Chapter 263 Reunion

The case of the Zhao family is actually very simple to handle. As long as the people are willing to stand up and testify, as long as someone sincerely stands up for the people. For the case that the Zhao family father and son are carrying, it is not too much to sentence them to death by slicing.

Because there are too many people involved in this case and the people who sued. The catcher team in front arrested people, and the county yamen chief clerk and others in the back began to interrogate day and night.

This matter must be handled quickly, and the interrogation must be separated to avoid collusion. In addition to Zhao Lizheng and the Zhao family father and son. The Zhao family's guards and their relatives and friends in Linjiang Village must do their utmost to eliminate evil. The county yamen prison was overcrowded for a while, and it was really lively.

The Huating County Yamen worked overtime just for this case. All the literate people in the county yamen were arrested to help. Two constables were responsible for the trial, and the clerks were responsible for recording. After the files were written clearly, they were handed over to Xinda for comparison. Select the overlapping cases in different files to check whether there are false accusations or collusion testimonies.

After the Xinda has verified them one by one, the files that have been checked will be sent to Chen Heng for the county magistrate to personally review, examine and stamp. When the files are almost collected, the way ahead for the Zhao family father and son is to plead guilty.

The father and son are as hopeless as death, and there is no way to argue. Chen Heng waved his hand and did not want to say more to them. He just turned around and walked around in the courtyard of the county government. He now has two things to worry about.

The first is the difficulty of sentencing. The Zhao family father and son will naturally die. The other main people involved in the case, either hanging or exile, are also easy to arrange. Only among the remaining large number of people, they are more or less involved in the matter. If they are sentenced strictly, exiling them seven or eight hundred miles is common.

But if this is done, the bad influence brought about by this case will inevitably make the future small evildoers hold the idea of ​​​​getting rid of it all. It will also make other big families in the county have the impression that he is a cruel official. This will definitely affect his future affairs.

Thinking of this, Chen Heng couldn't help but hide his hands in his sleeves and looked up at the moonlit night. When the road ahead is unclear, looking back on the road you have come is undoubtedly the best way. The so-called "remember the past and learn from it" is exactly here.

Patting his brain that was tired from being busy for days, Chen Heng, who was a little more awake, walked a few steps in the yard and couldn't help but think of Xu Pingzhi, the former magistrate of Taixing County.

Xu Pingzhi really made a beautiful judgment on the case of his second uncle. Thinking of the words that the old senior in the officialdom told him at that time, Chen Heng couldn't help but look thoughtful.

"You must remember that the law is the basis and reason is the root. If you can only recite according to the book, not to mention whether you will be rigid in dealing with things, you have lost the original intention of the law to educate."

Such golden words made Chen Heng think of it tonight, and he was also very touched. He thought about it carefully again, and finally decided the red line of the Zhao family case in his heart.

Those who cross the line will die! Those who do not cross the line will be punished and educated. The sentencing may be heavy or light, but they will be given a way out for the time being, giving the accomplice a chance to reform.

After making up his mind, Chen Heng felt happy physically and mentally. He turned back to the brightly lit court, and he conveyed his meaning through the mouth of Xinda.

In this way, cases that cross the red line will be sent to Chen Heng, and the county magistrate will make the decision personally. For other cases, Chen Heng also handed them over to his subordinates, asking them to make preliminary sentencing judgments first, so as to see the strengths and weaknesses of his subordinates.

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It was around October 20th that the case of the Zhao family father and son was sorted out. Looking at the pile of files on the case, Chen Heng couldn't help but smile bitterly.

There were 178 people involved in the case, 26 of whom were beheaded, and as many as 33 were exiled. The remaining accomplices had different sentences. Chen Heng checked them one by one and found basically no problems. Now his headache was how to send these files to the court.

In ancient times, sentencing a prisoner to death required a review by the Ministry of Justice and a review by other states. The level here is too complicated, and it can be roughly understood as: submitting the files to the local state government, and the state government forwarding them to the Ministry of Justice in the capital.

