Since Sun Wuliang and Sun Hao are missing, let's check the others.
He Feng, Zhou Xin and Guo Liu from Hezhuang all came and brought four witnesses at the same time. There were also many good people outside the hall. This scene made Gu Zhengchen's heart warm.
Since he came to power in Jurong, Gu Zhengchen has not seen a few people come to the county government office, and has not even received a piece of paper. This kind of peace and tranquility gives people a feeling of calmness on the surface and surging undercurrents. Feel.
Now, it’s time for the water to stir.
Gu Zhengchen slapped the alarm: "Pass on Sun Niang, Guo Jie, Guo Ning, Guo Liang."
Soon, the Yamen servants brought the four people to the hall.
When He Feng, Zhou Xin and others saw the appearance of Guo Jie, Guo Ning and Guo Liang, their eyes widened with disbelief on their faces.
Guo Liu gritted his teeth and was about to rush out when Guo Baobao reached out and stopped Guo Liu: "Master Liu, you are not allowed to trespass during the trial."
The people who were watching saw this scene and started talking a lot.
Among the crowd, there was a Confucian scholar wearing a scarf, standing on his feet and looking at the scene in the hall. When he saw Guo Jie's nose and face were bruised and swollen, and his mouth was a little crooked, he couldn't help clenching his fists and his face turned red.
Seeing this scene, Liu Boqin and Zhao Doubei, like all the government officials, looked at Gu Zhengchen. Some admired him, while others were shocked.
Gu Zhengchen squinted his eyes and glared at Yao Zhen. You were asked to arrest and guard someone. Why did you beat him like this?
"Who is this person in the hall?"
Gu Zhengchen patted the table and shouted coldly.
After all, I have never seen these three people before, and even if I have, I dare not recognize them at this time.
After Sun Niang, Guo Jie and others reported their names, Gu Zhengchen ordered: "Order Song Er to bring Sun Yiyi's bones to the court!"
Song Er sent the bones to the hall.
Gu Zhengchen said solemnly: "I will tell you the case first. In early July of the fourth year, Sun Yiyi, fellow villagers Sun Wuliang, Sun Hao and others went to Guo Liang's house to work. On the evening of the 14th, they drank and returned late. They accidentally fell into a ravine and were injured again. Landslide, buried by rocks! Sun Wuliang, Sun Hao, Hezhuang Guojie and other five people testified that the deceased was indeed Sun Yiyi! Guo Liang, Guo Jie, Sun Niang, could I be at fault?"
The three people responded: "What the county magistrate said is correct."
Gu Zhengchen nodded slightly and continued: "Very good, now I will conduct a first trial. Guo Liang, on July 14th of the fourth year, why did you leave Sun Yiyi to wait for others to drink?"
Guo Liang thought for a while and replied: "My lord, it was hot and the work was hard. I thought these people worked hard and took care of the food and drinks. Who would have thought that my grandson was addicted to alcohol and drank too much?" I was very drunk, and unfortunately encountered disaster when I returned..."
Gu Zhengchen asked again: "What does Sun Yiyi do when he works in the Liang family?"
Guo Liang said without hesitation: "Mason."
Gu Zhengchen glanced at Sun Niang: "Is what he said true?"
Sun Niang nodded in agreement.
Gu Zhengchen knocked on the table, stared at Guo Liang and asked, "Since Sun is a mason, he must have a hammer and an iron drill." When he arrived at the scene that night, he did not find these two things, and the Sun family did not have such things. , I think I should still stay at your home, right?"
Guo Liang was a little panicked and quickly said: "County Master, Sun Yiyi did not bring these things back that night, but it is unlucky to keep these damn things, so I ordered my subordinates to throw them away."
Snapped!
The hall was shocked!
Guo Liang shuddered, and heard a voice asking "Where did you throw it?" He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "The servant threw it, and I didn't know about it."
Gu Zhengchen was reluctant: "Servant, which servant is that, and what's his name?"
