Yesterday, Zhuang Li happened to see Yu Yuxian being dragged into a brothel by several wealthy businessmen.
Today, when she was being carried back to Yu's house by her husband, Zhuang Li's carriage passed by slowly again.
"That's Yu Yuxian." Hearing the noises of passers-by, Zhuang Li lifted the curtain of the car and took a look.
"How do you know?" 7480 watched curiously.
"I can tell from her height and figure." Zhuang Li listened for a moment and chuckled, "She's crying."
Yu Yuxian's pain nourishes his happiness.
Thinking of Zhuang Xiaohui's experience, 7480 spat: "Bah, she deserves it!"
As the carriage moved further away, a group of curious people followed the old man, pointing and talking at the half-dressed Yu Yuxian. Some even tried to pull the cloak off her head to see her true appearance.
Yu Yuxian's screams could be heard from a distance. That cloak was her only fig leaf; without it, her life would be gone.
Zhuang Li closed his eyes and slowly raised the corners of his lips.
After a while, they arrived at the Ministry of Justice. Zhuang Li smoothed his coat, dismounted, and joined Feng Yi at the entrance. Recently, the two of them had been taking turns at the Ministry of Justice, reviewing and approving major and important cases reported from across the country.
As soon as Zhuang Li sat down, an official handed him a case file and asked him to sign it.
This was a case of husband-killing that occurred in the capital. The deceased was a son-in-law who lived with the family. After marriage, he was respectful and filial to his father-in-law, and he was also very caring towards his wife and children. He was highly praised by all the neighbors.
But a few days ago, his body was found in a dilapidated temple. His whole body was burned to charcoal, leaving only a ring and a jade pendant for identification.
His wife, Madam Du, was arrested and thrown into jail as a murderer. The person who reported Madam Du was a peddler.
The peddler said that he often passed by the Du family when selling goods, and as a result, he developed an affair with Mrs. Du. He originally just wanted to have some fun, but Mrs. Du gradually took it seriously and repeatedly said that she wanted to kill her husband and live with the peddler.
The peddler was terrified and didn't dare to see Mrs. Du for several days. It was not until he heard the news of the deceased's death that he realized he was in big trouble and hurried to report the case.
In order to prove that he was not lying, he could even describe clearly where the birthmarks and moles on Mrs. Du's body were.
At first, Mrs. Du refused to confess, but after being beaten several times, she finally confessed.
The Jingzhao Yin sentenced Du to death and waited for Zhuang Li's approval before taking her to Caishikou to chop off her head.
It is now late autumn, and the so-called execution after autumn is exactly at this time.
As long as Zhuang Li made this move, Du would be dead in three days.
The official who handed over the file stared at the tip of Zhuang Li's pen and held his breath unconsciously.
Zhuang Li glanced at him, a gleam of light flashing in his pupils.
He handed the file to Feng Yi and asked, "What do you think?"
Feng Yi carefully read the woman's confession and shook his head, saying, "Let's investigate further. After all, this is a matter of life and death. Mrs. Du's confession is sincere and heartfelt. She doesn't sound like a wicked woman who committed adultery."
The official who delivered the case file hurriedly said, "How can we investigate this case when the evidence is so overwhelming? The Du family's servants saw Mrs. Du and the deceased go out together in the morning, but she returned alone in the evening. After that, the deceased disappeared, and her body was found in a dilapidated temple three days later. Who else could the murderer be but Mrs. Du? Moreover, even Mrs. Du's personal maid said that since the deceased disappeared, she has been acting strangely, often hiding in her room alone, wiping away tears. If she hadn't killed her husband, why would she be so abnormal?"
The official pointed to the testimonies of several witnesses and said with certainty, "She must be the murderer!"
"Where is the deceased's body? I'll go and take a look." Zhuang Li put down the red pen.
"I'll go too." Feng Yi stood up immediately.
The official quickly dissuaded them: "The body has been burned to charcoal. It looks horrible. You two adults should not go to see it."
"Since he has been burned to charcoal, how can you be sure that the deceased is Du's husband?" Zhuang Li asked with a raised eyebrow.
"This is what Madam Du herself admitted. She said the ring and jade pendant found on the corpse belonged to her husband."
"The purpose of burning the body was to conceal the identity so that others could not recognize it. Why did Mrs. Du say that this was her husband? She killed the man and burned the body. If she admitted it, wouldn't all her efforts be wasted?" Zhuang Li continued to ask.
The official was speechless.
Feng Yi clapped his hands and said, "That's right! This doesn't make sense at all!"
Zhuang Li glanced at him and asked, "Do you know how officials should be punished according to the law if they make a wrong judgment?"
Feng Yi scratched the back of his head and honestly admitted: "I don't know. I don't know much about the law."
"Dayan law states: Those who impose an unjust punishment are guilty of the same crime as the criminal," Zhuang Li said slowly. "In other words, if I sign this case today and sentence Mrs. Du to death, and tomorrow there's evidence that I misjudged her, then I must die too. If her head is chopped off unjustly, mine will go too."
Zhuang Li stretched out his slender index finger and scratched his neck.
Feng Yi was so frightened that he was stunned. After a while, he spoke with a cold sweat: "Is it that serious?"