After that, the Ministry of Justice arranged officials from other states to come as verification officers to check the details of the case. After confirmation, you can wait for the Ministry of Justice to issue a written document and choose a date for execution.

Chen Heng also has a simpler and faster way. Before he left Beijing, Li Zhi warned Chen Heng. If there are difficulties in Songjiang Prefecture, you can directly write a secret memorial to inform him, which is equivalent to giving him the power to handle special matters.

Before, Chen Heng told Gou Wazi that he could let him die before the end of the year because he had the confidence to handle special matters. However, now that the evidence is conclusive, there is no need to rashly use the latter.

Chen Heng thought for a moment, and decided to take half a box of files to the prefecture on a certain day to meet with the governor Liu Yanzhang. After all, he was a member of the civil service system of Dayong. If he insisted on portraying himself as a person who broke the rules, it would be more trouble than gain.

In the government office, Liu Yanzhang first smiled bitterly and led Chen Heng into the hall. He saw another half box of files, took out a book from it and opened it, and saw the lawsuits of the people with full handprints. He immediately changed from a bitter smile to a sad face, "Zhi Xing, Zhi Xing..."

Liu Yanzhang discussed his words in his heart, and after a long time, he still said: "You send these things up, which will have a great impact on our Songjiang Prefecture."

Chen Heng nodded, he knew that what Liu Yanzhang said was true. With such a bad incident happening under his rule, it would be even more difficult for the Ministry of Personnel to get a good result in the three-year plan.

"As long as the people live well, you don't have to worry too much about some criticism from the higher-ups." As usual, Chen Heng said something nice as an introduction, and then said, "I was entrusted by you to handle this case. The higher-ups will certainly understand your love for the people."

Chen Heng's words conveyed two messages to Liu Yanzhang. The first was to tell him that he could give the credit for this case to him. It would also be written in the official document that when he first entered Songjiang Prefecture, he was instructed by the prefect to secretly supervise this case.

The second was to tell him that he had no intention of expanding this case. Some things are just right for now.

Liu Yanzhang understood what Chen Heng meant, and his frown immediately relaxed. With this, he might even become a good official who made meritorious contributions and endured humiliation in the court.

Ha, this champion is really good at being an official.

But if he really nodded in agreement, Liu Yanzhang began to worry again, whether he would be misunderstood by someone who was interested and thought that he was on the same side as Chen Heng.

The magistrate of Songjiang Prefecture still had to think about the pros and cons of this. But looking at the lawsuit with fingerprints in his hand, he knew that he had no choice at all.

For such a case with such a huge public resentment, as long as it entered this door, who would dare to let Chen Heng take half a box of files back, and the next day he could consider which grave had better feng shui and more prosperous for his descendants to study and take the imperial examination.

"Forget it." Liu Yanzhang said half happy and half worried, "Chixing handled this case very well..."

Chen Heng smiled when he heard this.

No matter how tortuous the process was, Liu Yanzhang, who was always smooth, was finally dragged into the water by himself.

After leaving the government office, Chen Heng was in a very happy mood. Although Liu Yanzhang was not slippery, once he got off the court, he immediately considered the prospects of the two. At this time, the Zhao family father and son could not easily enter the prison cell of the government office. No one can guarantee how many of the other party's people are in the Songjiang government office.

Liu Yanzhang immediately issued an official document, indicating that the prisoners would continue to be detained in the Huating County Jail to ensure that they were safe. He then asked the clerks of the government office to quickly arrange for the files to be sent to the capital.

Seeing Liu Yanzhang so enthusiastic, Chen Heng naturally asked for a break and was happy and relaxed.

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In the following days, there were still many things in the county office. Because of the Zhao family's affairs, Chen Heng suddenly had a reputation as a "honest and upright master". More and more people came to complain.

