Chapter 148 The evidence I was waiting for, she is here
As the presiding judge Zhou Cheng announced the opening of the court, the "mighty" beating of water and fire sticks around them stopped, and the drums also became quiet.
Outside the open lobby of the court, officials from various government offices who were invited to watch the bustle were also waiting outside.
A majestic and solemn atmosphere immediately filled the entire venue.
Even though he was Zhao Duan, he couldn't help but slump his shoulders. He sensed the invisible pressure coming, and followed his senses to see that the pressure originated from the four-character plaque "Mingjing hangs high" in the court hall.
Is this a magic weapon? Town object?
It seems to have the effect of deterring the prisoner's mind... Zhao Duan still has time to think about this.
"Bang!"
Above the high hall, Zhou Cheng, who was wearing a scarlet robe and a black gauze on his head, frowned with the word "Chuan" on his head, and took a photo of the stunned person: "Zhao Duan, today the three divisions will be heard, do you dare to despise the court? Come, take the prisoners off their seats and escort them to their knees!”
Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows.
Are you in such a hurry? When you come up, you can’t wait to show off your power...
If not too many people were paying attention, he would have no doubt:
Zhou Cheng would draw the most ruthless red-headed lottery from the four lottery tubes in the court with "Zhi", "Fa", "Strict" and "Ming" written on it. Give him ten big killing sticks.
"Wait!"
In the jury box, the stern-faced Ma Yan raised his eyelids and said in a deep voice:
"Wei Zhou Ting, the case has not yet been concluded. At least at this moment, Zhao Duan is still our Chao Yamen Police Department and the envoy of the White Horse Prison."
Zhou Cheng still remembered the last grudge, he raised his eyebrows coldly, and said in a cold voice: "Ma Du Gong, today's trial will be held. I am the chief judge. How can I, Dali Temple, try the case? It's not the imperial office's turn." Advice.”
As soon as the hall opened, the smell of gunpowder came from the two yamen.
When they were refusing to give in, Yuan Li, who was also sitting in the hall beside him, said calmly:
"The case is very important. You two might as well take a step back and take down your seats. As for kneeling down, there is no need to do so."
The Minister of Punishment next to him also echoed:
"That's what Mr. Yuan said."
Zhou Cheng frowned. He could ignore Ma Yan during today's trial, but he could not neglect the other two who were both members of the Third Law Division.
At that moment, a guard came forward and took the chair away.
Zhao Duan stood up, a little reluctant to leave, the chair was not yet warm...
Outside the hall.
The people watching the trial looked at each other, and the Jinyi people in Lihuatang stood at the back, unable to hide their worries - Zhou Cheng's opening was so menacing.
…
The trial continues.
Zhou Cheng said coldly: "Today, the Sansi Yamen will interrogate the case of military attache Zhao Duan raping and killing civilian girl Su Hongyu, and the facts of the case will be read out."
In the jury box on the left, the blue-robed Prime Minister of Dali Temple, He Zheng, stood up and recited the dossier:
"A few days ago, the uncle and aunt of Su Hongyu, a civilian girl, beat drums to complain..."
Su Hongyu? When Zhao Duan heard this name, he vaguely recalled a woman in his mind.
In the past, there had been singing and dancing at the Wang family's banquet, but he had only a vague impression of it. He only remembered that the girl was young and danced gracefully, and she had worked hard.
When he was drunk and pushed into the room, the other party tried to flirt with him, but he was tied up and thrown aside by "himself" who was a licking dog.
After leaving Wang's house, he paid no attention to her, and she didn't even know that this woman who was a good dancer was actually angered by Wang Shan because "he" didn't touch her.
Today, one year after his death, Zhou Cheng pulled him out again and used him as a tool because he wanted to deal with himself.
Human life is like grass...
At this time, He Zheng finished reading and Zhou Cheng shouted:
"Bring the accuser!"
Outside, an official led a middle-aged couple to the court. The man was dressed as a businessman, and the woman had a mean face.
At this moment, when he entered the hall, he was so frightened that he knelt down with a "pop" sound. Zhou Cheng said with a pleasant expression: "You will tell me the whole story in detail."
The man responded and said as if he had already memorized the lines: "The villain is Hongyu's uncle. Hongyu's parents passed away when she was young. We raised her on her behalf. Later, we sent her to learn singing and dancing and became a kapisha... By chance, she was taken by a rich man. In the palace of King Hu, I took her as my concubine..."
