Witch Wind

Chapter 164 Court Summons (Part )

It is a matter of life and death, especially the official robes on the body and the official chair under the buttocks. If they are lost, it will be an unbearable loss to people like Jin Santan.

Orders continued to be passed down.

The Jiangdong Province, Jieshi County, Pinghai County, government offices at all levels, and yamen in various places, the huge, bloated, and inefficient network, like a fat pig that had been kicked hard in the balls, began to move hysterically.

Gang members, compradors, newspaper reporters, consulate employees... wherever the Eastern people were, from top to bottom, from official to civilian, countless people heard the news and moved frantically to find out the origins of this huge fleet.

The English sailors, who had just landed not long ago, were surrounded by many well-dressed people.

They placed bags of gold coins, gold ingots, and even bank drafts of varying denominations directly in front of officers and soldiers at all levels; there were also fine wines, beautiful women, and tobacco and betel nuts, which the sailors all loved. These were all top-quality goods that could be found in the concession.

from where?

Where are you going?

What have you done?
What is intended?

It was not a very secretive operation to begin with, and on top of that, these instigators and information dealers gave too much, really too much.

Finally, some British naval officers and soldiers spoke up.

A lot of information quickly came together, and after being urgently sorted out by many advisers, secretaries, and officials of all ranks, a series of analysis reports were formed and delivered to bigwigs such as Jin Santan with the fastest efficiency.

"Shock?" Jin San exclaimed, "Is it that Xing Tianli? The Xing Tianli that even the Queen Mother personally asked about and was even very angry about? The son of Pingbo Earl Xing Tiantongming's concubine? Tsk, ha ha, this matter!"

Some officials who were not high enough in status, had no connections in Fentian City, and were even less likely to get information from the Forbidden Palace, looked at Jin Santan with great curiosity.

Jin Santan shook the information in his hand and laughed softly, "This matter is also a public case back then."

Looking up at the gorgeous floral carvings on the ceiling, Jin Santan said slowly, "Send a telegram to Fentian City and tell them that there is a native of Nanxun named Xingtian Li who has colluded with Yingjishi, the strongest country among the 100 countries in the Far West, and led an incredible new fleet to Pinghai."

"The situation is urgent, and we are terrified. If we are not careful, and Xing Tian stirs things up, there may be unpredictable disasters. We are willing to die, but we will serve our country with all our heart. We are afraid that if we handle it improperly, it will attract foreign troops to invade, which would be a great sin."

"Your Majesty, please let me know how to deal with this matter."

Jin Santan muttered to himself, and a lawyer next to him wrote down his message with great speed and handed it to Jin Santan.

Jin Santan took the telegram recorded by the master, nodded, signed a signature, took out his seal, used it carefully, and said in a deep voice: "Hurry up and send it to Fentian City, it's urgent, I pray that the Queen Mother will make it clear as soon as possible, otherwise, I'm afraid there will be real disaster."

Several aides, surrounded by a team of elite guards, hurriedly and fearfully carried the telegram personally drafted by Jin Santan.

Jin San sighed heavily and said softly, "Everyone, don't worry. I have carefully investigated the cause and effect of this matter since the Queen Mother got angry that day..."

With a light cough, Jin Santan looked at the officials present. Seeing their focused look, he smiled smugly, "According to my analysis, this matter has little to do with us. It's just that our Earl Pingbo is probably... hey, hey!"

Frowning, Jin Santan stood up suddenly and said, "Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, and Princess Yihe and Earl Pingbo both took leave. Huh? Huh? Could it be that they got the news in advance? Someone, hurry to the weaving office and get my letter. You must see Princess Yihe or Earl Pingbo and ask them clearly."

As a result, everyone was in a hurry again. A team of elite guards, accompanied by a personal aide of Jin Santan, rushed out of the inn in a hurry and rode at full speed to Nanxun Town.

A county official suddenly spoke up: "Regardless of why the Yingji people dispatched such a fleet...Should we inform Prince Dun and ask him to transfer some of his troops to the south?"

A group of officials, both big and small, including Jin Santan, looked at their colleague as if he were a fool.

Ah!
The new army under the command of Prince Dun was quite powerful. But no matter how powerful they were, they could only dominate on land. The British had brought in more than 300 battleships, more than 300!
As for the navy under Prince Dun, it is not enough to fill their teeth.

What's the point of transferring here?

