Chapter 573 Shuntian Prefecture Tongpan Office

Zhao Zhenji saw the confusion on Yuan Xian’an’s face and gave Guo Qian a wink.

Your disciple, please explain it to me.

Guo Qian turned around, glanced at Yuan Xian’an, and asked with a smile: “Quan Yi didn’t understand?”

Yuan Xian’an quickly leaned forward and replied, “I didn’t understand what Master Yiquan said.”

“What kind of government office is Jinyiwei? You should know, right?”

“Students know that this can stop children from crying at night.”

“Haha, the most criticized thing about Jinyiwei is the imperial prison. You know that, right?”

Yuan Xian’an nodded and replied, “The student knows.”

The Jinyiwei’s one-stop service of handling cases, arresting people and trying cases has indeed been criticized.

The Jinyiwei handled all major cases, some of which were imperial cases ordered by the emperor. It was a completely closed-door case handling system, and the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, the Dali Temple, the traditional three judicial departments had no say in the matter. They could often only receive one result and had no idea how the case was tried.

Among the previous emperors, the wise emperor would let the three judicial officials participate in the trial after the Jinyiwei had solved the case.

The emperor was a bit tyrannical, so the Jinyiwei took charge of everything. They were responsible for handling the entire case from birth to death. No one knew whether it was a false case or whether the wrong person was arrested.

Anyway, those who went into the imperial prison were alive, and those who came out were mostly corpses.

Guo Qian continued to explain: “The emperor has now instructed that the Jinyiwei only has the power to monitor, supervise arrests, and handle cases. Any case must be submitted to the procuratorate for review and the court for trial.

This case was handled by the Jinyiwei under imperial order. Now it is handed over to the Ministry of Justice and the Central Procuratorate for review. It will then be submitted to you, the Shuntianfu Shen Court, for public prosecution, which is a great step forward. “

It turned out to be the case.

Yuan Xian’an suddenly thought of another thing. He had previously supervised the construction of castles and fortresses in western Liaoning and had dealt with the military a lot. He knew very well that there were two major dark forces in the army, which represented the imperial power to monitor the movements of the army.

One is the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the other is the Imperial Stables.

In addition to supervision, the Jinyiwei was also responsible for handling cases involving violations of military law such as dereliction of duty, missed opportunities for battle, fear of the enemy, and leaking military secrets by officers and generals.

Yuan Xian’an couldn’t help but ask, “Zhongcheng, Shangshu Wang, may I ask who will take over the military cases handled by Jinyiwei?”

I felt a little regretful after asking.

This isn’t something I should be asking.

Alas, after all these years of trials and tribulations, I still haven’t learned enough lessons.

Zhao Zhenji and Wang Chonggu looked at each other with expressions of approval.

Guo Qian praised him without hesitation, “Quan Yi, you asked a good question. As a judge, you should ask questions when you have them. Only by asking clearly can you distinguish right from wrong and judge the truth.

Duke Yeojeong was ordered to reform the military system in the military government, with the Left and Right Military Governor’s Offices, also known as the Army Department and the Navy Department. They each had their own military prosecution bureau.

In addition to the military selection office, the propaganda and praise bureau and other functional departments, the Central Military Governor’s Office also set up a separate military court. Military cases handled by the Jinyiwei would also be handed over to the left and right military procuratorates for review and submitted to the Central Military Governor’s Court for trial and judgment. “

Yuan Xian’an quickly bowed and replied: “Thank you, Mr. Yiquan, for your guidance. I am grateful for your guidance.”

Zhao Zhenji said to Wang Chonggu: “Mr. Jianchuan, please continue.”

Wang Chonggu said happily: “Okay. This department selected a capable prosecutor from the Central Procuratorate and Court, Zhang Yucheng, to form a special case team, and the procuratorate and court reviewed the case and finally filed a public prosecution.

Zhang Yucheng is a veteran criminal lawyer in the Ministry of Justice. He has participated in many special investigation teams and has reviewed and tried many cases of treason and disrespect by members of the royal family. He is also a professor of criminal law and criminal law at Taiji College.

Zhao Zhenji nodded and said, “The Ministry of Justice has done its homework. Quan Yi, as the magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture, you are personally in charge of the trial and judgment of this case. You must be careful to ensure fairness and justice without leaving any flaws.

I also tell you that at the same time, Jiangsu Governor Hai Gong was in Suzhou, and he convened the Jiangsu Procuratorate, Suzhou Shenyuan Court and Jiangsu Censorate to jointly try the major case.

The cases will be tried simultaneously in the north and south. Maybe the cases you try may not be as eye-catching as those tried in public, but they are all enough to go down in history.

Quan Yi, you have to take care of yourself!”

Yuan Xian’an stood up and replied, “I will strictly abide by my duties and abide by the company law. I will not slack off in the slightest!”

