GBP Chapter 579 If I, Zhao Zheng, were a lawyer
Chapter 579 If I, Zhao Zheng, were a lawyer
"Damn it! Aconitum and Strychnos nux vomica!"
As professionals from the Jinyiwei, the tax guards immediately confirmed the toxin on the poison needle.
Then he fixed his eyes fiercely, piercing the crowd.
However, due to the previous instigation and threats, he knew that it was impossible to escape, and perhaps he had no intention of escaping at all. He had directly isolated himself from the crowd, leaving a few gaps.
The personnel from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Revenue knew that they were the most likely to have done this, and had gone to several corpses to confirm.
The result was naturally shaking heads and unfamiliar faces.
Then a group of imperial doctors came forward, but they were also unable to do anything.
"Sir, these two things are not ordinary things. If Wu Er hits you with his wrist, it will cause a disaster!"
The tax guards were hurriedly explaining, and put the two stingers into a portable medicine box, carefully handing it to Zhao Zheng. At the same time, his men had already protected Zhao Zheng in the center.
No matter whether they were monitoring Zhao Zheng or what their attitude was.
At this moment, these tax guards were very clear that Zhao Zheng could not allow any more accidents to happen.
At this point, the nature of the situation has completely reversed.
Everyone's forehead and back were covered in sweat.
The Wu Eryi case was a premeditated conspiracy against Zhao Zheng!
However, Zhao Zheng had already known this, and he calmly pushed away the tax guards and yamen runners who were guarding him.
As long as he doesn't want to die, no one can fight him in a short period of time with the same equipment as the enemy.
"No problem, let's do it one by one."
At the same time, all the people in Wujiagou at the scene became completely obedient.
No more complaints about moving away from home.
Everyone watched Zhao Zheng's actions quietly, tacitly not making any movements, while observing the movements of the people around them.
The tax guard was pushed away, but he kept close.
"Let him get up."
"Master Zhao, I never intended to take action. I wanted to secretly ask you to save my son, and then commit suicide..."
Wu Erdeqi's eyes were filled with shame and determination to die.
Faced with his explanation, the tax guard naturally refused to listen.
The bailiffs who escorted him also had hateful expressions on their faces.
"I believe you."
"Sir, I really don't have any... Sir?"
The four unbelievable words stunned everyone in the audience for a few moments, and everyone, including Wu Er, looked at Zhao Zheng.
"Your son has been saved, and as for you, there is no death penalty."
Faced with Wu Er's disbelief, Zhao Zheng's words made everyone look confused.
At this moment, even Chongning and Xiaoqing were in disbelief, not understanding why Wu Er hadn't died yet.
Until Zhao Zheng waved to a group of officials from the Ministry of Justice.
In particular, Cheng Jintai, the magistrate of Yingtian Prefecture, was responsible for sentencing Wu Er to death.
In a sense, as a recent Jinshi, Cheng Jintai can even be considered a student of the Zhao family.
Because he was a student of the original Huimin School!
"Student greets Master Zhao!"
So Cheng Jintai was even more confused, because Wu Er was guilty of desertion, which could result in death by beheading, and guilty of manslaughter, which could result in death by hanging.
A single crime might have spared the death penalty, but at the foot of the imperial city, the nature of the crime was so serious that it was impossible to punish the individual more severely. He would definitely be punished for multiple crimes.
In addition, he is now suspected of being an accomplice against Zhao Zheng. Even if the final stage is terminated, the cumulative effect is that he will be punished by lingchi.
"The capital should be the first to receive Minister Qin's 'Sun and Moon Law', right?"
"nature."
Cheng Jintai, a Jinshi and prosecutor who was proud of being a student of the Zhao family, could only observe politics and was only a prosecutor for many years because of his background.
However, even in a low position, he never forgot to be diligent in his work, was not afraid of the powerful, and practiced learning throughout his life. This was also the basis for his pride in being a student of the Zhao Mansion.
Therefore, he thought that his knowledge of the "Law of the Sun and the Moon" must be sufficient.
"No, you're still doing it the old way."
However, Zhao Zheng was stunned by just the first sentence, and then he began to doubt his life.
"At the beginning, the former family head's advice to Minister Qin was that, with the exception of special trials for the emperor's relatives, the Sun and Moon Laws were not afraid of having too many regulations, but only of having too few, loose, self-contradictory, or inappropriate regulations for current reality."
