Chapter 495: Lying through one's teeth
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Wan Chong shook his head as he looked at the crowd around him.
Fang Zhengzhi could have bribed someone to be his witness...
Wan Chong dismissed that thought almost immediately. A witness couldn't just be anyone.
A witness needed to be trustworthy.
That was one of the conditions of a witness.
For example, a suspect couldn't have his wife or children be his witness. They would not be deemed trustworthy enough to be witnesses.
No one would accept that.
Similarly, if you had a few villagers to testify for you, the impact they would make would be too little. For such a high profile case, the witness needed to be someone powerful.
Villagers could be witnesses for petty crimes. However, when it came to murder and robbery, their testimony meant little.
For a case like Fang Zhengzhi, even a rich businessman or a scion from a noble family would not be sufficient.
Wan Chong looked around Fang Zhengzhi.
The four masked and veiled figures?
No!
They followed Fang Zhengzhi's orders and would not satisfy the criteria to be witnesses. The only person left was Yan Xiu.
Yan Xiu was from the Yan Family and was likely to be the heir to Yan Qianli. He may one day govern Western Liang.
As such...
He would qualify in terms of power and reputation.
However, everyone in the capital knew that he was friends with Fang Zhengzhi. There was no way he could still be a witness.
"Fang Zhengzhi, I know the relationship between you and Young Master Yan. You should know that friends and family don't qualify as witnesses!" Wan Chong chuckled, wanting to take the initiative.
"I know." Fang Zhengzhi nodded.
"Oh? Then why don't you tell me who your witness is going to be?" Wan Chon began to doubt himself.
Not Yan Xiu?
Who else could possibly testify for him?
Wan Chong couldn't think of anybody who would be that stupid.
Chi Hou was equally confused. He frowned. When Fang Zhengzhi mentioned a witness, the first person he thought of was Yan Xiu.
However...
Fang Zhengzhi already hinted that it wasn't Yan Xiu.
Not Yan Xiu?
Could it be Princess Ping Yang?
Possible!
However, Princess Ping Yang had also interacted with Fang Zhengzhi before... furthermore...
Chi Hou looked at the crowd and into the distance. He frowned when he didn't see any sign of Ping Yang.
Who could the witness be?
Who could possibly help hold up Fang Zhengzhi's lie? Who would be stupid enough to lie through his teeth?
Chi Hou looked at Fang Zhengzhi doubtfully.
Yan Xiu was also looking at Fang Zhengzhi with a similar expression. However, Yan Xiu didn't ask. He waited for Fang Zhengzhi to speak.
As for Fang Zhengzhi...
He smiled and turned to look at Chi Hou.
Chi Hou was shocked. He didn't know why Fang Zhengzhi would look at him. Shouldn't Fang Zhengzhi be looking at his witness?
Just as he was thinking about it, Fang Zhengzhi raised his hand and pointed at him.
"My witness is Chi Hou of the Divine Constabulary!"
"My witness..."
"Chi Hou of the Divine Constabulary!"
"..."
This voice echoed through the air...
Everyone was stunned.
No one expected that the leader of the Divine Constabulary would be Fang Zhengzhi's witness! Why would he testify to something this ridiculous?
Fang Zhengzheng!
How is that possible?
Would the leader of the Divine Constabulary really give false testimony?
"He said... that Chi Hou is his witness?"
"Yes, Chi Hou?! Is that even possible?"
"How is that possible? The Divine Constabulary was the one to bring him here. Why would Chi Hou give false testimony on this? Why would he say that this man is Fang Zhengzheng?"
The crowd look at each other, then stared at Chi Hou. They didn't believe that Chi Hou would do such a thing.
Wan Chong didn't understand it either. Chi Hou was Fang Zhengzhi's witness? He was the one who was going to testify that this man was Fang Zhengzheng?
Erm...
What was happening?
Wan Chong realized that Chi Hou's expression darkened. He could tell that Chi Hou wasn't expecting this either.
Chi Hou was furious!
