Wei Donglai's opening was reasonable.
If Yang Qingyuan were in Wei Donglai's position, he couldn't guarantee that he would be able to enforce the law impartially.
Only when people reach that state can they know their true intentions.
The last resort is to ensure that you always have other options.
Although Wei Donglai is also a master of criminal law, Yang Qingyuan is also worthy!
"Master Wei, you may not know that the case of white rod poisoning caused the death of several families in Wannian County. A fire on Cuihua Mountain even caused a whole village to be burned alive! Such a crime would It’s not considered ‘unrighteous’, I really don’t know how to be unworthy.”
Although Wei Donglai was troubled in his heart, he was an old bureaucrat who had been in the officialdom for many years, and he still had a calm expression on his face.
"Master Yang is indeed a great expert in criminal law, and he has a profound understanding of the laws and regulations of Dazhou. However, according to the case files of Dali Temple, it can only prove the fact that Zhou Mingsheng committed murder in Beijing, and it is not clear what happened in Wannian County."
After finishing speaking, Wei Donglai turned to Emperor Zhou and said, "Your Majesty, I still have some questions about the case file. I wonder if I can ask a few questions here?"
Emperor Zhou nodded and responded, "This case is an important one for this court. It has already been wronged once before, so it must be handled with caution now! If Wei Qing has any doubts, just ask!"
Yang Qingyuan's eyes were as usual. Last night he begged Emperor Zhou to leave the palace so that he could hear Zhou Mingsheng's confession with his own ears.
Of course, there are problems with Zhou Mingsheng's case. There was basically no physical evidence left in the Wannian County case. Except for the white jade fan pendant, only Zhou Mingsheng's confession was left.
Normally, convictions based on oral confessions are forced, but this time it was different. Emperor Zhou, the top decision-maker, heard Zhou Mingsheng's confession with his own ears, so things became different.
Yang Qingyuan asked Di Zhiyuan on the side to pull out the footwear that was blocking Zhou Mingsheng's mouth.
Zhou Mingsheng was so excited that he almost cried. Yang Qingyuan was so inhuman! How dare you humiliate me like this!
Seeing the prince beside him, Zhou Mingsheng couldn't bear it anymore and couldn't help crying.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness! The villain was tortured in Dali Temple. All the confessions were made by Yang. The villain pretended to confess out of desperation."
Emperor Zhou, who was above the throne, looked at Zhou Mingsheng's tearful performance and couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.
If he hadn't heard Zhou Mingsheng's confession with his own ears last night, Emperor Zhou would have thought that Yang Qingyuan was really going to surrender.
"Oh?!" The silent prince on the side said, "Zhou Mingsheng, even if you tell me, if Mr. Yang is unfair, my father and the adults present will naturally make the decision for you, but if you make half-truths, , you must be punished for several crimes, and I will be the first one not to spare you!"
The words were righteous and stern. On the surface, they were meant for Zhou Mingsheng, but they were actually a warning to Yang Qingyuan.
"Your Majesty, Yang Qingyuan is really a cruel official! When he brought the villain into the palace this morning, he was afraid that the villain would tell the truth, so he blocked the villain's mouth with his footwear... vomit..."
Speaking of this, Zhou Mingsheng retched.
Everyone present covered their noses with their sleeves. Although they expressed that Zhou Mingsheng was really miserable, for some reason, they suddenly wanted to laugh. This was too damaging to Mr. Yang.
When Zhou Mingsheng said this, Emperor Zhou felt that the entire side hall was filled with a strange smell.
After retching for a long time, Zhou Mingsheng didn't spit out anything.
From being caught to now, Yang Qingyuan only gave him a few drinks of water to ensure that he would not die. As for eating? Is this kind of scum worthy of wasting food? !
After regaining his energy slightly, Zhou Mingsheng continued to cry, "This Yang Qingyuan is really despicable. During the interrogation last night, he threatened the villain to admit this crime. If not, he would set the interrogation room on fire and burn the villain to death! ...By the way! Yang Qingyuan also said that he had this method to execute many prisoners who refused to cooperate!!"
I have to say that Zhou Mingsheng's acting skills are still very good. Although he is weak, he does act like this!
Zhou Mingsheng's words aroused discussion among the officials in the palace. Dali Temple is different from Anliu.
Although the Dark Six Department is not weak in force, in the final analysis it is just the intelligence and violence department of the imperial court, and it is just the sword of the imperial court.
The emperor and his ministers are the ones who wield the sword, so it is within everyone's psychological acceptance range for the AN6 Department to do something extraordinary.
But Dali Temple is different. Dali Temple is the highest political and legal institution of the imperial court! He has the right to convict and try. If Dali Temple becomes Yang Qingyuan's hall of speech, then the threat to the officials in the court will be too great.
"Master Yang, is this happening?!"
The prince took advantage of the situation and asked.
