If it weren’t for the commotion at the door, Lu Gongzhu would have thought he had misheard.
A thousand strings of cash?
What a surprise!
Not only were the literati gathered at the gate astonished, but even Han Qi and Fu Bi were shocked as they looked at Zhang Fei.
If Su Shi’s collection of poems could earn a hundred strings, it would already be a miracle.
Yet here, Zhang Fei was demanding a thousand strings.
Even bandits would call you ‘daddy’ if they saw you!
What a litigious rogue!
This was even more outrageous than the initial case of Fang Datian, where the victim Wei Ada had suffered physical harm that could affect his future labor and inco.
Su Shi had not suffered any harm; it was sheer cunning, and Zhang Fei was demanding a thousand strings.
Su Shi, as the person involved, was dumbfounded.
Even he found this compensation amount embarrassing.
Too much!
Even his brother, Su Zhe, couldn’t stand it and whispered, “Brother, how can you demand so much money?”
“I…”
Su Shi stomped his foot in frustration, looking aggrieved. “This has nothing to do with .”
Su Zhe asked curiously, “How could it have nothing to do with you when he’s helping you with the lawsuit?”
Su Shi replied shafully, “He initially asked for a hundred strings as paynt, but I didn’t have that much money. So I said the compensation from the lawsuit could be his fee. But I never thought he would demand a thousand strings.”
He truly hadn’t expected Zhang Fei to be so ruthless.
Even selling the entire bookstore wouldn’t fetch that much.
He had thought the most it would be was around two hundred strings.
Are you protecting my reputation or ruining it?
This thousand strings had nothing to do with him, but Zhang Fei was indeed demanding it on his behalf.
He was at a loss for words.
Unjust!
Su Zhe sighed, “I told you so, brother, you brought this trouble upon yourself. Now it’s too late for regrets.”
Su Shi was on the verge of tears, feeling the angry glares from Fu Bi, Wen Yanbo, and others.
Even his brother suspected he had requested this amount, let alone outsiders.
He wanted to step forward and stop the lawsuit, but he believed that such a high compensation amount would not be approved by Lu Gongzhu.
It made no sense at all!
Let’s wait and see.
“Order! Order!”
Lu Gongzhu banged his gavel three tis. After the room quieted down, he looked incredulously at Zhang Fei and asked, “On what grounds do you demand a thousand strings? The profits from Su Shi’s collection at the bookstore have been investigated, and it’s only thirty strings.”
The discrepancy nearly sparked public outrage.
This was outright robbery.
Su Shi felt a bit dejected. Was his collection worth so little?
Zhang Fei responded righteously, “Your Honor, the compensation should not be based on the profits the bookstore earned but on the victim’s losses. Therefore, the profits the bookstore have little to do with my client’s claim.”
Though he made a valid point, Lu Gongzhu was curious and asked, “But what losses did Su Shi suffer in this case?”
Zhang Fei replied, “The risks he endured.”
“Risks?”
Lu Gongzhu was puzzled.
How could one assess risks?
Current laws mostly calculated compensation based on specific losses.
Zhang Fei asked, “May I ask, Your Honor, can the governnt provide concrete evidence that either every poem in this collection was written by Mr. Su, or that none were?”
Lu Gongzhu pondered for a mont, “That’s hard to prove. The governnt can only confirm that two poems written by Su Shi at the Historiography Institute, as they were recorded.”
“Your Honor is right.”
Zhang Fei nodded, “I think so too. It’s hard to prove. If I were to examine this poem collection, the only poem I would recognize would be Liu Yong’s ‘The Jade Maiden’s Celestial Dance.'”
Su Shi felt slightly offended. Are you implying I’m inferior to Liu Yong?
But then Zhang Fei explained, “That poem was sold at a high price to a courtesan, and there’s a contract to prove it. But many poems are hard to trace back to their original authors. Fortunately, our literati have integrity and don’t claim others’ works as their own.”
Comforting!
This guy didn’t seem so unpleasant after all!
The literati in attendance couldn’t help but cast approving glances at Zhang Fei.
With a respectful and admiring smile, Zhang Fei subtly reached out his hand and whispered, “The docunt!”
