4. How to play dead chess
Shortly thereafter, Jue Zigong was promoted to the position of Doctor of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Affairs, and was then sent to Shanxi to oversee the affairs of the government. Became a fifth-grade prison law enforcement officer.
The sending of officials from the capital usually means key training. Perhaps during the years when he was still working as a supervisor, his reputation as an honest and wise man made the officials in charge of the imperial court feel that Zhang Juezi from the Ministry of Revenue was more suitable for the job of supervising and enforcing the law, so he sent him to He was sent to the front line of law enforcement practice, inspected during training, and cultivated during inspection.
Leaving the prestigious yamen of the capital, leaving the familiar position of tax collector, and switching to an unfamiliar place and industry is a new challenge.
The administrative system of the Ming Dynasty went through several changes. By the mid-to-late Wanli period, the "One Belt and Three" pattern had been formed at the local and provincial level, that is, the governor controlled the administrative affairs department, the inspection department, and the capital affairs department. Commanding Department. The Chief Secretary is roughly equivalent to the provincial government; the Dusi is roughly equivalent to the provincial military region; the Prosecutor's Office, commonly known as the Chief Secretary, is a comprehensive law enforcement agency such as criminal justice, official governance, and impeachment. It is roughly responsible for the current provincial-level Discipline Inspection Commission, Supervisory Commission, High Procuratorate, The work of a long list of law enforcement agencies, including the Supreme Court, criminal police, and prison administration. According to Cha Qianshi, he is the officer in charge of law enforcement and case handling in the Si Yamen, the deputy general who leads the charge, and the vanguard who seizes the opportunity and seizes the battle.
Shanxi at that time seemed a bit special in the Ming Dynasty. This place is adjacent to the grassland foreigners to the north and the imperial capital to the right. It is not only a border military hub, but also an important place at the emperor's feet. There are not only the dangers of plundering by the cavalry of the Northern barbarians outside the Great Wall, but also the benefits of cross-border trade, the cheap resources of mining, and the political advantages of connecting with the capital's favored officials and powerful people. Therefore, the three religions, nine streams, iron, blood, gold, silver, red, black, white, and yellow, etc. all gathered and intertwined here. The water inside and outside was very deep and muddy, and the wind was high and the waves were strong. Speaking of which, the land here is barren and the people are poor, but there are many rich and powerful people. Shanxi merchants and wealthy households have also emerged one after another. Many government and private households up and down are actually not short of money. And if you have too much money, you will naturally be missed by thieves. As a result, Shanxi's corrupt officials and thieves were able to have more than enough harvest every year.
Being a prison prosecutor in a place like this is naturally a lot of work and cannot be easy. Not only are there many cases to be faced, but there are also many complications behind the cases. On the surface it looks like a small reptile, but if you dig it out, you won't know how many gods and demons it will involve. If you don't do it well, you won't be able to investigate and handle it, and you won't be able to close it in, and you won't be able to get rid of it; no matter how well you do it, the case may not be solved, and the person handling the case will be solved instead. Therefore, the chief inspectors in this place come and go like a revolving door every three days. When they get the job, they can usually just deal with it and deal with it. In fact, they are left to those little gods and gods hiding behind the scenes to argue with each other. , let many cases slowly wait, be delayed, and backlogged, leaving the troubles to time and leaving it to the successors. Playing around so subtly and softly, the result is that the cell is full of people, and there is always no solution to the problem.
This is the place and the situation that awaits the awakening of self-righteousness.
It seems that the imperial court gave Jue Zigong a try to see how good your skills are.
If you pass this level, you are regarded as a character; if you cannot pass it, you may have to cool off.
Within a few days of taking office, a large number of backlogged cases were placed in Jue Zigong's hands.
The top leader of Nagi said that he was just waiting for you to cut the mess quickly.
Although he respectfully accepted the tasks assigned by his immediate superior, Jue Zigong did not have the "three things to do as a new official", nor did he wield any sharp sword to cut any mess.
During the day, I saw him with his entourage, casually walking around, looking, listening and asking questions; at night, he stayed up late in the official residence checking the case files.
Months passed in the blink of an eye, and he didn’t make much noise.
It seems that this person is similar to the previous prosecutors. On the surface, he is very hardworking, but in fact he does not dare to really contribute.
