Chapter 708: Trouble comes from the mouth (Part 2)
After a while, a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a gray gown, came into the court. This man was Chen Ting, the owner of the Chen Family Tavern.
"Shopkeeper Chen."
Li Lei stood up and pointed at Hu Changbai and Qiu He, "Do you know these two people?"
Chen Ting glanced at the two of them, with a hint of guilt in his eyes, and nodded, "I know... I know you."
Li Lei asked again: "What are their names?"
Chen Ting said truthfully: "Hu Changbai and Qiu He are all Xiangfu soldiers from Qiaoying in Xiangfu County."
Li Lei asked: "How did you know them?"
Chen Ting replied: "They often come to my pub to drink, and over time, they got to know each other."
Li Lei said: "Then do you still remember the last time they went to your pub to drink?"
Chen Ting nodded and said, "Remember, it was the eighteenth day of last month."
Li Lei asked: "Why do you remember so clearly?"
Chen Ting said: "Because later someone from the government came to ask me about the two of them, and later I heard that the two of them were arrested by the Imperial City Division. After that, many guests came to ask me, so I remember it very clearly.
"
Li Lei asked: "Then do you still remember what happened that night?"
Chen Ting nodded and said, "I remember. The camp was distributing stipends that day. The business of the small shop was good and it was too busy. I also helped serve them wine and food. I heard some conversations between the two of them."
Li Lei asked: "What did they say?"
Chen Ting hesitated for a while and then said: "They said that the imperial court sent a eunuch who didn't know how to control water to go to Hebei to do nothing. It really hurt their soldiers."
Sima Guang scratched his forehead when he heard this. This sentence alone was really fatal. In the court, except the emperor, no one could use the eunuchs. This was not a hint, but a clear statement.
Crucially, this was not determined at the hearing.
Li Lei said: "Are you sure?"
Chen Ting nodded and added hurriedly: "I'll go over and tell them not to talk nonsense, so as not to get into trouble."
Li Lei asked: "How did they respond to you?"
Chen Ting said: "They said who cares what these two soldiers say."
"Thank you, shopkeeper Chen."
Li Lei nodded with a smile and said to Zhao Pin: "I don't have any problems for the time being."
After saying that, he sat down.
Li Guozhong whispered: "You made it so clear, I really don't know how he can win."
Li Lei also glanced at Zhang Fei beside him curiously.
Zhang Feiwu stood up calmly and said, "Shopkeeper Chen."
"exist."
Chen Ting responded quickly.
"take it easy."
Zhang Fei smiled slightly and asked again: "Did you happen to hear this sentence at that time?"
Chen Ting quickly shook his head and said, "No, I heard some."
Zhang Fei asked: "What did you hear?"
Chen Ting said: "I heard them complaining that their salary was too little and the work on the river was too tiring. They were not treated as human beings at all. They were from the bridge camp, but they were always dragged to dig rivers. Some
The water conservancy officials don’t understand at all. They asked them to build the bridge one month and demolish it the next month.”
Zhang Fei asked: "I wonder if what you said was heard in pieces, or if it is connected with the confession you just made."
Chen Ting said: "They are connected together."
At this point, he recalled it carefully, "They first said that the salary was too little and the work was too tiring, and then they talked about the hearing. Then they said that, and then they said they would not treat them as human beings. .”
Zhang Fei said: "So based on the words you heard, do you think they are talking about others or themselves?"
"I object."
Li Lei stood up immediately.
Before he could give the reason for his objection, Zhang Fei said first: "One of the charges the Imperial City Secretary charged them with was slandering the government, so we must find out whether they are slandering the government or complaining about their own lives."
"???"
All the ministers present looked at Zhang Fei with wide eyes.
Complaining about life and slandering government affairs?
Are you serious?
Can this still be distinguished?
As expected of Zhang Er’s pen, you are indeed very thin!
Even Li Guozhong looked at Zhang Fei with a puzzled expression, as if to say, Brother, you lost a lot of hair before you came up with the reason from this point of view, you are really a talent!
Zhao Pin also hesitated for a moment and asked: "Prosecutor Zhang, the president of this court doesn't quite understand what you mean. Can you explain it accurately?"
