Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Taking the person back to Pingli County, Li Bao interrogated him directly at the inn.

The confessions and testimonies obtained in this way have no legal effect, but they can be given to judicial officials for reference.

Li Bao's trial was purely to quietly arrest key figures.

The family of four was paralyzed with fear and asked questions.

Han Shun said: "I was five years old when I escaped from famine. Apart from my own name and my brother's name, I don't remember anything else. I can't even remember my parents' names. I was sold to the Mo family, a fur merchant, saying It was a ten-year contract, and he wouldn’t let me go for more than thirty years. I also begged for a wife, but she couldn’t give birth to a child, and mother and son died together in childbirth.”

Li Bao quickly recorded the confession. Apart from Zeng Xiaoduan, he was the most educated person in the room.

Han Shun continued: "Since then, I have felt that life is meaningless. I go out to drink every day after work. I have spent a lot of money and delayed business. I was beaten and scolded by my boss and punished to do the lowest labor. One day Back when I heard someone calling Han He, I remembered my lost brother. I looked for an opportunity to tell a story, and my brother still remembered me, saying that he was sold to the Zeng family in the eastern suburbs..."

Zeng Xiaoduan was eager to know the inside story and interrupted: "Tell me how you escaped with your sister-in-law and nephew!"

Han Shun quickly said: "One day after I got off work, my brother suddenly came to the store and took me to a dark place to talk. He didn't explain what was going on, so he stuffed me with a silver collar and a few strings of copper coins and asked me to take my sister-in-law and nephew with me. Run away. I asked him what kind of trouble he was in, but he refused to tell me. Later I asked my sister-in-law, but she also refused to tell me."

Zeng Xiaoduan looked at the woman: "I still remember, your name is Zou Sanniang, right?"

The woman knelt on the ground and huddled up: "Mr. Lang remembers correctly."

Zeng Xiaoduan asked: "What do you know?"

The woman hesitated and said: "Madam... Madam and Zeng Erlang have... that matter."

"Nonsense and spewing blood!" Zeng Xiaoduan was furious.

"Lady" is his wife, and "Zeng Erlang" is his cousin.

Zou Sanniang was so frightened that she trembled: "I don't dare to say nonsense. That year, my husband went to the city to take the exam and passed the exam. When he took the exam, my wife was at home... I bumped into her, and Zeng Erlang even beat me. Also If I dare to speak nonsense, my son will be killed. I was frightened and did not dare to tell others."

Zeng Xiaoduan originally intended to avenge his mother and wife, but just after he asked for some clues, he learned that his wife had committed adultery with his cousin.

He was angry and angry, his whole body was shaking slightly, and he had lost the ability to organize language.

Li Bao could only interrogate him personally: "How did Zeng Xiaoduan's wife die?"

Zou Sanniang shook her head: "I don't know."

Li Bao asked again: "Did you receive money to falsely accuse your missing husband?"

Zou Sanniang said: "When the case reached the state court, Zeng Erlang suddenly came to me and asked the head of my family to surrender to the government, lying about having an affair with the mistress of the family. If you listen to him, you can get a lot of money and spend one year in jail. Come out. If you don't listen to him, my son will be killed. Zeng Erlang has friends with rogues, his family is rich, and he is a tyrant in the village. We are all frightened by him."

"What else do you know?" Li Bao asked.

Zou Sanniang shook her head.

No matter how much he asked, he couldn't find anything, so Li Bao led everyone back to Jinzhou City quietly.

…

These days, dozens of letters arrive at the public opinion box.

"What do you think?" Zhu Ming asked.

Liu Shiren said: "I didn't even have a letter before, but suddenly there are more than ten letters every day, and they are all anonymous letters sneaked in at night. I feel that someone may have done this deliberately."

Ju Ming ordered: "Put away all the anonymous letters, mark the date of receipt, and ignore anything else."

Liu Shiren said: "Wang Jia has recruited many strong men, twenty-six in total. I have tested them, and I am afraid some of them are not good people."