"Human lives are at stake. How can we be careless?" Zhuang Li patted his shoulder and spoke earnestly, "How can you be so ignorant of the law as to serve in the Ministry of Justice? How can you command officials with such knowledge? How can you redress the injustices of the victims? You're not here to play around. You're here to judge guilt and innocence. You are the standard of justice. Do you understand?"
Feng Yi nodded with a pale face, and then said solemnly: "Cousin, I understand. I will memorize our Great Yan laws tonight. I will do my job well in the future."
Zhuang Li nodded with satisfaction, then looked at the official, only to see that the other party had his head pressed down tightly, with only the tip of his nose covered in cold sweat showing.
7480 said firmly, "This person looks guilty! There must be something fishy going on in this case!"
"Go and take a look, and you'll know." Zhuang Li took a step and left.
In this backward era, it was difficult to identify a charred body. When they reached the cemetery and lifted the white cloth, the official had completely regained his composure.
He wanted to see what Zhuang Li could come up with.
Zhuang Li picked up the case file and looked at the son-in-law's height, weight, body shape, and other information. He then compared it with the corpse and observed it for a moment before nodding and saying, "The physical signs are basically consistent."
After he finished speaking, he said something shocking: "Cook the body."
Feng Yi, who was already trembling with fear at the sight of the charred corpse, said: "!!!"
The official: “!!!”
"Cook the body?" the official asked, his voice trembling. He looked at Zhuang Li as if he were looking at a man-eating monster.
"Cut open the belly and check the internal organs before cooking." Zhuang Li waved his hand, and the two guards standing behind him immediately handed him a sharp dagger and turned to prepare the cauldron and firewood.
Both of them were born as Dragon Guards and were used to seeing blood and gore, so they were naturally not afraid of such a small matter.
So half a day later, Zhuang Li completed the autopsy and found a pile of white bones.
He squatted down and carefully examined the bones, recording on paper as he spoke: "The deceased was a male, five feet tall, between thirty and thirty-three years old. The cause of death was strangulation or strangulation. Before his death, he had eaten rich foods such as braised pork elbow, roast chicken, roast goose, and braised pork."
He looked at the official and said firmly, "This man is not Mrs. Du's husband."
"Impossible!" The official denied it without thinking, but cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
How could Zhuang Li understand such minute details after only glancing at the bones? Could he possibly communicate with spirits? Thinking of this, the official looked at Zhuang Li with fear.
Feng Yi was also stunned: "Cousin, how did you know?"
"You don't need to care how I know this. You just need to know that this is a wrongful case."
Zhuang Li pointed at the files and sneered, "Du's husband was already forty years old, which doesn't match the age of the corpse. The deceased suffered from severe gastritis, and his stomach capacity was extremely small, a sequelae of years of starvation, which doesn't match Du's husband either. Mr. Du was a well-known wealthy businessman with a fortune of over a million. It's impossible for Du's husband to have starved for years, let alone eat like a starving ghost, nearly bursting his stomach."
Zhuang Li stared at the official and said with a half-smile, "You can get this case wrong, which is obvious at first glance. What are you doing? I will investigate this case myself. You don't need to interfere."
A higher-ranking official can crush a lower-ranking official. What else can officials do except to comply?
He never thought that Zhuang Li could see the clues in this case that they had already made into an ironclad case! He had to tell his master as soon as he got back!
The official repeatedly apologized and then ran away in disgrace.
Feng Yi pointed at the bones, then at his own eyes: "Cousin, what do you mean by a case that can be understood at a glance? I'm afraid you're the only one in the world who can understand it, right?"
Zhuang Li took off the dead man's skull and turned away.
Feng Yi was stunned. After a long while, he finally caught up with him and said hurriedly, "Cousin, why did you take his head? Return it quickly. Be careful that his ghost will come looking for you at night."
---
That night, Zhuang Li restored the deceased's appearance based on the outline of the skull.
He turned the portrait over and over again.
Zhuang Xiaohui, who was standing behind him, murmured, "This person looks so familiar!"
"Huh? Have you seen him?" Zhuang Li asked, turning around.
Zhuang Xiaohui stared at the portrait intently and pointed out: "Don't tie up the hair, let it down, make it messy, really messy. Add a beard here, and a few more wrinkles on the face. Isn't this one of those beggars who bullied me in my past life?"
Zhuang Li quickly followed his sister's instructions to modify the portrait and said, "Take another look."
Zhuang Xiaohui slammed the table fiercely. "It's one of those seven beggars! I'd recognize that face even if it turned to ash!"
Zhuang Li raised his eyebrows, musing with a half-smile, "Why are they here again? This is going to be interesting."
"Brother, do you think this case is still related to Feng Yu? If you sentence Du to death, you will also be beheaded. This move is too cruel!" Zhuang Xiaohui was so angry that bloodshot eyes came out.
"We'll know if it's him if we investigate. Do you know where the dilapidated temple where the seven beggars gathered is? Now that he's dead, his companions should know some clues. I'll take people to find them now." Zhuang Li put down the portrait and walked out of the room.
Zhuang Xiaohui hurriedly followed him: "I know, I'll take you there right away! These beasts will die in my hands in this life!"
Zhuang Li turned around and glanced at her.
Zhuang Xiaohui, whose face was ferocious and fierce, immediately forced a smile and said in a delicate voice, "Brother, I'm just kidding. I'm just taking you there. I promise I won't do anything."
"Be good." Zhuang Li smiled and rubbed her head.
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