Chapter 159

"Ancient law? Ha-ha, you want to talk about ancient law with the imperial court? If you want to talk about ancient law, in the early Han, there is a saying, 'Today people kill each other, even though they have been executed, but private grudges are formed. Children and grandchildren will avenge each other, and their anger will deepen. As for destroying corpses and collecting property, it is commonly known as Haojian', how did the imperial court deal with this? 'If they have been executed by the officials and have killed each other, even though they have fled, they will return to their homes! '"

The one speaking was Cao Ning, an official from the Department of Justice. He was well versed in the law and was said to be able to recite the Great Notices fluently. At this moment, the three litigation masters hired by the Song family were engaged in a verbal battle with officials from the Futai yamen and Guiyang prefecture.

The second litigation master of the Yelang, Tan Xiaosheng, smiled faintly and stepped forward proudly: "You also said that even though they have been executed, but private grudges are formed. You also said that they have been executed by the officials and have killed each other. May I ask, Wei Ye killed the son of the Tian family, has he been executed or executed by the officials? "

The third litigation master of the Yelang, Zhao Jiayong, stepped forward slowly and said in a deep voice: "Wei Ye has not been executed nor executed, he is still alive and kicking. This time he has come to Tongren to represent the Yang family and accept the 'verdict' from Futai Daren. Don't say that he has come to be executed. "

Zhao Jiayong was ranked third among the four litigation masters of the Yelang, but he was the oldest. In the future, a famous lawyer like him would have a respectable social status. But in this era, litigation masters were not favored by the imperial court. Even though litigation masters were all scholars, they were not favored by the scholarly circles. So they were born to rely on the government but were also innately opposed to the government.

Litigation master Zhao had always been calm. This time he was going to fight a lawsuit and his opponent was Futai Daren. According to his usual temperament, he would not want to be in the limelight. But this time, the one who invited him was the Song family of the "Little Western Paradise". Not to mention how generous the Song family's reward was, there really was a glimmer of hope of winning. Once this lawsuit was won, his reputation would not be limited to Guizhou, but would spread throughout the world. So even Litigation Master Zhao rubbed his palms together and readily came forward.

Cao Daren sneered: "Wei Ye has not been executed because no one has reported him to the Futai yamen. Otherwise, do you think Futai Daren would not accept this case? You despise the law and do not report your grievances to the Futai yamen. Instead, you use private soldiers to take revenge. There is no such law in the Great Ming. "

"Report? Even if Futai Daren is willing to accept the report, Miss Song is not married yet. If someone wants to report, it should be the Tian family. How can Miss Song appear in public? Miss Song is obviously not married yet, but just because of a marriage contract, she considers herself to be Master Tian's wife. This is called chastity and should be greatly praised.

Miss Song killing someone because of her 'chastity' is pardonable and should be pardoned. As far as I know, although our court does not encourage private revenge, there have been precedents of people being pardoned for the sake of 'filial piety', 'integrity', 'loyalty', and 'righteousness'. "

This time the speaker was Na Liujia, one of the Four Great Litigation Masters. He was a Naxi, but he grew up in Guiyang and received Han education. His speech and temperament were like a Han scholar. He was also a famous litigation master who used his pen as a knife and had copper teeth and steel teeth.

Cao Daren reservedly said: "Whether or not to pardon is outside of the law, it is the decision of the presiding judge. Now that Futai Daren is not pardoning, it is clear that he thinks this case is of great importance and has a bad influence. Litigation Master's words seem reasonable, but they are not enough. "

Tan Xiaosheng sternly said: "Reason and law sometimes coincide, sometimes separate, they are not unified. Because of this, saints do not abide by the law when governing the world. Twelve years ago, there was a case. Jiangnan Yuyao had a man named Sun Wen. When he was young, his father was killed by his clan. When he grew up, he took advantage of his unprepared and suddenly killed him.

What is this? Filial piety! The father is the ruler of the son, the husband is the ruler of the wife. Today Miss Song is taking revenge for the engaged Tian gongzi. How is this different from Yuyao and Sun Wen's case? Sun Wen can be pardoned, but Miss Song cannot be pardoned? Futai Daren is unforgiving, aren't you afraid of breaking the Three Cardinal Principles and Five Virtues? "

Once this accusation was brought out, the nature of the matter became serious. The court scribes, magistrate magistrates, and officials all swarmed forward, craning their necks to argue. When it came to arguing, Tan Xiaosheng, Zhao Jiayong, Na Lijia, and the others had never been afraid. Immediately, their spittle flew with their hands, their faces the color of pig liver. They treated the Futai Hall as a place for shrews to curse in the streets.

In the second-level hall, Heavenly King Song and Ye Futai, who sat on the left and right sides, were much more refined. Not to mention cursing, they didn't even say a word. The entire second-level hall was quiet, only the occasional sound of tea being sipped.

