After Wu Zetian issued the order to hang the traitors and shut down the market for three days, everyone in the Imperial Censorate became busy.
Because Di Renjie had sent a letter in blood, the Emperor became suspicious. He sent the messenger Qi Feng to the Censorate to investigate whether the officials had been tortured and forced to confess. Although Lai Junchen managed to deceive the Emperor, he was worried that a long delay might cause more problems. So, he made up his mind and used the names of the officials in custody to create a 'Death Petition'. The Empress issued the order to execute them, but in reality, there were still many criminals who had not confessed or even been tried.
Lai Junchen could only summon all of the Imperial Censorate back and quickly go through all the necessary procedures for the interrogation. This was because the interrogation records, confessions, and other important documents had to be submitted to the Supreme Court for record. If one day, the Emperor was interested and sent an official who was proficient in torture to look through the files, the Emperor would definitely find out that the verdict was hastily made.
The Left Censorate had a total of fifteen roving Imperial Censorate. Other than Lai Junchen himself, only these fifteen Imperial Censorate had the power to go to court to question cases.
Before Wu Zetian took control of the court, the Imperial Censorate was only responsible for deducing cases and impeaching officials. Whether a criminal was guilty or not had to be judged by the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, and the death penalty had to be judged by the Emperor. Only after these three trials could the death penalty be carried out.
After Empress Wu took control of the court, in order to more easily crack down on opposition, she strengthened the power of the Imperial Censorate and simplified the process of approving the death penalty. From then on, the Imperial Censorate had the power to investigate, judge, and enforce the law. They had the power to execute a criminal on the spot and the criminal had no right to appeal.
The reason why Lai Junchen could cover the sky was because the Imperial Censorate had the power to decide life and death. The fifteen Imperial Censorate were all in the capital. Including Lai Junchen himself, they were divided into eight groups of two. They used the various offices of the Imperial Censorate as a court to try the criminals.
The one who teamed up with Hou Sizhi to try the criminals was Xu Yougong, who had just returned to the capital. Xu Yougong was already in his early fifties. He was thin and had a clear face. Because of this, he looked relatively young, around forty years old.
Hou Sizhi was actually not fat, but his cheeks were sunken in, his chin was sharp, and his beard was sparse. Compared to Xu Yougong's dignified appearance, he inevitably paled in comparison.
Lai Junchen prides himself on being a solitary official at court, not forming any cliques or factions to show his loyalty to Wu Zetian. Xu Yougong was like the second Lai Junchen in the small court of the Imperial Censorate. He didn't form any cliques or factions, and even if he wanted to, he couldn't. This was because in the entire Imperial Censorate, other than him, all the officials were dependent on Lai Junchen.
"Hmm … Now … the trial …"
Hou Sizhi pretended to flip through the list of prisoners and waited for the clerk next to her to give her a hint. Suddenly, she heard a loud bang that made her shiver. Xu Yougong slammed the gavel with force and shouted with a stern face, "Come on! Kidnapper Yang Fan! "
Hou Sizhi unhappily glared at Xu Yougong. With a wave of her sleeve, she turned her head to the side.
Not long after, Yang Fan's handcuffs and ankles clanked as he was brought into the courtroom. Xu Yougong reached out for the gavel, but Hou Sizhi's hands and eyes were fast. She snatched the gavel and slammed it down. In a stern voice, she shouted, "Criminal official Yang Fan, hurry and kneel for the trial!"
Xu Yougong coughed and said, "Imperial Censor Hou, this is not a ceremony to worship the heavens and earth, ancestors, or the court's appointment ceremony. Why are you kneeling? Does a criminal need to kneel in court? How come I don't know? Every time the Deputy Premier Lai sees the Emperor, he will prostrate himself to the ground. This is the Deputy Premier's unique way of showing respect to the Emperor. In court, you and I cannot break the law. "
After being ridiculed, Hou Sizhi's thin face turned as red as a monkey's butt. But Xu Yougong's words were reasonable and Hou Sizhi could not refute him. She could only shout at Yang Fan, "Criminal official Yang Fan, today the Imperial Commandant Zhu Bin accused you of conspiring with him. You are a traitor, conspiring to overthrow the Zhou Dynasty. Do you plead guilty?"
Xu Yougong slowly said, "Imperial Censor Hou, we haven't asked for his name and verified his identity. What are you so anxious about?"
Hou Sizhi could not take it anymore and said, "This person is Yang Fan. How can he be wrong?"
Xu Yougong stroked his beard and leisurely said, "He can be right and wrong, but we still have to go through the necessary procedures. When I investigate cases, I am always meticulous!"
Hou Sizhi angrily threw down the gavel and waved her sleeve, saying, "You examine! You examine! "
Xu Yougong asked about Yang Fan's name, birthplace, and current position from beginning to end. The scribe beside him verified that there was no mistake, and then repeated his crimes, asking, "Do you plead guilty?"
Yang Fan stood firmly in the court and replied in a deep voice, "Imperial Censor Xu, I admit my innocence!"
