Treating everyone equally—no, presiding over justice with a slight smile, Zhao Hanzhang sat in the seat of honor, listening to the people on her left and right fiercely accuse each other.
She lowered her head to sip some tea, extracting useful information from their quarrel. For instance, the person arguing heatedly with Seventh Great-Uncle was not from Xiping, not even from Runan Commandery, but from the State of Lu.
So the question was: what was someone from Lu doing here?
Naturally, he had come to do business with Zhao Hanzhang. Hearing that the five commanderies within Yuzhou lacked grain and cloth, this Lu merchant had brought some cloth produced by his estate to sell, while also experiencing the famous Zhao clan’s Winter Solstice feast for himself.
“I never imagined that while the Zhao clan’s skill in commerce is genuine, their famed hospitality and propriety is false. This elderly gentleman bullies outside guests simply because he’s the Governor’s great-uncle. I came here to deliver cloth to the Governor—if this is how you treat me, imagine how much worse ordinary travelers must have it!”
Zhao Hu became furious upon hearing this. He immediately slammed the table and stood up, pointing at the other’s nose and cursing, “So what if I’m bullying you? This is my Xiping, you…”
Zhao Hanzhang coughed twice and gently soothed him. “Seventh Great-Uncle, look at you speaking in anger again. The matter hasn’t been clarified yet—how can you already decide you’re the one bullying him?”
The Lu merchant sneered coldly. “Does the Governor mean I’m the one bullying him?”
He said with an aggrieved expression, “If the Governor has decided this, then I have nothing more to say. I…”
“Ah, kind sir, please don’t rush,” Zhao Hanzhang said with a smile. “Let’s sit down and have some tea first. I am the Provincial Governor, true, but this is Runan Commandery—such disputes should really go to Magistrate Chang.”
San Jin, who had been standing all along, finally found his chance to speak and immediately said, “Snow fell last night, and we heard that Triangle Village was trapped by snow. Some houses even collapsed under the weight, so Magistrate Chang went to Triangle Village early this morning.”
Zhao Hanzhang nodded and asked, “Then what about Governor Zhao? When the magistrate is absent, you can still report to the Commandery Governor’s Office.”
And Zhao Ming would be so appropriate—he also managed clan affairs, and Zhao Hu feared him.
San Jin bowed his head. “Master Ming also isn’t here. We heard he had business and left early this morning.”
Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze shifted left. Fan Ying stepped forward and whispered, “Governor Zhao wanted to inspect the iron mine again. He Heng took him there.”
The He family controlled a large iron mine in Runan Commandery. Although Zhao Hanzhang wanted to hold it directly herself and had assigned someone else to manage it, as long as the mine was within Runan Commandery, it necessarily had some connection to Zhao Ming as commandery governor.
Zhao Hanzhang didn’t avoid Zhao Ming in this matter and was willing to share some of the benefits with him.
Mainly because her talent pool was limited, and some matters at the iron mine still required his help.
Zhao Ming didn’t shirk either. Feeling there wouldn’t be any major issues at the Commandery Governor’s Office for the next few days, and with Zhao Hanzhang there to handle things, he simply left to inspect the iron mine again with He Heng.
It was just such a coincidence that the person currently in charge of Xiping had become Zhao Hanzhang again.
Of course, she could refuse if she wanted—such a small case could be handled even by a county captain. It only reached her because the two parties involved had somewhat special identities, and the county captain, being mindful of propriety, didn’t feel comfortable handling it. He was just waiting for her to set the tone.
One party was an elder from her clan, the other was an aristocrat from elsewhere who had come to help her. Which side should the county captain favor?
Naturally, the county captain wanted to favor Zhao Hu more. After all, “the county official is less important than the current manager”—this was Zhao clan territory, and moreover, Zhao Hu was the Provincial Governor’s great-uncle.
But thinking of Zhao Hanzhang’s character and personality, the county captain didn’t dare do so. That’s why the case was pushed to Zhao Hanzhang.
