Qing Yao

Chapter 89: Rules Must Be Followed

Principal Zhao was furious. You may have divine protection, but I have sugar-coated bullets.

You just need the paperwork, right? Here's a set of proper paperwork for you.

Teacher Lou from the Provincial Education Commissioner's Office is in Yangzhou!
Lou represents the province, and I represent the government. With the province and government working together, how can we not deal with a little scoundrel like you?
Do you really think I, as the principal, am a professional educator? I also have a background in clubs and organizations.

Zhao An was truly enraged.

Even if Qian Xiuwen were to ask the prefect to plead on his behalf, it would be useless, because Principal Zhao is the top official in charge of education—the highest authority over these students.

Daring to go against Principal Zhao is outrageous!

In urgent situations, we must act expediently and handle matters specially. I don't believe Teacher Lou won't help. Otherwise, with his combination of Ming and Qing, what are you trying to do?

When Qian Laoda heard that the people from the provincial education commissioner's office were in the prefectural government office, and saw that the young professor from the prefectural school was clearly going to strip him of his academic degree, he immediately sensed something was wrong. The stubbornness that had surged in his heart vanished instantly. He knew that if he continued to argue with this young professor, he might really lose his degree.

Without official rank, he, as a lawyer, would not be able to sit down and discuss matters with the county magistrate, and the clerks in the yamen would no longer treat him as a "person of importance." Consequently, most of his brothers outside would not listen to his orders, not to mention that no one would ask him to handle cases in the future.

As a result of all these consequences, all they get is their job.

He was filled with regret; if he had known things would turn out this way, he would never have filed a complaint.

Looking at the second brother, who hadn't yet realized that his older brother was doomed, he wished he could kick him out.

If it weren't for the second son fanning the flames, would he have had the nerve to file a lawsuit?

Sigh, it's also the third brother's fault for not stopping him no matter what; in the end, he tried to steal a chicken but ended up buying rice on credit.

The clerk next to Magistrate Zheng, Zhou, and the clerk in the hall who had a good relationship with Boss Qian kept giving him winks, signaling him to leave quickly and not really provoke this young Professor Zhao.

Don't take things too seriously when you're angry. Once you've calmed down, Mr. Qian, bring gifts, visit him, apologize, and ask Magistrate Zheng to mediate. That way, big problems can be turned into small ones, and small problems can be resolved without any issues.

"Brother, stop standing there like an idiot, hurry up and leave!"

The third brother, Qian Xiude, was more shrewd than the second brother. He knew that if his eldest brother stayed in the yamen, it would put Lord Zhao in a difficult position, so he pushed his eldest brother away.

The problem is that they want to leave but can't.

Zhao An had seen all the little commotion in the hall, and he wasn't about to let Qian Laoda escape. He went straight to the bewildered Magistrate Zheng and bowed, saying, "On behalf of the Prefectural School, I request that Jiangdu County detain this scoundrel so that the Provincial Education Commissioner can deal with him."

It was a completely businesslike tone.

Even if you, Magistrate Zheng, are very familiar with Qian Xiuwen, or have privately accepted any money from him, you must still consider the consequences of offending the school official.

To put it another way, Lao Zheng, you don't want to have no one in the county pass the prefectural examination this year, do you?
It's a choice between two options, no discussion.

If Zheng Sanwan dares to let people go, Zhao Anzhen will dare to make all the students in Jiangdu County fail this year, resulting in a collective zero score.

Don't ask why everyone failed; if you didn't do well on the exam, you just didn't do well.

You can apply for a review of the case file; Professor Zhao won't stop you from that.

The person who reviewed the case file for reconsideration was Teacher Lou.

This is the educational version of "Who in the court wants to sue this official?"

"Since it is the prefectural school's request, our county should cooperate."

Magistrate Zheng was decisive. He slammed his fist on the table and ordered the two squads of constables: "Arrest that scoundrel Qian Xiuwen and his brothers!"

