How angry, angry, and embarrassed Sima Guang was, and how happy Wang Anshi was as a bad friend and opponent.
A gentleman is magnanimous.
Wang Anshi didn't think there was anything to hide, and he wasn't happy about the victory. After all, Sima Guang didn't pronounce the sentence in public. Based on his understanding of Sima Guang, he knew better than anyone else that Sima Guang would definitely continue to investigate.
, retrial, this lawsuit will still be fought.
He just saw Sima Guang suffer such a big blow, and felt very happy. After all, he had seen Sima Guang's eloquence before, and he was rarely criticized to the point of doubting his life.
He had already laughed out loud in the hall, and now he was laughing all the way home.
After getting off the carriage, I saw a middle-aged man in his thirties standing in front of his house. I was overjoyed and said, "Jifu!"
As the saying goes, arriving early is worse than arriving late.
"Teacher."
The man also immediately came forward and bowed.
This person's name is Lu Huiqing. He was born as a Jinshi and is now the collation of Jixian Palace. More than ten years ago, he became a master and apprentice with Wang Anshi.
Wang Anshi smiled and said: "You came just in time, I will definitely have a few drinks with my master today."
Lu Huiqing felt a little surprised and asked: "My teacher is so happy, could it be that the great scholar of Sima was really defeated at the hands of an Erbi people?"
Wang Anshi laughed a few times and said, "Let's go up to the room and talk."
When he arrived at the house, Wang Anshi first ordered his servants to bring the wine and food quickly, but before the wine was served, he couldn't wait to tell Lu Huiqing about Sima Guang's embarrassment in the hall.
He spoke with great excitement and liveliness, but after Lu Huiqing heard it, he frowned, pondered in silence, and did not answer.
Wang Anshi looked a little embarrassed, and felt a little guilty in his heart. Was he taking too much pleasure in others' misfortunes? What about being a dishonest person? So he asked, "Jifu, don't you think it's funny?"
Lu Huiqing was slightly startled and said hurriedly: "My mentor should take advantage of the victory to pursue them and defeat them in one fell swoop to avoid long nights and endless dreams."
Wang Anshi was stunned for a moment and asked, "How do you say this?"
Lu Huiqing said: "When my mentor was arguing with the Grand Scholar of Sima, the ministers of the DPRK and China had their own opinions. Considering the matter, whether the sentence should be commuted or not is reasonable. But it is different now. Now the argument is that the defense is excessive. The key is
It’s a matter of filial piety, so as long as the teacher takes advantage of filial piety, the other party will be unable to resist, and the teacher can even win more support in the court and lay a good foundation for the new law."
Wang Anshi's eyes lit up.
This is really a word that wakes up the dreamer!
In the past few days, when we were discussing whether to let Dali Temple retry the case, the intention of both parties was very clear, which was to decide the outcome and not to delay it any longer.
Therefore, on the second day after the trial, Song Shenzong summoned Sima Guang, Wang Anshi, and a group of judges for questioning.
When they met, Sima Guang looked really haggard. The dark circles under his eyes were almost as big as those of national treasures. He must have stayed up all night last night to study the case.
Song Shenzong came to the scene in person yesterday and saw how miserable Sima Guang was. This was really unbearable and he said: "Thank you for your hard work."
Sima Guang hurriedly said: "Thank you for your majesty's concern. This is my duty, and it is not considered hard work."
He looked slightly embarrassed.
Song Shenzong asked again: "I wonder if the results of the trial were announced yesterday?"
Sima Guang said very cautiously: "Because the other party has raised some new doubts, which are currently under investigation, I dare not make a hasty decision."
"Your Majesty, I do not agree."
Xu Zun immediately stood up and said: "Your Majesty, it was actually very clear during the trial yesterday that Ayun had no intention of murder. She just wanted to stab Wei Ada and delay the marriage because she wanted to be filial to her mother. This is true.
The defense was excessive, and A-yun had surrendered, so his crime should be reduced to a second degree. In addition, A-yun has been in prison for four months and has received the punishment he deserves. I suggest that the court should treat A-yun leniently and release A-yun immediately."
