Survival countdown

Ji Zhifu walked in a hurry, and first said to Zhao Baiyu in a hurry after entering the government office: "You have caused trouble this time!"

Zhao Baiyu said calmly, "What's wrong?"

Ji Zhifu: "Let me ask you, did you flog the eighty-odd people who committed the night ban last time?"

Zhao Baiyu denied it.

Ji Zhifu clapped his hands anxiously and said: "My family members went to Yushitai to read a copy of you in front of His Majesty this morning, saying that the person who was wrongly beaten went to the funeral at night. Anyone who went on official business, death, funeral, and birth You don’t have to abide by the night ban. If you hit someone, you just don’t ask why. If you beat someone up, it’s an unjust case. As the prefect, Donggong personally intervened in this case. You should quickly see if there is any misunderstanding in this case? It's up to you, if you can put it aside, just put it aside, it's better to be incompetent than to bear the reputation of being a cruel official."

Zhao Baiyu: "No rush, I'll ask about the situation first."

Ji Zhifu: "It's too late, the prince, the fifth prince and others are already waiting in the front hall, I will try my best to tell you all the clues I know—talking while walking."

At this moment in the front hall of the government office, the crown prince is sitting at the desk, the chair on the left is Huo Jingtang, who came with him, and the two chairs on the right are the fifth prince and Zhao Yuqing, Zhao Yuqing, who came to see the fun on the road. Saburo.

The fan in the fifth prince's hand was shaking and shaking, and when he was bored, he stared at Huo Jingtang who was opposite him: "The king of the small county usually lives in seclusion and doesn't bother to make friends with all the officials. Why did he rush to follow the second brother just after he came to court today?"

Huo Jingtang was still sitting crookedly, propping his chin with one hand, facing the fifth prince's provocation, he just gave him a light look: "You can't just sit and watch my little lord being bullied, can you?"

"!"

The few people in the hall felt as if they had swallowed a fly. The fifth prince wanted to use Zhao Baiyu to ridicule Huo Jingtang. Zhao Baiyu's relationship also made it clear that today is to protect Zhao Baiyu.

This made the few people who wanted to deliberately make things difficult for Zhao Baiyu feel awkward. Everyone knew that Huo Jingtang was the devil of the world, that is, he had cultivated in the capital in recent years, and he looked like he had no temper. Back then, he even dared to call Emperor Ban Yuanshou face-to-face, which made people lose face.

Huo Jingtang dared to ignore it if it was really going to cause trouble, but none of them, the princes and Beijing officials, dared to lose face.

What's more, if they really made trouble in front of Emperor Yuanshou, they must be the ones who were punished.

Prince: "My son, court officials handle cases based solely on evidence, and those who are guilty must be punished. We must not be partial, especially as princes and princes, we should lead by example and strive to set an example for the world."

Huo Jingtang fiddled with the Buddhist beads, and said lazily: "This king didn't stop you from setting an example for the world? Isn't this king already a role model for the world? Zongzheng, isn't this king?"

Adjutant: "In the northwest area, every household has a monument to your longevity, General."

Both the crown prince and the fifth prince were disconcerted when they heard the words, and the latter didn't dare to provoke Huo Jingtang anymore, he was really making fun of himself.

Zhao Baiyu was brought to the court soon, the prince suddenly knocked on the gavel, and asked Zhao Baiyu why he abused punishment, Zhao Baiyu answered one by one.

"Man breaks the law."

"It was clearly written on the pleadings that Li Dong was attending a funeral at night and did not have to abide by the night ban."

"The prisoner never mentioned this matter." Zhao Baiyu spread his hands: "During the interrogation, why didn't he say anything?"

The prince ordered the prisoner Li Dong to come up. He described himself as embarrassed, his face was pale, and his prison uniform was stained with blood. He could only lie on the ground and talk. Seeing this, his family cried even more miserably.

The prisoner cried out: "Your Highness has clearly observed that the official has repeatedly emphasized that he was going to the funeral at night, and he even took out the hemp belt around his waist to testify. Mr. Zhao was in the cell at that time. I heard people say that as long as you enter the prison, half your life will be taken away regardless of whether you are guilty or not. This means that when a prisoner steps into the prison, he will first hit dozens of large boards with a stick, which is called a killing stick. The lower officials thought that such absurd rules would not Appearing in the yamen under the prince's rule, I didn't expect to suffer."

