The place of the public trial was still placed in the city, because Cen Chunxuan said that the wharf was too cold and windy and the public trial here would block the normal operation of the wharf, so he asked to move the place of public trial to the city. Emperor, allowed.

The largest open space in Wuchang City is crowded with people, and there are thousands of people inside and outside. When the news came out that the emperor was going to personally try the case and redress the grievances of the people, half of the people of Wuchang rushed over to hear the trial. When the emperor went out of Beijing, all the ceremonial guards were reported in the newspapers, and it is said that the grandeur of the scene could not be described in words. Now that I have the opportunity to see the sky in person, this kind of opportunity may only be once in a lifetime, how can I not come? As for the public trial, it is not uncommon.

As early as the pre-Ming Dynasty, the Yamen trial was basically open to observers, and in the Qing Dynasty, the pre-Ming conventions were still followed, but there were no specific rules for open observers. Officials hearing cases can hear cases in different venues, such as the lobby or the internal office, and the number of people who can accommodate observers and even the clothing of officials during the trial are also different. As for the personality of the adjudicating officials themselves and whether they have sufficient confidence in their own open trials, they also affect the situation of the yamen in various places. Officials who are confident in their trial experience are very fond of opening up their cases to a large number of people to attend. However, the kind of trial scene like the one depicted in film and television dramas that is often open to three or four hundred people to observe is probably not common in courts across the country in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The main reason for this is not that local officials have imposed restrictions on the number of observers, but that there is really no place to accommodate such a large number of observers. Some officials who claim to be impartial actually hope that the more people they can observe when they hear cases, the better. Because it is easier to have a good reputation, it will be easier to get promoted in the future.

Guangxu's promotion as an emperor is not needed, but fame is essential. So Guangxu chose the largest vacant land. and informed all the people of Wuchang City that the emperor would personally try the case. Since Guangxu is going to appear as the emperor, the necessary ceremonial guards and rules are indispensable. The clippers urgently sent the honor guards and costumes from Jiangbei, and the imperial guards took over the defense of the inner circle of the trial site, and the periphery was taken over by the officers and soldiers of the independent division. All the officials in Wuchang City were dispatched to maintain order.

"The emperor has arrived—"

With Li Lianying's voice, the people in the audience knelt down. The Emperor was dressed in a dragon robe and walked slowly towards the pre-arranged passage. To be honest, what these people are looking at is not a public trial. It's just to see the sky. So there are always some people who will secretly raise their heads to take a look, and those who are found will be reprimanded, and those who are not found will find another opportunity to take a look.

"Okay, don't scold." Guangxu stopped the reprimand of the officials and said: "Don't the people just want to see what their emperor looks like." That's it. If you look at it more, you won't lose a piece of meat, I'm not a monster, and I'm not invisible. Let's all be flat. ”

The bleak atmosphere became relaxed under Guangxu's laughter, and when passing through the passage, Guangxu also laughed and talked with a child who was being held, and said that the child was really strong. But the soldier's unsmiling expression made the child a little restrained. For the first time, the people saw their emperor for real. Young, energetic, and kind, with a smile on his face.

Inside, there are already four tables and a full set of tools for hearing cases. Regardless of whether the emperor is the presiding judge or not, he will only sit in the middle one. With the emperor's entry, Dali Temple Zhengqing Cen Chunxuan and the governor of Huguang sat on the left and right. The other table is the position of the clerk, which is filled today by Yang Du, the secretary general of the emperor. There was also a chair on the sidelines, which was the position of Liang Huadian, the representative of the army.

Sit down in the middle of the room. Guangxu stood up and gestured with his hands to be quiet, and said slowly: "If you often read the newspaper, if you are concerned about national affairs, then everyone should know that China has not been peaceful in recent years. First, Japan, a small country, wanted to bully China, and then Tsarist Russia in the north invaded China. Even the Holland in the south is bullying our brothers of the same clan. In order to protect the family and defend the country, for the safety of the brothers of the same clan. Our soldiers of the Qing Dynasty fought in the south and the north, and it was only with their blood and lives that we were able to keep today's peace. For these soldiers who shed blood and sacrificed on the battlefield, the imperial court formulated reward regulations, which is to let the soldiers feel at ease on the battlefield to protect their families and defend the country. Today, however, the widow of a meritorious soldier told me that the glory of her husband's bloody battlefield had been wiped out by corrupt officials, that her family was in danger, and that she herself had been insulted. I, the supreme commander of the Qing Imperial Army, will never allow my brother Pao Ze to die on the battlefield, but his family will become worse than death, so I do not hesitate to raise the butcher's knife. I am also the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and I cannot allow the officials of the imperial court to be subjected to unwarranted slander. Therefore, in order to find out the truth of the matter, I decided to try this case in public here, and let the people come to see and hear whether this matter is a false accusation or corruption. I also want to let all the soldiers in the world understand that it is your responsibility to defend your family and country, and it is my responsibility to defend your family. After speaking, Guangxu nodded to Cen Chunxuan: "Let's start." ”

