Judging from the current situation, it seems that Zhang Fei has gained a certain upper hand. After all, he has come up with a logical relationship to explain the charge of slandering the government against Hu Changbai and Qiu He.
This is actually a difficult point in this case.
Because there was no specific logical relationship involved in slandering the government, the emperor and officials used to handle it on their own.
In this case, Zhang Fei was facing the imperial power, so he had to explain clearly in order to help Hu Changbai and Qiu He get away with it. The emperor didn't need to explain, and as long as Zhang Fei couldn't explain clearly, Hu Changbai and Qiu He would be guilty.
But this is not enough, because the prosecution of the procuratorate is not to help Hu Changbai and Qiu He escape guilt, but to convict the Imperial City Division.
However, if Hu and Qiu were not helped to escape punishment, it would be impossible to convict the Imperial City Bureau, because the Imperial City Bureau was prosecuting for abuse of punishment and forced confessions.
But then again, even if Hu and Qiu were cleared of their grievances, it would not necessarily mean that the Imperial City Division could be convicted. That statement is definitely controversial, and there is nothing wrong with the Imperial City Division doing this.
It was almost noon and the sun was shining brightly, so Zhao Yan announced a temporary adjournment and the trial would continue in the afternoon.
These officials and ministers did not choose to go home, but instead met together in nearby pubs and wine shops to discuss the crime of slandering the government.
After a break, the trial continued.
...
...
"Hu Changbai."
Zhang Fei asked, "When were you captured and taken to the Imperial City Division?"
Hu Changbai said: "That night."
Zhang Fei asked again: "What happened after that?"
Hu Changbai pursed his lips and said with great grievance: "Then the officials of the Imperial City Department said that we slandered the government and disturbed the army. They also asked us if we wanted to rebel. Of course, we didn't admit it. How could we dare to do that? But we would be beheaded.
But no matter how we cried out for justice, they just didn’t believe us, and then they tortured us and forced us to confess.”
Zhang Fei asked, "I wonder how they tortured you? Can you tell me more about it?"
Hu Changbai suddenly shuddered violently and said, "They first put a big wooden yoke around our necks, and then they filled our bellies with water and hit our stomachs and backs with cloth bags filled with stones."
Thinking back to the despair he felt in the Imperial City Division when no one was getting any help from him, the fear surged in his heart again and he cried in panic. Seeing this, Qiu He also started crying silently.
When the people outside the courtyard heard all this, they felt horrified and frightened. They must never talk nonsense in the future. This is really terrible.
Zhang Fei felt the same way. He had experienced the same feeling in the prison of Dengzhou Prefecture. He asked, "So your fractured shoulder and ribs were caused by these two kinds of punishment?"
Hu Changbai nodded.
Zhang Fei asked: "Did you admit it in the end?"
Hu Changbai cried, "We really couldn't stand being beaten any more. We thought, since we couldn't get out anyway, we might as well admit it sooner rather than later. At least we wouldn't be tortured by them, so...so we admitted it."
"I have no problem for now." Zhang Fei sat down.
Li Lei stood up immediately, and it was clear that he was confident. "Hu Changbai, I want to know how you explained when the Imperial City Bureau accused you of a crime?"
Hu Changbai said excitedly: "We don't want to rebel!"
Li Lei said: "So that's how you explained it."
Hu Changbai nodded and said, "I really just drank too much, so I didn't control my mouth and said a few more words. I really didn't have any other thoughts."
Li Lei asked again: "Is there any other explanation?"
Hu Changbai thought about it and then shook his head.
"I have no problem anymore."
Li Lei sat down.
Zhang Fei stood up and asked, "Hu Changbai, Qiu He, have you ever been to school?"
Hu Changbai and Qiu He just shook their heads.
Zhang Fei asked, "Do you understand what it means to slander the government?"
They both shook their heads at the same time.
Zhang Fei asked again: "Then do you know that what you said will disturb the morale of the army?"
