In fact, there were many ministers in the court who secretly sent people to hire Erbi in order to fight against Zhang Fei, but these were just to deal with Zhang Fei, nothing more, even if they lost, it would not hurt them at all.
That means spending some money.
But this time is different. This time it is really not to deal with Zhang Fei, but to save his life. Once he is convicted of treason, the consequences will be unimaginable and many people will be implicated.
Now everyone knows that there is no way to prevent the lawsuit from going to the imperial court, so they quickly hired Erbi. Now everyone knows that if they don't hire Erbi, it will be almost a dead end.
So, I was forced to do this.
In this regard, Li Guozhong was really helpless. He really didn't want to fight this lawsuit. This involved the crime of treason, which was the worst of the ten evils.
This has never happened before. It is a very simple logical relationship to help a rebel. Once the crime of rebellion is convicted, the emperor will definitely think, what do you mean by Erbi to help those who want to overthrow?
Are my rulers going to court?
If I don’t kill you, who will I kill?
But there is no way. Those meritorious families and wealthy gentry in Qizhou are also very powerful in the capital, and this matter is closely related to the entire ruling class. If Li Guozhong doesn't take over, then his bookstore may not be able to open.
Li Guozhong had no choice, so he came to Zhang Fei to ask.
But he is also a little stupid. The procuratorate is not neutral, it is extremely biased. In fact, it is similar to lawyers. The difference is that there is only one boss behind the procuratorate, and that is the court. Zhang Fei’s answers are all against the rules, so he can only
Recommended to the imperial court.
After coming out of the procuratorate, Li Guozhong went to the imperial court to inquire. He was very humble. We just asked about it. If it doesn't work, just pretend that I didn't say anything.
Zhao Pin refused directly.
Very straightforward!
But this matter spread quickly and caused a lot of discussion.
This issue is indeed worthy of exploration. There is indeed a blank in the judicial system.
"Jun Shi, can you defend someone who is plotting rebellion?"
Lu Gongzhu looked at Sima Guang curiously.
Sima Guang pondered: "As far as the public prosecutor system is concerned, it should be feasible, because those people are innocent before the imperial court has sentenced them. Naturally, they can hire Erbi to fight for themselves. Now everyone is arguing
Yes, it was actually after the verdict, so is Erbi considered an accomplice?"
Lu Gongzhu frowned and said: "This Erbi makes a living by helping others litigate, so he shouldn't be considered an accomplice, right?"
Sima Guang said: "If it is not the crime of treason, you can say so, but it is the crime of treason, so even Zhao Xianggong directly rejected Li Guozhong and the others."
Lu Gongzhu nodded slightly, and then said: "But even we feel uneasy about this case. How dare Li Guozhong come to ask if he is just a casual person? It shows that there must be people behind him who are supportive and powerful. These people must not be willing."
If we let it go, they may use this to impeach Mr. Zhao."
Fu Bi suddenly laughed and said, "Maybe this is what Zhao Yuedao wants."
Wen Yanbo nodded and said: "What Mr. Fu said is absolutely true. Although Zhao Yuedao is called the iron-faced censor, he is actually brave and resourceful. Otherwise, with his character, he would not be able to succeed in the court."
He refused to stay for so long, but he knew very well that the other party would definitely not give up."
Having said this, he paused for a moment and then said: "In my opinion, the court will eventually compromise, but this will also lead to a negative consequence. If Erbi can litigate for those who conspire against him, then Erbi will
Can litigate for anyone and everyone is protected.
Regarding this point, we have to think carefully. Between the time Su Zhe left the capital and Zhang Fei came back, the Procuratorate did not do much. It might not be able to gain the upper hand in a confrontation with the Erbi among the people. If the lawsuit cannot be won,
Then we can only watch helplessly as those heinous people walk free."
In fact, until now, these officials still don't have a good impression of Erbi and are always on guard.
Sima Guang nodded and said: "If this happens, objecting will bring a bad reputation to the public security organs."
Lu Gong wrote: "It is better to stipulate that whenever it involves the most heinous crimes, Erbi can only seek a commutation of the sentence, but cannot seek innocence."
Fu Bi chuckled and said, "Uncle Hui, what if he is really innocent?"
Lu Gong wrote: "If he is really innocent, the procuratorate will not appeal, and even if he appeals, the imperial court will not approve it."
Fu Bi said: "If this is the case, what is the difference between the public prosecutor's office and the previous judicial system?"
Wen Yanbo asked: "In fact, the Legislative Council can legislate specifically for Erbi to restrain them. In this way, they will not dare to be unscrupulous."
