The magistrate's office, the prison.
This is not the first time Xue Xia has come to the prison, but he usually interrogates others and studies prison performance art.
But now, he has become the subject of research.
Although Team Leader Zhao was a little dizzy, he was not beaten to death by the bench after all. With a white cloth on his head, he gritted his teeth. Accompanied by cell leader Liu Lin, he arrived at the smelly cell and saw Xue Xia sitting in the cell. With a calm look on his face, thinking of his head that was almost shot open, Squad Leader Zhao couldn't help shouting: "You are dead, no one can save you! How dare you beat an officer and say, who ordered you to do it?"
Xue Xia sat cross-legged, too lazy to pay attention to Team Leader Zhao.
"Get up and answer me!"
Squad leader Zhao roared.
Xue Xia entered meditation like an old monk.
Liu Lin, the cell leader, was very sensible. He took out the key with a smile and said, "Don't be angry, squad leader. I will open the cell door right now and let the squad leader go in and teach him a lesson!"
Team leader Zhao was a loudmouth and kicked Liu Lin angrily. If he could beat him, why would he stand outside the cell door and shout?
Do you know that this guy beat more than a dozen people by himself?
Liu Lin was extremely wronged. He showed his loyalty and did good deeds, but why did he get beaten?
"Just wait for the prefect to interrogate you and then behead you!"
Squad leader Zhao did not dare to enter the cell. He could not bite Xue Xia while standing outside, so he had no choice but to go back.
Xue Xia snorted coldly, threatening herself with beheading? Let’s not talk about whether you have this ability, but when did the prefect’s Yamen have the right to behead people?
Even if Yao Shan condemns himself to death today, he still has to go to the capital to ask for permission to behead him. If the emperor doesn't tick the box, no one can kill him even if I sit in prison.
"Haha, you are very brave to beat up an official."
A dull sound came from the cell opposite.
Xue Xia opened his eyes slightly, adjusted to the dim light, and saw a rickety old man with disheveled hair and ragged clothes. The sound of rattling iron chains made him look heavy.
"I, who beat officials, are not wearing shackles or chains. What is your crime? You are treated like this. Is it because I didn't hit you hard enough?"
Xue Xia joked.
"Haha, you..." The person opposite laughed, and suddenly a cough interrupted the conversation. After his breathing calmed down, Fang said, "You don't seem to be afraid of death."
Xue Xia stood up, walked to the cell door, got closer, and said: "You can't die again. The right to review the death penalty lies with the capital and in the hands of the emperor. The emperor couldn't help but say, who can die? We are all his subjects. He will not give up on us."
The rickety old man sighed: "Master Emperor? Is that what you are called now? Haha, you should not hope that the higher-ups will protect you. Although the right to review the death penalty lies with the capital, the dungeon is not built in the capital. How do you handle it and how do you deal with it? Isn’t it just a matter of words? Public execution requires review by the capital, but accidental death is not under the emperor’s control..."
Xue Xia's eyes turned cold and he said, "You mean, someone died in the dungeon for no reason?"
The rickety old man smiled sadly, raised his finger and pointed at Xue Xia's cell, saying: "Two days ago, there was a person in your cell who was killed by someone with a giant hammer. It was so tragic."
"Two days ago, Giant Hammer?" Xue Xia looked back, frowned, and asked, "Is the person you are talking about still wearing official uniform?"
The rickety old man was startled. He stretched out his hand to brush away the messy hair from his face. He looked at Xue Xia carefully and asked, "You don't look like a rogue. Who are you?"
Seeing that the old man did not answer directly, Xue Xia walked back to the cell, kicked away some damp straw on the ground, looked at the ground, touched it, and said: "There are really blood stains. You should know who the person who was beaten to death was." Who?"
The rickety old man took a few steps back, huddled in the darkness, and said, "I don't know, I don't know anything."
When Xue Xia saw the old man like this, he said bluntly: "I heard the news that when Wang Kang, the supervisory censor sent by the imperial court, was resting in his old house, the old house collapsed and he died on his couch. Is this news accurate? "
"Nonsense, nonsense, they were the ones who killed me!"
shouted the rickety old man.
Xue Xia frowned and asked: "What do you know, tell me!"
"I can't say, I can't say anything!"
The rickety old man huddled in the darkness, shivering.
"Don't make any noise. If you dare to make any more noise, you will be served with a stick!"
The jailer heard the commotion and ran over, beating the prison wood with a stick and threatening.
Xue Xia fell into silence.
Yao Shan returned to the magistrate's yamen, and after analyzing the affairs of Hu's grain store, he ordered Xue Xia to be interrogated. In the lobby, after the yamen servants showed their might, they slapped the wooden door and said: "Kneel down! Tell your name clearly!"
Xue Xia sneered and said: "If you want to be tried, just try, if you want to be asked, just ask. If you want me to kneel down, Yao Shan, you are not qualified!"
"Be bold!"
Yao Shan was angry.
Hu Xin, the general judge, shouted from the side: "Such unruly people are lawless, defy the court, and beat officials. They should be tortured first and then tried!"
Yao Shan stretched out his hand to pick up the order in the pot, but after hearing what Hu Xin said, he retracted his hand and said to Xue Xia: "In Hu's Grain Store, you beat an official. The fact is conclusive, and the witnesses and physical evidence are complete. Can you return the favor?" What do you have to say?”
