At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 312 Praise and Killing

The people gathered around and talked a lot.

However, Kuai Yue made a secret gesture to the outside, and immediately someone in the crowd shouted loudly: "Such a verdict is simply ridiculous!"

"A foolish official who misleads the country and the people should be punished!"

"The evidence is solid but the verdict is like this. The ignorant official must have accepted a bribe!"

……

Under the guidance of thoughtful people, the people standing at the door and watching were aroused with anger in their hearts, and they denounced Zhuge Liang with all their tongues.

Faced with the verbal and written criticism from the people and the harsh rebuke from the county magistrate, Zhuge Liang remained very calm.

On the contrary, when Xu Yi, who was listening in the government office, saw this, he couldn't help but stood up suddenly, walked to the door with the handle of the knife in his hand, stared at everyone fiercely, and shouted in a deep voice: "There is a reason for such a case to be settled in Zhizhong, if you wait. If you are not convinced, you can raise questions!”

"If anyone dares to slander the officials of the imperial court, let's see if the sword in my hand, Xu Yi's, is sharp!"

The name of Xu Yi, the second generation, has long been spread throughout Xiangyang. Those who were hiding in the crowd and hiding their traces after seeing the murderous Xu Yi.

As for other people who followed the trend of crusade against Zhuge Liang, they did not dare to continue to yell.

Within the government office, the most angry person was the county magistrate who had previously heard the case.

He stood up suddenly, pointed at Zhuge Liang and shouted: "The defendant, witnesses, and physical evidence are all there, how can you conclude the case like this?"

Zhuge Liang looked at the county magistrate and said, "Your Excellency, don't be anxious. Please listen to me carefully."

He walked to the door of the government office, looked at the people who were still filled with righteous indignation outside, and looked at them without fear, and then said: "The so-called four pieces of evidence that can convict Zou Wu in this case are untenable in my opinion. Stop."

Seeing that everyone was in some commotion again, Zhuge Liang raised his hand and pressed it in the air, saying: "Don't say too much, please let me explain the reason."

After everyone heard this, they did not continue to riot. Instead, they all stared at Zhuge Liang eagerly, wanting to see how Zhuge Liang would explain.

Zhuge Liang said loudly: "In my opinion, the most powerful evidence in this case is the victim Wang's personal account."

"However, if there is no independent evidence, this alone cannot convict Zou Wu at all."

As soon as Zhuge Liang finished speaking, the county magistrate immediately said in a deep voice: "There were traces of fire at the crime scene, which can prove that there was a violent conflict between the two parties, and neither of them denied it."

"Doesn't this prove that the victim Wang was unwilling, but Zou Wu forced her to have sex with her?"

Zhuge Liang turned to look at the county magistrate and said: "I would like to suggest that you first read the definition of rape in the law. Rape refers to the use of violence, threats or other means to forcefully have sex with the victim."

"In other words, the charge of rape will only be valid if it is proven that the two had sex against Wang's will."

"But it has been confirmed before that whether there were signs of fire in the house or whether Wang was forcibly dragged into the house, it can only show that Wang showed strong emotional fluctuations after the incident."

"It should be noted here that regret later does not mean that it represents unwillingness beforehand. Therefore, these two so-called strong evidences can only be listed as reference evidence and cannot become decisive evidence."

The county magistrate became a little angry and said: "Then the bruises on Wang's arms don't prove that Wang had resisted fiercely when the incident happened?"

Zhuge Liang said: "This hypothesis cannot be ruled out."

"But I had asked Ms. Wang before. The two had a dispute afterwards. Ms. Wang took advantage of Zou Wu to put out the fire and escaped from the house. Then she shouted "rape" and "help". Finally, she was forced by Zou Wu who rushed out. Drag it into the house.”

"The officer also asked the witness, who was able to confirm this."