The two of them shook their heads.
How could these two illiterate people understand this?
"I'm fine now."
Zhang Fei sat down.
The two men fought so quickly that it was hard for people to react.
After some study at noon, Cheng Yi was able to understand some of it and pondered it silently in his mind.
The purpose of Li Erbi's questioning was to emphasize the point that their explanation was not clear, so it was not the fault of the Imperial City Bureau for using punishment.
Prosecutor Zhang implied that the two of them did not understand what these charges meant at all, so how could they give an explanation.
"In this confrontation, Erbi still has the upper hand! After all, Prosecutor Zhang can only make everyone think that they don't know how to explain. But from the perspective of the Imperial City Bureau, how do they know that you can't explain? Using torture to extract a confession is naturally understandable."
Cheng Yi muttered softly.
He actually likes to study these issues.
"I would like to invite Scholar Sima to testify."
Zhang Fei suddenly said.
Before others could think of anything, Sima Guang was stunned. You didn't say that you wanted me to be present to testify!
What's going on?
Zhao Yan thought they had made an appointment, but when he saw Sima Guang standing there like a fool, he couldn't help but feel a little surprised and looked at Zhang Fei again.
Zhang Fei explained: "It is like this. Since the Imperial City Bureau has accused Hu Changbai and Qiu He of crimes, there is no judicial explanation and the explanation is rather vague. So I would like to ask Sima Xueshi to explain it to us. I wonder if Sima Xueshi is willing to do so?"
Wang Anshi, who was standing by, was a little unhappy. He thought, "In terms of legal attainments, I am not inferior to him. Why don't you invite me, but you invite him? You look down on me, don't you?"
Judicial interpretation, such a high-sounding title. Sima Guang certainly would not refuse, so he nodded and agreed.
Zhao Yan immediately invited Sima Guang to the court.
After Sima Guang sat down, Zhang Fei asked, "Sima Guang, I heard that you are well-versed in history and have rich political experience. In your opinion, will this conversation between Hu Changbai and Qiu He disturb the morale of the army, or even hide the intention of rebellion?"
This first question stumped Sima Guang.
Li Lei couldn't help but sit up straight and looked at Zhang Fei in confusion.
Fu Bi, Han Qi and others were all surprised.
If you ask this question, then the answer must be "yes". It is impossible to answer "no" because just looking at these words, they are absolutely inflammatory. Many cases of rebellion came from this. This is a very sensitive issue and no one can take this responsibility.
This is also why Li Guozhong and others believe that this lawsuit is very beneficial to them.
Wang Anshi breathed a sigh of relief, fortunately he didn't invite me.
Sima Guang hesitated for a while, and suddenly looked at Zhang Fei with an unhappy face. What kind of question are you asking?
You should ask Wang Jiefu about this kind of question. He is on the side of the Imperial City Bureau. I am absolutely against the Imperial City Bureau. I impeach them every day. How should I answer this question?
Zhang Fei pretended not to know and asked, "Sima Xueshi also doesn't know?"
Sima Guang could only say truthfully: "I think this is possible."
Zhang Fei asked, "Sima Xueshi, could you please explain it in detail?"
Sima Guang pondered for a while before saying, "As Liang Yuhou said before, many soldiers think that the labor service is heavy, but at the same time they are not clear about the court's policies and difficulties. Hu Changbai's words may cause misunderstandings and lead to chaos. If someone has ill intentions and takes advantage of the situation, it may be even more troublesome."
“It turns out to be so serious.”
Zhang Fei nodded and asked, "Does Scholar Sima think that the Imperial City Department should investigate this matter?"
Sima Guang's eyes were filled with murderous intent. What on earth do you want to do, kid?
He was against the Imperial City Bureau being separated from the judicial system. He was against the Imperial City Bureau investigating these matters at all. This was within the judicial power, but he could not say so. But if he did not say so, wouldn't that be a disguised proof that he supported the Imperial City Bureau.
