Zhizhou Zhu Ming, general sentence Li Daochong, record officer Song Ning, manager soldier Huang Qi, judicial army member Li Yang, and observation envoy Wu Mao, the six people gathered together to discuss the case.

The confession is not only Zeng Xiaosu's, but also the confessions of many officials, as well as the confessions of Han Shun and Zou Sanniang.

Although it was a tired interrogation, it was nothing in ancient times, and the point was that these confessions could correspond to each other.

"How can they tell the story of their murders?" Li Daochong was the first to question.

Zhu Ming said with a smile: "How did you say it, Li Daju doesn't need to ask more." The criminal Zeng Xiaosu forced Feng to rape and bribed a monk, and I have sent someone to arrest the monk and bring him to justice. There are also the bones of Feng, the maid and Han He, who have also sent people to find and excavate. The reason why Li Daju was brought here today is because one of the officials involved in this case is a person who is a point check clerk in Your Excellency's general judgment hall. ”

Li Daochong looked at the confession again, and said angrily: "Since the evidence is conclusive, arrest him." ”

Checking the text officer is a very important clerical position, and it is not good to rashly go to the general judgment hall to arrest people. If Zhu Ming dares to do that, the impact will be worse than the seizure of gold, which is equivalent to completely tearing his face with Li Daochong.

You have to say hello in advance.

Although Li Daochong was very unhappy, there was no need to get involved in the murder case, it was a big deal to promote another one.

Zhu Ming also said: "This case has the approval of the Criminal Division, and once it is retried, it will be of great importance. Therefore, I propose that the governors of the state should try it. The power of review rests with the Administrator's Court, and Mr. Huang serves as the presiding judge. I tried the case with Zhu Jun, Li assisted in the judicial assistance, and Wu Zhi recorded the case. ”

Huang Jue hurriedly proposed: "Since it is a state official who will be tried, Tai Shou should be the chief judge." Although he has the right to review, he does not dare to hold it up. ”

Zhu Ming immediately looked at Wu Mao.

This cowardly honest man has already made up his mind to oppose the traitorous party, but now that Li Daochong is sitting in front of him, he is guilty of hypochondriasis again.

was glared at by Zhu Ming, Wu Mao could only bite the bullet and say: "It should indeed be the Taishou who presides over the trial." ”

Zhu Ming asked Li Yang, who joined the army: "What does Judicial Li think?" ”

Li Yang is purely a small transparent officialdom, he only provides a legal basis for judges when sentencing, and usually has no actual power. Immediately, no one was offended, and replied: "It is a triage, Taishou can be the chief judge, the chief judge can also be the chief judge, and the recorder and the manager can also be used." ”

Song Ning, who joined the army, said: "Taishou has just arrived, and he is not familiar with Jinzhou, so I think Li Daju should preside over the case. ”

Huang Qi immediately replied: "If you follow your own duties, you and I should preside over the trial." If it is an official position, it should be presided over by Taishou. May I ask Song Lushi, what is the basis for the chief judge? ”

Song Ning was speechless, no matter from which point of view, it was not the turn of the general judgment to preside over the case.

Zhu Ming looked at Li Daochong with a smile.

Li Daochong pursed his lips, he understood what Zhu Ming meant.

If the case is concluded quickly, it can only deter those officials. Zhu Ming had to drag it out, called everyone to discuss, and what kind of interrogation was going to be held, which was to take the opportunity to be neutral among the officials.

The right to review the case lies with Huang Jue, and Huang Jue's relinquishment of the presiding trial qualification will inevitably be in the hands of Zhu Ming, and Li Daochong cannot object at all.

"Since the princes have no objections, they will try the case immediately after finding the bones," Zhu Ming said with a smile, "When the time comes, invite all the officials of Zhucao." ”

Li Daochong hurriedly said: "The officials have their own government affairs, so there is no need to delay their time." ”

Zhu Ming waved his hand and said: "Otherwise, in such a major case, all the state officials should be present, look at the faces of these old officials, and be vigilant in the future and no longer be blinded." ”

Zhu Ming intends to stand up in front of all the state officials, so that everyone can honestly watch him judge the case!

Li Daochong said with a smile: "It's just an unjust case, a retrial is enough, there is no need to make a big show." ”

Zhu Ming immediately gave in: "Then send an invitation to the officials, those who are willing to come and watch will come, and those who are not willing to come can not come." ”

It's all said and done, who dares not to come?

If you don't come, you don't give Zhizhou face!

A few days later, several bodies were exhumed, and both the state and county officials went for autopsy, and each produced an autopsy report.

Zhu Ming also sent people to preach inside and outside the city, inviting the people to watch the trial.