Zhao Zhenji stroked his beard and said, “Yesterday, the emperor summoned me to the West Garden and asked about the case. He repeatedly instructed that the case tried by the Shuntianfu Shen Court is the first major case after the judicial reform of the Ming Dynasty, and it must be made into a benchmark and model.”

Wang Chonggu echoed, “The emperor has carried out a major political reform, and many of the national government official systems have been simplified and complicated, especially the Ministry of Justice, the Procuratorate, and the Court of Censors. The procedures are cumbersome and extremely complicated.

Many people in the government and the public have been criticizing this, believing that the government should be simplified and that such reforms are a step backwards and will lead to harsh and chaotic governance.

Yuan Xian’an listened attentively.

These words are the emperor’s golden words spoken by the bigwigs, which represent the direction of national policy. Many people want to know but find it difficult to know.

Wang Chonggu continued, “Your Majesty is right. Criminal cases involve life and death, and interrogation involves justice. Therefore, the judicial system must be carefully managed.

Bao Yuandu knew that the most severe punishment was killing someone; the first thing a criminal must do was to examine him. Killing someone means paying with one’s life, and breaking the law means being punished. This is a matter of course.

We want to redress the injustice done to the victim, but we cannot just kill one person to settle the score. If the punishment is unfair and unclear, then the punishment is meaningless.

How to be fair?

Rely on honest officials?
How many Hai Qingtian are there in the world?

Rely on conscience?
Then what is the use of the law?
Therefore, we must design institutions that provide checks and balances to ensure judicial fairness as much as possible through a very complex trial process. “

Guo Qian turned around and said to Yuan Xian’an, “Did you hear what the Zhongcheng and Jianchuan Gong taught you?”

“Students will definitely remember what they heard.”

“Okay, then when you go back, you should carefully investigate the case of Lin Youcai, a former official of the Ministry of Revenue’s Audit Department, who committed suicide by taking poison.”

“Yes!”

The Shuntian government office is located in Chunlingfang near Andingmen, opposite the Imperial College and the Confucian Temple.

The Shuntian Prefecture Tongpan Office is located in the government office, and the Shenyuan Court Trial Hall is the front yard lobby of the government office, the court with a bright mirror and a plaque hanging high.

According to the new system, the prefectural governor and the deputy prefectural governor of Shuntian Prefecture did not need to sit in court to try cases. They gave the opportunity to be in public to the prefectural magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture, Yuan Xian’an, and the judges under him.

The court hall and the left and right side halls were given to them.

The official rank of Shuntian Prefecture was the same as that of other provinces, but they could not divide it into three divisions like other provinces and then set up various halls under it. It could only be the same as a prefectural government, because it was the same as Yingtian Prefecture, and it only governed a few counties.

Yuan Xian’an returned to the Tongpan Office, which was equivalent to the Censorate, and asked the clerk to hang up a notice, announcing that the case of Lin Youcai’s suicide by taking poison would be tried in three days.

Newspapers such as Shuntian Zhengbao, Yanshan Daily, Luanhe Daily, and Commercial Daily heard the news and rushed to report, grabbing the few seats available for the audience.

The families of the criminals and victims also rushed over after hearing the news, reported and obtained audience seats.

Three days later, early in the morning, the guards and people from the Beijing Police Department were on guard at the gate of Shuntian Prefecture Yamen to maintain order.

Reporters from various newspapers, victims and relatives of prisoners, holding reporting documents, passed through three levels of security and entered the front yard of the courtroom.

They went straight into the front porch of the courtroom, which was only separated from the court by a row of fences and was the center of attention.

The guards were ordered to randomly let in two hundred people who loved to watch the fun. They stood in the front yard, tiptoed, stretched their necks, poked their heads out, and talked a lot.

“Excuse me, what is the Shuntianfu Tongpan Office hearing today?”

“You didn’t know why you squeezed in?” “I was born to like to join in the fun. I saw there were so many people here, so I squeezed in.”

“Hey, it’s true. There are a bunch of scholars outside who want to come in to cheer up the criminal but can’t, but you squeezed in.”

“Okay, okay.

Could you please tell me what the trial is about?”

“A few days ago, Lin Youcai, a senior official in the Ministry of Revenue’s Audit Department, committed suicide by taking poison at home. Have you heard about this?”

“Lin Youcai, I heard about him. Isn’t he the one who pointed at Prime Minister Zhang’s nose and said that even if Zhang Juzheng came, it would be useless in the Ministry of Revenue?

I heard that he was dismissed on the spot, and after being dismissed and sent home, he committed suicide by taking poison? Will the case be tried today?”

“Yes, that’s the case we’re trying.”

“What’s so good about this case? He committed suicide by taking poison. Do we have to arrest the owner of the drugstore, his wife and his family, and say that they shouldn’t have sold the drug and shouldn’t have stood by and watched him die?

absurd.”