In the evening of that day, when I returned to the official residence after visiting the prefectures and counties, a police officer came to report that Mr. Sun, the former prefect of Pingyang, asked to see him. He had been waiting for a long time and said that he must see you today. Woolen cloth.
Juezi Gong immediately smiled secretly and said lightly, "Let him come in alone and meet me in my study."
The retired magistrate actually brought him here intentionally because Duke Jue had leaked the news.
The old magistrate has been an official for more than thirty years. He has a good foundation and backing, and he is naturally very experienced in the tricks of the officialdom. Especially during the years when he served as the prefect of Shanxi Province, he targeted wealthy merchants in Shanxi and conducted clever raids. He made a lot of money and prepared enough protective umbrellas. After Zhishi retired, he bought extensive land and settled in Xinzhou, where he still used his power to dominate the countryside. A few years ago, a wealthy family named Yang took a fancy to a piece of Feng Shui treasure land and planned to buy it as the tomb of Longmai Ancestor. Unexpectedly, Magistrate Sun intervened and forcefully bought the treasure land first. The Yang family was furious but could do nothing. However, due to bad luck, a niece of the Yang family was selected into the palace and became his wife and concubine. As soon as the tactful and sophisticated Magistrate Sun saw that the situation had changed, he wanted to trade the treasure land of Dragon Vein with the Yang family. This meant that the treasure land could be given away, but the money was still indispensable. However, now that the Yang family has gained power, they no longer accept his tricks, and they still remember the old grudges and hold on to the old grudges without mercy, and are determined to make the Sun family extinct. It turns out that Magistrate Sun had three or four wives and concubines, but it was not until he was nearly fifty years old that he found the only heir to the family. Now the Yang family is naturally the most painful to attack, and it is aimed at the Sun family boy. This is not only the most cruel and relieving of hatred, but also convenient.
It also shows that during the Qing Dynasty, literary inquisition was prevalent. Whether writing a book or taking a scientific examination, if a powerful official said that he was anti-Ming and anti-king, he would be punished without mercy. For example, during the reign of the old emperor Zhu Chongba, a visiting Indian monk made a special trip to the court to express his gratitude and say goodbye before returning to the Western Regions. He dedicated a poem: "I am ashamed of myself in my special realm, and I have no virtue to praise Tao Tang...", I wanted to flatter the emperor with such a disgusting ode, but unexpectedly, Old Man Zhu was having a bad time in the harem that day. When he arrived at the court, he was still in a bad mood. When he saw this ode, he didn't like it, and he was willful and unreasonable. Running up, Jinkou Yuyan said bitterly: Cut it! What kind of bullshit is this? How dare you call me "evil Zhu"! Still "immoral"? ! So the eminent monk was immediately pushed out of the court, and the gourd head was lost with a "click". If foreign dignitaries are treated with such preferential treatment, let alone our own officials and people. Therefore, it would be the most convenient and quick way for powerful people to use words to unjustly kill someone. Now the Yang family has used this trick. Find a small tavern, ask someone to write a few so-called "anti-poems" on the wall, put the name "Sun Wang" at the end, and then collude with the government, and so on. With just a move of his fingers, the precious only son of the old prefect Sun's family was sent to death row.
No one knows his son better than his father. Sun Wang was a spoiled boy who had not learned anything since he was a child. Even if he pressed the butcher's knife to his neck and threatened him, he would never be able to compose a true or negative poem. He knew clearly that it was a frame-up, and he also knew that it would be difficult to reverse a literary injustice, but Mr. Sun still instinctively struggled like a trapped animal. It was also before he was exhausted. It happened that Sun's old friend Mr. Wei, who was famous for his integrity in the dynasty, came to Shanxi to become the governor. With this strong relationship, of course Magistrate Sun had to make good use of it, so he went to find him and cried bitterly for a while. The governor was a sensible person, and he saw through the whole story as soon as he heard it. He immediately ordered the secretary to take over and conduct a careful re-examination without making any mistakes. He also ordered the criminals not to be executed for the time being, but to be under strict supervision.
Prince Jin dotes on his concubine and her second uncle, as soon as he saw that things were in trouble, he quickly persuaded the lady in the prince’s chamber, and then the prince next to the lady’s pillow to get a feather. Come over here and hurry up and pick off that little head so that everyone in the two families will give up as soon as possible.
