Early the next morning, after arranging the office, Shen Mo began to talk one by one, dividing the duties and powers of his subordinate officials and clarifying the tasks. After talking about five or six, it was reported outside that Wang Yongji, the magistrate of Wu County, together with Gui Youguang, came to report on the progress of the case.

Only then did Shen Mo remember that the two murders yesterday were about to be inquired into, so he stopped talking and let them in.

Wang Yongji was still clean and elegant, greeted the adults, and after silently giving him a seat, he said softly: "Fuzun, according to your instructions, the lower officials have a preliminary understanding of the two murders. ”

Shen Mo took the file handed over by Gui Youguang, glanced at it casually, put it on the table and said: "Brother Runlian is not an outsider, when you know that this official knows nothing about criminal investigation, you still have to tell me your opinion, let me hear it." ”

"Your Excellency is humble." Wang Yongji laughed and said, "Then the lower official will say a few words nonsense." Then he picked up the top file, looked at it, and said, "Let's talk about this son killing his father first." ”

Shen Mo nodded, and then listened to Wang Yongji: "This case is suspicious, Xiaguan and Zhenchuan Gong went to investigate, and when they entered the door, they saw a white-haired old man facing the loess and falling in a pool of blood. After an autopsy, it was found that the fatal wound was on the back of the deceased's head, three wounds arranged in regular separate ways. As he spoke, he took out a piece of paper from the file, handed it to Shen Mo, and said, "My lord, please take a look." ”

Shen Mo took a look at it, and it was a portrait of the back of the head—there were three blunt wounds, evenly spaced between them, arranged diagonally at the back of the head.

"Where's the suspicion?" There is a way that is interlaced like a mountain, and silence does not see the clues.

"My lord Mingjian," Gui Youguang said for him, "what makes us wonder is that this doesn't seem like a blind man did it. Seeing that Shen Mo did not show an unhappy expression, he continued: "My lord, you think, when a blind man hits people in anger, he usually smashes them randomly, and the deceased should have messy wounds, but those three wounds are arranged clearly and neatly, which is obviously not something that a blind man can do." ”

Shen Mo understood now, patted his cheek and said, "You mean, this is the work of a clear-eyed person?" ”

"** Not far from ten," Gui Youguang said, "But he insisted that he did it himself, and we couldn't find any evidence to disprove it." "At this time, there are no advanced detection methods, so it is often possible to convict on the basis of confessions alone, especially this kind of voluntary surrender and confession, without the slightest coercion.

"What do you mean, what about this case?" Shen Mo asked softly.

"Although some people have confessed, the truth still has to be found out." Gui Youguang said: "There is no impermeable wall in the world, sooner or later there will be a day when it will be revealed to the world, if we kill the wrong person, we will be impeached." ”

Wang Yongji said: "But the lower officials have been carefully interrogated, and no one witnessed the scene of the deceased being killed, and when the first person saw the deceased, the blind man Huang Qi was there, holding the murder weapon." As he spoke, he brought a short wooden sword resting on a tray to the adults.

Shen Mo looked at the bloodstained murder weapon and couldn't help asking, "That's what you used to kill?" ”

"Don't underestimate this short sword, adults, it's made of jujube wood, the texture is very hard, and stabbing people in the back of the head with a sharpened sword tip can be fatal." Gui Youguang said: "The wound has been compared, and it was created by this short sword." ”

Shen Mo slowly shook his head and said, "I didn't mean that, I mean ......" Pointing to the wooden short sword, he said: "An adult, can you take this thing to commit murder?" Said with a smile: "Anyway, if I want to kill instead, when preparing the murder weapon, a kitchen knife or even a shovel will give me more confidence than a toy dagger......"

"What do you mean ......," the two asked in unison.

"Don't jump to conclusions," Shen Mo raised his hand and said, "Let's talk about his family relationship...... That is, who is in his family? ”

"Huang Qi has been married to his wife for many years, gave birth to several children and died, and now he has only one son under his knees, who is eleven or twelve years old this year; The old lady died a long time ago, and there is only one father on it, a younger sister got married last year, and a younger brother is also married and has children. Wang Yongji was a very careful man, as can be seen from the details of his investigations.

