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During the Yongzheng period, a body was washed out by heavy rain on the river beach in Jiukoutang Village, Gucheng County. Yang Tongfan, the richest man in the county and a member of the family, came to the county government to report the case, claiming that the body was that of Yang Sangu, a member of the same clan in his village. She was assassinated by her husband Tu Rusong a few months ago. I asked the county magistrate to severely punish the murderer and redress the injustice for the people. Tang Yingqiu, the county magistrate, did not dare to neglect, and immediately appointed Li Xianzong, an old clerk in the execution room, and Li Rong, the widower , to conduct an autopsy.
The old scribe Li Xianzong was upright and conscientious in his work. Li Rong had been working for many years and enforced the law impartially. Just when Li Rong was carrying the inspection tools and was about to go out, Yang Tongfan turned in. He took out a gold bar from his arms and put it on the table. He said: "The corpse in the Jiukoutang river beach was indeed killed by Tu Rusong." Damn the Yang family, Mr. Li will not go against the public opinion!" Li Rong replied calmly: "I haven't inspected it, so how can I follow others' opinions?" Then he handed the gold bar back to Yang Tongfan and went out on his own.
The two rushed to the place where the body was placed, and saw that the body had decomposed and been bitten by wild dogs, making it difficult to identify the body. However, Li Rong relied on his rich exploration experience to determine from the foot bones of the corpse that it was a male corpse. From the hair and bones, he further confirmed that it was a man who was not yet underage. The difference from the adult female corpse was very obvious. Li Xianzong carefully checked the inspection results and signed the words "This is the body of a man". He then asked the landowner to collect the body and bury it, and set up a pole in front of the grave to mark it.
After returning to the county government office, the two people immediately reported the autopsy results to Tang Zhixian. Li Rong also told the story about Yang Tongfan's bribery but was rejected. Tang Zhixian muttered: "Why did Yang Tongfan fake the corpse and claim it, and why did he use bribery?" "
Li Xianzong has been handling cases for many years and has accumulated some experience. He put forward his own opinion: "I guess Yang Sangu is still alive and has something to do with Yang Tongfan. No matter what Yang Tongfan's intentions are, find Yang Sangu first!" Tang Zhixian nodded! He said yes, and immediately issued a ticket and ordered him to find Yang Sangu's whereabouts.
Stills from "Nine-Pin Sesame Official: White Bread Blue Sky"
Li Xianzong soon found out: Before Yang Sangu married into the Tu family, she had an affair with Yang Tongfan, a member of the same village. Later, Yang Tongfan was forced by his father's orders to abandon Yang Sangu and move to the city. , although the family has three wives and four concubines, she has a soft spot for Yang Sangu. At this time, Yang Sangu happened to meet the Tu family who were looking for a wife. After the matchmaker arranged an agreement, they quickly got married.
After getting married, Sangu Yang returned to her parents' home every three days. The honest and arrogant Tu Rusong couldn't bear it anymore, so she started quarreling with Sangu Yang. Sangu Yang ran away from home in anger and was never seen again. It is said that Yang Sangu returned to her parents' home on weekdays just to find an excuse. In fact, she was meeting her lover Yang Tongfan. Li Xianzong planned to investigate whether she was also hiding in Yang Tongfan's house this time.
Unexpectedly, the next day, Huguang Governor Maizhu sent a man named Gao Renjie to Gucheng County as the presiding judge to hear the Jiukoutang corpse case.
This Gao Renjie was a disciple of Mai Zhu. He was kind on the outside but very vicious on the inside. He was the alternate magistrate of Guangji County at the time and was worried about not being able to find a real job. At this time, he received a heavy bribe from Yang Tongfan and asked him to borrow money. The fake corpse killed Yang Sangu's husband Tu Rusong so that he could fool around with Yang Sangu for a long time. Gao Renjie thought about it and decided to kill two birds with one stone, so he went to the back door of the Governor's Mansion.