"Ai! Song Daren's desire to protect your daughter, I understand. I also have a son and a daughter. But when a prince breaks the law, he will be punished the same as a commoner! Your daughter killed someone on the street, it is very difficult for me to do … "

Ye Mengxiong stroked his beard and spoke slowly. It was impossible to tell that he was once a general who commanded hundreds of thousands of troops and guarded the northern frontier, causing enemy chiefs to flee at the mere sight of him.

"Now, thanks to the merit of Chieftain Ye of Crouching Bull Ridge in educating the area, many chieftains and headmen from Tongren and Shiqian have written to the imperial court, requesting the imperial court to set up a government office and unify the judiciary. The emperor is pleased. Otherwise, just hearing that your daughter relied on a wealthy family and wantonly killed people, the emperor will definitely be furious. At that time, I'm afraid that even I will have to be passive. "

Song Yingming understood the meaning behind the words and immediately glanced disdainfully at Ye Mengxiong. My daughter is in your hands, and you want to threaten the Song family of Shui Dong to hand over the judiciary? Dream on!

The most important powers of a chieftain were hereditary power, administrative power, tax power, conscription power, and judicial power. Among them, the most commonly used and had the greatest influence on the natives were the administrative power, tax power, and judicial power. These were the basic powers that a chieftain exercised his authority. Without these three powers, the conscription power could not be implemented, and the hereditary power would be useless. What was the difference between a hereditary official, a hereditary blacksmith, or a hereditary jailer? They were just like the people of the Central Plains.

Song Yingming slowly took a breath and said, "Yes, this matter was my daughter's impudence and caused trouble for Lord Futai. I was negligent in disciplining her, forgive me, forgive me! "

At this point, Song Yingming sighed again and said, "In recent years, the Yang family of Bozhou has been restless and constantly provoked and caused trouble. They relied on their strong troops to bully and humiliate the other chieftains. My Shui Dong Song family and the Yang family of Bozhou are only separated by the Wu River. Yang Yinglong often starts wars, so I have to stay in Little Western Paradise for a long time to deal with the ambitious Yang Yinglong. As a result, I have neglected the education of my children. I am truly ashamed. "

Ye Mengxiong smiled faintly. Song Yingming was asking for credit. The person who helped the imperial court to curb Yang Yinglong's ambition to expand was him, Song Yingming. The peace of the southwest border, Song Yingming played an important role and could be said to have worked hard and made great contributions.

But so what? The Song family's territory was to the south of Bozhou. Even if it wasn't for the imperial court, would the Song family submit to the Yang family and allow Yang Yinglong's forces to march south? The Song family boycotted the Yang family for their own sake. Ye Mengxiong didn't appreciate it. What he needed was for the Song family to hand over more power to the imperial court.

Ye Mengxiong coughed and said calmly, "The Yang family of Bozhou is unruly and often causes trouble. I have also noticed this. Why don't I ask the imperial court to set up a guard station along the Wu River to the north of Little Western Paradise to protect the area? What does Lord Song think? "

Song Yingming's expression changed. Ye Mengxiong couldn't directly interfere with administrative power, so he wanted to interfere in the judicial system in a roundabout way. After being refused, he now had the idea of military power. The military system of combining "guard stations and chieftains" had already been implemented in some places. It was mainly in areas where the local officials were weak and unable to resist the central government.

For example, back when it was still Gourd Ridge and was managed by two small chieftains, there was already a patrol force stationed there. This was because it was an important pass for the courier road to enter Guizhou. At the same time, the local officials in Gourd Ridge were weak.

Once the imperial court was allowed to set up an armed force on their territory, it would be like maggots on the bone. They would never be able to get rid of it. Moreover, depending on these guard stations, there would inevitably be a large number of Han people living there. They would then expand into villages, towns, and cities, gradually invading and assimilating them.

Song Yingming immediately refused, saying, "Many thanks for Lord Futai's kind intentions. Although Yang Yinglong has the intention to invade, my Song family of Shuidong still has the power to resist. If the heavenly army suddenly mobilized, I'm afraid Yang Yinglong would be alarmed. Once a cornered dog jumps over the wall and does something improper, I'm afraid the flames of war will rise everywhere. This is not the fortune of the people and not the wish of the imperial court. This matter should be discussed at length. "

Ye Mengxiong laughed coldly and said, "Lord Song, this is also the opinion of an experienced strategist. Since you want to discuss at length, then let's discuss at length. As for the murder case of your daughter, I really want to make an exception, but... it is precisely because the murderer is your daughter that the impact will be far-reaching! "

Ye Mengxiong sighed with pity, his white eyebrows slightly knitted, as if he really had a plan for Song Yingming. Song Yingming stared at him, his gaze as sharp as a snow sword, "Inspector Daren said that you can't make an exception?"

"Yes... yes..."

Ye Mengxiong said slowly, "A life for a life, this is a national ceremony. I have thought hard and finally thought of the word 'chastity', and only on this point can your daughter be spared from the death penalty. But... "

Ye Mengxiong glanced at Song Yingming, "The death penalty can be spared, but you can't just let her be acquitted, otherwise the dignity of the country will be destroyed."