"This is feasible." Fu Bi nodded slightly and said, "But this is not an easy task, because first of all, we have to ensure that the Erbi can help the government avoid unjust cases. Basically, it is difficult to impose too many restrictions."
With that said, he looked at Sima Guang again and said, "Jun Shi, haven't you talked to Zhang San about this matter?"
Sima Guang shook his head and said, "You can't ask Zhang San about this, especially now."
Fu Bi nodded and said, "That's true."
.......
Fu Bi and Wen Yanbo are absolutely right. On this issue, Zhao Pin and Zhang Fei actually have similar positions. As far as this case is concerned, they can accept it without asking Erbi, but this issue is a bit sensitive.
They don't have to mix it up, someone will naturally speak up, and it's not them who are in a hurry now.
As expected, after the Imperial Court refused, the court and the Central Government immediately started to riot and began to put pressure on the Public Security Bureau. Your Public Security Bureau and the Procuratorate opened your mouth about the system and kept silent about fairness. Why did the Imperial Court refuse them to ask Erbi to defend themselves? The Imperial Court can guarantee that these
Are there no innocent among the defendants?
He also took Zhang Fei as an example. The initial case of Fang Yun was also a heinous crime. In addition, Zhang Fei later sued the court using ancestral methods. Zhang Fei was also an Erbi at that time. Now that you are a prosecutor, this
Do the rules have to be changed?
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! This is not fair.
This matter was actually brought to the emperor's attention. If the emperor didn't nod his head, no one would dare to make the decision.
In the end, Zhao Xu secretly gave the Zhengshitang permission to ask Erbi to defend them in the name of the Zhengshitang.
But Zhao Xu himself did not say this, which meant that he was leaving a way out, and I might not allow him next time.
After struggling for a long time, we finally returned to the fairest way, which was to litigate in court.
As long as you go to court, it takes a lot of hard work.
The case also attracted national attention.
This is the first time that the Public Security Bureau has faced a case of rebellion.
It is also the first time such a case has been heard publicly.
It was Zhang Fei who faced Erbi in the capital for the first time as a prosecutor. The last time he dealt with the adultery case, Zhang Fei was a one-man show.
It was precisely because there were so many firsts that both parties were very uneasy. Li Guozhong and the others had never fought this kind of lawsuit. Fortunately, the forces behind it were very powerful. Not only did they invite the famous Erbi and Cha Shiren in the capital,
It also provides them with many relevant cases.
The Procuratorate is also actively exploring countermeasures.
"I heard that the other party invited the most famous tea eaters in the capital, Ren Erbi, and there were also many judicial officials from the DPRK and China to give them advice. This should not be underestimated!"
Wang Gong said with great worry.
Qi Ji said: "If we really let them get away with it, then our procuratorate will really become a joke."
Zhang Fei shook his head and said: "Don't worry, they will not plead not guilty because they know that the Tax Department has some evidence. I guess they will defend against the crime of rebellion. As long as it is not a crime of rebellion, then they can accept it."
.”
Xu Zunfu said: "But this is not easy. According to the laws of our court, the crime of rebellion is also included in the law of thieves and thieves. There is no clear boundary between the two. If we want to accuse Wu Tian of treason, it is impossible for the other party to escape."
.”
Qi Jidao: "And the punishment for rebellion is very severe. Basically, everyone including the collaborators may be sentenced to death."
Zhang Fei couldn't help asking: "If this is the case, why are there so many bandits in Qizhou?"
Qi Ji, Wang Gong said nothing.
Xu Zun said: "Since ancient times, thieves and robbers have been rampant due to people's difficulty in making a living. However, the court tried to use severe punishment to alleviate this phenomenon, which in turn led to more thieves and robbers. However, in recent years, under Wang Jiefu
With the promotion of the government and the Legislative Council, the court's strategy gradually changed from heavy punishment to cautious punishment."
Qi Ji hurriedly said: "The chief prosecutor also contributed to this."
Xu Zun just waved his hand modestly.
Wang Anshi, Xu Zun, Lu Gongzhu and others are all cautious in punishment, and Sima Guang, who is on the opposite side, cannot be completely classified as a heavy punishment school. He belongs more to the traditional school, which is a very typical Confucianism and is relatively conservative. This ancestral establishment
The rules laid down cannot be broken easily.
However, with the arrival of Zhang Fei, Sima Guang accidentally took up the banner of judicial reform. He also made certain compromises, but he was still cautious. It took so long for Kaifeng Mansion to hand over power, but he did not say half a word.
sentence.
