Chapter 334: Infiltration

Now that the autumn taxes had just been collected, the pen-in-caps at the Bianjing Law Firm had thought they could relax a bit. Little did they know that as soon as they returned, they would be working overtime night and day without rest – it would have been better to go on business trips to the surrounding counties.

The cause of all this was the establishment of the charity.

This involved too many business dealings, such as the loan contract between the charity and the Ma family, as well as the cooperation between the football league and the Authentic Books Store. With football becoming so popular, football newspapers were definitely money-making tools – this was also part of the football peripherals.

There were also the charitable foundation’s investments and cooperation with other merchants.

And so on!

Zhang Fei had extremely high standards for contracts. If a contract draft didn’t have at least a dozen pages, don’t bother bringing it to him.

Fortunately, Zhang Fei had previously designed contracts in many areas, and these pen-in-caps had all studied them carefully. The main business of the Bianjing Law Firm now was not litigation, but legal services, with contracts being of paramount importance.

This was also an opportunity for them to train. Many joint ventures were very novel – whether they could flexibly apply what Zhang Fei had taught would be tested this time.

Therefore, Zhang Fei specifically stipulated that anyone who qualified would receive a promotion.

It had been exactly a year, and it was time to select a leadership team, especially since Zhang Fei’s affairs were becoming increasingly numerous.

“Brother San, you’ve come at just the right time. The contract draft between the foundation and the Ma family has been written up. Please take a look first.”

As soon as Zhang Fei entered the shop, Fan Li handed him a contract draft.

Zhang Fei tilted his head, glanced at Fan Zheng, then said to Fan Li, “Give it to Brother Fan Zheng to look at. I have other matters to attend to.”

“Ah?”

Fan Li looked at Zhang Fei in surprise.

When it came to contracts, you were the expert – you’re asking Fan Zheng to look at it?

What could he possibly see in it?

Zhang Fei said irritably, “Don’t you think it would be unfair for me to review this contract, since this firm is also mine? Brother Fan Zheng is our major client.”

“Oh, right, right!”

Fan Li quickly handed the contract draft to Fan Zheng.

Fan Zheng awkwardly took it, but he understood Zhang Fei’s intention – he wanted him to manage the foundation.

Zhang Fei yawned, “You all keep busy. I’ll go rest for a bit.”

He waved his hands and slipped away!

But when he arrived at the private room in the back hall, he found Xu Zhiqian sitting inside with a worried expression on her face.

“Zhiqian?”

Zhang Fei quickly walked over. “Why are you sitting here in a daze? What happened?”

Xu Zhiqian glanced at Zhang Fei shamefully, then said with a dejected expression, “I told you that donating to academies wouldn’t be so easy, but you wouldn’t believe me.”

Zhang Fei frowned and sat down. “What went wrong?”

Xu Zhiqian said, “The College of National Scions has made it clear that we can only donate money – we cannot interfere with any other affairs. They even… even scolded me.”

Currently, Zhang Fei had Xu Zhiqian handle donation matters, mainly donating to residents and academies.

After all, Xu Zhiqian came from an official family and was more familiar with the College of National Scions.

But things had gone wrong, and Xu Zhiqian felt quite embarrassed. However, she also felt wronged because she had previously advised Zhang Fei that this matter wouldn’t be easy to handle.

Zhang Fei said in surprise, “We’re voluntarily donating money to them, and they’re still so arrogant? That means they don’t care about this donation.”

Xu Zhiqian shook her head. “That’s not it. Although the court allocates funds to the College of National Scions every year, their expenses are also very large. They even rent out some vacant buildings and lend out grain for profit to supplement their funding. During my negotiations with them, I felt that the College of National Scions must have already discussed this privately with Xiang-guo Temple. We’re just responsible for appearing to donate the money to the College of National Scions.”

After hearing this, Zhang Fei couldn’t help but mutter to himself, “This Xiang-guo Temple really is full of talented people!”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

Zhang Fei shook his head and fell into deep thought again.

Xiang-guo Temple’s support for the Great Song Charitable Foundation was primarily motivated by their concern about standing out too prominently—as the saying goes, “the tree that stands tallest in the forest will be destroyed by the wind first.” By establishing another tax-avoidance institution, they could make Xiang-guo Temple appear less conspicuous.

At the same time, Xiang-guo Temple could gain more supporters by intervening in the charitable foundation’s affairs.

Since the money would be donated either way, it needed to serve a purpose.

Investing in football leagues or carriage rental services wasn’t what Xiang-guo Temple cared about most.