At this point, Zhuge Liang no longer paid attention to the county magistrate, but looked at the people who were whispering outside the door and said: "I will make an assumption. If Zou Wu did not rape the Wang family, but the Wang family ran out and became violent Would shouting words such as "rape" and "help" cause Zou Wu to get into chaos, and then rush out and drag him into the house?"

"The bruises on Wang's left and right arms and right wrist are consistent with the injuries caused by being forcibly dragged into the house by both arms, so they cannot be regarded as evidence that Wang resisted when the two had sex."

When everyone heard this, they all looked thoughtful.

No matter what era, no one wants to be known as a rapist. If someone goes out and shouts that they are raped, the methods they use may be more radical.

Under such circumstances, it is reasonable for Wang to have bruises on his arms.

The county magistrate was a little anxious and shouted: "This is just your guess. How can you acquit Zou Wu because of this?"

Zhuge Liang said solemnly: "The law has extremely strict requirements on the chain of evidence in criminal cases. As long as there are doubts about the case and the suspect has not confessed, he cannot be convicted. This is the so-called guilt beyond doubt."

"Zou Wu was tortured severely in the county government, but he never admitted the fact of rape. In addition, these so-called evidences all occurred after the fact, and there is a reasonable explanation."

"That proves that, at least based on the existing chain of evidence, Zou Wu cannot be convicted of rape at all."

"As the head of a county, don't you even have this most basic judgment?"

The county magistrate was speechless by Zhuge Liang.

Kuai Yue had a panoramic view of Zhuge Liang's performance, and couldn't help but secretly lamented that this young man was proficient in the law. Everything he did was indeed in accordance with the regulations, and there was no fault at all.

In fact, the county magistrate who convicted Zou Wu of rape was indeed biased.

Having said that, Kuai Yue will not sit back and let Zhuge Liang solve the case completely.

Since Zhuge Liang cannot be exposed in terms of laws and rules, using public opinion means to arouse public outrage and discredit Zhuge Liang can also achieve Kuai Yue's stated purpose.

He stood up and walked to Zhuge Liang and said: "Zhizhong's inference seems reasonable, but it does not take human nature into account."

He turned around and pointed at Mrs. Wang who was kneeling on the ground covering her face and crying, and said: "Being raped is something that is unspeakable. Even if it goes to the government, no matter whether Zou Wu will be convicted or not, Mrs. Wang will have an indelible mark in her life. stain."

"Let me ask, if Wang had not been raped and suffered indelible injuries, how could she still insist on bringing the criminal to justice despite the risk of ruining her reputation?"

Kuai Yue's remarks about moral kidnapping really gained everyone's sympathy.

The people onlookers immediately expressed their support for Wang, saying: "It's very, very true. If Wang had not suffered such great humiliation, how could he have ruined his reputation?"

Faced with the reversal of public opinion, Zhuge Liang remained calm.

Only magic can defeat magic, and only public opinion can defeat public opinion.

When the people outside the door were pushing their emotions to the peak, Zhuge Liang suddenly raised his voice and shouted: "I would like to ask you, what does civil engagement mean?"

Just one sentence calmed down the excited people.

Zhuge Liang walked up to an old woman and asked, "Can you help me solve my doubts?"

The woman hesitated for a while, and then said: "According to folk customs, engagement means that the woman has become the man's unmarried wife, and she is basically considered the man's wife."

Zhuge Liang continued to ask: "Even if the man forcibly has sex with the woman at this time, does Yu Yu think that the woman will feel deeply ashamed and then go to report to the official for rape against her fiancé?"

This time, the woman barely hesitated and shook her head: "No."

She is someone who has been there and has seen a lot in her life. Especially in ordinary families, there are many people who are engaged and have sex before they are married.

Moreover, the marriage contract has been concluded, and the two of them will be husband and wife sooner or later, so it makes no sense for the woman to go too far.

At this time, the other people who were watching suddenly came back to their senses and looked at Wang with doubts in their eyes.