At the same time, with Wang Anshi's rise to power and the emergence of the legal system, the entire legal thought of the Song Dynasty began to favor cautious punishment, which is now the general trend.
At this moment, a prosecutor walked in and said, "General Prosecutor, the criminals from Qizhou will arrive in the capital soon and will be placed in the prison in Kaifeng Prefecture."
Xu Zun frowned: "Who gave this order?"
The prosecutor shook his head and said: "It's not clear yet. It is said that it was arranged by the higher authorities. The reason is that the public prosecutor and the law do not have prisons for such important criminals at the moment."
After all, Kaifeng Mansion had just transferred its power to the Imperial Court, so the Imperial Court did not have prisons. The police station did build some prisons, but they were very ordinary, and they mainly detained suspects who were preparing to go to court.
Qi Ji said: "If they are imprisoned in Kaifeng Mansion, it will be easy for the other party's people to come into contact with those suspects."
They know who are behind those prisoners.
Xu Zun pondered for a moment, then stood up and said, "You guys discuss it first, and I'll go find out what's going on."
After saying that, he strode out quickly.
Qi Ji couldn't help but say: "It's been a long time since I've seen the Attorney General so high-spirited."
A flash of guilt flashed in Zhang Fei's eyes. He knew very well that Xu Zun suppressed his inner restlessness in order to make way for him.
Otherwise, Xu Zun may have done more sexy tricks than Zhang Fei.
evening.
"Huh? Why hasn't dad come back with you?"
When Xu Zhiqian saw Zhang Fei coming back alone, she couldn't help but ask.
Zhang Fei said half-jokingly: "My father-in-law had a quarrel with someone."
"Um?"
"what happened?"
Xu Lingxiao immediately stepped forward and asked worriedly.
"Oh, brother, don't be nervous, it's just business."
Zhang Fei immediately informed his brother and sister about the prison situation.
"I see!"
Xu Lingxiao immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Xu Zhiqian said: "But this is not a trivial matter. If they are detained in Kaifeng Mansion, they will have the opportunity to collude in confession."
After all, Kaifeng Mansion is within the traditional sphere of influence, and all of them are their people.
Zhang Fei said relaxedly: "It doesn't matter. Nowadays, evidence is needed in lawsuits. Lies will be easily exposed in court."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly heard Xu Lingxiao say: "Daddy is back."
Zhang Fei looked back and saw Xu Zun entering the courtyard.
Several people immediately greeted him.
"Daddy, how are you?"
Xu Zhiqian asked anxiously.
Xu Zun glanced at Zhang Fei first, then shook his head and said: "It is most likely that he will still be detained in Kaifeng Fufu Prison."
Xu Zhiqian said: "Why?"
Xu Zun sighed: "According to the news from Qizhou, Wu Tian still has his accomplices outside, and the Public Security Bureau and the Procuratorate currently do not have a prison to detain such criminals. If it is placed in a prison at the police station, it will be very unsafe. According to the rules, it should be a prison."
In Kaifeng Mansion."
Xu Zhiqian said: "But can we let the Royal Police take care of it?"
Before Xu Zun could speak, Zhang Fei said: "They have to make the decision on this matter. If it is arranged by us, if something goes wrong, it may be our responsibility."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Xu Zun nodded and said: "Zhang San is right, their reason also makes me dare not say more. Their power is not small, we have to
Be careful."
Zhang Fei asked: "Then can we meet those suspects?"
Xu Zundao: "This is possible. The public prosecutor and the law can conduct interrogations at any time, but it certainly cannot prevent some officials from informing the suspects inside."
Zhang Fei smiled and said: "It really doesn't matter, and it's more fair. After all, we can interrogate the suspect at any time, so we should also allow the other party to discuss with the suspect, lest they become unconvinced after losing!"
Xu Zun glanced at him and said: "This is not a martial arts competition. As long as it is not illegal, fairness is considered by the imperial court. Our procuratorate wants to win the appeal. In this situation, the sooner we prosecute, the better for us. After all, we
There is ready evidence, and they need time to think of countermeasures."
It seemed that my father-in-law had suffered from cowardice in the imperial city. Zhang Fei cupped his hands and said, "I will obey my orders."
Xu Zun glared at him, then suddenly looked at Xu Lingxiao, and warned: "Xiao'er! You must not talk about this outside, be careful of getting into trouble. Now the other party will definitely watch our every move."
Xu Lingxiao nodded, "I understand, kid."
