Chapter 289: Guys, That was Just the Warm Up |
Professional!
Too professional!
Undeniably, men like Fan Chunren and Su Shi were both well-versed in legal matters, and could even be called specialists in this field. However, being proficient in law and actually arguing cases in court were two different professions.
Different trades were like different mountains.
The advantage of geniuses lay merely in their ability to quickly discover the mysteries of a new field, but this was limited to theoretical discussion—actual combat was another matter entirely.
Fan Chunren had fought so many lawsuits, yet his win rate at the Bureau of Records was quite low.
Regarding marketplace affairs, this son of a chancellor still didn’t understand clearly enough!
Fortunately, the Prosecution Office generally dealt with criminal cases, which allowed him to play to their strengths while avoiding their weaknesses.
However, the significance of this lawsuit didn’t lie in victory or defeat. What did winning matter? It meant that they had relied on a pen-in-cap, not on status, position, or power.
Warning signs were being hung up along many streets and alleys.
And not just within the city.
It was currently crisp autumn weather, when many young masters liked to go out hunting and galloping freely.
In the fields, four or five riders were chasing each other, leaving billowing dust clouds in their wake.
Suddenly, a barrier blocked their path.
“Whoa.”
The several young masters reined in their horses. One of them asked a patrolman beside the barrier, “Why is there a barrier here?”
The patrol constable pointed to a traffic sign erected nearby. “From now on, you can only proceed slowly on this stretch of road.”
“Why?” A young master urged his horse forward.
The patrol constable replied, “Because this is a necessary route for farmers returning home, so you can only proceed slowly. In the future, whenever you see this kind of traffic sign by the roadside, please go slowly. Otherwise, it constitutes a violation of traffic regulations.”
The several young masters looked at each other. Given Wang Qun’s case, they didn’t dare make a scene, but complained dissatisfiedly, “But you’ve set up a barrier—we can’t get through at all.”
The patrolman immediately explained, “This is only temporary. We’re practicing how to pursue traffic violators on this stretch of road.”
As he spoke, they heard the sound of hoofbeats.
The several young masters looked up and saw two horses chasing each other on the road in the distance—one mounted by a real person, the other by a wooden dummy.
Why use a dummy?
They quickly understood, because they saw the patrol constable suddenly begin swinging a lasso.
The several young masters were shocked.
“Is this how you pursue violators?”
“We first sound a warning bell. This is our method of handling situations where the other party doesn’t heed the warning.”
As he spoke, the lasso had already flown out and accurately caught the dummy.
With a loud crack, the wooden dummy was dragged directly to the ground and shattered into pieces.
The several dandies all shuddered simultaneously, their faces pale, as if they themselves had been the ones to fall.
The youngest young master immediately complained to the patrol constable, “You need to make these traffic signs bigger—otherwise who can see them?”
The General Police Bureau came out swinging with a spiked club in one hand and a battle-ax in the other, baring fangs and claws. As for combining awe with beneficence, they simply didn’t have that habit.
The powerful and wealthy also realized that continuing to act recklessly might turn them into cannon fodder—they needed to find another way.
Since the General Police Bureau now fell under the Chamber of State Affairs, they could work from that angle.
Thus, they began complaining to Sima Guang, Wen Yanbo, and others.
Fifty license numbers a day.
And freight carts got priority.
Even if we had the intention to respect the law, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to do so.
Second, most sedan chair passengers were women, and women’s reluctance to show themselves in public was also a virtue. Such harsh restrictions on sedan chairs went against Confucian morality.
Third, the fees for carriages multiplied based on quantity, but why didn’t they count household population? With a family of more than ten people, getting three carriages wasn’t excessive, yet we had to pay several times the fee.
This law was established too crudely and didn’t conform to reason or sentiment.
It had to be admitted that when these people put their minds to work, each one was stronger than the last.
Every point hit the mark.
Now that the Chamber of State Affairs had the authority to intervene, and Sima Guang could no longer shirk responsibility or lie back and enjoy the fruits of others’ labor. So he went to find Zhang Fei to discuss how to bring this matter to a beautiful conclusion.
Although Cao Ping was the Police Commissioner, Sima Guang knew that all of this was Zhang Fei’s doing, and he had to get Zhang Fei to back down first.
“Enough! Enough! Now that they’re all willing to get license plates, you should know when to stop.” Sima Guang waved his hand with a cheerful laugh.
He was extremely satisfied now, since everyone was willing to comply with this law, only hoping to optimize it further by addressing some of its flaws.
This was absolutely something that could be negotiated.
Zhang Fei smiled and said, “Academician Sima, please don’t be hasty. After some time passes, they’ll all be too lazy to mention this matter.”
Sima Guang was stunned for a moment and said, “What else are you planning?”
Zhang Fei chuckled, “Mere license plates cost only a few strings of cash per year – how can that demonstrate that justice has been upheld? Therefore, I plan for the next step to be cleaning up those street encroachment behaviors. I guarantee that once this comes out, they absolutely won’t care about license plates anymore.”
“…?”
Sima Guang was stunned for a long while before asking, “Clean up street encroachments?”
Zhang Fei nodded.
Sima Guang had never dreamed that Zhang Fei was still holding back a major move. He hurriedly said, “You rascal, don’t act recklessly! This matter is of great importance. In the past, Lord Fan and Chancellor Bao both wanted to clean up these street encroachment issues, but due to excessive resistance, they were unable to succeed. Now that we’ve gained benefits and the situation favors us, we should take a step back. Let’s discuss this matter later to avoid losing more than we gain.”
