Chapter 183 Officialdom is like a play, it all depends on acting skills
As far as the feudal dynasty is concerned, the Song Dynasty can be said to have the highest level of emphasis and professionalism on the judiciary.
There is a big background to this, which is the previous Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.
The judicial chaos at that time was truly dark.
After the old Zhao family took over, they knew very well that without perfecting the judiciary, it would be difficult to truly stabilize the country.
For example, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, there was a characteristic that "soldiers controlled prisons", which directly led to the abuse of punishment and intensified many social conflicts.
Therefore, the old Zhao family stipulated that judicial officials must be served by literati, and through the reform of the judicial system, a relatively fair and clean judicial system was created, the core of which was the branch system.
The so-called "Jingji Branch" means to separate the trial and trial.
From Dali Temple to local prefectures and counties, this system is adopted.
The Division Chief is responsible for trial, interrogation, and verification.
Judicial prosecution means that the prosecution determines the sentence and searches out the relevant legal provisions based on the identified criminal facts to determine whether the case is applicable.
Judgments must cite legal provisions. You cannot come up with a crime, nor can you rely on legal provisions to make a far-fetched conclusion. This department and the Audit Department of the Third Division are the two most professional departments in the Song Dynasty.
One is money and the other is law.
Of course, in many counties, the county magistrate is still the chief bookkeeper, and the county lieutenant investigates and pursues.
However, as the largest county in the country, Kaifeng County is actually equivalent to the state capital level. Chi County is very powerful. If you can serve as magistrate in Kaifeng County, your future will be bright. Ordinary officials cannot get this kind of position.
of.
Kaifeng County also has state-level judicial institutions such as the Judicial Yuan.
The Kaifeng Mansion is naturally at a higher level. It has the left and right halls, the left and right patrol courts, the left and right chambers, etc., and many other judicial institutions.
Kaifeng County, Siliyuan.
In an office filled with official documents, several salesmen and record-keeping officials were sitting inside, working hunched over.
This department is the hardest.
Kaifeng County is a bit too big, with a large and mixed population. There are new cases every day. It can be said that they have endless work!
"Big eucalyptus, big eucalyptus!"
A civil servant quickly entered the room and said excitedly.
Several people in the room immediately raised their heads.
"What big eucalyptus?"
"Just now, a Taoist priest named Geng Ming sued Luo Mapo Wei Yushan for colluding with officials, engaging in malpractice for personal gain, and extortion, which resulted in the death of his family and the separation of his wife and children."
This is really a big eucalyptus!
These officials immediately gathered around.
"Geng Ming? I seem to have heard of this name before." An old recorder said thoughtfully.
"Yeah?"
"Oh, oh, I remembered it. This is what happened. Geng Ming used to be the mayor in the village and was responsible for collecting taxes. But for some unknown reason, he suddenly went to the Wei family to collect taxes. Not long after,
Geng Ming sold his land and his wife and children left him. Later... I heard that he became a Taoist priest."
Li Zheng was the most miserable Yamen servant in the Song Dynasty. The law stipulated that it must be served by first-class households. They served in turns and were often responsible for financial matters, collecting taxes, pledging goods, etc.
Of course, everything has two sides, and there are also some ruthless people among them who will transfer the suffering of their yamen servants to the villagers, but the result will not change much. After all, they are leeks. Even if they rely on their own means to support themselves, If you are fat, you will inevitably be slaughtered.
"I've also heard that there seems to be such a thing. It is said that he did not receive the land tax from the Wei family, so the county government forced them to pay it."
"This Wei family is really knowledgeable!"
"What should I do?"
While they were discussing, an official in his early thirties entered the room.
This person's name is Chen Chong.
It was the manager who joined the army.
Although he was only an eighth-rank official, he was also a Jinshi. In the Song Dynasty, there was a clear rule that those who joined the army for justice and for officers must be from Jinshi. Many prime ministers held this position when they were young.
Even if Zuyin becomes an official, he must pass the judicial examination.
This shows how much the Song Dynasty attached great importance to justice.