With such a pull, Mr. Nedai, the top leader of the Nasi Yamen, was in trouble. Let's overturn the verdict. How did the prince pass the test? If you don't overturn the case, how can you communicate with the governor? So I had to pretend to allocate troops one after another, and pretend to visit everywhere. But less than half a year later, the handling prosecutors all said that the case was complicated and it was difficult to reach a final conclusion.
When Zhang Juezi, the new official from the capital, took office, Mr. Taitai hurriedly threw this difficult matter over again. In this way, I just want to fully demonstrate that our Yamen has 120,000 respects and 200,000 efforts for the prince and the governor! In order to do it more conspicuously and with more prestige, Mr. Tai even specially reminded Sue Zigong in public that this case is the most important and must be settled quickly!
What a hot potato, what an unsolvable knot, just like this, it was placed in Jue Zigong’s hands.
While he was contemplating and silent in front of a large pile of old case files, an experienced attendant quietly said to Jue Zigong, "For the case that is the most pressing in Taiwan, your Excellency, you can hurry up." We need to check on the ground, but we can only do it slowly. ...Only when the boy from the Sun family contracted a serious illness in prison and passed away without treatment for a long time will he be able to speak easily both up and down, and interact with both left and right.
Oh, it turns out to be such a routine! ? Perhaps, this is the only way.
However, I feel selfish and can't bear it. Literary Prison is extremely unethical and cruel, but everyone hates it but dare not speak out. What happened to the boy from the Sun family, whether it was true or not, was beheaded with just a few words, and a young and young man's life was lost like this. It was so unfair and a pity. Fortunately, I met the current governor who was honest and upright and dared to speak out. Then why don't I respond to the situation from afar, go along with the flow, and save the child of the Sun family?
Then he started to investigate, but the more he investigated, the more he lost his confidence: the child is innocent and should be saved, but his father is really hateful! Furthermore, if you reverse the case for him, although it will be approved by the governor, it will definitely offend the prince's group, and also offend the people of Xinzhou Zhizhou who handled the case and finalize it. Then it will inevitably cause the court officials to mess around... In the dangerous officialdom, in the unfathomable Shanxi, if you find yourself in a situation where you are surrounded by "enemies", how can you continue to play? !
It seems that those prosecutors in the past were just pretending to deal with it, and they were indeed forced to do so.
However, Jue Zigong always felt uneasy if he continued to follow their way.
For more than a month, he was sorting through a lot of backlogged cases, thinking about how to open up the situation, but he still could not let go of the Sun family matter.
One day I woke up in the middle of the night, my mind was wandering instinctively, and suddenly a light flashed in my heart, and it seemed that I suddenly became enlightened.
——The Sun family’s case is an unsolvable problem for others, but it is the best opportunity for me!
——Open the scene from here, maybe it will turn the difficulty into easy, and everything will go smoothly!
Thinking of this, Jue Zigong immediately got up, put on his clothes, and checked the case file again.
The case was initially handled by Xinzhou Prefecture. The next day, Jue Zigong went there secretly. The important thing is that he deliberately hinted the master in advance and revealed the news to Lord Zhizhou in advance.
The governor of Xinzhou has been muttering for several months. Regarding the Sun family boy's anti-poetry case, he knew in his heart that someone was deliberately framed, but since he had the prince's wishes, he didn't dare to ask more questions, so he reluctantly complied with it. Anyway, just wait for the person's head to fall to the ground, it doesn't matter whether he is wronged or not. But who would have thought that it would involve the governor again, and the governor wouldn't let go. Isn't this going to be a problem? If the case is overturned by the higher authorities and the whole story is found out, then I will have to live with it - the prince will never take responsibility for the words of a small local official!
That day, I heard that someone from the provincial government came to inspect, and they came secretly. I guessed that it was for the Sun family's case, and they probably wanted to find out who the boss was, and I was immediately shocked. Cold sweat.