Following the prince's question, the remaining ministers were also waiting for Yang Qingyuan's answer.
Yang Qingyuan calmly took out a scroll from his sleeve and presented it to the emperor by a chamberlain.
"Yang Qing, what is this?!"
Yang Qingyuan replied, "Your Majesty, this is Si Xuanwei's record of the past three years, that is, since the reconstruction of Dali Temple. It records all the fires in the four squares near Dali Temple in the past three years!"
After Yang Qingyuan paused, he continued, "Since the reconstruction of Dali Temple, there have been only two fires, and there were no casualties. No one has ever died in Dali Temple!"
Dali Temple has no executive power, and Yang Qingyuan will not overstep it.
Emperor Zhou nodded with satisfaction. Now it seemed that he could rest assured that Yang Qingyuan was doing things.
After everyone circulated the case file, it was confirmed that it was correct.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince, gentlemen, this is nothing more than a trick in the interrogation method! In Dali Temple's trial, punishment is very important! The priority is to attack the heart!"
After finishing speaking, Yang Qingyuan nodded towards Wei Donglai and said, "Master Wei, please continue!"
Wei Donglai didn't seem to be affected and continued to ask.
"Official Zhou Mingsheng wants to ask you, this file says that a white jade fan pendant was found in the boudoir of the deceased Liu Xue, with your fingerprints on it! How do you explain this?!"
Zhou Mingsheng had carefully considered these matters and immediately argued, "My lord, you are wronged! That white jade fan pendant does not belong to the villain! The villain has seen that fan pendant. It is the fan pendant of Feng Qian, the son of Duke Ying. ! Feng Qian can prove this! And those nagging fingerprints might have been made up by Yang Qingyuan to frame the villain!"
Before Yang Qingyuan could scold him, Cheng Qingsong on the side said coldly, "The method of fingerprinting has been around since ancient times. Master Yang just made the fingerprints clearer!"
Unlike later generations, the fingerprint method does not have a solid theoretical basis, but Cheng Qingsong's words can be regarded as giving Yang Qingyuan a platform.
The top leader of the Great Zhou Supervisory System, his status is still above the six ministers, and he is on an equal footing with the academicians.
When the big boss in front of him took action, Wei Donglai didn't make any fuss about the fingerprints and continued to ask: "Since it's not yours! Why are there fingerprints on it!?"
It seemed like an interrogation, but in fact Wei Donglai was trying to guide Zhou Mingsheng out of guilt.
"The villain and Feng Qian are old friends. They also played with the fan pendant. It is normal for the villain's fingerprints to be found on it."
When Yang Qingyuan heard this explanation, he felt bad. Wei Donglai was indeed a master of criminal law. His purpose was to separate Zhou Mingsheng from the white jade fan pendant.
"Master Wei doesn't know something! On this white jade fan pendant, there are only the fingerprints of Zhou Mingsheng and the deceased Liu Xue! And Feng Qian also told the official that this jade pendant has been lost for several months. Such a long time has passed! Feng Qian’s fingerprints have disappeared, why are Zhou Mingsheng’s fingerprints still there!?”
"The method of fingerprints is very mysterious and may vary from person to person. A single white jade fan pendant cannot prove anything. Just relying on this may be insufficient evidence."
Wei Donglai looked at Yang Qingyuan and said, "Mr. Yang once proposed a probability in the criminal trial, which is to exclude other reasonable possibilities! Does Mr. Yang himself think that the evidence in this week's Mingsheng case can prove this case?!"
"..."
Yang Qingyuan turned his attention to Emperor Zhou who was sitting in the seat.
Last night, Emperor Zhou heard the whole process of Zhou Mingsheng's confession and asked Yaya. If Emperor Zhou spoke at this time, all the problems would be solved. Emperor Zhou was the final decision maker of this case.
As long as Emperor Zhou believed it, even if Weidong came to speak like a lotus flower, it would not change the outcome.
But Emperor Zhou was sitting high on the throne with a calm expression. When he saw Emperor Zhou's expression, Yang Qingyuan knew that things had changed.
The prince must have used some method to make Emperor Zhou remain neutral or even favor him.
No longer counting on Emperor Zhou, although the evidence is slightly insufficient, Yang Qingyuan still does not intend to give up.
"Did Shangshu Wei read the files carefully! In addition to this jade pendant, there are also witnesses! The deceased's daughter can testify that Zhou Mingsheng and Li Shou look very similar, almost exactly the same! And when the crime occurred, Zhou Mingsheng happened to be In Wannian County. Although there is no direct evidence to prove the fact that Zhou Mingsheng committed murder, there is so much indirect evidence to support it."
Yang Qingyuan looked directly into Wei Donglai's eyes and said, "Each indirect evidence can indirectly prove some of the facts of the case from different aspects, and each indirect evidence can corroborate each other and form a complete chain of evidence. The final conclusion is the fact!"
