Chapter 575 Let’s go and visit the gods

“I hereby announce that the presiding judge and the co-judges will deliberate and make a formal verdict in thirty minutes. Prosecutor, please present the indictment and evidence.

“Clerk, present the record. Constable, take the prisoner into custody temporarily!”

Yuan Xian’an and his two co-judges retreated to the back hall first, and a clerk followed them in holding the indictment and other files.

The six prisoners knelt on the ground with their heads down. Some were trembling, some were trying to remain calm, some were swaying from side to side, and some were keeping their heads down and silent.

He was shouted at and pulled up by twelve police officers, and dragged out from both sides.

Officials in the prosecution seat and the spectator seats on both sides began discussing privately.

Reporters in the front porch were also discussing and speculating on how the presiding judge would rule.

Some of the family members sitting nearby started to cry. They were the family members of the prisoner.

Those who cursed with gnashing teeth were members of the Lin family.

About two hundred people in the front yard gathered in groups of three or four, talking in low voices, like a group of frogs in a pond having a meeting.

“Brother, you have experience. How do you think this case will be judged?” Reporter Deng asked softly.

“This case is not complicated, but the key is that it has a huge impact. These six criminals are all famous people at the time and have great reputations in the literati circle.”

“Brother, I heard that the current clean stream is even more smelly than a cesspool.”

“Hehe, you have realized something. Since the end of the Jiajing reign, after many trials and tribulations, there are only a few truly upright people left in the court. But they are definitely not the self-proclaimed upright people in the court.”

Reporter Deng couldn’t believe it, “Isn’t it a real clean stream?”

“Then let me ask you, what is Qingliu?”

Reporter Deng thought for a moment and replied, “Brother, according to my understanding, the Qingliu should be the scholars and officials with high moral character and reputation.”

“Nonsense, apart from Hai Qingtian and a few others, who else in the Ming Dynasty has high moral character?
Nowadays, those who call themselves “clean stream” are just self-righteous and talk a lot, but they are useless. They comment on current affairs, are keen on party disputes, and often submit memorials to impeach ministers.

The better ones are just pedantic gentlemen who know what is right and what is wrong, who fight for pride but not for right and wrong; they are talkative and empty, but also competitive and argumentative, and they value personal reputation more than national interests.

The worse ones are those who demand others to be honest and upright, but they themselves are more selfish; they accuse others of making mistakes and harming the country, but they themselves are pedantic and ignorant. Even worse are those like Huang Huaibi, who talk about morality and justice, but secretly behave like a mean person.

Reporter Deng was stunned.

I didn’t expect that my senior brother is such an angry young man.

But on second thought, what my senior said makes sense.

Since the end of the Jiajing period, after several party struggles, those who remained in the court were either those who agreed with the new policies or those who were committed to reform. Even if they did not agree in their hearts, they would reluctantly accept it for the sake of their future.

Either they disagree with the new policy, but they have high moral character and are honest and incorruptible, and even if there is a party dispute, they will do it in an upright manner.

There are also some people like Huang Huaibi and Jia Youshan who did not dare to jump out to fight in the party struggles before. They just wanted others to take the lead while they hid behind and enjoyed the fruits of victory.

Now that the new policy is in effect, these so-called Hua Han Qingliu are gradually marginalized. So when they lose their voice, they think that it is because the channels for speech are blocked; when they lose their power, they think that it is because the treacherous and corrupt officials are in power.

But they don’t have the courage or temper to jump out and make a big noise, so they can only do bad things secretly.

Unexpectedly, they hit a wall this time and were made an example of by Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng.

With Zhu Yijun’s instructions, the Jinyiwei intervened directly; with Zhang Juzheng’s power, the Ministry of Justice and Shuntian Prefecture worked together and quickly investigated the case thoroughly.

After reading the files, Zhu Yijun called Zhao Zhenji and asked him to make careful arrangements and make this case the first typical case after the Censorate was separated into a supervisory judicial agency.

So what happened today happened.

However, reporter Wan, reporter Deng and most of the officials and citizens who were watching did not know these inside stories. Only a few officials such as Yuan Xian’an had roughly guessed something.

Thirty minutes later, the police brought the prisoner in and he was still kneeling in the court.

Yuan Xian’an and his two fellow judges came out from the back hall and sat back at their respective desks.

After a cough, Yuan Xian’an slammed the gavel repeatedly. After the clapping sounds, the court became quiet again.

Everyone knows that the presiding judge is about to announce the verdict.

Is this the verdict?

What else do you want?

Do we need to hire a few lawyers to defend the defendant and prove his innocence?