"What are you discussing?" Chen Chong couldn't help but ask when he saw everyone gathered around.
"Manager Chen, someone just came to complain."
These officials informed Chen Chong of the reasons.
Chen Chong couldn't help frowning when he heard this, but he had just taken office and lacked experience, so he organized a meeting to discuss the matter.
"Geng Ming has tax receipts. Just one year later, he paid three times more tax. There is obviously something fishy in this. Not only that, he also kept some of the receipts for the tax collection of the Wei family, as well as the Wei family's Proof of tax evasion for several years.”
"In fact, this evidence is enough to convict, but this evidence is also known to everyone."
"Yes! Ever since Wei Yushan's daughter married King Chang and became his concubine, no one dared to go to his house to collect taxes."
"This kind of lawsuit seems to have solid evidence, but it is impossible to reach a verdict."
"This Geng Ming is really stubborn. If he could have sued, he wouldn't have suffered like this in the first place. Could it be that he is terminally ill and wants to fight to the death?"
...
Chen Chong listened to their discussion for a long time and couldn't make up his mind for a moment. After all, there was King Chang behind Wei Yushan and asked: "What should we do?"
A group of civil servants looked at each other.
"Manager Chen, there is no need to accept cases like this. It will be in vain and will offend many people." The elder recorder shook his head and sighed.
Almost everyone sitting there nodded.
Only a young county magistrate named Bi Ye said: "You must see clearly that this is not just tax evasion, but it also includes crimes such as bending the law for personal gain, such as stealing for one's own benefit, defrauding officials of private property, etc. If we If it is not accepted, if it is exposed, we will be implicated."
"If it could have been exposed, it would have been exposed three years ago. He wouldn't be able to sue for this."
"Don't be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of the worst!" Bi Ye said.
Chen Chong thought about it and it was indeed not peaceful recently. He glanced at the young official and asked, "Bituisi, what do you think we should do?"
Bi Ye said: "Manager Chen, we are just trying the case. Whether the verdict is passed or not is a matter for the judiciary and the county magistrate. We just pretend we don't know and report it. Whether it is a verdict or not, it has nothing to do with us."
When he said this, everyone nodded.
I feel this is more secure.
The system of mutual checks and balances in the Song Dynasty actually had another drawback, that is, everyone could blame each other.
Chen Chong nodded and said, "I'll do as you say."
To be on the safe side, Chen Chong personally interrogated Geng Ming, then packed up the confession and evidence and threw them to the Judicial Army.
In fact, the Judicial Joining Forces also belongs to the Executive Yuan, which is divided into the left and right chambers. However, in some cases, the Judiciary Joining Forces directly manages the Executive Yuan.
.....
"You have done a good job. After this incident is over, I will recommend you to the superiors."
After Lu Jiawen received the manager's confession, he happily praised Bi Ye.
"Thank you, Justice Lu."
Bi Ye couldn't help but be overjoyed and quickly handed over his hands to express his thanks.
He is so young, and according to the rules of the Song Dynasty, promotion requires qualifications. This is what he lacks most, unless someone recommends him.
The next day, Lu Jiawen sent the verdict he had written in advance to the county government office.
After all, the magistrate is the highest judge of a county.
The relationship between judicial officers and county magistrates is not mutual checks and balances, but a pure superior-subordinate relationship.
But generally speaking, many civil lawsuits with a penalty of less than 30 canes are directly adjudicated by the judicial officers. The county government just goes through the process. How can the county magistrate have so much time to deal with so many things? After all, the magistrate is still the highest authority in a county. Chief Executive.
However, this case is a major criminal case and must be adjudicated by the county magistrate himself.
After Wang Hong saw this, he immediately sent someone to notify Wei Yushan.
.....
The head of the Wei family, Wei Yushan, is not yet forty years old this year, but he has become famous at a young age and his vicious methods are known to everyone and feared by everyone.
He was also fond of martial arts. When people from the county government came to his home, he was lifting a stone pier in the yard with no shirt on, and two or three concubines were standing by to cheer him up. The scene was very captivating.
"Geng Ming?"