"Whoo!"

The magistrate had spoken, and even if the yamen runners had a close relationship with the Qian brothers, they had no choice but to step forward and restrain the man.

Seeing this, Master Zhou could only sigh helplessly. There was nothing he could do now. He could only blame Boss Qian for being blinded by greed and insisting on making trouble for his own brother-in-law.

"Your Honor, the students are withdrawing their lawsuit! The students are willing to withdraw their lawsuit!"

When the constables stopped him, Boss Qian was no longer just flustered, he was terrified.

Magistrate Zheng glared at him irritably. "You didn't withdraw the lawsuit when I told you to before, so what's the use of withdrawing it now?"

"Why are you stopping us? We'll just drop the charges, okay?"

Qian Lao Er, that blockhead, actually reached out and shoved the yamen runner who was blocking his way, causing the runner to fall backward unprepared.

Everyone was taken aback by what they saw.

This is the main hall of the yamen, right in front of the county magistrate!
With a loud thud, the gavel struck, and the furious Magistrate Zheng, his face grim, ordered the bailiffs to pin Qian Lao Er to the ground and give him thirty strokes of the cane.

"Why are you hitting me? Why are you hitting me? Ouch!"

The paddle landed on his buttocks, and only then did Qian Lao Er cry out in pain.

However, the bailiffs who were administering the beatings clearly showed leniency; although the sound was loud, the actual damage was minimal.

It's probably the difference between "beating with care" and "beating with real skill." Zhao An knew all about this little trick, but he didn't expose it. He just watched as his third brother stood by, staring blankly at the second brother being tortured.

Even the honest and simple-minded Wang Wanquan, kneeling on the ground, knew that the situation had completely reversed, and he was truly grateful to the young Lord Zhao who had helped him uphold justice and to the county magistrate in the courtroom.

The sound of Qian Lao Er's "wailing" that reached his ears made him feel uneasy. Looking at his brother-in-law's terrifyingly pale face, he inexplicably felt a pang of pity.

They're all family, there's really no need to make a scene like this.

He wanted to plead for his brother-in-law who had been beaten, but just as he was about to speak, the magistrate told him to get up and said that he had injuries and ordered the yamen runners to bring him a small stool.

It's not appropriate to offer a chair without official rank and title.

After Wang Wanquan got up and sat down, the bailiffs had already finished giving him thirty lashes. Qian Laosan silently went forward to help his second brother put on his trousers and helped him up.

After being beaten, Qian Lao Er's attitude improved significantly. He stood there with his head down, not daring to say another word.

Qian Laoda looked at his brother-in-law sitting on the small stool, seemingly wanting to ask for forgiveness but too embarrassed to say it.

Seeing this, Master Zhou glanced at the three Qian brothers, walked over to his benefactor and whispered a few words. Magistrate Zheng first frowned, then sighed and came to Zhao An and said in a low voice, "Lord Zhao, how about we have some tea in the back room?"

It seems like he wants to act as a peacemaker.

Zhao An had to be given face, so he followed Magistrate Zheng to the back hall. After the servants served tea, the two of them took a couple of symbolic sips. As expected, Magistrate Zheng then pleaded for Qian Laoda.

Since the Qian family is willing to withdraw the lawsuit, there's no need to make a big fuss. They could just pay Wang Wanquan some medicine and settle the matter.

"The Qian and Wang families are, after all, very close relatives. If we were to strip Qian Xiuwen of his student status because of this, how would the two families get along in the future? We can't just tell them to never speak to each other again, can we?"
Qian Xiuwen's actions were disgraceful and he deserved to be flogged. However, considering his urgent situation and lack of other options, and taking into account the hard-won nature of his official position, Lord Zhao, perhaps you could give him another chance?

What Magistrate Zheng said was also reasonable.

