Grand jury, this is the first time Xiang Xiaoqiang heard the word.
Of course he was familiar with the word "jury" and knew what it was for. But adding the word "big" in front of it made him a little confused. Could it be that because of his special status, the size of the jury should be larger?
?
Song Ruhai suggested that he immediately request the establishment of a grand jury to hear his case. In this way, before the grand jury reaches a conclusion, he cannot enter the criminal investigation stage, that is, he can not be arrested.
After Song Ruhai's introduction, Xiang Xiaoqiang gradually understood more. The legal system of Ming Dynasty should belong to the Anglo-American legal system, not the civil law system that Xiang Xiaoqiang is accustomed to.
To put it simply, the civil law system tends to be authoritative, that is, the judge plays an active role in litigation. The Anglo-American legal system tends to be adversarial, that is, adversarial debate between the prosecution and the defense, and the role of the judge is passive and neutral. Therefore, the jury
The effect is very big.
"But, what's the use of asking for a jury now?" Xiang Xiaoqiang said almost angrily, "There is a jury, but they have to arrest me first, and finally decide my guilt or innocence in court. What's the use now?"
"
"it works!"
Song Ruhai said categorically:
"Listen, it's not a jury, it's a grand jury. The jury decides whether to indict you or not, but the grand jury decided before that whether to indict you. If the grand jury can't pass the hearing, then there's no point in that matter.
Your son will not file a criminal prosecution against you, and your case will not enter the criminal stage at all, so there will be no need for a jury later."
Xiang Xiaoqiang pondered and gradually understood. Although they are both called "jury", it is just one word different, but they are not doing the same thing at all.
Song Ruhai said again:
"My lord, according to the current situation, a grand jury hearing should be held first. They say they have the evidence, so fine, let them show the evidence to the grand jury. If the grand jury says it's okay, it's okay. If it's not, it's okay.
, they have to continue to look for evidence. When the evidence is enough for the grand jury to think that it can indict, then that will be fine! Sir, you can definitely ask for this. Then those people downstairs have to go back honestly."
Hope gradually appeared on the faces of other people in the room. Qiu Qiu and Xiu Xiu even tried their best to encourage Xiang Xiaoqiang to make a request. At least now they would not be taken away. Xiang Xiaoqiang was also surprised. He did not expect such a good thing.
A set of things. This is the advantage of the Anglo-American legal system: the protection of the rights of the parties can be said to be perfect.
"Okay," Xiang Xiaoqiang stood up and said, "Let's do this. Since there is such a thing, let's use it and fend them off first."
…
Two gendarmes and a prosecutor came in. The leading prosecutor scanned the smoke-filled office and was shocked to see so many big shots, including two famous princesses. But he
Immediately he felt the smell of "Twilight of the Gods" and "Final Struggle" in the room. He strode straight to Xiang Xiaoqiang's desk and looked directly at Xiang Xiaoqiang who was sitting behind the desk.
He took out an arrest warrant, placed it on his desk, and pushed it in front of Xiang Xiaoqiang.
"General Xiang Xiaoqiang and Colonel Du Teng," the prosecutor straightened his chest and said in an unassuming tone, "You two are suspected of planning and carrying out the bombing on June 5, and you are now under arrest. This is the order issued by the Nanjing District Court judge.
Arrest warrant. Please sign it."
Xiang Xiaoqiang leaned back and said unhurriedly:
"I'm sorry, we won't sign. Besides, none of you can take it with you today."
The prosecutor was stunned for a moment, then squinted his eyes and looked around the room full of people. With a hint of ominous premonition, he slowly took a step back and got closer to his two military policemen.
"Xiang Xiaoqiang," he said in a deep voice, "what do you want to do?"
The two military policemen next to them also became nervous, and their right hands involuntarily moved closer to the holsters on their waists.
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled slightly and said:
"What do I want to do? I want to demand a grand jury hearing."
The prosecutor and the two military policemen suddenly looked embarrassed. The prosecutor really didn't expect Xiang Xiaoqiang to suddenly do this. But he knew that he probably wouldn't be able to take anyone away today.