He absolutely supported cleaning up street encroachment, but he also knew the stakes involved. Now that they had achieved great victory in the license plate matter, they should definitely quit while they were ahead. If they continued to be aggressive, the other side would become desperate too.
They needed to advance step by step – they couldn’t become fat in one bite.
That was something Wang Anshi would do, not Sima Guang’s style!
Zhang Fei said, “Academician Sima, the Military Patrol Office lit the fire over license plates. Now that the Police Bureau has been established, it also needs to light a fire, otherwise it won’t be able to establish its authority.”
Sima Guang waved his hand and said, “That should also wait for some time. You’re pressuring people so they can’t catch their breath, and this involves many citizens – it’s not as simple as you imagine.”
Zhang Fei hesitated briefly, coughed, and said, “But Commissioner Cao asked His Majesty, and the court doesn’t have much funding to allocate to the Police Bureau, so… so the Bureau must be self-sufficient.”
“Scoundrel!”
Sima Guang jumped to his feet in anger. “So this was your plan all along! I support judicial reform for the sake of justice, but you want to seek profit right from the start – this is absolutely unacceptable.”
If you said these street encroachments were illegal and should all be demolished, he wouldn’t approve of being so hasty, but he wouldn’t be this furious.
But you want to use illegal activities to seek profit – this was something he could not tolerate.
This was exactly Wang Anshi’s thinking.
Zhang Fei quickly said, “Academician Sima, please calm down and listen to my explanation.”
“If this is your thinking, no matter how much you explain, I won’t listen, and don’t even think about succeeding.” Sima Guang waved his hand and spoke with firm determination.
Absolutely no enforcing law for money – in his view, this was truly terrifying.
Zhang Fei suddenly asked, “Have you seen those patrol constables enforcing the law?”
Sima Guang was stunned for a moment and nodded slightly. “I’ve seen it once or twice.”
Zhang Fei asked, “What changes do you think there are compared to before?”
Sima Guang frowned slightly. “In terms of behavioral standards, it’s indeed much better than before. This is one of the reasons I support you.”
Zhang Fei asked again, “Have you been to White Crystal Inn?”
Sima Guang thought for a moment. “I went once.”
Zhang Fei said in surprise, “Once?”
Sima Guang said, “The food and wine at White Crystal Inn are so expensive – why would I waste money like that?”
Wouldn’t it be better to save money to buy books?
Zhang Fei asked gossipily, “That time must have been someone else treating you?”
Sima Guang said, “Chancellor Bao treated me.”
So Bao Zheng was that wealthy. Zhang Fei muttered to himself.
Sima Guang asked, “Why are you asking all this?”
This was getting more and more absurd.
“Please answer me first, Academician Sima, and I’ll explain everything clearly afterward.” Zhang Fei then asked, “Have you ever been to the small taverns on Horse Market Street?”
Sima Guang said, “I do go to the small taverns on Horse Market Street frequently.”
Zhang Fei asked, “May I ask, Academician Sima, is there a difference in service between the two?”
Without hesitation, Sima Guang replied, “Do you even need to ask? Naturally White Crystal Inn’s is better.”
“Why?”
“White Crystal Inn is so expensive.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Sima Guang suddenly realized, “These are two different matters that can’t be conflated.”
Zhang Fei smiled and said, “This is exactly the same matter – you get what you pay for. Many runners who serve as patrol constables receive no pay at all and even have to contribute their own money. If you ask them to enforce the law, would they be courteous? In fact, if they don’t extort and blackmail the common people, that’s already quite generous of them. Without adequate funding, it’s impossible to train a law enforcement team with strict discipline – this is fundamental.”
After pausing, he continued, “As for street encroachment, you should also know that street encroachment within Bianjing has become extremely serious. Many areas are completely blocked off. If a fire breaks out, firefighters would have to bend over and walk slowly to get in, and as for firefighting equipment, it simply can’t get through at all – this is very dangerous.
There are also people who occupy drainage ditches, causing them to become blocked. All of these issues must be rectified.
I’m not saying that as long as you pay money, street encroachment is allowed. Some encroachments that obstruct traffic and impede firefighting must be demolished without negotiation.
But for some minor street encroachments that don’t cause significant harm, we will still give them the opportunity to keep them, while requiring payment of certain taxes and fees.
A gentleman loves wealth but acquires it through proper means. We take this money with a clear conscience. So many court regulations involve paying fines – are these all just robbery?”
Sima Guang sat down and sighed, “Actually, how could I not know that the key to law enforcement lies in not deciding based on family ties or status, but deciding everything according to law.
But have you considered that many common people are forced to expand their buildings due to housing difficulties? You’re also aware of Bianjing’s housing prices. If you decide everything strictly according to law, it will inevitably cause public resentment, and the powerful nobles in court will certainly use this to oppose you. How will you handle the situation then?”
Zhang Fei smiled and said, “Academician Sima’s words also apply to vehicle licenses.”
Sima Guang snorted, “How much do vehicle licenses cost? Just a few hundred coins per year. But Bianjing’s housing prices are astronomical – every inch of land is worth its weight in gold. How can they be discussed in the same breath?”
Zhang Fei said, “Since I was able to implement vehicle licenses without causing public resentment, why wouldn’t you believe I can handle this matter just as well?”
Sima Guang asked, “What do you plan to do?”
Zhang Fei smiled disarmingly, “Don’t you understand me by now? I only have one trick that I use over and over.”
Sima Guang said, “Litigation?”