Zhu Yijun felt that achieving this step was already very good. It was already a qualitative leap for the judicial system of the Ming Dynasty. Even if it was spread to the whole world, it would be very explosive.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that Europeans recite the Roman Code every day. Their real judicial system appeared along with the guillotine and street lamps.

Now Europe is still playing with the Inquisition, and has to wait for the Protestant religion to start inventing the movable lead type printing press, which will make the Inquisition darker than coal.

Then the Protestants lost the military war with Spain, but won the propaganda war and started the bourgeois revolution. The Western judicial system, known as the beacon of mankind, was gradually established in the process of fighting for power from the feudal aristocracy.

Zhu Yijun began to allow the Ming Dynasty to evolve smoothly towards judicial independence.

This is one of the benefits of the supremacy of imperial power. As long as Zhu Yijun, who possesses the supreme imperial power, wants to do it, he can definitely do it.

When everyone quieted down, the three clerks stood up and spoke loudly.

“All rise!”

Except for the six defendants who were kneeling in the court, everyone else stood up, including Yuan Xian’an and other three.

The reporters, family members and others sitting on the front porch all stood up at the reminder of the police officers.

The people in the front yard were already standing, so it didn’t matter whether they stood up or not.

Yuan Xian’an held a document and read it loudly with a serious face.

“After deliberation between this official and the two other judges, the judgment is as follows.”

He quietly looked at a narrow piece of paper to see if his verdict was different from what was written on it.

Guo Qian secretly slipped him this narrow piece of paper, saying it was from Xiyuan.

The verdict he read out today will become a model for the Ming Dynasty’s judicial system, will be recorded in history, and will also become an example for future generations to refer to.

So he had to speak according to the model words prepared by Xiyuan.

“The case of Lin Youcai being poisoned was investigated and closed by the Beijing Police Department, with all the evidence. It was also reviewed by the Central Procuratorate of the Ministry of Justice and was prosecuted for murder.

The prosecutor of the court makes a public statement, summons witnesses, displays testimony and exhibits in public, and gives the defendant a full opportunity to speak freely.
This officer and the co-trial officer reviewed all the testimonies and exhibits submitted by the prosecutor, as well as the records of the testimonies of the subpoenaed witnesses, and confirmed that they were true, valid and correct.

Moreover, the investigation and handling procedures of the case are legal, and the public prosecution procedures are legal. Based on the facts of the trial, I now make the following judgment.

Huang Huaibi, Jia Youshan, and Guan Haiping were convicted of murder. According to Article 11 and Article 21 of Chapter 6, Section 7 of the Criminal Law, the three were sentenced to death by hanging and deprived of political rights for life. Wu Youlin was convicted of inciting rumors and assisting in murder. He also made meritorious contributions by reporting crimes, so he should be given a lighter punishment. According to the Criminal Law, Wu Youlin was sentenced to three years of hard labor and deprived of political rights for three years. “Reporter Wan and Reporter Deng looked at each other, and most of the people present were confused.

What does this verdict mean?
Guilty of murder!
Got this.

Huang Huaibi and two other men were sentenced to death by hanging. I understood.

Wu Youlin and the other two were sentenced to several years of hard labor, and they understood what he said.

The Ming Dynasty had five legal punishments: flogging, caning, imprisonment, exile, and death. Sentence to hard labor was the equivalent of imprisonment, and was indeed considered a light sentence.

However, before serving the prison sentence, caning is required.

Ten strokes of the cane in half a year, count by yourself.

However, this additional caning will not be given all at once, but can be instalments. The principle is to ensure that you serve your hard labor sentence alive.

What does it mean to deprive someone of political rights for life or for a certain number of years?
Is there anyone who can explain this?
The presiding judge Yuan Xian’an, who read the verdict, would not explain it to everyone. He himself took two days of intensive study at the Law Institute and Taiji College before he understood the meaning of these new legal terms.

If you want to understand it clearly, go to the Law School and Taiji College to find teachers.

Yuan Xian’an continued to read: “Fifteen days after this judgment is officially issued, the defendant may appeal to the Dali Temple. If he voluntarily gives up the appeal or files an appeal after the deadline, it will be deemed that he has given up the appeal, and this judgment will be executed at that time.

If an appeal is filed, the final decision will be made by the Dali Temple.”

After Yuan Xian’an finished reading, he slammed the gavel and announced loudly: “I have concluded the trial and judgment on the case of Lin Youcai’s poisoning! Court is adjourned!”

The prisoner was handcuffed and escorted away by police officers and guards. His family members cried and screamed, but were all stopped by the police.

The officials in the court also left in twos and threes, and the reporters in the front corridor also talked in twos and threes, following the people who were listening to the trial in the front yard, and walked towards the gate of the yamen.

