This was not only Zhang Fei's first lawsuit in the Northern Song Dynasty, but also the first lawsuit in his life.
He has little experience in court. In his internship position, he also did some errands and financial calculations.
But this gave him an advantage.
Because he has not yet formed a fixed mindset of procedural justice.
When he studied ancient laws, he learned that ancient legal thought pursued result justice rather than procedural justice.
What result is just?
To put it simply, good will be rewarded with good and evil will be punished with evil.
Therefore, in the hall, he spent more time portraying Fang DaTian as a villain, while on Wei DaTian's side, he played the sympathy card.
Rather than looking for loopholes in judicial procedures.
Judging from the reaction of the onlookers, it was obvious that he was very successful.
Judges in future generations can give a sentence that everyone reviles.
But today's officials, especially those with integrity, dare not make such a judgment.
Because they are more pursuing the justice of the results.
Of course, everything must be based on laws and regulations, but the focus of litigation is different.
"Thank you, Third Brother Zhang. Thank you, Third Brother Zhang!"
"Brother Zhang's great kindness to our brothers must be remembered in our hearts. If Brother Zhang needs help in the future, we will never hesitate to ask."
……．
After leaving the government office, the Wei brothers cried bitterly and thanked Zhang Fei for seeking justice for them.
Zhang Fei asked seriously: "Is this true?"
The Wei brothers were stunned at first, then Wei A'er suddenly patted his chest and said, "Brother Zhang, just ask."
Zhang Fei hesitated a little and said: "Actually, it's not a big deal. It's just that I need you two to help me be witnesses again. I still have a lawsuit to fight."
Wei A'er said: "What lawsuit?"
"It's about Ayun's lawsuit."
Zhang Fei said: "I told you that Ayun saved my life and I must repay her."
Wei A'er couldn't help but look at his elder brother, which made him a little confused. After all, that woman was also an enemy!
Weada was stunned for a long time, nodded silently, and agreed.
After the debate just now, he didn't really hate Ayun.
At this moment, Liu Hai suddenly came over and said: "Zhang San, our governor has something to ask you."
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "What a coincidence. I also have something to discuss with Zhizhou."
He then said to the Webster brothers: "You go back to the hotel first, and we will talk in detail when I come back."
After saying this, he and Liu Hai returned to the government office.
....．
"Zhang San, a small citizen, has seen Zhizhou."
"Zhang San, do you know why I came to you this time?"
Xu Zun asked expressionlessly.
Zhang Fei pondered for a moment, glanced at Xu Zun again, shook his head and said, "I don't know."
Xu Zun snorted: "Did you forget that you still owe me the money?"
Debt collection? Wow...you are so stingy! Zhang Fei is not as high-spirited as he was just now, and he said: "Yes, Xiaomin still owes Zhizhou two thousand dollars, but... But Xiaomin has no money now, and I hope Zhizhou will relax for a few days."
"No money."
Xu Zun looked at Zhang Fei and said, "You won fifty acres of land for the Wei brothers. Didn't you ask for payment?"
Zhang Fei blinked: "Wha...what? Can I get paid for doing good deeds?"
Xu Yuanqi on the side was confused and said: "You guys are still pretending to be stupid here. The account you just calculated really surprised me. I have never seen such detailed accounts in my many years of reviewing cases." Don’t you know how to ask for remuneration?”
Zhang Fei said: "Xiaomin is only seeking reasonable compensation for the Wei brothers and has not asked for any remuneration from them."
Xu Zun asked: "Seriously?"
Zhang Fei said: "How dare the common people deceive Zhizhou? How dare the common people not rely on Zhizhou's account? If they have money, how dare they not pay it back."
After Xu Zun examined him, he nodded and said, "Okay! I will give you a few more days of grace."
"Thank you Zhizhou."
Zhang Fei bowed his hands and said suddenly: "Just in time, I have a piece of paper to present to the magistrate."
As soon as these words came out, Xu Yuan, Liu Hai and others were immediately dumbfounded.
Your family is a wholesaler of paper, right?
Xu Zun was the only one who was not surprised, but he frowned and pretended to be dissatisfied: "You're going to keep suing me forever!"
Zhang Fei explained: "It's not a new case, but about Ayun's murder case."
Xu Zun exclaimed: "Avoiding the crime again?"
