Chapter 123: Are You Wielding a Sword from the Previous Dynasty to Execute an Official of This Reign?

In the second half of 1993, the entire country was growing wildly under the stimulus of the economy.

Everyone’s goal was to chase money, to earn more and more.

In some regions, local governments even sheltered problematic enterprises for the sake of economic development—a phenomenon that persisted all the way until Zhang Tianfeng’s rebirth, never easing.

But for the wealthy, these were never real obstacles. As long as they were willing to invest even a little bit of their resources, they could get anything they wanted.

Sure enough, the very night Zhang Tianfeng returned to the toy factory, before the sun had even risen on the next day, someone delivered a legal notice to his door.

——

Plaintiff: Tianlong Toy Company.

Defendant: Blue Square Toy Factory.

Reason for Lawsuit: Patent Infringement.

Supporting Documents: Overseas patent and copyright number 15451247632...

——

There were ten pages in total, stacked together on the desk.

Inside the office, Zhang Tianfeng sat in the general manager’s chair; Wang Tiancai and three others were on the sofa, while the secretary, Zhong Xiaoyi, was poring over the legal notice and flipping through a newly purchased law book, hoping to find a way to help Zhang Tianfeng out of this predicament.

“Boss, the other side is well-prepared.”

“Of course they are. They even managed to get the patent numbers, and have contacted both Zhucheng and Shencheng authorities. We’ve been warned that if we don’t comply, we won’t even be able to keep the factory running.”

“These bastards really want to wipe us out.”

In the past, when faced with something like this, Wang Tiancai and the others wouldn’t have bothered to respond.

But things were different now. The leadership had given direct orders and supervision—no one could escape scrutiny.

The four of them were deeply troubled. After working tirelessly for more than half a month, they were finally about to witness the rise of Blue Square Toy Factory with their own eyes, only to be hit with this sudden blow. They were afraid now, afraid that Zhang Tianfeng wouldn’t be able to withstand the pressure.

But Zhang Tianfeng wasn’t afraid—on the contrary, he was a little excited.

With this level of power behind the scenes, it was obvious who was pulling the strings—the Xu family.

The Xu family’s greed was truly insatiable. They’d lain dormant in the shadows for so long that Zhang Tianfeng had assumed they’d been scared into submission. He never expected them to make a move so openly this time—excellent.

After a long silence, Wang Tiancai said, “Boss, we’re not good with legal matters. We should hire a professional lawyer.”

“No need. I’ll go with Zhong Xiaoyi. You all stick to the original plan; don’t worry about anything else.”

With Zhang Tianfeng showing such confidence, what else could the employees do but give their full support?

Nodding, Wang Tiancai and the others quickly left. Zhong Xiaoyi put the legal notice away, bit her lip, and asked, “Boss, when do we go?”

“The court time is tomorrow morning. We’ll head over first thing.”

“Alright, then I won’t sleep tonight. I’ll try to memorize the entire law book.”

“Memorizing won’t help. Law is all about flexibility.”

Zhang Tianfeng walked over, ruffled Zhong Xiaoyi’s hair with a smile, and said, “I’m taking you so you can gain some experience, not to help me.”

“Just watch and learn—don’t worry about anything else. Rest if you need to.”

Fixing her hair with a pout, Zhong Xiaoyi nodded and left.

At nine the next morning, Zhang Tianfeng and Zhong Xiaoyi arrived punctually at Shencheng Court.

The court’s location was rather remote and rudimentary, nothing but a small courtyard, starkly out of place beside the towering buildings around it.

It made sense—at this time, the Nanshan Pizza Hut hadn’t even appeared yet, and Shencheng’s court was one of the least favored, with barely any resources.

Committing the luxury car’s license plate at the entrance to memory, Zhang Tianfeng strode inside with long, confident steps, Zhong Xiaoyi trailing behind like a little shadow.

This was actually the first time, in both his lives, that Zhang Tianfeng had ever entered a court of law. The atmosphere was indeed imposing and solemn.

Led by a staff member into a room, their belongings were checked. The staff stared in surprise as Zhang Tianfeng declared he had no lawyer and would represent himself, then calmly walked into the hearing corridor.

Seated at the defendant’s bench, Zhang Tianfeng spotted a familiar face in the audience: Xu Kuangdao, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Lately, Xu Kuangdao seemed to be trying his luck—he’d even dyed his hair red, looking every bit the gangster.

He too glanced at Zhang Tianfeng, a mocking smile curling his lips. He mouthed a few words, something like “Just wait and see.”

