Chapter 288: An Argumentative Fellow |
Finally, it is time for me, Su Shi, to take the stage.
It wasn’t easy!
For Su Shi, this truly wasn’t easy!
Last time he had mustered all his energy, only to sit in the witness stand for barely the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, and after that… there was no “after.”
The opposing pen-in-cap hadn’t even been willing to call upon him, which left him feeling depressed for quite some time.
But Heaven does not fail those who persevere!
The opportunity had finally come.
Upon becoming the first Deputy Prosecutor of the Prosecution Office, Su Shi’s first act was to offend his future superior.
It should be noted that Fan Chunren becoming the first Chief Prosecutor was already a foregone conclusion. He had been selected for that position first, then sent here to serve as legal aid to gain experience.
So really, if Su Shi didn’t get exiled to Qiongzhou, who would?
However, for those high officials and nobles, once this matter reached the courtroom, they had already lost, even if Wang Qun was ultimately acquitted.
Because the fundamental issue wasn’t about whether laws were broken, but whether these laws could actually control these high officials and nobles.
This was just a very minor matter – if such a small issue had to go to court, what about all the unsavory things they usually did?
Therefore, from the beginning, they desperately urged Wang Chao to use his authority to resolve the problem and charge ahead directly.
But Wang Chao wasn’t stupid either. With the matter having escalated to this point, how could he not know who was standing behind it all?
Military officials were different from civil officials – their career prospects were more directly in the emperor’s hands.
He decisively chose to appeal in court.
With things having reached this point, the high officials and nobles could only focus their attention on this lawsuit, thinking they might all need to use such tactics in the future.
At least for now, this judicial reform seemed to be coming on strong, and they needed to find ways to avoid its cutting edge.
This was also the first time the Prosecution Office had initiated a lawsuit on behalf of the government.
Not only that, but the presiding judge was Lu Jiawen, who had just been promoted from the Kaifeng County judicial department.
He was also the youngest Judicial Administrator.
Although over the past three months, Lu Jiawen had achieved many accomplishments in Kaifeng County’s judicial reforms, this still counted as an exceptional promotion.
The reason was Wang Anshi’s strong recommendation.
Therefore, both the county court and Prosecution Office faced considerable pressure.
This also attracted the attention of nearly the entire city’s population.
This lawsuit was also giving birth to a new judicial system.
First, the existence of the Prosecution Office indicated that the government could no longer directly pronounce guilt – it had to go through litigation.
In the judicial world, this was absolutely an earth-shattering change.
Add to that the romantic talent Su Shi, who attracted large numbers of female fans who came to watch this lawsuit.
However, to the disappointment of all the female fans present, the scene was one-sided from the very beginning.
“I object.”
Li Lei shouted out the thirty-eighth “I object” of this lawsuit. “This is a courtroom, a place that deals in facts and evidence, while the opposing counsel is engaging in pure speculation.”
Su Shi exclaimed excitedly, “I was merely giving examples to prove my point.”
Lu Jiawen felt somewhat embarrassed for Su Shi and explained once again, “In court, examples are permitted, but they must be specific cases. Prosecutor Su believes that many young nobles are usually arrogant and domineering, but has not provided specific cases to prove this point.”
Su Shi sat down dejectedly.
Lu Gongzhu stroked his beard and laughed, “This young man is performing quite well.”
Of course, he wasn’t praising Su Shi, but Lu Jiawen. Lu Jiawen was, after all, too young, and he had been very anxious beforehand about whether this young man could command the courtroom.
But unexpectedly, the young man was quite mature.
Compared to Su Shi, Lu Jiawen had already handled no fewer than a hundred criminal and civil cases in Kaifeng County. Especially recently, he had basically been managing all litigation in Kaifeng County and possessed rich experience.
Wen Yanbo whispered to Sima Guang, “Is this Su Shi really qualified for the position of Deputy Prosecutor?”
Sima Guang was also confused. Su Shi shouldn’t have been this incompetent, but he said, “This is his first litigation, so some mishaps are inevitable. Let’s observe for a while longer.”
These words were clearly meant as self-consolation.