But he still insisted:
"Xiang Xiaoqiang, please see clearly that this is an arrest warrant issued by the Nanjing District Court and it has taken effect. You must comply with it."
Song Ruhai immediately took it and said coldly:
"This arrest warrant is unconstitutional. Before any suspect is charged with a crime, he has the right to request a grand jury hearing to determine whether such charges are necessary. And Xiang Xiaoqiang and Du Teng have now been charged
Residential surveillance is too much for two people who have not been charged. Unless you can prove that they are preparing to abscond, you cannot arrest them at all."
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and nodded:
"That's what I mean."
The prosecutor's face turned red, but he could not come up with a more powerful rebuttal. He took a step forward, took back the arrest warrant on the table, looked at everyone in the room again, and threw a "Count you in"
He gave Xiang Xiaoqiang a "severe" look, then gritted his teeth and said:
"Okay, excuse me."
The prosecutor and the two gendarmes turned and walked out. As soon as they got downstairs, they heard a burst of cheers from the office above. Two of the women cheered particularly enthusiastically.
…
The palace of Prince Yanping has become a sea of white at this time. Not only the pavilions and pavilions are hung with white curtains, but also everyone is wearing white mourning clothes, going in and out, making arrangements for the funeral, and preparing for the funeral. Congress
It has been discussed and agreed to hold a state funeral for Prince Yanping. It was just after the death of "three-seven", which is twenty-one days. Originally, the identity of King Yanping meant that the vigil should be at least "seven-seven", but because it is already early summer,
The coffin should not be buried too late.
The mourning hall is located in the main hall of the Yanping Prince's Mansion. The remains of Yanping Prince Zheng Xizhen were arranged and placed in a crystal ice coffin. The crystal ice coffin was placed in a larger bronze coffin with ice cubes lined in the middle.
The white air from the ice overflowed from the bronze coffin, making the temperature in the mourning hall several degrees lower than outside.
Zhu Yourong was wearing a full set of white palace attire, with a white ribbon tied around her forehead, and no jewelry on her head. She knelt quietly on the futon on the side of the coffin, looking at her grandfather's portrait in the hall with tears in her eyes.
Next to her, Zheng Yucong was also in full white palace attire. She was also kneeling with tears in her eyes, holding a list and whispering to her:
“… His Majesty King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, His Majesty King Rama VII of the Kingdom of Siam, His Majesty Emperor Wilhelm II, Emperor of the Second German Reich, His Excellency Adolf Hitler, Chancellor of the Third German Reich, Rio de Janeiro, Belgium
His Majesty King Bode III, His Excellency Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, His Majesty Emperor Hirohito of the Empire of Japan, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union...Joseph?
Visa...Leo...what's Norwich...the name is so long...His Excellency Stalin...these were the first to send messages of condolences...
"Oh, there is also His Majesty King Shanggui of the Ryukyu Kingdom, who is also one of the earliest ones, but the Ryukyu royal family is in Nanjing, and he came to express his condolences in person. There are also the Tsarist Russia and the White Russian nobles who have been exiled in our Ming Dynasty... Cousin, these are all in On the first day you were in a coma, people sent you messages of condolence. Also, after people found out you were in a coma, many countries sent you messages of condolences. Take a look... Mr. Shen Ge, Minister of Foreign Affairs, my father, and There are a lot of them... They have already called me back to thank them, so you can tell me when you will..."
"Also, cousin..." Zheng Yucong approached Zhu Yourong again and whispered, "His Royal Highness Prince Ananta also came to express his condolences at that time. He knelt here and even cried..."
Zhu Yourong turned around in a daze:
"Who? What tower? Which prince?"
Zheng Yuqing was stunned and said unexpectedly:
"That's Prince Ananta Mahidol! You guys used to play together when you were kids! Why did you forget?"
"Oh, the one from Siam..." Zhu Yourong was still staring at his grandfather's coffin in a daze, and said lightly, "It's not his grandfather, why is he crying?"
Zheng Yucong was speechless for a moment and couldn't explain why the Prince of Siam was crying.