Because he felt that even if he judged impartially, the matter wouldn’t end well.
Now Zhao Hanzhang experienced the county captain’s difficulty firsthand. Given the current situation between the two parties, even if the county captain judged fairly, they would likely both feel dissatisfied. And as long as the parties believed the judge had shown bias, in the eyes of the world, this case would be biased—it was just a question of whom it favored.
Zhao Hanzhang lightly tapped her knee. So how this case was decided would reveal her attitude toward her clan and toward other aristocrats.
This would directly affect how the clan viewed her and how talented people who came to serve her viewed her.
Zhao Hanzhang’s lips curved up. The timing of this case was truly exquisite.
She smiled and said, “What unfortunate timing—both the magistrate and commandery governor are absent. In that case, let me judge this case. Have you both decided to file a formal complaint?”
The other party was stunned, but Zhao Hu had already shouted loudly, “Yes! I’m filing now!”
Zhao Hanzhang nodded in acknowledgment. “Very well. The court has its own procedures. Fan Ying, please serve as my legal secretary today.”
Fan Ying agreed and had servants set up paper and brush at her table, then began grinding ink and waiting.
Zhao Hanzhang smiled and asked the two men, “Please state your place of origin and name first.”
The Lu merchant thought: So all his arguing with Zhao Hu had been for nothing?
Although Zhao Hanzhang didn’t follow protocol by calling them forward to answer while standing, instead smiling and allowing them to remain seated, even turning to have her maid come down and refill their tea, when the Lu merchant met Zhao Hanzhang’s cool gaze, he didn’t dare object to the procedures she mentioned.
So after a brief pause, he said, “This humble one is Fang Jing, from the State of Lu…”
Zhao Hanzhang leaned forward, appearing to listen attentively. After he finished his self-introduction, she even smiled warmly at him before looking toward Zhao Hu.
Zhao Hu stared at her with wide eyes.
Zhao Hanzhang smoothly said to Fan Ying, “This gentleman is Seventh Great-Uncle of the Zhao clan, whose place of origin is right here in Xiping. Record it.”
Fan Ying smiled and bowed. “Yes.”
Fang Jing thought: Is the bias really this obvious?
Zhao Hanzhang had Fan Ying record it herself, then turned to ask, “Why are you two disputing?”
Although they had already explained once, Zhao Hu was still very agitated. His enthusiasm for talking remained high, and he was about to speak when Zhao Hanzhang suddenly smiled and pointed at Fang Jing. “Fang Jing, you tell it.”
Zhao Hu was somewhat displeased and pursed his lips, but since it was Zhao Hanzhang who designated this, he didn’t speak further and sat sullenly in his seat.
Fang Jing swallowed nervously. Under Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze, he felt tense and said, “I was looking at items in the Treasure Pavilion when I took a liking to a house made entirely of glazed glass. The shop assistant said it was called a glass greenhouse, and currently only one team of craftsmen could build it. So I placed an order and hired craftsmen to construct it. Who knew that Seventh Great-Uncle Zhao would suddenly intercept my order and insist on having the glass greenhouse built before mine.”
He continued, “To be honest with the Governor, if it were anything else, I would have yielded. But I want to build the glass greenhouse because I have a batch of rare flowers, including several precious orchids. How could I bear to let them freeze? That’s why I’m so urgent about building the greenhouse. So this is something I absolutely cannot yield on.”
Zhao Hanzhang nodded slightly and turned to ask the already angry Zhao Hu, “Does Seventh Great-Uncle agree with this account?”
“Agree with what? Clearly I entered the Treasure Pavilion first, I asked about the glass greenhouse first, and I placed the order first!”
Fang Jing became unhappy. “Seventh Great-Uncle Zhao, clearly I placed the order first. I even paid the deposit—did you?”
Zhao Hu’s face flushed red. Zhao Hanzhang quickly raised her hand to stop them both, saying with a smile, “We can simply summon the shop assistant from the Treasure Pavilion to clarify the situation.”