Chapter 47 Debate: Hoeing the fields at noon, curing the bitterness on the board.

Nie Yanghong read his confession again before handing it to others for review, and asked in a deep voice, "What else do you have to say about beating the princess to death last night?"

Gao Zhizhen shook his head and said, "Haven't I said everything that needed to be said?"

His attitude prompted Nie Yanghong to raise his voice, "Give me a clear answer!"

Gao Zhizhen was startled by the loud shout and said, "There's nothing to add."

Everyone knows that the difficulty of this case lies not in how to "try" it, but in how to "sentence" it.

Everyone knows what Gao Zhizhen did, and he has nothing to say in his defense. While in prison, Gao Yu had already told him that he didn't need to say anything, and the presiding judge would make his own judgment.

After replying, he looked away, but his gaze met Feng Tan's. Their eyes collided, and Gao Zhizhen's pent-up hatred erupted. His genitals had been ruined by this man's kick, and he had no libido for the rest of the year. Everything was because of Feng Tan. Why should the cabinet send Feng Tan to judge the case?

Gao Zhizhen's handcuffs and leg irons were removed. He rushed to Feng Tan's desk like a madman and threw a punch without saying a word. Feng Tan easily dodged it, and the punch missed its mark. Gao Zhizhen also lost control of his momentum and fell onto the desk.

Feng Tan patted his protruding buttocks with the book in her hand, her voice neither warm nor cold, "Hey, you don't need to give me such a big bow just because we met, Lord Gao!"

The two rows of clerks on either side burst into laughter. Gao Zhizhen, humiliated, turned bright red, his hair disheveled. He scrambled up from his desk and roared, "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Feng Tan, fuck your mother! I'll definitely kill you!"

The farce in the courtroom escalated further. Nie Yanghong slammed the gavel again and reprimanded Gao Zhizhen, saying, "What kind of behavior is this, causing such a disturbance in the courtroom? Guards! Give him ten strokes of the cane according to the law!"

Gao Zhizhen's eyes widened in disbelief. Didn't his father say that the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was on his side? He looked at Nie Yanghong, pointing at him with his index finger, his lips trembling, but then he heard Nie Yanghong shout again in a deep, cold voice, "Hurry up and drag him away!"

Gao Zhizhen was dragged outside by the soldiers, and the hall fell silent again, the sound of the water clock dripping from the bronze kettle with the Big Dipper pattern clearly audible.

After the adults finished reading the document, Zheng Qingru began by saying, "This case is the only murder of a member of the royal family since the founding of the Great Khanate. There are three difficult points that require your discussion: First, was Gao Zhizhen's beating of the princess to death an intentional or negligent crime? Second, what about the unborn child he killed?"

Nie Yanghong nodded in agreement and said, "The punishments for intentional and negligent acts are very different, so the key is whether the princess has committed any of the seven grounds for divorce. The case is simple, but it is difficult to apply the law in the judgment. The Dahuang Criminal Code does not have any explicit provisions, so we will start by discussing whether she has committed any of the seven virtues for women."

Compared to the previous dynasty's "virtue as the primary principle and punishment as the secondary principle," the Dahuang Penal Code was more stringent and complex in its principles of determining guilt and sentencing. It also emphasized the high-pressure governance of officials and the centralized autocratic power of the emperor, resulting in the emphasis on what was important and the neglect of what was less important in legislation.

The Hanlin Academy and the Imperial Academy had submitted memorials to the emperor requesting improvements to various omissions in the penal code. However, due to the prevailing opinion at the time that women should also have the right to participate in legislation and law enforcement, and the unfairness of the punishments for men and women in the Dahuang Penal Code, the memorials were rejected by Emperor Chongming in a fit of anger and were never heard from again.

At that time, there were no regulations, and the 352 articles of the penal code could not cover everything that was beyond the reach of sight and thought, which directly led to the difficulty of adjudicating cases today.

Feng Tingxiao sat in the carved sandalwood chair behind the desk, leaning back slightly, and said, "The seven grounds for divorce are: childlessness, adultery, disrespect for parents-in-law, gossip, theft, jealousy, and serious illness. According to the confession, Sister Feng once said that Gao Zhizhen was crippled in his lower body and was not worthy of being a man. In my opinion, this does not count as verbal abuse. Isn't what she said just the truth?"