"At this time, it's good if you can use it," Zhu Ming said. "Ask Wu Mao to send an official document to the deputy envoy of Tuanlian, asking him to recruit rural soldiers to suppress the bandits. The twenty-six people recommended by Wang Jia went to the deputy envoy of Tuanlian. Bian was drafted into the army."

Liu Shiren is a personal secretary and cannot actually participate in any official duties. Currently, he is purely serving as Ju Ming's personal attendant.

Wu Maocai is the official secretary, and he needs to issue formal orders.

There were not many archers in the prefecture and the county who could use them. Zhu Ming simply ordered the deputy envoy of Tuanlian to recruit rural soldiers in the name of suppressing bandits. These twenty-six people became rural soldiers and followed Qian Chen on tours of various counties, claiming to the outside world that they were going to investigate information about bandits.

Everything was in compliance with laws and regulations, and Ju Ming did not mess around.

"Ms. Yang Pu is back."

"Let him in."

Yang Pu handed over the confession and said, "Brother Li San and the others are still outside the city, guarding the family of four."

After Zhu Ming read the confession, he called Zhang Bor and said, "Give this to the manager, Huang Gui, who joins the army. After you catch the person, don't beat him randomly. Just fatigue interrogation."

"What kind of fatigue interrogation?" Zhang Bor asked.

Ju Ming said: "Ask the same questions over and over again, and mix them up. After a quarter of an hour, they will be repeated again abruptly. The interrogation will not stop, and the person under interrogation will not be allowed to sleep. It can be splashed to wake him up, or acupuncture. , stay with him for two or three days."

Zhang Bor thought this method was novel and said, "Yes!"

Zhu Ming added: "If the state court comes to pick up people, don't let anyone go. You must not let anyone be picked up by the state court."

"Yes!" Zhang Bor accepted the order.

Zhu Ming then said to Yang Pu: "Contact Wang Jia and others and ask them to summon trustworthy officials to go to the Si Liyuan to listen to Huang Gui's orders. The arrests and interrogations cannot be interfered with by officials from the Si Liyuan." "

The two left Huangtang and went to do their own business.

Huang Gui carefully read the confession and then looked through the files from that year.

The officials responsible for investigating the case have been transferred long ago, and even one of the senior officials who handled the case died of illness.

Huang Gui had no right to interrogate the officials at the prefectural court, but the officials on his own side could. He did not arrest the person immediately, but said: "Call the capital detention officer Zhou Hui."

Zhou Hui soon came to meet him: "What are your instructions, manager?"

Huang Gui said with a look of helplessness: "The prefect ordered a retrial of the adultery and murder case six years ago. How can a solid case that has been completed long ago be reversed? You handled this case back then, do you have any suggestions?"

Zhou Hui said: "What suggestions do you have? The trial was completed that year."

"Call all the officials who know about the case. Maybe we can get some clues." Huang Gui sighed. "It's really a troublesome matter. The prefect made it difficult for others."

Zhou Hui had no doubt that he was there and called in more than a dozen officials who had been involved in the case.

Huang Gui said: "I want to ask you about the case, and I hope you will cooperate."

"We will tell you everything we know!" the officials said.

Huang Gui added: "There may be some cross talk, so we have to ask separately. You guys can spare a dozen rooms and choose one to go in."

These guys didn't take it seriously. They were talking and laughing all the way and went to choose a room by themselves.

After everyone went in, Wang Jia, Guo Wenzhong and more than thirty people suddenly broke into the room separately. Moreover, Zhang Boring and Bai Sheng also appeared and locked the door from the outside.

"What is this?" Zhou Hui was shocked.

Guo Wenzhong was responsible for interrogating Zhou Hui, while the other person was resting in the room, and they took turns.

Guo Wenzhong smiled and said: "Don't panic, Zhou Du, just ask a few questions."

Zhou Hui said angrily: "I recognize you. How can you, a deputy criminal case officer, be qualified to interrogate someone as dignified as me?"

