Chapter 934
Trial of Case
Chapter 934 Trial of Case
Wang Jin was in a panic, and the yamen runner who was holding him was also in a panic, tightly gripping him and dragging him into the county yamen.
The imperial inspector is in Hangzhou. If the person who wants to file a complaint runs away as soon as they see him, how can he still get along in Hangzhou?
Eight villagers followed him into the county government office in a state of panic.
The magistrate, having already straightened his official robes, sat under the "highly shining mirror." Seeing the eight villagers enter, he was filled with trepidation, both hoping it was a new case and fearing it might be.
Since Xue Shao arrived in Hangzhou, he has been obsessed with reviewing previous case files and records.
One of the cases was a mystery where the murderer could not be found. After carefully reviewing the case files, Xue Shao led his team to solve it.
This is not a big deal. The county magistrate admitted that his abilities were no better than those of the imperial censor from the capital. As for the case, if it was solved, it would be Xue Shao's credit; if it wasn't solved, he, the county magistrate, would at most be scolded once more. In any case, he had already been scolded before the case was solved.
However, two other cases were found to be wrongful convictions.
One judgment was handed down during his term, and the other was handed down by his predecessor.
When the truth came out, his heart sank.
When Xue Shao not only investigated the case but also checked the household registration files, his heart sank.
It is said that before Xue Shao came to Hangzhou, he had already engaged in a lot of collusion between officials and gentry, and had 868 mu of land confiscated.
Hangzhou...
Such a thing certainly happens in Hangzhou as well; if the water is too clear, there will be no fish.
But the magistrate could guarantee that such incidents were rare, because there were very few complaints.
He tried his best to make fair judgments on all cases that were brought to court.
The magistrate kept a close eye on Wang Jin and his eight companions as they approached, hoping it was a neighborhood dispute over water or a lost ox, and that it wasn't something more...
"My lord, I am accusing Wang Qi of the east of the city. He tricked us into lending him grain at exorbitant interest rates and seized our land." Wang Jincai stepped over the threshold and knelt down on the ground with a thud.
The magistrate's anxiety finally subsided.
I'm really afraid of what will happen.
The magistrate stared intently at Wang Jin, his anger reaching its peak. He slammed his gavel down and roared, "Don't you know the rules? Don't you know how to file a complaint? Don't you understand that you should first pay your respects to me?"
The bailiff who dragged him in immediately pulled Wang Jin up and pushed him forward, whispering, "Go to the middle, first pay your respects to the magistrate, then introduce yourself, and then say what you want to sue and who you want to sue..."
Wang Jin's face flushed red. He quickly got up, ran a few steps to the middle, and knelt down. The villagers who followed him also knelt down in fear.
Along the way, Young Master Xue only taught him to memorize this one sentence, and he forgot everything else when he got nervous.
This was also Wang Jin's first time going to the yamen to file a complaint.
He knelt on the ground, stammered as he met with the magistrate, and then gave his name.
The magistrate's anger showed no signs of abating. After he finished speaking, he asked in a deep voice, "Why are you only bringing this up this year when it happened last year?"
Why wasn't a lawsuit filed last year for something that happened last year?
If he filed a lawsuit and made a judgment, and Xue Shao investigates it today, that will be considered his political achievement!
Now that Xue Shao is still around, they're bringing up last year's matter, and it's such a life-threatening one at that. Are they trying to kill him, or take his official position?
Even the county magistrate suspected that this was instigated by his rivals.
Just as suspicion arose in his heart, Xue Shao, dressed in an official robe, led Xi Jin in slowly and said with a light laugh, "Magistrate He was in a bad mood this morning. Xi Jin, go and brew a pot of tea for Magistrate He to cool down."
Upon seeing Xue Shao, Magistrate He immediately suppressed his anger, forced a smile, and rose to greet him: "What brings you here, Lord Xue?"
When Wang Jin and the others saw the completely transformed Xue Shao, their eyes lit up, and their expressions changed completely.
Seeing that even the county magistrate had to descend the steps to greet him, one knew that Xue Shao was no ordinary person.
He's an official!
Xue Shao bowed to Magistrate He and said with a smile, "I was just passing by and came to observe. Magistrate He, please focus on the case and don't worry about me."
How can I feel at ease with you sitting here?
Magistrate He twitched the corner of his mouth, had someone bring a chair and place it next to him, and invited Xue Shao to sit down before returning to his seat to continue the trial.
Xi Jin even borrowed the county government's small kitchen to brew a pot of cooling tea for Magistrate He, mainly because Xue Shao wanted to drink it.
I don't know why, but the young master drank a lot of water today. In the past, he would try not to drink water so that he could have more time to read the case files and go to the toilet less often.
Most cases in this world are not complicated; what is complicated is the human heart.
Magistrate He sent someone to the east of the city to invite the defendant, while simultaneously instructing the plaintiff to present the existing evidence.
Soon, Wang Qi arrived in a hurry with a butler.
He spent money to buy a title of official rank, but it was a position with no real power.
