Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Six people including Governor Zhu Ming, General Judge Li Daochong, Recorder Song Ning, Manager Huang Gui, Judicial Officer Li Yang, and Observation Envoy Wu Mao gathered together to discuss the case.

There were not only confessions from Zeng Xiaosu, but also confessions from many officials, as well as those from Han Shun and Zou Sanniang.

Although it came from fatigue interrogation, this was nothing in ancient times. The key point was that these confessions could correspond to each other.

"They committed a murder, how could they tell it so easily?" Li Daochong first questioned.

Ju Ming said with a smile: "How did you tell it, Li Dachuan doesn't need to ask more. The criminal Zeng Xiaosu forced Feng to rape and bribed a monk. I have sent people to arrest the monk and bring him to justice. There are also the bones of Feng, the maid and Han He. We have also sent people to search for and excavate. The reason why I called Li Dajian today is because one of the officials involved in the case is working as an inspection clerk in your office."

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

Inspecting the literary officer is a very important civil servant position, and it is not advisable to go to the General Prosecution Office to arrest people rashly. If Ju Ming dared to do that, the impact would be worse than seizing the gold, and it would be equivalent to completely breaking up 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. At worst, he would be promoted to another one.

Zhu Ming added: "This case has been approved by the Criminal Division. Once it is retried, it will be very important. Therefore, I propose that the chief officials in the state review it together. The power of review lies with the Judicial Court, and Mr. Huang serves as the presiding officer. I and all the officials Jun will assess the case, Li will provide judicial assistance, and Wu will record the case."

Huang Gui quickly suggested: "Since it is a joint trial of state officials, the prefect should be the chief judge. Although I have the power of review, I dare not entrust it to others."

Ju Ming immediately looked at Wu Mao.

This coward and honest man had already made up his mind to fight against the traitors, but now that Li Daochong was sitting in front of him, he was suffering from rickets again.

After being glared at by Ju Ming, Wu Mao could only bite the bullet and said: "It is indeed the prefect who should preside over the trial."

Ju Ming then asked Li Yang, a member of the Judiciary Army: "What do Li Judi think?"

Li Yang is purely a transparent official. He only provides legal basis for the judge when sentencing, and does not have any actual power in ordinary times. Immediately, no one was offended, and he replied: "Since it is a joint trial, the prefect can preside over the trial, the general judge can preside over the trial, and the recorder and manager can also do it."

Song Ning, who joined the army as a recorder, said: "The prefect has just arrived and is not familiar with Jinzhou. I think Li Dazheng should be the one to preside over the case."

Huang Gui immediately retorted: "If it is based on their own duties, you and I should preside over the trial. If it is based on official duties, the prefect should preside over the trial. What is the basis for the chief judge to preside over the case of Song Lu?"

Song Ning was speechless. No matter from any angle, it was not Tong Jing's turn to preside over the case.

Ju Ming looked at Li Daochong with a smile.

Li Daochong curled his lips, he understood what Ju Ming meant.

If the case is quickly concluded, it will only deter those subordinate officials. However, Zhu Ming insisted on delaying it and called everyone to discuss whether there would be any trial. This was an opportunity to assert his authority among the officials.

The right to review the case rests with Huang Gui. If Huang Gui gives up the qualification to be the chief judge, it will inevitably go to Ju Ming. Li Daochong cannot object at all.

"Since you have no objections, we will review the case immediately after finding the bones," Zhu Ming said with a smile, "At that time, we will invite all the Cao officials."

Li Daochong said quickly: "Every official has his or her own political affairs, so there is no need to waste their time."

Ju Ming waved his hand and said: "Otherwise, for such a major case, all state officials should be present to see the faces of these old officials, so that they can be alert in the future and no longer be deceived."

Ju Ming plans to establish his power in front of all the state officials and let everyone watch him judge the case!

Li Daochong smiled and said: "It's just an unjust case. Just retry it. There is no need to make a big show."

Ju Ming immediately gave in: "Then I will send an invitation to all the officials. Those who are willing to come and watch can come. Those who don't want to come don't have to come."

Now that we have talked about this, who the hell dares not to come?

If you don’t come, you won’t give Zhizhou face!

A few days later, several corpses were exhumed. Officials at both the state and county levels went to perform autopsies and each produced an autopsy report.

Ju Ming also sent people to publicize inside and outside the city, inviting people to come and watch the trial.

