In the Fanjiazhuang court, the final verdict on Li Yousheng's case is being pronounced.
The cases of Li Yousheng and Li Zhenpin have been reviewed by the disciplinary inspection team and a large amount of evidence has been obtained. The disciplinary inspection team itself does not have the power to execute prisoners. The disciplinary inspection team handed over the evidence to the Fanjiazhuang Intermediate Court, which will determine the culpability of Li Yousheng and Li Zhenpin.
, the severity of criminal law.
After several court hearings, the disciplinary inspection team and the defendant provided evidence respectively to confirm whether the defendant was guilty or not. After several trials, the court pronounced the verdict. Then, if the defendant was shot, beaten or whipped, it would be carried out by law enforcement agencies.
This is a set of legal processes formulated by Li Zhi. It is basically similar to the system of later generations, allowing each department to perform its duties and preventing a single department from having too much power and distorting the legal process.
Today is the seventh day of the Lunar New Year. After three days of court proceedings, today is the day when the verdict is officially pronounced. The usually deserted court auditorium is full of spectators.
These audiences are not ordinary audiences, they are all officials of the Li family. It is the Chinese New Year period now, and all the officials of the Li family are celebrating the New Year in Tianjin, and they are all in attendance. At this time, the old patriarch of the Li family is about to be sentenced, and the officials of the Li family are all
Come to the court and watch the judge pronounce the verdict.
However, the background of these "audiences" is too large, and there are countless magistrates and prefects among them. Looking from the perspective of the judge, he can only see patches of red or cyan official robes and black gauze hats in the auditorium.
The judge was almost breathless.
Cui Changwu and several officials from the disciplinary inspection team were also sitting in the gallery, but they arrived late and did not get a good seat. They only sat in the corner of the courtroom at Nuo University.
Originally, this case has now come to a conclusion, and the result is written in the judge's verdict. There is no doubt that Li Zhenpin, who took a huge amount of bribes, is sentenced to death. Li Yousheng, who hired murderers, tried to interfere with the law, and he should be sentenced to death according to the law. But the court's
The judge looked at the Li family in the gallery, but he did not dare to read out those few lines.
Especially the judgment of Li Yousheng, the judge dared not read it no matter what.
Li Zhi learned from the systems of later generations, strived to ensure the independence of the court system, and strictly prohibited officials from interfering with the judiciary. In the past few times, local officials tried to influence court decisions, but were severely punished by Li Zhi. Therefore, in the territory of one town and four provinces, ordinary case judges
Is highly independent.
But Li Yousheng's case is different.
Li Yousheng is the old patriarch of the Li family. It was Li Yousheng who wrote the list of the children of the Li family and put them under Li Zhi. This favor alone was enough for Li Yousheng to live with him for a lifetime. At this time, Li Yousheng in the audience
Which official in the family does not miss Li Yousheng's kindness?
The judge is also a human being, a small official. Compared with the high-ranking officials in the audience who often manage tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people, the judge's official position is really too small. Moreover, more than forty officials of the Li family were sitting there, looking at
The judge's eyes looked wrong, as if he was warning the judge not to act rashly.
In the cold weather of the first month of the year, the judge broke into a cold sweat as he looked at the verdict in his hand.
The judge looked at Cui Changwu as if asking for help.
Cui Changwu moved in his seat and nodded towards the judge.
The judge suddenly felt less stressed and looked at the judgment in his hand again.
Just when the judge was about to read out the verdict, he suddenly found that many members of the Li family were glaring at Cui Changwu, including some senior prefectural officials. Obviously, the Li family was very dissatisfied with Cui Changwu who was "making little tricks."
Cui Changwu had no expression on his face, not even looking at the Li family members who were glaring at him.
The judge looked at the situation in the gallery and felt something was wrong. He trembled and said: "In view of the complexity of this case and its huge impact, this court will convene other judges to rehear the case and adjourn for thirty minutes."
Cui Changwu was very surprised when he heard what the judge said. In the face of such irrefutable evidence, the judge was actually afraid of the pressure from the Li family and backed down.
Even Li Yousheng, who was sitting in the dock, was a little surprised. He looked back at the Li family in the auditorium and seemed to see a glimmer of hope.
The leader of the disciplinary inspection team beside Cui Changwu stood up suddenly and said loudly: "Wait a minute! I am familiar with the court procedures of Jin Guogong, and I have never heard of any case that requires all judges to be retried together. Where does this rule come from?
