"Might! Might! "
In the hall of the Ministry of Justice, the shouting of "Might of the Court" this time was neat, loud, and dignified. The sound waves converged into a wave of air, as if a whirlwind had risen from the ground. The window lattice and people's hearts shivered in this shout of "Might of the Court". The design of the hall originally had the effect of strengthening the "Might of the Court". If the prisoners heard this frightening shout, they would lose some of their courage.
The Mirror of Eminence hung high, and the seat of the presiding judge was still empty. The yamen guards lined up on both sides, with their wind and fire rods on the ground. They looked serious and strict. There was a short table on both sides of the presiding judge's desk. The supervisor and the secretary stood behind the short table, waiting for the presiding judge. The chief and deputy chief stood at the forefront of the yamen guards, with their chests out and their heads raised. Their bearing …
When it came to bearing, these two chiefs were really not imposing enough. Although they tried their best to straighten their bodies, they still looked like wilted ears of grain.
Standing in front of the line on the right was Deputy Chief Yuan Han. Deputy Chief Yuan's expression was very unnatural. He had never been a chief before, but now that he had done it, he had ambition in his heart. As soon as Chief Mo came back, he, the acting chief, was immediately beaten back to his original position. How could he feel comfortable?
Standing in front of the yamen guards on the left was Mo Qiu, the chief who had "suddenly contracted an emergency" last time. At this moment, Mo Ban looked like he was suffering from an epidemic. His head and face were swollen, and in the middle of the red lumps, there were a few deep and shallow streaks, like the long tails of comets sweeping across the sky.
The red envelope was bitten by autumn mosquitoes when he was "quarantined" in the wilderness. The autumn mosquitoes in the wilderness were fierce. Bitten by a big bump, it was itchy, painful, and swollen. It would not go away for half a month. It would be uncomfortable if you didn't scratch it, and it would be even more uncomfortable if you scratched it.
As for the "tails of comets" on his face, according to him, it was caused by the itching and scratching of his skin. However, almost everyone had been bitten by mosquitoes, and he had never seen anyone who scratched from the temples to the cheeks after being bitten by a mosquito. Scratching his face until it was blooming could relieve the itch. It was given to him by the class monitor's wife, who had accompanied him to be locked up in the wild and fed mosquitoes for many days, in a fit of rage.
Yang Fan walked out from behind the screen and looked at the solemn court. He frowned and said to Feng Xihui, "Why is there such a grand display?"
Feng Xihui said in a daze, "Sir, it has always been like this in court!"
"Oh! Yes, yes, it's my fault! "
Yang Fan suddenly understood and said with a smile, "I didn't make it clear. In these two cases, the murderer and the witness are all from the same family, three generations of grandfather and grandson facing each other in court is not a good thing. Let this official interrogate the case in the second hall. Bring them to the second hall. Also, bring them up one by one. Don't let them meet each other! "
Feng Xihui thought, "What's so important about this case? Other than Doctor Chen, no one cares if the old woman dies or not. The case transferred over by the Supreme Court is more important. Instead of focusing on that case, Yang Langzhong wants to investigate the death of Lady Cheng as well. How can he not distinguish the importance of this case? "
Feng Xihui thought this, but he didn't dare to say anything. He hurriedly agreed and did as he was told. Just as Yang Fan was about to turn around and leave, he suddenly saw Mo Qiu with a big bump on his face. He couldn't help but be startled and asked, "Who are you? Since you're the class monitor, why have I never seen you before?"
At this moment, Mo Qiu didn't have the slightest bit of arrogance left. Although he hated Yang Fan in his heart, he didn't dare to show it on his face. He just replied politely, "Doctor, this lowly one is this department's monitor, Mo Qiu!"
Yang Fan replied with an "oh" and said indifferently, "So it's you! From now on, this department's monitor is Yuan Han. As for you, you'll be his assistant and be the deputy monitor. "
Yuan Han was surprised and happy when he heard this, but Mo Qiu was both shocked and angry. In a moment of anger, he blurted out, "May I ask Doctor, what mistake did this lowly one make to be removed from the monitor position?"
Yang Fan glanced at him and said, "No mistake!"
"Then what's the reason?"
"No reason!"
Yuan Han was so angry that he laughed and said angrily, "Ha! Since there's no mistake and no reason, how can this lowly one be convinced by Doctor's judgment! "
Yang Fan also laughed and said indifferently, "Why do I need you to be convinced? You just need to obey! "
Mo Qiu clenched his fists and asked in a loud voice, "Then what's the reason?"
Yang Fan curled his lips disdainfully and turned to walk behind the screen. His footsteps were neither fast nor slow, but his voice didn't stop because of his footsteps. His words were clearly sent into Mo Qiu's ears, as well as the ears of everyone in the courtroom. "There's no reason for anything, only because this is the decision of I, the Head of the Ministry of Justice, Yang Langzhong!"
…
The first to be brought into the Second Hall by Feng Xihui was Chang Zhiyuan, the half-grown child that Yang Fan had met at the Tianjin Bridge. He was the Lady Cheng's side.
It was no wonder that he had to be the judge of this case. In the case of the "old woman beating her daughter-in-law to death", Chang Zhiyuan and his father Chang Lin were the witnesses. In the case of the "Chang Zhiyuan beating Pan Junyi to death", his father was the witness, and he was the murderer. How were these two cases going to be separated?