Zhang Fei hurriedly shook his head and said: "No, it's just based on Fang Datian's injury case that Xiaomin thinks there is enough reason to re-examine Ayun's motives and whether she really has harmful intentions. If she does not have harmful intentions, No murder was intended."
Xu Zun was secretly happy.
Xu Yuan also understood and immediately refuted: "Even if Ayun was forced to do it, her guilt of murder is indisputable."
Zhang Fei immediately said: "But Xiaomin thinks that Ayun did not actually have murder intentions. She went to hurt Wei Ada, which was really a good intention, but she just used the wrong method. At the same time, there are witnesses in the case."
"New witness?" Xu Yuan asked, "What witness?"
There are so few people involved in this case, how could there be any new witnesses?
Zhang Fei replied: "It is Wei Ata, the victim in this case."
"Wei Ada?" Xu Yuan was surprised, "You said Wei Ada wanted to testify for Ayun?"
"Yes."
Xu Yuan and Xu Zun looked at each other.
If Weada wants to testify for Ayun, then he is definitely a new witness.
But this is a bit outrageous!
Zhang Fei said: "Since General Wei A will provide new testimony, I believe that Ayun can only be found guilty of excessive defense at most."
"Overly defensive?"
Xu Yuan thought that Zhang San was crazy. The exemption from the crime he mentioned before was still reasonable. It was just that he was taking advantage of the loopholes in the law, but he estimated that Dali Temple and the Ministry of Punishment would not agree to it. .
Now he has to plead excessive defensively.
How can this be.
To be so defensive that you go to someone else’s house and kill someone?
It's simply unreasonable.
Facing Xu Yuan's confusion, Zhang Fei said seriously: "Yes, Ayun is definitely innocent. She is also one of the victims. The government should give her justice."
Xu Zun was secretly happy, but he said, "Send the paper in first."
"yes."
Does Xu Yuan not know what Xu Zun is thinking? He even thinks that the two people have colluded for a long time, but he does not agree with Xu Zun entangled in the case. However, if Wei Ada becomes a new witness, there will be enough reasons to overturn the case. Suddenly , he had an idea and said: "Wait a minute! Zhizhou, this is a reversal of the case. If the Zhizhou accepts the case, he should also avoid suspicion and choose another official to try it."
Xu Zun frowned upon hearing this.
The Song Dynasty had clear regulations on overturned cases, called "Reversal of Cases".
To put it simply, if the criminal wants to overturn his confession, or refuses to accept the verdict, and the circumstances are serious, then another official must be used to hear the case.
This case involves human life and must be serious.
Although Xu Zun was also dissatisfied with the Dali Temple's judgment, it was an internal dispute within the judicial department. However, if Zhang Fei appealed, it would definitely be a case of "interpretation of differences."
In fact, Xu Yuan said this to protect Xu Zun, because Xu Zun was just a temporary official in the capital and would have to return to the capital soon. He would not be guilty of this case and his future would be unclear.
"Replacement trial?"
Zhang Fei was shocked.
In this ancient case, talent is the key, and the law is only secondary. Why is he so arrogant? It is completely the result of Xu Zun's connivance.
If it were anyone else, he would probably be slapped before the trial.
To complain at every turn is to be a cunning person.
Xu Zun glanced at Zhang Fei, nodded and said: "Yes, according to our court system, if you want to overturn the case, you must change someone to try it. Do you still file a lawsuit?"
There was a hint of provocation in this look.
We have already reached this point. How can we do this if we don’t continue? Zhang Fei smiled and said: "The sun is shining brightly, and the common people have nothing to fear. But the common people have one request."
Xu Zun asked: "What's the request?"
Zhang Fei said: "Just like today, the trial will be open to the public."
Xu Zun pondered for a while and then said: "You should step back first."
"Xiao Min, please retire."
After Zhang Fei withdrew, Xu Zun carefully examined the paper and suddenly said: "Bangs."
"What are your orders from Zhizhou?" Liu Hai hurriedly stood up.
Xu Zundao: "Go and ask Cao Tixing to come to the house."
Liu Hai nodded with great reluctance, "Yes, I will go and invite you now."
The Dengzhou government office is already the highest administrative and judicial department of the state government. It cannot be transferred to the county level, so it can only be transferred to the Department of Prisons.
Moreover, the responsibility of the Department of Prisons is to be in charge of various prisons and has the power of supervision and interrogation.