If we provoke the British for no reason and it leads to a war, who will be responsible for it?
Jin San sighed softly, "Peace is the most precious thing. We must not surprise our friendly nations. This is the great trick and the highest method used by the Queen Mother to curb the barbarians... Someone, take my invitation and prepare a generous gift, a serious and serious gift, and dispatch a ship. I will go and personally visit the Consul General of England, His Excellency Peter Joe!"

Before he finished speaking, someone rushed in, eyes wide open as if he had seen a ghost. He was at a loss and sighed, "Sir, sir, this is weird. The International Concession, the International Court of Justice, Chief Justice Fisherman, together with six justices, jointly signed a subpoena and sent it to us."

"They actually want you, my Lord, to go to the Court of Nations in person for a hearing..."

"I can, go to hell, right?" Jin Santan was so angry after hearing this that he jumped up, not caring that the man in front of him was the most trusted and respected confidant among his staff, and the most capable one who handled many official and private affairs. He jumped up and slapped the other person in the face.

Did I give you face?

This is just bullshit!
He, Jin Santan, was a high-ranking official of the Great Yu Dynasty and the governor of Jiangdong Province. The lives of hundreds of millions of people depended on his words. In the Great Yu Dynasty, he, Jin Santan, was a high-ranking official, a minister of state. The territory he governed and the number of people under his rule were ten times larger than those of some small principalities in the Far West Hundred Kingdoms!
The court in the International Concession actually issued him a subpoena?
He, Jin Santan, was actually ordered by a group of foreign barbarians to go to that crappy International Court for a hearing?

Tolerable or unbearable?
Too much bullying.

It’s simply, simply... intolerable... This kind of behavior is so vile, it’s like pouring a bucket of dog shit on Jin Santan’s ancestral grave!

If Jin Santan accepted this so-called subpoena, and if this news was passed back to Fentian City, he dared to guarantee that within a day, the imperial decree would happily fly in front of him, stripping him of his hat, taking away his official position, and sending his entire family to Fentian City to await punishment.

"Someone, bring the man outside to me... and beat him up..."

Before Jin Santan could issue an order, the staff member who was knocked to the ground by a slap in the face had already screamed: "Sir, you must not do that. The person who came has made it clear that if you don't go, the Yingji fleet will, will, cross the river... seize the beach... and occupy the entire Jieshi County!"

Jin Santan felt dizzy and almost fell to the ground.

Jieshi County Magistrate Wei Lansheng was originally sitting on a chair, holding a teacup, thinking about something calmly. When he heard these words, the teacup fell to the ground with a "bang" and shattered into pieces. Wei Lansheng's handsome face turned pale immediately.

The worst-off was the Pinghai County Magistrate Zhao Pu. When he heard the words "cross the river", "seize the beach" and "occupy Jieshi County", Zhao Pu fell to the ground with a bang, and was unable to get up for a long time.

"Sir, we must not anger the foreigners!" Zhao Pu shouted like a bereaved mother.

Just now, he also saw the British people's new fleet. Such huge battleships and such thick main guns. One shot would probably turn everything within a mile into powder.

With such huge ships, such huge cannons, and such a fleet, the current Dayu Dynasty is absolutely unable to resist it.

If they really landed on the beach, his Pinghai County would be the first to bear the brunt... If those Yingji soldiers really occupied Pinghai County and sent a telegram to the world, according to the laws of the Dayu Dynasty, Zhao Pu and his entire family would be executed.

Zhao Pu rolled and crawled to Jin Santan's feet, grabbed Jin Santan's thigh, and shouted hoarsely: "My lord, my lord, please consider the lives and property of millions of people in Pinghai County, and do not go to war with the foreigners!"

"Please bear with me, my lord, for the sake of our country and the people!"

Zhao Pu screamed at the top of his lungs: "We must not start a war!"

Not only Zhao Pu, but Wei Lansheng also jumped up and hugged Jin Santan's arm: "That's right, that's right, Master Jin, Master Jin, for the sake of the kindness of the people of Jieshi County, you have to bear this injustice, this injustice!"

"Start a war! We absolutely cannot start a war. We have no chance of winning. We absolutely cannot start a war!"

Jin Santan, with a livid face, remained silent. He was carried up by his subordinates and officials from several neighboring provinces who came to participate in the Dragon Boat Festival celebration, as if they were the three sacrificial animals being sent to the altar during the sacrifice to heaven and earth, and they trotted out of the inn.

He was carried out of the inn, put on a carriage, and quickly arrived at the official dock in Jiangnan. A small steamer was heading straight to Jiangbei. When the steamer was about to dock, Jin Santan sighed: "Forget it, forget it. It's all for the people of the country. I can only bear the injustice myself."