Wei Yushan was still confused, as if he had never heard of this name.
It was the housekeeper on the side who reminded him.
"It's that stinking bastard again who doesn't know how to live or die."
Only then did Wei Yushan remember it, but he didn't panic at all and immediately ordered someone to write a petition accusing Geng Ming of extortion, extortion, corruption and bribery.
It turned out that at that time, Wei Yushan insisted that he had given the tax money to Geng Ming, and it was Geng Ming who was corrupt. Then in this name, he and several corrupt officials fabricated evidence to force Geng Ming to bear the tax money on part of his family's land. .
Geng Ming was worried about being sued, so he had no choice but to bear the burden. Later, he couldn't afford it anymore, so the government took away the land to pay debts. In the end, the land fell into Wei Yushan's hands.
When Chen Chong saw Wei Yushan's pleading, he couldn't bear it. You don't take us seriously. You can at least provide evidence. It's just a piece of pleading. Is this county government run by your family?
So, he took the initiative to go to Lu Jia for consultation.
Lu Jiawen took the paper and went to Wang Hong to discuss it.
"The tax money provided by Geng Ming doesn't mean anything at all."
Wang Hong waved his hand and said.
Lu Jiawen wondered: "If Geng Ming's tax money cannot be used as evidence, then Wei Yushan's paper is just a piece of waste paper."
Wang Hong sighed: "I didn't say that I would judge Wei Yushan to win, but... Well, Justice Lu, you should also know that those people were often extorting money from people. This was three years ago. Who knew what happened at that time? In this situation, I suggest that we persuade them to reconcile."
When this happened, he had not yet taken office in Kaifeng County. He knew what was going on. Although he would not convict Wei Yushan, he was not willing to wipe his ass. It was best to settle the matter.
As for the personal grudge between Wei Yushan and Geng Ming, you can resolve it yourself.
Lu Jiawen nodded and said: "Yes, there are many black sheep in the middle, but whoever said that Geng Ming went to blackmail Wei Yushan, I will never believe it."
Wang Hong frowned and asked: "Is this how you ended up joining the army for justice? What evidence do you have to prove that Geng Ming can't blackmail Wei Yushan?"
Lu Jia asked: "Even if this is the case, then Geng Ming should be imprisoned instead of paying several times the tax to the government."
Wang Hongdao: "This is also a common thing. If a yamen official neglects his duty, he will not necessarily be punished. Instead, he will compensate the government. This is also a way of compensation. It is not your first day as an official. Don't you even do these? do you know?"
Lu Jia asked: "Does Wangzhi County have evidence to prove this?"
Wang Hong frowned and said, "Are you the county magistrate, or am I the county magistrate?"
Lu Jia asked: "Can the county magistrate not respect the law?"
"Asshole!"
Wang Hong was furious, pointed at Lu Jia and asked: "If you, Lu Jiawen, hadn't relied on your family background, I'm afraid you wouldn't have been able to become a subordinate. Why are you here preaching to the magistrate? From today on, you don't need to take care of this."
Lu Jiawen stood up, snorted angrily, and walked away.
Wang Hong ignored the official's son and simply dismissed both parties' lawsuits because of insufficient evidence.
...
Zhang family.
"well...!"
Xu Zhiqian put her chin on her hand and looked at the door with real longing. She sighed, "Why aren't you here yet?"
Zhang Fei said angrily: "I told you a long time ago that in terms of the efficiency of the court, it will take at least ten and a half days. We have plenty of time. After work, we still have time to talk about love. You have to rush , but now I can only wait stupidly.”
Geng Ming went to file a complaint before the preparations were completed. As a result, all the documents were ready. After waiting for three or four days, Xu Zhiqian was almost over the excitement when he heard nothing.
Xu Zhiqian rolled her eyes at Zhang Fei, and when she was about to speak, there was a knock on the door.
"coming!"
Xu Zhiqian immediately became energetic.
After a while, Li Si came into the hall and said, "Third brother, there is a man outside who claims to be a member of the Kaifeng County Judiciary and joined the army. He said he wants to see you if he has something to do."