After the state government or county government has made a judgment, if the prison director feels it is inappropriate, he can retry the case. You must know that the prison director is directly responsible to the emperor.
It just so happened that Cao Yan, the Tokyo Road criminal officer, was inspecting Dengzhou Daiyi recently.
Half a month later, Cao Yan was finally invited. Hearing that Ayun was going to overturn the case, the delicious food on the table suddenly lost its aroma. As soon as he put down his chopsticks, he couldn't help but wonder: "Xu Zhizhou, the evidence in this case is solid. , and Ayun has also confessed before the law, what else is left to defend?"
Xu Zun immediately handed over the verdict of Fang Datian's wounding case to Cao Yan and said: "This case was sentenced by Japanese officials a few days ago. I would like to ask Cao Tixing to review it."
After Cao Yan saw it, Xu Zun asked, "I wonder if Cao Tixing thinks this sentence is fair?"
Cao Yan nodded slightly and said: "Indeed. During the period of observing filial piety, you are not allowed to marry. This is against filial piety and is not allowed by the law. Fang Datian will indeed be punished for doing this, but is the claim for compensation excessive?"
Xu Zun chuckled and said, "To be fair, I feel that this claim is too much, but... But the reason for Wei Ada's claim is too much for me to refute!"
After that, he asked Liu Hai to hand over the extremely novel claim form to Cao Yan.
After reading it, Cao Yan had nothing to say. He asked himself, he couldn't write such a well-founded claim form. He couldn't even think of it, so he asked, "Who wrote this?"
Xu Zun told the truth: "This was written by an Erbi man named Zhang San, and it was this person who wanted to reverse Ayun's case."
"oh?"
Cao Yan asked again: "Who is he from Ayun?"
Xu Zun said with a smile: "Cao Tixing must have forgotten that Ayun once saved a drowning man after committing the murder."
Cao Yan suddenly remembered that A Yun's case had naturally passed through the hands of the Prison Department, and said: "I remembered that the man A Yun saved seemed to be named Zhang San."
Xu Zundao said: "Zhang San reversed the case for Ayun, probably out of repayment."
Cao Yan nodded slightly and said: "The desire to repay kindness is worthy of encouragement, but this law is like a mountain, which is not the principle of repaying kindness."
Xu Zun nodded and said: "But when we judged the Ayun case before, we seemed to have ignored the responsibility of Fang Datian and others. Now after the trial of the case, we found that Fang Datian and the others were unshirkable for this tragedy. Zhang San It is believed that this case is enough for the government to re-examine whether A-Yun has the motive for murder. And Zhang San also said that there is a new witness who can prove that A-Yun has no intention of murder."
Cao Yan asked: "What witness?"
Xu Zundao: "It's the victim Wei Ada."
This is the key point in overturning the verdict.
Cao Yan frowned and said, "Could it be that Zhang San helped Wei Ada claim land and made Wei Ada change his confession in order to repay Ayun for saving his life?"
Xu Zundao: "What Cao Tixing said is possible, but I believe Zhang San would not do such a stupid thing."
Wei Ada is the victim and the most important witness in the case. If he wants to testify for Ayun, it will already be a reason to reverse the case.
Cao Yan suddenly glanced at Xu Zun and said, "I heard that Xu Zhizhou refused to accept the judgment of Dali Temple on this case?"
Xu Zun avoided the important matter and said, "Dali Temple overlooked some details, so I will supplement them."
Cao Yan added: "If Xu Zhizhou still refuses to accept my verdict, then wouldn't it be in vain?"
This Xu Zun is not an ordinary magistrate. He is an official of Dali Temple who works here. To put it simply, the imperial court saw that he has done well and asked him to come here to gilt. His future is limitless, and the final judgment of the Prison Department is still It was handed over to Dali Temple for review. Xu Zun had someone in the court.
When Xu Zun protested again, Cao Yan felt that this was not to find something to do for himself.
Xu Zun hesitated for a moment, and then said: "The reason why I don't accept the judgment of Dali Temple is because there are errors and omissions in the judgment of Dali Temple. As long as it is a fair judgment, why should I refuse to accept it?"
Cao Yan nodded and said, "Okay! I will take over the case."
For him, there is no doubt about this case. Even if it is not a heinous crime, it is still a crime of murder and cannot be labeled as excessive defense. This is all caused by Xu Zun's sympathy. If he wants to entangle, everyone will You have to stay with him, just give him a reason to give up.