This is really a dilemma.
Li Guozhong and Li Lei also looked at Zhang Fei in confusion.
Ask yourself, they didn't think of this trick!
really!
Sima Guang should be allowed to speak up, this would be really too beneficial for them.
After a while, Sima Guang said, "The Imperial City Department should of course investigate this matter, but they should investigate it thoroughly instead of blindly using torture to force a confession."
"I see."
Zhang Fei smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Mr. Sima, for coming to testify."
That’s it?
Everyone present was stunned, including Sima Guang who had just answered.
They originally thought that Zhang Fei was just bluffing, but in fact, he was harboring murderous intentions. Little did they know that Zhang Fei would stop there. Which side is the procuratorate on?
If we stop asking questions here, the above answers will be of great benefit to the Imperial City Bureau!
Lee Ji-eun just scratched her head as she looked at them. Could they be friendly forces?
He was not the only one who thought so, Wang Anshi and others were also speculating.
Because Zhang Fei often flattered the emperor and secretly helped the emperor during the trial.
It is indeed possible.
Then the purpose of this lawsuit is not to attack the Imperial City Bureau, but to maintain the power of the Imperial City Bureau.
Cheng Yi, who originally thought he had understood something, was inevitably confused again at this moment.
What is his purpose in asking these questions?
Zhao Yan was also stunned for a moment, but he quickly reacted and looked at Li Lei again, as if to say, Sima Guang is here anyway, why don't you ask him a few questions.
Li Lei really wanted to stand up and ask a few questions, but Li Guozhong stopped him, "The current situation is very favorable to us. If you ask questions, it may cause trouble."
He knew that Sima Guang was not on the side of the Imperial City Division, but was just confused by Zhang Fei's questions. However, Sima Guang was knowledgeable and experienced, and Li Lei was by no means his opponent. Now that Zhang Fei had asked quite well, if you asked again, you might be tricked by Sima Guang, and then the gain would outweigh the loss.
Li Lei also realized that Sima Guang was not a piece of meat on the chopping board, and he immediately said, "I have no questions to ask."
Zhao Yan said: "Thank you very much, Mr. Sima, for coming to the court to answer our questions."
"where!"
Sima Guang bowed slightly and said, "I hope I can help the Grand Court President."
He walked down the stage, glaring at Zhang Fei fiercely, "What are you trying to do, kid?"
After these questions, he no longer knew how to impeach the Imperial City Bureau.
Han Qi stroked his beard and said with a smile: "It is definitely not a fluke that this kid can get to where he is today!"
Fu Bi nodded with a smile, "He has now protected the imperial power from being eroded, so the next step should be to use a killer move."
The two of them saw things very clearly. The biggest beneficiary of Zhang Fei's words was the imperial power. The Imperial City Bureau had to investigate such matters, which gave the Imperial City Bureau rationality and legitimacy.
From another perspective, Zhang Fei no longer has any worries, which actually means he is about to sound the clarion call for an attack.
If he could not protect the emperor and the imperial power, Zhang Fei would not dare to attack the Imperial City Bureau. If he hurt the emperor, he would lose the lawsuit!
After all, the emperor is above the law.
Sure enough, Zhang Fei immediately summoned Liu Renzan to attend.
Zhang Fei stood up and asked, "Mr. Liu, according to our information, this case was tried by you."
Liu Renzan nodded and said, "Yes."
Zhang Fei asked: "How did you know about the conversation between Hu Changbai and Qiu He in the tavern?"
"Someone reported it!"
“I wonder who reported it?”
"I'm sorry, I can't tell you that. We have our own rules in the Imperial City Division. Unless the emperor asks, we won't tell anyone about these people."
Liu Renzan said very forcefully.
This statement implies that our Imperial City Division is not under the jurisdiction of your public security, procuratorate, and courts, so stop asking questions.
Zhang Fei didn't care and said with a smile: "It seems that the Imperial City Department is an office with strict discipline."
"certainly."
