Twelve suspects, no one can be identified as the culprit based on the available trail evidence, and no one can be eliminated further down the line.
What can be done about it?
Simple, Zhu Pingan gave the answer, all brought back to the court.
Soon, all twelve suspects were brought back to the Yamen by Liu Mu, Liu Dazhou and other Yamen officers to be interrogated about the serial theft case.
“What, Xiao Xian Zun brought back twelve suspects? There are butchers, neighbours, and travelling merchants passing by. ……What is Little County Honour up to? How can anyone try a case like this, isn’t this a joke?!”
“Detaining twelve people without evidence, isn’t this nonsense!”
“Small county honourable want to quickly solve the case want crazy right? How can he convince the public by casting a wide net, arresting people indiscriminately, and blindly trying cases like this? Can he stand up to the four words ‘A clear mirror hangs high’ at the back of the lobby? Such a Prefectural Honour is not at all responsible to Daming, not at all responsible to the people, not at all responsible to the Law.”
“This is really a slip of the tongue, five cases of petty thievery, but twelve suspects were tied up? Since my Jingnan County Office opened, I’ve never heard of a case with twelve suspects! Moreover, even if there are twelve suspects, they are not tried separately, but together! Does he know how to try a case!”
After receiving the notification of Zhu Pingan’s ascension to the courtroom and hearing that there would be twelve suspects to be tried together, Zhang County Minister and the others were dumbstruck with surprise and could not believe their ears, finding it exceptionally absurd and ridiculous.
“Oh, at first just thought to find some trouble for the small county honourable, save him from being restless, did not expect to have the effect is far greater than expected, the small county honourable greed for success, in order to quickly solve the case even fainted, arresting people indiscriminately, and a series of twelve suspects, but also to ascend to the hall for trial. Oh, small county honourable after all young ah, easy to hot blood on the head, do not know want to speed is not enough, urgent is to cure its symptoms, slow is to cure its root. Now, let’s wait and see how the little county honours end. Oh, at that time, we then put out the wind to help the small county honourable good ‘propaganda’ under, let the whole county people are listening to the small county honourable ‘great achievements’……”
While rushing to the public hall with County Minister Zhang, Master Yao couldn’t help but smile and bite his ear with County Minister Zhang in a low voice.
“Hehe, great goodness.”
County Minister Zhang was all smiles as he nodded his head repeatedly.
On the way, when the Six Houses of Suxu saw the two of them, they enthusiastically came forward to salute and walked behind the two of them, rushing to the hall together.
The mirror is hanging high, Zhu Pingan is sitting in the hall as a magistrate, Zhang County Minister, Yao Bookkeeper are gloating in their hearts, but on their faces, they still do the right thing, and Zhu Pingan bowed his hand and sat at the bottom of the hall, and the clerk, the six roomed officials bowed their hands and sat in the bottom of the hall in two rows.
This is the ascension hall, the six rooms of the three classes of officials and servants should be gathered in the row of government offices; if it is the ascension of the second hall, only the duty clerks and by the contracted servants to participate in it, other unrelated officials can not participate, equivalent to the modern court’s summary procedures.
“Raise the court! Beat the drum and bring the suspects to the hall.”
Seeing that everyone was gathered, Zhu Pingan nodded slightly and slapped the alarming wood.
The yamen beat the drum for ascending the hall with force, bringing the twelve suspects up to the hall at the same time as the drum was beating.
“Mighty!”
Two rows of yamen stood in unison on both sides of the hall, banging their water and fire sticks with great force, shouting “Mighty!”.
On the hall, the mirror was hanging high, under the hall, there were “avoidance” and “silence” signs, the magistrate was dressed in official uniform, with a serious face, the six rooms and three classes of officials and servants gathered in the row of yamen, and the two rows of yamen and servants were like wolves and tigers, with the sound of the drums, the sound of the water and fire sticks knocking on the ground, and the sound of the mighty sound resonating in the ears…….
The suspects are all city people, where have they seen this kind of scene, one by one, they nervously kneel on the ground to pay their respects.