Feng Tingxiao glanced at Nie Yanghong, then looked at Feng Tan with a slight smile and said, "There is a sequence to learning, and everyone has their own expertise. What are your thoughts on the criminal law, Lord Feng?"

“Even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes,” Feng Tan casually remarked, then smiled at everyone, her voice becoming firm and resolute. “Whether or not a crime can be considered manslaughter depends not only on whether the princess was virtuous and whether she violated the seven grounds for divorce, but also on the perpetrator’s state of mind at the time of the murder. The laws of the Huang Dynasty clearly state: when judging a crime, first examine the perpetrator’s intentions, then consider whether there was any negligence. In other words, we must first examine his state of mind at the time of the crime. According to his confession, Gao Zhizhen did not intend to uphold his husband’s authority when he beat the princess; he only did so to vent his anger. Therefore, I believe he should be charged with intentional homicide.”

After a moment's thought, Zheng Qingru said, "Gao Zhizhen's beating of the princess did not directly cause her death. It only caused her to miscarry. The princess died because she refused to be treated by the imperial physician. In other words, Gao Zhizhen did not commit murder."

Feng Tan followed up with his words, her tone turning stern, "Didn't the princess's unborn child also die? That's murder too."

After a round of deliberation, the four judges had clearly distinguished their factions. The two judges from the Dali Temple believed that Gao Zhizhen should be given a lighter sentence, insisting that the judgment and sentencing should be based on patrilineal family ethics. The Prince of Chu was a staunch defender of imperial power, while Feng Tan neither took sides, racking her brains to steer the case towards the need to investigate and amend the law.

Feng Tan continued, "According to Lord Zheng, Gao Zhizhen indirectly caused the princess's death, making him the direct culprit in killing the unborn child. He cannot escape the charge of murder, even though the penalties for manslaughter and intentional homicide are vastly different. Furthermore, the identity of the unborn child is of great importance. The key point of this case becomes whether the deceased child was born of royal blood or of the Gao family, primarily the husband's family. If it is royal blood, it should be prosecuted for treason; if it is Gao family blood, it should be sentenced for patricide."

If it is treason, Gao Zhizhen is unforgivable and should be executed; if he is a descendant of the Gao family, then he should be executed and exiled to the frontier, never to return to the capital.

Nie Yanghong narrowed his eyes, met Feng Tan's gaze, and said ambiguously, "The princess is a member of the royal family, and the child in her womb is also of royal blood. However, since ancient times, women have followed their husbands after marriage, so this child can also be considered a member of the Gao family."

Feng Tan said, "I would like to ask again, you previously said that the princess committed one of the seven grounds for divorce, one of which is killing a concubine, which should be punished with death. So, should the princess's crime implicate her family? According to our dynasty's law of collective punishment, should His Majesty also be sentenced?"

"Bang!" The gavel struck so hard that dust fell from the beams. Nie Yanghong glared at him, "Lord Feng, watch your words!"

Feng Tan turned to look at Feng Tingxiao and asked, "Your Highness, whose bloodline do you believe the child in your womb is?"

Feng Tingxiao clicked his tongue and looked at Feng Tan with interest. "There is an old saying that a husband is the wife's heaven, but since the princess is marrying Gao Zhizhen... he is not her heaven."

Feng Tan nodded and asked Zheng Qingru, "What does Lord Zheng think?"

Zheng Qingru frowned and said, "As a member of the royal family, we should also follow the ancient ways. A princess should follow her husband when she marries."

Looking at the stalemate, Nie Yanghong saw that everyone had different opinions. If Feng Dai's sister were an ordinary family's daughter, it would be easier to deal with, but she was of royal blood and represented the interests of the imperial family. Protecting Gao Zhizhen from death was as difficult as a ship sailing on a vast ocean, with extremely high risks.

The only thing that could protect his position was the supremacy of husbands, but Feng Tan still persisted, saying, "If we follow the wishes of the two gentlemen, that a woman should obey her husband after marriage, then Gao Zhizhen should also be implicated in the princess's crime, in addition to the crime of indirectly causing the death of his wife and children, so he can be punished for multiple crimes."