At this time, Gao Wenyin and Mu Zhen came over and said they could eat.
After dinner, Zhang Fei and Xu Zhiqian returned to their small courtyard.
"If I hadn't been pregnant, I would have been able to investigate the case with you."
Xu Zhi said slightly frustrated.
A case of this level is really too tempting. If you miss it, you may never see it again.
Zhang Fei smiled and said: "You just can't go to court with me, but you can still try the case with me, as long as you pay attention to rest."
Xu Zhiqian said happily: "Is it true?"
Zhang Fei nodded and said: "The forces behind the other party are bottomless. I don't know if there are any of their people in the Procuratorate. It is impossible for me to take the evidence provided to me by the Taxation Department to the Procuratorate. This can only be done with you."
After discussion, you can only help me prepare. But you must also promise me that you must rest when I say to rest. Don’t be so busy that you forget to sleep and eat like before.”
Xu Zhiqian nodded excitedly and said: "I promise you, I promise you, I will definitely listen to you."
.....
Although Xu Zun was very confident in Zhang Fei's performance in court, he, who had been in official circles for a long time, naturally knew the dangers involved. What they were facing was not a group of gangsters, but most of the court, and the opponent was already in the dark.
operate.
Xu Zun has always been kind to prisoners, but when it comes to this kind of thing, he will never be kind to a woman.
After the criminals entered Kaifeng Mansion, he appealed to the imperial court on the same day.
Of course, Zhao Pin understood the situation and immediately informed the other party that the court session would be held in three days.
However, the Kaifeng Prefecture soon informed the imperial court that due to the large number of criminals, the procedure had not been completed. After three days, the court would definitely not be held because the prisoners could not be sent to the imperial court.
Zhao Pin said that the Kaifeng Prefecture Prison is only responsible for detention, and the procedures should be left to the public prosecutor and the law.
However, the Kaifeng Mansion immediately responded that the prisons were not under the control of the imperial court. The prisons had a prison system, and the procedures were reported to the Ministry of Punishment. It was impossible to break the rules for the imperial court.
The Ministry of Punishment also opposed the immediate opening of the trial.
Zhao Pin and Xu Zunyi put it together and don't talk nonsense to them. The Procuratorate will go directly to the Kaifeng Prefecture Prison to sue. In this case, they will not be able to go through the procedures. Let's go to court and talk about it together.
This is such a big deal!
The other party is also furious. You are really bullying us and don't even give us time to prepare?
Political Hall.
Wen Yanbo said: "Xu Zhongtu, you are too impulsive. The procuratorate can appeal based on the evidence. How can you say that others have failed to do what you want, so you file an appeal? This will have a bad impact on the public prosecutor and the judiciary."
Xu Zundao: "It's not that I don't have evidence. The imperial court has handed over the case to the Public Security Bureau. In this case, the government and prison must obey the arrangements of the Public Security Bureau, not the Kaifeng Prefecture and the Ministry of Punishment. If this is the case, then the Ministry of Punishment and Kaifeng The government comes to review.
I have long said that this case is not our turn to be tried by the Public Security Bureau, the Procuratorate, and you decided to hand it over to us. We took the case, but we don’t even have the power to decide when the trial will be held, so what else is there to try?"
Zhao Pin sighed: "I, the president of the court, are not interested in being in front of you. You should choose someone else to try."
Sima Guang said: "Let's see, the trial is scheduled to start in seven days. There are so many suspects, and they all hired Erbi. The imperial court should give them some time to prepare. This is the case in the past."
Zhao Pindao: "If Bachelor Sima said this, then the Imperial Court will be accommodating and understanding, but the prison must also obey the Imperial Court. If the president of the court cannot even call out a prisoner, then the Imperial Court will still be in charge of justice."
Sima Guang nodded and said: "We will discuss it in detail after this case is over."
After some mediation by the Political Affairs Hall, the court was finally scheduled to open in seven days.
During this period, both sides were making intensive preparations. Zhang Fei had a meeting with Qi Ji and Wang Gong in the morning, and asked Qi Ji and the others to sort out the evidence in the afternoon. He went home to discuss the specific details with Xu Zhiqian.
Because the Tax Department also secretly prepared a piece of evidence for Zhang Fei.
The people in the capital were naturally waiting to eat the melon, which was a rare sight in a thousand years. What they were most curious about was whether Erbi would really let the person go if he won the case.
Of course, most people think it is impossible because of the prosecutor opposite, but can Zhang Fei win?
After everyone's eager anticipation, the day of court finally arrived.