"Xianggong, the surname Zhu is not good-hearted. Officials, officials, and ordinary people were all present to see him overturn the unjust case with their own eyes, how high will his prestige be in the future? "After this case, who will remember Xianggong?" Everyone only knows that there is a state, but they don't know that there is a general judgment. ”

Li Dao slapped his thigh angrily: "He occupies all the reasonableness and law, what can I do?" ”

The relatives said: "I have to write a letter to Xiao Cai Xianggong (Cai You), either transfer the surname Zhu out of Jinzhou, or transfer Xianggong out of Jinzhou." This person is too strong, and he is the top boss of Xianggong, and it is difficult to do things in the same place with him. ”

Li Daochong is making money in Jinzhou, not to fight with anyone.

What's more, Zhu Ming is covered by the emperor, and it is impossible to fight at all.

As this personal follower said, either Zhu Ming will be transferred away, or Li Daochong will be transferred, otherwise their corruption plan will be delayed.

Li Daochong thought about it, and there was really no better way, so he wrote to Cai You again. He confessed...... Well, it's not a confession, it's just that he's too lazy to fight with Zhu Ming, and making money quickly is his pursuit.

……

On the day of the trial, due to the effective publicity and the peach-colored scandal, it attracted the attention of a large number of people.

The trial took place in the lobby of the Judicial Academy, and nearly 1,000 people gathered early in the morning, and some people came sporadically from outside the city.

Even the state school was closed for a day, and the professor of the state school brought the scholars to watch the excitement.

Wang Jia, who was responsible for leading people to maintain order, said to the onlookers: "Too obedient, select twenty people, and stand outside the lobby to watch." The rest of the people must stand outside the gate and not step past it. Drawing! ”

Several officials in front of the ya, each holding a wooden box, let the onlookers draw lots.

Of the 500 small pieces of paper, only 20 were written with the word "enter", and the rest were all blank.

The common people didn't expect this to happen, and they rejoiced and drew lots. The state bachelor also frantically squeezed forward, intending to try his luck.

A wealthy businessman grabbed the blank paper and immediately shouted: "Buy a bystander quota for fifty wen, who is willing to sell it!" ”

"I'll buy it too!" Another rich man said.

It's really a special deal that succeeded, and the officials in front of the government didn't bother to care. The more you get to the back, the more expensive the place becomes, and it is fried on the spot for 160 Wen.

It can only be said that Golden State is really poor.

If you want to change it in Yangzhou, it is estimated that you can fry it for 500 Wen.

Of the twenty spectators, the rich accounted for seventeen, most of whom were bought with money.

Dai Chengsi was both a businessman and a lifter, he spent money to buy a quota and followed everyone in. I thought I could only stand outside the lobby, but I saw a handyman move the chairs and put them at the door of the lobby and ask them to sit down.

"I heard that a lot of arrests have been made, but I don't know how many will be killed today."

"The new official Taishou wants to establish his authority when he takes office, maybe more than five will be killed on the spot."

"If you kill five, you will be fined more than 100 yuan."

"Hundreds of dollars, what is it worth for Taishou? Fight to the death to stand your way! ”

“……”

These wealthy businessmen came to hear the trial, not only interested in the case, but also guessing how many Zhu Ming would kill today.

In principle, it is not allowed to bend into a trick, but it is tacitly acquiesced in execution.

Moreover, relevant laws have been specially enacted, and officials who kill prisoners or witnesses during the trial of cases should be punished as manslaughter, and 120 catties of copper will be killed to ransom. According to the usual five catties of copper, if one person is killed by mistake during the trial, a fine of 24 yuan can be exonerated from the crime.

Zhu Ming let his subordinates interrogate him tiredly, which was already very merciful, he could have beaten him to death.

"All the officers are in place!"

The state officials entered the lobby one after another, and even the state school principal was there, filling both sides of the lobby.

Li Daochong was sentenced to sit first on the left.

Wu Mao, the envoy, sat first on the right, and he was responsible for recording the trial process.

The secretary and the manager joined the army, sitting on the left and right of the main seat, respectively, and they were the assistants of the chief judge.

The judicial officer sits alone in the corner, and he has to provide a legal basis for sentencing.

"Taishou Ascension!"

Zhu Ming strode out of the inner hall and sat upright in the main seat.

"Shout!"

"Wei ~~~~ Wu ~~~~"

The yacha was holding a water and fire stick, and the stick kept hitting the ground, tearing out his throat and shouting in unison.

The people who heard the trial, including Dai Chenghe, were instantly shocked by Tang Wei's momentum, and they all sat up straight and waited solemnly.

Zhu Ming slapped the wood and said, "Take the appellant Zeng Xiao to the court!" ”

Zeng Xiaoduan was led to stand under the hall, bowed his hand to Zhu Ming, and was immediately verified by tolerance.

In the Song Dynasty, neither the plaintiff nor the defendant needed to kneel.

