Three alarms sounded in succession, and twelve government officials, all dressed in soap red uniforms and holding long sticks of water and fire, stood in two rows, east and west, standing solemnly in the hall.
Wei Chen, who is dressed in the uniform of a fifth-rank official, is sitting behind the public eucalyptus, with a bright mirror hanging a plaque above his head and a rising sun screen behind him, which makes him look extremely majestic.
Wei Chen took a deep breath, picked up the gavel on the eucalyptus, slapped it hard, and said in a deep voice: "Shengtang!"
"Power——Martial——"
The three squads of yamen uniformly poked the water and fire sticks on the ground, making a loud noise.
Wei Chen said loudly: "Bring the criminal to court!"
After the words fell, two young men in coarse cloth were brought into the lobby by the government officials and each knelt down.
The people watching outside suddenly became excited, pointing at the criminals, and chattering non-stop.
Originally, according to the rules, the trial was held in the second hall, and no idlers were allowed to enter. However, Wei Chen's original intention was to show his fairness and strictness to the people, so he naturally needed the audience to be present, so he asked the yamen to let the people in and let them sit on the platform.
Listen in.
At this time, when Wei Chen saw the noisy scene on the platform, he could not help but frown slightly and slapped the wooden door: "Quiet! Anyone who makes noise for no reason will be punished as disturbing the court!"
The government officials all poked the water and fire sticks into the ground, making a shocking sound. The people watching the excitement outside felt their hearts tremble, and they suddenly became silent.
Wei Chen nodded with satisfaction when he saw this, and said seriously: "Come on, take the master of suffering!"
Not long after, an old woman was also brought into the lobby. Wei Chen asked aloud: "Who is the owner of the suffering?"
The old woman knelt down on the ground tremblingly and cried: "I am a person from Shiqiao Street, Tong'anfang, Xinzheng County, my name is Sun E. I beg Master Qingtian to make the decision!"
Wei Chen saw that Sun E had slender hair, disheveled hair, and teeth. She was at least seventy or eighty years old. At this age, even the emperor was embarrassed to ask her to kneel down. He immediately asked the Yamen servant to help her up and asked slowly: "Old man
What are you complaining about?"
In fact, Wei Chen already knew the specific details after reading the file. Asking again was just superfluous. However, the review process is like this, but it cannot be skipped at will.
Sun E said slowly: "Half a month ago, I was driving in the countryside. Suddenly a man snatched my package from behind. I immediately shouted to catch the thief. I happened to meet a righteous man passing by. I caught up with the thief and took back the package.
.
However, it was getting late at that time, and I was too dim-sighted to see the appearance of the thief clearly. The two men struggled with each other, and I couldn't tell them apart, so I had to report it to the official. I also ask Master Qingtian to see clearly, punish the thief severely, and restore the innocence of the righteous man." p>
After hearing this, Wei Chen nodded and asked the two prisoners named Li Er and Zhao Qi. What they said was basically the same as Sun E's.
However, Li Er said that Zhao Qi was a thief and that he was the righteous man who helped Sun E get the package back. However, Zhao Qi's confession was exactly the opposite of Li Er.
The crowd on the platform immediately became noisy when they saw this, talking about their opinions with the people around them.
Through facial analysis, some people think that Li Er has a traitorous look on his face and is probably a bad guy.
Some people also think that Zhao Qi, who is dressed in patchwork and coarse linen clothes, looks like he is living in a difficult life and has more motive for committing crimes.
For the rest, there are all kinds of strange explanations. In short, the public says that the public is right, and the mother-in-law says that the mother-in-law is right. No one will accept it. Some people even get red in the face because of it. It is right to always insist on their own point of view.
"Pa!"
Hearing the heavy sound of the gavel, the crowd realized that this was not their own home, but in a solemn court. They quickly closed their mouths and became quiet again.
Wei Chen looked at Sun E in the hall, smiled gently, and said confidently: "Don't worry, old man, this trap is not difficult to break. Let me help you identify the thief in the hall."
The onlookers outside invariably let out a soft "Eh" when they heard this, and looked curiously at Wei Chen in the hall, wondering if he had any good way to identify the true identities of Li Er and Zhao Qi.
Wei Chen ordered the officials to take Li Er and Zhao Qi to the open space outside the hall, and then asked them to run towards the gate with all their strength.
The Shangguan had orders, and the two of them did not dare to neglect. They immediately ran out and ran out. As a result, Zhao Qi ran to the gate and was stopped by the yamen servant. Li Er just ran out of the gate out of breath, lagging behind Zhao Qiyi.
Cut.
Wei Chen asked the government officials to bring the two of them back, and wrote the verdict in court: "Li Er is a thief."
Li Er was dissatisfied and wanted to argue, but Wei Chen said calmly: "According to what you three said, the righteous people come first and catch the thieves, and they must run faster than the thieves, so the slow ones are the real ones."
Thief!"
That’s it!
Only then did the spectators suddenly realize, and they all shouted, Lord Qingtian, praising the new Lord Governor for his ability to see even the smallest details.
In accordance with the laws of the Zhou Dynasty, Wei Chen convicted Li Er of being a thief and punished him with twenty rods and three years of military service.
At this time, Li Er had already collapsed into a puddle of mud and could no longer speak. He was directly taken out by the yamen and slapped on the board.
Finally, amidst Li Er's screams and the cheers of the people, the trial ended. Not only the parties involved, Sun E and Zhao Qi, were grateful to Wei Chen, but even the yamen and scribes in the hall looked at Wei Chen with expressions in their eyes.
More respect.
The first deal in his life was a complete success, and Wei Chen felt a sense of accomplishment in his heart, but his face remained calm.
However, in the eyes of everyone seeing Wei Chen's behavior, they increasingly felt that the new governor's indifference to favors and humiliations was unfathomable.
After Wei Chen finished interrogating this case of thief and theft, he only rested for half a cup of tea in the back office, and then started the trial of other cases without stopping.
In just ten days, Wei Chen cleared away hundreds of difficult cases that had been accumulated before taking office. Various stories about Wei Chen's trial and error were widely circulated among the people of Yuzhou.<
/p>
For example, there was a dispute between Han brothers in Mi County. The elder brother thought that the share of the family property given to his younger brother was greater, while the younger brother thought that the share given to his older brother was greater.
The magistrate of Mi County was unable to make a decision for a while, so the two brothers took the lawsuit from the county government to the state government.
After the trial started, Wei Chen asked the Han brothers twice. Both sides believed that the other's share was greater than his own, and they insisted on not changing their minds.
So, with a stroke of his pen, Wei Chen decided in court to give his brother's share to his brother, and his brother's share to his younger brother.
Both sides seem to have got what they wanted, but in fact they are suffering unspeakably. And for the melon-eating people, this verdict is really both clever and satisfying.
There are many similar stories, and the direct result is that less than half a month after Wei Chen took office, the name "Wei Qingtian" became louder and louder in Yuzhou.