It is said that the Ming Dynasty's inspectors and censors were not high-ranking but the power in their hands was not delicate, and they were enough to influence the promotion and disgrace of officials of all sizes within their jurisdiction. Ordinary state and county government officials usually look impressive in front of the people, but when they meet government officials, they have a different look. Even if nothing happens, you have to be submissive, and if something happens, you can't help but be nervous. At present, the magistrate has something in his mind. He heard that an important official from the government was visiting his home territory incognito. He was surprised and troubled: If he goes to see him, he seems to have no courage; if he doesn't see him, he will feel restless. After thinking and hesitating for a long time, he decided to go to the inn and find an excuse, saying that he wanted to show some kindness to the landowner for the prosecutor whom he "accidentally met".
In fact, it was Jue Zigong who deliberately spread the news and led him to this invisible and convenient place to talk.
Looking at Zhizhou who was lying on the ground in fear and did not dare to raise his head, Jue Zigong went straight in and said slowly, "I am here because of the Sun family's case." Since I have to meet the adults, how about you share your opinion?
Sir, when it comes to that case, I and I have nothing to say... It is really difficult...
Is it difficult? How can you see it? According to my opinion, this matter is difficult to say and easy to say. If you do it properly, it will be recognized by all parties, and you will be safe. But to untie the bell, the person who tied it still needs to be tied. Everything goes well or fails, depending on the intention of the person.
Mr. Zhizhou, who had cold sweat on his head and back when he mentioned the Sun family case, naturally breathed a sigh of relief now that he heard that the ghost case in that stall could be settled properly and he could be left unharmed.
But then I was doubtful, not knowing whether it was a dream or waking up, or whether it was true or false.
Jue Zigong signaled Zhizhou to stand up, move closer to the case, and then whispered to him softly for a while.
I saw Zhizhou nodding his head repeatedly, his face gradually showing a look of surprise, and then he thanked him again and again and hurried back to his home.
After just a few seconds, Zhizhou hurriedly returned and presented an official document, plus a slightly heavy rosewood box, probably containing gold bars.
Jue Zigong unfolded the official document, read it carefully and nodded to accept it. Then he pushed open the wooden box and said with a serious expression, it is the duty of a minister to be loyal and upright, and to be an official upright. When we first met, we had no grudges. Although I came here just for a moment, it was not personal, only moral! Therefore, it is not involved except in official documents. I just hope that you will work hard, act as promised, and strive for the best. To fulfill the duties of loyalty to the king and benefit one's own duties. Please remember it carefully and make sure you don’t make any mistakes!
Na Zhizhou's face quickly changed between confusion, doubt, surprise, shame and many other expressions, and finally settled on one of great joy and 12 points of reverence. He bowed again and again and respectfully took the wooden box. , and withdrew with great gratitude.
When Juezi Guild passed the magistrate's state and returned to the official residence of Zhensi in Taiyuan, the outdated magistrate of the Sun family happened to be waiting for him.
It seems that they are really connected, and the time connection is just right.
When Mr. Sun walked into Jue Zigong’s study, he seemed to be carrying some official airs. He bowed hastily as a courtesy as usual, then stood in front of the case and told the story of the Sun family. No matter how unjustly accused, I hope that the Lord will make the decision and return the dog's innocence long ago.
Juezigong was sitting at his desk writing in small regular script all over the paper without raising his head.
When the old man stopped nagging, he replied in a leisurely manner, your superiors are pressing hard on these cases. I have been checking for some time before, especially this officer who has been carefully checking for more than a month. How much effort has been spent! It’s just that it’s better not to check, but if I check, all the little crawlies will be pulled out! Look, look, the case files are piled up into a mountain! When you talk about this matter, why don't you call me!
"Sir, I'm here to ask you about Quanzi. The case is very simple..."
"Your boy's case is simple, and it's not about involving the old man. You should remember everything you did, right? It’s really not simple! What I have here is the ironclad evidence of your deeds! Take a look for yourself! ”
While he was talking, Jue Zigong casually pulled out a book from the pile of case files that was piled up to a foot high, and threw it against his chest.
Mr. Sun was shocked - it was broken, it was really broken!
In the past few months, the old prefect has been beating a drum in his heart. He knew very well that the Yang family's trick was to kill the boy and leave the old guy to suffer torture that would be worse than death. Now that the governor is intervening in the child's unjust case, they may not stop doing anything and attack me directly. They might as well kill them all and destroy our Sun family in one fell swoop!
