Deep house, living room, two guests of honor sitting.

"This is what Bethsun entrusted me to pass on to you." Zhang Yuanji took out the package delivered by the monk, handed it to the thirty-year-old man sitting on the throne, and said.

The man's real name is Chen Ping, and he is the current head of the Chen Mansion in Honolulu. He took the package, opened it and looked at it, and saw that it was indeed the list of the two lakes Hongmen, and the seal on the book was intact; There is also a letter under the roster, Chen Ping picked it up and looked at it, and the cover read: Gongzi personally opened. Chen Ping saw that the four words were written upright, and a chivalrous spirit burst out in the elegance, so he knew that it was Xu Xilin's own handwriting.

Chen Ping put down the letter, gently stroked it back and forth, thinking of Xu Xilin's righteous and chivalrous eyes, he couldn't help but burst into tears. Zhang Yuanji was also full of emotion when he saw Chen Ping and thought about things and people, and remembered his interactions with Xu Xilin over the years.

After a while, Chen Ping's emotions gradually calmed down, and he suddenly stood up, strode in front of Zhang Yuanji, and bowed his head. Zhang Yuanji was taken aback, and hurriedly got up to avoid him, but it was too late, Chen Ping fell to the ground and bowed three times. Zhang Yuanji hurriedly leaned sideways to help Chen Ping up, and said again and again: "Why is Brother Siming doing this? Why bother? ”

Chen Ping stood up and hissed: "Gong Zhang doesn't need to avoid it, you deserve my worship." Zhang Gongke knows that you have traveled thousands of miles to cross the ocean and send the list of our Hongmen and two lakes to Honolulu, which not only saved Bosun's blood in vain, but also saved dozens of Hongmen brothers on this list. You have been so kind to Hongmen, it is worth paying homage. Zhang Gong, if you have any needs in the future, but there is a place where Hongmen can contribute, I Hongmen will definitely die! ”

When Zhang Yuanji heard this, he waved his hand and shook his head again and again, arguing: "Siming's words are heavy, and his words are heavy. I have been with Bosun for many years, Bosun is willing to be civil and martial, light and righteous, and generous to righteousness for faith, although there are tens of millions of people, I will go! Bosun and I are also friends. I was able to do this for Bosun, and I was just to comfort myself and ask for peace of mind.

What's more, I came here with some selfish intentions. With Bosun gone, the 100 translated classics ordered by Mr. Zhu Fangsheng and Mr. Zhu and the Commercial Press were also broken. I also need to come to Honolulu once to renew this contract. I don't know Brother Siming, can you know where Mr. Zhu Fangsheng and Mr. Zhu live in Hawaii? I thought that since I was here today, I would like to pay a visit. I have been friends with him for a long time, and I have long been looking forward to seeing the true face of this person. ”

When Chen Ping heard what Zhang Yuanji said, he frowned and said, "It's a bad luck that Zhang Gong came here at this time......

Zhang Yuanji hurriedly asked, "Isn't he on the island?" ”

Chen Ping saw that Zhang Yuanji was so anxious, so he explained: "Childe is indeed on the island now, but today, there is a lawsuit at the last moment, and Childe said that he will close his door this morning and prepare for this lawsuit. ”

After hearing this, Zhang Yuanji couldn't help asking: "Is this Zhu Gongzi going to be a lawyer?" ”

Chen Ping nodded: "Yes." ”

Zhang Yuanji was taken aback and looked at Chen Ping, his eyes full of puzzlement. Ladies and gentlemen, it is important to know that China's tradition is not the same as that of the West, where lawyers are a profession with high social status, and many of its political leaders are lawyers, such as John Adams, the second president of the United States. In China, on the other hand, the lawyer is not a profession that can be put on the table, and it is even very lowly, and to be a lawyer, he must be a scholar, but once a scholar becomes a lawyer, he is no longer recognized as a scholar, and he is forever separated from the scholar class. At this time, China was still a traditional society dominated by Confucianism in the Qing Dynasty, and it was undoubtedly difficult for a well-educated person who was deeply influenced by Confucianism to understand the social significance of a lawyer.