"
The judge wanted to find other judges to bear the pressure of the Li family, so this move was indeed unprecedented. When the judge heard the people from the disciplinary inspection team questioning him, his face turned pale with fright. He was also afraid of offending the disciplinary inspection team, and he was afraid that one day
I was arrested by Cui Changwu on some charges.
He stood in the courtroom unable to move or retreat, and felt extremely embarrassed.
Immediately some members of the Li family who could not bear it stood up. Li Gaocai, the magistrate of Guantao, Shandong Province, shouted loudly: "Cui Changwu! Do your disciplinary inspection team still want to control the court?"
The leader of the disciplinary inspection team was named Xu Daji, but he was not afraid of anything. He faced the magistrate’s shouts and cursed: “Obviously you officials are here to scare the judge, but it’s the evil people who complained first, saying that our disciplinary inspection team controls
Court?"
Li Gaocai said angrily: "Which of the eagle eyes of your discipline inspection team saw us scaring the judge and saying a word? The judge said there was a retrial, so of course there is a reason for a retrial! Can your discipline inspection team control it?"
All the Li family members looked at Cui Changwu and Li Zhi's brother-in-law.
Cui Changwu stood up and said loudly: "One judge is responsible for one court, and there is no rule in Tianjin to convene other judges to hear cases!"
The officials of the Li family were speechless by the cold-faced Cui Changwu. Suddenly someone shouted: "Brother-in-law of the Duke of Guo, Li Yousheng is the old patriarch of our Li family. You have worked hard all these years without any credit. You
Just give our Li family some face and let Li Yousheng go!"
When the Li family heard this, they all looked at Cui Changwu. Even the judge in the court looked at Cui Changwu. Obviously, as long as Cui Changwu took a step back at this time, Li Yousheng's death penalty could be avoided.
Cui Changwu bit his lip and frowned as he was stared at by more than 40 Li family members.
At this critical moment, the back door of the court suddenly opened with a creak, and a voice with a hint of anger came from behind everyone.
"Who said we should let Li Yousheng go?"
Everyone looked back and saw Li Zhi, Li Xing and Li Laosi pushing open the court door and walking into the court.
The Duke of Jin is here!
All the officials turned pale with fright, and they all knelt on the ground in panic.
The officials who knelt on the ground suddenly looked over and saw only a black gauze hat.
Li Laosi also looked unhappy and asked loudly to the Li family on the ground: "The law is more important? Or is it more humaneness? Have you returned all the rule of law and public morality that the Duke of Jin has talked about with you Yueyue?"
The Li family members who were kneeling on the ground did not dare to speak.
Li Zhi snorted coldly, flicked the front of his official robe, and sat at the front of the auditorium.
"Judge, I am sitting here. As long as you act according to the law, I will support you no matter what the final verdict is! Do you want to summon other judges to retry this case?"
The judge was so frightened that he trembled all over and replied: "No, no need, the Duke of Tianjin knows clearly that the evidence in this case is conclusive and a verdict has been made."
Li Zhi said calmly: "Okay, then just read it."
The judge looked at the Li family officials who were kneeling and did not dare to get up. He gritted his teeth, raised the verdict, and read aloud:
"Li Zhenpin, a resident of Fanjiazhuang and the deputy general manager of the Engineering Department of Steel Town, accepted a huge amount of bribes and caused the death of thirty-five people. According to the "Amendment of the Duke of Jin" of the Ming Dynasty, he will be sentenced to death on the eleventh day!"
"Li Yousheng, a resident of Fanjiazhuang and the general manager of Fanjiazhuang, hired a murderer to conceal the crime for Li Zhenpin. His behavior was very bad and had a huge impact. According to Article 147 of the "Amendment of Jin Guogong" of the Ming Dynasty, it is a matter of death!"
"On the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, the execution will be carried out at the central execution ground in Fanjiazhuang."
After hearing the judge's verdict, the officials of the Li family who were kneeling in the gallery raised their heads and looked at each other for a while, with helpless expressions on their faces.
In the end, Li Yousheng was still sentenced to death.
Li Zhenpin burst into tears in the dock, and Li Yousheng closed his eyes and was speechless.
Cui Changwu breathed a sigh of relief and sat back on the chair.
Li Zhi glanced at the officials on the ground, nodded and said: "Okay, the judge is a man who understands the law, and the verdict is good!"