Liu Renzan said proudly.
He is now careless because he thinks Zhang Fei might be a friendly force.
Zhang Fei said, "What Scholar Sima said just now, that is, what Hu Changbai said, is inflammatory and will disrupt the morale of the army. Its harm is very great. I wonder if Lord Liu agrees with it?"
Liu Renzan said: "Of course I agree with that. Otherwise, I would not have used torture to force them to confess."
Zhang Fei said: "Since the harm is so great, the Imperial City Bureau will definitely conduct a thorough investigation on this case."
Liu Renzan nodded, "Of course."
Zhang Fei said, "Assuming that Hu Changbai and Qiu He have evil intentions and intend to use the hearing to incite the soldiers to mutiny, according to Liu Gongshi's experience, will there be accomplices in such cases, or are these two small pawns enough to incite a mutiny?"
Liu Renzan said: "It is very likely that there are accomplices."
Zhang Fei asked, "Then I wonder if the Imperial City Department has sent anyone to investigate the Bridge Camp?"
Liu Renzan blinked and suddenly fell silent.
Li Lei noticed something was wrong and asked anxiously, "What's going on?"
Li Guozhong shook his head.
The two couldn't help but look at Liu Renzan nervously.
"Of course."
Liu Renzan suddenly answered again.
Zhang Fei asked: "Can you show us your investigation report?"
Liu Renzan frowned slightly and said, "This is a secret of our Imperial City, and cannot be shown to outsiders at will."
“That doesn’t matter.”
Zhang Fei picked up a copy of the document and said, "This is an investigation report made by our procuratorate on the close friends of Hu Changbai and Qiu He in the camp. It mainly covers the daily activities of people who were close to them from the time when Hu Changbai and Qiu He were arrested to the time when our procuratorate intervened.
Mr. Liu only needs to pick out a few items from your investigation report and compare them with our report to prove that you did send someone to investigate. "
Liu Renzan said forcefully, "This is confidential and cannot be taken out casually. Besides, for a case like this, can we not send someone to investigate? I really don't know why you ask this."
Zhang Fei explained with a smile: "Because the trial is about evidence, although this is an insignificant issue, it is also a necessary process. It would be better for Mr. Liu to produce some evidence to prove this point."
Liu Renzan said to himself: "This is a secret of our Imperial City Department."
Zhao Yan suddenly spoke up, "Mr. Liu, I think the procuratorate has been very considerate of your Imperial City Division. You only need to show a few tracking results in your investigation report. You can even find some insignificant ones. As long as you can prove that your Imperial City Division has conducted an investigation, that should be fine, right? If that doesn't work, I will ask the emperor to show you your investigation report on this case."
Before he knew it, beads of sweat had already appeared on Liu Renzan's forehead.
Sima Guang suddenly realized and muttered to himself, "So that's it."
After a while, Liu Renzan said, "Of course we sent people to investigate, but we didn't find any abnormal behavior, so there is no investigation report. We will only record some useful evidence. Why record the useless ones?"
Zhang Fei immediately said, "Grand Judge, I would like to summon Wu Qin, the commander of the Dragon Guard Cavalry Battalion, to testify in court."
Zhao Yan nodded and said, "Call Wu Qin to testify in court."
A tall man with a square face, thick eyebrows and big eyes came up to the court. The Dragon Guards were from the upper fourth army, and all of them were over 1.8 meters tall.
Zhang Fei asked: "Thank you very much for Commander Wu's testimony in court. As far as I know, before he became the commander, Commander Wu worked in the Palace Front Department, where he held a position related to investigation."
Wu Qin nodded and said, "Yes, I was mainly responsible for training the spies at that time."
Zhang Fei asked, "Does Commander Wu know about this case?"
Wu Qin nodded and said, "I heard about it."
Zhang Fei said: "If this matter was first handed over to Commander Wu, I wonder what arrangements Commander Wu would make?"