Outside the hall, many people frowned slightly when they heard this.
In Dayu, kabuki is not a "prostitute", but a real performer.
But even so, it is still a low-level business. The couple looks like they are not poor people, but they send their niece to be a karaoke... It shows that the family affection is extremely weak.
The man continued: "Last August, Hongyu was suddenly sent back by the Wang family's servants, saying that he was retiring in Wangshan.
At that time, there were many scars on the body, which were obviously stained, and the look was haggard... My husband and I sought medical treatment, and they were already getting better, but they didn't expect to die inexplicably later. "
When he said this, Zhao Duan noticed that it was probably the plaque's coercive effect, and he felt a little guilty.
In fact, Su Hongyu was indeed covered with bruises when she was sent back, but he and his wife were just afraid that she would offend Mr. Wang Shan, so they did not treat her at all, and they did not even bother to give her food or drink.
Su Hongyu was suffering from illness and hunger, and her talent disappeared.
Zhou Cheng interrogated him for a few more sentences and said:
"Summon the doctor and I will do it."
The official led two more people to the court. One claimed to be the doctor who diagnosed Su Hongyu in the first place, and the other was the doctor who had exhumed Su Hongyu's body and performed an autopsy in the past two days.
The former pointed out that Su Hongyu's condition was not serious and her death was strange, while the latter said the cause of death was suspected of suffocation.
The words inside and outside the words mean that Su Hongyu was silenced.
"Pass on Qin Qiu," Zhou Cheng said again.
At this time, Qin Qiu, who was short in stature and was still wearing wrinkled satin clothes, could not hide his injuries from being tortured, was brought up.
As soon as he entered the hall, his little eyes were blank and frightened. When he saw Zhao Duan, he knelt down with a cry and was about to rush towards him. However, he was grabbed by an officer and burst into tears:
"Brother, save me..."
Zhao Duan was a little moved, he didn't expect that he was such a loser.
"Qin Qiu! I want to ask you, did you have a banquet with Zhao Duan at the king's house that day and saw him go to the bedroom with Wang Shan?" Zhou Cheng said indifferently.
Qin Qiu knelt on the ground, shivering, squinting his eyes as he looked at each high-ranking official, and said with trepidation: "Yes... but I didn't see Ambassador Zhao..."
Zhou Cheng interrupted sharply: "You just need to answer, right?"
"yes……"
"I would like to ask you again, did Zhao Duan spend the night at the Wang's residence?"
"Yes...but Mr. Zhao didn't..."
"Take it down!" Zhou Cheng waved.
Qin Qiu's eyes widened and he seemed to have just come back to his senses. He wanted to say something, but he was punched secretly by the official, and he suddenly lost the ability to speak in pain. At this time, as three consecutive rounds of witnesses appeared, the crowd outside the hall was slightly commotion.
Obviously, these many pieces of evidence overlap with each other and are extremely detrimental to Zhao Duan.
Many people looked at Zhao Duan, only to find that as a prisoner, his face was extremely calm from beginning to end, with no change in emotion.
"Bring King Mountain!" Zhou Cheng took another photo of Gaiden.
This time, Wang Shan, who was chubby and had slightly red eyes, as if he had albinism, walked into the hall.
He was originally imprisoned in imperial prison, but after the trial of the three departments, Zhou Cheng took him away as a key witness, and Ma Yan could not stop him.
At this time, there was no fear at all in the prison. Instead, he was calm and calm. When he looked at Zhao Duan from the corner of his eye, the corners of his mouth raised slightly:
"Master Zhao, I didn't expect us to meet here."
Zhao Duan looked at him strangely, thinking to himself that he hoped you could laugh again in the future.
"Wang Shan, what do you have to say about Su Hongyu's death?" Zhou Cheng asked.
Wang Shan immediately identified him and said that he had hosted a banquet that day. Zhao Duan took notice and hinted that he would send a concubine to serve him.
Wang Shan was afraid and ordered his concubine to stay with him for one night, but to his surprise, Su Hongyu was bruised all over her body and seemed to be mentally disturbed.
"When the villain saw this, he didn't want to keep her. He ordered someone to send her back to the Su family, but he died without thinking about her." Wang Shan said.
The loop is closed.