"I will certainly give Lord Zheng face, but that Qian Xiuwen has no respect for academic officials and has repeatedly defied me. If I do not teach him a lesson, he may become even more arrogant in the future."

Zhao An agreed to let the Qian family settle the matter by paying compensation, but insisted on stripping Qian Xiuwen of his academic degree.

The reason was that his uncle had told him before that Qian Laoda looked down on the Wang family because of his status as a scholar. Since that was the case, they might as well strip Qian Laoda of his scholar title and see who else he could look down on.

As for the conflict between the Qian and Wang families, it has already reached the government. Can they really be as close as family again in the future?
Putting everything else aside, just because his cousin was beaten so badly by the Qian brothers, Zhao An had to avenge him, otherwise he would be letting down his uncle who had done him a great favor.

Even if we take a step back and assume that it wasn't for Zhao An, a seventh-rank official in charge of education, who intervened, the Qian family could have truly "stopped at the point"?
If we cannot show kindness, we must show power, so as to prevent the Qian family from causing trouble again in the future.

"Qian Xiuwen has likely learned his lesson and will probably not dare to cause trouble again. The county will also have the county school punish him accordingly, but the matter of stripping him of his academic degree will have a significant impact."

Magistrate Zheng still wanted to preserve Qian Laoda's academic achievements, and subtly reminded Professor Zhao that even if Lord Lou from the Provincial Education Commissioner's Office came, he probably wouldn't be able to strip Qian Xiuwen of his academic achievements on the spot.

Everything needs to have some procedure.

Could it be that Lord Lou was carrying with him an official document from the Education Bureau authorizing the stripping of his student status?
Without relevant documents, you can't just dismiss it with a single word.

Speaking of Cao Cao, Cao Cao will arrive.

Teacher Lou arrived urgently from the prefectural government office in Principal Zhao's car and was immediately invited to the back hall by Master Zhou.

This is how three officials of the seventh rank met.

After exchanging brief pleasantries with Magistrate Zheng, Teacher Lou asked Professor Zhao, puzzled, why he had invited him to the Jiangdu County Government Office.

Zhao An didn't waste any words and went straight to the point.

The charges against Qian Xiuwen are that of a cunning litigator who stirs up trouble out of nowhere. We hope that Teacher Lou can represent the province and immediately approve the government's report requesting the expulsion of Qian from his position as a student.

"The removal of a student's academic title should be reported in writing to the relevant department of the Imperial Academy in accordance with regulations."

Teacher Lou meant that Professor Zhao should prepare the written materials, and he would send them to the provincial authorities for approval, as per regulations.

They cooperated completely, without any difficulties or obstruction.

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. If things were done according to the rules, there would be room for negotiation, and there certainly weren't any materials prepared in advance.

Once Professor Zhao calms down, he will go to the academy tomorrow to mediate between the two parties.

Why protect the money and revise the text?
These litigators may be cunning, but they still have some value to the government. Some cases can only be resolved by these litigators, so they are protected if possible.

Moreover, in recent years, that shrew has also given quite a bit of money to the county magistrate. After all, if you take someone's favor, you should at least do them a favor in return.

"This matter is special. That scoundrel is taking advantage of the fact that the province has not issued any official approval document to defy me. If we follow the rules, who knows how long it will take? Can you, Lord Lou, represent the province and act expediently in this urgent matter?"

Zhao An hoped that Lao Lou could act first and inform him later, otherwise he, as a professor, would lose face.

Old Lou felt something was amiss and was about to explain that the process couldn't be changed arbitrarily when Zhao An gave him a look that said, "Don't be reckless."

This sight startled Teacher Lou. After a moment of contemplation, he coughed lightly and said, "Although the rules for expelling students are as they are, Lord Zhao is right. In urgent situations, one must act expediently. Everything can be adapted. Besides, Lord Zhao, as a professor at the prefectural school, is himself a rule-maker. So why bother with those wicked students about the rules?"

(End of this chapter)