Zhang Fei said: "For example, the career law promoted by Wang Xueshi caused many salary-granting officials to complain because they did not need to do anything before to get their salary, but after the career law was promulgated, they still had to You can only get a salary by working in a business office, and the salary is related to the business office's turnover. This is human nature, and anyone will complain.
But the business law is the policy of the imperial court. If they complain about the relevant policies because their own interests are harmed, does this count as slander of the imperial government?"
Zhao Pin asked: "Do you think it counts?"
"It can't be counted."
Zhang Fei picked up a thick copy and said, "I have read through relevant cases and found that those who were convicted of slandering the government almost always criticized the government or the emperor in the name of the righteousness of the world. These people often stand on the side of the world." From a human perspective, of course, some criticisms are good words of wisdom, but some have ulterior motives.
I have not read any cases where people were convicted of criticizing the government because of personal gain or loss.
The reason is very simple. If you complain about the court because of your own gains and losses, you will not be able to deceive people, because this is only your personal matter, but it is the court that happens to pay you. Some people may sympathize with it, but they will not be complicit in it.
For example, I, Zhang San, am here today, complaining that the government gives me too little salary, that I do too much work, and that I have to be targeted, criticized by my superiors, and even assassinated by others. Maybe someone will support me. , but will never be incited by me to oppose the imperial court, because what I complain about is the relationship between my personal interests and the imperial court, not the relationship between the imperial policy and the rise and fall of the people of the world.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Or maybe, some people complained about the uneven road, but it happened that the road was built by the imperial court, so does it mean that they should also be charged with slandering the government?"
After these words, the whole place fell into silence.
Almost everyone was deep in thought.
After carefully recalling it, it seems that as Zhang Fei said, regardless of whether he slanders the government or rebels, he must look at the policy from the perspective of the world, rather than looking at the policy from the perspective of personal gain and loss.
If Sima Guang were a commoner, what he said was slanderous about the government.
Han Qi stroked his beard and smiled: "This kid is really a genius, he can even tear a hole in his face."
Li Lei suddenly said: "They are not talking about themselves, but their soldiers."
Zhang Fei smiled and said: "If I say that our prosecutors are really aggrieved, the censor debates with the prime minister every day, but we debate with Erbi every day. Do you think this is a personal gain or loss, but a matter of court policy and
The relationship between the rise and fall of the world?"
After hearing this, Qi Ji and Wang Gong lowered their heads at the same time. This was really a shame.
He then heard Zhang Fei say: "This is just the most common spoken expression. Bringing in more people will make your words more confident and convincing. But in fact, I cannot represent the procuratorate, and they cannot represent the soldiers."
Many people nodded frequently, which is indeed a common spoken expression.
After Zhao Pin thought for a while, he nodded and said: "The objection is invalid. Witnesses please answer."
Chen Ting was dumbfounded and came to his senses, "Ah? What's your answer?"
Zhang Fei said: "Do you think Hu Changbai and Qiu He's remarks are complaining about their own lives or slandering the government?"
Chen Ting thought for a moment and said: "They are mainly complaining that their salary is too small and their work is too tiring."
Zhang Fei asked: "The main complaint is that there is too little money and the work is too tiring. Then what is the second priority?"
"Well...."
Chen Ting changed his words again: "No...nothing secondary, they are just complaining that their soldiers are living too hard."
Zhang Fei asked again: "Did you notice how much they drank when they said those words?"
"I drank a lot."
Chen Ting said.
Zhang Fei asked: "Are you drunk?"
Chen Ting said: "According to my observation, you shouldn't be drunk yet, but you will soon get drunk."
Zhang Fei asked again: "You are a tavern owner. According to your observation, when you are in this state of drinking, is it easier to express your grievances?"
"of course."
"I object."
"I take it back."
Zhang Fei glanced at Li Lei, who was already a little anxious, and asked Chen Ting: "Why do Hu Changbai and Qiu He habitually come to your shop to drink?"
Chen Ting said: "Because my pub is right next to their camp. When they come back from work and pass by the shop, they often come to the shop to have a few drinks."
Zhang Fei said: "In other words, the soldiers in their camp often come to your shop to drink?"