Xu Zhiqian, being a little fangirl herself, was also dumbfounded. She couldn’t help but ask Zhang Fei beside her, “Zhang San, although Mr. Su is appearing in court for the first time, he has observed many cases and even appeared in court before. How could this happen?”
Zhang Fei smiled and said, “There’s something called habit. Although litigation is also a form of debate, it’s very different from their usual arguments. Actually, when Remonstrator Fan first handled his first two cases, he had the same problem—he loved to attack whether the opponent’s statements were reasonable, wishing he could refute every single sentence.
But pen-in-caps in court present facts to avoid legal penalties, not to argue principles. Principles and law are actually two different things. Principles exist in the heart, while law exists on paper. Eloquent talent can change the principles in people’s hearts, but no matter how skilled one’s oratory, it cannot change the words written on paper.”
Xu Zhiqian nodded slightly and asked again, “If it were you, how would you handle this case?”
Zhang Fei said, “The opponent is obviously trying to exploit loopholes in the government’s overly hasty policies, and that is a fact. Competing with them on this point makes victory impossible.
If I were Mr. Su, I wouldn’t bother with Li Lei. I would concentrate my efforts on attacking Wang Qun. As long as I could extract Wang Qun’s state of mind at the time, with the existing legal precedents, I could still convict Wang Qun.
But clearly Mr. Su has fallen into the quagmire of debate. He keeps arguing with Li Lei about whether the military patrol stations have the authority to do this, and whether His Majesty’s permission includes posting warning signs. There are too many gaps in this area—it’s impossible to win.”
While the two chatted, the case had entered its final stage, with both sides beginning their closing arguments.
First was Su Shi. Although he had been rendered speechless by the opposition at one point, when he stood up, his face was still full of confidence—something that could only be described as innate.
“At the time of the incident, several uniformed patrol constables hung a warning sign on a tree. Why do patrol constables wear uniforms and officials wear official robes? Because these are symbols of identity and authority. When patrol constables put on their uniforms, they possess law enforcement powers—this requires no announcement.
The suspect Wang Qun made no inquiries whatsoever before using mud to attack the warning sign. Regardless of his reasons, he was obstructing law enforcement. If this is not severely punished, who will cooperate with patrol constables in the future? The consequences would be very serious. Therefore, I implore Your Honor to convict Wang Qun of destroying public property, violent resistance to law enforcement, and since he is the son of the Commander of the Cavalry and holds an official title, he knowingly violated the law and should receive an additional penalty.”
After hearing this, Fan Chunren couldn’t help but breathe a long sigh of relief.
Zhang Fei smiled and said, “It seems he has finally understood, but unfortunately it’s too late.”
After Su Shi sat down, Li Lei stood up. “First, law enforcement personnel must follow regulations. If patrol constables went to the Imperial City to post warning signs, they would certainly be arrested by the Imperial Guard, because that area does not fall under patrol constable jurisdiction.
I have already proven multiple times that neither His Majesty’s edict nor the government’s policies contain any clear provision stating that Infantry Division patrol constables can enter areas under Cavalry Division jurisdiction to enforce the law.
At the same time, the government has explicit written regulations dividing areas under Infantry Division jurisdiction from those under Cavalry Division jurisdiction.
The government’s recently issued policies also prove this point. If this incident had occurred today, then Wang Qun’s actions would undoubtedly be illegal, because the government has already explicitly stipulated that the General Police Bureau will have jurisdiction over security and traffic throughout the entire capital.
But the fact is that this incident did not occur today. Therefore, the first to violate regulations were the four Infantry Division patrol constables, while Wang Qun holds an official title in the Cavalry Division. When he saw Infantry Division patrol constables enforcing law in the Cavalry Division’s jurisdiction without prior notification to the Cavalry Division, he ought rightfully take preventive measures. Moreover, his methods were very mild—he harmed no patrol officers and merely used mud to cover the warning diagram. This action simply indicated that Wang Qun did not recognize the legal validity of this warning sign. He had grounds for this and the authority to do so. Therefore, I implore Your Honor to find Wang Qun not guilty.”
Many of those present shook their heads after hearing Li Lei’s closing argument, their gazes filled with contempt.
In their view, Li Lei’s words were nothing but sophistry, while Su Shi’s arguments were reasonable and well-founded.