"What are the conditions of their family?" Shen Mo asked.

"Generally, an ordinary home for food and clothing." Gui Youguang said: "But the eldest son, that is, the blind Huang Qijia, is living a very poor life. Seeing that the adults showed an inquiring expression, Gui Youguang explained: "They are not separated, the grandfather lives in a courtyard, and from the furnishings of the three rooms, as well as their clothes, you can see that Huang Qiguo is the worst." ”

"Yes, when we went, it happened to be their house for lunch," Wang Yongji said as if he remembered something: "His brother's family eats white rice, and in his pot, there is only Cai Wotou." ”

"It's necessary to bring that sister over for questioning." Shen Mo instructed Gui Youguang: "Zhenchuan Gong go and do this." ”

"Okay," Gui Youguang got up and said, "Hurry back as soon as possible." ”

After Gui Youguang left, Shen Mo asked again, "What about the other case?" ”

Seeing that the adults seemed to have made up their minds, Wang Yongji didn't say much, so he took out the following file and said: "This case is just the opposite, the murder on the street, there are many witnesses, and the murderer also confesses, it is an ironclad case. ”

"It would be nice if it were all so simple......" In front of like-minded old acquaintances, Shen Mo did not hide his little lazy surname.

"My lord, listen to me explain the case." Wang Yongji said with a smile: "The murderer's name is Feng Yuannian, a native of Fuzhou, Fujian, and the deceased is a man and a woman, also from Fuzhou. ”

"Then why didn't you travel thousands of miles to Suzhou to kill people?" Shen Mo asked, "The financial disputes in the old country." ”

"It's not." Wang Yongji shook his head and said, "It's a peachy incident." ”

"Oh......" Shen Mo said with interest, "I would like to hear about it." ”

"That Feng Yuannian was born in a wealthy family in Fujian, and his concubine Yuzhu and his servant Zhou Jiutong were annihilated, ran away with money, and ran to our Suzhou to buy a house and live, thinking that they could spend the rest of their lives in peace." Wang Yongji said: "Feng Yuannian was empty of people and money, ridiculed by the township, and had no place to be ashamed, so he did everything possible to find out the whereabouts of the husband and silver woman, which lasted half a year, and finally found this pair of men and women. ”

At this time, it is a big crime to be wiped out, and if you want to dip in the pig cage, Zhou Jiu will naturally not sit still, and you want to run, but you were killed by Feng Yuannian with a kitchen knife hidden in his arms, and the jade bead was also slashed and killed by him because he wanted to protect Zhou Jiu.

"If that's the case," said in a deep voice, "Feng Yuannian is convicted of murder. ”

"What is Feng Yuannian's crime?" Wang Yongji disagreed: "It is already a capital crime to destroy the husband and silver woman first, and the husband is armed with a sharp blade and takes the lead in attacking Feng Yuannian." He took the annihilation on the spot, except for the other two, what is the crime? ”

Shen Mo also shook his head and said: "No matter how the annihilators should be disposed of, they should be judged by the yamen and reported to the imperial court for execution," he said in an accentuated tone: "Only those who have been executed by His Majesty have the right to deprive them of their lives, otherwise no one has the right to kill!" ”

Wang Yongji shook his head and said, "My lord, it is not appropriate for you to say this. As he spoke, he picked up a thick copy of "Da Ming Law" on the table, flipped to the "Criminal Law II" and "Human Life" sections, and pointed to Article 32 for Shen Mo to read.

The words 'kill the husband' appeared in front of Shen Mo's eyes, he frowned, and without looking at the terms behind it, he recited it to Wang Yongji: "All wives and concubines are annihilated with others, and those who are killed in the annihilation house are killed, regardless of it." If the one who kills the husband is stopped, the woman is judged according to the law, and the husband is married and sold. If his wife or concubine is annihilated or murdered with his husband, he shall be put to death. The annihilator was beheaded. If the husband commits suicide, the husband and the woman do not know it, and the ...... is hanged."