"Xiangong, the man named Zhu has no good intentions. Officials, subordinates, and common people are all present to see with their own eyes that he has overturned the unjust case. How high will his prestige be in the future?" The attendant said, "After this case, who still remembers Xianggong? Everyone only knows that there is Zhizhou, but they don’t know that there is Tongjian.”

Li Daochong was so angry that he slapped his thigh: "He takes all the legal and moral principles, so what can I do?"

The personal attendant said: "We have to write to Mr. Cai (Cai You), either to transfer the person named Zhu out of Jinzhou, or to transfer Mr. Xian away from Jinzhou. This person is too powerful, and he is Mr. Xian's immediate boss. It’s hard to do things with him in the same place.”

Li Daochong was in Jinzhou to make money, not to fight against anyone.

What's more, since Ju Ming is protected by the emperor, it is impossible to defeat him.

Just as this person said, either Zhu Ming or Li Daochong should be transferred, otherwise their corruption plan would be delayed.

Li Daochong thought about it and found no better way, so he wrote to Cai You again. He gave in... well, he didn't give in. He just didn't want to fight with Ju Ming. Making money quickly was his pursuit.

…

On the day when the case was tried, due to the effective publicity and the scandal, it attracted a large number of people's attention.

The trial took place in the lobby of the Court of Justice. Nearly a thousand people gathered there early in the morning, and some people even came from outside the city.

Even the state school was suspended for one day, and the state school professors came with their scholars to watch the fun.

Wang Jia was responsible for leading people to maintain order. He said to the onlookers: "The prefect has an order to select twenty people to stand outside the lobby and watch. The rest must stand outside the gate and cannot step beyond the gate. Draw lots!"

Several government officials, each holding a wooden box, asked the onlookers to draw lots.

There are a total of five hundred small pieces of paper, only twenty of which have the word "jin" written on them, and the rest are all blank.

The common people did not expect such a thing, and they happily drew lots. Scholar Zhou also pushed forward crazily, intending to try his luck.

A wealthy businessman grabbed the blank paper and immediately shouted: "For fifty cents, I can buy a spectator spot. Whoever wants to sell it will tell me!"

"I want to buy it too!" said another rich man.

The transaction was so damn successful that the government officials didn't bother to care. The seats become more expensive as you go to the back, and the price was 160 yuan per ticket on the spot.

All I can say is that Jinzhou is really poor.

If I were in Yangzhou, I would probably get 500 Wen.

Seventeen of the twenty spectators were from wealthy households, most of whom were bought with money.

Dai Chengsi was both a businessman and a civil servant. He spent money to buy a place and went in with everyone. I thought I could only stand outside the lobby, but I saw a handyman bringing chairs and placing them at the door of the lobby for them to sit down.

"I heard that many were arrested. I don't know how many will be killed today."

"The new governor wants to establish his authority upon taking office. Maybe more than five of them will be killed on the spot."

"If five of them are killed, they will be fined more than 100 guan."

"What's a hundred dollars worth to a prefect? ​​Only by killing him a lot can he establish his authority!"

"..."

These wealthy businessmen came to hear the trial. They were not only interested in the case, but also guessed how many Ju Ming would kill today.

Submission is not allowed in principle, but it is tacitly accepted in execution.

Moreover, relevant laws have been specially formulated. If an official kills a prisoner or witness during a case investigation, he shall be punished as manslaughter. If he kills a prisoner or a witness, he will be punished with 120 kilograms of copper. Calculated on the basis of five jins of copper per guan, if you accidentally kill a person during the trial, you can be exempted from the crime by being fined 24 guan.

Ju Ming was very merciful by letting his subordinates fatigue for interrogation. He could have beaten him to death.

"Officials are in place!"

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

Li Daochong, the general judge, sits first on the left.

Wu Mao, the envoy, sits first on the right. He is responsible for recording the trial process.

The recorder and manager were sitting on the left and right of the main seat respectively. They were regarded as assistants to the chief judge.

The judicial officer sat alone in the corner, and he had to provide the legal basis for sentencing.

"The prefect ascends to the throne!"

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

"Shout Tangwei!"

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

The Yamen were holding water and fire sticks, hitting the ground with the sticks, and shouting at the top of their lungs.

The people who were listening to the trial, including Dai Chengsi, were instantly shocked by Tang Wei's aura, and they all sat up straight and waited solemnly.

Ju Ming slapped Xingmu fiercely and said: "Bring the appellant Zeng Xiaoduan to the court!"

Zeng Xiaoduan was led to the hall to stand, bowed his hands to Ju Ming, and was immediately verified by the official.

