Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 407 Battle with Zhao Tingwei
Liu Zongzheng's heart skipped a beat.

He dared not think about the scene Zhou Zhao described; just the thought of it made his scalp tingle.

If that happens, what's the point of him arguing?

He would pick up the rake he used to use and smash that beast's head! To leave such hatred unpunished, to leave such humiliation unaddressed, would be unworthy of being a father!

Liu Zongzheng was speechless as he thought this.

His strong opposition stemmed from his position as the head of the imperial clan, which meant he was in charge of the descendants of the Liu family.

His Majesty won't be fooled by those sycophantic flatterers, nor will he be bound by blood ties. He won't! Anyone who cleans up Liu Daqiang's mess of abducting a woman today will have to clean up Liu Er's mess of seizing land tomorrow...

After finally getting home with my hands all rubbed raw, I looked around and saw my own little rascal sticking his butt out.

So many unfilial descendants, now that they have caused such a terrible disaster, can they still use their titles to atone for it?

But if he were to commit murder and have to pay with his life in the future, he, as the head of the clan, wouldn't have to clean up the mess; he'd probably have to handle funerals every day.

As Liu Zongzheng pondered this, he suddenly felt something was amiss.

He suddenly understood the malicious intent behind Zhou Zhao's words.

If Fa Yan can straighten out those bastards, he won't have to clean up their messes; if Fa Yan can't straighten out those bastards, then once they die, a funeral will be all that's left, and he won't have to clean up their messes.

Seeing that Zhou Zhao remained silent, the Marquis of Huaiyang couldn't help but speak up.

"How can the law be amended at will? Zhou Zuojian just amended the law not long ago, changing corporal punishments and prohibiting castration from being used as a substitute for the death penalty. And now, just a few days later, it's being done again? Isn't this like changing the law every day? Where is the authority of the law?"

As the Marquis of Huaiyang spoke, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards His Majesty.

"Your Majesty, please consider this carefully. Zhou Zuojian is a rare young genius in our Court of Justice, and I admire her greatly. However, young people are bound to be too impulsive in their actions. In my opinion, this matter should be discussed within the Court of Justice first."

Chang Zuoping, Guan Youping, and He Tingshi were all veterans of the Court of Justice, having spent their entire lives dealing with the law.

While I wouldn't say they're exceptionally talented, they have the experience gained through hard work, accumulating case by case.

As the Marquis of Huaiyang spoke, he looked at Zhou Zhao and sighed, "Does Left Supervisor Zhou still remember why the previous dynasty perished? Because of its harsh policies and strict laws."

His Majesty is benevolent, and has formulated the Nine Chapters Law based on the foundation laid by the previous dynasty, which is much more lenient than before. Zhou Zuojian's proposal cannot be said to be wrong, but if these two revisions are carried out, then there will be no room for maneuver in the death penalty. On the execution ground in the autumn, heads will be piled up like mountains, and the flowing blood will be able to stain the stone bricks of the entire city of Chang'an red.

This is truly against the natural order.

As Zhou Zhao listened, a fighting spirit ignited within him.

This Marquis of Huaiyang is quite shrewd and calculating, far superior to Liu Zongzheng, who is impulsive and straightforward.

I had long heard that the Marquis of Huaiyang cherished his wife. Last night, she launched a surprise attack on the Chu family, not only capturing Chu Heng, the Chu family's prized son, but also causing Zhao Yizhou to lose face.

The reason this guy objected was clearly to save Chu Heng's life, but he didn't mention Chu Heng at all, and he made it sound very high-sounding.

They even subtly pointed her out, wanting her to leave the impression in His Majesty that she was impatient for quick success and unreliable in handling affairs.

In this case, don't blame her for being rude.

Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, then bowed to His Majesty, “When the craftsmen were raising the beams of the newly built mansion of the Chu family in the east of the city, they discovered that two of the main pillars were leaning. If they are corrected and replaced now, the head of the household will inevitably think that they are not doing their job well, and they will not only be blamed, but no one in the city will dare to hire them for work in the future.”
But if it's not corrected and replaced, there's a risk the house will collapse in a year or two. If the Minister of Justice were that craftsman, would he speak up or remain silent?