Guo Liang lowered his head and thought for a while: "It has been too long, and the common people have forgotten it."
Gu Zhengchen stared at Guo Liang, who was in his forties and well-dressed, and said coldly: "You are a noble person who forgets things easily, so it doesn't matter. But your servants shouldn't forget things as easily as you, right?"
Guo Liang raised his head and looked at Gu Zhengchen: "What does the county magistrate mean?"
Gu Zhengchen took out the letter card, wrote and printed it, and threw it out: "Team leader Yang Liang, I now order you to take people to Guo Liang's home and bring all his servants to the county government office. No one should be left out. I The official wants to find out who lost Sun's hammer and iron drill!"
Guo Liang was stunned, and he puffed out his chest and shouted: "County Master, my grandson was killed by a landslide. Why is he holding on to the hammer and the iron rod? What does this have to do with this case? Such a hook is useless. According to logic, wouldn’t it be a waste of time and harm to the people? We don’t accept it!”
Gu Zhengchen pinched his ears and frowned: "Guo Liang, I am not deaf, so there is no need to speak so loudly. If you want to be convinced, then I will convince you! Song Er!"
Wuzuo Song Er came out, cleared his throat, and pointed at the corpse: "These are the bones dug out from Sun's stone grave. Judging from the skull, the deceased should have suffered continuous heavy blows before his death, causing multiple cracks on the skull. There are cracks, and there is a hole as thick as a finger in one of the cracks. Preliminary speculation is that it should be caused by the iron drill or iron rod used to cut the stone."
Gu Zhengchen looked at Guo Liang: "Now, do you know why I want to investigate who threw away Sun's hammer and iron drill? These are most likely murder weapons! Yang Liang, what are you waiting for? Go and pass the news on the spot. Ask, after Sun Yiyi died, who threw out his hammer and iron drill, and who took them away! Yao Zhen, you go with us, check it out, and make sure there is no mistake! If anyone blocks or resists the government officials, Arrest and bring to justice!”
"Take orders!"
Yang Liang took the letter and took Yao Zhen and six government officials out of the lobby.
Guo Liang looked extremely ugly. For this matter, Gu Zhengchen actually wanted to turn his own house upside down!
Gu Zhengchen looked at Guo Jie: "On the night of the 14th, Sun died in a landslide. How did you get to the scene?"
Guo Jie took a breath: "I..."
Gu Zhengchen slapped the crowd, took out a punishment stick, and threw it out: "In front of the magistrate, I speak unobtrusively and have no etiquette. I regard myself as an old man. I will execute you with ten sticks!"
Guo Liang and Guo Ning's expressions changed greatly.
The yamen servant Han Qiang and others didn't care. It was time for him to serve the county magistrate. After taking the money to raise money, he had to work hard for everything. He stepped on Guo Jie, opened his pants, exposed his white buttocks, waved the water and fire stick, and bang The ground was hit!
When Guo Liu among the crowd saw this, he was trembling with anger.
Guo Baobao pulled Master Guo Liu, and couldn't break into the lobby. What if Gu Zhengchen was accused of some crime and gave you a few sticks? At your age and body, you still have to be beaten to death?
Guo Jie screamed in agony. Although it was only ten sticks, the person who hit him was a little harder. This was even worse than the beating Sun Zhi received.
Wait until the execution is completed.
Gu Zhengchen looked at Guo Jie who was lying on the ground and hummed, and asked again: "Whatever I ask you, just tell the truth! If you dare to defy the court again, I still have the right to give you dozens of more canes." Sun Yiyi died , how did you get to the scene?”
Guo Jie almost fainted. He had been living in Hengxiang Township for many years and had never suffered such a crime. He was afraid that Gu Zhengchen would greet him again, so he quickly said: "We were drinking at that time and before we left, Sun Wuliang and Sun Hao came and Sun Yi was hit by a rock. The two of them were unable to move the stone under pressure, so I called four people to follow them."
