Feng Yuan naturally knew that he was in a difficult situation. He drank tea for three consecutive days in the first three days after taking office and achieved nothing else.
Normally, when a county magistrate takes office, the chief secretaries of the six departments and three classes should come to pay their respects, but no one came to see him. He couldn't even recognize everyone, and even the clerks and runners ignored him. Feng Yuan knew that Dong Weimin was making things difficult for him, but he was not in a hurry. He had to eat one bite at a time.
One of the important powers of the county magistrate is to try and judge cases, which is also the best way to break the situation.
For this reason, he went to the place where he filed the complaint, and there he met the sneaky Song Chi.
Feng Yuan was deeply impressed by this young man and knew his background. He actually came to submit a petition, which made Feng Yuan very curious, so he went straight to him.
"The magistrate is very busy, and these are trivial matters, so there is no need for you to review them."
Dong Weimin said this with a smile on his face, but his grip did not loosen at all, and he pressed it even tighter. He had read the complaint and could not give Feng Yuan a chance to try the case, let alone let him try the Sun family's case.
"This is the responsibility of our county. If we ignore it, wouldn't it be dereliction of duty?" Feng Yuan tried hard to pull the petition over, but failed.
The two masters talked about harmony but were actually competing secretly. Seeing this scene, Lu Wen knew that the new county magistrate was not someone to be trifled with. If you don't listen to me, I will come to you in person. How can you refuse?
"The magistrate has only been in office for a few days, so he should first familiarize himself with the county government."
Dong Weimin's face changed. He didn't expect Feng Yuan to take the initiative to attack. Lu Wen had just arrived when he followed in, leaving him unable to react.
"This is the responsibility of this county. As the magistrate, don't I even have the authority to judge this case?"
Feng Yuan didn't want to argue with Dong Weimin anymore. He stepped forward with his right hand, removed Dong Weimin's hand that was pressing on the complaint, and snatched the complaint away.
"this......."
Dong Weimin's face changed slightly. Why did he even start to rob? He was over fifty years old and of course not as strong as Feng Yuan. Several lawsuits had already fallen into Feng Yuan's hands.
Feng Yuan looked through them one by one until he saw one.
These petitions were written in much the same way, all suing Sun Cheng, the eldest son of the Sun family. However, this one was special. It started by saying that the world was becoming more corrupted and people's hearts were no longer as they used to be. It was the same thing, but his description was more eye-catching.
That’s right, this petition was written by Song Chi. He used a shocking writing style. The Sun Da in the petition was described as an unforgivable criminal. Just looking at the petition, it would not be an exaggeration to chop off his head.
Feng Yuan recognized that this petition was written by Song Chi. He had read Song Chi's article and recognized the handwriting.
It was unusual for a county's top judge to be someone else's lawyer. Feng Yuan knew the young man's cleverness, and after a little thought, he had an idea in his mind. Perhaps to break the deadlock, he had to start with this case.
"I cannot stand the thought that such a bully could emerge from the hometown of the Prime Minister. Before he left, the Prime Minister repeatedly urged me to protect my hometown. How could I possibly let him down..."
Feng Yuan's face was serious and his tone was harsh and filled with endless indignation.
Dong Weimin, who was about to speak, was stunned. He didn't expect County Magistrate Feng to be so shameless as to mention the title of Prime Minister. This was just a lie with open eyes.
How could the Prime Minister tell you such a thing?
But he couldn't say it. Ji County was originally the hometown of the Prime Minister, so there was naturally no problem in using such a banner. Dong Weimin also often said such things. The problem was that he was really the Prime Minister's man, and Feng Yuanke had nothing to do with the Prime Minister.
"This county cannot ignore this case. The indictment states that Sun Cheng has committed three major crimes in this dynasty. This county will not wrongly accuse a good man, nor will it let a bad man go. The true extent of the situation will only be known after the trial."
Feng Yuan didn't even give Dong Weimin a chance to respond. He said directly, "This county will hold a public trial of this case in three days. Please ask County Magistrate Dong to inform both parties in advance and summon them to the trial!"
After saying this, he turned around and was about to leave with the complaint.
Dong Weimin was a little anxious and hurriedly asked, "Sir, is this inappropriate?"
"What's wrong?"
Feng Yuan stopped and turned around to ask, "Shouldn't the government hear the complaint?"
"We should hear the complaint, but it's completely fabricated and nonsense," Dong Weimin said calmly. "Ji County is a large county with a large population and countless issues. If we hear these pointless cases one by one, our county government will have nothing to do."
A public trial means a trial in public, during which ordinary people will be allowed to enter and watch. This is the best way for a county magistrate to demonstrate his authority and also the best way to gain prestige and reputation.
He must not let Feng Yuan succeed.
"How does County Magistrate Dong know that this complaint is completely false?"
"I know Sun Cheng and know his character. This incident actually has another reason. A few days ago, I received a lawsuit. It was filed by Su Mingyue, the third daughter-in-law of the Sun family, who was posing as a widow to fight for the Sun family's property. This is absurd."
Dong Weimin walked out from behind the desk and deliberately walked up to Feng Yuan to stop him. "I have already made the verdict, but there are still such complaints leaked. It shows that this woman is not at peace at all..."
"The fight for property is one case, the fight for the common people is another. How can the two be compared? One complaint is a forgery, but thirteen complaints were written by thirteen people. Are they all fake?"
Feng Yuan said bluntly: "This case should be tried publicly. If this county ignores it, it would be dereliction of duty!"
"But......."
Dong Weimin wanted to say something, but Feng Yuan interrupted him. "The lawyers who submitted the petition are still waiting for a response. I don't think Secretary Lu is sure either, so I will go and respond personally."
As he said this, he pushed Dong Weimin away and walked out while the two of them were stunned.
This man was so strong that Dong Weimin staggered and almost fell. Although he was over fifty years old, his body was in good condition. Feng Yuan's seemingly light push made him unable to resist at all.
"Master, what should we do?" Lu Wen immediately asked for instructions. He was Dong Weimin's man and was used to addressing him as "Master".
"This man is so unruly. As a county magistrate, he repeatedly uses violence. It's really too much!" Dong Weimin, who had excellent self-control, looked ugly at this moment.
"Let's go and see, he's trying to muddy the waters."
Dong Weimin had no hair at all, so how could he not know Feng Yuan's thoughts? This also made him put aside his contempt. The person who could come to Ji County to serve as the magistrate was indeed not a simple person.
The two followed behind, while Feng Yuan had already arrived at the outer courtyard of the county government office. More than ten lawyers were still waiting there for a reply. After submitting the complaint, they would receive a receipt indicating that the government office had accepted it. Naturally, they would not leave before receiving it.
Feng Yuan glanced at the crowd and saw Song Chi behind them. He was also wearing a lawyer's robe, but it didn't fit him well, making him look like a child wearing adult clothes. He also had a fake beard on and was hiding his head for fear of being recognized.
He recognized me.
Song Chi noticed Feng Yuan's expression and immediately felt something in his heart.
Seeing the complaint in his hand, Song Chi knew that his goal had been achieved. The new magistrate was not a simple person as he had thought.
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