Xian could easily consider this fight against the Ming family as a game. He did not have much animosity toward Ming Qingda. On the contrary, it was faint approval. After he had read through the paper Deng Zi Yue had brought him, he couldn’t resist laughing out loud.

Jiangnan had many clever people, and Song Shiren from Jingdou was also not bad. This case in the Suzhou government had gradually left the realm of Qing law and begun to develop in the direction that Chen Pingping had hoped for. Both sides had begun to bring in classical literature. They always brought up things that had happened in early Wei and also raised their hands in respect to Master Zhuang. It looked nothing like a trial. For this concept of the right of the eldest heir to the inheritance that had rooted itself deeply in the hearts of the people, both sides had opened a pre-show for a place where the Emperor listened to lectures.

Fan Xian smiled and shook his head. The tense but slightly absurd scene of the trial seemed to appear before his eyes.

In the public court, the debate was still ongoing. This was the fourth day. The main generals on both sides were exhausted after repeatedly using their brains, so the intervals between the opening of the court was much longer than the first day. Without much being said, someone would come forward first and ask for a rest.

The Suzhou Zhizhou knew that Xia Qifei’s side wanted to drag it out, but there was nothing he could do. He had received the imperial envoy’s concern verbally earlier that wanted him to publicly judge the case and not carelessly close the case. Since he couldn’t carelessly close it, he could only have the two below argue it out.

But, with one Song Shiren and one Chen Bochang, they were both famous and able speakers. If he left to debate, they could probably talk for a whole year.

The Suzhou Zhizhou understood it and accepted it. Whenever the pair requested a rest, he would always smile and allow it. He also ordered the bailiffs to bring benches for the two to sit on. As for the matter of tea, it would not be lacking.

Ming Lanshi sat on the bench with an ashen expression. These days the trial had been dragged out had not been good for the young master of the Ming family. He couldn’t help with the family business, and those uncles of his were completely useless trash that knew only how to eat and not work. It was after the palace treasury bidding that the matter of the goods being shipped to North Min needed important figures from the family. And so, his father, who had claimed illness, had to stand up once again and manage these affairs.

The Ming family knew the imperial envoy wanted to use this trial to trip them up, forcing the Ming family to not have the ability to focus on multiple fronts in the palace treasury market. Only the Ming family did not have any good way to retaliate to this. They could only keep them company and keep dragging things out. Looking at this situation, the trial might drag on for a year. As long as they didn’t lose, it was fine.

It was now the Ming family’s turn to speak. The face of Jiangnan’s famous litigation master was a little bit grey, like he had been taxed in body and mind. He took the hot towel from the hands of a student beside him and vigorously rubbed his face to renew his spirit, and then walked into the court. In a serious voice he said:

“In ancient times, the sages spoke of five relationships—affection between fathers and sons, righteousness between rulers and subjects, difference between husbands and wives, order between seniors and juniors, and trust between friends. Sir, Sir Xia has been confirmed as the Seventh young master of the Ming family, but the affection between fathers and sons and the heir of the Ming family are not two extremes...”

He had not finished speaking when Song Shiren, in the side hall, cut in eccentrically and said, “It is not Sir Xia, it is Sir Ming. Don’t get it wrong again. Otherwise, after this case, Ming Qingchen, the Seventh young master of the Ming family, can continue to sue you.”

Song Shiren’s face did not have a good color, and his eyes were slightly sunken. He had come alone to Jiangnan. He didn’t have time to bring any servants or students. Although, he had the help of the scribes of the Overwatch Council. They were looking through piles of old paper for evidence and scripture useful to him, which was not an easy task. His opponent was a local litigation master with countless people helping him behind the scenes. So, even the spirit of the greatest litigation master in the world could not hold out against four consecutive days of batter.

Hearing Song Shiren’s words, Chen Bochang was not anxious. He chuckled and bowed in apology toward Xia Qifei, and then continued to speak, “But, we cannot afford to be inattentive to the words ‘order between seniors and juniors.’ Since Ming Qingda, the master of the Ming family, is the eldest of the heirs, then logically he should have the power to control the Ming family property.”

He continued in a high voice, “In the mourning garments of the Classic of Rites there are four regulations: the sky cannot have two suns, the earth could not have two masters, the country cannot have two rulers, and the family could not have two leaders.”

Chen Bochang became more and more energetic as he spoke, and his voice became more and more excited, “It has been so since ancient times, how can it change? Qing law has been set long ago, Xia...Sir Ming, why get so tangled in it? I hope Sir will determine the case as early as possible.”