Wu Qin thought for a moment before saying, "Such remarks are worthy of attention, so we should first ensure that we do not alert the enemy, and then send people to secretly monitor them to see if they have any accomplices.
If there is a problem, they can be caught in one fell swoop. If there is no problem, it is just a misunderstanding and will not cause panic in the military camp.
In fact, if such remarks do not attract everyone's attention and the person who made them has no bad intentions, they should not be brought up, because it may backfire. "
After these words were spoken, many people present nodded frequently.
As expected of the commander of the Dragon Guard, he is so professional.
In comparison, Liu Renzan is simply...!
Zhang Fei asked again: "What do you think of Commander Wu regarding the Imperial City Division's arrest that night?"
Wu Qin shook his head and said, "I don't know. I don't know how the Imperial City Bureau operates."
Zhang Fei asked again: "But Commander Wu just now thought that this action might alert the enemy and backfire."
Wu Qin nodded again and said, "Yes."
Zhang Fei said: "Based on Commander Wu's experience, under what circumstances should we arrest people immediately?"
Wu Qin thought for a while and said, "One possibility is that we have been discovered by the other party. The other possibility is that the surrounding situation no longer allows us to continue to monitor secretly."
Zhang Fei asked: "Do you think these two situations exist in this case?"
Wu Qin said: "I don't know whether they have been discovered by the other party. But the surrounding situation still allows us to continue to monitor them secretly."
Zhang Fei asked: "If the first situation does not exist, how would Commander Wu evaluate the Imperial City Division's actions?"
Wu Qin hesitated for a while and replied with embarrassment: "In my opinion, this should be a mistake."
Zhang Fei nodded and asked, "In cases like this, should we send people to investigate people related to the suspect?"
Wu Qin said: "This must be investigated."
Zhang Fei asked: "How do you usually investigate?"
Wu Qin said: "If it is unknown, we should send people to closely monitor all people related to the suspect. If it is already known, we should send people to question them and also monitor them secretly."
Zhang Fei asked: "Who should be monitored mainly, or does the entire camp need to be monitored?"
Wu Qin said: "We mainly target people who are close to the suspects, as well as their superiors, such as the commander and the guards. If there is no shortage of manpower, we will also take care of the entire battalion."
Zhang Fei asked: "Will you make a detailed report on the results of the surveillance?"
Wu Qin nodded and said, "Definitely."
Zhang Fei said: "Even if no special circumstances are found."
"Yes."
Wu Qin said: "Because the superiors usually take this kind of thing very seriously, even if they don't find anything, they have to write a very detailed report to prove that these people have nothing to do with the case, because the superiors will definitely ask these questions."
Zhang Fei asked: "Commander Wu, based on your rich experience, under what circumstances would you choose to arrest someone directly and only use torture to interrogate them without investigating any related persons?"
"this."
Wu Qin hesitated for a moment and said, "It's probably against the rules to do this."
Zhang Fei said: "But it just happened."
"Well."
Wu Qin seemed very embarrassed.
Your question is very targeted. I dare not offend the Imperial City Bureau!
Zhang Fei asked again: "Has Commander Wu never encountered such a situation? Or, in other words, did he not mention related matters when teaching students?"
Wu Qin was startled, glanced at Zhang Fei, and thought, it seems that you have investigated me thoroughly. He could only admit: "Yes, I mentioned it when I was training the soldiers. If this is the case, there is almost only one possibility."
Zhang Fei asked: "What is possible?"
Wu Qin said: "You actually know that the suspect has no intention of treason, so you naturally won't think of investigating other people, so as not to escalate the matter and let others find out the flaws. But at the same time, if you want to take credit, you will use torture to force a confession and make a quick decision."
Liu Renzan suddenly trembled, feeling guilty.
"Thank you very much Commander Wu for being here to testify."
Zhang Fei held up another document. "This is about the achievements of Commander Wu. He is an extremely outstanding general, especially in the field of reconnaissance. He once improved the means of reconnaissance and was recognized by the Palace Front Department. It can be seen that he is very professional in this area."