Among them, there were also many people who took advantage of the situation. Many people who sold land in a reasonable and legal manner also used the Zhao family's affairs to report the buyers to the Huating County Office. As a result, many wealthy families in Huating County have been in danger recently.

Chen Heng will not care about these sneaky people. Once the truth is found out, the false accusation is true. Punish where necessary and sentence where necessary. In Dayong, false accusation is also a serious crime. Once the drum of complaint is struck, if you want to say that you are acting on impulse, you can't sue the people.

After punishing a few people impartially, many people hiding in the dark can feel a little relieved. The wealthy don't have to sit still, and there are fewer ruffians among the people. Everyone applauds, further promoting the reputation of the county magistrate.

Chen Heng has not only been handling cases recently. He took the time to send his experience in handling cases in recent times to Qian Dayou, Jiang Yuanbai and others in the form of letters. Chen Heng also wrote clearly about the details. He only added a sentence at the end of the words: What I said may not be right. It is just a personal opinion for everyone to cite as a side reference.

The Jinshi in the fourth year of Jianping were all local officials for the first time. They were very happy to have the help of Chen Heng's advice.

In this way, he was busy until the end of the month. On this day, Chen Heng was listening to the reply of the county clerk in the back office. The property of the Zhao family had just been counted. The account was placed on Chen Heng's desk.

Speaking of this, there is really an interesting thing worth mentioning. According to the practice of Dayong, the property obtained from the house search, in addition to compensating the victim's losses, will not be counted into the Ministry of Revenue. Instead, it will go through the palace and directly enter Li Zhi's inner treasury.

Did you find that the proceeds from the house search belong to your majesty privately.

And this old Zhao family is really rich. Aside from books, ink, calligraphy and paintings, the property that can be clearly verified is worth 150,000 taels. Thinking about this time when I came to Songjiang Prefecture to repair the port, the court only allocated 200,000 taels. Comparing the two, Chen Heng had to grind his teeth and suppress his envy in his heart.

The matter of the house search account should be divided into two parts. One copy was submitted via the prefecture, and the other was sent directly to the Linjing Palace via a secret memorial. This was an opportunity for Chen Heng to ask for merit, so he would naturally not let anyone else do it.

You must be able to do things for the people and be an official. As a person, there is no need to be too noble. Stick to your own principles, and on this basis, be a little more tactful, which is really not a bad thing.

After copying the account book word by word, he wrote each number smaller to ensure that His Majesty would look at it in detail. After Chen Heng finished this, he was also chanting Amitabha in his heart. Dirty, people who play Go have really dirty minds.

He had just put down his pen and was stretching his waist. Xinda had already run into the house excitedly, saying repeatedly: "My lord, my lord, my lady is back."

Chen Heng was overjoyed when he heard this, and hurriedly stood up and said: "Really? Did the messenger say where she is?"

"In half an hour, my lady will be at Tongbo Gate." Xinda replied immediately.

Tongbo Gate is the north gate of Songjiang City, not far from the county government office. Chen Heng smiled and clapped his hands, "Hurry up, help me change clothes."

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After a short delay, Chen Heng led Xinda and a few servants to the north gate of Songjiang City. There were many people coming in and out of the door, because Chen Heng was wearing regular clothes. Except for the guards guarding the city gate who recognized him, most people did not know that this person was the magistrate of Huating County who had been in the limelight recently in the city.

Chen Heng, who was sitting at the tea stall at the door, looked up at the city gate from time to time. Even though he knew there were servants waiting outside, he still wanted to see Yu'er's car earlier.

Within a moment, three carriages came speeding from a distance. When we reached the city gate, we gradually slowed down. A servant rushed to Chen Heng and said hurriedly: "Sir, this is Madam's driver."

Chen Heng couldn't care less, he got up and ran towards the city gate. The customers in the tea shop are really interesting to watch. He said to Chen Heng who ran out.