Having grown to such a scale, during these turbulent times, they were more concerned with stability rather than small profits.

Therefore, Xiang-guo Temple set their sights on the College of National Scions, bestowing favors upon future graduate-scholars in hopes that when they entered government service, they would speak on the temple’s behalf in court.

This showed that Xiang-guo Temple was filled with talented people who, while generous in their actions, calculated precisely and seamlessly integrated politics with commerce.

However, what Xiang-guo Temple never expected was that Zhang Fei also had other plans. He hoped to infiltrate education through the foundation, which is why he proposed participating in textbook compilation.

It should be known that the compilation and printing of textbooks was currently entirely controlled by the College of National Scions.

If he couldn’t penetrate the College of National Scions, then even if Zhang Fei donated to other academies, he wouldn’t be able to change anything.

This was crucial for the future direction of education.

Although Zhang Fei was a law student, coming here, he definitely intended to develop a path for the sciences. Otherwise, even if he could invent airplanes and cannons, history would ultimately return to its original point.

Education was the driving force behind everything.

Without this driving force, everything else would be a mirage that would quickly collapse.

Take the Ming Dynasty’s Divine Machine Battalion, for example. When it was first established, it was quite formidable compared to the rest of the world, but so what? Without educational and cultural support, it disappeared as quickly as it came, and its development was very limited.

Xu Zhiqian said, “I think we should forget about it. I’ve told you before that many court officials take textbooks very seriously. Even State Councilors cannot make decisions alone. I believe that even if Xiang-guo Temple hadn’t discussed this with them, the College of National Scions would never agree.”

Zhang Fei’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he asked, “Did you tell them how we planned to compile the textbooks?”

Xu Zhiqian replied, “I had barely expressed our intentions in this regard when they scolded me. I didn’t have a chance to say anything more.”

“Excellent!”

Zhang Fei nodded with a smile.

“Excellent?”

Xu Zhiqian asked in surprise.

Zhang Fei smiled and said, “You’re absolutely right. If we want to participate, it would be nothing but wishful thinking. Even if the College of National Scions officials agreed, those scholar-officials wouldn’t.”

Xu Zhiqian nodded repeatedly, “Exactly so.”

Zhang Fei smiled, “Now I know what to do.”

Xu Zhiqian asked, “What?”

Zhang Fei said, “Expose this matter.”

“Ah?”

Xu Zhiqian said, “Then they’ll be even less likely to agree, and aren’t you just creating trouble for yourself?”

Zhang Fei’s lips curved upward, “So we don’t need to donate the money after all!”

Xu Zhiqian said, “But you won’t gain anything from this either. Instead, it will make people even more suspicious of our Great Song Charitable Foundation. It will only result in more harm than good.”

Zhang Fei chuckled, “Their suspicions won’t be directed at our foundation, but at Xiang-guo Temple behind us.”

Xu Zhiqian’s beautiful eyes widened as she suddenly realized her beloved had a somewhat frightening side.

Zhang Fei seemed to see what she was thinking and said, “Zhiqian, you must remember one thing: spending money is actually harder than earning it, because earning money is just a process of accumulating strength, while spending money is the means to achieve one’s goals.”

Xu Zhiqian clearly hadn’t yet grasped the highest principles of the charitable foundation!

Making money was never the charitable foundation’s purpose. If it were just about making money, why would Zhang Fei create this charitable foundation? He could organize football leagues himself, though development might be slower.

The charitable foundation’s role was actually to provide cover for certain real objectives.

Of course, not for tax avoidance.

In Zhang Fei’s view, tax avoidance was just a gimmick.

If he couldn’t achieve his own goals through donations, then what would be the point of Zhang Fei establishing the charitable foundation?

In terms of making money, he could make some compromises, but when it came to donations, Zhang Fei would never compromise.

That day, Zhang Fei summoned Feng Nanxi and had him tell Li Bao to spread word publicly that the charitable foundation planned to use donations to the College of National Scions in exchange for the right to participate in textbook compilation.

The reason for doing this was mainly to inform Emperor Zhao Xu through Li Bao.

He could hide things from anyone, but not from the emperor!

If Zhao Xu sensed that Zhang Fei was concealing something from him, then Zhang Fei would be finished.

The next day at noon.

Xu Zun rushed home in great haste and saw Xu Zhiqian sitting at the table writing something.

“Qian’er.”

“Father, you’re back.”

“Where is Zhang San?”

Xu Zun asked urgently.