At the construction site of the International Court, to the north of the temporary two-story office building, a half-acre flat area was enclosed, surrounded by a three-foot-high wall made of blue bricks, and in the middle was a very spacious, two-foot-high shed, with more than twenty rows of long benches placed below, and some high-backed chairs, desks and other furniture in front. This was the temporary courtroom of the International Court.

Jin Santan, with a gloomy face, slowly got off the boat with a large group of officials and surrounded by a large group of personal guards, and hesitantly came to the gate of the International Court.

He arrived at the gate, but did not enter. Just like a superior inspecting the government office, Jin Santan squinted at the bustling court construction site, with his hands behind his back, and sighed in a low voice: "My lords, look at such a vast foundation, look at the two huge 'foreign stone lions' in front of the gate... These are all from my Great Yu Dynasty, the blood and sweat of the people!"

A group of officials felt quite sympathetic and kept shaking their heads and sighing.

Isn't it?

So much of the people's money was used to help these foreigners rebuild the concessions... With so much money, these officials didn't even have a chance to get involved.

This is simply intolerable!
A group of officials who were concerned about the country and the people were about to enter the International Court of Justice after sighing for a while when a team of bailiffs in black uniforms, composed of expatriates from various countries in the International Concession and retired soldiers from various countries, rushed out from the barracks nearby and blew whistles. They strode over, lined up in a row, and blocked the way of Jin Santan and others.

The attitude of the bailiffs was very clear - the personal guards of Jin Santan and others were strictly prohibited from entering with firearms or other weapons.

The chief of the judicial police, speaking the not-so-fluent Dayu Dynasty official language, just repeated one thing over and over again: "This is the rule of the Far West Hundred Kingdoms. Even the emperor or the king cannot bring any weapons into the sacred court!"

Jin Santan was furious and shook his sleeves fiercely.

Wei Lansheng stepped forward and shouted, "This is the governor of Jiangdong Province of our Great Yu Dynasty. He is in charge of military affairs, politics, and people's livelihood. He holds the title of Minister of Personnel and is also the Right Censor-in-Chief. He is awarded a python dragon robe, a round dragon pendant, and a three-eyed peacock feather..."

Wei Lansheng was chattering on about Jin Santan's official title, his actual status, honorary title, imperial reward, and ennoblement. Before he could finish, a new battleship sounded its whistle without any warning, diagonally opposite them, less than half a mile away.

The high-pitched whistle sounded like a dragon's roar. Jin Santan and the others were all soaked in alcohol and sex, and their courage had long been worn away by the splendor and wealth of Jiangnan. The officials, big and small, were terrified by the whistle at close range, and several fifth- and sixth-rank officials howled miserably and sat on the ground with their crotches soaked.

In the end, Jin Santan and others walked into the International Court with bare hands and gloomy faces.

Temporary court.

Next to the seat of the presiding judge of Fisherman, there was a large square rosewood table that was polished to a shine and filled with exquisite snacks and the finest tribute tea. Xing Tianli, Joe Peter, Greenman and others sat at the table, drinking tea, tasting snacks, and patiently waiting for the arrival of Jin Santan and others.

No one doubted that Jin Santan and others would come.

Consulate officials from hundreds of Far Western countries, such as Peter Joe and Greenman, have dealt with countless bureaucrats of the Great Jade Dynasty over the years. They know very well how powerful these officials of the Great Jade Dynasty are on the outside but weak on the inside, and how much of a "rat with a gun in its own hole" they are.

They struck hard at the common people, as cold and merciless as winter.

They speak softly and lovingly to foreign expatriates, and are as generous and loving as parents.

They absolutely would not dare to take the risk of provoking any disputes between the Kingdom of Yingjishi and the Dayu Dynasty, so they would definitely come. They would just deliberately delay a little to save a little face, which they already had little.

With the loud shouts of the guards, Jin Santan and other officials came in. As soon as they entered the spacious tent of the temporary court, Jin Santan said coldly: "Absurd, absolutely ridiculous. Respected Consul General Joe Peter, Respected Consul General Greenman, and, Respected Chief Justice Fisherman, I have maintained a very good friendship with you all over the years."

"Why do you want to use such means to hurt our friendship today?"

"This officer actually received a subpoena from the Court of Nations?"

"I, the officer, have become what your law calls a 'criminal suspect'?"

"How ridiculous is that?"