Wei Donglai shook his head and denied, "Mr. Yang, the witness you mentioned is just a child. How can such a child's words be used as evidence?!"
"Master Wei's statement is ridiculous. Why can't a child's words be used as evidence?! The validity of the testimony should depend on whether the content of the testimony matches the age and identification ability of the child. If the child's testimony is complex and cumbersome, it will naturally not be accepted. But now Although the deceased’s daughter is young, her father should not admit his mistake!”
Wei Donglai immediately objected, "Master Yang, what you said is ridiculous! Although this dynasty has no regulations on this law, the "Prison Law" in the laws of the former Qin Dynasty has an analysis, saying: Two people testify, and the matter is unknown. ! The tit-for-tat testimonies of both sides are not verified by a third person. Which one is true and which one is false? How to verify it?!"
"Master Wei, perhaps you have read a fragment of the scroll, which is not complete! The two of them testified, and the matter is unknown! This sentence is originally from "The Laws of the Former Tang Dynasty". It only applies to the crime of treason and rebellion! As a guarantee This is the only reason why there will be no false accusations between the two parties. It does not apply to ordinary criminal cases!"
Yang Qingyuan pointed at Zhou Mingsheng and said, "The deceased's daughter has never directly proved that Zhou Mingsheng is the murderer! Therefore, such testimony should be trusted!"
Wei Donglai said without changing his expression, "Your Majesty, at this moment I and Mr. Yang have different opinions! Since we can't convince each other, why not leave it to His Majesty to make a final decision?"
Wei Donglai dared to let Emperor Zhou make a decision at this time, which shows that Emperor Zhou had been convinced by Wei Donglai and the prince!
The situation in the palace at this moment is already extremely bad for Yang Qingyuan!
After pretending to hesitate for a moment, Emperor Zhou said, "Although Yang Qing has a lot of evidence, what Wei Qing said is more reasonable! Li Shou's case is an important case in this dynasty! Not to say that its influence is unprecedented! But it is also It’s about the majesty of the court! Since the current evidence is insufficient, let’s adjourn it temporarily! Wait until the evidence is sufficient to try the case again!”
Although Yang Qingyuan guessed the result, it was still difficult to accept it.
But Emperor Zhou's words have already sealed Li Shou's case. Based on the current evidence, Li Shou's case cannot be overturned!
There is no point in objecting in this case!
But Yang Qingyuan still issued his own protest.
"I beg for the bones!"
Yang Qingyuan knelt on the ground with thorough etiquette.
Of course Yang Qingyuan did not sincerely ask for the gift, and Emperor Zhou would not allow Yang Qingyuan's request for the gift. This was just his attitude.
Don’t hide the verdict of Emperor Zhou!
Pretend to resign, use retreat as advancement.
False speech is also a skill that every official must master proficiently, which is to tell the emperor clearly that I am giving up my choice!
Although all the ministers present knew this trick, the problem was Yang Qingyuan's age.
Yang Qingyuan is only twenty-six years old now. It is a bit funny to be "begging for bones" in front of the emperor at this age!
I am afraid that there has been no such age record of "begging for bones" since the founding of the Pre-Qin Dynasty. How can this be embarrassing for those in the palace who are still struggling in their official careers in their fifties and sixties? !
Emperor Zhou also knew that what he did this time was not honest. He clearly heard Zhou Mingsheng's confession last night and promised Yang Qingyuan that he would deal with it impartially. But now that something like this has happened, anyone will be angry.
Emperor Zhou did not blame Yang Qingyuan, but instead scolded him, "He is not yet 30 years old, but he is just a young boy. Why should he learn to beg for bones?! Get up!"
Although the tone sounded like a rebuke, everyone could hear the intimacy in it.
Although the Emperor did not support Yang Qingyuan in this matter, the Holy Family is still there!
Yang Qingyuan didn't really want to resign, he just used this method to express his dissatisfaction!
After Emperor Zhou reprimanded him, Yang Qingyuan stood up.
Emperor Zhou continued, "Li Shou's case does not need to be retried for the time being, but I see that Zhou Mingsheng's crimes are more than that! Let's discuss the remaining charges as well!"
Wei Donglai saluted Emperor Zhou and said, "Your Majesty! I haven't looked at the remaining charges carefully, so I don't understand them well! I don't dare to speak nonsense!"
After saying that, he returned to his original position!
King Chu, who had been watching with cold eyes, now basically understood the situation.
Neither Wei Qiuguan nor the emperor cared much about Zhou Ming's life or death, but no one wanted to retry Li Shou's case.
Zhou Mingsheng can die! But the case of Li Shou must not be used to kill him!
After seeing this clearly, the King of Chu knew where to measure today!
Although he can't deal with the prince for the time being, it is a good thing to win over Yang Qingyuan!
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