During court trials in the Song Dynasty, neither the plaintiff nor the defendant needed to kneel.

There are two wooden boards in the Yamen, one is called "Ci Li Board". Cases that are not urgent can be lodged here. Officials will set a date for hearing after receiving the complaint. The other section is called "Qu Pai". If there are urgent cases or serious grievances, you can submit your complaint here and wait. Officials will arrange a trial as soon as possible.

During the court session, both the plaintiff and the defendant "stand in front of the court" instead of kneeling throughout the whole process.

But there are exceptions. The extant "Ma Hezhi Illustration Book of Song Gaozong's Book of Filial Piety" shows two prisoners being interrogated, one kneeling and the other standing. This is quite puzzling to historical researchers, who cannot figure out what the situation of the kneeling man was.

Ju Ming asked: "Where is the complaint?"

"The complaint has been received." Huang Gui began to read the complaint. The general content was: suing his cousin Zeng Xiaosu for forcing his wife and maid to rape, and colluding with subordinates to falsely accuse his mother.

Ju Ming said: "Bring the prisoner Zeng Xiaosu to court!"

Zeng Xiaosu was dragged up. This guy was already full of sleep, but his legs were weak from fear and he collapsed directly in the hall.

Facing the inquiry, Zeng Xiaosu could only tell the truth and begged: "Feng's death was unintentional and I strangled her to death due to negligence."

Ju Ming said: "Even if you killed Feng through negligence, could it be that the maid Cuicui also died through negligence? Your confession said that you were worried about her being reported, so you lured her to steal property and elope, and then tricked her into coming to your house to kill and bury her body. Come on. People, present your evidence of guilt!”

The official brought a box, which was the body of the maid.

Ju Ming asked: "According to your confession, this corpse was dug out from the backyard of your house. The clothes it was wearing were not completely rotten. Several witnesses identified it as what Queen Cuicui was wearing when she disappeared. The bones of the corpse were The jewelry was also confirmed to be the copper hairpin Wang Cuicui wore during her lifetime. Bring witnesses Zou Sanniang, Zeng Kuo, He Lin, and Da Po Li!"

Four witnesses came to court, all of whom were acquaintances of the maid during her lifetime.

The clothes and jewelry they used to identify the bones were said to have been owned by the deceased during his lifetime.

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

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

Zeng Xiaosu was completely paralyzed, and then he mustered up the courage to beg for mercy: "I falsely accused my aunt of adultery with my servant Han He, and then killed Han He to silence him. This was not my intention, it was forced me to do it! Although my family occupied the hall My brother’s family property is worth a thousand guan in total. The property I gave to the subordinate officials in the prefecture and county is two to three thousand guan. Those subordinate officials are the bad guys. I beg the prefect to have mercy!"

Taking over the cousin's property was really not planned.

Zeng Xiaosu was extorted too much money from his subordinates in order to make peace with his affairs. He even took over his cousin's property and was unable to get back his money.

Zhu Ming said: "Don't worry about the subordinates' affairs for the time being. Let's bring the monk to the hall!"

A middle-aged monk was brought up and told the truth in a panic. He knew clearly that Zeng Xiaosu wanted to force the woman to commit adultery, but he provided her with a monastery room and helped guard the situation outside. He only received a favor fee of five copper coins.

The onlookers were furious when they heard this. A woman's reputation is so precious, but it was betrayed by five copper coins.

Next, bring out a group of subordinate staff.

There were two masterminds, seven accomplices, and more than a dozen accomplices with varying degrees of participation.

The two masterminds each received more than 600 pieces of property. The seven accomplices received goods ranging from 30 to 400 guan. Some of the remaining accomplices only received a few coins and were treated to a few drinks. They helped the mastermind out of favor and power.

After these guys went to court, they knew it was difficult to escape, so they bit each other.

Put all the blame on the two masterminds. Some said they did not know how to kill, and some said they were forced to do so.

The two masterminds were so angry that they began to tell other cases, seeming to drag everyone along with them. Even the yamen in the hall, who was holding a water and fire stick, was pointed out that he had committed a murder, and the yamen was so frightened that he knelt down and quibbled on the spot.

Ju Ming frowned and said: "These are all recorded. We will not try the case today for the time being. We will only try the relevant matters related to this case."

The trial lasted until noon. Everyone was hungry, and Ju Ming had no plans to adjourn the court.

Several subordinate officials from Xicheng County, as well as Zeng Xiaosu's father and brother, were all brought in to interrogate them for forging deeds and seizing family property.

In addition to witness evidence, Ju Ming presented a large amount of physical evidence.

