Robert Clark immediately said, "Regarding this case, we have already investigated thoroughly. Fang Datian did not instruct John, and the entire Fang family was completely unaware of it."

Edward Foster gave a slight cough and said, "Present the petition first."

"Yes, sir."

David Harris immediately presented the petition.

After reading it, Edward Foster asked, "Where is the person in question?"

David Harris replied awkwardly, "Reporting to the prefect, as it was getting late, I let him go home to wait for news."

Edward Foster had originally wanted to summon William Bolton immediately, but seeing that his subordinates all disliked that kid, he had to consider their feelings a bit, so he said, "That kid really can't sit still. Let him be for now."

……

But Edward Foster only considered it briefly. After reviewing the petition, he decided the next day to hold a court session for the case three days later, and allowed William Bolton to appear in court to defend Henry Walker.

Allowing someone to defend a defendant in court was not very common in the Song Dynasty, but it wasn't particularly rare either. It really wasn't that Edward Foster was making an exception for William Bolton.

Because the Song Dynasty did not suppress land annexation, nor did it prioritize agriculture over commerce, the private economy was more prosperous than in any other dynasty, which directly led to more disputes.

And since the common people had no knowledge of the law, they definitely needed professional help—thus, the "litigation master" arose to meet this need.

There are clear records in historical texts that the specialty of "litigation studies" was born during the Northern Song period.

However, nowadays such people are not called litigation masters, but are referred to as "ear-pen people" (珥笔之人), so called because they liked to stick a pen in their hat, or sometimes called "hired-pen people" (佣笔之人) or "tea snack people" (茶食人).

There are some differences between "ear-pen people" and "hired-pen people." Although both write petitions, "ear-pen people" can also appear in court to provide some defense, while "hired-pen people" only help write petitions.

"Tea snack people" are different from the previous two. They only write petitions, but they must guarantee the authenticity of the petition, otherwise they have to bear certain legal responsibility.

Of course, whether to allow an ear-pen person to defend in court is entirely up to the magistrate; it is not a required procedure.

As for holding a public trial, this was also a personal habit of Edward Foster, because he hoped to use the opportunity to let the people learn more about the law.

……

The next day would be the day of the trial. The summoned Henry Walker and his brother came to the city today, and William Bolton brought the brothers to his inn to stay for the night.

He still had some preparations to make.

"Little Michael, I... I'm fine now, there's no need to wrap... wrap it up like this."

Henry Walker glanced at his brother, who was helping him bandage his hand. His right hand was almost wrapped up like a zongzi, and he felt it was too much, so he spoke to William Bolton.

William Bolton patiently explained, "If tomorrow in court you are lively and energetic, who would sympathize with you? This bandaging is to show how much you have suffered. If you want compensation, it's only natural, so this is very necessary."

Thomas Walker felt that William Bolton made a lot of sense, so he said, "Big brother, just listen to Brother Michael, he won't harm us."

Henry Walker nodded woodenly, but his face was still full of anxiety.

William Bolton smiled and said, "Don't be afraid. You are the only victim in this case. All your demands are perfectly reasonable; no one will blame you. Leave everything to me tomorrow."

Henry Walker nodded and said, "I... I understand, I'm not afraid."

Though he said that, his voice was trembling.

William Bolton was also quite helpless about this. After all, for small folk like them, they might never deal with the authorities in their whole lives, so it's natural to feel scared.

Early the next morning, William Bolton and the The Walker Brothers left their room.

At that time, quite a few people were having breakfast downstairs, and as the three of them came down, the hall instantly fell silent. Everyone stared at William Bolton in surprise.

It turned out that William Bolton, adapting to local customs, had specially bought a hat and stuck a short pen in it. To be honest, he really liked this look—it suited his taste.

Handsome, with a touch of flair and unruliness.

He looked absolutely cool.

In Dengzhou, such ear-pen people were not often seen. The guests at the inn, upon suddenly realizing that there was an ear-pen person staying among them, couldn't help but feel surprised.

William Bolton just gave everyone a slight smile, then left with the The Walker Brothers. He had already asked the innkeeper the night before to send breakfast to his room early, so they had eaten before coming down.

After he left, a buzz of conversation broke out in the inn, and everyone started discussing the case of Henry Walker.

News of the case had already leaked, and everyone was talking about it.

When the John case happened, it had already spread like wildfire, and the townspeople all knew about it.

Previously, it had been proven that John's attempt to murder Henry Walker was entirely his own doing and had nothing to do with the Fang brothers. Now, however, word had spread that Henry Walker was suing the Fang brothers for injuring him, which made everyone very curious.

Could there be some injustice in this case after all?

……

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, William Bolton and the The Walker Brothers arrived at the government office. By then, a number of townspeople were already standing at the entrance, waiting to watch the excitement.