Xu Zhiqian replied, “Zhang San went out early this morning. He’s been extremely busy lately. What do you need him for, Father?”

Xu Zun glanced at Xu Zhiqian. “Qian’er, tell me honestly, do you know about your charitable foundation’s donation to the College of National Scions?”

Xu Zhiqian blinked guiltily, then nodded lightly.

Seeing his daughter’s guilty expression, Xu Zun immediately asked, “So all those rumors are true? Zhang San is trying to use donations to get the rights to textbook compilation?”

Xu Zhiqian nodded again.

“What are you doing?”

Xu Zun said excitedly, “Do you know how much trouble this will cause?”

Xu Zhiqian said quietly, “Don’t worry, Father. Actually, Zhang San had people spread those rumors himself.”

“What?”

Xu Zun was stunned, suddenly realizing this matter was not simple, and hurriedly asked, “What exactly is going on?”

Xu Zhiqian looked at her father nervously and said, “I don’t know the specifics, but I think he wants to use this opportunity to promote legal studies, not to modify the existing textbooks.”

“Promote legal studies?” Xu Zun’s expression softened somewhat, and he sighed, “This matter could be discussed. Why did he have to do it this way?”

Xu Zhiqian said, “But the charitable foundation isn’t his to decide alone – Xiang-guo Temple is behind it.”

Xu Zun calmed down slightly, stroking his beard and pondering in silence.

Even though Zhang Fei had done so many things before, Xu Zun had never been this nervous, because textbook compilation concerned the foundation of governance – every single word could not be changed carelessly.

This was extremely serious.

When this matter reached the court, it immediately caused a huge uproar.

This was outrageous.

What kind of charity was this? This was clearly rebellion!

At the Ma family residence.

“Zhang San, what exactly are you doing?”

Ma Tianhao stood before Zhang Fei, gesticulating wildly, almost ready to kneel before him. Big brother, please spare me!

If you keep this up, it will kill people.

But Zhang Fei spoke righteously, “I just want to help Xiang-guo Temple. Since Xiang-guo Temple supports me so much, I naturally hope to give them adequate returns. I, Zhang San, know how to repay kindness.”

“Help Xiang-guo Temple?”

Ma Tianhao said excitedly, “When did Xiang-guo Temple ask you to participate in textbook compilation? You’re just causing chaos!”

Zhang Fei said, “Brother Ma, it’s just you and me here. I’m well aware of Xiang-guo Temple’s purpose in donating to the College of National Scions, so I thought of having the College add just a tiny bit of Buddhist content as a symbolic gesture, to strengthen the connection between Xiang-guo Temple and the students.

Just donating money alone wouldn’t have much effect!”

“It’s over, it’s over, it’s over!”

Ma Tianhao slapped his forehead, truly wanting to cry but having no tears. “Who told you to do this? Do you know that Xiang-guo Temple and the College of National Scions had already worked everything out privately? You were just supposed to show your face and hand over the money to them.”

“What? Xiang-guo Temple and the College of National Scions worked it out privately? Brother Ma, why didn’t you tell me?” Zhang Fei also stood up agitatedly.

Ma Tianhao opened his eyes wide and roared, “How was I supposed to know you would do something like this?”

Zhang Fei said, “You know my professional ethics – when people give me seven parts instruction, I must deliver ten parts satisfaction. Which matter hasn’t been like this, whether business or lawsuits? No wonder the College side didn’t even wait for Zhiqian to finish speaking before directly rejecting us. I’ve truly been harmed by you all.”

“I’m the one being harmed by you, and you’re turning it around on me.”

Ma Tianhao nearly spat out blood, waving his hands repeatedly. “Forget it! Forget it! Now is not the time to assign blame. You need to think of a way to resolve this matter. This has already caught the attention of court officials. I’m telling you, no matter what, you absolutely cannot let those court officials suspect Xiang-guo Temple’s intentions. Otherwise, your charitable foundation won’t be able to continue either.”

Now Xiang-guo Temple had become a tall tree that attracted the wind, and quite a few upright ministers already harbored considerable criticism toward Xiang-guo Temple. If they learned that Xiang-guo Temple was scheming to have the College of National Scions promote Buddhist studies in an attempt to interfere in politics through Buddhism, then forget the ministers—even the Emperor would become suspicious of Xiang-guo Temple.

This matter could truly be significant or trivial.

Zhang Fei furrowed his brow tightly and said, “Brother Ma, from now on, whatever you’re planning, you need to explain it clearly to me. When you do one thing openly and another thing secretly behind the scenes, it makes things very difficult for me too.”