Judging from the formation in front of us, they really did this!
Mr. Sun knew what he had done in the past, just like a blind man eating soup pills. There have been thrills in the past, but they were finally resolved skillfully; there were occasional nightmares in the past, but they were all false alarms.
But recently, it seems that luck has changed, the climate has also changed, and I have formed a rift with the prince and his father-in-law. This is different from the past! After all, the protective umbrella of connections that I have managed for many years can hardly stand up to the prince's large group of people. They casually go over old scores, and they must be unable to resist now!
It seems that worries have become reality. What's worse is that there are already such a large number of case files on those cases of the prosecutor? ! They all belong to me! ? Moreover, he, he actually showed everything in front of me without any cover-up?
Well, wouldn’t it have been a solid case long ago, and death was imminent? !
Mr. Sun, who has been in officialdom for a long time and is familiar with the routines of trial cases, seemed to understand everything at once. Unknowingly, his hair broke out and his whole body became weak.
Subconsciously, he told him that there might be guards guarding the door. They would rush in just waiting for Mr. Zhang in front of him to give a soft drink. Then, all that is waiting for him is to have to go to court and have his skin peeled off!
The old man didn't know whether he collapsed or fell down. He was lying on the ground like mud, with big beads of sweat rolling down his head.
Naturally, he did not dare to pick up the case files thrown over by the prosecutor, and of course he did not have the energy to read them.
Jue Zigong said nothing again.
The air seemed to freeze.
After a while, the old man gradually came to his senses, and instinctively crawled to Jue Zigong's feet, begging for mercy, help, and a way out with tears in his eyes.
It seems that the old guy was really restrained.
This is exactly what Jue Zi Gong is feeling and waiting for.
It seemed that the old guy's spirit had collapsed, so Jue Zigong said coldly: "According to my opinion, you are mostly buried in the ground. It doesn't make much sense to gouge out the heart and skin according to the law. Fortunately, your crime is handled secretly by me. If you are willing to atone for your previous sins and die a good death, I may consider it."
The sophisticated old bureaucrat came to his senses after being frightened. , my mind still has some inspiration. As soon as I heard Zi Gong's words, I felt that there was still a glimmer of hope, so I immediately kowtowed a few times, raised my head and said, "If you can bear with me, sir, I will lower my official position - if I don't do it, the common people will give their all." In return! Please, please make it clear."
Jue Zigong remained expressionless and asked in a calm tone: "Save the young one, or the old one?"
"Save the younger one? Me! Save the grassroots! ...No, no! Save the dog first! Lord Wanwang, have mercy." When Jue Zigong asked this question, he actually changed the subject from my greed. The case was transferred to the son's literary prison.
Mr. Sun didn't seem to be aware of this joint.
It seems that his consciousness is not very clear anymore and he can be led away by the nose.
"You will never change your greed until death. Right now, you are still thinking about saving the old and the young together!" Jue Zigong continued to rebuke expressionlessly.
"Your Majesty, please be clear! My benefactor, please have mercy..."
"As the saying goes, you have to shed your skin even if you don't die! If you don't want your father and son to die, then you can How many layers of skin do you need to shed?"
"Sir, I can do whatever it takes to save my life."
"That's fine! I've always been a bodhisattva, so I'll do my best."
"Thank you so much, sir, for your life-saving grace! The common people are willing to go bankrupt and work as cattle and horses..."
Jue Zigong saw that the heat was coming, so he interrupted his nagging and said : "Why talk about those useless things? Since I want to save the lives of your father and son, I will not let you live in poverty when you grow old. All you have to do is spit out some of the ill-gotten wealth that you have plundered and accumulate some evil virtue. ”
“Yes, I will obey your orders!”
”
At this time, Jue Zigong asked him to stand up and told him how to atone for his sins: The government will retry Sun Wang’s case and make a judgment based on the truth. So, as for your Sun family, you have to first get some money. Several farms and forests acquired by force over the past few years were voluntarily donated to the state capital as a token of gratitude. After Sun Wang returned home, he must take the usury loan notes owed by the poor and burn them in public, so as to never deny Sun's future kindness. In fact, you can win the support of the people and eliminate all kinds of accusations against you, Mr. Sun, by the officials and the people.