Chen Ting nodded, "Yes."
Zhang Fei said: "Among the soldiers who came to your shop to drink, did any of them complain that their salary was too small and their work was too tiring, or were they just the two of them who complained?"
"I object."
Li Lei stood up again, "This has nothing to do with this case."
"It definitely matters."
Zhang Fei said: "Because the Imperial City Division still thinks that they are deliberately disturbing the morale of the army, but if the soldiers in the side are complaining, and Hu Changbai and Qiu He are just talking about one thing, and the soldiers are complaining to each other, how can it be counted? Deliberately disrupting military morale."
Zhao Pindao: "The objection is invalid. Witnesses please answer."
Chen Ting nodded and said, "Usually those soldiers also complain."
Zhang Fei said: "What are they mainly complaining about?"
Chen Ting said: "The same thing as Hu Changbai and Qiu He, they all complained that the river service was too hard and tiring, and the salary was too little."
Zhang Fei asked again: "When your business was not good, or when you were sick, or when you were insulted by customers, did you ever complain?"
Chen Ting nodded and said, "Of course I have complained when encountering these situations."
Zhang Fei asked: "Why?"
Chen Ting said: "This...isn't this human nature?"
"Yes, it's human nature."
Zhang Fei smiled and nodded, then said to Zhao Pin: "I have no other questions."
Zhao Pin looked at Li Lei again.
Li Guozhong said in a low voice: "Calm down, even if he wins this issue, it will be insignificant to the entire lawsuit. This is just his personal explanation, not an argument."
Li Lei took a deep breath, adjusted his mentality, and stood up, "Shopkeeper Chen, you just said that you can also complain. Will you complain to the court?"
"Of course not." Chen Ting said immediately.
Li Lei said: "You said those soldiers would complain to some extent. Would they complain that the imperial court used eunuchs to control the water?"
Chen Ting said: "That's not the case."
"I'm done asking."
Li Lei sat down and glanced at Zhang Fei, "If you want to do this dirty trick, can other people's complaints be the same as those of the two of them?"
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "I don't have any other questions."
Zhao Pin looked at Li Lei again.
Li Lei frowned slightly and then said there was no problem.
Zhang Fei stood up and said, "I sincerely ask the chief judge to call Liang Daoshen, the Marquis of Qiaoying, to appear in court to testify."
Zhao Pindao said: "It is said that Yuhou Liang of Chuanqiaoying is deep."
After a while, I saw a short, fat, middle-aged man with a big belly coming up to the court. He had a mustache on his thin lips, exuding a sense of intelligence.
Zhang Fei asked: "Marquis Liang Yu, what are you responsible for in the camp?"
Liang Daoshen said: "I am specifically responsible for inspection and supervision."
"Then do you know the first witness and the second witness?"
Zhang Fei directed his hand towards Hu Changbai and Qiu He.
Liang Daoshen nodded, "I know Hu Changbai, Qiu He."
Zhang Fei asked: "How do they usually behave?"
Liang Daoshen said: "The two of them usually work very hard, and they are relatively honest in our camp."
Um?
As soon as these words came out, Li Guozhong and Li Lei were immediately alert.
At the same time, Sima Guang and the others also cast surprised glances. Hu Changbai and Qiu He also looked at Liang Daoshen in shock.
Zhang Fei asked: "Have you noticed that they have evil intentions?"
Liang Daoshen shook his head and said: "Not at all."
Zhang Fei asked: "Do they usually complain about the court?"
Liang Daoshen hesitated a little and said, "Then it depends on what to say?"
Zhang Fei asked: "How do you say this?"
Liang Daoshen said: "If the labor is heavy, they will naturally complain about it."
Zhang Fei said: "But what does this have to do with the imperial court?"
Liang Daoshen said: "Of course it does matter, because the labor is arranged by the imperial court. If they want to complain, they must complain about the imperial court. This is normal. The bartender in the store who delivers drinks a few times will also complain that it is too hard, and the wages are not paid.
few."
Everyone cast even more surprised glances.
When Liang Daoshen came up, almost everyone thought that Liang Daoshen must be biased towards the Imperial City Division and could not be biased towards a few side soldiers, but it didn't look like the situation!
