It is never easy to judge cases related to court officials, especially when the case involves many criminals. Even the Ministry of Punishment is having a hard time facing this current case. The suspects are all so arrogant that they cannot be beaten or scolded. They are interrogated and entangled, which really makes the officials below at a loss what to do and can only slowly waste their money. With.
But even the Ministry of Punishments can’t afford it, because those dandy fathers, brothers, etc. can always find various reasons to come and disturb them, either because they wrongly accuse their children, or because their sons have hidden diseases and cannot be detained for a long time. After four days, the Criminal Department Yamen was almost so troubled by these people that it could no longer even carry out normal official duties.
At this time, Song Jiang finally got angry. With an order, he directly dispatched a team of soldiers and horses from the Forbidden Army to guard in front of the Yamen. No idlers were allowed to enter the Yamen. If anyone dared to intrude, they would be charged with evil intentions. He was punished, taken down and thrown into the prison for punishment.
After all, Song Jiang was one of the important generals when he first launched the army. Even if he does not hold military power now, he still has this power. It was precisely because of the intimidation of these more than a hundred troops that the officials and nobles did not dare to come to Luo Su again. However, his reputation in the officialdom fell again, and there was even a rumor outside that Song Jiang had obtained Sun Tuzhi. Order, these innocent children must be put to death.
Such rumors did not have a great impact on Song Jiang, but they put pressure on his subordinates. They could only interrogate everyone involved in the case more carefully and in detail in order to find more evidence. By the end of May, the case took another turn.
That morning, Ju Liang, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Justice who was in charge of the case, came to Song Jiang with a serious look on his face: "Master, there has been some progress in the case."
"Oh? But what is it?" Song Jiang was perked up when he heard this and asked quickly. Obviously, he was under a lot of pressure during this period, but he just couldn't show it.
"According to two of the suspects, they were indeed disrespectful to Xu Shangshu that day, and even insulted him for flooding Qionglin Garden and his own manor, but they never took action... "
"Didn't you take action? Could it be that Xu Shangshu's injuries were caused by himself?" Song Jiang suddenly sneered.
Ju Liang swallowed and said: "Of course that's impossible. In fact, there were other people who hurt him, the hands of two shabby people. And after that, those two people ran away while they were in trouble, but these dudes Because my disciples were so well-dressed and eye-catching, they were immediately arrested by the officers and soldiers patrolling the city. So if we really want to judge the crime, it should be those two people."
"Huh, can their one-sided words be used as evidence? In the chaotic scene at that time, even Xu Shangshu, who was being beaten, couldn't see who hurt him, let alone the ones who beat him. I think it was clearly them. It’s just an excuse to exonerate myself.” Song Jiang shook his head disapprovingly.
But Ju Liang knew the real reason why he said that. Even if what they said was true, it was difficult to find the two poor people. Even if they were found, using these two people to take the blame would not satisfy Sun Tu and the others. However, since he dared to speak, he was naturally prepared, so he immediately said: "Taifu, the two young masters said that they could see clearly, and they all called each other's names correctly. One was named Zhang Hu, one named Ji Biao,
They are all famous rogues in the inner city. So as long as we can catch them and examine them carefully, we can always get a result. "
Sure enough, when he heard this, Song Jiang became interested: "Can you really find those two suspects?" Then he looked at Ju Liang: "It seems that you have sent people to arrest them, right?"
"Master Yingming, it's true." Ju Liang smiled modestly: "If the timing goes well, the person should be taken back soon. But the most important thing now is to pry open their mouths. It is best to let these two He has been charged with hurting others, so we can at least give the court an explanation."
Song Jiang didn't smile too much, but said thoughtfully: "Really? If only things were so simple."
While he was talking, a subordinate came from outside to report that the two suspects had been arrested. This made Ju Liang even more happy: "Master, do you want to ask them personally?"
Song Jiang was about to refuse, but then he nodded slightly: "Then bring them. Also, bring the two suspects who pointed out their identities as the murderers, and let them listen."
After this order was passed, the people below quickly started to move. This interrogation was not carried out with much fanfare, and was held in the palace of Song Jiang, the second hall of the Ministry of Justice. There were more than a dozen official officers and soldiers on both sides, and a clerk took notes. There was no slap on the gavel, no one shouting a mighty shout, and the four prisoners were brought in one after another.
The two slightly haggard officials' sons were put aside, and the other two muscular men, who looked like they were not good at first glance, were pushed into the hall, and then they were pushed down and knelt in front of Song Jiang. At this time, Zhang Hu and Ji Biao no longer had the domineering energy they used to run rampant in the market. They looked frightened and kowtowed repeatedly: "Young man, I have seen your husband, but we don't know what we did and we were caught by the government."