The yamen is equipped with two wooden signs, one is called the "word lawsuit card", where cases that are not in a hurry are filed, and the officials receive the complaint and choose a day to hold a trial. The other is called "Qupai", where there is an urgent case or a major grievance, where you file a petition and wait, and the officials will arrange a trial as soon as possible.

The plaintiff and the defendant were "standing in court" rather than kneeling during the trial.

However, there are exceptions, such as the surviving "Song Gaozong's Book of Filial Piety and Ma Hezhi's Picture Album", in which two prisoners are interrogated, one kneeling and the other standing. This is quite puzzling for historians, who do not understand what it is like to be on his knees.

Zhu Ming asked, "Can the complaint be filed?" ”

"The complaint has been received." Huang Jue began to read the complaint, which roughly read: sued his cousin Zeng Xiaosu, forced him to rape his wife and maid, and colluded with Xu officials to falsely accuse his mother.

Zhu Ming said: "Take the prisoner Zeng Xiaosu to the court!" ”

Zeng Xiaosu was dragged up, and the goods were already full of sleep, but his legs were weak with fright, and he collapsed directly under the hall.

In the face of inquiry, Zeng Xiaosu could only tell the truth, and begged: "Feng's death was unintentional and negligent strangulation of her. ”

Zhu Ming said: "Even if you kill the Feng family by negligence, but that queen Cuicui, is it also a negligent death?" Your confession said that you were worried about her accusations, lured her to steal money and elope, and then deceived her into killing and burying her body. Come, present the incriminating evidence! ”

The yacha brought a box, which was the bones of the maid.

Zhu Ming asked, "According to Ling's confession, this corpse was dug up from your backyard. The clothes she was wearing were not completely decomposed, and there were multiple witnesses who identified them as those worn by the Queen Cuicui when she disappeared. The jewelry on the bones of the corpse was also confirmed to be the copper hairpin worn by Wang Cuicui before her death. With witnesses Zou Sanniang, Zeng Kuo, He Lin, and Mrs. Li! ”

The four witnesses went to court, all of whom were acquaintances of the maid before her death.

They identified the bones, clothing, and jewelry, and said that they belonged to the deceased before his death.

Immediately, Zeng Xiaosu's concubines and maids were brought. They were frightened and did not dare to hide anything, saying that that that night, they were ordered not to leave the house, and only heard noises in the courtyard. It seemed that someone was digging in the soil, and he was busy for two or three quarters of an hour.

Then he brought a servant, and the servant confessed that Zeng Xiaosu asked him to find a hoe a day in advance, saying that he wanted to plant flowers and trees himself.

Zeng Xiaosu was completely paralyzed, and then plucked up the courage to beg for mercy: "Falsely accusing my aunt of adultery with her servant Han He, and killing Han He afterwards, this is not my original intention, it was forced by the public to do it!" Although my family has occupied my cousin's property, those properties are worth a thousand yuan. I have two or three thousand dollars of goods for the state and county officials, and those officials are bad people, so I ask for mercy! ”

The seizure of his cousin's property was really not premeditated.

Zeng Xiaosu was extorted too much money by the officials for the sake of peace, and he couldn't get his cousin's property back.

Zhu Ming said: "The matter of the officials, don't be in a hurry for the time being, take the monk to the court!" ”

A middle-aged monk was brought up and told the truth in a panic. He knew that Zeng Xiaosu wanted to force the adulterer, but he provided her with a meditation room, and also helped to control the wind outside, and only collected five copper coins for the benefits.

When the onlookers heard this, they were furious, and the woman's name was so precious that she was betrayed by five copper coins.

Next, bring out a string of officials.

There are two masterminds, seven accomplices, and more than a dozen accomplices involved to varying degrees.

The two masterminds each got more than 600 pieces of goods. The seven accomplices received goods ranging from 30 to 400 yuan. The rest of the accomplices, some even received only a few pieces of money, and were invited to eat a few meals, and they were forced to help the mastermind do things because of their embarrassment and power.

After these guys went to the court, they knew that they could not escape, so they bit each other.

Put all the blame on the two masterminds. Some said they didn't know how to kill, and some said they were persecuted.

The two masterminds were furious and began to confess other cases, as if to pull everyone on the road. Even the yacha who was holding a water and fire stick in the hall was pointed out that he had committed a murder, and he was so frightened that the yacha knelt down on the spot and quibbled.

Zhu Ming frowned and said: "These are all recorded, and they will not be tried for the time being, only the case will be tried." ”

The trial lasted until noon, everyone was hungry, and Zhu Ming had no intention of adjourning the trial.

Several officials in Xicheng County, as well as Zeng Xiaosu's father and brother, were all brought in to try their forgery of deeds and occupation of family property.

In addition to human witnesses, Zhu Ming presented a large amount of physical evidence.

