When Mao Bowen, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, sent the petition to Zhang Shu, who was the "three halls to review", and sent it to the cabinet, Mr. Yan Ge felt very miserable.
Because Yan Song is not qualified to decide whether to conduct a "three-court trial" on Qin Dewei.
Regarding Qin Dewei, you can probably do whatever you want in private. As long as you are determined, there is nothing you dare not do, even small tricks.
But once Qin Dewei's matter is brought to light, only Emperor Jiajing has the power to make the decision. After all, this is a "Jiajing man", how can anyone else decide the fate of a "Jiajing man".
This was the feeling of loss of control that Mr. Yan Ge hated most, so he felt that Mao Bowen's memorial was unnecessary.
Moreover, Mr. Yan Ge seriously doubted whether Mao Bowen was deceived by someone from Qin again?
Anyway, this memorial was sent to the Renshou Palace and was approved by the emperor one day later with the word "ke".
It seems that all the procedures are normal, and Qin Dewei's political status is worthy of the "three-party trial".
The only thing that makes Mr. Yan Ge vaguely worried is that the chief officials of the Ministry of Punishment, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the Three Law Departments of Dali Temple are more or less from his side. If something goes wrong, the whole army will be wiped out.
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After the Ministry of Punishment received the imperial approval, it began to organize a joint trial, mainly coordinating the Metropolitan Procuratorate and Dali Temple. In addition, the Dongchang side also wanted to inform them.
The preparations for the trial took some time, so Qin Dewei stayed in the prison for several days without leaving. He did three things every day, scolding the two marquises opposite, writing poems on the wall, and inviting concubines to drink.
During this period, the issue that attracted the most public attention in Beijing was not Qin Dewei's imprisonment, but the drought, which attracted great attention from high-level officials to the people.
I heard that Emperor Jiajing set an example by praying day and night in the palace, and the Qingci written with gold powder were constantly burned.
Duan Chaoyong, who volunteered to preside over the Great Qiao for Praying for Rain, also convened hundreds of Taoist priests at Chaotian Palace, the Taoist main altar. The same practice was carried out day and night, and money was spent like water.
If the common people are concerned about the drought and look forward to rain, their motivations are very simple and simple, they are worries about life, but the thoughts of the officialdom, especially the upper class, are mixed with other meanings.
After all, Qin Dewei's imprisonment is directly related to Duan Chaoyong and Qiyu.
After you, Qin Dewei, were dismissed from office and imprisoned, the rains came. Doesn't it correspond to what Duan Chaoyong said, that the drought occurred because "someone in the central government was immoral"?
You, Qin Dewei, objected to Duan Chao praying for rain, but after Duan Chao prayed for rain, the rain just came. How do you, Qin Dewei, explain it?
It's early April, and the weather in late spring suddenly becomes humid. Experienced people have speculated whether this is a sign that rain is coming.
Ordinary people are naturally happy, but Qin Dewei's relatives and friends are worried.
After all, other ministers might have done a good job praying for rain at home, but Qin Dewei was locked up in the sky prison and did nothing.
Even if the emperor was in a good mood and didn't pursue the matter, the myth of the auspicious Jiajing men in human form would probably be shattered.
At this time, preparations for the "Three Sessions Trial" were also being made. When Mao Bowen, the Minister of Punishment, was thinking over the details at home, suddenly the Yan Mansion invited him over.
So Mao Shangshu traveled in a low-key sedan chair through the back door. He also entered Yan's Mansion through the back door and went to the main gate before getting out of the sedan chair and showing his face.
As expected, Mao Bowen saw the Yan family's father and son in the study at the same time, and asked, "What advice does Mr. Ge have?"
Yan Song said slightly tiredly: "I have been thinking about the three-party trial for three days and three nights."
Mao Bowen knew that this was an instruction from the cabinet minister. After he cheered up, he heard Yan Song continue to say: "You, the Third Law Division, must handle the case impartially, impartially and impartially this time!"
Mao Bowen: "."
In a daze, he thought he heard it wrong. It was really hard to believe that words like "handle cases impartially" came from the mouth of Mr. Yan Ge.
Yan Song added: "Although I still don't understand Qin Dewei's motives, judging from the celestial phenomena, the general trend is mine, so don't overturn the small details.
Qin Dewei's two charges of beating to death and opposing rain prayers are ready-made, so there is no need for us to add any extraneous details.
No matter how he makes excuses, he should be exempted from guilt, and should be given a lighter sentence. Don't argue with him over the lawsuit.
Anyway, the Ming Dynasty's criminal law is ineffective against Qin Dewei. The key is that if there is a crime, there is no need to forcibly pursue punishment in the sense of criminal law.
As the saying goes, skill lies in poetry. To deal with Qin Dewei, it is not about judicial trials, but about using his charges to make a fuss with the emperor.
All in all, as long as your three law divisions handle the case impartially, it will be a victory if Qin Dewei cannot find any reason!"
Yan Shifan intervened and said: "Please, Da Sikou, please convey your father's wishes to Tu Zongxian and Dai Tingwei!"