After the emperor sat down, Cen Chunxuan stood up: "Take the plaintiff Zhang Wang's family." ”

Zhang Wang, accompanied by the gendarmes, knelt down and folded her hands, and once again wept what she had said to the emperor on the boat. Guangxu and Cen Chunxuan had already heard it, so it was not unusual, and Liang Huadian on the side reacted fiercely. After Zhang Wang finished speaking, Cen Chunxuan didn't have time to ask Liang Huadian to ask in detail. When he finished asking, he kicked the chair away with a kick of anger. He really couldn't imagine that some officials were so bold that they even dared to embezzle military merit medals, just because the first-class medals were made of gold?

Cen Chunxuan shook his head secretly, although it was the emperor who presided over the trial today, in fact, he was the real judge. Liang Huadian made such a fuss as if he was the chief judge. Because the emperor did not express his position, Cen Chunxuan could only wait for Liang Huadian to finish asking the question he wanted to ask. When Liang Huadian finished asking, the matter is also very clear, and he doesn't need to ask again, so let's take the defendant directly. When everyone's attention was focused on Zhou Rongyao, the Hubei Governor who came over, it was only Guangxu who noticed that Liang Huadian, who was standing aside, turned his head and ordered a few words to his own soldiers.

Zhou Rongyao was originally the secretary of the Guangdong Customs, but he was dismissed for embezzling the materials entering the customs of the Nanyang Fleet. And he climbed the path of the priesthood. All the way to the Hubei Governor's Mansion safely. Now that he has only served in the Hubei Governor for less than three months, he has ushered in a test for the first time.

Zhou Rongyao was neatly dressed to pay homage to the emperor and the presiding judges, but the reason why he did not take off his top and take off his official uniform. That's only because he hasn't been convicted and is currently being investigated as a defendant.

"Do you know the woman next to you?" Cen Chunxuan asked Zhou Rongyao.

"Xia Guan has never seen it." Zhou Rongyao replied with confidence.

Cen Chunxuan smiled and said, "This woman accused you of adultery with her and embezzled military rewards, can you admit it?" ”

Of course I won't admit it, but if I admit it, it's nothing. Although it is known that almost no suspect will voluntarily admit it, this is a necessary procedure for the trial. The statement left for Zhou Rongyao was only the same: he didn't know this woman and was inexplicably slandered. Cen Chunxuan nodded, since one party sued the guilty party and the other party did not admit guilt, he could only ask in court. Zhang Wang's tearful wails are indeed heartwarming, and the crying and weeping all show the heinous bestiality of this Hubei governor's official uniform. Zhang Wang's family didn't care about face. In order to more effectively explain Zhou Rongyao's crime, she even vividly described the scene when she was raped. After hearing this, the people had already decided that Zhou Rongyao was the most heinous person. It takes more than courage for a woman to vouch for her name. The soldiers standing guard all showed murderous faces, and the soldiers in the army were all from all over the world, and once they left home in this era of slow traffic, their families could no longer take care of them. So how are their parents, wives and children living far away from home? Today, the wives and children of their comrades who died in battle were bullied by local officials. Once you die in battle, will your family also suffer this crime, so is it worth it to fight the enemy on the front line and exchange your life for the peace of your family and country? Only the Hubei Governor did not change his face and claimed that this was a groundless slander, and asked the emperor to return his innocence to prove his innocence.

During the entire interrogation process, Cen Chunxuan had been paying attention to the emperor's expression, but unfortunately, the emperor did not see any anger on his face, and he did not ask a word. When it came to the Governor of Huguang, although he asked very little, it was not the point. Cen Chunxuan can also understand. After all, Zhou Rongyao is his subordinate, and out of suspicion, he naturally asks as little as possible.