"It's really strange that at such a young age, he is called master. When he sees his wife, he forgets about himself. I don't know what kind of country's beauty can bring..."

The man was only halfway through speaking when the waiter at the tea shop blocked his mouth. The waiter scolded the guest: "You don't want your life? That person just now was the magistrate of Huating County. I think you are well-dressed and must have a good family background. If you look back, don't fall into his hands and destroy all your belongings." Clean.”

When the tea guest heard this, he knew that the person who had just chatted and joked was the county magistrate, so he could not sit still. He quickly stood up, threw down the money, and ran in the opposite direction.

Chen Heng ran out in one breath, so the officers and soldiers guarding him would not stop the county master. The people nearby saw that the young man was not following the rules and was busy struggling with the officers and soldiers, but they were scolded.

After running in front of Daiyu's car, Chen Heng slowed down. Standing in front of the leading carriage, he coughed lightly and said: "Ahem, madam, my husband is here to pick you up."

Seeing that there was no answer in the car, a trace of suspicion flashed across Chen Heng's face. He looked at the follower standing carefully beside him with malicious eyes. You kid, you can’t mistake the carriage. If you really want to make something like this happen, go back and take a closer look at your butt.

"Puch."

A familiar laughter came from the carriage, and the person inside replied, "Sir, my lady is in a carriage behind."

Chen Heng recognized it as Qingwen's voice. The girl said again: "Master, it was Madam's idea. Don't blame me and Sister Zijuan."

"Don't blame me." Xue Yan said in a low voice.

Chen Heng shook his head awkwardly and hurriedly waited by the roadside. When the next carriage came up, the curtain that had been lifted revealed a face that was thinking about it day and night.

"Ms. sir, aren't you angry?" the quirky sister Lin asked with a pursed lips.

"Of course I'm angry." Chen Heng deliberately kept a straight face and snorted: "When I get home, I will let you know the consequences of making my husband angry."

As soon as her eyes turned, Sister Lin was not afraid at all, and she still said boldly: "I heard that my husband has a great reputation in Huating County recently, so I just want to let me take a good look at him and ask for advice."

"Yeah." Chen Heng couldn't help but nodded, "I'll have to ask you to understand."

After saying that, he couldn't hold back his laughter. After the laughter stopped, he asked: "Yu'er, how hard has it been this journey?"

Daiyu nodded, then shook her head. "It was really hard on the way here. When I met my husband, I felt that all the hard work was worth it."

Hearing these words, Chen Heng felt hot in his heart. Who said Sister Lin was not sweet-tongued. Whether it is sweet or not, he has to taste it himself to know. After thinking about it, he turned around and looked around, and saw that everyone had their heads lowered and acted like dumb gourds. Chen Heng jumped directly onto the carriage and rushed into the carriage.

Sister Lin was really thoughtful and asked the three maids to sit in front. It allowed the couple to have the solitude for now. As soon as the two people met their eyes, their indescribable feelings spread in each other's hearts.

By this time, Chen Heng had forgotten his previous plan. He just stared at Daiyu blankly for a long time before sighing: "We are finally reunited."

Daiyu's eyes turned slightly red when she heard this. More than a month of separation is not an easy time for newlyweds to pass by in the blink of an eye.

"If my husband-in-law is transferred again in the future, I will definitely go with him." This slightly squeamish girl, with a bit of feminine charm, muttered, "Never be separated again, I will be remembered every day. Rice is also I can’t eat well and sleep well.”

Chen Heng didn't say anything, he just leaned forward, took Daiyu into his arms, and held her tightly.

There is a saying in the Book of Songs: The mountain has no edges, the heaven and the earth are united, and I dare to stand apart from you. It's a matter of love, nothing else.

Why is it Monday? Why is it Monday? The pain, the lamentation. Hopefully tomorrow is Friday.

After a busy day, I come back feeling dizzy. I am sorry to ask for votes, monthly votes, and recommendation votes.