Gao Renjie took office and without any trial on the case, he detained Tu Rusong and Tang Yingqiu first, and appointed another widower as Xue Yi. This Xue Yi was also bribed by Yang Tongfan. After receiving the order, he immediately set off to the Jiukoutang Riverbank and ordered the local security guards to dig the grave again and conduct an autopsy. The corpse had been rummaged several times and could no longer be examined, but he just pretended, poking and measuring it here and there. After dilly-dallying for a long time, he concluded that it was a female corpse. He also said that he could detect traces of stab wounds from the middle of the ribs.
A false autopsy document was delivered to Gao Renjie. He knew it well and immediately issued a fire sign and brought Li Rong in for torture.Li Rong was a tough guy and replied loudly: "Master Gao! The corpse has no broken toe bones from bound feet, no female hair, no female body features, and no knife or stick marks. It is obviously a minor. Male Corpse, where do you want me to recruit him? "
Qing Dynasty Southern County Government Archives Exhibition Hall
Gao Renjie saw Li Rong tell the truth, that's fine! He struck the case hard and ordered a heavy blow. Seeing that Tang Yingqiu had become a prisoner, those government officials who were like wolves and tigers tried their best to curry favor with Gao Renjie. They struck down the sticks so hard and hard that blood and flesh flew everywhere. Li Rong knew that his doom was inevitable, so he desperately cursed Gao Renjie as a villain with bad intentions, and revealed the fact that Yang Tongfan's bribery was rejected on the spot.
Gao Renjie was so shocked and angry that he couldn't care about anything else. He just kept throwing signs at the hall: "Hit me a hundred times!" Two hundred again! Three hundred again! But before the three hundred blows were finished, Li Rong died with a scream.
Once Li Rong died, no one could tell whether the body was male or female. So, when Tu Rusong, who was handcuffed and shackled, was pushed to the court, Gao Renjie couldn't help but order fifty blows, and then shouted loudly: "You are a cunning man, you murdered your wife, the evidence is irrefutable, there is no need to deny it! Let me tell you, I am Your Majesty is selfless, if you don't want to suffer any more physical pain, please do it quickly!" Although Tu Rusong was beaten to pieces, he still shouted that he was wronged.
Seeing that he still refused to move, Gao Renjie ordered the yamen servant to bring a pot of blazing charcoal fire, which burned the iron rope red, and forced Tu Rusong to kneel on it. He only heard the "squeaking" sound, and the whole hall was filled with the smell of burning flesh. Tu Rusong passed out. past. Gao Renjie asked the government servants to pour cold water on him to wake him up, and continued the torture. Even though Tu Rusong was a tough man, he could not bear such torture. He shouted: "Just stop it! Die, die!" and confessed that he had killed his wife.
After Gao Renjie got the confession, a big stone fell in his heart. He sentenced the murderer Tu Rusong to death on the spot. Tang Yingqiu, the harborer, was dismissed from his post and sent to the army. Li Xianzong was ignorant and neglected his duties. He was punished with a hundred sticks and expelled from the Yamen. He ordered a group of prisoners to be imprisoned first, and would be executed after reporting to his superiors for approval. Once the case was decided, people all over the city talked about it and were aggrieved. Although Gao Renjie took over the post of magistrate of the ancient city, he was reviled by thousands of people.
Old scribe Li Xianzong was kicked out of the yamen with a hundred sticks and stumbled back home. Without thinking too much, he concluded that this was an unjust case. The old scribe endured the bursts of pain, and he had a firm belief in his heart: I will die at the end of my life. Even if I risk my life, I will get to the bottom of this case!
Simulation of the Qing Dynasty county magistrate's trial case
He remembered Chen Ding, the magistrate of Huang'an County near the ancient city, who was an upright official, so he decided to go and ask for his help. As he walked, he thought hard: Sangu Yang was hiding in the Yang Mansion. If he could get evidence, he could appeal to the higher level.
Li Xianzong was walking and thinking about something when he suddenly heard someone calling him. It turned out to be Old Mrs. Xu who ran a tofu stall in the city. She said that the eldest lady of the Yang family had a difficult delivery the morning before yesterday and asked her to help deliver the baby. When she went there and saw that the situation was urgent, she yelled for someone to come to help. The maid hurriedly slapped the wall and called her third aunt, only to see a man coming out of the secret door in the wall. A young woman with heavy makeup came, and after a lot of trouble, the baby was finally born. Old Xu Po recognized her as Yang Sangu, but she just pretended not to know, but Yang Sangu didn't recognize Old Xu Po.