The Fifth Prince scolded suddenly: "Zhao Baiyu, you are guilty!"

Zhao Baiyu: "The lower officials have always handled cases impartially, and have never bent the law for personal gain." He asked Li Dong, "You said you were flogged eighty times for your defense, but is there anyone to prove it?"

Li Dong: "Of course!"

He named the criminals one by one, all of them were wandering businessmen who had been captured.No, they are not traveling merchants, but have official positions, so they should all work under the household department.

Prince: "Bring your ID card up here."

There were six witnesses, who were brought up and knelt down to identify Zhao Baiyu as being there at the time, ignored Li Dong's statement that he went to the funeral at night, whipped him on the grounds of night confinement, and then said that there was another jailer in the prison who could testify.

The jailer was also summoned to the court, knelt on the ground and did not dare to raise his head: "The young one is called Li Jia, and he is the jailer who guards the prisoners in the prison."

The fifth prince took two steps forward: "Can you testify that what Li Dong said is true?"

Li Jia thought of Li Dong's previous promise to give him a magistrate from a foreign county, so he gritted his teeth and swore: "I will testify that everything is true! If there is one sentence that wronged Mr. Zhao, I will let the little man's head fall to the ground!"

"Okay!" The fifth prince pointed at Zhao Baiyu and scolded angrily, "There are all the witnesses and material evidence, what else do you have to say?"

Zhao Sanlang accused with some forbearance: "You ran to rescue the teacher some time ago, and I still regarded you as a high righteousness, so the meaning of righteousness is divided into people? Zhao Baiyu, don't forget where you got your official position today! Outside, don't I have lost the face of the Zhao family."

Zhao Baiyu: "I will never forget how you forced me to give up the imperial examination because of Zhao Yuzheng, and to make up for it, you randomly donated a seventh-rank official to me. Of course, I remember the kindness of my parents in my heart. But having said that, It's a pity that Zhao Yuzheng has no interest in martial arts, otherwise the third brother will have to give up martial arts, and now he can't be a promising fifth-rank commander in Longfeng Army. Maybe he is working as an errand in Kaifeng Mansion like me, and being a headhunter is also very happy no?"

Zhao Sanlang had never been ridiculed so bitterly by Zhao Baiyu. No matter what they did before, Zhao Baiyu would accept it with pleasure, so that they thought Zhao Baiyu had no temper and no backbone.

"You—me!" Zhao Sanlang was so stunned that he couldn't speak.

"Mr. Zhao Xiaolang, why are you talking so badly?" No one expected that Huo Jingtang would be the first to attack, but he said slowly: "At least Zhao Zaizhi gave you a seventh-rank official. You must know that Jinshi got it by luck. Officials also have to start from the ninth rank."

Although it was the annoying Huo Jingtang who spoke, but the content of the speech was pleasant, the Fifth Prince sneered and said: "Some people are by nature supercilious. They just don't appreciate it, but they still hold resentment and make false accusations! Sure enough, they are crooked at the root. ..."

Before he finished speaking, Huo Jingtang's adjutant whispered loudly: "General, you can't count it like this! The recommended official position is considered to be at the end of the fifth rank. It can be compared with saints' disciples, emperor's disciples, and Jinshi who came from a serious school. It's different, the Jinshi got the ninth-rank small officials, but their promotion speed is like lighting firecrackers, they climb up slowly, worship generals and become prime ministers, and they are extremely human ministers."

Huo Jingtang: "Is that so?"

The adjutant nodded heavily: "I heard Chen Shilang say that Mr. Zhao Xiaolang was very talented back then, and he had the demeanor of replicating Zhao Zaizhi's three yuan and first grades. Unfortunately, he disappeared suddenly and failed to shine in the examination room. If he took the scientific examination at that time, he would say no He must be the magistrate now."

Huo Jingtang: "That's a pity—it's a pity! Blocking people's scientific research and cutting off their official careers is like digging up people's ancestral graves. It's really not kind."

The two master and servant sang together, which made Zhao Sanlang blush and dare not speak.The fifth prince, who had been beaten like chicken blood, was also choked up and had nothing to say, so the prince had no choice but to speak, drawing everyone's attention back to the case itself.