Gu Zhengchen looked coldly: "Then when you arrived at the ravine, did you see Sun Yiyi's face?"
Guo Jie shook his head: "The big stone pressed down on Sun Yiyi's head and chest, and we couldn't see it even if we wanted to. But according to the clothes he was wearing, it is indeed Sun Yiyi."
Gu Zhengchen looked towards the door: "Send the witnesses to other people in Hezhuang!"
Guo Siwu, Guo Jiuer, Guo Zhi and Guo Eryue went to the hall to salute.
Gu Zhengchen held a copper coin in his hand, knocked on the table, and stared at the four people with piercing eyes: "Is what Guo Jie said true?"
All four claimed it was.
Gu Zhengchen stood up and walked out from behind the desk: "I saw Sun's clothes and that short coat, do you still remember it?"
Song Er fetched short clothes.
Guo Jie and the other five people said in unison: "It's Sun Yiyi's jacket."
Gu Zhengchen narrowed his eyes and walked to Guo Siwu: "Look at me!"
Guo Siwu raised his head uneasily, his eyes a little fearful.
Gu Zhengchen said coldly: "This short coat was not worn by the deceased at all. You are lying!"
"I, I didn't lie, this is indeed Sun Yiyi's shorts!"
Guo Siwu became nervous.
Gu Zhengchen snorted coldly and pointed to the bloody jacket in Song's second hand: "Open your eyes and see clearly. There are blood stains on this jacket, which are obviously left by blood spatter. How can a person who fell into a ravine leave traces of blood on him?" Such bloodstains? It was obvious that someone was wearing this clothes, faced each other, brandished a murder weapon and hit it hard, blood spattered on the body! Is it you who committed the murder?!"
"It's not me, it's not me..."
Guo Siwu's face turned pale.
Gu Zhengchen leaned over and shouted, "Who are you if not you?!"
Guo Siwu's mind was full of fear. He looked at the pair of sharp eyes approaching. He was just about to say something in fear when a voice came from outside the hall: "Master, these people are just eyewitnesses to prove whether the deceased is a grandson. That's it." Isn’t it appropriate to ask aggressively?”
"It's you?!"
Gu Zhengchen raised his head and stared.
Guo Baobao walked slowly to the hall, raised his hand and said: "I am Guo Baobao, the lawyer invited by the Guo family. If the county magistrate wants to ask questions, he should at least follow the rules. Witnesses - not suspects. If they want to talk, they can If you don’t want to talk, can the county magistrate still torture and interrogate you?”
Gu Zhengchen looked at Guo Siwu, who was bowing his head in despair, and then turned to Guo Baobao: "It seems that the Guo family hired a good lawyer. But Guo Baobao, are you a member of the Ming Dynasty?"
"no."
Guo Baobao said bluntly.
Gu Zhengchen walked back to the desk and sat down: "Why don't you kneel down when you see me if you are not a student or a judge? Is it possible that you, a high-ranking litigator, don't even understand this rule of honor and inferiority?"
Guo Baobao looked a little ugly, but he still knelt down.
Gu Zhengchen looked at Guo Jie, Guo Siwu and others: "You judged that the deceased was Sun Yiyi just based on his clothes. Have you ever thought that the deceased was not Sun Yiyi at all, but someone else who dared to tell such a big lie? , you are not afraid of being punished by me!"
Guo Baobao snorted and took over the conversation: "County Master, they just listened to what Sun Wuliang and Sun Hao said and went to save people, not to mention they were dressed appropriately, how could they think of someone else. Besides, was it Sun? Yi Yi, you still need to ask Sun Wuliang and Sun Hao, they are the ones who will follow Sun Yi Yi home."
"As Sun Yi's wife, Sun Niang didn't even recognize her. How could other people identify her? How could she lie? If the county magistrate forcibly adds guilt, the Guo family will not be convinced. I don't think the people who are listening will be convinced either. Bar!"