Liang Daoshen's answer was exactly what Zhang Fei said.
But the ministers reacted quickly.
Liang Daoshen was the immediate superior of their soldiers. The people below disturbed the morale of the army, slandered the government, and even attempted rebellion. How could his superior not be implicated?
Now that the Procuratorate has come forward to file a complaint for the two soldiers, they must be supporting the Procuratorate!
Once he is convicted, if the Imperial City Division makes another enlargement, they will blackmail him into bankruptcy even if he doesn't die. Everyone in Qiaoying will definitely support the procuratorate.
Li Zhien also realized this, a stern look flashed in his eyes, and he was secretly angry, you warriors are really short-sighted.
Zhang Fei nodded and asked again: "As for the salary in your camp, I heard from the first witness that it is insufficient all year round. I wonder if that's the case?"
Liang Daoshen nodded and said: "Yes."
Zhang Fei said: "Why?"
Liang Daoshen said: "This is because more and more soldiers are being recruited, but the finances have not increased, so the money will naturally be less."
Zhang Fei asked: "Why are there more and more soldiers?"
Liang Daoshen said: "That's because natural disasters, large and small, occur in various places every year, causing some people to be displaced. However, the officials are known to govern the world with benevolence, so they can only help these refugees find a job in the military camp to tide them over."
Wang Anshi couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhang Fei asked: "Why was the full salary paid again last month?"
Liang Daoshen said: "The main reason is that at the last hearing, the officials learned that the labor was so heavy, and they couldn't bear it, and allocated 300,000 guan from the inner treasury to relieve the people of Hebei, so they decided to also pay the river laborers in the capital.
Enough salary money.”
This flattery was so flattering that Han Qi and the others almost laughed out loud.
This is obviously beneficial to Zhang Fei. As long as the emperor is separated from it, the procuratorate will be much easier!
Zhang Fei said: "Will you still receive full salary in the future?"
Liang Daoshen said: "Not necessarily. If Xiangbing continues to recruit people, the salary that each person will receive will naturally become less and less."
Zhang Fei asked: "In the past two or three years, has the river service in the Gyeonggi area been heavy?"
Liang Daoshen nodded and said: "It's very heavy, because the Bianhe River has been repaired in recent years."
Zhang Fei lowered his head and glanced at the copy, "But as far as I know, your bridge camp specializes in building bridges. Why do you build rivers?"
Liang Daoshen said: "This is called the bridge camp, but in fact our camp does everything. This is mainly based on the requirements from above. If the working hours are short, our people will be asked to repair the river, or if there is a shortage of people for water transportation, we will also let them
Our soldiers went to deliver it."
Zhang Fei asked curiously: "Wouldn't that be very confusing? The officials don't know how many people were used. The people who were supposed to repair the bridge ended up going to water transportation. Who will repair the bridge?"
Liang Daoshen hesitated for a moment and said: "Sometimes this kind of confusion occurs."
A smile flashed in Wang Anshi's eyes.
Zhang Fei asked again: "How many days of rest do the soldiers in your camp have each month?"
Liang Daoshen said: "There have been relatively few recently, and I don't know the details."
Zhang Fei asked again: "Are there any soldiers who died from fatigue?"
Liang Daoshen nodded and said, "Yes."
Zhang Fei asked again: "Have there been any ineffective projects? For example, this month we decided to build a bridge, but the next month we thought the bridge should not be built like this, so we demolished it again."
Liang Daoshen nodded and said: "It's also a gain."
Zhang Fei continued to ask: "Why?"
Liang Daoshen said: "This is all decided by the higher-ups. We are only responsible for the work."
Zhang Fei said: "If you fail to complete the task, will you be punished?"
Liang Daoshen said: "Yes."
Zhang Fei asked: "So Liang Yuhou, you must urge them to complete the work, and work day and night?"
Liang Daoshen said: "Sometimes it happens like this."
Zhang Fei asked again: "Have any soldiers complained about the above-mentioned things and pointed the finger at the imperial court?"
Liang Daoshen said: "It happens often."
Zhang Fei said: "Won't this disturb the morale of the army?"