The Second Hall was much more relaxed than the Main Hall. There were no signs that said "Silence" or "Out of Sight", and there were no bailiffs shouting "Hall's Might". There were also no two rows of 'Wind and Fire Rods', which made people tremble with fear when they saw them.
Yang Fan sat behind the table. When he saw the little prisoner in chains being brought in, he smiled and said, "Today, I will be investigating the case of your mother's innocent death. Chang Zhiyuan, you witnessed everything that happened at the time. Now, come to me one by one. Not a word of falsehood is allowed! "
…
When the yamen bell rang, Yang Fan was the same as before, scrambling to leave the yamen with the petty officials and bailiffs. Doctor Chen was as slow as ever, as if he had an endless amount of documents to deal with. However, his attention today was clearly not on the files. From time to time, he would raise his head and glance at the door, as if he was waiting for something.
"He's coming, he's coming!"
Luo Ling burst through the door and said excitedly. Before he could finish his sentence, the scribe who took down Yang Fan's notes today hurriedly walked in.
Chen Dong hurried forward and said warmly, "Mingda, it's been hard on you."
The clerk's surname was Qin, and his name was Qin Mingda. Qin Mingda was flattered and said, "I'm willing to work for Doctor Chen. It's not hard at all."
Chen Dong chuckled and said, "Come, come, come, sit, sit, sit!"
He pushed Qin Mingda into a chair, then lifted the hem of his robe and sat down as well. He said calmly, "Tell me, what has he been busy with this day?"
Qin Mingda frowned slightly and muttered to himself for a moment. Then, he said after some deliberation, "Hmm … He's been asking questions for the entire day. He's been asking questions tirelessly, over and over again, asking questions in a confusing manner …"
As Qin Mingda spoke, he lightly shook his head and said, "This lowly official feels that he has some ulterior motive, but I don't know what it is."
Chen Dong's eyes flashed, and he asked, "Where's the statement?"
Qin Mingda said, "It's already been kept by Yang Langzhong. This lowly official has been taking down the statement, and my hands are about to break from exhaustion, but I didn't have the time to make another copy."
Chen Dong said, "Pick up the parts that you can remember and tell me in detail!"
Qin Mingda began to describe as he was told. Chen Dong paced slowly in the room, listening carefully to his narration. After listening for a long time, he suddenly stopped and said slowly, "I understand now. He's trying to lure me into a confession!"
Qin Mingda was stunned and said in surprise, "Lure me into a confession? How is that possible! "
Chen Dong smiled and explained to him, "The lure I'm talking about is of course not the usual kind of lure that you think it is. I'm talking about … "
It seemed like Chen Dong also couldn't think of how to explain it. He deliberated for a moment before saying word by word, "It's possible that some scenes that really existed were overlooked by Chang Lin and Chang Zhiyuan, so Yang Fan wanted to dig them out. Some of the statements might not be what Yang Fan wanted. He wanted to mix his own judgment and analysis in this kind of repeated questioning, so that the father and son would unknowingly recall and describe according to his inclination … "
Qin Mingda said in shock, "Isn't this luring them into lying?"
"No, no, no, it's not lying!"
Chen Dong smiled and said, "You have to know that you don't need to conceal the truth of the same matter. You just need to use different words to describe it, and when others hear it, they will have a completely different impression! This is the effect that Yang Fan wants. "
Chen Dong took a deep breath and said, "There are also some that the father and son had completely forgotten in their panic at that time. In that kind of situation, it was inevitable that they would overlook some things in their panic, and these things would become a blank in their minds. Yang Fan would help them fill in this part of their memory through repeated questioning and skillful luring. "
Chen Dong placed his hands behind his back and said in a low voice, "Because those missing memories are something that they're unable to recall. So when Yang Fan asks them repeatedly and incessantly, the scene that appears in their hearts will be something that they've seen with their own eyes and heard with their own ears. It's absolutely true!"
Qin Mingda said in a daze, "What is he trying to do by putting in so much effort?"
Chen Dong shook his head and said, "From what you said just now, the things that he lured Chang Lin and his son to remember are all beneficial to reducing their punishment. It seems like this young man has the drive of a greenhorn and wants to be a good official that is praised by the people! But … "
Chen Dong frowned and said with some doubt, "If he does this, he will offend a lot of people. What is he trying to do? Could it be that he wants to be an honest and upright official, gain a good reputation like Yang Qingtian, and then hang up his crown and leave?"
The "Yang Qingtian" that Chen Dong mentioned had already arrived home. He stood behind the screen wall and smiled like a big corrupt official who had received a mountain of gold. He instructed the doorkeeper, Mo Xuanfei, "After dinner, don't stroll around. You stay at the door and guard it well. From today onwards, there will definitely be guests coming to our house!"
Mo Xuanfei scratched the back of his head and asked curiously, "Ah Lang, do you know in advance that there will be guests coming to our house?"
Yang Fan said with a smile, "Of course! Not only do I know that there will be guests coming, but I also know that guests will never come empty-handed. Alright! Keep a close eye on the door. If there are guests, report to me immediately! "After saying that, Yang Fan put his hands behind his back and walked slowly into the courtyard …
…
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