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he raised his head and said, “The Wei people of the Warring States period established six chapters of the Law Classic. Shang Yang of the Qin state changed the law into laws. Our Great Qi Dynasty revised and added to the laws of the previous dynasty, making a total of nine chapters: theft law, robbery law, imprisonment law, arrest law, miscellaneous law, equipment law, household law, prosperity law, and stable law. There are also legal precedents to supplement them.”

If there are no relevant laws or regulations, the Court of Justice shall make a judgment based on similar previous cases, which shall then be reviewed and decided by His Majesty.

If there is an imperial edict to supplement the policy, the imperial opinion shall prevail.

The law, as it stands today, is not static; it is not subject to frequent changes, but rather continuous improvement.

Those who trample on the majesty of the law are none other than the murderers who have escaped justice.

They weren't dancing on the corpses of victims; they were dancing on the face of the Court of Judicial Review, on the face of the law.

As Zhou Zhao finished speaking, he looked at the Marquis of Huaiyang and sighed softly, mimicking his previous manner perfectly.

"Although Zhao is young, he has been dealing with cases since childhood. He may not be familiar with the law, but his actions during his time at the Court of Justice are evident to all."

The reason this matter was not discussed first at the Court of Justice was to avoid kinship ties.

When Zhou Zhao mentioned the words "avoiding family ties," his tone became three degrees more forceful.

Zhao Tingwei's face turned pale instantly.

Although Zhou Zhao did not say it explicitly, her memorial made it very clear that the case concerned the verdict of Chu Heng killing Jiang Yan, and everyone knew about Chu Heng's relationship with him.

Zhou Zhao looked at him but didn't care.

People respect me one foot, and I respect others ten feet.

Zhao Tingwei has already insulted her like this in front of the Emperor, so why can't she say a few words in secret?

She was simply the gentlest and best subordinate in the Great Qi Dynasty.

"Abolishing corporal punishment and replacing it with imprisonment and forced labor is truly Your Majesty's magnanimity; and abolishing the stripping of titles in place of the death penalty..."

Zhou Zhao paused, "When His Majesty entered the city, he promised the people that those who committed murder would pay with their lives. The people shouted 'Long live the Emperor!' and believed that His Majesty was a just and impartial ruler. In this sense, the principle of 'those who commit murder will pay with their lives' was seen as the law in the eyes of the people."
So, how does the principle of "a life for a life" become a cruel and harsh law when the target is a nobleman with a title?
Furthermore, I don't believe that from then on, the execution grounds in autumn would be piled high with heads. In the Great Qi Dynasty, were there more commoners or nobles? Commoners who committed murder were executed, yet the execution grounds were never littered with heads. Adding a few unfilial sons from the nobility is like adding a few drops of water to a river; it won't make much of a difference.

Although not all the noble sons of the Great Qi Dynasty are as outstanding as Lord Zhao Yizhou, who is upright and righteous, even to the point of sacrificing family ties, he is a model of a gentleman.

Most of them were virtuous people who had read the classics; the murderers were just a few scoundrels.

Zhao Tingwei gave Zhou Zhao a deep look, inwardly groaning.

Zhou Zhao was determined to crush Chu Heng. He only had one son, Zhao Yizhou, and was not worried at all that he would do something that would require him to be demoted and punished. Whether the law was changed or not was none of his business. He genuinely wanted to marry Zhou Zhao and make her his daughter-in-law, and never thought of going against her.

However, Chu Heng was his wife's only legitimate nephew.

If Chu Heng dies in the Court of Justice, how will he explain it?

Zhao Tingwei opened his mouth, but he had said everything he could. Zhou Zhao refuted him point by point. What else could he say?
He was like an ant on a hot pan when he heard Prime Minister Chen, sitting in the high seat, say, "Zhou Zhao, if we just kill him and that causes a rebellion, what should we do?"