Today's imperial court was rebuilt from a school ground, and it is very open on all sides. Generally speaking, people have the opportunity to watch, but it is different today. There are only a few ordinary people, and most of the people standing outside are officials. etc.
This is the capital, not Hezhong Prefecture. There are so many officials, almost all of them are here. Now the imperial city is filled with petty officials and petty officials to handle daily affairs.
Everyone inside was full, and the scale was larger than a court meeting.
There is no way. The outcome of this case is crucial to any official. It involves many, many issues.
Of course Zhao Xu also came, but he did not show up. Instead, he sat on the corridor where the chief court chief entered the court. He could see the situation outside, but they could not be seen outside.
"They're all here!"
Zhao Xu took a sneak peek and saw that there was a lot of discussion outside, and couldn't help asking: "What issues are they discussing?"
Liu Zhao said: "Everyone is very curious about how the public prosecutor's office will try the rebellion case."
"I'm also very curious."
Zhao Xu nodded.
After a while, the prosecutors headed by Zhang Fei and Erbi, headed by Li Lei, entered the court at the same time.
When the two parties came to the middle of the venue, Li Guozhong and Li Lei immediately walked forward quickly, saluted Zhang Fei, and said: "Prosecutor Zhang, please show mercy later."
Zhang Fei smiled and said: "I am a prosecutor now, so I will show mercy, but I will bend the law for personal gain!"
Li Lei suddenly said: "Prosecutor Zhang, your procuratorate is in a hurry to open the trial and doesn't give us much time to prepare. Aren't you afraid that we will win without force?"
Zhang Fei smiled and said: "Why don't you think so? This is out of respect for you."
After that, he leaned forward slightly and whispered to Li Guozhong: "Actually, I don't mind waiting for a few more days, because I know that you are almost ready. If you delay it any longer, I'm afraid things will be out of your control."
, and involve all of you in it.”
Li Guozhong nodded repeatedly and replied in a low voice: "I understand all this, and I also know in my heart that the person in the court who takes the best care of our Erbi is none other than Zhang Prosecutor."
In fact, when those prisoners entered the Gyeonggi area, they had already been in contact with them, but they were obviously very passive. Of course, they delayed as long as they could. On the one hand, Li Guozhong was more prepared, and on the other hand, he hoped to wait for a turn of events.
Zhang Fei straightened up and said, "We'll see how much you have grown later."
Li Guozhong said: "I hope I won't disappoint Prosecutor Zhang."
After some pleasantries, both parties returned to their seats.
After a while, Zhao Pin finally appeared in the president's seat, looking extremely excited. He was also looking forward to the lawsuit. After a little preparation, he banged the gavel and announced that the court was officially open.
Zhang Fei was the first to stand up and said, "Our procuratorate has charged Wu Tian... and other thirty-five people with committing the crime of rebellion."
These thirty-five people are all respectable people. As long as they are convicted, the remaining hundreds of people can be directly convicted, and no one will worry about those little minions.
After he sat down, Li Lei stood up again and said: "I...I represent Wu Tian."
Having said this, he looked down at the copy, read the names one by one, and then said: "Refuse to admit to the crime of treason."
After he finished speaking, he was sweating profusely. You must know that Li Lei has experienced many battles, but he has never stuttered when speaking in court.
This shows how serious this lawsuit is.
After he sat down, Li Guozhong comforted him in a low voice: "Don't be nervous. Since the court allows us to go to court, we can just do our best."
And the surrounding people immediately started talking about it.
Lu Huiqing couldn't help but be surprised: "Are they still trying to help Wu Tian get out of crime? How is this possible? Do they have such means?"
Wang Anshi said with a smile: "Perhaps they are demanding high prices and paying them back on the spot. The procuratorate didn't let anyone go."
.....
"Are they asking for an exorbitant price and paying it back on the spot?"
Wen Yanbo also asked.
Fu Bi said: "It's not necessarily true. If Wu Tian is convicted of rebellion, based on the evidence available to the Department of Taxation, it will be difficult for the rest of the people to escape guilt."
Wen Yanbo asked: "Does Fu Gong think they have a chance to win the case?"
Fu Bi said: "It's hard to escape this living crime. It depends on whether you can avoid the death penalty. After all, the crime of rebellion is also included in the crime of thief and theft. The two are very vague. If it is counted as a robbery, it is also a capital crime.
But it is possible that the sentences will be reduced, and the charges for the rest of the key people will be even smaller, but if it is considered a crime of rebellion, they will definitely die."