Zhang Yuanji was stunned for a while, and then asked: "He is so well educated, why did he become a lawyer?" Isn't the manuscript fee I paid enough for him to live? If it's not enough, I can mention it again, and with his article, I can raise it three times more! ”

Chen Ping shook his head and said, "On the issue of remuneration, Bosun must have told you many times. Gongzi's translation of books is not for manuscript fees, just like Zhang Gong's investment in the Press, but he just sees the invasion of Western powers and wants to open up the wisdom of the people. As a joke, even if Childe doesn't do anything now, he will have no worries about food and clothing in this life.

Moreover, litigation is not an unsightly profession. What's more, this lawsuit is related to the hard-earned assets of thousands of Hawaiian compatriots, and it must be done by Gongzi himself. ”

Zhang Yuanji still shook his head, with a look of regret that hatred of iron could not become steel. Seeing this, Chen Ping didn't want to say anything for a while, was silent for a while, and suddenly said: "Is Zhang Gong interested in going to the scene to watch the lawsuit?" ”

Zhang Yuanji was stunned for a moment, instinctively wanted to refuse, and suddenly thought of this person who was a lawyer, so he turned his mouth and said: "Siming said this, it touched my itch." I want to see what kind of person this Zhu Fangsheng is. What is there to do for this lawyer? ”

Chen Ping smiled, not angry. He arranged for someone to prepare the carriage and horses, and ordered someone to lead Zhang Yuanji to bathe and change clothes. When everything was ready, I drove straight to the Hawaii Supreme Court.

To say that this Hawaii, because of the relationship between Chen Ping's father Chen Fanggong, has always been friendly to the Han people, because of the fertile land in Hawaii, a large number of coastal Han people come to Hawaii every year to make a living. Over time, the Han Chinese became the most populous ethnic group in Hawaii. But the good times were short-lived, and since the United States of America annexed Hawaii, it has been colonized. This colonial rule is very different from the state level in the United States, and this place will be explained later, so I will not show it for the time being.

You must know that the beginning of the 20th century was the time when the storm of anti-Chinese in the United States was in full swing. Two years earlier, in 1905, the colonial government of Hawaii had passed a new land lease ordinance that severely excluded Han Chinese and harmed their property in Hawaii. This time, the Han people finally stopped silently accepting it. In a lawsuit, the colonial government was sued in the Hawaii District Court, asking the district court to rule that the new lease ordinance was unconstitutional and to repeal it.

The lawsuit went back and forth for two years, until the United States sent three Supreme Court justices to decide the outcome of the lawsuit in Hawaii.

It is also a coincidence that Zhang Yuanji came to this lawsuit, and it was at the last moment when the verdict was pronounced, and the verdict was final. Today, after the lawyers of both sides have made their concluding statements, the court will be adjourned and the final judgment will be made.

By the time Chen Ping and Zhang Yuanji arrived at the Hawaii District Court, the final legal process had begun, and the colonial government's lawyers had already finished their statements, and it was Zhu Fangsheng, who represented tens of millions of Chinese in Hawaii, who was making the final statements.

Chen Ping led Zhang Yuanji into the door, and soon entered the courtroom through a corner door.

There was silence in the courtroom, and a crisp and loud voice slowly rose in the silence. Chen Ping led Zhang Yuanji and sat down in an empty seat on the side, Chen Ping nodded from the people around him, and a man next to him, seeing that he was more than fifty years old, was still extremely strong, and when he saw Chen Ping, he whispered: "The son just signaled that we should prepare Plan B." Chen Ping nodded when he heard this, and replied: "Then you go, I will answer the son here." The man nodded, said no more, and got up and strode away.

Zhang Yuanji naturally ignored the others, as soon as he sat down, his eyes hurried straight to the venue, only to see that the furnishings here, everything was like the courtroom of the British and American concessions in Shanghai, and the three supreme justices wore wigs on their heads, standing high; On the left sat a row nine white men, men and women, old and young, with different faces and dresses, obviously rich and poor. When his gaze turned again, he saw the person who belonged to the crisp and loud voice in the field. Zhang Yuanji was stunned for a moment, and felt unbelievable - when he began to hear it, he felt that the crisp voice was too crisp, a little childish, like a child talking again, and when he saw the real person at this moment, it was clearly a child, a child who was only eleven or twelve years old!

That child, it turned out to be Zhu Fangsheng who translated the book? Zhu Fangsheng, who has translated more than 20 books and is full of wonderful classics, turned out to be the eleven or twelve-year-old child in front of him?