"My lord knows the law well, and the officials admire it." Wang Yongji exclaimed.

"It's just that I can recite it," Shen Mo said lightly and modestly, and then said in a deep voice: "What you want me to see is the first sentence in it." ”

Wang Yongji nodded and said, "Yes." Whoever has a wife or concubine who is destroyed with a person, and who is killed by a husband and a woman in the place of annihilation, and is killed on the spot, does not matter. As he spoke, he was about to close the coffin and concluded: "This case should be judged according to this case, and Feng should be acquitted." ”

Shen Mo still shook his head and said: "Brother Runlian, we are all readers who chew words and chew words, how can we be so sloppy?" The king was speechless for a while.

Yes, this clause does not apply to this case, because the premise of 'killing or killing' is that the husband 'was personally killed and killed in the house', which is translated into the vernacular, means 'personally caught and annihilated in bed', so it is necessary to take the annihilation on the spot in order to obtain this Raushzi's 'immunity from killing'.

Wang Yongji, who was born as a jinshi, naturally didn't understand this sentence, and said with a wry smile: "My lord, this matter should be sloppy." ”

Shen Mo frowned, and listened to the king's bitter words: "This is where people envy us for entering the non-commissioned officers." The lower official also admitted that the case was indeed groundless in law, but there were extenuating circumstances. Ordinary officials from miscellaneous backgrounds are congenitally deficient and do not dare to judge them like this. In case of a verdict, there will be wind comments and impeachment, and it will definitely not be able to resist. And our officials who were born as jinshi, will only have a good reputation if they do this, and everyone will praise them. ”

As he spoke, he arched his hand towards Shen Mo and said, "Especially my lord, with a golden champion like you, even if you do it, you will definitely be able to spread it in Qingliu Shilin, and it will never damage your reputation at all." Afraid that he would not believe it, Wang Yongji also cursed: "Xia Guan can use his own black yarn to guarantee that the result must be like this." ”

The silent frown did not stretch in the slightest, and after Wang Yongji finished speaking, he was still in deep thought...... He is no longer a newcomer, so he naturally knows that the judgment of this matter is about 'extenuating circumstances', as long as there are 'extenuating circumstances', he will definitely forgive. Even if there is no law, the officials will definitely be extrajudicial and sloppy.

As Wang Yongji said, only by doing so will it be well received.

However, 'catching and destroying women in bed' and the current 'chasing and killing husbands and women' are completely two different concepts, and if this example is followed, I am afraid that in the future, it will encourage violence.

Thinking of this, he raised his head and said slowly: "With such a judgment, there is no problem just looking at this case." After a change of words, he asked Wang Yongji: "But Brother Runlian has not thought about it, why does the formulator of this exemption clause emphasize 'catch and annihilate in bed'?" ”

"Why?" Wang Yongji asked.

"Because I'm afraid that this exemption will be abused." Anyway, the formulator had already settled in the ground, and he didn't leave a single word, so Shen Mo boldly explained with confidence: "If the condition of 'catching and annihilating in bed' can not be met, will there be mutual hatred of each other, follow this case, kill the enemy, and then kill one of their own concubines, and claim that the two of them are annihilated to avoid crime?" ”

"This ......," Wang said with a sweat on his forehead, "Xia Guan really hasn't thought about it." ”

"You just said that if I follow what you say, it will become a famous judgment that will be recited by others, and even the basis for judging the case." Silent and said in a deep voice: "At that time, someone will definitely take advantage of this and start a killing spree, where is the dignity of the "Da Ming Law" at that time?" What a conscience you and I have! ”

"The adults are thinking about Zhou Yuan, and the lower officials are throwing themselves to the ground." Wang Yong was convinced: "I really didn't think of this. ”