Seeing Feng Tan holding the line alone, Nie Yanghong felt a chill run down his spine. In this way, Gao Zhizhen would surely die. After a moment's pause, he said, "It is true that a woman obeys her husband after marriage and belongs to his family, but she also has her own wishes. It is common for her husband's family to have difficulty controlling her actions. Therefore, we can treat the princess as an independent individual and no longer pursue the punishment of collective punishment."

Feng Tan asked, "Is this a new law drafted by the Dali Temple?"

Nie Yanghong leaned over and discussed with Zheng Qingru for a moment, then said seriously, "Later, the Dali Temple will request His Majesty's permission that if a married daughter is of noble status and her husband's family is difficult to control, then the case she commits should be handled differently."

Feng Tan stood up, his eyes blazing. "Does Your Excellency believe that adding just this one clause is enough to determine the verdict in this case?"

Nie Yanghong paused for a moment, then said, “I will immediately petition Your Majesty to have the Court of Judicial Review, together with the Grand Secretariat, the Censorate, the Ministry of Justice, the Hanlin Academy, and the Imperial Academy, draft appropriate legal provisions, and then reopen the court.”

Feng Tan smiled slightly and said, "That's very good."

The case remained unresolved after much debate, and with noon approaching, Nie Yanghong hurriedly left after the meeting. Feng Tan watched his retreating figure thoughtfully as she slowly walked out of the hall.

Outside the hall, Gao Zhizhen had been beaten ten times with a rod, and faint blood seeped from his buttocks. He was lying weakly on the chopping board. Feng Tan, with his mischievous nature, leaned close to him and said, "Hoeing the fields at noon, Zhizhen suffers on the chopping board. His front is not fully healed, and now his buttocks are all bruised. It's terrible!"

Gao Zhizhen was so angry that he jumped off the board, but fell to the ground because he aggravated his wound. Feng Tan bent down and looked down at him, saying, "Why bother with such a grand gesture?"

Gao Zhizhen's eyes were bloodshot with rage as he cursed, "Feng Tan, I'll fuck you..."

"Smack!"

Gao Zhizhen stared wide-eyed at Feng Tan in disbelief, then blurted out, "You dare hit me! I'll fuck you..."

"Smack!"

Gao Zhizhen was slapped, his face turned like a demon, and he completely forgot the pain of the ten lashes. He excitedly got up from the ground, his face red and his neck thick, and rushed at Feng Tan.

"You son of a bitch! I'm going to beat you to death!"

He charged forward, cursing as he went, but before he could even catch a glimpse of Feng Tan's clothes, the soldier on duty grabbed his arm and berated him, "If you don't want your ass to ooze pus, you'd better behave yourself!"

"I humiliated you today because of the day you humiliated Wanzhou. If there is a next time..." Feng Tan leaned closer to him, curled the corners of her lips, and said gently, "No, there will be no next time."

Gao Zhizhen was filled with apprehension and asked, "What...what do you mean?"

Feng Tan turned around and walked alone on the official road. He was dressed in a blue official robe and looked spirited. His demeanor was as gentle as a breeze scattering orchids and snow, and he was unadorned.

Meng Henabul was detained as a hostage by Xiao Yinshi. Feng Tan, without her steward uncle, arrived hungry in the morning. Thinking that it was just past noon and not yet time for her shift at the Ministry of Justice, she turned around, found a small noodle stall with a tent, sat down, and called out loudly, "Boss, a bowl of vegetarian noodles, please!"

The shopkeeper wiped away his sweat and said cheerfully, "Alright, sir, please wait a moment."

While waiting for her noodles, Feng Tan propped her chin up and pretended to doze off. Suddenly, a darker shadow loomed over her. Feng Tan opened her eyes and met Feng Tingxiao's teasing gaze.

He looked at Feng Tan, but spoke to the shopkeeper behind him, "Give me a bowl of noodles just like the one I ordered."

Author's Note: Wind Master: Damn it, my perfectly good mood has instantly soured!

King of Chu: Eating noodles with my little niece is so much fun!

Kao Chih-chen: I broke through defense after defense! It's impossible to defend against!