Chapter 747: Bringing Disgrace Upon Oneself

Gu Xingzu arrived at the Huangpu Town dock before dark the previous day. Since the sea journey from Guangzhou to Qiongzhou Prefecture was also over a thousand li long, ordinary ships couldn’t be used. Thus, the Xu family specially sent a newly built ship from a Fujian shipyard for him to take. Although they could have anchored at the old Fuxu dock, the Xu family considered Huangpu more convenient for travel, and since Gu Xingzu had detained Zhang Qian and Zhang Yue, they followed his wishes and sent the ship there. Who would have thought that as soon as the ship arrived, news of a storm and tide surge came in from the sea, and soon the entire port was sealed off.

Although anxious, one of the Xu family managers, hearing about the storm at sea, didn’t dare act rashly and persuaded Gu Xingzu carefully. Gu Xingzu also didn’t want to risk his life, so he patiently stayed in the town overnight. After all, even as a marquis, it would be an overreaction to rush back to Guangzhou city overnight just to have the city gates opened. Yet, he never expected that as soon as he arrived, Zhang Yue would follow closely behind, looking completely relaxed, as if he hadn’t been held captive for a day and night.

Zhang Yue dismounted from his horse, casually tossed the reins to a servant, and strode forward with a smile, saying, “It’s unexpected to see you here again today, My Lord, since we parted yesterday.”

Staring at Zhang Yue’s leisurely expression, Gu Xingzu demanded angrily, “Was it that scoundrel Li Long who set you free?”

“My Lord, that’s too harsh. Marshal Li is a high-ranking official of the second rank. Even as a subordinate, how can you speak to him in such a tone? Besides, last night Marshal Li achieved great success—he not only uncovered a traitor within the yamen but also seized a criminal enterprise, obtaining many important documents as evidence.”

While Zhang Yue and Gu Xingzu were talking, Peng Shisan gave a signal and quickly surrounded them with his followers. Standing a step behind Zhang Yue, he watched as Gu Xingzu’s expression shifted from anger to shock, and finally to disbelief. From his position, he could clearly see the veins bulging on Gu Xingzu’s forehead and his twitching lips. So, he silently stepped forward another half step.

“Zhang Yue, how bold you are!”

“I think it’s you, the Marquis, who’s bold!” Zhang Yue’s expression darkened instantly as he said coldly, “Colluding with unscrupulous merchants to smuggle people overseas; using military orders to requisition grain from Guangdong during a time of crisis, thereby prompting the Xu family to drive up grain prices; fabricating false testimony claiming that Qin Gongwang had conspired with the Li people in Guangdong to stage a rebellion; bribing Guan Dongzhou, the military commander in Guangdong, to report his superiors—oh, and… you also had Li Long detain me and Eunuch Zhang at the military headquarters. That’s also a serious crime!”
“You little brat!” Gu Xingzu was furious upon hearing this. Without hesitation, he drew his sword and shouted angrily, “Don’t think just because your Zhang family holds power that you can control everything. There are many in the court who dislike you! Even if you found those things, what does it matter? As long as chaos breaks out in Qiongzhou Prefecture, all your skills will be useless!”
“Isn’t it because you sent people to Qiongzhou Prefecture in advance that the Marquis has such power?” Zhang Yue smiled faintly before speaking calmly, “Early this morning, Tang Qianhu from the Jinyiwei came to the military headquarters to see Eunuch Zhang, bringing news from Qiongzhou Prefecture. It turns out that a group of suspicious individuals, posing as representatives of the Guangzhou military, took residence in the Chengmai County government office. They gathered the leaders of the six major Li tribes and over a hundred villages at the Chanshi Temple, then, under the pretense of offering official positions and silk, drugged the drinks to plot rebellion. They also bribed local Li people to cause chaos in the county office, but now they’ve all been killed.”
At that moment, Gu Xingzu, whose right hand tightly gripped the sword hilt, paled instantly. He stepped back involuntarily before managing to steady himself. The evidence Zhang Yue had obtained from the Xu family in Guangzhou would at most result in reprimands or a reduction in salary. But if chaos erupted in Qiongzhou Prefecture, he was confident he could turn things around. However, Zhang Yue’s words were like a thunderbolt, stunning him completely. But upon hearing that everyone had been killed, he regained some strength.
If they weren’t dead, they might confess under torture. After all, the crime of fabricating evidence to incite chaos among the Li people could cost him his title! Thinking of his greedy uncles and aunts at home, his chest tightened with frustration, and his eyes showed anger and indignation.