Because apart from his own statement, Zhang Wang really couldn't produce any physical evidence. The trial of the case can only be concluded here. Cen Chunxuan came out of the class and said: "Your Majesty, there is only the statements of the original defendant and no substantive evidence in this case. Wechen thought that the two sides of the case would be taken into custody first, and a retrial would be conducted after the investigation and evidence collection. According to the statement of the plaintiff Zhang Wang, Wechen immediately went to collect the evidence. If what Zhang Wangshi said is true, I believe that there will be a conclusion within three to five days. ”

Guangxu looked around and saw that the crowd around him was calm as usual. And so it can only be for the time being. But before Guangxu could speak, Liang Huadian, who was standing on the side, just heard the whispers of his own soldiers and said, "No need. After speaking, he closed the box that the soldiers handed over. solemnly took the box to Zhou Rongyao and opened it, and then said with a hideous face: "You are dead." ”

Zhou Rongyao's face changed greatly, but in an instant, his face changed back to his original calm expression and said: "This seems to be a military merit medal, and it seems that it is made of gold, and it should be a first-class merit medal." It's a pity that this thing has only been seen for the first time. ”

"Yes." Liang Huadian waved his hand, and the soldiers put down five more boxes in front of Zhou Rongyao, as well as a pile of documents recording the use of the reward. I only heard Liang Huadian continue: "A first-class medal, a second-class medal, four third-class medals, and these, what else do you have to say." Yes, one governor can swallow the reward of six military merits, who gave you such courage? ”

Seeing this, Zhou Rongyao, who was still kneeling on the ground, stood up and patted the dust on his body: "Since the general can find all these objects, then the sin on my body can't escape." It's just that I'm curious, these things are hidden by me, and even my wife doesn't know about them. Can the general tell me how he found it? ”

"Hmph, it's a fart for you to hide things, you can't think of a way in the army."

"In that case, I won't say anything." Zhou Rongyao turned to face the emperor, took off his top and took off his official uniform: "Your Majesty, there is some evidence, and the crime of embezzling military merit has been admitted by Weichen." Weichen is tied up. After saying that, he clasped his hands on his chest and waited for the servant to shackle him.

"Hahaha......" Liang Huadian laughed miserably, and then said sharply: "Zhang Cheng disguised himself as the Japanese army headquarters in Tianzhuangtai, killed countless Japanese generals Dazuo, and finally died of martyrdom. Such a meritorious wife and children were insulted by you, what are you in the army? I said you won't live if you're dead. If you don't die, how will the hearts of millions of soldiers be settled? ”

"The general is cautious." Zhou Rongyao had an indifferent attitude: "Although this official is guilty, he is also familiar with the laws and regulations of the Qing Dynasty, and with the amount of money embezzled by this official, he will only be allocated 3,000 miles to the border." ”

Liang Huadian was stunned. He didn't know that there was such a law in the Qing Dynasty. But when he looked at Cen Chunxuan, he saw him nodding. Liang Huadian was unmoved: "Send three thousand miles to the border, then you must be able to live to the border." Now that the Qing Dynasty is not quiet, and there are many bandits in various places, I think you should first ask God to bless him to bless you to live to the frontier. As soon as he finished speaking, a cry of a female dependant came from afar. A group of soldiers escorted Zhou Rongyao's family to come, but some of the resistors smashed down with the butt of a rifle. Men and women are not discriminatory. Zhou Rongyao's mother was also among them, and there were already pieces of blood stuck to her body. He was helped and staggered along. At this time, Liang Huadian's face showed a hideous look and sneered: "Not only are you dead, but none of your family members will survive." ”

Among the female dependents, Zhou Rongyao's most beloved youngest daughter, who was only eight years old, was kicked down by a sergeant on the road because she walked slowly. The grief of calling his father broke Zhou Rongyao's heart. I knew this was the case, but I regretted not being at the beginning. Seeing his family members being beaten by the sergeant like this, Zhou Rongyao was really scared. These Qiu Ba's eyes were full of murderous aura, and he knew that these Qiu Ba really did it.

But seeing Zhou Rongyao said: "In front of the Son of Heaven, you threatened to use lynching, the general's military might-" Zhou Rongyao turned to Guangxu and knelt down: "Corruption of military merits is committed by criminals, and although criminals are scratched by thousands of knives, they are also guilty for a reason." However, how innocent the family is, please ask the emperor to forgive the innocent family members of the guilty ministers-"

"Spare your family, who will be responsible for the sins suffered by the Zhang Cheng family?" Liang Huadian knelt down on one knee and played: "Zhang Cheng has contributed to the country's social service, but his family suffered this misfortune after his death. Please ask the emperor to decree that his whole family should be punished. to comfort the hearts of the army. ”

"Please ask the emperor to punish his whole family to comfort the army." Liang Huadian's personal guards also knelt down.