At this moment, everyone's testimonies and the "evidences" read by He Zheng before the opening of the court corroborated each other, just like nails, nailing Zhao Duan to the murderer's pillar.
The commotion in the hall became louder and louder. Among the people in Lihuatang, Old Man Zheng narrowed his eyes and whispered:
"Come prepared. There is no evidence for death, and everyone who is alive agrees. Your Majesty is in trouble."
Secretary Qian Kerou bit her lip:
"These people must be framing you!"
She had some kind of beautifying filter on Zhao Duan without knowing it.
Hou Renmeng and Shen Juan didn't say anything. Emotionally, they didn't want to believe it.
But from a rational point of view... well, considering his master's behavior, even if Zhao Duan really did such a thing, it doesn't seem surprising...
Even Ma Yan frowned slightly.
Not sure whether Zhou Cheng is making a false accusation or Zhao Duan has really done this kind of thing...
He turned to look at Sun Lianying and found that the other person had the same expressionless face as before.
"Bang! Silence!"
Zhou Cheng took pictures of the gavel, spoke harshly, and looked down at Zhao Duan:
"My fellow criminal, do you have anything to say about the above charges?"
In an instant, countless eyes gathered.
However, what surprised everyone was that in the face of such an unfavorable situation, Zhao Duan just remained silent without saying a word.
"Do you have anything to say?" Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice also shouted.
Zhao Duan still turned a deaf ear.
Zhou Cheng smiled: "So, you have nothing to say?"
Zhao Duan still shut up.
In the courtroom, the commotion reached an unprecedented level, and people's expressions changed.
In their view, although this situation is extremely unfavorable, they still deserve some rebuttal.
What does silence mean?
Everyone started talking, with strange expressions on their faces, and the same thought emerged in their minds:
Could it be that the case is true?
It's not a frame-up, but he really did it?
He just faced the accusation, and he had nothing to say and was unable to refute?
Or, even if he didn't do it, he already knew that he couldn't provide a strong proof, so... he accepted his fate?
"Why don't you speak, sir? Is he being controlled by some means? Why don't you speak up to defend yourself?" Qian Kerou's anxious face turned red.
"Your Excellency may be thinking about the evidence." Shen Juan said, but his tone was full of unconfidence.
"Tell me, at least explain a few words, and at least have a chance to convey my voice to His Majesty in the palace..."
The Jinyi people in Lihuatang became anxious.
If the situation didn't allow it, they would have wanted to shout loudly to remind Zhao Duan to retort.
More onlookers shook their heads, thinking that Zhao Duan had given up resistance.
"Alas, I'm still too young after all... Do you really think Wei Ting is easy to mess with?"
"Oh, he also knows very well that His Majesty no longer trusts him, otherwise there would not be this trial."
"But if you try hard, there is still a chance. But since he gave up, there is no suspense anymore."
The crowd was talking.
Ma Yan looked anxious. He wanted to remind Zhao Duan that there was still a lot of room for debate in the case.
For example, why did someone suddenly report a crime after being dead for so long?
Or ask for another autopsy...
Even Yuan Li, who was also one of the presiding judges, looked suspicious and didn't understand what his plan was.
But Zhao Duan seemed to ignore everyone's gaze, and there was not much expression on his face. He just looked at the plaque in the hall and was distracted.
In the hall, Zhou Cheng could no longer hide the joy on his face. Although he also had doubts, he knew better that as long as the case was confirmed, it would be meaningless for Zhao Duan to use any means.
He immediately raised the scaffold and pronounced the verdict: "The criminal has no defense, which is equivalent to a guilty plea. Now, I pronounce the verdict on the case of Zhao Duan's rape and murder of Su Hongyun..."
Suddenly, in the solemn atmosphere, a slightly unreal girl's voice echoed in the courtroom.
"Wait a minute."
In the hall, a cluster of stars suddenly rushed from a distance, swirling around like a tornado, and condensed into a petite figure:
A priest's robe with a black base and gold threads, boots of the same color, and slightly curled ends. Long hair, slightly pale delicate facial features, and eyes that are somewhat out of focus when looking at people.
Disciple of the old Heavenly Master, Priest Zhudian, Golden Slip!
Zhao Duan, who was silent and just looking at the plaque, finally withdrew his gaze and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.
The three chief judges in the court hall said loudly:
"The evidence I've been waiting for is here."
(End of chapter)