Old Mrs. Xu knew in her heart that the whole Gucheng County was in uproar over Yang's case. Many people had been wronged, especially Mr. Li, the torture chamber, who was kind to her! She heard that Mr. Li had been released from prison and wanted to go find him, but she couldn't muster the courage. She didn't expect that she would meet him today. After Li Xianzong heard this, he threw away all the pain and fatigue in his body and went straight to Huang'an.
Chen Ding, the magistrate of Huang'an County, is a seventh-grade official, but he knows a lot of people. He has long suspected the Jiukoutang corpse case and has been watching with cold eyes. In the evening of that day, I suddenly heard from a disciple that Li Xianzong, the prison clerk who had been vacated in Gucheng County, wanted to see him, so he asked him to come in quickly.
After Chen Ding listened to Li Xianzong's narrative, he immediately revealed the news: The emperor approved Governor Maizhu's proposal to sentence Tu Rusong to death, and had sent Hubei Governor Wu Yingfen to deliver the order. He is expected to pass by Huang'an tomorrow. Execution in the ancient city. Li Xianzong was so anxious that he rubbed his hands and stamped his feet. He suddenly fell to his knees on the ground and said to Chen Ding: "Master Chen, you know it is an unjust case, but you can't clear it up. We will all become sinners for the ages. I sincerely hope that you can give me some advice!"
Chen Ding After pondering for a moment, he helped Li Xianzong up and said, "There is still a move to be made, but you will have to suffer again!" Li Xianzong said without thinking, "As long as the injustice can be redressed, I am willing to pay with my life!" Chen When Ding heard this, he was very moved. He whispered to Li Xianzong quietly, and overnight wrote a complaint about the Jiukoutang corpse case and gave it to Li Xianzong to keep by his side.
Statue of the County Magistrate of the Qing Dynasty
At noon the next day, the sound of drum music started, and a group of officers slowly passed by holding big signs saying "Quiet" and "Avoid". At this time, Li Xianzong desperately rushed to the sedan chair from the crowd of onlookers, shouted "Unjustly Accused" and knelt down on the ground, holding the lawsuit above his head with both hands.
Governor Wu Yingfen saw someone blocking the sedan chair to cry for injustice. He shouted and beat me. The guards pushed Li Xianzong to the ground and started to use their hands. Li Xianzong endured the pain of the recurrence of his old injury and kept shouting "you are wronged" until he beat the old scribe until his voice became weaker and weaker. Wu Yingfen waved his hand and asked: "What are you wronged about? Why don't you come to the local place?" Report to the Yamen?"
Li Xianzong replied in a hoarse voice: "The local Yamen is unable to file a grievance, and the details of the grievances are there. Please take a look at it, Mr. Futai !" Wu Yingfen opened it and was shocked: He came here with the order. The person responsible for the execution of the Jiukoutang Corpse Case Department is now risking his life to reverse the case. It seems that the situation is extraordinary!
He asked sternly: "Do you know the law for overturning the verdict of a death row prisoner?" Li Xianzong replied: "Sir, this is a great injustice and it must be overturned. I am prepared to die to prove my will!" Wu Yingfen heard a move in his heart and ordered him to do so. The officer took him to the mansion where he was staying.
That night, Wu Yingfen read the complaint carefully, and at the same time compared it with the copy of Governor Mai Zhu's report. He found that it was completely different, and he was secretly happy. It turns out that when he came this time, Emperor Yongzheng had another secret edict, asking him to check on the news of Maizhu, Gengyao's colleague. At this time, the annual case had been reported. If any abnormality was found, report it immediately.
The case in front of him just gave him a handle. If Mai Zhu is defeated and the emperor is happy, he might even be promoted to a higher rank! The more Wu Yingfen thought about it, the more excited he became. Instead of following the rules of the time and asking Li Xianzong to test his sincerity, someone quietly took him to the back hall and asked him politely.