Reporter Deng couldn’t help but ask, “Brother, you’ve heard a lot of trials. Were they always like this before?”

Reporter Wan shook his head. “It’s completely different. I originally thought that this case was of great importance and the court treated it with great caution. I didn’t expect it to be the first case to fully implement the new system.”

A reporter nearby said, “Lao Wan, you didn’t expect that.”

Reporter Wan shook his head: “I really didn’t expect it.”

“I heard from a friend in the Censorate that Zhao Zhongcheng was carrying out some judicial system reform in accordance with the emperor’s order, and the results will soon be revealed.

I didn’t believe it at first.

What’s there to change about the trial? Hasn’t it been the same for thousands of years, every dynasty?”

Another reporter came over and said, “It’s true that the trial systems of the Tang and Song dynasties were quite different. The judicial reform of our dynasty has absorbed the trial divisions of the Song dynasty and created many new systems.

I didn’t understand it at the moment, and I need to think about it slowly.”

“Good fellow, Prime Minister Zhang of the Cabinet is carrying out reforms and implementing new policies. I didn’t expect that Minister Zhao of the Censorate is also quietly carrying out reforms. Reforms are going on everywhere in the Ming Dynasty.”

“A new dynasty brings a new atmosphere. But now it seems that the changes are flourishing and vigorous. I like it.”

Some reporters also shook their heads: “The laws are complicated and intricate. Even educated people are confused by them, let alone ordinary people.

I think it is better for the law to be simple and clear, just like the Three Articles of Law between Emperor Gaozu of Han and the elders of Guanzhong, which is the best. “

“Tsk, what era is this? Why are we still talking about the Three Articles of Law? That is just a temporary solution. After Emperor Gaozu of Han established the Han Dynasty, didn’t he still follow the Qin law? The Qin law was the most complicated and cumbersome among the six states of the Warring States Period.”

“What are you talking about? I just think that the law is simple and clear. If you kill someone, you must pay with your life. If you owe someone a debt, you must pay it back. The people will understand it as soon as they hear it. Why do we have so many complicated laws and regulations?”

“You call that legal education. I heard that the Ministry of Justice is doing that. The reason for making laws is that times are changing and things are becoming more and more complicated. We must keep up with the times.”

These reporters are all educated and well-informed. They all have their own arguments, but it is difficult for them to convince each other in a short period of time.

But no one was arguing about this matter on purpose. They were all reporting news, writing stories, and earning royalties.

The intentional or unintentional debates between each other are more about discovering different perspectives and arguments, brainstorming, and then finding arguments that are good at and eye-catching as the topics of their own case trial reports.

“Is it better to have a complex law or a simple law? My thoughts after watching the trial of Lin Youcai!”

I am not afraid of having debates, I am afraid of having no debates.

The bigger the debate, the more popular our newspapers will sell!

Not long after walking out of the Shuntian government office, many reporters had already made up their minds.

Reporter Deng is also a smart man and quickly grasped the key points.

But he was an honest man. He told his senior about the title he had prepared and also put forward his own ideas.

“Brother, the debate between those seniors just now gave me a very good hint. I want to use the Lin Youcai case as an introduction to write a report on judicial system reform. If it is well written, I can continue to write, going deeper and deeper.”

Reporter Fang smiled and said, “You have a talent for being a reporter. You have a quick mind and sharp eyes. I have similar ideas.”

“Ah, Senior Brother, did I collide with you? Then I’ll change direction.”

“Silly, even if the direction and viewpoints are the same, the articles written cannot be exactly the same. Sometimes, one person’s opinion cannot cause too much trouble.

Throwing a few more stones into the pond will create a big splash. But before that, let’s go visit a deity.”

“Gods? Are we going to the Taoist temple to worship gods and consult spirit writing?”

“Stop asking questions and follow me.”

Reporter Wan brought Reporter Deng to the main road and saw a carriage approaching in the distance, so they waved.

When the carriage stopped, the two got in.

“Taibai Restaurant.” Reporter Wan said.

“It’s time for lunch, Senior Brother, I’ll treat you.”

“Okay, but I have another friend, please treat him as well.”

“No problem. I just received a resettlement allowance from the newspaper, and I have plenty of money.”

Thousands of reporters burst into laughter.

The two went to Taibai Restaurant, booked a private room, and sat inside waiting for reporter Wan’s friends to arrive.

After waiting for half an hour, the guy knocked on the door.

“Please come in!”

The door of the private room opened and the waiter let someone in. When reporter Deng saw him, he was stunned.

Why is it him?

(End of this chapter)