Poor soul. Did he still not understand what was really happening?

The judge had yet to arrive, and for now, everyone was free to converse.

Should he provoke him a little?

After a moment’s thought, Zhang Tianfeng grinned and said, “Mr. Xu, have you managed to offload the goods you bought in Hong Kong?”

Xu Kuangdao’s face darkened instantly. He replied in a low voice, “That’s none of your concern. You’d better focus on how you’re going to handle this lawsuit.”

“I’m certain I won’t lose.”

“Belief alone won’t get you anywhere. Do you have the copyrights to those comics, or do you even know those artists?”

Xu Kuangdao flashed a sinister grin. “This time, I came fully prepared. You’re doomed.”

“I can see that. You’re right about everything—I won’t argue with you,” Zhang Tianfeng replied coolly. “But I do want to know: did you get rid of all that merchandise?”

“There’s no need to get rid of it. I’ll just break it down into raw materials and make other toys.”

At this, a hint of excitement flickered in Xu Kuangdao’s eyes.

He felt that this time, misfortune had turned into a blessing. After obtaining the comic copyrights from Toei in Japan through a friend, he’d worked out Zhang Tianfeng’s expansion strategy.

He quietly followed in his footsteps, expanding in secret.

Then, by launching a lawsuit to tarnish Zhang Tianfeng’s reputation, he’d used the foreign-investor strategy to secure numerous favorable policies from local governments.

Even before officially launching his products, with the enthusiastic support of the authorities, his toy company was already turning a profit.

Distributors fought tooth and nail for sales rights, earning him over ten million in revenue and finally earning him some prestige in the Xu family.

For Zhang Tianfeng, however, this was a useful piece of information.

He hadn’t realized yet that the Xu family’s toy factory had already begun copying characters from the comics he’d purchased the rights to.

Immediately after leaving his seat, Xu Kuangdao returned to the waiting room and began making phone calls.

Sha Cheng, the chairman of Tianlong Toy Company and a mere puppet propped up by Xu Kuangdao, saw Zhang Tianfeng re-enter the waiting room and hurried over to Xu Kuangdao.

“Boss, that guy is scared! He’s so timid—he’s already lost his nerve before the verdict’s even out.”

“Be careful. He’s got a lot of tricks up his sleeve. Who knows what angle he’ll try to use to get out of this.”

Having been burned twice already, Xu Kuangdao was wary—even though he was confident of victory this time, he remained cautious.

He had stationed people outside: some to keep tabs on Blue Square Toy Factory’s movements, others at Toei in Japan, to make sure those crafty Japanese wouldn’t sell the rights to anyone sent by Zhang Tianfeng.

But all of this would ultimately be in vain.

Zhang Tianfeng wasn’t calling for help—he was laying his own trap.

He was, in fact, the true owner of these toy patents. For Xu Kuangdao to dare copy his works—Zhang Tianfeng would make him pay, today.

“Boss, the judge is here. We’re being called in.”

“Understood. Let’s go.”

Hanging up his phone, Zhang Tianfeng straightened his clothes and entered the hearing corridor with composure.

The trial was straightforward: both sides confirmed present, the plaintiff’s claims were established. Normally, the defendant’s rebuttal would be heard.

But perhaps because Zhang Tianfeng hadn’t brought a lawyer, or perhaps the judge had been bribed, he wasn’t even asked to respond. After just a few sentences, the court was about to pronounce judgment.

“Hey, hey, hey! Isn’t this against procedure? You’re finding me guilty after less than five sentences? I object!”

The judge adjusted his glasses and asked, “Defendant, since you have no lawyer, do you wish to defend yourself?”

“Is that not allowed?”

Leaning back in his chair, Zhang Tianfeng said, “Your Honor, you just stated that Tianlong Company obtained authorization from Toei in Japan and holds all rights within Yan State. May I ask, which is more valid—a copyright authorization agreement issued by the original creator, or a profit-sharing agreement provided by a business partner?”

“Naturally, the authorization from the original creator is valid.”

“Exactly. I hold the complete copyright authorization for all the products. They only have a profit-sharing agreement from a middleman. As far as I know, those comic artists have already ended their collaboration with Toei. Which means, the authorization that Tianlong Company holds is void.”

“Using the sword of a fallen dynasty to execute the orders of the present court—isn’t that unreasonable?”

As Zhang Tianfeng finished, his secretary quickly produced a copy of the copyright transfer agreement and handed it over to the court staff to present to the judge.

In an instant, the previously silent courtroom was thrown into chaos.