He wanted to curse and swear.
He really wanted to go through every curse word that he knew. However, after thinking about it...
He realized that it wouldn't help.
He was a nobleman, whilst Fang Zhengzhi came from a peasant family.
To be completely honest...
Chi Hou couldn't possibly bring himself to swear in front of so many people. It would be detrimental to his image.
He looked at Fang Zhengzhi, who was looking back at him innocently. He finally understood what Fang Zhengzhi was thinking.
If he still couldn't guess what Fang Zhengzhi was thinking, he wasn't fit to be the leader of the Divine Constabulary.
This was a trap! A set-up!
Three days ago, when he went to find Fang Zhengzhi in his tent, he emphasized the need to lay low when entering the city. He even hinted that King Duan would help them along.
What he wanted was for Fang Zhengzhi to follow his plan to the letter. As long as Fang Zhengzhi did so, at the end of it, Fang Zhengzhi would pledge his allegiance to King Duan.
It was a perfect plan.
Chi Hou went over this plan many times and couldn't find any problems with it.
If Fang Zhengzhi were to enter the city like he did in Huai An County, he would not be able to live if Chi Hou and King Duan didn't support him.
But now...
His plan had been completely wrecked. It was destroyed the moment Fang Zhengzhi named him as his witness.
Right now, Chi Hou had two choices.
The first was to testify for Fang Zhengzhi. The second was not to testify and remain a third party.
There was no good way out of this!
Chi Hou grit his teeth. He was about to say "not in a million years!" but he swallowed the words before he could say them.
He noticed the four cloaked and veiled figures standing around Fang Zhengzhi. He also noticed the guards and the blood.
If he didn't testify...
He could predict what was going to happen next.
Chi Hou knew that if this was anyone else, he would have been able to ameliorate the situation.
But when it came to Fang Zhengzhi...
He had to take a step back and analyze his position.
Fang Zhengzhi could definitely continue to resist arrest.
Chi Hou didn't care if Fang Zhengzhi wanted to continue to make a scene. However, since he was the one who brought Fang Zhengzhi here, he would suffer some of the backlash.
Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi had the Shadow Sect backing him.
Not many people knew this, but Chi Hou was one of those who knew. If the Shadow Sect decided to save Fang Zhengzhi...
What would happen?
The capital would be in chaos!
Of course, there was one other thing that they had to consider. If Fang Zhengzhi caused a scene here, it would be advantageous to the Crown Prince.
If the 'criminal' that he had brought in continued to stay here but couldn't do anything, then...
Could King Duan's plan still succeed?
Without Fang Zhengzhi, there would be no thorn in the Crown Prince's side. There was no way anyone could fight the Crown Prince head-on with the Crown Prince's current hold on power!
"This is too much!"
Having been in power for so many years, Chi Hou never expected that he would ever have his hands tied in this fashion!
Fang Zhengzhi was bullying him into submission.
Chi Hou had brought Fang Zhengzhi to the capital with the intention of leading Fang Zhengzhi into a trap. However, he didn't expect that Fang Zhengzhi had laid a trap of his own!
He had no choice but to walk into it.
"I... I can testify that... that this man's name is Fang Zhengzheng!" Chi Hou forced himself to say those words.
However, after saying those words, he felt as though a huge load was lifted off his shoulders.
"His name is Fang Zhengzheng!"
"Fang Zhengzheng!"
"..."
Chi Hou's voice echoed through the air.
The crowd was stunned to hear this. They couldn't bring themselves to believe that the leader of the Divine Constabulary would testify that this man's name was Fang Zhengzheng.
All of them began to doubt themselves.
Could it be...
Could this person really be Fang Zhengzheng and not Fang Zhengzhi? If not, why would the leader of the Divine Constabulary lie through his teeth?
Was this lie really worth it?
He was the leader of the Divine Constabulary, one of the 13 constabularies! He was the leader of the Northern Region! How could he possibly lie through his teeth?
Wan Chong's eyes were on the verge of popping out of their sockets.