How unbelievable this is!

Zhang Yuanji was in a trance, and he heard Zhu Fangsheng's crisp voice in the field:

"287 years ago, in order to escape religious discrimination and birth discrimination, one hundred and two Englishmen came to the Americas aboard the Mayflower. Before setting foot on the land of the Americas, in order to ensure that freedom is not violated, that equality is not impaired, and that there is no longer discrimination for various reasons, they signed the Mayflower Convention and formed a government on the basis of freedom and justice, so that everyone can not be discriminated against on the basis of religion and origin, and everyone can stand before God and give their toils and sweat for God's glory and happiness in life.

156 years later, their descendants rose up in anger and declared their independence because their freedom was still being violated by the British crown and because they were still denied rights because of discrimination. These descendants proclaimed that all human beings are created equal, that they are inalienable and that they have the right to life, liberty and happiness. The United States of America will be a nation of immigrants, a land of God's chosen ones, where there will be no discrimination, only equality; Here, there is no oppression, only freedom; Here, as long as you put in the hard work and sweat, you can reap happiness and joy. This is the founding spirit that the founding fathers of the United States followed 131 years ago, and this is the American dream that ordinary people believe.

And today, the actions of the American government in Hawaii have shattered this beautiful American dream and brought shame on the hard work and spirit of our ancestors. yes, to-day, ye officials of the United States of America, ye are no longer drifters, ye call yourselves conquerors; You are no longer insulted and damaged, Hawaii is already your occupation. Therefore, with the pride of the victors and the contempt of the conquerors, you have arbitrarily enacted evil laws, not only did you not protect the freedom of our first inhabitants from being violated by war, and you did not discriminate against us because of subjugation and occupation, but instead deprived our first inhabitants of their land out of thin air, and deprived us of the little right to pursue happiness that we had earned through more than ten years of hard work and blood. The actions of you gentlemen have turned the regime you have destroyed into a golden age!

Hawaii is a special state in the history of the United States, it is not a state that joined the Union at the beginning of independence, nor is it a land bought by the United States with money, it is a land that was violently overthrown and occupied by the government of the United States of America. However, I would like you to note that Hawaii is not a colony, and we are not Indians. If the U.S. government is truly determined to treat Hawaii as its own, please treat us, the indigenous peoples, the first natives, as ordinary and equal citizens, and protect us from infringement of our property and from discrimination for any reason, because this is the foundation of the United States of America for 100 years.

We know that in order for the flower of peace to shine, we must first plant the seeds of fairness; If you want the tree of abundance to flourish, you must first plant the saplings of freedom. If it is not repealed, then this beautiful and rich island will not exist, and it will be followed by an island full of discrimination, suspicion, and anger. It will no longer be a paradise for immigrants, a place of hope for God, it will be a seething hell where society is divided, where the color of skin determines work and destiny, it will be a place of despair.

Mr. Judge, members of the jury, this case is unprecedented, but I implore you to make a careful decision to make the Provisional Government's land lease bill unconstitutional. The verdict in this case will set a precedent for the future. The world needs to know that in a land that has been violently occupied, can the American government uphold its founding spirit. The pre-Hawaiian people wanted to know if freedom of belief, freedom of speech, freedom from hunger and cold—and freedom from discrimination—could be achieved under the rule of the United States of America?

Now, whether it's hope or despair, it's all in your hands. ”

This is a somewhat immature voice, but it is sonorous and powerful, like Huang Zhong Dalu, hitting people's hearts and lungs. Chen Ping on the side was enthusiastic when he listened, like hearing the avenue. Zhang Yuanji looked at him, if it weren't for this court, he would definitely have Chen Ping cheered loudly and applauded.

But Zhang Yuanji is a little vague, although he has also carefully read Zhu Fangsheng's translation of "History of the American Revolution", even the minutes of the United States Constitutional Assembly, and also read the notes of several parties. But Zhu Fangsheng's words still made Zhang Yuanji feel incomprehensible. How can a land occupied by violence have its own voice and its rights? Since ancient times, the successive generations of China have been the strong and the weak, the king and the defeat, where can anyone lose their land and have the right to discuss national politics? How can anyone tolerate a loser talking about national politics?

At this time, both parties have finished their arguments, and after a pause, they adjourn the trial to wait for the judge's decision.