"I agree."
Wang Anshi also stood up immediately and said: "I believe that the evidence presented by the other party is enough to prove that Ayun is a kind and filial child, not a ruthless villain as Grand Scholar Sima thinks. The court should treat him leniently."
Sima Guang immediately retorted: "Those are just some supporting evidence and the inferences of the people of Narbi, and they cannot be used as conclusive evidence."
Wang Anshi argued: "But Grand Master Sima could not find any evidence to oppose these evidences. Since the crime is only lightly suspected, Ayun should be released."
Sima Guang said: "I just ordered people to investigate, how do you know that I can't find evidence? Besides, Ayun himself admitted that it was because Wei A was ugly that he assassinated him that night."
Wang Anshi said: "As for Ayun's confession, it has been proved to be invalid in the hall. If the murderer's confession can be used as strong evidence, then every murderer will not admit his crime. And I believe that Xu Shisi will not
Providing perjury.”
Sima Guang hummed: "Filial piety and murder cannot be confused. This is a criminal case, not a discussion of a person's morality. If in the future everyone decides a criminal case based on a person's moral level, then there will be legal consequences."
What does the law do?"
Wang Anshi smiled slightly and said: "May I ask Grand Scholar Sima, which law did you rely on to conclude that Ayun is a cruel villain?"
Sima Guang did not judge the sentence based on the law. On the contrary, he actually based it on etiquette. He believed that although the law did not recognize the relationship between Ayun and Wei Ada as husband and wife, in terms of etiquette and law, they were already husband and wife. In Ayun's heart
It should be clear that what she did was parricide, which was a heinous crime.
"okay!"
Song Shenzong suddenly interrupted the argument between the two and said: "Since this case has been handed over to Bachelor Sima for trial, I believe that Bachelor Sima will give a fair judgment to the people of the world."
"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty."
Sima Guang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I will definitely not betray your majesty's trust."
When Wang Anshi heard this, he stopped arguing and his eyes flashed with a smile.
Xu Zun seemed a little surprised.
That's it?
When he returned to his mansion, he immediately called Zhang Fei and said, "You lost."
Zhang Fei looked stunned, "Did I lose?"
Xu Zun nodded and said: "The officials have allowed Grand Master Sima to continue the investigation. No matter what the result is, a verdict will not be issued for at least ten days."
When Zhang Fei heard this, the confidence on his face became stronger, and he said: "Isn't it the ten-day period yet?"
Xu Zundao: "As long as the officials allow the Criminal Court to investigate, it will be impossible to close the case so quickly."
Zhang Fei said: "But I don't have the habit of admitting defeat in advance. What should I do?"
Xu Zun chuckled and said, "Okay, okay. Believe it or not, it's up to you. I'm telling you this not because I'm afraid you'll default on your debt, but to remind you to be prepared. Bachelor Sima is not that easy to deal with."
Zhang Fei said confidently: "He will lose without a doubt."
Xu Zun was puzzled. Who gave him the confidence?
Although Wang Anshi did not continue to argue with Sima Guang in front of Song Shenzong, when he returned to the Hanlin Academy, he immediately attacked Sima Guang and accused Sima Guang of doing it out of anger, face, and unwillingness to admit that he lost to a little kid.
Regardless of objective evidence and quoting what Zhang Fei said, he is unprofessional and does not know how to try a case.
Sima Guangniu's temper also rose, and he immediately fought back.
This case was the main culprit that divided the court, and everyone took sides because of this case.
The reformists around Wang Anshi also stood up and pointed at Sima Guang.
But what is different from before is that this time the reformists have an absolute advantage because most conservatives have chosen to remain silent or disappear.
The atmosphere in the DPRK immediately became treacherous.
"Jun Shi, this case cannot be tried any longer and must be closed immediately."
Liu Shu, a doctor in the Ministry of Punishment, found Sima Guang privately and said anxiously.
Sima Guang wondered: "Why?"
Liu Shu sighed: "Because most people in the court are no longer willing to punish Ayun severely."
Sima Guang frowned and said, "Is this related to filial piety?"
Liu Shu nodded.
