On May 21st, the tenth year of Orthodoxy, the sun was shining brightly.
At this moment, behind Yingtian Mansion, Hu Jinan received the "summons" from the Prosecutor's Office and was changing clothes to prepare for court.
He has taken care of everything in the yamen, and all the officials involved in this matter will insist that it is a normal investigation and there is no such thing as threatening money.
"Master, the inspector is urging me again. Look..."
Half an hour has passed since the scheduled opening time, but Hu Jinan hasn't left the house yet.
"Why worry? Let them dry out first!"
Having said that, I still have to go after all, otherwise I will be contemptuous of Anchasi and the prince's order.
After another ten minutes of delay, Hu Jinan took a small sedan and leisurely went to Yinchaosi.
Today was a joint trial, so extra people were present, including the chief envoy and the patrol censor. Some local high-ranking officials were also invited to attend. Of course, the common people were also allowed to attend.
Hu Jinan did not arrive as scheduled, so everyone waited in vain for more than half an hour. There were already people talking in low voices.
Xue Pan, as a party involved, was talking to the litigator at the moment. He was very worried that the lawsuit would be settled.
Also involved was Feng Yuan, who was brought forward by the prosecutor. At this moment, he was covered in cuts and bruises and looked haggard. It was obvious that he had been tortured inhumanely for half a month.
But at this moment, there was light in his eyes, just because he saw the hope of survival.
Of course, his mood was very complicated at the moment, especially when he saw Xue Pan not far away.
This man almost beat him to death. This man caused him to be unjustly tortured, but he also rescued himself from prison.
What makes Feng Yuan feel weird is that Xue Pan not only rescued him, but also risked the disapproval of the world to report Hu Jinan to the Ministry of Justice.
"I'm coming……"
The shouts coming from outside cheered up the officials sitting in the lobby.
The person sitting on the main seat is He Gujin, the envoy of the Inspection Division. On the left and right are Zheng Xianlin and Zhao Xuyan. Next down are the deputy envoy of the Inspection Division, the Chief Envoy Shen Zhengzheng, and Yingtianzhi Jia Yucun.
It can be said that basically all the high-ranking officials on the ground in Jinling who can come are here.
Soon, Hu Jinan entered the yamen, first greeted the gentry at the door, and then walked into the lobby.
With his head held high and his chest high, he passed by Xue Pan and others. Hu Jin'an stood in the lobby with his head held high and greeted all the officials.
With a "pop" sound, He Gujin clapped the gavel, signaling the official start of the trial.
"Plaintiff Xue Pan, you are suing Hu Jinan for intimidating good people and extorting money... Do you have any evidence?" He Gujin asked solemnly.
"Sir, what more evidence do you need? Look at the scars on Feng Yuan's body. Isn't this obvious?"
After saying this, Xue Pan winked wildly at Feng Yuan, who immediately answered while holding his injured body: "Sir, the common people were imprisoned in the Yingtian Mansion Prison and tortured by Hu Jinan many times in order to extort money from my family!"
"Fortunately, the villain would rather die than surrender, so he couldn't succeed!"
After hearing this, the hall was very quiet, and all the officials were calm, but the gentry and common people outside started talking.
Everyone knew what was going on in the government, so most people believed what Xue Pan said was true.
"Hu Jin'an, what do you have to say?" He Gujin asked.
"Lord Qi, what these two people said just now is all slander and frame-up to frame a lowly position!"
"As we all know, the humble official Yingtian Tui is responsible for hearing cases, and it is normal to use torture on criminals!"
Turning around, Hu Jinan looked at Xue Pan and others with contempt and said, "If these two people are allowed to conspire to frame him, I'm afraid the government will not be able to judge the case!"
In this era, the use of torture to extract confessions was common, so it was impossible to determine the merits of Feng Yuan's injuries alone.