Guo Wenzhong bowed his hands in the direction of the government office: "The prefect noticed that there was a serious injustice. All the officials who handled the case at that time were suspected of engaging in malpractice for personal gain and frame-up. I was temporarily transferred by the prefect and the manager. If I am innocent, , I will let you out!"

Zhou Hui sneered: "Ask, let's see what you can get out of it. If you dare to give in... Humph!"

"If you surrender and you are beaten, you will be put in jail. Why is there no need to interrogate you in the Court of Justice?" Guo Wenzhong said.

Zhou Hui was even more confident. Since it was a normal interrogation, he would be beaten to death if he did not tell the truth.

The twenty-six warriors recommended by Wang Jia had not yet formally applied to be rural soldiers, but it was too late to go through the formalities, so they were all summoned to work.

Li Bao took several people to the suburbs to arrest Zeng Xiaoduan's cousin and his family.

Qian Chen took the remaining men and went straight to the Xicheng County Government Office.

Zheng Hong's fatness is called short and stocky, and he doesn't delay action very much.

Qian Chen was really fat. He was so fat that he started panting after walking a few dozen meters. He will also visit various counties on behalf of Ju Ming. It is estimated that after walking around, he will see the weight loss effect.

"Why don't you bring people to my office?" Xicheng County Magistrate Gao Chuanshi didn't look good.

He was a serious Jinshi county magistrate, while Qian Chen was just a casual official who donated food. Gao Chuanshi felt like he was losing his status even if he said a few words to Qian Chen.

Qian Chen took out the document issued by the Prefectural Government Office and the Executive Yuan: "The prefect has discovered a major unjust case. All officials who have participated in the case will be temporarily detained and not allowed to move around."

Gao Chuanshi was furious: "Even if there is an unjust case, even if the county officials commit fraud, it should be tried by the county itself!"

Qian Chen smiled and said: "Of course Magistrate Gao will interrogate him personally. I am just assisting."

"Help you bring so many people here?" Gao Chuanshi pointed at the rural soldiers who had not yet completed the formalities.

Qian Chen explained: "The county officials are working together and may protect each other. The prefect is also afraid that something will go wrong, so he asked me to bring someone to help."

The logic makes sense, Gao Chuanshi has nothing to say, and holds a lot of resentment in his heart.

It didn't take three days at all. After only two days and one night, Zeng Xiaoduan's cousin Zeng Xiaosu couldn't bear it anymore.

This guy spent the whole night in the brothel, sleeping until mid-morning, when he was in a daze and was taken away.

"Let me sleep for a while..." Zeng Xiaosu drooped her face, looking like she was about to fall down at any time.

Liang Ping was fast asleep beside him.

At this time, it was Li Bao's turn to interrogate. Li Bao slammed the table: "Sit up straight, don't bend down!"

Zeng Xiaosu straightened her back, then bent down again two seconds later.

Li Bao picked up a sewing needle, pointed it at his thigh and stabbed it hard, causing Zeng Xiaosu to wake up instantly from the pain.

Then keep going.

In addition to sewing needles, he would occasionally use an oil lamp to burn his fingers for a few seconds.

After interrogating for a while, Li Bao went to bed and Liang Ping continued.

As he fell asleep, Li Bao was woken up by Liang Ping: "Brother Li San, this guy is starting to tell the truth."

Li Bao suddenly stood up and interrogated him personally: "Did you commit adultery with your cousin's wife, Mrs. Feng?"

"Okay." Zeng Xiaosu was already confused. At this moment, he just wanted to finish answering and go to bed.

Li Bao asked again: "Do you know how Feng died?"

Zeng Xiaosu was startled, suddenly sober, and quickly denied: "I don't know."

"If you still dare to be harsh, then keep going!" Li Bao said angrily.

After another half an hour, Zeng Xiaosu suddenly fell down and fell asleep on the spot.

Liang Ping lifted the bucket and poured out cold water.

Li Bao grabbed his left hand and inserted two needles in succession.

The guy finally woke up leisurely, and the fatigue interrogation continued.

After a few minutes, Li Bao asked, "How did Mrs. Feng die?"