“Why? The Gu family’s status during the Hongwu era was far higher than that of the Zhang family. His father was killed by Emperor Jianwen precisely because his grandfather had defected to Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di. Why is Zhang Fu, a second-generation noble, already easily made a Grand Tutor and Duke of Yingguo, while the court refuses even to grant him a barren region like Guizhou? It was his grandfather, Gu Cheng, who painstakingly pacified that area with sword and spear—yet he remained a marquis all his life, only to be posthumously granted the title of Duke of Xiaguo.”
“That brat is too arrogant!”
With a fierce outburst, Gu Xingzu’s anger overwhelmed his last vestiges of reason. He roared and charged at Zhang Yue with his sword. But Peng Shisan, who was prepared, swiftly blocked with his sword at almost the same time and punched Gu Xingzu’s right hand holding the sword, causing the sword to fall to the ground. Only then did he retreat behind Zhang Yue. At that moment, Gu Xingzu’s bodyguards rushed over, creating a tense standoff. The others on the dock dared not make a sound, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire.
“At this point, does the Marquis still want to vent his anger?”
“Zhang Yue, you’re good… really good!”
The clatter of the sword hitting the ground finally brought Gu Xingzu back to his senses. Though he wanted to kill Zhang Yue on the spot, seeing that many people had witnessed what had just happened, he didn’t dare act rashly. After pondering for a while, he dismally realized there was no other way out—he could only go all the way. Glaring fiercely at Zhang Yue, he finally snorted coldly and left with his men.
“Young master, won’t you stop him?”
“Stop him? Why?” Zhang Yue said without turning, staring at the figure, straight-backed yet seemingly desolate, “A person must first humiliate themselves before others can humiliate them. He’s bringing this shame upon himself. Even if the evidence is conclusive, it’s not my place to deal with him. After all, he’s a General Who Pacified the Barbarians and a Marquis of Zhenyuan. If I send him to Qiongzhou Prefecture, the issues already suppressed might resurface. So I must stop him, but doing more would be overstepping my bounds. I and Eunuch Zhang have already sent urgent reports to the capital. There will surely be debate there. At most, it will take three to five days before the court sends someone here, and they should arrive in about half a month.”
Peng Shisan thought it made sense and then asked in a lower voice, “Young master, let me ask one more thing. This morning, did Captain Tang of the Jinyiwei really say that the situation in Qiongzhou Prefecture was under control and everyone had been killed?”

“The Jinyiwei used carrier pigeons to send messages, so they were delivered faster, but only in a few brief words. Still, the Li people would surely become suspicious because of this, so Cao Jixiang still needed to stay there for a few more days. Though I can’t say exactly what will happen, he’s bold and resourceful, so he’ll handle things properly. As for whether he’ll be killed, that was just my fabrication.” Zhang Yue glanced back at his attendants behind him, then nodded at Peng Shisan and said, “Once we stop him, the task is done. Let’s go back!”
As Zhang Yue had predicted, Gu Xingzu didn’t return to Guangzhou City after leaving Huangpu Town but rushed back to Guangxi via Zhaoqing Prefecture. With his departure, Xu Zhengping, who had been relying on lawyers to hold his ground in the Guangzhou government office, became the first to suffer.
Fang Jing, standing by the door, was the first in the courtroom to hear the news. He quickly and quietly went over to Judge Lu. Soon after, Judge Lu stood up and whispered a few words to Prefect Li. Learning that Gu Xingzu, the Marquis of Zhenyuan, had indeed left, Prefect Li, who had been struggling for half a month and was nearly at his wits’ end, immediately showed a look of relief. Seeing that lawyer still standing proudly and talking about the Great Ming laws, he suddenly slammed the gavel hard.
“The imperial court explicitly prohibits lawsuits from ruffians. This office has made an exception out of courtesy, but who would have thought you’d become even more outrageous in court! Bring this ruffian out and beat him to death!”
Prefect Li, who had always been amiable, suddenly turned hostile, shocking everyone in the courtroom. Xu Zhengping was even more shocked. After all, he was in prison, and Judge Lu had strictly ordered that no one should pass messages to him, with severe punishment for anyone who violated the order. So he had no idea what was happening outside. While still in shock, he felt someone push him hard from behind, causing him to fall forward from his small stool, his knees giving way and he collapsing to the ground.
Glancing at the official who had pushed him, Prefect Li nodded in satisfaction and slammed the gavel again: “Xu Zhengping, there is clear physical and testimonial evidence in this case. Do you still refuse to admit it?”
Xu Zhengping’s knees hurt badly from the fall, but what shocked him even more was Prefect Li’s tone. Struggling to stand up, he tried to be cautious, glancing involuntarily at Fang Jingrui, Xiang, and Li Guoxiu, who were standing on the other side. Seeing that they were as indifferent as before, he asked, “Your Excellency, where does this come from…”