Just when Xue Pan wanted the lawyer to defend himself, he saw Hu Jinan take out a document from his sleeve and said: "Your Excellency, the Inspector, I will sue you for my humble position today. Xue Pan and Feng Yuan conspired together to slander the imperial official. This is my humble position." Complaint!"
Seeing Hu Jinan hit him with a rake, Feng Yuan was so angry that he vomited blood.
He Gujin received the lawsuit and was looking at it. Qian Ruiming and Liu Deyan, who were sitting below, smiled at each other and cast affirmative glances at Hu Jinan.
There was actually nothing to read in the complaint. He Gujin remained silent and thought about what to do next.
Zhu Jinghong's intention was very clear, which was to capture Hu Jin'an as a model and to shock the entire Jinling officialdom.
The trial was nothing more than physical evidence, and Feng Yuan's injuries were "physical evidence." However, Hu Jinan argued that it had no probative value at this moment.
So now, the only thing that can commit a crime is the witness.
Fortunately, He Gujin had already planned it.
"Come here, pass the pass!"
After hearing the witness, Hu Jinan didn't panic at all.
The officials involved in the matter were all greeted. When these people arrive, they will only prove that Xue and Feng are guilty, and the case may be closed by then.
However, this wait lasted for half an hour before the so-called witness was brought to the lobby.
To Hu Jinan's surprise, those who were brought were not government officials, but several criminals.
Liu Deyan, the official of the Bureau of Investigation, looked at He Gujin and asked, "Sir, aren't you going to bring the witness to the court? How can you arrest some criminals?"
Glancing at Liu Deyan, He Gujin asked coldly: "Should I interrogate or you?"
Liu Deyan had no choice but to give up, sighing secretly that he was too anxious.
"Hu Jin'an, do you know these people?"
After looking at these prisoners up and down, Hu Jinan leaned forward and said, "Reporting to your lord, they look familiar, but I can't remember them at the moment!"
It was precisely because he couldn't remember that Hu Jinan was a little nervous at the moment, fearing that these people were really a killer.
"Master Hu, you are really a noble man who forgets things. These are the prisoners of your Yingtian Mansion. How could you not remember them?" He Gujin asked in a deep voice.
After his reminder, Hu Jinan finally understood and asked, "Are these people the witnesses you are referring to?"
At this moment, Hu Jinan was a little panicked. He only focused on taking care of the officials, but forgot about these people in the prison.
"They have been in prison, so it is clear what happened in there!"
Before Hu Jinan could speak, He Gujin slapped the crowd again, and then shouted: "Listen carefully, you must answer truthfully when I ask questions, otherwise you will be severely punished!"
There were more than a dozen officials interrogating him at the front. This posture was really shocking. The prisoners present were so frightened that they dared not to answer seriously.
"Is there any inside story about Feng Yuan being tortured? Is there any money being extorted from him?"
"Reply!" He Gujin emphasized his tone.
A group of prisoners looked at each other, but no one dared to speak, because Hu Jinan was looking at them coldly.
Do they know who Hu Jinan is? They dare to identify him as he is a dignified official in the Tianfu.
"Hurry up and say it!" He Gujin was a little angry.
In fact, he also miscalculated. He didn't expect these people to be so cowardly.
It can only be said that he has been an official for a long time and has become out of touch with the people at the bottom. Their thinking is completely different.
"Reply!" He Gujin became more and more severe.
However, it was of no use. It only scared the prisoners into begging for mercy and shouting that they knew nothing.
Hu Jinan smiled. He was no longer worried at this moment. With many years of criminal experience, he knew that this case could no longer be tried.
Then, it's time for him to fight back.
"Master He, it seems that the case no longer needs to be tried. Master Hu is innocent!" Liu Deyan spoke again.
Qian Ruiming on the side immediately answered: "I guess it was Feng Yuan who tricked the Xue family's elder brother into filing a complaint. This person is the culprit!"
They had already discussed in advance to remove Xue Pan from the case and put all the blame on Feng Yuan. This would be good for you and me, and everyone would be good.