"Knowing the law and breaking the law, lynching to extract confessions, laziness and dereliction of duty, according to the law, you should take off your official hat and beat you thirty! Zhao Baiyu, can you plead guilty?"

"I don't recognize you." Zhao Baiyu quietly looked at Huo Jingtang, who blinked at him, and the sense of distance brought by the glass-colored Bodhisattva eyes instantly diminished a lot. "It is true that the lower officials have whipped criminals, but there is a reason for this."

"Why?"

"As an official of the imperial court, Li Dong gathered to gamble in the street. He violated the prohibition of Dajing officials from gathering together to gamble. When he was caught in prison, he blatantly claimed that the Beijing officials dared not offend him. Even Zhao Zaizhi would give him a little face , so the lower officials ordered the prison guards to whip thirty times as a warning to others. However, the lower officials did not know about going to the funeral at night. If they knew, they would definitely order the jailers to whip fifty more! Children should be filial. This is adding to the crime!"

gamble?

The prince immediately looked at the fifth prince. The latter's face was ashen, and he glared angrily at Li Dong, wishing he could goug him out. He dared to hide his gambling when he was crying for injustice!

It should be known that gambling is prohibited in Dajing. Although it has been repeatedly prohibited, the laws and regulations clearly prohibit officials from participating in gambling, let alone gambling together during the funeral, which is an extra crime!

Prince: "Is there any witness?"

Zhao Baiyu: "The 80 people who were arrested at the same time can all testify for the subordinate officials, and the government officials who arrested them at that time can also testify."

The prince glanced at Huo Jingtang, the other party stared at the Buddhist beads as if he saw a flower, secretly glad that he didn't take advantage of this to cause trouble in the court, so he smoothed things over: "Since it was a misunderstanding, Mr. Zhao has been reinstated, and there is no need to retry the case."

"Slow!" The Fifth Prince was not happy: "According to the law, you can be whipped thirty times, but Li Dong was whipped eighty times. How dare you say that you didn't lynch to extract a confession?"

Zhao Baiyu: "Your Highness doesn't know something. According to the wrist strength of our prison guards who have been working in the prison for more than ten or twenty years, the prisoners usually die of broken hip bones before they can last eighty lashes. I think Li Dong can lie down and be full of energy. It doesn't look like he was given 20 lashes, Your Highness can ask an experienced old jailer to see if Li Dong's injury was caused by [-] lashes or [-] lashes? If you don't believe me, you can go to the Ministry of Punishment to ask for it."

The Ministry of Punishment is in charge of the crown prince. No matter what the jailer finds out, Zhao Baiyu will not suffer.On the contrary, the prince really invited the prison guards of the Ministry of Punishment to come to examine him, which not only shows that he is stingy, but also shows that as the governor of the capital, he does not trust the yamen under his control.

Zhao Baiyu said this to choke him on purpose, and put the crown prince in the army. They were indifferent to each other, and they were purely against the crown prince.

"No, I trust Mr. Zhao alone." The prince praised Zhao Baiyu sullenly.

Zhao Baiyu: "Do you have any questions, Your Highness?"

The fifth prince is aggressive: "Li Dong is self-inflicted, but a total of 87 people have been arrested. Why has only one Li Dong been interrogated so far? I heard that there are unwritten rules in Beijing. Anyone who violates the night ban can only pay the money. Closed for a year and a half, is there such a thing?"

"There is absolutely no such thing, Your Highness must not hear it."

The fifth prince shook his sleeves: "Then deal with it now! Your Shangguan prince and Jifu are here, just to see how you usually enforce the law!" He approached, looking straight into Zhao Baiyu's eyes: "If you mention a criminal, you will be whipped eighty times according to the law. , we are here to watch your execution!"

87 people were tortured at the same time, including old and weak women and children, maybe half of them died in court. Although it was the order of the princes and princes, the case was handled by him and the law was handled by him. Of course, the debts of the dead belonged to Zhao Baiyu. superior.

Now that the law is enforced, the admonishing officer will be able to label Zhao Baiyu as a cruel official tomorrow morning.

Zhao Baiyu was neither humble nor overbearing, and said firmly: "Forgive me for not being able to obey orders."