Upon hearing Liu Baiyao's words, Wang Hui, the magistrate of Xianyang County, immediately became conflicted.
Although history is replete with powerful officials who dared to punish the powerful, Wang Hui was clearly not that kind of person, nor did he have the courage to become one.
He has already done his best by being loyal to his duties.
To ask him to offend powerful figures for the sake of the people under his rule is simply beyond his capabilities.
But since Liu Baiyao dared to bring up her status as a princess in front of so many people to intimidate him, he still had to put on a show.
"How dare you!"
"Even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners, let alone a servant like you!"
"Guards, drag this man away and give him twenty strokes of the cane!"
Upon hearing this, the onlookers clapped and cheered, praising Magistrate Wang Hui for his selflessness, fairness, and integrity.
"Hmph!"
"So what if you're a servant in the princess's residence? My cousin's second uncle even guarded the emperor's gate, but he wasn't as arrogant as you!"
"Who says otherwise? I even know Yuchi Jingde, but I haven't been bragging to anyone!"
"If that's the case, then I fought against General Li Jing years ago and was even personally inspected by His Majesty the Emperor!"
In the Guanzhong region, the military and civilians are closely integrated. To be honest, every family can find several relatives who hold official positions in the imperial court.
Moreover, this is Xianyang. It's not difficult to hit three nobles with a brick, let alone three people related to them.
Yuchi Jingde and Li Jing, standing to the side, looked at each other in bewilderment.
Do you know this person?
"I don't know him!"
Do you know that person?
"How could that be? There are at least two or three hundred thousand soldiers who followed me into battle. How could I possibly remember them all?"
"However, the people of Guanzhong are warlike, so he may have actually followed me on campaigns..."
While the two were talking, Liu Baiyao, the steward of Princess Changsha's residence, had already been beaten with a board and was carried back to the main hall.
This time he learned his lesson and dared not bring up the princess's residence again. He simply confessed his guilt and accepted punishment honestly.
When Wang Hui saw Liu Baiyao confess his guilt, he immediately raised the object high and then gently lowered it, assigning him a crime that was neither too serious nor too minor.
It's said to be a heavy sentence because he was sentenced to exile for three hundred li. It's said to be light because that three hundred li could be substituted with a fine.
The brilliance of this ruling lies in giving both sides room to maneuver.
If the princess's residence truly cared about this person, they would naturally not care about the fine and would simply pay it on his behalf.
If the princess's residence didn't care about this person at all, he could extend the distance by three hundred li and send him directly to the desert to eat sand.
After delivering the verdict in court, Wang Hui did not leave immediately, but instead waved to Li Zhong.
"Lord Li, if you have time, would you mind coming to the back room for a chat?"
Li Jue immediately understood what this meant; the magistrate was deliberately trying to smooth things over!
"good!"
Sure enough, as soon as the two arrived at the back hall, Wang Hui explained the pros and cons to him.
"Lord Li, I won't beat around the bush. I truly admire your ability to sponsor education in Xianyang!"
"You saw this case today. The other party is from the Changsha Princess's residence. Although the Emperor Emeritus has been dead for many years, the Changsha Princess is still a member of the imperial family. What do you think of this case..."
Upon hearing this, Li Jue cupped his hands in greeting to Wang Hui.
"I am very grateful to Magistrate Wang for protecting me today. If it were any other official, they would probably have been intimidated by the Princess's reputation and pinned all the blame on me!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Hui finally smiled, and his opinion of Li Zhong rose considerably.
He did help Li Zhong a lot today, but his help was only within the bounds of law and procedure. To be precise, even if Li Zhong didn't appreciate it, there was nothing he could do.
Seeing that Li Zhong was so cooperative, he became more earnest in his words.
"Lord Li, I'm twenty years older than you, so I'll shamelessly call you 'brother'!"
"In my opinion, brother, you'd better know when to quit while you're ahead. You've won the case now, and the coroner has signed and sealed the documents, proving your innocence. You should leave yourself some leeway so you can face him again in the future, right?"
"Big brother, what if they continue to bully me?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Hui's eyes flickered slightly, and then he asked a question that seemed irrelevant.
"Brother, who are your connections in the court?"
"relation?"
"Yes!"
"Don't tell your elder brother that you don't know anyone in the court!"
Upon hearing this, Li Jue immediately felt depressed. He thought to himself that he did know Li Er, and was even Li Er's eldest grandson, but damn it, he dared not say it!
"To be honest, I do know people in the court, but for some reasons I don't want to bother them..."
"Oh oh oh..."
Wang Hui nodded knowingly upon hearing this. In fact, one only needed to look at Li Jue's age to know that he had lost his father at a young age, had no parents or elders to support him, and no brothers or sisters to help him. Even if his ancestors had some connections, they would not be of much use by the time they reached his generation.
"Since that's the case, brother, take my advice and let's put this matter aside for now."
"If Princess Changsha goes too far, I have some connections in the court, and I will naturally smooth things over for you."
Li Jue nodded gratefully upon hearing this.
"Thank you very much for your help, brother. When it comes to covering the necessary expenses, please don't be shy with me. Just give me whatever you need. I'll definitely take care of it!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Hui grinned happily.
This kid's got it!
Although the child's family is currently in decline, if he waits a few years and obtains an official position in the court, he will surely rise rapidly in rank and revitalize the family!
"Brother, you're too kind. How could I possibly accept your money!"
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