"You have damaged my reputation by doing this, but you have damaged the dignity of the Great Yu Dynasty by acting so recklessly. Aren't you afraid of damaging the diplomatic relations between the Great Yu Dynasty and other countries?"

Joe Peter and Greenman smiled easily.

diplomatic relations?

Nonsence!

Are you, the Great Yu Dynasty, qualified to talk about the word "diplomatic relations" with them?

What are 'diplomatic relations'?
Only two countries with equal strength can have "diplomatic relations"!
Your Great Yu Dynasty has always been suppressed and rubbed on the ground by the powerful countries in the Far West. Are you, Jin Santan, qualified to talk about "diplomatic relations"?
Qiao Peter stood up, smiled and clapped: "Dear Governor, I'm sorry that we invited you in this way."

"However, this is a shocking ethical tragedy. Since it is a criminal case, we must follow the formal legal process."

"As for the diplomatic relations between our country and the Great Yu Dynasty?" Joe Peter raised his head and said loudly: "The 300 new warships of our country anchored in the port are enough to ensure that the friendship between our country and the Great Yu Dynasty is unbreakable!"

Qiao Peter lowered his voice and asked Jin Santan, whose face suddenly turned pale, in a very joking manner: "What do you think?"

Jin Santan remained silent.

Wei Lansheng's face was pale.

Zhao Pu and a group of officials were trembling with fear and speechless.

They suddenly discovered that the temporary court was surrounded by regular troops from England and Saint-Norman. The elite soldiers of the two countries totaled at least a thousand. They were armed with live ammunition and even set up more than a dozen air-cooled heavy machine guns and two small cannons, blocking the small temporary court.

'The Banquet at Hongmen'!
This thought popped up in Zhao Pu and his colleagues' minds at the same time.

Their hearts were beating like drums. They felt nervous and guilty, but at the same time, they felt inexplicably relieved and even gloating - Queen Mother, the old saint, this disaster was caused by Pingbo Earl Xing Tianqingshu. Alas, it did not involve the many officials present. They should thank God!
Jin San sighed heavily, forced a smile, and bowed to Fisherman, Joe Peter, Greenman and other concession officials one by one, saying, "That's right, that's right, that's the truth. The friendship between the Great Yu Dynasty and the Kingdom of Yingjishi is like an iron chain across the river, unbreakable."

Jin Santan took two steps forward, took out the subpoena that Fisherman had sent earlier, and handed it to a secretary of the Court of Nations present: "I know that the legal system of the Far West Hundred Nations is very different from that of our dynasty. However, since I am here, I will follow your rules."

He raised his head and straightened his back. Jin San sighed and said in a deep voice, "May I ask, is there anyone here who has a grievance? Just tell me!"

Fisherman curled his lips and looked at Xing Tianli.

What a Jin Santan! After all, he was a high-ranking official of the Dayu Dynasty, and he was very impressive. As soon as he opened his mouth, the huge temporary court became the lobby of his office, and everyone's eyes fell on him.

Xing Tianli put down the teacup, picked up the Tongtian Magic Bamboo, came to Jin Santan, and bowed to him: "Governor, I am Xing Tianli, the victim. I have a grievance!"

Jin Santan looked Xing Tianli up and down, and suddenly shouted, "Excuse me, who are you from?"

Xing Tianli smiled and said, "In this life, I was born in Jieshi County, Pinghai County, and Nanxun Town."

Jin San sighed angrily and said, "People from Nanxun Town? You are the people of our Dayu Dynasty. If you have grievances, why don't you go to the county or prefecture government offices to beat drums and appeal, but instead seek help from 'outsiders'?"

Xing Tianli's eyes widened, and he looked at Jin Santan in surprise: "What you said is true. I want to sue the current queen mother and Pingbo Bo Xing Tianqingshu, and uncover an inhumane family ethics tragedy that happened ten years ago. Are you sure that the small county governor's office and the county magistrate's office can take on this case?"

Jin Santan took a step back.

Xing Tianli took a step forward.

He took out the birth certificate filled out by Xing Tian Tongming himself and all the identity documents that were jointly attested by officials from many countries including Di Si and Qiao Peter at the Consulate General of England, and said slowly: "I am Xing Tianli, the only legitimate son recognized by Pingbo Earl Xing Tian Tongming. I want to sue Zhang, the wife of Pingbo Earl Xing Tian Tongming, and Zhang's nephew Zhang Qingshu who has occupied the title and property of Pingbo Earl's Mansion!"

(End of this chapter)