"Well... maybe..." Zheng Yucong said casually, "Maybe... people think that since he will be with you soon... um... so your grandpa, that is, his grandpa... So, he should cry That’s what it should be…”
Zhu Yourong looked angry and scolded:
"Chong Cong! What nonsense are you talking about!"
…
At this moment, Zheng Gongyin's angry voice came from outside:
"What? Grand jury? What do you mean, what are you doing! Say, what's going on?"
Zheng Yuqing curled her lips and hummed:
"Oh, he dares to make a lot of noise outside the mourning hall. I don't think he can change his moral character... Cousin, just wait, I'll go out and give him a slap in the face."
As he spoke, he got up, held up his long skirt and rushed out. Then Zheng Yucong's roar came from outside:
"Dad, what do you want to do! Look, this is grandpa's funeral hall, how can you do this...ah? What?"
The voices of three people outside murmured a few words, and Zheng Yucong immediately followed suit and started shouting angrily.
Zhu Yourong felt a little strange when he heard the changes in the sounds outside, but he didn't want to go outside at the moment, so he said calmly:
"what happened?"
As soon as she spoke, the outside immediately fell silent.
After a while, Zheng Gongyin whispered outside the door:
"Rongrong, Barrister Fang Tangjing from my uncle's house is here. He has brought the latest news about the case. Rongrong, please see if you can allow him to speak in court..."
Zhu Yourong nodded:
"Let him in."
Zheng Gongyin, Zheng Yucong, and a thin man wearing a black suit came in. When Zheng Gongyin saw that Zhu Yourong was still kneeling on the ground silently, he was startled, and quickly hid behind her, and asked someone to bring in a few more futons. .
Opposite Zhu Yourong, several people also knelt down in a polite manner, forming an equal posture with Zhu Yourong. Only then did Zheng Gongyin dare to laugh and say:
"Rongrong, this is Barrister Fang Tangjing, the chief lawyer in my uncle's house..."
Fang Tangjing immediately bowed deeply and said word by word:
"I, Tang Jing, pay homage to Your Majesty. I have admired Your Majesty for a long time, and today I am lucky enough to see Tianrong. It is truly a blessing..."
Zhu Yourong didn't look at him, just said "hmm" lightly, and then asked Zheng Gongyin:
"What's up?"
Zheng Gongyin said angrily:
"The investigation team sent military police to arrest Xiang Xiaoqiang, but they failed to arrest him and came back empty-handed!"
Zhu Yourong trembled, lowered his eyes, and asked silently:
"Why, did you run away to Xiaoqiang?"
"Your Majesty," Fang Tangjing leaned forward and replied, "Xiang Xiaoqiang did not abscond, but he made a request to convene a grand jury for a hearing before criminal charges against him..."
"Oh," Zhu Yourong understood immediately and said calmly, "This is the right guaranteed by the constitution to every party involved in a criminal case. The prosecutor has no right to refuse, right?"
Fang Tangjing lowered his head and said respectfully:
"Your Majesty is familiar with the law, and I admire you very much. That's exactly what it is."
Zheng Gongyin was a little anxious and raised his voice:
"No power? Is the investigation team planning to cover up Xiang Xiaoqiang? He killed my father and your Majesty's grandfather. That was the majestic King Yanping of the Ming Dynasty! Even if he can't be shot now, he should be arrested first.
No? For such a heinous crime, why do all the rights belong to him? How come we, the royal family members, have no rights?... If you rebel against them, you will pay them back!"
Zheng Yucong glanced at her cousin, quickly pulled the corner of Zheng Gongyin's clothes, and quietly glared:
"dad!"
Fang Tangjing looked at Zheng Gongyin, then at Zhu Yourong, then slowly lowered his head and stopped talking.
Zhu Yourong said quietly:
"Uncle, listen to me. In this situation, Xiang Xiaoqiang does have the right to request a grand jury hearing. At least until the grand jury determines that our evidence is sufficient and can initiate criminal prosecution, Xiang Xiaoqiang cannot be arrested..."
"Then we can arrest him after he is identified, right? When can he be identified?"
Zhu Yourong continued:
"Even if we convene the grand jury tomorrow and start the hearing, it won't be that fast... Moreover, the final vote of the grand jury may not necessarily be what we want..."