"Why, do you two still want to hide and make excuses now?" Song Jiang's eyes were as sharp as a knife. Just one glance at their faces made them feel unprecedented pressure and fear, and their bodies were shaking. Even worse: "No... I don't dare. Although I have bullied others on weekdays, I don't dare to do anything that breaks the law." Obviously, these two people are not as unbearable as they appear. They both have too much money. He's a veteran of the sub-official government office.
"Really? Then I want to ask you, where were you at noon on the 21st of this month?"
"At noon on the 21st..." Both of them looked thoughtful, and after a while they said one after another: "Little Xu was drinking at the Wang Family Hotel in the city..."
"The younger one should be making money at Jixiang Gambling House, or drinking at Li's Hotel... Anyway, there are only a few places to go..."
"But someone said that they met you on the edge of the imperial city that day, and even injured the imperial official." Song Jiang's words immediately made the two of them tremble, and then screamed and denied: "Master Qingtian, you are unjust. ... Even if we had the courage, we would not dare to do anything that would hurt an official of the imperial court... "
Song Jiang narrowed his eyes and looked at the two officials' sons beside him. Sure enough, when they saw their denial, the two of them became anxious. One of the anxious ones even screamed: "Fart, Zhang Laowu, Ji Laojiu, you two bitches actually dare to lie to your face! My master!" I remember clearly that there were more than ten of you brothers gathered together that day
My brother is waiting outside the imperial city just to block Xu Jue! Later, when they were pushing each other, you two rushed in front, not only pushed Xu Shangshu down, but also gave him two kicks... Now you actually want to distance yourself, do you really think we are blind? "
When they heard this, the two scoundrels were shocked and wanted to refute, but they didn't know how to say it at the moment. They snarled for a long time before calling out Qu Lai again: "Master Qingtian, I am wronged, this matter, this matter We were forced to do nothing. They gave us money, and all of them were of high status, so we had no choice but to listen to them. But we brothers also knew who we were, so how could we dare to use force against a big shot like Xu Shangshu, let alone It hurt him..."
This time, their previous excuses for clarifying themselves were completely overturned, and Song Jiang's brows furrowed even more. Since what they just said is not trustworthy, how can they trust what they say now? In other words, the two of them might really be the murderers who injured Xu Jue...
Thinking of this, he slammed the table and shouted: "Zhang Hu and Ji Biao, do you still want to deny it now? Just because you dare to surround high-ranking officials of the imperial court is already a heinous crime, not to mention that you can still Xu Shangshu has been hurt. Also, don’t think that no one knows what you have done. Apart from these two young masters, there must be other people at the scene who have seen this matter. As long as I inquire carefully, I can always tell the truth. Find it out. If you two continue to refuse to tell the truth, I will have no choice but to torture you. Come on!"
Accompanied by these stern shouts, there was a bang from the left and right, and four officers stepped forward at the same time, quickly holding the two people down and knocking them down. Another person shook the sticks, boards and other torture instruments in front of them with a crash. This made The two seemingly indifferent rogues were even more frightened, their faces full of entanglement and fear.
"I'll ask you one last time, are you the one who was injured?" Song Jiang asked in a cold voice. As he asked this question, a guard had already put the clamping stick on the crook of the two people's legs, and when the rope was pulled, they would be tortured.
This time, the last few defenses of the two of them were finally shattered, and they started to cry one after another: "The villain admits his guilt, we... we did attack Xu Shangshu out of excitement... "
Hearing this admission, almost everyone heaved a sigh of relief as Song Jiang descended. Obviously, this case has really come to light this time, and everyone can finally be given a satisfactory explanation. As long as Xu Jue was not injured by those young masters, then their crimes would not be serious, and the court would be able to pardon them as appropriate. As for Zhang Hu and Ji Biao, since they wanted to die themselves, they had no one to blame, and they had no choice but to die.
Song Jiang immediately slapped the case on the table and asked people to hand over the confessions to the two gangsters. He watched them press their fingerprints and sign and admit their guilt. Then he waved his hand and ordered people to take them and the two young men into custody.
When the case was over, he smiled at Ju Liang again: "Thanks to you, Mr. Ju, this time, everyone can sleep well tonight."
Ju Liang also had a look of joy on his face: "I'm so complimented by the great master. I'm just doing my duty in a humble position."
"By the way, the Japanese official will report this result to Lieutenant Sun tomorrow. You can go too." Song Jiang then said with a smile, which made Ju Liang even more happy. This was obviously to help him with Sun Taiwei. Please give me credit before the end of the road.