“It’s not ridiculous! There is something hidden in this case.”

“Is there a secret? What secret? I love to hear secrets the most.”

“I heard that Lin Youcai was an old veteran of the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue. When Nanjing abolished the six ministries, he unexpectedly came to the capital and was directly employed by the Ministry of Revenue because he had a cousin-in-law who was a Hanlin.”

“I heard that he asked this cousin’s husband to be his middleman, and gave 500 taels of silver to then-Minister Xu of the Ministry of Revenue, and he became a clerk in the Zhejiang Qingli Division of the Ministry of Revenue. Then he got lucky again, and the emperor changed the official system, and he was recruited as an official, wearing the uniform of an eighth-rank official, and he was very proud of himself.”

“There is smoke coming out of the ancestral graves!”

“That’s too arrogant. He actually dared to point his finger at Prime Minister Zhang and curse him. Who in the history of the country is so bold? Being dismissed and sent home is the lightest punishment. If Yan Song is still the Prime Minister, Yan Shifan will not exterminate his entire family and he will be called Yan Donglou in vain.”

“Now it’s Zhang Xiang, it’s Zhang Juzheng.”

“Zhang Xiang is also the Prime Minister. If he changes his surname, will he be unable to kill you?”

The people discussing in the front yard began to argue.

The police officers who were maintaining order shouted loudly, “Be quiet! If you make any more noise, you will be kicked out immediately!”

The noise immediately quieted down, the people paused for a moment, then lowered their voices and continued to discuss among themselves.

“I heard that Lin Youcai was poisoned to death by his cousin’s husband and his gang.”

“real or fake?”

“That group of Hanlin scholars were furious with the new cabinet and Prime Minister Zhang, and wanted to ask Lin Youcai to go to Chengtian Gate and file a complaint with the emperor. But Lin Youcai was not a fool, and he would not let them play with him so easily.

So I just did it once and for all.”

“Nonsense, what good would killing Lin Youcai do to those Hanlin scholars?”

“Of course there are benefits. I heard that those Hanlin scholars were going to carry Lin Youcai’s body to the cabinet to make trouble, and directly set up Lin Youcai’s mourning hall in the front yard of the cabinet.”

“Hey, what’s the difference between these scholars and ruffians?”

“Of course there is a difference. Others have read a lot of books by sages and have achieved great success.”

“I bother!”

“Boom-boom!”

The drums in the front yard were beaten, and the police officers on alert shouted: “The master is about to try the case. Keep quiet. If you dare to make noise again, you will not be kicked out. If you are caught by the master, you will be beaten immediately.”

The front yard immediately became quiet, and everyone poked their heads inside.

There were long benches in the front porch of the courtroom, on which more than twenty reporters from various newspapers and their families sat, and a dozen unidentified men also sat around.

The layout of the courtroom was similar to that of the previous court.

Some knowledgeable people pointed inside and explained it to the people next to them.

“Do you see the plaque that says ‘A clear mirror hangs high’?”

“I saw it.”

“Below is a long table where the presiding judge sits.”

“Oh.”

“There are two shorter desks on each side. Do you see them? They are where the co-judges sit. If both co-judges were to sit there today, someone would lose his head.”

“There is such a saying? Why?”

“For ordinary cases, there are only two people, the chief judge and the co-judge. If there are two co-judges, it is a major case, the kind that warrants the death penalty.”

hiss–!
behead!
There was a sound of people gasping in shock from the front yard.

So exciting!

I like it so much!

The knowledgeable person continued to explain: “See the two smaller tables under the main table?”

“Yes. Who’s sitting there?”

“It’s for the clerk.”

“What clerk?”

“It is to record the trial process, transfer and record the evidence and statements of both parties.”

“Isn’t it Master?”

“There are no legal advisors now. The new name is clerk. Look at the left side of the court. There is a long row of desks. Do you see it?”

“See, who’s sitting there?”

“That’s where the prosecutor sits. He’s also called the prosecutor. In other cases, he’s also called the plaintiff.”

“It’s so complicated. Who are sitting at the table on the right side of the court?”

“In normal cases, the defendant sits in the courtroom. Today’s case is a criminal case, a big one. The defendant, the criminal, kneels in front of the courtroom, and the right side should be the row of seats.”

“List of seats?”

“It is for the gentlemen from other government offices who come to watch. I don’t know which gentlemen will come today.”

Dongdong, the drum sounded again.

The front yard and porch fell silent, and a group of officials rushed out from the doors of the two wings.

There were people wearing red robes, blue robes, and green robes, about twenty in total. They quickly sat down in their seats as if they had discussed it beforehand.

Yuan Xian’an, dressed in a scarlet robe, sat down behind the main desk under the plaque “A Clear Mirror Hanging High” and slammed the gavel. Everyone couldn’t help but let out a loud noise.

The trial has finally begun!
(End of this chapter)