Mao Bowen understood the spirit and left quietly. Originally, what he was most anxious about was that Mr. Yan Ge would ask him to forcibly sentence Qin Dewei, but if he wanted to handle the case impartially, it would be much easier.
The next day, Mao Bowen planned to go to court. Anyway, the three law offices were all together, so it would be easy for the people to gather together.
However, Qin Dewei used the excuse of being unwell and delayed it for two days. It was not until the fifth day of April that the three-court trial, which attracted the attention of all the officials in the capital, could be held.
Qin Dewei Shiran came out of the prison. This was the first time he saw the sun in the past ten days. After adapting to the outside light, he walked to the main hall of the Ministry of Punishment.
At this time, the execution hall had already been arranged. Mao Bowen, the Minister of Punishment, Tu Qiao, the censor of Zuodu, and Dai Jin, the minister of Dali Temple, were sitting at separate tables.
The person sent by Dongchang sat alone on the side, responsible for monitoring and listening.
After Qin Dewei entered the hall, he greeted Mao Bowen and asked, "Has your fellow countryman Yan Ge been in good health recently? Do you have any instructions?"
Then he asked Tu Qiao, the censor of Zuodu: "I heard that you people from Zhejiang have re-engraved "Qianshantang Collection" by Yan Ge Lao? How about giving me a copy for my collection?"
Then he said to Dai Jin, the minister of Dali Temple: "I heard that you were demoted one level by Xia Yan, or was it after Mr. Yan Ge came to power that he promoted you to the minister of Dali Temple?"
Anyway, after all is said and done, the words "Yan Ge Lao" are like flies hovering in the execution hall.
Tu Qiao said angrily: "What do you mean?"
Qin Dewei replied casually: "It's not interesting. Just say whatever comes to mind. If Tu Zongxian hears something, you might as well say it and let me listen."
Mao Bowen didn't want to cause trouble, so he quickly began to interrogate, snapping the case and shouting: "Qin Dewei! People say that you ordered your family to beat Taoist priest Xi Yuanren to death. Is this relevant?"
Qin Dewei nodded and replied without hesitation: "Yes! I plead guilty!"
Mao Bowen: "."
He had conceived eighteen different plans in advance, but he never expected that Qin Dewei would plead guilty without making any excuses.
Encountering someone who did not follow the routine, Mao Shangshu was a little confused as to how to proceed.
You, Qin Dewei, can totally defend yourself by saying that the servants did it secretly, and you, the master, didn’t know about it! Why don’t you defend yourself like this?
Tu Qiao saw that Mao Shangshu was stuck, so he took over the conversation and asked: "Where is Xi Yuanren's body hidden? Some people say that the Qin Mansion carriage carried the vat out of the city and then disappeared without a trace. Is this related to this?"
Qin Dewei replied impatiently: "The evidence is used to confirm the charges and identify the criminals, but I have already taken the initiative to admit the charges. What more evidence do you want? Doesn't it seem superfluous?"
So don’t go through this formality, just pronounce the sentence according to the crime!”
At this time, Mao Bowen came to his senses. Today's lawsuit was not limited to homicide cases, so he continued to interrogate: "People say that you oppose and hinder rain prayers. Is this a matter?"
Qin Dewei said categorically: "I am indeed opposed to the evil demon Duan Chaoyong, and I am even more opposed to Duan Chaoyong being used to host prayers for rain! I still haven't repented!"
Then there is nothing worth asking about this question anymore. You can't force Qin Dewei to admit that he "opposes Taoism and prays for rain" in the execution hall. Wouldn't that be a case of subjugation? It goes against Mr. Yan Ge's instruction of "handling the case impartially".
Even if you want the emperor to understand it as "oppose Taoism and oppose praying for rain," it depends on Mr. Yan Ge's ability on another battlefield.
So Mao Shangshu discovered that the interrogation seemed to be over like this? Everything that should be asked has been asked and everything that should be admitted has been admitted. What else can be interrogated?
But this process was too short, seemed hasty and sloppy, and was not at all in line with the grand and solemn atmosphere of the "Three Sessions Trial"!
While the three presiding judges were winking at each other and asking each other for their opinions, they suddenly heard Qin Dewei standing on the platform urging: "Don't waste time, you three judges should discuss it quickly and then pronounce the verdict!"
Mao Bowen couldn't bear it and slapped the case: "Prisoners, be silent!"
Qin Dewei questioned: "The public judges in the hall do not try, and they do not judge, but why?"
Mao Bowen waved his hand and said to the jailer: "Take the prisoner down!"
Before being dragged away, Qin Dewei shouted loudly: "I'll tell you how to sentence him! I have a golden book and an iron certificate. If he kills someone, he can be exempted from guilt twice! Just acquit him!"
As for the matter of opposing Duan Chaoyong's prayer for rain, if you don't know how to judge it, just dig out the long-invalid Eight Proposal Ordinances from the pile of old papers.
Among them, the five items of discussing merit, discussing ability, discussing merit, discussing nobleness, and discussing diligence can be used on me, which is enough to make an excuse to the emperor.
In the end, whether to adopt it or not is all decided by the Holy Will. You don’t have to worry about it!
And I suggest you hurry up and finish writing the memorial before it rains. It’s still early today, so there’s still time!”