Xu Yougong's thick eyebrows twitched. He asked, "I admit my innocence? What do you mean?"
Yang Fan said, "I have never committed a crime, so naturally I admit my innocence! Although I used to work under Zhu Bin, I have no personal relationship with him and have never plotted a rebellion with him. Zhu Bin's confession was that he was tortured and made a wild accusation. I have been wrongly accused. I ask the Imperial Censor to investigate. "
Hou Sizhi could not restrain herself and rushed to say, "Don't try to quibble in court! Minister of Rites Pei Xuanli has already admitted that he was the one who introduced you to the Winter Official Li Youdao and accepted a huge bribe from him. Li Youdao even promised you that if you succeeded, he would promote you to the rank of Great General! "
Yang Fan asked, "Then what did Li Youdao say?"
Xu Yougong immediately interrupted, "Li Youdao refuses to admit his guilt and is currently on trial!"
Yang Fan was relieved. He said, "I have never colluded with anyone to plot a rebellion, nor have I accepted bribes from anyone. I am willing to confront Zhu Bin and Pei Xuanli in court!"
Xu Yougong said slowly, "Zhu Bin died of a sudden illness, so he can no longer confront you. As for Pei Xuanli … "
He glanced at Hou Sizhi. Hou Sizhi called a scribe over and asked a few questions before whispering to Xu Yougong, "Pei Xuanli is currently serving as a witness at the Imperial Censor Wei. He can't come over for the time being."
He then looked at Yang Fan and said loudly, "Prisoner Yang Fan, don't think that you can get away with it! You said you didn't accept bribes, so where did you get the sixteen shops in Nan City? "
Yang Fan said, "You're talking about that shop … It was a gift from a noble!"
Hou Sizhi asked, "What is this noble person's name? Where does he live? Why did he gift you the shops?"
Yang Fan said, "This is my private matter, I can't tell you!"
Hou Sizhi was furious. She slammed the gavel and shouted, "Yang Fan, don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit. Do you really want to suffer some physical pain before you are willing to confess? Guards! "
"Wait!"
Xu Yougong said again, "Imperial Censor Hou, this is a major case of rebellion. If we use torture carelessly, the suspect might confess against his will and wrongly accuse a good person. I think it's better to collect more evidence so that he can't refute and plead guilty. "
Hou Sizhi glanced at Xu Yougong and said in a strange tone, "How are you going to collect evidence, Xu Wuzhang?"
Xu Wuzhang was Xu Yougong's nickname. Xu Yougong was originally a magistrate in Puzhou. Because he never used torture to solve cases, but instead investigated and used large amounts of irrefutable evidence to make criminals confess voluntarily, he was loved and respected by the local authorities. He was respectfully called "Xu Wuzhang". Xu Yougong was able to enter the court as an official because of his virtuous reputation, which reached Wu Zetian's ears.
Xu Yougong said, "Although Zhu Bin is dead, Pei Xuanli is still alive. When he is done with his testimony, we can bring him here. What's the rush? Also, I want to know who gave Yang Fan those shops. Did you send someone to the Luoyang prefecture to look at the records and find out who transferred the ownership? "
Hou Sizhi suppressed her anger and said in a low voice, "Censor Xu, it's not like you don't know that Lieutenant Minister Lai is in a hurry to close the case. You're not making things difficult for me, you're going against Lieutenant Minister Lai!"
Xu Yougong said nonchalantly, "I'm just trying to solve the case impartially. How can I say that I'm going against Lieutenant Minister Lai?"
Hou Sizhi said in a low voice, "Do you think I'm stupid enough not to check the shop's contract? I've already checked it! The problem is, there's no such person! This line is broken, do you understand? Zhu Bin and Pei Xuanli have already admitted that Yang Fan was their accomplice. How could this person be guilty of treason? We can just beat him until he confesses and the case will be closed. Why go through so much trouble? "
Hou Sizhi's words were spoken with conviction and confidence. This was because "using facts as the basis" was a rule that only appeared in modern law. What was the main basis for judging cases in the Tang Dynasty?
It was a confession!
As the saying goes, "the crime is determined by the confession." Therefore, Lai Junchen racked his brains and spared no effort to come up with a large number of inhuman torture tools to extract a confession. Therefore, even though Wu Zetian did not see any evidence, she had only seen the confessions that the officials had signed and pressed their fingerprints on.
However, there were some corresponding requirements for a confession to be used as evidence. Under the principle of "the crime is determined by the confession," there was also the principle of "public evidence to convict". In other words, a confession had to be made by more than three people in order to be effective. This was the so-called "three people to prove, two people to be false."
Now, Yang Fan's crime had already been confessed by Zhu Bin and Pei Xuanli. As long as there was one more person, whether it was himself or Li Youdao, Yang Fan could be thrown into the death row to await trial.
So why didn't Lai Junchen just randomly find someone to be the third testimony?
