Zhu Ping'an was very busy today. He got up early, long before County Magistrate Zhang and others went to the entrance of Liuhe Town to wait for Eunuch Qian. It was still dark outside and the roosters had not crowed yet.
Actually, Zhu Ping'an has been very busy since he took office as the magistrate of Jingnan. Although a county is small, everything is in the state and county, and all kinds of official duties, such as civil servants, households, rituals, soldiers, criminal justice, and engineering, are indispensable. Especially before the frequent changes of magistrates in Jingnan, there was a window period of several months before taking over, and the official duties left behind were very numerous. Although Zhu Ping'an was diligent in his official duties after taking office, there were still some official duties that were not completed.
It’s just that I’m busier during this period.
Jingnan had experienced the Japanese invasion and there was a lot of work to be done. There was a lot of work to be done, including pacifying the people, providing relief, rebuilding, and resuming production. In addition, the autumn harvest was approaching, and the county government had a lot of work to do to ensure a smooth harvest.
Zhu Ping'an simply ate the breakfast prepared by Hua'er, then arrived at the county government office early to start dealing with important official business.
By the way, Huaer's cooking skills have improved a lot during this period. At least the food she cooks is not so salty anymore. She has already ascended from the dark cooking world to the novice cooking world. Although the food she cooks is not very colorful, the taste is not very good, and it is not very delicious, but it is already edible.
After the cockcrowed, the newly appointed clerks rushed to the county government office to report for duty, and no one was late.
The cock has crowed, and the morning is almost over.
The east is bright, and the morning is prosperous.
Zhu Ping'an was very satisfied with the new people and new atmosphere in the county government.
Not only Zhu Ping'an was satisfied, but the people of Jingnan County were also very satisfied. Yesterday, a tea merchant came to the county government office to apply for a tea pass. He was surprised to find that the county clerk refused to accept his gift. You know, every time they came to the county government office to find a clerk to do things, they had to donate money every time. This was called "common practice." But yesterday, no matter how hard he tried, the clerk refused to accept it. Not only did he refuse to accept it, but the tea pass was also processed very quickly. Yesterday, several people also came to the county government office to do things. They were also surprised that the county clerks were enthusiastic and compliant, and things were done quickly and smoothly. Later, they learned the truth from a clerk they knew. The clerk said that the county lord had reformed the county government office, investigated the accumulated malpractices of the six rooms of the county government office, abolished all bad rules, and abolished all explicit and implicit bad habits of taking bribes. Once discovered, they would be severely punished.
The common people all applauded the new people and new atmosphere in the county government, but they were just worried that it wouldn't last long.
The rice harvest was about to begin, and Zhu Ping'an planned to take the people from the household and workshops to inspect the towns and villages after finishing his urgent official duties in the morning. However, plans could not keep up with changes. Not long after the court was opened, Zhu Ping'an had just finished his urgent official duties and was about to call Mr. Xie, Mr. Liu and others to go out. Before Zhu Ping'an could get up, he heard three drum sounds from outside.
Someone beat the drum to file a lawsuit.
When someone beats the drum to file a lawsuit, the case must be heard in court. Zhu Ping'an ordered someone to bring up the person who beat the drum.
It was very noisy outside and felt like there were a lot of people.
Sure enough, the yamen runners brought in 17 or 18 villagers, who dragged and pushed a monk and a nun, and while pushing and shoving them, they scolded them for being shameless, violating morals, breaking the rules, and having an affair.
The monks and nuns were tied up and dragged into the hall by the crowd, staggering.
The monk was in a very sorry state, his robe was torn and deformed, half of his arm was exposed, and his body was covered with egg shells and rotten vegetable leaves, but they were all minor injuries and not serious. The nun was also in a sorry state, with egg shells and rotten vegetable leaves on her robe, but she was much better than the monk, and there were no scars on her body.
In addition to the parties involved, a large number of people came in from outside to watch the fun, about seventy or eighty people, filling the lobby of the county government office.
In the past, county court trials were only occasionally open to the public, or only for particularly serious cases.
Zhu Ping'an established a rule after coming to Jingnan that all cases brought to the Jingnan County Court, except for a few private cases, must be heard in public. Before the court hearing, the ceremonial gates of the Jingnan County Court were all opened wide, allowing ordinary people to come to the court to watch and listen. Of course, ordinary people can watch and listen, but they cannot make loud noises that will affect the judgment, otherwise they will be driven out.
Zhu Ping'an intended to allow the public to attend the trial in order, firstly, to promote fair trials of cases, secondly, to improve the credibility of the county government, and thirdly, to educate the public through the trial of cases.
Ordinary people like to watch the fun, and there were not many entertainment activities in ancient times. Every time Zhu Ping'an went to court to try a case, many ordinary people would come to watch, and more and more ordinary people would join in the watching.
Now, the trial of cases in the Jingnan County Court has almost become a regular legal publicity program in Jingnan County, and the ratings are very high and getting higher and higher. Every time a case is heard in court, the outside of the court is crowded with people who come to watch the fun.
Today's case is very special. The protagonists are actually a monk and a nun. From what the villagers said about shamelessness, breaking the rules, and having an affair, it is obvious that this is a sex scandal...
Monks, nuns, and extramarital affairs... ...it involves multiple factors such as religion, gossip, romance, and privacy.
This topic would be explosive news even in modern times, let alone in the feudal and conservative ancient times.
The villagers tied up the monks and nuns and reported to the authorities. This explosive news spread all over Jingnan County as they were on their way to report to the authorities. It spread from one person to ten, and then to a hundred, and soon spread throughout the county.
Therefore, as soon as the court session started today, ordinary people who wanted to listen formed a huge crowd outside the hall.
"Is this true? A monk and a nun are having an affair? How did they do it? Where were they caught? Did they really do it?"
"Oh my god, this is too exciting. A monk who has cut off worldly ties and sought enlightenment from all six senses is actually having an affair with a nun?!"
"Oh, how shameless! It's a violation of morals. People who are like this should be thrown into a pig cage."
"A monk and a nun who have an affair shouldn't be thrown into a pig cage. They are both monks. Once they become monks, they cut off the kinship ties between parents and children and are not subject to the laws and regulations of their clan. They just didn't follow the rules and regulations, and didn't kill or burn anyone, so they shouldn't be thrown into a pig cage."
While waiting for the case to go to court, the bystanders had already started discussing the case with great interest.
"Go to court!"
Zhu Ping'an slammed the gavel in the lobby, and after a crisp sound, he ordered the court to resume.
"Mighty... powerful..."
Two rows of yamen runners in the hall banged the water and fire sticks vigorously, shouting mightyly. The effect of the hall's mighty power was obvious, and the hall immediately quieted down.
Seventeen or eighteen villagers in the hall knelt down one after another, and the monks and nuns were forced to kneel down as well.