Chi Hou...
Did Chi Hou just testify?
No one knew better than him what the punishment for a false testimony was.
However, Chi Hou had done it anyways. He had given this testimony in front of a crowd of witnesses.
Who could possibly believe what was happening?
Wan Chong rubbed his eyes as his lips parted and closed repeatedly. He was at a loss for words.
Was he going to accuse Chi Hou of making a false testimony?
How was that possible? Will Chi Hou, the leader of the Divine Constabulary, give false testimony?
Wan Chong was someone who knew the law. The law required evidence, and he had no evidence to prove that Chi Hou's testimony was false.
How could he say anything?
"My Lord... do you know what you just said?" Wan Chong heard it clearly, but he was still in disbelief.
Was Chi Hou really willing to lie through his teeth in an attempt to save Fang Zhengzhi?
"Of course I do. Official Wan, are you doubting my words?" Chi Hou grit his teeth. He could feel his heart bleeding with each word.
However, he had to remain calm.
He had already said it.
There was no way to back. He had to insist that this man was Fang Zhengzheng. He had no other choice.
"My Lord, you are really willing to be this man's witness? Are you saying that he is Fang Zhengzheng and not Fang Zhengzhi?" Wan Chong stared at Chi Hou and asked again.
"Exactly!" Chi Hou nodded.
Wan Chong didn't say anything else. He knew that nothing would change even if he pressed further. Chi Hou was willing to give false testimony for Fang Zhengzhi?
He never expected that to happen.
However...
He knew that he had to resolve it no matter what. The Crown Prince wanted Fang Zhengzhi arrested so he had to get it done.
He couldn't back off now.
It was either him or Fang Zhengzhi.
"I can't believe it even if you testify on his behalf! If you don't mind, please step aside. I am arresting this man!" Wan Chong grit his teeth.
"Wan Chong, what do you think you are doing? I am a rank one general! Even if you are the Minister of Law, who are you to doubt my testimony?" Chi Hou raged.
"My lord, this is the capital, not the Northern Region!"
"So what?"
"The law overrules any rank. I am the Minister of Law and have the right to arrest suspects. If you take issue with it, you can bring it up in court tomorrow!"
"I have already testified that he is not the suspect you are looking for."
"But I believe my own eyes. If I wrongly arrested this man, I will gouge my eyes out to pay for my mistake!" Wan Chong replied angrily.
"Wan Chong, you..." Chi Hou was stunned. He never expected that Wan Chong was so determined to capture Fang Zhengzhi.
He was even willing to bet his eyes on it and go against Chi Hou in public! This was not something Chi Hou had anticipated.
"Arrest him!"
"Don't you dare!"
"You there, take my seal and go to the Law Ministry to get some reinforcements. Have the city guards assist us as well! I would like to see who dares to stand in my way!" Wan Chong's gaze was icy and a black official seal appeared in his hand.
The crowd was shocked to see this.
They had never seen a Minister go up against a rank one general so openly!
Both Chi Hou and Wan Chong were powerful people.
One was a rank one general and the other was a rank two minister! Even in the powerful capital, these were two heavy hitting powerhouses!
But now...
One was willing to make a false testimony whilst the other was using his official seal just because of Fang Zhengzhi.
Everyone could anticipate what the talk of the town would be tomorrow.
Chi Hou's expression darkened. In fact, his expression had been the same ever since he stepped foot through those gates. As the leader of the Northern Five Constabularies.
No one had ever doubted his words before!
The Minister of Law?
How dare a rank two minister challenge him?!
Chi Hou clenched his fists. If they weren't in the capital, if there weren't so many witnesses around, Wan Chong would not be standing now.
Yan Xiu's hand twitched because he could guess what was about to happen.
At that moment, he felt a hand press down on his shoulder. At the same time, an exasperated voice rang out.
"Official Wan, why do you need to do that?! Do you really want to arrest me? My Lord, please step to the side. Come on, I will stand here. If you can personally place the lock over my head, I will go with you. What do you say?"