Liang Daoshen said: "This is very common in water transportation and rivers. They will also reprimand them for it, but we prefer that they speak out instead of keeping it in their hearts."
Zhang Fei asked: "Why?"
Liang Daoshen said: "Because they will feel better if they speak out, the superiors will also pay attention to it, comfort it, or reprimand it. If they keep it all in their hearts, then we don't know what they are thinking, and something might really happen."
"I am very grateful to Liang Yuhou for being able to attend and testify."
Zhang Fei nodded with a smile and said to Zhao Pin: "I have no problem for the time being."
Many people couldn't stand this cooperative play.
Li Lei couldn't wait to stand up and asked Liang Daoshen: "Liang Yuhou, do you know that Hu Changbai and Qiu He were arrested and brought to justice by the Imperial City Division."
"I object."
Zhang Fei said: "What does it mean to arrest and bring to justice? The first witness and the second witness have not been convicted yet. The Imperial City Division does not have the right to make a judgment. If the other party asks such questions, others will think that the first witness and the second witness are guilty."
Zhao Pindao: "The objection is valid, the defense please pay attention to the wording."
"yes."
Li Lei immediately changed "arrest and bring to justice" to "arrest for slandering government affairs."
Liang Daoshen nodded and said: "I know."
Li Lei asked: "If Hu Changbai and Qiu He are convicted, does Liang Yuhou think he will be investigated and punished for this?"
"I object."
Zhang Fei, whose buttocks were still hot from sitting, stood up again, "The defense is trying to induce witnesses to testify."
Li Lei said: "I just want to ask clearly about Liang Yuhou's interest relationship with this case."
"invalid objection."
Zhao Pin shook his head and said.
Zhang Fei scratched his head awkwardly and then sat down.
Liang Daoshen hesitated for a while and said: "Maybe."
Li Lei said: "According to our investigation, if there are soldiers in the camp who slander the government and disturb the morale of the army, and Marquis Yu fails to stop them, but is reported by others, Marquis Yu will most likely be investigated and punished. Liang Yu Does Hou agree?"
Liang Daoshen nodded.
Li Lei said: "So Liang Yuhou, you prefer that Hu Changbai and Qiu He not be convicted. This will be more beneficial to you."
"I object."
"I'm done asking."
Li Lei sat down.
Cheng Yi asked in a low voice: "President, why did Prosecutor Zhang object and Na Erbi sat down?"
Zhao Pin smiled and said: "Because he knows that I will definitely rule against it and it will be valid."
Cheng Yi asked again: "Why?"
Zhao Pindao: "Because he only used supporting evidence to judge the witness's behavior without providing conclusive evidence. Does it mean that if he may be punished for this, he will definitely make a confession against his will? There is no direct relationship between the two."
Cheng Yi nodded slightly and asked again: "Since he knows it's wrong to ask, why does he still ask?"
Zhao Pindao: "He is just reminding me and everyone here that this case has interests involved with Liang Yuhou, and we must carefully consider his confession."
Cheng Yi wondered: "But just now the chief judge said there is no conclusive evidence?"
Zhao Pindao: "But there is no conclusive evidence to prove that he will not make a confession that is beneficial to the first and second witnesses because of his own interests. Unless the prosecutor presents conclusive evidence, otherwise, the imperial court will make limited reference The confession of Marquis Yu of Liang."
Cheng Yi nodded and his expression became more solemn. There is really a lot to be said about the Public Security Bureau and the Procuratorate!
Why Qi Hui, Su Shi, and Fan Chunren were able to take office elsewhere was not only because they were talented, but also because they had seen many lawsuits and many people had discussed the secrets.
A court trial is like a battlefield, and neither "Song Xing Tong" nor "Sun Tzu's Art of War" can solve the problem.
After Zhang Fei sat down, Qi Ji whispered: "The Erbi is getting more and more powerful. With just a few words, the confession of Marquis Liang Yu was greatly compromised."
Zhang Fei smiled and said: "I think he is getting stupider and stupider, and there is no progress at all."
Wang Gong asked curiously: "How do you say this?"
Zhang Fei smiled and said: "Because he has fallen into my trap, don't forget, we are not defending Hu Changbai and Qiu He, but suing the Imperial City Division. Next is my performance time."