Kuai Yue's heart sank. He didn't expect Zhuge Liang to be so quick in thinking. He immediately stood up again and said: "Zhizhong's move is a bit of a change of concept. No matter whether there is an engagement or not, as long as it happens against Wang's will, All relationships constitute the crime of rape, so there is no need to use established principles as a cover."

Zhuge Liang asked rhetorically: "Since you have objections, please provide clear evidence that can convict Zou Wu."

"If it is true, I will not say anything and will definitely declare Zou Wu guilty in public!"

Kuai Yue was speechless.

After going around and around, we still got to the beginning. In the absence of new and more favorable evidence, the above so-called evidence is full of loopholes and cannot withstand scrutiny at all.

Fortunately, Kuai Yue was not someone who was easy to get along with. In a flash of thought, he had already thought of a countermeasure and immediately said: "According to the law, it is true that the evidence alone cannot be established."

"Since Wang accused Zou Wu of rape first, there is so much supporting evidence."

"The most important thing is that the scars on Wang's arms may indeed be caused by resisting when she was raped."

"With so much evidence to prove each other, Zhi Zhong can't acquit Zou Wu so easily."

Kuai Yue's words were once again recognized by everyone. However, Zhuge Liang smiled slightly and did not answer Kuai Yue's words. Instead, he walked up to Wang and asked, "Are you sure that the bruises on your arms were caused by resistance when Zou Wu raped her?"

Wang nodded heavily and said, "That's true."

Zhuge Liang continued to ask: "Does that mean that you resisted when you were raped by Zou Wu, and you were able to leave bruises on your arms? You must have resisted fiercely, right?"

Wang's eyes were a little wandering, but she still nodded in agreement.

Zhuge Liang let out a long breath, and then said: "In that case, can you cooperate and reconstruct the incident?"

Wang asked in surprise: "How to cooperate?"

Zhuge Liang summoned a servant and whispered in his ear for a while, which made the man look shocked.

Zhuge Liang patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, this is all to solve the case, and you will be rewarded heavily after the incident is completed."

The officer was overjoyed when he heard this and hurriedly agreed.

Zhuge pointed at the officer and said to Wang, "Take this person as Zou Wu who raped you that night, and replay what happened at that time. This will allow me to understand the case more intuitively."

Wang looked hesitant and asked, "Just act for a while?"

Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "It is indeed an act. As long as you are really raped, I will definitely restore your innocence."

Wang took a deep breath, her eyes gradually became firm, and then she said to the officer: "Come on."

When the officer heard this, he was a little afraid to step forward at first, but after being encouraged by Zhuge Liang, he immediately gritted his teeth and threw Wang to the ground, and began to untie Wang's clothes.

Wang initially thought that the other party was just going through the motions, and was very cooperative as the other party took off his coat.

But what shocked Wang was that after taking off her coat, the guard did not stop at all, but wanted to take off all the clothes she was wearing underneath.

Wang was horrified, yelling and resisting desperately.

The officer still didn't give up and tore at Wang's underwear with all his strength. Even though the clothes were torn a little, they were still protected by Wang.

"Help, help, help!"

Wang's shrill screams echoed in the government office. No one expected that such a thing would happen. They were all filled with indignation and began to criticize Zhuge Liang.

"what!"

At this moment, seeing that her clothes had been torn a lot and some skin had been exposed, Ms. Wang immediately got mad and reached out directly to leave four bloody scratches on the left face of the officer.

The officer was furious and raised his right hand, ready to teach Wang a lesson.

"stop!"

At the critical moment, Zhuge Liang's voice came over, causing the servant who was so angry to wake up and hurriedly got up and retreated, covering his left face.

Wang was so frightened that she wrapped herself in clothes and cried.

"This is so outrageous. How can the court allow you to allow others to commit murder and insult women?"

The county magistrate was furious and pointed at Zhuge Liang and yelled at him.

The people watching were also filled with indignation, and they complained about Wang's injustice and criticized Zhuge Liang one after another.