After watching Qin Dewei being dragged away, the chief officials of the Three Law Departments gathered together to discuss.
Then it was discovered that the best way was indeed to follow the sentence drawn up by the prisoner Qin Dewei himself.
The chief officer of the Third Law Department suddenly felt bored and felt like he was going through a lonely trial!
Mao Bowen said helplessly: "Our judiciary must be impartial, so be it."
After Qin Dewei returned to the prison, he stopped making noise and became quiet. He had done everything he needed to do, and now he could only wait.
If nothing else happens, there will be lightning hitting the Ancestral Temple tonight, and then the Ancestral Temple will catch fire and be burned down.
The butterfly effect may change human affairs, but natural celestial phenomena should still follow their original trajectory, right?
It may be a bit risky and radical to use natural disasters and gods in human imagination to try to seize the dictatorial power under the emperor.
But there was nothing we could do, time was not waiting for us, the emperor was becoming more and more stupid, and the turning point of the Jiajing Dynasty was just around the corner. If you want to restore the country's power, you can't waste the past few years, and it will become more and more difficult in the future.
The judgment was not difficult to write and did not need to be too long. The memorial jointly signed by the three judicial departments was written on the same day and submitted to the cabinet.
There is no airtight wall in the world. After the results of the trial came out, everyone just thought that Qin Dewei had broken his jar. They didn't know if they were stimulated by the recent weather phenomenon that was about to rain.
Who would have thought before that Qin Dewei's fate would be related to rain.
If you think about it more carefully, it's quite darkly humorous. The Jiajing man defeated all the invincible opponents in the court. He thought he was invincible, but he didn't want to lose to the gods of heaven and earth.
Yan Song, the elder Yan Ge, was in the Zhilu of Wuyi Palace. He took the memorial of the Three Justices on the trial of Qin Dewei and read it several times. Then he looked up at the sky, unable to make up his mind for a moment.
Regarding Qin Dewei's issue, only Emperor Jiajing can make a decision, so he has two timing options.
The first is to immediately send the trial results to Renshou Palace to remind Emperor Jiajing to read them early; the second is to wait for the rain to fall before sending the trial results to the emperor.
These two timing options have their own pros and cons.
Before the rain, the emperor was anxious and irritable, and he could easily develop extreme emotions with a little incitement;
After the rain, Qin Dewei's crime was officially confirmed. Due to public opinion, he was afraid that he would not be punished.
After the long examination, Mr. Yan Ge felt that he still had to be a little patient. Anyway, he would stay in Wuyi Hall outside Renshou Palace and could ask for an audience with the emperor at any time.
At night, when Mr. Yan Ge was lighting up the lamp to write Qing Ci, suddenly a strong wind blew through, and then, there was a sound of thunder in the sky.
Yan Song hurried out of the room and heard faint cheers coming from far away in all directions. After all, thunder means precipitation, and the rain after a long drought is a great joy for people.
Mr. Yan Ge no longer hesitated, picked up the memorial to judge Qin Dewei, and walked quickly to Renshou Palace.
Although it was late at night, Emperor Jiajing had not yet fallen asleep and was still praying in the palace, with the state counselor Tao Zhongwen serving and assisting him.
But after Emperor Jiajing heard the thunder, his mood obviously improved a lot.
For Emperor Jiajing, praying for rain was not just praying for rain, but also a process of communicating with the gods. Rain was not just rain, but the gods' response to him.
After the prayer, Emperor Jiajing read the memorial of Qin Dewei's trial and asked Yan Song: "What do you think?"
Yan Song replied: "I believe that the trial of the case should be considered fair."
Emperor Jiajing interrupted and said: "I didn't ask you whether the trial was fair or unfair!"
Yan Song then replied: "I only heard that Qin Dewei had long expected that he would be fine, and he didn't care at all about the crimes of human life, disrespecting the way, and obstructing rain prayers.
The judicial department could only act according to the law and exonerate Qin Dewei. There was no other way.
Therefore, what Duan Chaoyong said may not be unreasonable. Qin Dewei, who no one can punish, can only rely on heaven to warn him."
Emperor Jiajing snorted coldly and said: "Since the three-law judicial review does not understand, then send it to the imperial prison for another trial!"
Before he finished speaking, there was suddenly a huge explosion in the sky, which made everyone's scalp numb.
After Emperor Jiajing came to his senses, he subconsciously said: "The power of thunder is as great as this!"
Suddenly, eunuch Huang Jinhuang stumbled outside the palace door and shouted to Emperor Jiajing: "Your Majesty! There is fire!"
Emperor Jiajing stood up and walked out of the palace gate. Sure enough, he saw a patch of red reflected in the night sky to the east and south, which was very eye-catching.
It didn't take much thinking to figure out that it was a fire caused by a lightning strike. This happens often these days, but we just didn't know where the fire started this time.
Seeing that it was not far from the palace, the emperor and his ministers were in no mood to talk.
Half an hour later, another eunuch came to report: "There is a fire in the Ancestral Temple! Except for the dedication temple, everything is on fire!"
I just finished writing this, the next chapter will be posted as soon as possible tomorrow...