Song Yingming narrowed his eyes slightly, "Sir, how many years does my daughter have to be locked up in this prison?" At this point, Song Yingming's voice was cold and threatening.

Ye Mengxiong was unperturbed, completely unaffected by Song Yingming's power, "There is no need to go to prison. Killing for the sake of family and chastity can still be made an exception, so death or not death, crime or not crime, can all be discussed. But it is still a human life, how can it be safely released from prison? It is not difficult to release your daughter, but she needs to be flogged 60 times in accordance with the law before she can be released! "

Ye Mengxiong glanced at Song Yingming and said in a serious tone, "Since the founding of our dynasty, there have been a total of five cases of filial piety murder cases, and all of them have been pardoned. But those who have been pardoned have all been flogged, and this cannot be changed. This is already the greatest accommodation that I can do for you, Lord Song! "

When Song Yingming heard this, his nameless karmic fire immediately rushed to his Baihui, and his eyes became fierce.

To be flogged, one had to take off her skirt and underwear in front of everyone and be beaten with a large stick. Even for the sake of him, Heavenly King Song, the torturer did not dare to use force and only pretended not to break the skin. But that was the little princess of the Song Clan. To be flogged in front of everyone? Then the first thing Song Xiaoyu would do after leaving the hall would be to kill herself to apologize to her ancestors, and the Song Clan would become a laughing stock!

Originally, to be pardoned for a capital crime to be flogged was definitely a blessing from the heavens, and the judge was merciful. But if the same method was used on the little princess of the Song Clan, it would be a punishment more severe than death by hanging.

Song Yingming slowly stood up and said word by word, "This is the accommodation that Ye Futai is giving my daughter for my sake?"

Ye Mengxiong also slowly stood up. Song Yingming stood like a mountain, his aura terrifying. When Ye Mengxiong stood up, his aura was vigorous and as vast as the sea. Although it was not as fierce as Song Yingming's, it was not at all inferior, and he did not fall behind at all.

Ye Mengxiong smiled faintly, "That's right! This is the biggest accommodation that I can offer. Is Lord Song still not satisfied? "

Ye Mengxiong was not afraid. He was not afraid at all. Would the Song Clan, which had been passed down for a thousand years, brazenly rebel for a daughter, even if she was the daughter of the clan leader? This was impossible. Even if Song Yingming was willing, the elders of the Song Clan would jointly reject him, and they might even dismiss this crazy clan leader.

Not to mention that the Great Ming Dynasty had already been settled, even when Zhu Yuanzhang had just conquered the country and the world was unstable, the head of the An Clan, Madam She Xiang, was provoked by the commander of the Great Ming Dynasty, Ma Ye. Her back was bare, and her body was whipped. The forty-eight troops under She Xiang were furious, but She Xiang considered the consequences and did not dare to rebel.

People like Yang Yinglong, who were blinded by power and extremely daring, were rare. Ye Mengxiong concluded that Song Yingming did not dare to rebel, and his daughter could not be left unsaved. Thus, he dared to continuously increase the price, hoping to tear a piece of meat from the Song Clan, but …

"Hahahaha …" Song Yingming laughed loudly, his voice shaking the roof tiles, "In that case, thank you, Ye Futai! I will wait for you to be merciful and forgive my daughter! "

Song Yingming flicked his sleeves and turned to leave. When he reached the door of the hall, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at Ye Mengxiong. His voice was loud and clear, "I will first resign from my position as the clan leader, then I will disown myself from the clan! From now on, I will have nothing to do with the Song Clan! "

Ye Mengxiong, who had been calm the whole time, suddenly changed his expression when he heard this. He had thought of the negotiation breaking down, but he did not expect Song Yingming to be so unyielding. In this era, who did not value their family background, but he actually wanted to disown himself from the clan and cut off all ties with the Song Clan. What was he trying to do by doing this?

After saying this, Song Yingming immediately walked out in large strides. His steps were majestic and murderous. Ye Mengxiong's expression was extremely solemn. If the Song Clan did not bleed, he would definitely not give in. Otherwise, if there was a strong backlash, he would give in and make an exception. How would he unify the forces in Guizhou, how would he gather all the chiefs under his banner, and then attack Yang Yinglong?

However, he never expected that Song Yingming would not give up his judicial power, nor would he allow the imperial court to build a military station in Shuidong. Yet, he just had to have a fiery temper. That's right, Song Yingming did not dare to bring the entire Song Clan on the path of rebellion for his daughter, but he could abandon everything for his daughter.

Ye Futai only considered the fact that he was the leader of the clan and neglected the fact that he was a father. Now that the two of them had completely broken off from the negotiation, if they really beat the daughter of the Song Clan, one could imagine what terrifying things Song Yingming would do. Ye Futai could not back down now.

"Men!"

Ye Mengxiong raised his eyebrows and shouted. Two burly men in green, who had been his bodyguards turned into servants, immediately dashed in. Ye Mengxiong shouted in a deep voice, "Quickly summon Crouching Bull Chief Judge Ye Xiaotian to see me! This is an urgent matter, there is no time to waste! "