“Three months ago, Zhang Erniu’s family in Dazhang Village had a cow stolen, Zhang Dajian’s family had a pig stolen, and Li Doudou’s family had two sheep stolen; Zhang Erpian’s family in Miaozhuang Village had a donkey stolen, and Liu Laoshi’s family had five chickens stolen. Whoever of you is a thief, quickly admit it, and this official can still deal with it lightly; if not, deal with it severely.”
Zhu Pingan was in the hall, tapped the shocking wood, and said gently to the twelve suspects under the hall.
Hehe, the magistrate is quite gentle.
The twelve suspects under the hall, who looked like they were in a strict hell, suddenly relaxed a bit in their tense, apprehensive moods and opened their mouths to cry out for justice.
“The county magistrate, I’m innocent, I’m a butcher in the village, nothing to do with the burglary ah. The county magistrate can go to ask around, ten miles eight villages know, small sell meat are real catty real two, never missing catty less two, let alone theft, the county magistrate Mingzhi ah.”
“The magistrate, I’ve been wrongly accused. I’m just a neighbour of Zhang Erniu’s family, not a cattle thief, I’m wronged ah …….”
“The county magistrate is aware of ah, I’m just a street seller, I’m wrongly accused ah ……”
……
The twelve suspects in the hall have cried out for injustice, none of them admitted it, you a word and I a word, make the hall like a food market.
County Minister Zhang and Master Yao looked at each other with thick scorn at the corners of their mouths. In their opinion, Zhu Pingan this way of interrogation is simply a joke, you think this is Jiang Tai Gong fishing willing to hook ah, if this can be interrogated to solve the case, they are willing to twist their heads down to Zhu Pingan as a night pot.
“Confess from leniency, resist from severity, this official give you time to think again …… Zhang Dianliang Wang Tian injury case file with this official to fetch, no need to collate ……”
Zhu Pingan eyed the crowd of suspects under the hall and said slowly, then no longer paying attention to them, turned his head to the torture chamber official Zhang Danian and commanded.
“Yes. Your Honour.”
Zhang Dainian originally wanted to use the reason that the files were messy and had not been sorted out, but Zhu Pingan’s sentence “no need to sort out” blocked his reason for refusal in advance, and Zhu Pingan had the file register in his hand, so Zhang Dainian didn’t dare to use the reason that the files had been lost in the custody of the former magistrate as an excuse, and had to open his mouth and responded.
Soon, Zhang Dainian fetched the file of Wang Tian injury case, Zhu Pingan in the lobby carefully flipped up.
Zhu Pingan was immediately immersed in the Wang Tian injury case and seemed to have forgotten about the twelve suspects under the hall, no longer paying attention to them.
The group of suspects just kept kneeling under the hall, looking at each other.
Master Yao and County Minister Zhang looked at each other, scorn covered their faces, they were already powerless to spit on Zhu Pingan. Let the suspects admit, if they don’t admit, give them time to think about it, and study other cases on the side by themselves? Zhu Pingan’s way of interrogating and solving a case is simply stupid and idiotic! It’s a travesty!
You’ve been reading like a fool, haven’t you? The whole person lives in a book! If you ask the suspects to admit, they will admit!
The Six Houses were all speechless at Zhu Ping An’s way of interrogating the suspects.
As Zhu Ping An interrogated the suspects in this manner, the suspects knelt on the ground without any pressure and became more and more relaxed.
Half an hour passed.
One hour passed.
……
Finally, Zhu Pingan finished studying the Wang Tian injury case, rubbed his forehead with a tired face, also finally remembered the crowd of suspects kneeling under the hall, while rubbing his forehead, he said to the crowd of suspects under the hall tiredly, “Forget it, you guys go back for now.”
Ha?
When County Superintendent Zhang and Master Yao heard this, the corners of their mouths were on the verge of twitching, and they couldn’t even hold back their expressions of derision.
The crowd of xuyuns were all powerless to spit out their words as well.
“Many thanks to the magistrate.”
The twelve suspects in the hall were in a completely relaxed mood, and one by one, they got up, thanked Zhu Pingan, and prepared to go home.
Just as the suspects got up to thank Zhu Pingan, Zhu Pingan above the hall suddenly burst into a rage, reaching out and slamming the shocking wood, shouting at the suspects, “Thieves also dare to get up and go!”
“Ah!”
One of the twelve suspects sniffed and reflexively kneeled down with trembling legs with a plop.