Before he could finish speaking, Magistrate Li impatiently snapped, “Stubborn as mulehide! I’ve wasted half a month on you—I have no patience to wait for you to confess on your own! Bring him in—give him twenty lashes first!” Seeing two constables step forward, lift the terrified Xu Zhengping, cover his mouth, and drag him away, Magistrate Li finally sighed in relief and waved for Fang Jing to come over. Noticing that all the constables in the courtroom kept their heads bowed, he smiled at Fang Jing and asked, “Young Fang, did the messenger say Marquis Zhenyuan has left?” From the platform in front of the courtroom, dull sounds of bamboo whips and men’s groans could be heard. Fang Jing listened briefly before regaining his composure and nodded at Magistrate Li. “Your Excellency, the message was sent by someone you personally assigned—there’s no doubt about it. Last night, the Xu family already seized some items, and it’s said that Qiongzhou Prefecture also has all the witnesses and evidence. Now that Marquis Zhenyuan is in trouble himself, he definitely won’t interfere with matters here anymore. Your Excellency also said that you’ve worked hard over these past few months. After dealing with this matter, he has another important agricultural issue to discuss with you.” Hearing this, Magistrate Li breathed a sigh of relief, but when he heard the word “important,” his heart clenched suddenly. Only after realizing it was about agriculture did he force a smile, thinking to himself that he truly was scared of ropes after being bitten by a snake once. But then he thought again—when Marquis Zhenyuan Gu Xingzu came to demand accountability, it was also because of an assassin at the dragon boat race in the prefecture’s office; he couldn’t blame anyone else. Besides, following that Lord Zhang, many people suffered losses, but weren’t there just as many who reaped rewards? “Very well, very well. Please tell Lord Zhang that I’ll summon him at any time once you return.” By then, the twenty lashes had already been administered. Again, two constables dragged Xu Zhengping in by his arms and threw him back in his original position. This time, Xu Zhengping couldn’t even kneel properly; he just lay half-propped on the ground, gripping the cracks in the bricks and biting his lips hard to keep from screaming. As the son of a wealthy family, when had he ever suffered such hardship? His mind was filled with pain, and he barely heard what was being asked of him. He instinctively replied a few times, and soon after, he felt himself being lifted up again. Startled, he broke into a cold sweat and almost instinctively blurted out a few words. “Your Excellency, spare my life! I’m willing to confess!”

In the evening, the afterglow of the setting sun turned the sky a deep red. After a loud sound of clappers, the evening session at the governor’s office came to an end. The officials returned to their respective offices, and the servants left the building in groups. Compared to their previous anxiety, they now wore relaxed smiles. After all, that calamity-bringing Marquis of Zhenyuan had left.

“Hey, Young Master Fang, Young Master Li, and Young Master Rui are back!”

An observant servant spotted someone speeding toward them under the archway, and everyone quickly stepped aside. When Fang Jing and the others stopped in front of the door, a few servants eagerly went up to hold the horses and stirrups, asking with smiles, “Did you finish the trial today? When will you go again tomorrow?”

“There’s no need to go tomorrow!” Seeing everyone stunned, Fang Jing explained, “Magistrate Li showed his authority today—he drove that lawyer out and then had Xu Zhengping flogged twenty times. Afraid of more punishment, the guy confessed everything.”

“Sigh, there are so many stubborn people in this world who refuse to accept help but insist on punishment. He thought he could hold his ground just because he had the Marquis of Zhenyuan as his backer!” One servant blurted out. When others stared at him, he showed no intention of changing his words. “He doesn’t realize that without support, what’s the use of a lawyer? You three should go in quickly—your lord must be waiting anxiously!”

Fang Jing had experienced firsthand how sharp-tongued that lawyer was. He was surprised that the one who knew the laws of the Ming Dynasty so well could be dealt with through sheer force alone, which left him deeply reflective. After passing through the second hall with Li Guoxiu and Rui Yixiang, he couldn’t help asking them, “What do you think is our greatest achievement these past days?”

Li Guoxiu and Rui Yixiang exchanged a glance. The former said earnestly, “Justice lies in people’s hearts.”

The latter remained silent for a moment before shrugging and saying, “It’s important to know one’s own limits!”

After saying that, they turned to Fang Jing and asked, “What about you, Brother Fang?”

Fang Jing looked up at the sky with his arms folded, then strode forward without looking back. “It’s true that justice lies in people’s hearts, but one must still have methods to uphold it. It’s true that it’s important to know one’s own limits, but what if someone lacks self-awareness? Mencius said, ‘Even if a million people oppose me, I will still go forward.’ But how many officials these days are not afraid of the powerful?”