"It is also important to remember that there are general principles. Anything not prohibited by law can be done. Therefore, the Sun and Moon Laws must keep pace with the times."
"The Wu Eryi case involves three charges: escape, manslaughter, and complicity!"
"Wu Er can't afford a lawyer, but as a prosecutor, you can be said to be the first person to control the fate of others. Do you have a lawyer in your heart?"
Every word Zhao Zheng said hit the ground, and every word Cheng Jintai said hit his heart.
But he still felt that Wu Er deserved the death penalty, including everyone now.
"But in the case of Master Zhao and Wu Eryi, those who evaded tax and resisted taxes were charged with collaborating with bandits, and their families could even be implicated."
"Those who flee and kill are considered thieves and should be punished by beheading, hanging, or lingchi."
"As an accomplice, you should be put to death!"
Everyone around nodded. Killing someone means paying with one's life, which has been the truth since ancient times, especially since there are so many sins.
Cheng Jintai was already shown mercy outside the law and his family members were not implicated.
"Did Wu Er escape from Wujiagou at that time? Was the tax season coming?"
"His neighbor died. Was it Wu Er's homicide while fleeing or an accidental murder?"
"Is it a crime of coercion, or was it an oversight by the Ministry of Justice that led to coercion?"
"If I were a lawyer!"
"I would say Wu Er was in debt and unable to pay taxes, so he got up in the middle of the night to go out for a walk, but he didn't expect that he would accidentally kill someone during an argument with his neighbor, who he had always had conflicts with!"
"Then, due to negligence in the Ministry of Justice's management, Wu Er was coerced in the prison. However, Wu Er knew that Minister Zhao was a good man, so he planned to pretend to cooperate, secretly seek help from Lord Zhao, and then commit suicide out of shame!"
"And I have proof! Everyone knows Wu Er and his neighbor, but there's a contradiction. Wu Er didn't flee again that night, and his wife and children weren't with him when he fled. Minister Zhao just confirmed that Wu Er didn't make any move."
"Now, tell me, will you still execute Wu Er later?"
Cheng Jintai was speechless. He felt that there was something wrong, but he also felt that he was wrong.
Everything Zhao Zheng said is the real truth.
"The most important thing is, what caused all this?"
Wu Er was able to stand up again. He was crying uncontrollably and was nodding and shaking his head.
Obviously, from Wu Er's perspective, his escape was real, and the subsequent series of events were not his intention.
At this time, Zhao Zheng walked up to him again and wiped off the dirt on his forehead and corners of his mouth bit by bit, as if he had really become his lawyer.
Then, all the soil particles stained with Wu Er's blood were transferred to Cheng Jintai's hands.
The four words "why did it happen" finally woke Cheng Jintai up.
Although the Wu Eryi case involves many things, there is actually only one key point.
That’s Zhao Zheng!
And all this has a most vicious beginning!
"Students thank you, teacher!"
"Where are Wu Erqi's wife and children?!"
Although Cheng Jintai was a magistrate, with Zhao Zheng on his side, everyone obeyed and started looking immediately.
But of course, this person had disappeared long ago.
A neighbor said, "Sir, after her husband died, because she had no parents or close relatives, her wife and children hurriedly moved back to her parents' home. It's not far away, just a few miles away."
The presence of the tax guards' horses at the scene quickly confirmed that Wu Er's neighbor's wife and children had never returned to her parents' home.
At the same time, her maternal family and neighbors said that her family seemed to have suddenly become rich and were picked up in luxurious clothes.
Where to go, I really don’t know.
The person disappeared from the face of the earth.
Considering the corpses at the scene, his fate is self-evident.
Cheng Jintai and everyone present finally saw everything clearly, but they also reached a dead end.
The human witness disappeared, leaving only the physical evidence underfoot.
This land, a part of the world, belongs to Wu Er.
"Wu Er, this is all due to my negligence. With all the witnesses at the scene, I will sentence you severely and all your remaining charges will be forgiven!"
"But, being coerced is true!"
"Therefore, I sentence you to five years of hard labor on the recent railway project. This sentence will be immediately submitted to the Ministry of Justice for review! Do you have any objections?"