The advantage is that not only do you have face, but you also don't have to bow to officials.
Before he arrived, Magistrate He had already examined the plaintiff's case.
This is in accordance with the laws of the Ming Dynasty. The "Great Ming Code" requires that officials "examine the plaintiff thoroughly" in court. If the plaintiff's testimony and evidence are even slightly inconsistent, instruments of torture can be used. The defendant doesn't even need to be summoned; he can be beaten and driven out, and the case can be closed.
This morning, on the way from the village to the city, Xue Shao not only made Wang Jin recite the complaint, but also told them that they must tell the truth, keep the evidence in their hands, and that the principal and interest paid must be consistent with the loan agreement, with absolutely no discrepancies.
Wang Jin and the others kept this in mind. Before Wang Qi arrived, all eight of them gave their statements, and the evidence they presented was consistent. Only then did Magistrate He begin to interrogate Wang Qi.
Suppressing his anger, Wang Qi pleaded, "My lord, before borrowing the grain, I explained everything clearly to them, and they all agreed. It was a matter of mutual consent, so how can it be considered a crime?"
He added, “Last year’s typhoon was so severe. If I hadn’t lent them grain, their whole family and village would have starved to death. Now that they’ve survived the crisis, they’re refusing to acknowledge their debt. Aren’t they ungrateful? I truly regret my actions towards such an unjust and ungrateful person.”
The kneeling men all blushed, and even Wang Jin felt for a moment that he had been somewhat ungrateful, and couldn't help but say, "Master Wang, we were extremely grateful for your kindness in lending us grain back then, but... but the interest is too high..."
“If you think the interest rate is too high, you don’t have to lend it to me,” Wang Qi said loudly. “If you don’t lend it to me, there are plenty of people who will lend me their grain. Now that your family has survived on my grain, you’re going back on your word. If there are any more major disasters in the future, I will not dare to lend grain to your family, let alone your village.”
Wang Jin's face turned red, and the person kneeling behind him also felt hot-faced and became anxious.
They couldn't let the reputation of being ungrateful spread, or their village would truly have nowhere to stand. Xue Shao had remained silent, slowly sipping his tea, when he finally lifted his eyelids and glanced indifferently at Magistrate He.
Magistrate He didn't meet Xue Shao's gaze, but that didn't stop him from rolling his eyes at Wang Qi. He slammed his gavel down, interrupting Wang Qi's remaining words, and asked Wang Jin and the other eight, "I'll ask you one more time, what did Wang Qi say to you before the loan was made? Did he agree that the interest would accrue?"
"No!" Wang Jin quickly replied, snapping out of his guilt and regret. "We only said one dou of interest per month. We didn't know that monthly interest would also accrue compound interest!"
"Bullshit! The IOU is written clearly in black and white. Who among you hasn't been to school? Who can't read?" Wang Qi jumped up and said, "Look at your signatures, who didn't sign their real name?"
Wang Jin hurriedly said, "I was almost starving at the time. My mother was barely hanging on and desperately needed food to save her life. I didn't have time to look carefully. I only glanced at the total amount borrowed and the monthly interest of one dou (a unit of dry measure), and then I hastily signed and left."
“That’s your own responsibility, what does it have to do with me? I…” Wang Qi was about to retort when Magistrate He angrily slammed his gavel and roared, “Wang Qi, I haven’t even asked you to speak yet! If you dare to interrupt again, I’ll have to use torture!”
Wang Qi was also somewhat angry and said, "Magistrate He, I, Wang Qi, pay so much tax to Hangzhou Prefecture every year, and I am not a commoner. How dare you torture me?"
Magistrate He sneered: "It's just a nominal position bought with money. If you dare to disrupt the order of the court again, let's see if I dare to do it!"
With so many things happening in a row, he's about to lose his official position, so what's there to be afraid of?
Anyway, he's neither from Hangzhou nor Zhejiang. Once he's demoted or dismissed, he'll definitely leave this place. Who's afraid of who?
At this point, he had only two objectives.
First, we must prevent Xue Shao from finding any further incriminating evidence to expand the charges against him;
Second, vent your anger and vent your anger!
"You!" Seeing Magistrate He's tough attitude, Wang Qi's anger subsided, and he dared not provoke him any further. He could only turn his head to the side, and only then did he realize that there was another official sitting next to him, who was young and handsome, and looked calm and relaxed.
Wang Qi was taken aback. Who was this person?
I've never seen this before. Why does it look like it has more confidence than Magistrate He?
Xue Shao gave Wang Qi a friendly nod and continued to observe Magistrate He's trial.
As it turned out, Magistrate He was quite capable; he personally reviewed the circumstances of each of the eight villagers' trips to borrow money.
As the investigation progressed, Magistrate He and his yamen runners noticed something amiss, while the crowd of onlookers outside, craning their necks and wiping away tears of empathy, remained completely unaware of the unusual situation.
Xue Shao gently put down his teacup and beckoned Xi Jin with his finger.