Sima Guang immediately retorted: "You should know that it is just Zhang Fei's words. There is no conclusive evidence to prove that Ayun committed the murder to defend his filial piety."
Liu Shudao: "But the crux of the matter is no longer here, because most people in the court believe that Ayun is indeed a filial daughter, and after Zhang San made such a fuss, if Ayun is punished severely, it will make the world question loyalty and filial piety. Of course.
When a person faces the issue of loyalty and filial piety, he should compromise and be unfaithful and unfilial, and the negative consequences will be immeasurable!
Wang Jiefu and others also seized on this issue and blamed us.
So if we continue to argue, most people will choose to side with them, and we all know that Wang Jiefu is not fighting for loyalty and filial piety, but for new laws. Now he clearly wants to use this case to win more
support so that he can reform in the future.
So no matter what, this case must be ended, and we must also express our understanding of Ayun’s original intention."
After Sima Guang heard this, he was dumbfounded.
Anger, depression, entanglement, struggle, pain, and many other expressions were intertwined on his resolute face.
At this point, he suddenly realized that he had already been completely defeated.
He was also aware of Zhang Fei's routine before, which was to use filial piety as a shield, but he ignored the political significance of "filial piety".
Loyalty and filial piety are the foundation of Confucian rule.
The basis of all governance is the so-called political correctness.
The scholar-officials of the Song Dynasty were unwilling to destroy the meaning of loyalty and filial piety just because of this small case.
Within two days here, many scholar-bureaucrats who had become officials came to the door one after another, hoping that they could give Ayun a light sentence and make a judgment that would have far-reaching significance for society.
Wang Anshi launched another attack this time, and the conservatives were not united. Although some people still supported Sima Guang, some people had already sided with Wang Anshi on this case. Of course, many people chose to remain silent.
If Sima Guang continues to fight, officials who oppose the new law will be forced to join Wang Anshi's chariot just because of this case.
As for the core members of the conservatives, their main appeal is to oppose Wang Anshi's reform. They have realized the seriousness of the problem. If they continue to investigate now, they have really picked up sesame seeds and lost watermelons. And they also understand that Wang Anshi
I wish they would fight with me. The longer the fight, the better. It would be better to directly sentence them to murder and injury.
If we delay for one day, there may be one more person standing on Wang Anshi's side.
The verdict must be given immediately.
Many conservatives did not wait for Sima Guang to issue a verdict, but they already stood up and expressed their support for the verdict of Ayun's excessive defense, and also gave their own reasons.
This means clearly. We have not lost, and we do not admit that the previous judgment was wrong. Just because there is new evidence now, and we agree with it, we are willing to withdraw the previous judgment, which exactly reflects our fairness and justice.
ah!
Sima Guang is really in trouble and feels aggrieved. I also admit the doubts raised by Zhang Fei. I just want to investigate the details Zhang Fei said. Isn't this also okay?
The answer is no.
Because one thing can be proved, that is, Ayun has indeed been serving her seriously ill mother, and she has indeed rejected her uncle as a filial piety, which is enough to prove that she is a filial daughter, so no one is willing to touch her for the sake of a little girl.
That bottom line.
No matter how arrogant Sima Guang was, he did not dare to risk the disapproval of the world. The key was that this involved a political struggle, so he could only make a compromise. Only two days later, he gave the final verdict.
The longer this matter drags on, the worse it will be for him.
Ayun was found guilty of excessive defense.
On the one hand, the judgment pointed out Ayun's violations of the law, but on the other hand, it praised Ayun for his filial piety to his mother.
This actually tells the world that loyalty and filial piety are worth defending with life.
This will set Ayun as an example, so of course he cannot be punished too severely.
Sima Guang also adopted Xu Zun's suggestion.
This was already an excessive amount of defense, so naturally there was no such thing as a heinous crime, and it would definitely be applicable to surrendering and reducing the crime. In addition, Ayun had been in jail for several months, and he had received the punishment he deserved, so he decided to release Ayun.
This is definitely not a legal judgment, but a political judgment.
But for a people of Erbi, this is not important, as long as he wins.