Directly attacking a warning sign with mud—how could this be considered a mild method?
Moreover, Wang Qun was merely nominally affiliated with the Cavalry Division, so what right did he have to prevent patrol constables from carrying out their duties?
After Lu Jiaqian and the other judges conferred quietly on the bench, and once those judges had returned to their seats, he struck his gavel and declared loudly: “The imperial court’s decree indeed did not clearly specify that Infantry Division patrol constables could enter the Cavalry Division’s jurisdiction to enforce the new traffic laws. The Infantry Division could have avoided this misunderstanding—but unfortunately, the Infantry Division failed to notify the Cavalry Division beforehand.
According to our dynasty’s system, when faced with overreach in law enforcement, enforcement personnel may appropriately employ forceful resistance.”
However, being a young man, Lu Jiawen still had some desire to show off, and he continued: “Although this official does not approve of Wang Qun’s behavior—he could have inquired clearly and adopted a more appropriate solution—the fact is that he did not violate the law. All of this resulted from the failure of the Infantry and Cavalry Divisions to communicate in a timely manner, as well as unclear expression in the court’s decree. Therefore, this official declares Wang Qun not guilty and orders his release.”
“Excellent!”
Wang Chao stood up excitedly.
Xu Zhiqian looked utterly disappointed. In this matter, she absolutely supported Su Shi and believed Wang Qun should be severely punished. She turned to look at Zhang Fei: “It seems your desire to use this case to establish your authority has come to nothing.”
Zhang Fei smiled: “Though the result differs somewhat from my expectations, it’s not entirely in vain. Look at Wang Qun—see how he’s crying.”
Xu Zhiqian looked over and saw Wang Qun with his head buried against the railing, his whole body trembling as he wept.
This was too damn thrilling.
Although the final verdict was not guilty with release, Wang Qun, being the son of an official, had been brought to court over such a trivial matter and prosecuted by the Prosecution Office. One careless move could have meant imprisonment, and no one could have saved him.
“Thank you all for clearing my son of these false accusations. I have already sent people to arrange a banquet at White Crystal Inn, and I must properly express my gratitude to you all later.”
Wang Chao bowed to Li Lei, Li Guozhong, and the others.
Given the current situation, pen-in-cap lawyers were becoming increasingly important, so Wang Chao naturally wanted to treat them with courtesy.
Li Guozhong responded with trepidation, returning the bow: “Cavalry Commander, you flatter us. Actually… actually, there was some luck involved in this.”
When he mentioned luck, he truly wasn’t being modest. Previously, Zhang Fei had predicted that while Wang Qun wouldn’t face criminal responsibility, some minor punishment would still be unavoidable.
Who could have expected that it wouldn’t be Fan Chunren who appeared, but Su Shi instead? And Su Shi had gotten into a contest with Li Lei, unwilling to concede on any point and having to refute everything, which caused him to overlook attacking Wang Qun.
Though he eventually realized this, it was already too late.
Su Shi was completely bewildered.
This was so different from what he had anticipated. Actually, he had initially planned to attack Wang Qun, but as the argument progressed, he became obsessed with refuting every single statement Li Lei made.
This was just his nature.
A leopard cannot change its spots.
Suddenly, a figure approached.
Su Shi looked up to see Fan Chunren standing before him, his handsome face immediately flushing red with embarrassment.
How awkward this was!
Fan Chunren stroked his beard and smiled: “I won’t hide it from you—yesterday I was still resentful that you had taken this case from me, but today I actually think your decision was right. Without experiencing this defeat, how could you be qualified for the position of Deputy Prosecutor?”
At this point, he sighed: “Perhaps this is the inevitable path for us civil officials when we take the stand. I remember when I first faced off against Zhang San, I lost even more miserably than you did. And after coming to the Bureau of Records, I went several consecutive days without winning a single case. At that time, even the common people despised my legal aid.”
He truly didn’t blame Su Shi, because he saw his own former self reflected in Su Shi.
Such habits were difficult to change quickly, and even now, he still made such mistakes occasionally.
Su Shi glanced at Fan Chunren, then suddenly stood up and bowed: “Thank you for your comfort, Mr. Fan, but I, Su Shi, am not so easily defeated.”