not what you told me just now. Do you want to give false testimony for Su Fengzhang?" Mu Wei asked aggressively.
County Magistrate Lu didn't expect there was actually evidence, and immediately asked, "Mr. Yuan, did you see or hear anything? Please tell me the truth. If you conceal it, you will be guilty."
Yuan Xiucai looked embarrassed. He was one of the three students who discovered the crime scene. Unlike the other two who came back for some temporary matters, something happened at home and he did not go back for the New Year.
But since County Magistrate Lu was asking about him, Yuan Xiucai gritted his teeth and said, "I wasn't feeling well that day. Plus, the county school was deserted, and there was no one on the streets outside, so I wanted to go to bed early."
"I ate a piece of dry biscuit and was about to go to bed, but I heard some noise next door near dusk."
"There were two people arguing next door. I knew that all of Lin Changqing's classmates had gone back to their hometowns, and he was the only one there, so I was curious and listened carefully."
"Their voices were not loud, and I didn't hear clearly what they said, but I vaguely heard Su Xiucai's name."
"Then there was a loud bang, and then there was no movement next door. I figured one of them had passed away."
"You all know Lin Changqing's personality. He doesn't like to talk to people, and he doesn't have a good relationship with me. Although we went to the same county school, we only exchanged a few words. At the time, I didn't think anyone would die, so I didn't go over to check."
"Sir, if I knew something was wrong with Lin Changqing, I would definitely go and help him even if I had no relatives or friends. But, but I didn't expect that. Will I be okay?"
County Magistrate Lu also frowned upon hearing this, thinking that Scholar Yuan was too aloof. Otherwise, if he had gone over to take another look, perhaps Lin Changqing would not have died.
But it was useless to say this now. Just like what Yuan Xiucai said, no one would have thought that someone next door would kill someone: "Okay, you only heard it. Can you be sure who was arguing at the time? Did you see anything?"
Yuan Xiucai quickly shook his head: "I was already lying in bed at the time, how could I see anything? As for the sound, the two people next door spoke very quietly, so I can't be sure. I really just vaguely heard Su Xiucai's name."
Mu Wei was anxious and shouted, "Yuan Xiucai, what's wrong with you? Didn't you tell me yesterday that you heard Su Fengzhang and Changqing arguing, and Changqing even called his name?"
Yuan Xiucai said, "When did I say I heard him arguing with Lin Changqing? I said I seemed to hear his name, and then he knocked on the door next door and called for help. I didn't say I heard him arguing next door."
Mu Wei was so angry that his eyes turned black. He angrily said, "That's not what you said yesterday."
Seeing that they were about to quarrel, County Magistrate Lu slammed the alarm block and shouted, "Shut up!"
"Mr. Yuan, tell me exactly what happened."
Yuan Xiucai then stumbled over what happened that day and finally emphasized, "Everyone knows what happened next. I left the house only after hearing Uncle Liu's voice. The other two students were there at the time."
County Magistrate Lu finally came to a conclusion: "If that's the case, we can only say that the two people who were arguing mentioned Su Fengzhang's name, but we can't be sure that Su Fengzhang was one of them."
Mu Wei interrupted and shouted, "Sir, I have more evidence."
County Magistrate Lu shouted, "Say it all at once."
Mu Wei said, "Lin Changqing and I are from the same hometown. Before returning home this time, I asked him if he wanted to go back with me. Although we don't have a good relationship, we are from the same place after all."
"But Lin Changqing declined at the time because he couldn't resist Su Fengzhang's kindness and planned to stay in Hushan County for the New Year."
"I did agree, but Lin Changqing once complained to me privately, saying that Su Fengzhang was quite stubborn and would never allow anyone to get ahead of him. The two of them seemed to be on good terms, but in fact, they had many disagreements."
"I asked three questions just now because I wanted to confirm that Su Fengzhang was jealous of Lin Changqing. I didn't expect that this person's flattery made you think that I was the villain. I guess he used this rhetoric to deceive Changqing."
"There's one more thing you might not know. Su Fengzhang's poetry has improved significantly recently. This isn't due to his exchanges with Changqing, but rather Changqing secretly writing for him!"
Once these words were spoken, their impact was many times greater than the nonsense just now, and the people below were in an uproar.
Even a few scholars began to doubt it, whispering to each other, "That's possible. Su Fengzhang's poetry has always been mediocre, so how come he suddenly made such a breakthrough?"
"No wonder Lin Changqing is usually gloomy and quiet, yet he's so close to Su Fengzhang."
"Lin Changqing is short of money, and Su Fengzhang's family is well-off. It's possible that they made a private deal."
Seeing the uproar around him, Mu Wei continued, "Changqing helped him do it for money, but he was unwilling to do it in his heart. He is a scholar and knows that such things are not tolerated by the law."
"Years ago, Changqing said that the money he had would last him for a while, so he decided to break off the deal with Su Fengzhang. Su Fengzhang must have had a taste of his own medicine and refused to do so, which led to the argument with Changqing."
Compared to the jealous words just now, these words sound much more reasonable, at least the ordinary people below think they are true.
County Magistrate Lu's expression also grew serious. He turned to look at Su Fengzhang, who remained calm, and asked, "Su Fengzhang, is the ghostwriting incident true?"
It is not uncommon for writers to have others write for them, but if no one knows about it, it would be fine. However, once it gets out, their reputation will be ruined.
Su Fengzhang hadn't expected Mu Wei to fabricate such rumors. He clasped his hands and shouted, "There's absolutely no such thing. I'm innocent!"
"Changqing taught me poetry, and I taught him contemporary prose. All the county students knew about this. The poetry exam would be conducted on the spot, and the questions would be set by the instructor. How could I have known this in advance and even asked Changqing to prepare for it?"
"Just now, I said that everyone has their own opinion. I'm afraid Mu Tong has had this idea for a long time. Seeing that I am close to Chang Qing, he has made more speculations. All of this is his imagination and is definitely not the truth."
"My Lords, not only will I not admit to this unfounded charge, I will also accuse this person of false accusation. Please clear my name. Otherwise, in the future, anyone in the county school who is jealous of talented people will make false accusations, which will destroy the students' path to advancement."
Su Fengzhang's tearful words made the people around him wake up. After all, these words were empty words without any evidence, and there was indeed a possibility of slander.
Liu Xiong further said, "You may not know that Brother Su was the top scorer in the college entrance examination. He was praised by the prefect and even received a commendation. He has always ranked first in the county school and tied with Chang Qing for first place in the annual examination. With such talent, there is no need for someone to write for him. Why would he kill someone for this?"
"Mu Wei, on the other hand, is a mediocre person, and he's jealous of talented people. Everyone in the county school knows it."
Mu Wei turned around and said angrily, "Liu Xiong, have you eaten the rice of the Su family or married a woman of the Su family? Why are you speaking for this Su family without knowing right from wrong? Are you two in the same group?"
Liu Xiong was not afraid of him and sneered, "I stand for justice, not relatives, and I can't stand you slandering others."
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The author has something to say: When Chang Qing was alive, no one mentioned him.
Now that I'm dead, you all can't bear to let me go.
But the dead cannot be resurrected
So I wish everyone a happy 520, although I don’t know where the 520 festival came from.
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