Xi Jin quickly went over to him.
Xue Shao said in a low voice, "Go out and explain it to them, clear up their doubts."
Xi Jin agreed in a low voice, then quietly slipped away from the side, exited from another direction, and squeezed back into the crowd.
Seeing that everyone was still grieving over last year's typhoon, someone said, "Speaking of which, it's fortunate that this Mr. Wang lent them grain back then, otherwise, they and their families definitely wouldn't have made it through. Last year was so difficult."
"Yes, last year was so tough. Four out of five members of my neighbor's family died, leaving only a half-grown boy who is now begging on the streets."
"At least one person survived; three households in our village have been wiped out."
Xi Jin chimed in, "It's obvious you're not listening. This Master Wang isn't lending them grain out of kindness. If he were truly benevolent, why didn't he lend it to them the first or second time he came? Why did he only lend it to them after they'd been starving for days, the price of grain was rising every day, and they were about to faint from hunger?"
Xi Jin said, “Every time someone comes to borrow grain, I refuse to lend it to them the first or second time. They have to kneel down and beg, saying that they have been starving for several days and that someone in their family is about to die, before I will lend it to them. Even if I agree to lend it to them, I will leave them outside the door for two hours. I will make sure they faint and then give them a sip of water and pinch them to wake them up before I lend it to them. Why is that?”
The onlookers were taken aback and asked, "Why?"
"It's so they can sign and put their fingerprints on it when they're dizzy and their eyes are blurry." Xi Jin asked, "When you're starving to death, do you still have the strength to read the IOU word by word? I've been hungry. When I was extremely hungry, I couldn't see anything but food."
"That's right," the onlookers suddenly realized, and murmured, "Master Wang even left the grain aside, so who would bother to look at the IOU carefully?"
After Magistrate He finished his interrogation, he sneered at Wang Qi, slammed his gavel, and said, "Wang Qi, did you deliberately wait until they were starving and incapable of discernment before lending them grain?"
Wang Qi immediately protested his innocence, pleading, "My lord, I am of the same clan and kin as them, we share the same ancestor. How could I be so vicious? We were truly out of food. My family has so many people to support, and the daily expenses are enormous. I had no intention of lending them any grain. It was only because they came to our door begging that I took pity on them. We are of the same clan and kin, and I couldn't refuse them. So I saved some grain from my own rations to lend to them. How could I have imagined that I had lent them the wrong grain?"
"Since we are of the same clan and kinship, why would you charge such high interest rates, with interest compounding on interest?"
Wang Qi wiped away his tears and said, "At that time, grain prices were soaring, and some people with evil intentions inevitably borrowed grain from me and sold it to others at a high price. Besides, my grain didn't come from thin air; it was all grain that my family saved with their lives. This grain did indeed save their lives. Are their lives worth less than a few bushels of grain?"
Magistrate He sneered repeatedly: "You're good at arguing, but I'm not one of them. I know what you're up to, and all the smart people inside and outside the gate know it too. I'll only ask you one question: the Great Ming Code strictly prohibits high-interest lending. Your actions have violated the law. Do you admit it or not?"
Wang Qi turned his head away stubbornly and said, "I haven't studied much and don't know this law. Ignorance is no excuse."
Magistrate He was so angry that his face turned purple, and he raised the gavel high, ready to strike.
Xue Shao was afraid that he would get angry and make the situation worse, since what he just said was already half wrong.
Xue Shao gently tapped the teacup, producing a crisp sound.
Magistrate He's anger faltered, and instead of bringing down the gavel he had raised high, he turned to look at him first.
Xue Shao also looked up at him, then smiled and looked at Wang Qi: "Master Wang, haven't you read the 'Great Ming Code'?"
Wang Qi didn't know who he was, but when the man looked over, he subconsciously tensed up and broke out in a cold sweat. He paused for a moment before saying, "I am not very learned and have not read any books."
Xue Shao smiled: "Have you read the Great Proclamation?"
Wang Qi's heart was pounding. She didn't know what the connection was between these issues. She regretted not consulting a lawyer before coming. She could only bite the bullet and say, "No, there isn't one."
Xue Shao's smile widened: "Then Master Wang doesn't have the 'Great Proclamation' in his household either?"
His family certainly had them. He knew about the book "Da Gao" (Great Proclamation). Master Wang himself wasn't very cultured, but he liked to pretend to be a cultured person, so he had all these ordinary books.
But who says that just because someone has a child at home, they have to go to school?
Thinking about it, Wang Qi said confidently, "Yes, but I haven't read it."
Magistrate He was completely bewildered, but his clerk, who was standing nearby, immediately understood and his eyes lit up. He quickly stepped forward and whispered something in Magistrate He's ear.
Magistrate He looked at Xue Shao with a particularly complicated expression, then turned to Wang Qi with some pity and said, "So that's how it is. Wang Qi, you have given false information and deceived the emperor. Your donated merits are null and void. You will be imprisoned for now."
(End of this chapter)