"Feng Yuannian had a better choice at that time, as long as he shouted 'Catch the Destroyer', the pair of wild mandarin ducks would not be able to escape." Shen said in a deep voice: "But Feng Yuannian chose to kill in silence, so I don't think I can exempt him." ”

"But if you want to sentence him to death, you may provoke a lot of controversy," Wang Yongji said worriedly, "This matter is known all over the city...... After all, there are still many short-sighted people, and many ordinary people will sympathize with Feng Yuannian and ask the adults to change the verdict. If you get to the platform, or even the criminal department, and are beaten back by them, the adults will become thankless and get into trouble. Said apologetically and smiled: "My subordinates are a little unscrupulous, please forgive me." ”

Shen Mo laughed and said: "I know that you Wang Runlian is a friend who can make friends, what you say, I will definitely think about it seriously to see if there is a way to get the best of both worlds." said irresponsible and smiled: "In this way, go to the local area first, and ask them if they are willing to take this case." ”

"Definitely not." Wang Yongji said: "This kind of case that hurts the local weather, they want us to help clean up this mess, if you are in a hurry, not only will it have no effect, but it will also hurt your face." ”

"Who said you're going to push them up?" Shen Mo smiled slyly: "This letter, the tone should be tactful, and the tone should not be tough, and the other party should see the hope of kicking the ball back." ”

"Oh......" Wang Yongji was naturally not stupid, and said through a little: "It turns out that the adult is trying to delay time......

"Yes, after waiting for the other party to refuse, let's send someone to Fuzhou to investigate the true identity of the person concerned, and see if it is the kind of relationship that Feng said. Shen Mo smiled and said: "Let's deal with this case coldly first, and then talk about it when the public doesn't pay attention to this matter...... No matter how you deal with it, the reaction will be much smaller. ”

Wang Yongji looked at Shen Mo in disbelief and said, "My lord, my lord, are you really only twenty years old?" Have you really never been a seal official? ”

"What's wrong?" Shen Mo smiled and said, "Do I look very old?" ”

"It's not old, it's old." Wang Yongji picked his thumb and said, "I'll be honest with you, when I heard that you were going to come to Suzhou, many officials couldn't accept it, and I was one of them," he said very frankly: "I couldn't believe that a twenty-year-old young man could take on the important task of guarding the pastoral government." But I believe it now, you are indeed the kind of genius who can top others for ten years a year. ”

Of course Shen Mo won't say, in fact, I was an official in my last life, he smiled modestly: "Actually, there are still a lot of things I don't understand, and I have to mention it like today." ”

"That's what subordinates should do." Wang said in a respectful voice.

"I really have a question, I want to ask for advice." Shen Mo said softly.

"Your Excellency, please speak."

"What is the background of the pawnshops and ticket numbers in Suzhou City?" Shen Mo asked: "You are from Su Songxun's background, you should have heard of it." ”

"This ......" Wang Yongji smiled apologetically: "Xia Guan really hasn't paid attention to it, but Pan, Wang, Peng, and Shen are all dignitaries in Suzhou. These four major families are both rich and noble, entrenched in the city, and their power is amazing, if there are people behind these pawnshop ticket numbers, it must be inseparable from them. ”

"What is the background of these four?" Shen Mo asked.

"They are all officials for generations, accumulated over the years," Wang Yongji said with a wry smile: "They have money, all their children study for free, and they also invite the best famous teachers, and they can pass a few examinations in each imperial examination, so that after hundreds of years, the network of relationships woven into them has exceeded the imagination of the world." He said in a low voice: "To say something private, in fact, the former prefect Wang Chonggu was driven to Songjiang because he offended these people...... The words have already been released over there, if he is not honest, he will be completely kicked out of Nanzhili! ”

"It's really arrogant," Shen Mo smiled and said, "I can't touch the tiger's buttocks!" ”

"It's hard to hear, but that's exactly what it means." Wang Yongji continued to smile bitterly.

"I'd like to touch it." Shen Mo sneered: "Not only to touch, but also to touch!" ”

The king was dumbfounded.

(To be continued)