Even the forged deed was left to the clerk to identify - this thing was not burned and has been kept as a legitimate deed to this day.

After the trial, the judicial officer was very busy, holding a copy of "Song Xingtong" and reading it over and over again. Finally, he gives the judgment opinions of all those involved in the case, and attaches the legal provisions of these judgments.

Zhu Ming announced in court: "The prisoner Zeng Xiaosu forced to rape and negligently killed his sister-in-law, raped and trapped other people's concubines, instigated the servant Han He to falsely accuse his aunt, colluded with subordinates to kill Han He and silenced him, colluded with his father and brother to forge official deeds, and raped Cousin's family property. He committed one of the ten evil crimes, which is unforgivable and cannot be redeemed with copper according to the law. He is punished for several crimes and sentenced to death by beheading. He will be handed over to the Minister of Punishment, Qiu Hou, for questioning!"

"good!"

The twenty spectators outside the hall who were listening to the trial suddenly burst into applause.

Although I didn't see anyone being beaten to death on the spot, today's trial was particularly exciting. The witnesses and physical evidence are very complete, all the testimonies match up, and there is nothing that can be questioned.

Moreover, Zeng Xiaoduan was also considered a wealthy man, and his experiences gave the audience a sense of empathy.

These wealthy households who came to listen have more or less experienced being extorted by subordinate officials. Sentencing Zeng Xiaosu to death was already very satisfying, and now we are waiting for the punishment of the subordinate officials.

Soon, Zeng Xiaosu's father and brother also received corresponding punishments.

Bribing officials to cover up crimes and seizing other people's property are nothing. The real felony is that they forged land deeds and house deeds. This is called "the crime of forging official documents and seals." Several crimes were punished together, each was punished with a rod of one hundred and fifty and exiled for two thousand five hundred miles.

Zeng Xiaoduan was ordered to return all his property that had been appropriated.

As for the subordinate officials, the two ringleaders were sentenced to beheading and the seven accomplices were sentenced to hanging. The remaining accomplices were sentenced to imprisonment ranging from two years to a thousand miles of exile.

There is also Zou Sanniang, who discovered the adultery but did not report it. When the government tried the murder case, she did not tell the truth. According to the law, he should be guilty of the same crime as an adulterer and need to go to jail for one and a half years. Thinking that he was being persecuted and had a young son to raise, he could avoid jail and compensate the victim some money (the two parties would discuss this privately).

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

Zeng Xiaoduan's mother was falsely accused and unjustly killed. Notices were posted in all five counties of Jinzhou to clear her name and reinstate Zeng Xiaoduan's qualifications for the imperial examination.

"Retreat!" Ju Ming said, "All the penalty results will be read out to the people."

Zeng Xiaoduan had tears streaming down his face. He knelt down and kowtowed and said, "I can't repay the great kindness of the prefect. I will never forget it in this life and the next!"

Ju Ming said: "Get up quickly. You are also a scholar. From now on, you will have a good time studying and being a good person."

Zeng Xiaoduan kowtowed several times until his forehead was bloody and bloody.

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

Every time I read one, I received bursts of applause.

The rich people who had been watching the whole process also left briskly. After they returned home, they wanted to tell their relatives and friends.

What happened today is enough to talk about for a whole year.

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

The common people got out of the way one after another and warmly sent the eunuch off. Some people shouted "Master Qingtian".

"I want to file a complaint!" a hundred people suddenly shouted.

"I want to file a complaint too!"

With a smile on his face, Ju Ming said to Liu Shiren: "For those who complain, help them write the complaint."

The expressions of many subordinate officials changed drastically.

Some people have already hurried home to get money. As long as they don't commit murder, they can use the money to settle privately. Don't make trouble with Zhizhou!

In this poor place like Jinzhou, I worked as a school principal for several years. When I saw countless people respecting and trusting the governor, I couldn't help but sigh: "This is what an official is like, he is truly a role model for our generation!"

By re-examining an unjust case, Ju Ming's prestige was established.

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

Except for Tong San's subordinates, Ju Ming could fill the vacant official positions. Next, we will try a few more cases and replace all the important officials with our own people.

Then we can stop. There are hundreds of state-level subordinate officials and many Xicheng County officials. It is impossible to replace them all. After all, we still have to rely on these people to do things.

Of course, it cannot be condoned.

Some rules have to be set, and those who act according to the rules honestly will be able to forget their past sins except for major cases. If you don't act according to the rules, the old and new accounts will be settled together!