Zheng Gongyin said in a daze:
"What's the meaning?"
"That is to say, it is possible that there is insufficient evidence and no criminal prosecution will be filed against Xiang Xiaoqiang..."
Fang Tangjing quickly said:
"Your Majesty is absolutely right, Lord Marquis, the situation is basically like this."
"Then what should we do?" Zheng Gongyin said angrily, "Let him get away with it?"
"That means there is insufficient evidence, so we can only continue to look for evidence."
"Not enough? How can it be insufficient?" Zheng Gongyin waved his hands and said loudly, "The evidence is as solid as a mountain!"
Zhu Yourong glanced at him and said without emotion:
"That's good, we don't have to be afraid of the hearing."
Zheng Gongyin was furious, but couldn't say anything. He still felt that there was nowhere to vent his anger, so he turned to Fang Tangjing and said:
"Xiao Fang, if we have enough evidence, how will Xiang Xiaoqiang be sentenced in the end?"
Fang Tangjing glanced at Zhu Yourong secretly, hesitated, and replied carefully:
"Master Hou, it's like this. If he is found guilty in the end, Xiang Xiaoqiang will basically be sentenced to hanging... Of course, since he is a soldier, he has the right to choose the execution method suitable for soldiers, which is to shoot... Basically
That's it."
When he heard the words "hanging" and "shooting", Zheng Yucong, who was originally angry, couldn't help but shudder. Zheng Gongyin looked at Xiaoqiang as if he was about to be shot, and the anger in his heart calmed down a little.
Zhu Yourong remained expressionless, staring at her grandfather's coffin in a daze.
…
At this time, a maid outside lowered her head and walked in slowly. She first met Zhu Yourong, then Zheng Gongyin and Zheng Yucong, and whispered:
"His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol Ananta of Siam seeks to see and request for condolences again."
When they heard the name, Zheng Yucong and Zheng Gongyin looked at each other with disgusted expressions. Zhu Yourong still acted as if he hadn't heard.
Although everyone knew what the prince of Siam had in mind when he came together at this time, he was here to express condolences after all, so he had to be allowed to come. Moreover, he was the heir to the throne of a country and was visiting the Ming Dynasty on behalf of the country.
Daming was injured by a bomb on the ground... This is unreasonable.
Zheng Gongyin reluctantly asked.
The Prince of Siam held a piece of gauze on his forehead, wore a neat Ming Dynasty mourning dress, and walked in slowly with a sad face.
He came in without looking sideways or at Zhu Yourong. Instead, he knelt down in front of King Yanping's portrait and coffin, and kowtowed three times respectfully. There were tears on his face when he stood up.
Then, he turned to Zhu Yourong, pulled out a futon, and knelt with her, looking at Zhu Yourong, who was dressed in plain palace clothes, kneeling weakly, as poignant as a saint.
Zhu Yourong did not look directly at him, but bowed slightly and said softly:
"Your Highness is very considerate. Thank you very much."
The prince looked at her, sighed deeply, and said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, I express my condolences and accept the change... people cannot be resurrected after death..."
As he spoke, he first smiled miserably, and then said with a bitter smile:
"Sigh... I'm so stupid, I still want to advise you like this... In fact, I am as sad as you... The prince is your grandpa, but he seems to be my grandpa too... I still remember that year, when I first came here
During the Ming Dynasty, we were all still young... We played in the Yanping Palace and watched the prince write in the study... I couldn't write Chinese characters at that time, but you could already write very well... Your Majesty
He just held my hand and taught me one stroke at a time... At that time, we were sitting on his lap, one on the left and the other on the right... But now, he has..."
When he said this, there was a lump in his throat. Zhu Yourong's face was filled with tears, his chest was shaking and heaving, and he couldn't stop crying.
The prince looked at Zhu Yourong and suddenly looked very excited and said:
"Your Majesty... although grandpa is no longer here, you still have relatives who love you... you still have uncles, cousins, and... and me!... Your Majesty, you can treat me as..."
"Cough cough, cough cough."
Zheng Gongyin and Zheng Yucong both lowered their heads and coughed in their throats.