"After the coroner's inspection, the heads Zhao Daying presented were all Tatar heads. The people Zhao Daying killed were barbaric Tatars, not the people of our Ming Dynasty. In this case, the case is clear. Zhu Ping'an impeached Zhao Daying for killing innocent people and claiming credit for his crimes. After investigation by this court, Zhu Ping'an's impeachment was without any real evidence..."
As soon as Liu Dadao and his group finished this episode, Wang Xueyi, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, cleared his throat and gave a characterization of this petition to the Ministry of Justice.
"Your Excellency is truly observant, a living Justice Bao..."
Zhao Daying was overjoyed when he heard this. He couldn't help but grin and clasped his hands together to compliment Wang Xueyi in the court.
"Congratulations, Lord Zhao, for regaining your innocence."
"Since ancient times, evil has never prevailed over good, and Lord Zhao has once again proved this truth."
"Congratulations, Lord Zhao. I have just made an appointment with Lord Li, Lord Zhang and other colleagues to hold a banquet at Nanchang Pavilion tonight to welcome Lord Zhao and get rid of the bad luck."
At the same time, many military officers in the gallery also stood up and congratulated Zhao Daying on regaining his innocence. They arranged a welcoming banquet while chatting and even planned to invite a few famous actors and courtesans to add to the fun.
Zhu Ping'an looked at Zhao Daying and others who couldn't wait to celebrate, and couldn't help but shook his head and smiled.
This feeling of Zhao Daying and others is very familiar, and there are many examples of it in history.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, there was Duke Qing of Qi who was defeated and had breakfast here; during the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there was Fu Jian who threw a whip into the river to stop its flow; during World War II, there was Hitler who promised his soldiers that they could spend Christmas in Moscow.
What's the result
hehe
Reality always catches them off guard.
That day, Duke Qing of Qi was badly defeated and he was almost captured; that day, Fu Jian's army was defeated like a landslide, and he died before fulfilling his ambition; that day, Hitler was beaten to a bloody pulp outside the city of Moscow and committed suicide in the basement.
Now it's your turn, Zhao Daying...
"Sir, I have a few questions for the coroner."
Zhu Ping'an withdrew his gaze from Zhao Daying and others, turned to face the main judge's seat in the court, his ink-black eyes flashed with a gleam, as eye-catching as a burning flame, and the corners of his mouth curled up.
Um
What? You have questions again? Why do you have so many questions?!
Zhu Ping'an's words made Zhao Daying and others very upset. This is irrefutable evidence. Why are you still asking questions? Are you sick? !
"Zhu Ping'an, now the evidence is irrefutable, do you still want to deny it?" Zhao Daying looked at Zhu Ping'an with a gloomy gaze, an aggressive look on his face, and asked harshly.
"Since the evidence is irrefutable, why can't I, Zhu Ping'an, ask a few more questions? Besides, Lord Wang has just asked for our opinions. Why are you in such a hurry? Is it your family that is opening the court?" Zhu Ping'an asked calmly.
"What nonsense!" Zhao Daying was angry.
"Zhu Ping'an, if you have any questions, just ask. There is no restriction on speaking in the court. Zhao Daying, if you have any questions, you can also tell me." Wan Gong, the Minister of Dali Temple, glanced at Zhu Ping'an and Zhao Daying and said expressionlessly.
After saying this, Wan Gong glanced in the direction of Xu Jie, then set his sights on Zhu Ping'an.
Wan Gong was a Jinshi in the 23rd year of Jiajing's reign. At that time, Xu Jie was still the president of the Hanlin Academy. Xu Jie was very supportive of talented young people and had a great appreciation for Wan Gong. He encouraged and took care of him a lot. To Wan Gong, Xu Jie was both a teacher and a friend.
In the second year of Wan Gong's tenure, the death of Prince Shou passed through Nanjing. The eunuchs wanted to order him to go to the princess, but Wan Gong rebuked them, saying, "It is not proper to go to the queen, let alone the princess!" This angered the eunuchs. Fortunately, thanks to Xu Jie's intervention, Wan Gong was able to escape danger and became famous.
So this time, Zhu Ping'an benefited from Xu Jie's help.
Wan Gong was one of the chief judges, and it was reasonable to allow Zhu Ping'an to ask questions. After he nodded, the other chief judges did not speak out. Although Wang Xueyi looked a little unhappy, he did not say anything and acquiesced.
"Thank you, sir."
Zhu Ping'an bowed to Wan Gong and thanked him.
After expressing his gratitude, Zhu Ping'an slowly walked up to the two coroners and looked at them with burning eyes.
The two coroners looked at Zhu Ping'an and felt as if they were being stared at by a tiger. They felt uneasy all over. They bowed to Zhu Ping'an with flickering eyes and did not dare to look him in the eye.
"Don't be nervous. My question is very simple. Were these heads obtained last year?" Zhu Ping'an asked calmly.
The two coroners heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this. This question was simple, and they only needed to answer truthfully. So they felt no pressure to answer, and nodded confidently, "Your Excellency, these heads were captured last year. Please look at the knife marks on the necks and the texture of the heads. They have become waxy, but the tendons and meridians are still there. According to Song Cigong's Record of Washing Away Wrongs, these heads were captured within six months to a year."
"Are you sure?" Zhu Ping'an looked at the two of them and asked.
"We are willing to guarantee it with our own lives." The two coroners replied without hesitation.
Well, no lie.
Zhu Ping'an had been observing them. When they heard his question, they subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. When they answered the question, their facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language did not show any signs of lying.
Judging from the nervous expressions of the two coroners just now, if they were lying, it would not escape his eyes.
"Um."
Zhu Pingan nodded when he heard this, and he felt more confident, and his eyebrows relaxed a little. It would be good enough if these heads were obtained within this year.
What is the problem
Everyone was puzzled and didn't understand why Zhu Ping'an asked this question. In their opinion, Zhu Ping'an's question was completely unrelated to the case.
Zhao Qiu, Zhao Daying and other insiders looked at Zhu Ping'an with disdain. They thought you, Zhu Ping'an, were asking some other questions. So you're asking this. You made us worry for nothing. We thought you were asking some tricky questions.
Do you think we are stupid? The age of the heads is easy to distinguish. Whether it is quicklime or wood ash, the effect of preserving the heads is not absolute. It will also be greatly discounted in the face of time. Shrinkage, decay and deterioration are inevitable. Every year is different. People with a little experience can easily distinguish the heads of one, two or three years old. So, to be on the safe side, they naturally replaced the heads with this year's heads.
Anyway, the Ministry of Justice has enough replacements for this year's heads, so why take the risk
Therefore, Zhao Daying and others were not worried at all when they heard Zhu Ping'an's question, because these heads were originally obtained last year.
"Lord Zhao, could you please confirm if these heads were your acquisitions last year?" Zhu Ping'an turned to look at Zhao Daying beside him and stretched out his hand as a gesture of invitation.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Daying looked at Zhu Ping'an as if he were an idiot.
If it were any other question, Zhao Daying would have thought about it, but as for the question asked by Zhu Ping'an, Zhao Daying didn't even need to think about it, and replied with certainty, "Of course it was won by me."
"Are you sure, Lord Zhao?" Zhu Ping'an asked.
"Of course I am sure. Every one of these heads was captured by me personally. How could I make a mistake?" Zhao Daying sneered and replied with arrogance.