Xu Zhiqian quickly handed him a docunt.
Zhang Fei raised the docunt and said, “This contains records of officials throughout history who were demoted or executed because of their writings.”
He opened it and read aloud, “One famous case is that of the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Bo, who was punished and dismissed because of his ‘Proclamation on Fighting Cocks.'”
Looking at Lu Gongzhu, he asked, “Your Honor, are you aware of this case?”
Lu Gongzhu nodded, “Of course, I know this case. What does it prove?”
Zhang Fei answered, “Suppose that no one knew about this case, and a bookseller altered the nas in ‘Proclamation on Fighting Cocks’ and included it in Mr. Su’s collection, rousing the imperial court’s anger and leading to Mr. Su’s punishnt. If there’s no evidence to prove it’s not Mr. Su’s work, what then?”
This argunt made even the previously angry Han Qi and Fu Bi ponder deeply.
The literati present were highly sensitive and fearful of such matters.
Though there was no concept ‘literary inquisition’ in this era, punishnts for writings have existed throughout history. It beca more severe in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, where writing a single poem could lead to thousands of deaths.
Lu Gongzhu frowned, “If it were a life or death matter, or if officials were involved, the court would investigate thoroughly and not pass judgnt lightly.”
“But as Your Honor ntioned, it’s hard to prove. Moreover,” Zhang Fei swept his gaze around, “everyone here knows how dangerous rumors can be. So lies, when spread, beco the truth. Currently, it’s hard to prove the true author of a poem. In such cases, unauthorized reprinting could cause significant problems.
Typically, those who reprint without authorization don’t understand poetry and might reprint others’ reprints, leading to misinformation.
When a hundred booksellers include a poem in your collection, it becos yours. If sothing serious happens, the victim will be unable to defend themselves!”
The attendees were deeply disturbed, realizing the gravity of the situation.
A hundred different booksellers publishing the sa poem in a collection—how could one deny authorship? Would the court believe them?
Zhang Fei continued, “Mr. Su beca passed the civil examinations at a young age, and is admired by many ministers for his talent, with a promising career ahead. If a fake collection of his poetry hinders his career, the loss is far more than a thousand strings.
We can’t wait for years or decades to claim compensation; it would be aningless by then. Mr. Su would have lost his pri years, and our country could lose a valuable talent. Whether it’s a thousand or ten thousand strings, what would it matter then?
I understand this claim may seem harsh and excessive, akin to extortion. But I believe it respects the principles and spirit of our laws, which aim to prevent, restrain, and deter rather than punish.
It aligns with the policy of our ancestral law to establish comprehensive order as a precaution to malfeasance.
If I only claid twenty or thirty strings, what would be the point? While the bookstore had no malicious intent and rely sought profit, their carelessness or selfishness could ruin soone’s life. The law must make them cautious.”
Su Shi, who had initially regretted getting Zhang Fei involved, now smugly told Su Zhe, “Brother, didn’t I hire the right person?”
Su Zhe, suddenly realizing his back was drenched in sweat, glanced at his brother, nodded sheepishly, and said, “This person truly lives up to his reputation!”
The attendees, including the chancellors and great scholars, were all frightened by Zhang Fei’s words.
They now felt the compensation was not excessive.
It was deserved!
After all, it concerned their own interests.
And it was indeed terrifying and plausible.
Not just alarmist talk.
Fellow literati Lu Gongzhu, deeply understanding the issue, nodded slightly and said, “You make a good point, but the bookstore can’t afford such compensation.”
Zhang Fei imdiately responded, “This can be discussed later, but we must pursue the highest compensation. This matter is extrely serious for Mr. Su.”
Lu Gongzhu saw there was room for negotiation and said, “I believe this case is sufficient as it stands. What’s this about ‘bewitching the masses’ in your complaint?”
The lawsuit had reached a reasonable point. Claiming ‘bewitching the masses’ was a severe accusation.
Zhang Fei seriously replied, “The bookstore’s unauthorized reprinting undermines our nation’s founding principles and harms Mr. Su. If not controlled, the consequences could be disastrous.”
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