Because Yang Fan was in charge of the army in the palace. Although his official position was not high, he played an important role in this "rebellion." Lai Junchen deliberately arranged such a role for him in order to tie him up and not let him escape. Who asked him to have so many forces supporting him?
Because Yang Fan played such an important role, Lai Junchen helped him make up a story of him conspiring with Zhu Bin, Pei Xuanli acting as a middleman, and Li Youdao recruiting him. This made it seem like the rebel was meticulous. At the same time, there were fewer people involved, so there were fewer flaws. This was to prevent Yang Fan's backers from interfering and discovering any loopholes.
Who would have thought that in order to close the case, such a setup would instead be a trap of one's own making? Li Youdao had not confessed, and neither had Yang Fan. Lai Junchen also could not randomly find someone to act as an insider of Yang Fan's rebellion. He could only interrogate Li Youdao while trying to force Yang Fan to confess himself.
Hou Sizhi spoke in a low voice and lowered his stance, giving Xu Yougong enough face. However, Xu Yougong did not appreciate it. He coldly said, "Things that go against the law cannot be done!"
Hou Sizhi had endured for a long time. Seeing him not give any face, he couldn't help but fly into a rage. His ruffian behavior from when he was hanging out in the streets and selling flatbread for a living was immediately revealed. Hou Sizhi stood up with one foot on the chair. Rolling up his sleeves, he angrily said, "Xu Wuzhan, do you think you are the only one who understands the law? Do you think I don't? I remember that if a criminal refuses to confess, we can use torture. "
Xu Yougong saw that he was acting like a ruffian, but he was not anxious or angry. He slowly nodded and said, "That's right! Torture can be used. The interrogation by torture can be done once every twenty days, but no more than three times in total. The total number of strokes cannot exceed two hundred. If the interrogation results in death, the presiding judge will not be held responsible! So you also know this rule? "
"Ah? Ah … this official … of course this official knows! "
Hou Sizhi was basically illiterate. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made a joke out of Wei Yuanzhong that Wei Yuanzhong was sitting while he, the presiding judge, was being lectured while standing. He actually did not know what Xu Yougong was talking about. He only knew that torture could be used to extort a confession.
Now that Xu Yougong had confirmed this point, Hou Sizhi was even more confident. With a sinister laugh, he gave the servants in front of the hall a meaningful look. He grabbed the gavel and slammed it down with all his might, shouting, "Come! Use the cane on Yang Fan and beat him until he confesses! "
Xu Yougong leisurely said, "What if Yang Fan doesn't confess?"
Hou Sizhi said, "Then we'll talk after two hundred strokes!"
Hou Sizhi was so arrogant because he was angry and did not care about the consequences. But it was also because he had something to rely on. After Xue Huaiyi caused a ruckus in the Senate, he was worried that Lai Junchen would pretend to agree but oppose him in secret. So, he sent people to check on Yang Fan every day. But ever since the Emperor confirmed Yang Fan's treason charges and decreed the execution, Xue Huaiyi did not send anyone again. It seemed that he was afraid of Yang Fan. With this in mind, Hou Sizhi's courage was bolstered.
Xu Yougong slowly said: "Even if his body is made of iron, he will not be able to withstand two hundred strokes of the cane. Imperial Censor Hou, you clearly want to beat him to death in the court?"
Hou Sizhi shouted, "So what if I kill him right here and now?"
Xu Yougong stood up and shouted, "With Xu Yougong here, this person cannot die!"
Hou Sizhi shouted, "Begin the torture!"
Xu Yougong shouted, "Who dares!"
Hou Sizhi grabbed a bunch of sticks and threw them down the hall. He angrily shouted, "Begin the torture immediately! First one hundred strokes. If he does not confess, then another hundred strokes! "
Xu Yougong grabbed a bunch of sticks and threw them down the hall. He shouted, "Drag Hou Sizhi away, strip him of his official clothes, and give him sixty strokes!"
Yang Fan, the criminal, had become a bystander after only saying a few words since he entered the hall. The two chief interrogators were at first arguing with each other, and then they were at daggers drawn. The servants on both sides of the hall, who were holding big red sticks, looked at the sticks that were jumping all over the floor. They looked at each other and did not know which official they should listen to.
Hou Sizhi pointed at Xu Yougong's nose and said, "Xu Yougong, you dare to cover up for a criminal?"
Xu Yougong waved his hand as if he was swatting a fly. He said, "I am enforcing the law impartially. How is this covering up?"
Hou Sizhi pointed at Yang Fan and shouted, "I want to interrogate him, but you are obstructing me. Isn't this covering up?"
Xu Yougong said, "According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, when interrogating a criminal, one must first look at his emotions and reason. After repeated questioning, if there is still no conclusion and there is a need to interrogate him, he will be placed on file and brought to me for sentencing. Then he will be interrogated. What did I do wrong? "
Hou Wenming was confused by Xu Yougong's words. His small eyes blinked, and his anger immediately subsided. He stammered, "What … what did you say?"
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