Even the forged deed was identified by the scribes - this thing was not burned, and it has been preserved as a serious deed to this day.

After the trial was completed, the judicial army was in full swing, holding a copy of "Song Criminal Unity" and reading it repeatedly. Finally, he gives the opinions of all the people involved in the judgment, and attaches the legal provisions of these judgments.

Zhu Ming announced in court: "The prisoner Zeng Xiaosu forced adultery and negligently killed his brother and daughter-in-law, raped and booby-trapped other people's concubines, instigated the servant Han He to falsely accuse his aunt, colluded with officials to kill Han He, colluded with his father and brother to forge official deeds, and forcibly seized his cousin's property. If you commit ten evil sins, your sins will not be forgivable, and you will not be atoned for according to the law. He was sentenced to beheading for several crimes, and was handed over to the Sentencing Division for beheading! ”

"Good!"

The 20 spectators outside the hall immediately burst into applause.

Although I didn't see the scene of killing people on the spot, today's trial was particularly exciting. The human and physical evidence is very complete, and all kinds of testimony can be matched, and there is no place to question it.

Moreover, Zeng Xiaoduan is also considered a wealthy man, and his experience makes the auditors feel very immersed.

These wealthy people who came to observe the hearing had more or less the experience of being blackmailed by the officials. The death sentence of Zeng Xiaosu is already very happy, and then waiting for the punishment of the officials.

Soon, Zeng Xiaosu's father and brother were also punished accordingly.

Bribing officials to cover up crimes, and taking property from other people's homes are nothing. The real felony is that they forged land deeds and house deeds, which is called "forging official documents and seals". and punished each of them with a hundred and fifty rods, and exiled him for two thousand five hundred li.

Zeng Xiaoduan's seized family property was ordered to be returned.

As for the officials, two masterminds were sentenced to beheading, and seven accomplices were sentenced to hanging. The remaining accomplices were sentenced to prison terms ranging from two years to 1,000 miles of exile.

There is also that Zou Sanniang, who broke the adultery but did not report it, and did not tell the facts in the face of the murder case tried by the government. According to the law, the adulterer should be guilty of the same crime, and he would be imprisoned for a year and a half. Remembering that he was persecuted, and that he still had a young son to raise, he would be spared from prison, and that he would compensate the sufferer with some money (the two sides discussed it privately).

That monk assisted Zeng Xiaosu in forcing rape of women, and also accepted benefits, provided a place for her, and guarded the door for her. Punished as an accomplice and sentenced to death by hanging!

Zeng Xiaoduan's mother was falsely accused of being unjustly killed, and notices were posted in the five counties of Jinzhou to clear the charges, and Zeng Xiaoduan's qualification for the imperial examination was restored.

"Quit!" Zhu Ming said, "All the results of the judgment will be read out to the people." ”

Zeng Xiaoduan was already in tears, knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying: "There is no way to repay the great kindness of Taishou, and I will never dare to forget it in this life and the next life!" ”

Zhu Ming said: "Come on, you are also a scholar, and you will study and be a man in the future." ”

Zeng Xiaoduan knocked his head a few times, knocking his forehead into a bloody blur.

The scribe took the verdict and ran out into the street to read it on the spot.

Every time I read it, I was applauded.

The wealthy people who had been listening to the whole process also left briskly, and when they returned home, they had to tell their relatives and friends.

Today's events are enough for a whole year of conversation.

Zhu Ming strode out of the lobby and came to the street with his entourage.

The common people gave way one after another, enthusiastically saw off Taishou and left, and some people shouted Lord Qingtian.

"I want to sue!" Suddenly, a people shouted.

"I'm going to sue too!"

Zhu Ming smiled and said to Liu Shiren: "The person who complained, you help them write the complaint." ”

There were many officials, and their faces changed drastically.

Some people have already hurried home to get money, as long as they don't commit murder, they can use money to settle privately, and they must not go to Zhizhou!

In this shabby place in Jinzhou, I have been the governor of the state school for several years, and when I saw that hundreds of people respected and trusted Zhizhou, I couldn't help but sigh: "For the official like this, I am really a model for my generation!" ”

After the retrial of an unjust case, Zhu Ming's prestige was established.

The officials were shocked, the officials were subdued, and the people loved and trusted.

The vacated position of the official, except for the general judge's subordinates, the rest of Zhu Ming can be stuffed. Next, a few more cases will be tried, and all the important officials will be replaced by their own people.

Then you can stop it, hundreds of state-level officials, as well as many Xicheng County officials, it is impossible to change them all, after all, you still have to rely on these people to do things.

Of course, it cannot be condoned.

You have to set some rules, and if you honestly follow the rules, except for major cases, you can not be blamed for past crimes. If you don't follow the rules, you will settle the new accounts and old accounts together!

(End of chapter)