"Please ask the emperor to punish his whole family." More soldiers also knelt down.

"Please ask the emperor to punish his whole family." All the soldiers fell to their knees, even the royal guards.

"Let's be flat." Guangxu's tone did not have a trace of waves: "I remember it very clearly. At that time, we were besieged by the Japanese army on all sides, and the front line of Tianzhuang Tai could not withstand the repeated attacks of the Japanese army, so we had no choice but to retreat to Da Nianfang Village, the only position still in our hands. At that time, there were less than 3,000 soldiers around me, and I couldn't even find the men who wanted to take the seriously wounded soldiers away. And it was these seriously wounded soldiers who guarded every road of the Japanese attack with explosives in order to cover my evacuation, and used explosions that died with the enemy again and again to cover for me. I can't remember how many explosions there were. All I remember is that the explosion never stopped, but it rang for a whole day. But just like that, they still couldn't withstand the frantic attack of the Japanese army. I didn't even have a defensive line in the village of Da Mill. The Japanese rushed up, and the nearest one was less than thirty meters away. Thirty meters, a charge does not take thirty seconds. The more Guangxu spoke, the more excited he became: "Who of you knows that at that time, my own soldiers had already pointed a gun at the back of my head, and as soon as I fell into the hands of the Japanese, they would shoot me to death." For the emperor must not fall alive into the hands of the enemy. At this moment, Zhang Cheng detonated an explosive package in the Japanese headquarters, which not only killed and injured many senior Japanese officers, but also halted the Japanese attack on the front line. And it was this short pause that gave me the opportunity to set up the defensive line before finally holding out until reinforcements arrived. Do you understand the consequences of if I die in battle at that time, the morale of the front line will be gone, and the kingdom will be without a king. At that time, the Japanese army will drive straight in, and the whole country will be torn apart. Therefore, Zhang Cheng not only saved my life, but also saved the whole country. Tell me how I can repay such kindness. ”

"From the moment a soldier puts on a military uniform, it is the duty of a soldier to defend his family and country, to shed blood on the battlefield and even to shroud his body in horse leather. But the family always has to live, and the children are always being raised. It can't be because the husband, father, and son died fighting for the country, but the family has become short of food and clothing. Therefore, I have paid bonuses, so I have tax-exempted the homes of meritorious soldiers, just to let the soldiers feel at ease. It is not that the soldiers are working the front line, but their families are not as good as pigs and dogs. ”

But it still happened. It's the fault of the court, and it's my fault, and I have to correct my mistakes. Right here, in front of the people of the world, in front of the soldiers of the whole army. There is a law in the Qing Dynasty that does not implicate family members, but I do not think that this law is applicable at all times. If you're just corrupt, I don't have to implicate my family. But you have already implicated the families of the soldiers who died in battle, so what qualifications do you have to ask me not to implicate your family? ”

"The emperor is gracious-" Zhou Rongyao was afraid, he didn't care if he died, but his family had to find a way to protect it, didn't he want to make his family's life better if he was corrupt and bribed?

"So I said, Liang Huadian, you are not a pure soldier, if I encountered this kind of thing, I would have pulled out a gun and sudden, if the evidence was confirmed, I would have pulled out a gun and suddenly gave their family a surprise, where could I give him a chance to beg for mercy." Guangxu's words suddenly became harsh: "Now, pass on my will: double compensation to Zhang Wang's family, and immediately confiscate Zhou Rongyao's family in Hubei's governor's mansion, and all the men in the family will be beheaded regardless of their age, all the women in the family under the age of fifteen and over the age of thirty will be beheaded, and the women between the ages of fifteen and thirty will be immediately demoted to official slaves and become official prostitutes." ”

Facing Zhou Rongyao's family, who were crying and begging for mercy, Guangxu said with murderous anger in his eyes and gritted his teeth: "If you rape other people's wives and daughters, then don't blame others for raping your wives and daughters." Inform the world of this matter, and I want all officials in the world to know that anyone who dares to embezzle military merits will be the end. ”

"Heroes can shed blood, heroes can die. I swore that I would never let the hero shed tears under the Nine Springs. Never—" (To be continued)