Zeng Xiaosu said: "I accidentally strangled him to death."

Li Bao asked: "Why are we arguing?"

Zeng Xiaosu said: "She has never been pregnant and did not want to commit adultery. I was very angry and started arguing with her. Later, she started to scratch her first, and I was so angry that I strangled her neck. Somehow, I accidentally strangled her to death..."

After half an hour, the facts of the case were basically clear.

Zeng Xiaoduan and his wife have been married for several years, but they have never been pregnant. The relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is not harmonious, and the mother-in-law does say that she will divorce her and remarry. But they were more angry words than actions.

His wife, Feng, was under great psychological pressure and went to the temple to pray for a child.

Zeng Xiaoduan's cousin Zeng Xiaosu had long been covetous of Feng's beauty. He first seduced Feng's personal maid, and relied on sexual pleasure and money offensive to turn the maid into his internal agent.

Worshiping Buddha and asking for a son was also encouraged by the maid.

On that day, Zeng Xiaosu bribed a monk and asked a maid to trick Feng into coming there, and then raped Feng in the monastery.

Feng was so ashamed and angry that she wanted to commit suicide, but Zeng Xiaosu and her maid tried to dissuade her from brainwashing her. She said her reputation would be in jeopardy even if she died, and her mother-in-law complained that she couldn't get pregnant, so she might as well just have some fun a few times, and maybe she could get pregnant. As long as she is pregnant, Zeng Xiaosu will no longer be entangled, and Feng can still interact with her mother-in-law and husband.

Inexplicably, Feng had an affair with Zeng Xiaosu.

It is estimated that Feng herself suffers from infertility, and she has been having sex for more than half a year, but she still hasn't gotten pregnant yet. The more she thought about it, the more she blamed herself and felt sorry for her husband, so she wanted to cut off contact with Zeng Xiaosu.

The trigger was that the maid was pregnant, and it was unclear whether it was Zeng Xiaoduan or Zeng Xiaosu - because his wife had not been pregnant for a long time, Zeng Xiaoduan took the maid in, hoping to give birth to a son and a half.

I don’t know if it was out of jealousy or guilt, but Feng didn’t want to continue.

Zeng Xiaosu accidentally strangled Feng to death, and then she and her maid made it look like they committed suicide, just to get rid of the murder case.

Unexpectedly, he appealed to the state court and it was found out that he was strangled to death and then hanged.

Everyone in the Zeng family was interrogated repeatedly, and some servants were forced to confess.

The maid was pregnant and was not beaten, but the more she thought about it, the more frightened she became, so she went to discuss it with Zeng Xiaosu, saying that she could be given a lighter sentence if she surrendered.

Zeng Xiaosu was afraid that the maid would surrender, so he said that he would take the maid away and fly away. He first asked his maid to steal Feng's jewelry, trick her into his own home, kill her, and bury her in his backyard. The maid disappeared, the mistress's jewelry was stolen, and the government concluded that the servant had stolen the money and escaped.

Two murder cases happened in a row, and Zeng Xiaosu was haunted all day long.

The official responsible for investigating the case saw that something was wrong with Zeng Xiaosu, so he secretly came to blackmail him.

Zeng Xiaosu gave a lot of money, and simply gave some more, forcing his servant Han He to surrender, and falsely accused Zeng Xiaoduan's mother of committing adultery and murdering her daughter-in-law.

Zeng Xiaosu spent more than 2,000 yuan to bribe those officials. The family didn't have enough cash, and they even mortgaged their shops and properties. His parents also knew about it, but because of the murder, they could only spend money on their son to ward off the disaster.

The more I thought about it, the more heartbroken I became, so I bribed the county officials and forged deeds to seize Zeng Xiaoduan's family property.

Except for the former Xicheng County Chief Registrar who helped occupy the family property, there were really no officials involved. It was all the subordinate staff who were doing the trick in secret.

Servant Han He was killed right after he was released from prison!

Before and after, three lives.

Counting the child in the maid's belly and Han's mother who was sentenced to hanging, a total of five people died unjustly.