The county magistrate of the Qing Dynasty and his subordinates
As soon as Li Xianzong finished speaking, Wu Yingfen blurted out: "I will order the magistrate of Chen County tomorrow. I will live in Yang Tongfan's house in the ancient city. Search for the Yang family." Li Xianzong quickly waved his hand and said : "You can't do it, you can't do it! Yang Tongfan is a member of the army, but he is a tyrant in the ancient city. He is rich and powerful, and has many eyes and ears. If he goes to arrest him so openly, he will soon get wind of it, and it is very likely that the Yang family will be arrested. Transfer, or simply kill someone and silence them. In the end, it is a trivial matter to lose my life. This big injustice will never be vindicated!"
Wu Yingfen was right when he heard this, and quickly asked for advice. Li Xianzong immediately said: "Master Governor, don't go to the ancient city for the time being! , so as not to alarm Gao Renjie, he secretly ordered Chen Ding to lead the police and threatened to investigate several prostitutes who had fled to the ancient city in the county. Taking advantage of their unpreparedness, he broke into Yang's house, destroyed the wall, captured Yang Sangu in one fell swoop, and then ordered Chen Ding to be the magistrate of the county. Open court for review." After hearing this, Wu Yingfen was overjoyed and immediately summoned someone to see Chen Ding, asking him to leave overnight.
Early that morning, Yang Tongfan had just come out of Yang Sangu's darkroom when he suddenly heard a report from the maid, saying that there was a young woman asking to see him. Yang Tongfan hurriedly finished washing and came to the living room. Sure enough, there was a fairy-like woman standing there.He couldn't help but feel distracted, and was about to take action when a family member suddenly ran in and reported that an official had come outside and had broken into the back house with several other men to track down an escaped prostitute.
When Yang Tongfan heard that the officials were leading people to investigate, he hurriedly pushed the woman into the dark room with a wall, turned around and went out to greet her. At this moment, Chen Ding appeared in front of him and shouted "Search!" The detectives immediately pushed Yang Tongfan away and were about to take action, but suddenly they heard a cry from behind the wall: "Don't make it difficult for Yang Sheng, I am the fugitive." , right here!"
Everyone rushed forward in search of the sound, opened the secret door in the wall, and Yang Sangu obediently captured her. Yang Tongfan was stunned for a moment, and saw the woman come out and said with a smile: "Mr. Yang, thanks for the guidance, please forgive me!" Only then did Yang Tongfan know that he had been tricked, but it was too late. An iron chain was put around his neck and he was taken away. .
Chen Ding took the governor's warrant and went straight to the Gucheng County Government Office. Chen Ding yelled, "Take it down!" Gao Renjie was immediately thrown to the ground by the police, took off his official hat, stripped off his official uniform, and tied him up. Chen Ding issued another signature and quickly arrested Xue Yi. Then, he ordered people to bring Tu Rusong to the court for trial, and also invited Tang Yingqiu to observe the trial.
Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty was named Yinzhen, and his family name was Aixinjueluo. The fourth son of Emperor Kangxi, the founder of the Qing Dynasty, his mother was Empress Xiao Gongren, Wu Ya.
Sangu Yang had already been paralyzed to the ground with fear, but when she saw Tu Rusong being tortured into a state of disgrace, her conscience was touched, and she cried loudly: "Rusong, it was me who hurt you! They tortured you like this." "You, I really don't know!"
then confessed to everything from running away from the Tu family to having Yang Tongfan's old relationship relapse, fearing that the Tu family wanted someone, and using his body to kill Tu Rusong. Yang Tongfan and Xue Yi knew very well that their sins were serious and they no longer dared to hide it. They all made confessions and were taken into custody.
Chen Ding made the verdict in court: Tu Rusong was acquitted, Tang Ying asked for reinstatement, Li Xianzong was promoted to county magistrate, Li Rong erected a monument to support his family, Yang's third aunt worked hard for five years, Gao Renjie was dismissed from his post and sent to the army, Yang Tongfan and Xue Yi were executed together. The details of the review were written into a case file and reported to the governor's Yamen, waiting for the court's approval for implementation.
Soon after, Emperor Yongzheng issued an imperial edict and reclassified the case. An injustice that was forced out of him was finally cleared up and did not become an unjust injustice.
Reprinted from "Folk Literature", author: Ai Zhanyun