Mr. Sun nodded his head in agreement, saying that he is a wise man and has great opinions.
He wrote down the note and then said: "You can leave. Remember, I am telling the truth. What you say must be done, and what you do must bear fruit. If you do as you say, you will be well. Whatever you need to do, be sure to get it done as soon as possible. In addition, whatever you have thought of, unexpectedly, or unexpectedly, I have already made a comprehensive plan. If you regret what happened today, or use other tricks to resist, you will definitely have thunderous means at your service! Fortunately, don't be too smart and bring about the disaster of annihilation! ”
The governor of Xinzhou sent out a re-examination in accordance with Duke Jue Zigong’s instructions. In the official document of the Sun case, the handwriting was compared, and there were many people with the same name and surname. Sun Wang provided a lot of evidence, and it was finally determined that the anti-poem on the wall of the tavern was not written by Sun Wang, who is currently in custody. We are trying our best to investigate, maybe the signature is false and not done by someone named Sun Mingwang...etc., etc., it is quite reasonable and fair.
Zhizhou also brought five farms and forests voluntarily donated by the Sun family. As a deed for the government village of the state.
After receiving these documents, Jue Zigong immediately drafted a re-examination and conclusion report of the Sun family's anti-poetry case and sent it directly to Mr. Zhetai's case.
After listening to the report and reading the report, Nie Tai gradually relaxed his brows, and finally couldn't help but screamed, "Excellent, wonderful! Check it out!" Well, I will pay homage to the prince and the governor as soon as possible. Brother Shucheng is really extraordinary, and he is worthy of being the heir of Muzheng!
Hey! Why is this so strange when a third-grade officer suddenly calls a fifth-grade subordinate? >
It turns out that the report sent by Juezigong said:
The real culprit in the Xinzhou anti-poetry case is still being investigated, and Sun Wang should be acquitted and released;
Xinzhou magistrate There was a mistake in handling the case, but taking the initiative to review and correct it was excusable and commendable.
Obviously, if this is all, it will not work - although it can be approved by the governor, but the prince does not. Bian must be very unhappy.
However, there is another wonderful thing behind the report - Jue Zigong also sent a note that was not convenient to put on the table:
The Sun family's gratitude. In order to redress the injustice, the state government donated five farmlands and mountainous lands for confiscation; among them, the Xinzhou government had disposed of two of them to the Yang family according to law.
Mr. Tai is also an old bureaucrat who is well versed in the routines of world affairs. As soon as I saw this, I naturally understood all the mysteries and knew that this was the best way to deal with the prince, so I couldn't help being close to and complimenting Jue Zigong.
In this way, it was originally a matter of course. It was a difficult task that was difficult to handle, but it produced a good result that exceeded the expectations of all parties:
Here in the Sun family, the only son was saved, and I was acquitted. Although I got a lot of money back, I still feel that compared to my life and incense, It's a great deal. Especially when Jue Zigong tried to tolerate and give advice and gave good advice to avoid the disaster of being skinned by the magistrate, they were even more grateful and admired.
Although the Yang family could not break the relationship between the Sun family. However, for only a nominal amount of money, I got two treasures worth tens of thousands of dollars. It was a huge advantage compared to killing a child just to express my idleness. Of course, the financial gain is more satisfying to the appetite. This result far exceeded expectations, so he secretly admired the official's clever handling.
As for Xinzhou Zhizhou, he relied on Jue Zigong's secret advice to overthrow it. I was overjoyed to be able to escape criticism and receive praise for the ironclad case I had handled. In particular, Zhizhou was deeply grateful and admired the inspector Zhang Nasi who was a stranger and took the initiative to help without being rewarded.
The Sun family said that their only son was saved, and they wanted to thank God for the government, which wiped off the old debts owed by the local poor. This attracted widespread praise from the people, and many officials in the state and government felt embarrassed. There is light above, and everyone is happy.
An old unsolved case was managed by the new prosecutor. It was really not easy!
Such various sayings naturally reached the ears of great gods from all over the world.
From then on, it became much easier for Jue Zigong to do things.
In the past half year, he has taken the lead in settling the backlog of cases, exceeding the number in the previous year.
It feels good to feel selfish. But he seemed to have overlooked something.