Zhao Yan waved his hand, signaling the court police to present the case, and then asked Li Lei: "Does the defense have any questions?"
Li Lei was already dumbfounded. He had never expected that Zhang Fei would invite such a professional to explain these seemingly unclear questions. He could not help but shook his head, "No, no."
He doesn't understand any of this and has no idea.
Zhao Yan thanked Wu Qin again and signaled him to go down and rest.
Wu Qin immediately breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat off his forehead without caring about his image. He glanced at Zhang Fei and thought to himself, this Zhang Daye pen really lives up to its reputation!
After Wu Qin left, Zhang Fei asked Liu Renzan, "What do you think of what Commander Wu said?"
Liu Renzan gradually looked anxious and said, "He is not in the Imperial City Department, so how can he know the system of our Imperial City Department?"
Zhang Fei asked, "I wonder if there are any differences between what the Imperial City Bureau said and what Commander Wu said during its operation?"
".?"
Liu Renzan thought for a while and said, "This is confidential."
Zhang Fei said, "But I believe that the Imperial City Department must have an investigation report on other people. Not to mention Commander Wu, even Erbi, whom you hired, knows about this. Just now, the defense asked Liang Yuhou whether he thought he would be monitored and investigated."
Liu Renzan said to himself: "This is a secret of our Imperial City Department and cannot be disclosed to outsiders."
Zhao Yan couldn't stand it any longer. You, the Imperial City Division, look down on me too much. He said, "If Liu Gong is in trouble, I will report to His Majesty and ask for this report from the Imperial City Division."
Liu Renzan's heart trembled. If the emperor came to ask, he would be guilty of deceiving the emperor. While wiping his sweat, he said, "I admit that our Imperial City Department was negligent in this regard."
"Oops!"
Li Lei frowned when he heard this.
"That's impossible."
Zhang Fei suddenly said excitedly: "The duty of the Imperial City Department is to protect His Majesty, the Imperial City, and the stability of the country. The imperial guards inside are all elites selected from the top four armies. How could such negligence occur?
In addition, Mr. Liu, do you realize the consequences of this negligence? If Hu Changbai and Qiu He have the intention of rebellion, and they have accomplices, then your negligence will bring direct threats to Your Majesty.
More importantly, reports and official documents should have become a system, unless someone uses his power to deliberately undermine the Imperial City Bureau system, prohibits others from conducting in-depth investigations, and attempts to silence people with punishment.
But what is the purpose of doing this?”
Lee Ji-eun, who was sitting next to them, felt her hair stand on end and cold sweat pour out, she was stunned.
Good man, when it comes to wrongly accusing people, you are the real professional!
We are really ashamed of ourselves!
How about recruiting this kid to the Imperial City Bureau?
"Don't spit blood at me."
Liu Renzan was so frightened that he jumped up and pointed at Zhang Fei and cursed.
After hearing what you said, I became a traitor.
Is he still alive?
"I object!"
Li Lei, waking up from a dream, immediately stood up and said, "What the other party just said is all malicious speculation."
"I can take that back."
Zhang Fei looked at Liu Renzan again and said with a smile: "But I think that Liu Gongshi should be given a chance to explain, otherwise he may face trouble."
Liu Renzan glanced at Zhang Fei and said, "Thank you so much, damn."
But then again, this matter must be explained clearly, otherwise, I will die!
After weighing the pros and cons, Liu Renzan suddenly found himself backed into a corner. He could only nod and say, "I admit that I am eager to make a contribution."
Zhang Fei asked, "Do you think Hu Changbai and Qiu He slandered the government, disturbed the army, and intended to rebel?"
Liu Renzan's hands were shaking violently, and he said with trembling lips: "I admit that I know they have no intention of disturbing the morale of the army or plotting a rebellion, but they did slander the government. I..."
"I'm fine now."
Zhang Fei sat down.
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