Chapter 150: 7 days to collect evidence, 1 day to kill, Zhao Duan's words to kill the heart
Chapter 150: Seven days to collect evidence, ten days to kill, Zhao Duan's words cut through the heart
How to explain?
Zhou Cheng's face looked extremely ugly, but after all, he was a veteran who had experienced many ups and downs in the officialdom for many years.
From the dialogue in the painting, one can see that he is misleading, but there is no actual evidence.
In other words, every sentence he said during the conversation is fine if taken separately, and his questioning of Wang Shan's initial statement is also reasonable and well-founded.
Instead, it was Wang Shan himself who changed his story.
The so-called "art of speaking" means that every word spoken by the tribesmen is justified, but the meaning behind it depends entirely on the people below to guess.
Zhao Duan could accuse him of deliberately making misleading suggestions.
But on the other hand, Zhou Cheng could also argue that his questions were just routine and reasonable doubts.
At this moment, Zhou Cheng was extremely grateful for his caution, which bought him room to maneuver.
Therefore, Zhou Cheng did not respond to Yuan Li's question. Instead, he frowned and looked down at the hall:
"If I remember correctly, there is a rule in this dynasty that the priests of the Heavenly Master's Mansion are strictly prohibited from interfering in any court affairs unless invited by the court. Priest Jin Jian is a disciple of the Heavenly Master, so he should know this."
Zhao Duan was surprised.
At this point, Old Deng was still trying to make trouble for him from the source of evidence.
Do you think the scroll hammer can't kill him?
Jin Jian was stunned, as if he had not expected that he would be involved in this matter.
He glanced at the latter and lied without blushing or beating his heart:
"I didn't record this scroll. I just gave it to you."
Well done... Zhao Duan nodded approvingly. Although this girl looks silly, her IQ is still high enough.
"Zhou Cheng!"
In the jury box, Ma Yan slammed the table with his big, bony hands, stood up abruptly, and said in a cold voice:
“Zhao Duan has provided the evidence, and now it’s your turn.
You can deny it if you conspired with Wang Shan to stage this drama, but I will report today's events to His Majesty truthfully! This matter is not over yet."
Zhou Cheng said nothing, as if he was thinking about how to respond.
But by this time, the trial against Zhao Duan had apparently ended.
The Minister of Justice glanced at Yuan Li, stood up, and said:
"Since there is new evidence in this case, according to the regulations, the relevant suspects are detained and awaiting retrial."
Zhou Cheng did not stop him this time.
Everyone also knows that there will no longer be a so-called "retrial."
Just waiting for Ma Yan to deliver the news to the palace and clarify the misunderstanding.
It is conceivable that the empress will issue an order to release Zhao Duan.
As for the accusations against Zhou Cheng, it was not so quick.
After all, he is one of the Nine Ministers and a minister of state. At least now, Zhou Cheng is still the chief judge.
The officials stood up one after another, and the people outside the hall also prepared to leave.
However, just when everyone thought that today's drama was over.
Outside the Dali Temple, there was a sudden sound of horse hooves like thunder!
People turned around in surprise and looked over there. Zhao Duan and everyone in the hall also looked up.
Two powerful military horses arrived almost at the same time. Two figures dismounted and, ignoring the clerks guarding the gate who tried to stop them, rushed into the crowd in the cold wind outside the capital.
"Zhang Han? Haitang?"
At this moment, many people present recognized the two detectives from the imperial yamen.
"Why are they back? Didn't they go out to handle a case a few days ago?" Some insiders were surprised.
Ma Yan also raised his eyebrows and suddenly looked at Zhao Duan with some guesses in mind.
"Zhao Jisi!?"
As soon as the two warriors broke into the lobby, they seemed to have not yet figured out the situation. When they saw him wearing prison clothes, they became anxious.
Haitang's face changed. She didn't understand why such a change happened just a few days after leaving Beijing.
Zhang Han was calmer. Mingrui sensed that the atmosphere was not right and said in a deep voice:
"Haitang and I just returned to the city. We heard at the city gate that the three courts would hold a trial today, so we came here."
Zhao Duan didn't care about these, and the first question he asked was:
"Is the trip going smoothly?"
Haitang and Zhang Han understood what he meant and nodded at the same time.
Zhao Duan smiled.
There was a hint of emotion in the smile.
Although according to the distance they traveled, the two should have returned, but the coincidence of them arriving in court seemed like God's will.
"Could it be that the souls of those who died thirteen years ago are also silently helping?"
Zhao Duan couldn't help but daydream and thought, now that the stage has been set up and the east wind has arrived, it would be better to perform today than to wait for another day.
"I'm fine." Zhao Duan explained to the two of them first.
Then he turned around and looked directly at the Dali Temple official who was sitting on the high "case" like a god, with a cold look in his eyes:
"It's your turn now."
Then, without waiting for Zhou Cheng to respond, Zhao Duan said loudly:
"Please take a moment, gentlemen. Today, the three judicial officials are all here, and I would like to submit an appeal."
"Complaint? Who do you want to sue?" The Minister of Justice frowned and said:
"Let me say this first. If you are going to sue Zhou Tingwei for framing you..."
Zhao Duan shook his head:
"The person I'm suing is indeed Zhou Cheng. He didn't frame me, but thirteen years ago, Zhou Cheng, together with Wang Shan, the former imperial supervisor Wang Zhen and others, persecuted loyal officials, disrupted the government, and falsely accused and killed dozens of officials including Xue Lin, the junior official of the Dali Temple!"
Sound like thunder!
When he said this, the audience, who were about to leave, stopped in astonishment, wondering if they had heard it wrong. Is there another twist?
"Xue Lin? Who is that?" Qian Kerou and others were at a loss.