Xue Xia looked at the two groups of yamen servants. Some of them had fought against each other before. Seeing Xue Xia looking over, he quickly lowered his head.
"Yes, I hit the person, but I am not guilty."
Xue Xia said firmly.
Hu Xin got angry, slammed the table and shouted: "You are talking nonsense. Beating an official is a capital crime!"
"Snapped!"
Yao Shan suddenly slapped the alarm, looked at Hu Xin and said sternly: "I am the one who is interrogating the case. According to the imperial decree, people related to this case should not be present. Judge Hu Tong, please step out for the time being!"
Hu Xin's face turned livid, but there was nothing he could do about Yao Shan. Who is called a senior official? Besides, what Yao Shan said was not false. The court did have regulations in this regard, the so-called "avoidance of persons involved in litigation."
If we use the legal terminology of later generations to explain it, it is "recusal of the parties".
It's just that this law was not implemented thoroughly in the Ming Dynasty. When it wanted to be enforced, it was used. When it was not enforced, no one paid attention to it.
Yao Shan wanted to use it now, and he used it very appropriately.
Fellow colleagues Shi Yongxin, Master Liao De and others on the side were also a little surprised. You must know that although Hu Xin is a general judge in Suzhou, he has been working in Suzhou for twelve years and is deeply rooted. Yao Shan came to Suzhou with only four Year.
Although he has a high official position, Yao Shan may not be able to compete with Hu Xin in terms of interpersonal relationships, mass base, and control over government agencies. In the past, although Yao Shan was a bit strong, he would always give Hu Xin some face. He had never fallen out in court, but today he actually saw a ghost.
Yao Shan looked at Xue Xia and said, "You admit to being on official duty, but you don't admit to breaking the law, right?" Xue Xia nodded and said calmly: "That's right."
Yao Shan was so angry that he laughed out loud, shook his head and said: "Official officials represent the imperial court. If you beat an official official, it is rebellion and a serious crime of treason! This will cost you your head!"
Xue Xia agreed very much and said: "Prefect Yao is absolutely right. Officials represent the imperial court. I just wonder if Prefect Yao has ever heard of this?"
Yao Shan asked: "What's the matter?"
Xue Xia was silent for a moment, and then said word by word: "Capital Master, Piaomiao Pavilion incident!"
Yao Shan's expression changed drastically.
Although the Piaomiao Pavilion incident occurred in the capital, its impact had already spread throughout the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yunwen personally gave the nature of this incident, that is:
The court officials became domestic slaves!
After the Piaomiao Pavilion incident, a group of officials were imprisoned and implicated in Cao Guogong's mansion. It was heard that Li Jinglong had become a person that no one dared to contact, for fear of being labeled as a clique for personal gain, and Li Zengzhi was also imprisoned.
Xue Xia brought up the Piaomiao Pavilion incident at this time to remind Yao Shan that Li Zengzhi of the capital used officials as domestic slaves and was killed. What about Suzhou now?
Hu Xin used officials to send yamen servants like this, convicting people, arresting people, and scolding people without asking any questions. Does that count as using yamen servants as slaves of the family?
If it counts, then I am just beating a slave. The maximum compensation for beating a slave is a little copper coin. Even if it is killed, then I will add a few more copper coins. When will I lose my head?
If not, how can we explain that Hu Xin abused his private power and was driven by the government officials?
Yao Shan broke out in a cold sweat. He thought it was an ironclad and simple case that could be settled by just writing down paperwork and pressing fingerprints. But now it seems that things are more difficult than he imagined.
Once the theory that official servants are domestic slaves is confirmed, not to mention Hu Xin will fall, the entire Suzhou Prefecture team will collapse. For the sake of stability and for himself, Yao Shan has to say: "You are overthinking. When the government servants come to the door, the team will collapse." The leader just said that they are responsible for maintaining order, but they did not take sides."
Xue Xia laughed and said: "Isn't it true that the dignified magistrate also started to lie? Let the leader Zhao come out to confront me. I clearly remember that he first greeted shopkeeper Hu, and then concluded that we were making trouble, and then Open your mouth to insult and prepare to take action. How can such a person say that he has no favoritism? Then dare to ask Magistrate Yao, what is favoritism?"
"Even if there is such a thing, it is just inappropriate words and has no similarity with what happened in Piaomiao Pavilion!"
Yao Shan quickly retorted.
Xue Xia said coldly: "Piaomiao Pavilion bullied a woman, and the officials protected each other, and there were many dogs and slaves. Hu's grain shop bullied countless people, and the government servants helped each other. Isn't it the nature of slaves? Why don't you ask what is right and wrong? Why don't you find out the truth? Just say that I am causing trouble? It’s not because there is a general judge standing behind them!”
"you!"
Yao Shan was a little panicked. The guy in front of him was determined to lead him to death.
Shi Yongxin saw that something was wrong. If the trial continued like this, Xue Xia would probably be acquitted, and he would have to take an open-air carriage to Beijing with his whole family. And it was obvious that Yao Shan had fallen into the opponent's logical trap and could not continue.
"My lord, I think this matter still needs to be verified, so we should retry it another day."
Shi Yongxin touched the cold sweat on his forehead, stood up and said.
Yao Shan looked at Xue Xia, regained his composure, and said seriously: "I am the prefect of Suzhou, and no one will become another person's private slave. It may be a human relationship, or a dispute of interests, but Suzhou's yamen are all Ming yamen!" "
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