In public and private, in law and reason, since I know Chen Erlang killed his wife, Zhu Pingan can not stay out of it, so he said to Chen Dacheng with a serious and serious face, “This official is the deputy ambassador of Jiangsu and Zhejiang Tidings Inspection Department, reviewing the criminal cases in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is both the authority of the official and the responsibility of the official. Since I have encountered the case of your brother’s wife’s murder, there is no reason to turn a deaf ear to it. I would like to ask Matriarch Chen to give a detailed account of your brother’s case from beginning to end, without any concealment or fabrication. If your brother is indeed innocent, this official will never allow the local county magistrate to wrongly accuse him;if your brother deserves to be punished, this official will never bend the law because of Patriarch Chen’s connections.”
When Chen Dacheng heard Zhu Pingan’s words, a flame of hope suddenly lit up in his eyes.
Yes, Lord Zhu as the Acting Vice-Envoy of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Tidings and Pressure Division had the duty to review criminal cases.
He has been working on his brother’s case for a year now, and has run through the county office and the governor’s office, but to no avail.
My brother is still in prison, just waiting for the next autumn wind, will be examined and beheaded in the penal colony.
Now was the best and last chance.
“Yes, yes, yes, grasshopper will definitely detail my brother’s case, from beginning to end, in detail to your honour.”Chen Dacheng said excitedly.
“That was last year …….”Chen Dacheng closed his eyes and slowly narrated.
The crime was last year, but things have to start from two years ago.
The Chen family’s second son, name Chen Jiaxing, was a scholar, at the age of twenty-one. Two years ago, through the parents of the matchmaker, eight carries sedan chair to retrieve the beloved wife Zhang, Zhang is the cloth merchant’s youngest daughter, handsome, ten miles eight villages have a good reputation. Chen Erlang doted on Zhang’s, the young couple live in harmony, few quarrels.
After their marriage, Chen Erlang and his wife lived in the west of Beilei Village, in a new house built for them by the Chen family’s two elders.
Chen Erlang usually study at home, but every month will go out for a few days to meet friends, exchange knowledge and gain talent.
Last winter, Chen Erlang went out as usual to meet friends and exchange knowledge. Three days later, Chen Erlang returned home.
“Ah!!!”
When Erlang Chen returned home, a piercing and extremely loud shriek came out from his home, cutting through the quietness of Beilei Village.
When the neighbours heard Chen Erlang’s scream, they thought that Chen Erlang’s house had been burgled and rushed to help, then they were shocked to find that Chen Erlang’s wife had been brutally murdered, and Chen Erlang was paralyzed in the doorway, screaming.
More shocking to the crowd is that there is only the body of Chen Erlang’s wife Zhang’s body, not Zhang’s head.
At once, Beilei village boiled, everyone came.
Chen Erlang’s father-in-law and mother-in-law also heard the news with people rushed to see the tragic face of his daughter, this pain, that is the son-in-law killed his daughter, so to the Yamen accused Chen Erlang.
At that time, the Yiwu county magistrate or the former magistrate, the county magistrate received the case, with the coroner, the police officer to come.
The police found a bloody coat worn by Chen Erlang under the bed of his house, and fished out a blood-stained kitchen knife in the well. Unfortunately, the cleaver had been soaked in the well, leaving little bloodstain, and the fingerprints had been washed away.
However, it had not been possible to find Zhang’s head.
Chen Erlang was arrested and brought into the county office for a public trial. At first the magistrate interrogated Chen Erlang as to why he had killed his wife.
Chen Erlang insisted that he refused to admit to killing his wife, saying that he had returned from a visit to his friends and found his wife brutally murdered as soon as he got home.
The magistrate then asked Chen Erlang if the bloody clothes were his.
Chen Erlang said that the clothes were indeed his, but they were dirty clothes that he had changed before he visited his friends, and they were not stained with blood at that time, so he did not know why they were stained with blood.
The magistrate then asked Chen Erlang if the chopper belonged to his family. Chen Erlang confessed that the chopper belonged to him.
The magistrate asked, “The bloody clothes are yours, the chopper is yours, your wife was killed, you said you had nothing to do with it, you are really lying with your eyes wide open, why did you kill your wife, and where did you throw the head of your wife, tell us the truth quickly.
Chen Erlang shook his head and refused to admit.
The magistrate was furious and ordered Chen Erlang to be beaten with 50 sticks for his stubbornness. Chen Erlang weak scholar, how ever suffered this kind of pain, screaming, fifty kill Wei stick hit, has fainted dead, poured cool water, ice to wake up.
Interrogated again, Chen Erlang dying breath shook his head.
The magistrate ordered on the clip stick, Chen Erlang suffered for a few moments, can not stand, shouting for forgiveness, confessed, admitted to killing his wife, said the reason for killing his wife is the husband and wife, his wife said that he was incompetent, often study without home but failed to win the talent, he killed his wife in a fit of rage. Bloody clothes he wore when he committed the murder, kitchen knife is also the murder weapon he used in the murder.
As for the head, but forgot to throw where, after the torture, Chen Erlang remembered, said it is still in a forest, the police went to the woods to look for days have not found, perhaps by wild dogs, wild animals ate.
At the beginning of the year, the former magistrate was transferred to a higher position, and magistrate Zhao took office.
Chen Dacheng is holding a letter in blood, crying out for justice.
Zhao magistrate examined the file, witnesses, physical evidence, all, Chen Erlang also personally admitted to kill his wife, signed and drew a pledge.
The facts are clear, the evidence is complete, the judgement is unchanged, Chen Erlang hate killing his wife, only to wait for the next autumn, to comfort Zhang’s spirit in heaven.
“……Things are also so. I still ask Your Excellency to make a decision for the grasshopper’s brother.”Chen Dacheng cupped his fists and knelt on the ground.
“Patriarch Chen please rise quickly.”Zhu Pingan helped Chen Dacheng up.
In this case, it appeared that there was all the human and physical evidence, and the motive was there, however, Zhu Pingan carefully went through it, and still saw several irregularities in it. First of all, the first point, Chen Erlang’s motive to kill his wife is not sufficient, even if Zhang said Chen Erlang incompetent, often go out and also failed to pass the examination, but in accordance with common sense, this point of stimulation is not enough to stimulate Chen Erlang to kill his wife, Chen Erlang is still young, only 21 years old, no, the case is only twenty years old, twenty years of age, failed to pass the examination of the Xiu Cai is very normal ah, the sixty years of age examination is still examining the Xiu Cai of a large number of people in the twenty and thirty years of age is the main force of the examination of Xiu Cai, if you are a young man, you should be a young man, you should not be a young man.The main force of the Xiu Cai, if it is forty or fifty years old, was said to have failed the Xiu Cai incompetent, perhaps the stimulus will be a little bigger. Also, all the neighbours said that Chen Erlang and his wife were in good terms and had never heard of them quarrelling. Secondly, after killing his wife, Chen Erlang threw her head away, which is a bit of a snake, meaningless and unreasonable. Third, even if you have a grudge to kill your wife, you are bound to find some excuses to facilitate exoneration, or to push the death of disease, or to create an accidental violent death, so blatant and undisguised way to kill his wife, but also not suitable for the common sense ……
Human life is at stake, since there are so many doubts, it must be thoroughly investigated.
Zhu Pingan then instructed Liu Dazhou, “Dazhou, go and ask Governor Zhao to come and ask him to bring the case file of Chen Erlang’s wife murder case, I want to reexamine the case together with Governor Zhao!