“Alright, alright, alright!”

Ma Tianhao nodded repeatedly. “This time I’ll admit I was wrong, okay? You need to quickly think of a way to resolve this matter. As long as you can solve it, anything is negotiable.”

Zhang Fei took a deep breath and pondered for a long while before saying, “How about this—I’ll take responsibility for this matter alone.”

“How will you take responsibility?” Ma Tianhao asked curiously.

You say you’ll take responsibility, but do you think those ministers are fools? They’ll definitely investigate.

Zhang Fei said, “At the time, the College of National Scions didn’t ask us to clarify how we wanted to participate in textbook compilation. I could say it was for Buddhist studies, but I could also say it was for legal studies. I’ll say my original intention was to use this opportunity to promote legal studies.”

Ma Tianhao immediately said, “That’s settled then.”

Zhang Fei was stunned. “Brother Ma, your nickname is ‘Iron-faced Judge,’ and you’re known for being extremely loyal and righteous. How is it that when it comes to me, I can’t see any of that at all!”

Ma Tianhao snorted. “Whenever you come looking for me, it’s never not about money.”

“…!”

For Ma Tianhao, he naturally cared more about Xiang-guo Temple. As for the survival of the charitable foundation, he didn’t value it particularly highly. Even if the charitable foundation disappeared, it wouldn’t hurt his essential interests. But if Xiang-guo Temple had problems, then he would be finished too.

While Ma Tianhao was still negotiating, people from the Court of Penal Review arrived and directly took Zhang Fei away.

When the Court of Penal Review came for someone, it was definitely on Sima Guang’s orders. But given Sima Guang’s relationship with Zhang Fei, he surprisingly hadn’t met with Zhang Fei privately first, which showed how sensitive this matter was.

Upon arriving at the Court of Penal Review, not only was Sima Guang there, but Qi Hui and Liu Shu were also present.

Without needing to think about it, it was clear that Sima Guang had deliberately called these two to serve as witnesses—to show that he wasn’t engaging in favoritism or corruption.

Seeing Zhang Fei, Sima Guang questioned him in an interrogative manner: “Zhang San, I heard that your charitable foundation, under the pretext of making donations, attempted to modify the textbooks of the College of National Scions. Is this true?”

Zhang Fei nodded and said, “Yes, that did happen!”

Qi Hui and Liu Shu’s expressions were somewhat complex.

Should they be happy or not?

They couldn’t quite determine their stance.

But from this, it was clear that Zhang Fei had truly encountered trouble this time.

Sima Guang’s head was throbbing. This young man was usually quite cautious—how had he done something so foolish? Had success gone to his head? He couldn’t help but ask, “What were you trying to accomplish?”

Zhang Fei explained, “I believe there are some problems with current legal education, so I wanted to contribute my efforts to promote legal studies and help the court cultivate more legal talent.”

Sima Guang’s expression changed. “Is this true?”

Zhang Fei nodded. “This is all I know how to do. Apart from this, I don’t understand anything else.”

Sima Guang frowned slightly. In his heart, he didn’t doubt this, because Zhang Fei truly only knew legal studies. If you asked him to work on something like the Five Classics commentaries, he couldn’t do it. He asked, “Why didn’t you discuss this matter with me?”

Zhang Fei said, “Academician Sima, I was both contributing money and effort, which completely aligns with our charitable foundation’s principles, so I didn’t seek your counsel first.”

If I have to consult you even when doing good deeds, what would that make me?

Sima Guang couldn’t help but ask Qi Hui and Liu Shu, “What do you think?”

The two exchanged glances for a moment, then Liu Shu said, “This kind of thing has never happened before. I’m afraid we’ll need to discuss it with others.”

Sima Guang nodded, then said to Zhang Fei, “We still need to investigate this matter. You may go back for now.”

Zhang Fei said in bewilderment, “Academician Sima, I had good intentions, and I still need to be investigated?”

Sima Guang said, “You’re well-versed in the law and should know that even if you’re trying to save someone, that doesn’t mean you can kill someone. The court has its regulations and systems.”

This time Zhang Fei understood and hurriedly said, “I’m wronged! Academician Sima, I’m truly wronged! I really had good intentions.”

Sima Guang said, “Whether you’ve been wronged or not still requires investigation. Go back for now.”

“I…”

“Guards! Throw him out.”

“No, no, no, I’ll leave on my own, I’ll leave on my own.”