Song Shiren rose with some difficulty and smiled at Xia Qifei’s concerned expression. He walked to the front of the court and proudly said, “The so-called family property is only an inherited position and a division of property. I have no objections to what Sir Chen said earlier, except in case of inherited titles and that of dividing the property. The old Ming master had the position of a count, back before, and now it has been inherited by Ming Qingda. Sir Ming Qingchen does not doubt this matter. While inheriting positions only take into account the seniority of heirs, there are other rules for dividing property.”

Chen Bochang said angrily, “The inherited title is guaranteed by the division of property. It is written clearly. The right of the division of property is naturally ready to come at the call.”

Inheriting a title and division of property were the two most important parts of an inheritance. Song Shiren smiled coldly and said, “The division of property is the foundation of inheriting a title. You talked of Qing law earlier. I will also talk about Qing law.

He slapped the golden fan into his hand and said in a high voice, “Article 34 of Qing law: housekeeping is united under the respected elder, family finances were public property! My client has no objections to the housekeeping, but these family finances are public property, so naturally need to be finely divided. As for how to divide it, since we have the will of the old Ming master, of course, we must follow the wishes of the deceased honored sir!”

Chen Bochang was angry. What kind of logic forcefully pulled apart the inheritance of titles and the division of property to be discussed like this?

” Qing law says: if living together and the elder does not evenly share out the family finances, this crime is decided by a combination of status, age, and private use of family finances. Every 20th string of cash is 20 strikes!” Song Shiren looked coldly at Ming Lanshi and said each word clearly. “My client was chased out of the house in his youth. Does this count as purposely uneven distribution? If it is 20 strikes for every 20 strings of cash...is the Ming family limited to 200,000 strings of cash? I want to see just how many buttocks the Ming family has to be beaten!”

Ming Lanshi rose in great anger.

Song Shiren turned in another direction. He smiled and bowed to the Zhizhou on the bench and said, “These are the laws of the Qing. The Ministry of Justice has records of using status, age, and private use of family finances to judge cases. Sir has also studied the law once and should know that I speak the truth.”

Without waiting for the Ming family to reply, Song Shiren said proudly again, “Speaking of the law, I have another one. In Qing marriage laws, it clearly says if living together and the property is not evenly divided, it should be counted as three levels below corruption! What crime is this? This the heavy crime of theft.”

Chen Bochang narrowed his eyes and felt great admiration for this litigation master from Jingdou. It was clearly a family property case, yet he had forcefully cut it into the two sides of inheriting a title and dividing property, and then he jumped around this crevasse like a monkey, coming closer with each step. Although he stood firmly with the Qing law and scriptures, he didn’t expect him to be so familiar with the tiny details from laws long ago.

The laws that Song Shiren mentioned earlier were all things the court had forgotten when fixing the law. It had probably long disappeared into a shadowy corner of the book depository that even mice disdained to visit. Yet, at this moment, it had been carefully found by the other party and used grandly in court—this litigation master was indeed incredible!

Song Shiren’s expression was calm, but his eyes were growing bloodshot. Fighting the case to this degree was already at the limits of his ability. The inheritance of the title and division of property was indeed very complicated. He began to have a gradually growing feeling of confidence. Even if that will had no effect, in the end, he could still try to reach the effect of “all receiving an equal share.”

One-seventh of the Ming family was not a small sum.

Although he could not satisfy Fan Xian’s wild dreams, since the imperial envoy had honored him so, he had to fight this case as beautifully as possible and add the most beautiful stroke to the profession of litigation master.

Participation in a fight at a level such as the Ming family property was, for a litigation master, already the highest level. Matters that were bigger, such as the inheritance in the Palace, what authority did a mere litigation master have to speak on it? Furthermore, if the court had not split into two sides and accidentally met in a trial of strength, the Ming family property case would never have gone to court. It would have been impossible to file the case. Song Shiren would never have had the opportunity to participate.

So, although he was very tired, his spirit was abnormally excited. Opportunities like this were too rare; he had to make the most of it.

If Song Shiren knew that this case he was fighting in Jiangnan would stimulate someone’s sensitive nerves and facilitate cooperation with someone else, and thus cause the situation in which Fan Xian’s and those people’s confliction views were confronted earlier...even if he were given the stimulation of leaving his name in history multiple times, he would still only be so scared as to conceal his identity and escape.

Song Shiren did not pay attention to that problem: the so-called family property, everyone wanted to fight for it. Not only the Ming family but also the Emperor’s.

[JW1]”十大武功”– 10 martial skills

“十全老人”– perfect elder

十全– perfect.

This part is a play on the word 十, which means 10.

[JW2] To flatter, mentioned in the previous sentence, is also “to slap the horse’s hindquarters.” This is a joke about tasteful flattering that didn’t “smell.”