Zheng Laojiu looked nostalgic: "That was more than ten years ago..."
Many older officials were touched and recalled this past event.
In the hall.
Yuan Li, who regarded herself as a "spectator" today, had a smile in her eyes and turned to look at Zhou Cheng.
However, when the sixty-year-old man heard the name "Xue Lin", his crimson official robe shook subconsciously and his pupils suddenly narrowed.
Then his face trembled and his face turned pale:
"You thief, since you dare to slander me, come here..."
"Mr. Zhou," the Minister of Justice suddenly held his hand and said in a deep voice:
"This is the court."
Then, this "Imperial Party" minister, who was no longer constrained in his actions after Pei Kaizhi's fall, looked at Zhao Duan and said calmly:
"Zhao Jisi, you should know that if there is no solid evidence, falsely accusing a third-rank official is a serious crime. Are you sure you want to tell me?"
"Thank you, Lord Shangshu, for the reminder," Zhao Duan simply said thank you.
The Minister of Justice sighed, knowing that after today, the court would probably be shaken again.
Without Zhou Cheng to stop him, Zhao Duan walked slowly, but not hurriedly, and told the story:
"As you all know, my Imperial Office is responsible for monitoring the misconduct of all officials. Unfortunately, since the last conflict, Zhou Tingwei has been secretly investigating me, and I, too, have investigated Lord Zhou..."
Then, he began to narrate how he asked two colleagues for help, starting from the lost files, and went all the way to search for Xue Lin's descendants, and learned the truth of the past from Xue Xuan.
During the process, he concealed the fact that he was assigned by the Empress, and only said that he wanted to investigate
——This is reasonable. After all, the stereotype that Envoy Zhao is vindictive and anyone who offends him will be retaliated against has long been deeply rooted in people's minds.
When he repeated the truth from Xue Xuan's mouth, there was a commotion outside the hall.
Wang Shan's originally pale face had almost become transparent.
"What nonsense!"
Zhou Cheng sneered angrily:
"As the daughter of a convicted official, she naturally refused to accept the verdict and hated me. She fabricated lies and framed me in an attempt to overturn the previous emperor's verdict. How ridiculous is that? If this can be considered as evidence of a crime, wouldn't it be the greatest joke in the world?"
Look, he's anxious again... Zhao Duan sneered:
"Zhou Cheng, don't use the 'late emperor' to pressure me. The late emperor was naturally wise, but he was deceived by some treacherous ministers. As for the evidence you want, I certainly have it."
At this moment, one of them was in the hall and the other was in the audience.
But in terms of momentum, the situation is reversed.
Zhao Duan talked freely:
"After the three of us learned of the confession, we wanted to investigate, but many files were lost. We had no choice but to go to the Censorate to look for Mr. Yuan. Fortunately, Mr. Yuan generously helped us and was willing to uphold justice for the innocent soul thirteen years ago.
In this way, we were able to obtain the location of many old documents scattered around and the people who handled them. "
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked towards the blue-robed doctor in the hall in astonishment, who had been "watching the fun" the whole time.
Zhou Cheng turned his head woodenly and stared at Yuan Li:
"It's you……"
"..." Yuan Li looked indifferent, glanced at Zhao Duan meaningfully, and smiled:
"Since this is an old case that the Censorate handled in the past, it is my duty as an official and I will do my best to help."
Mr. Yuan is finished!
The crowd almost exploded. Zhao Duan’s just description could not make people realize the seriousness of the situation.
But Yuan Li's entry invisibly greatly increased the weight of Zhao Duan's words.
Some people even began to imagine whether this was another big move by the bigwigs in the court.
Zhao Duan's story continues:
"Then, two of my colleagues stayed up all night and finally found the key evidence. In order to avoid alerting the enemy, they went to collect the evidence under the pretext of being out on a case."
At this time, Haitang and Zhang Han looked at each other, spoke up, and briefly described the process of their search for witnesses.
Due to the long interval, the evidence collection process for both of them had some twists and turns, but fortunately, those who can sit in the position of investigation officer are not simple people.
Despite obstacles, success was achieved.
"I have the relevant files that were lost that year, which can be checked."
Zhang Han took out a cloth package from his arms, thought for a moment, and handed it to Ma Yan.
Haitang also took out a few pieces of paper from her waist bag and said:
"I have found several witnesses. They are still in the back, being protected by my subordinates. They will not be able to enter the capital until later. But they have all written down their confessions and signed them."
Ma Yan harvested evidence ×2
Zhao Duan turned his head again and pointed at Wang Shan, who was kneeling on the ground next to him and looked pale, and said:
"As for this man, he was the key criminal in a case that year. When I went to arrest him, I ran into Zhou Cheng and this man conspiring loudly. The relevant evidence, oh, you have already seen it just now."
You arrested him, didn't you do it to protect yourself? How come...
In the jury box, He Zheng, the Chief Censor in green robe, wanted to speak.
The next second, he suddenly realized that perhaps, from then on, they had been fooled and misled by the thief Zhao, and thus ignored the knife that was stabbing at them secretly.
Mingxiu plank road, dark Chencang.
There is no such allusion in this world, but Zhao Duan's methods coincide with it.
Seven days to collect evidence, ten days to kill.
The three-court trial that Zhou Cheng prepared for Zhao Duan has now become his own public trial.
"All relevant physical and human evidence can be examined by the three courts."
Zhao Duan, wearing prison uniform, looked up at Zhou Cheng, who was sitting in a daze on the high "chief judge's seat". His mouth curled up, and every word was heart-piercing:
"Zhou Cheng, do you plead guilty?!"
Zhou Cheng said nothing, his face pale.
A brief moment of silence.
Immediately, the entire courtroom was in an uproar.
(End of this chapter)