Faced with the accusations from thousands of people, Zhuge Liang remained unmoved, and instead said loudly: "Look, everyone, the strong and powerful servants in the government office, not to mention violent acts on the Wang family, even if they want to take off their clothes, it is so difficult. "

He walked to Mrs. Wang's side, pointed to her underwear that was already covered by her coat, and said: "The matter was only halfway through, and Mrs. Wang's clothes already had signs of tears, and the guard's face was scratched four times. .”

"If I hadn't stopped him in time, the officer's slap would have definitely been there, and there would have been scars on Mrs. Wang's face."

He looked around the crowd and said in a deep voice: "In order to try this case, I have retrieved all the files on rape in the governor's office in recent years. After reading the files, I found a commonality."

"In all rape cases, relatively mild methods are used, such as drugging or making the woman drunk, and forcing the woman to have sex with her when she loses consciousness and ability to resist."

"Either they hold weapons and threaten death to intimidate the victim into cooperating, and ultimately complete the rape."

"The most harmful thing to women is the third type, that is, when women try their best to resist. Most of the women in such cases are scarred. In severe cases, they may even have multiple fractures on their bodies. There will definitely be bruises on the inner thighs and below. There were also lacerations. The criminal would beat the woman until she lost the ability to resist, and then assault her."

"In this case, Wang claimed that she had tried her best to resist when the incident occurred, but in the end she only had bruises on her left and right arms and right wrist. There were no tears in her clothes and no scars on her inner thighs."

"I would like to ask, in this case, is it possible for Zou Wu to complete the invasion?"

After Zhuge Liang finished speaking, everyone was amazed.

Only then did they realize the meaning of Zhuge Liang's absurd behavior.

Many people who have been there can’t help but ponder.

They think to themselves that if the woman is conscious but unwilling, let alone resisting desperately, even if she doesn't cooperate very much, if she twists every time she plans to do something, the man is unlikely to succeed.

After three or two times, men become soft-footed shrimps and gradually lose interest.

Isn't there a saying in later generations - it's hard for gods to make grass but for criticism.

From this point of view, Wang's claim that she fought hard and had no tears on her clothes and no wounds on her body is indeed very doubtful.

In fact, such cases were recorded in the Ming Dynasty.

Lu Yongqing, an official in the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty, used Zhuge Liang's method to solve the case, and finally made the woman who falsely accused the man of rape plead guilty.

In a later movie, Zhang Zongchang's decision to resolve an injustice and rape case was roughly based on this example.

"Zhuge Zhizhong is really wise and powerful!"

"This case is indeed quite strange, and there are indeed many loopholes in what Wang said."

……

Public opinion reversed again. Instead of scolding Zhuge Liang, the people praised him for his ability to resolve cases like a god.

A sharp light flashed in Kuai Yue's eyes, and he said secretly: "Since this case cannot be troubled by Zhuge Liang, then let's make it bigger, and if the case continues to be implicated, all the officials who handled the case will be punished."

This case was indeed full of loopholes, and Zou Wu would not have been convicted.

It's a pity that the officials who handled the case made a mistake in their judgment and detained Zou Wu for such a long time and tortured him in violation of regulations.

If he cannot be convicted in the end and Zou Wu appeals again, then everyone in the county who is related to the case will be punished.

The county magistrate knew this, so he still had the guts to convict him despite insufficient evidence. However, the sentence was lighter. As long as the other party confessed, the matter could be resolved.

He did not expect that Zou Wu had such a strong character and refused to admit guilt even after being tortured.

He didn't even expect that his mother would actually go to Xiangyang to beat the Dengwen drum.

If the county magistrate hadn't covered the sky with his own hands and quickly sent people to chase Zou Wu's mother after getting the news, and stopped her at the critical moment, things would have really gotten into trouble.

Even so, the county magistrate also felt a little trembling at this time.

It is conceivable that once Zhuge Liang declares Zou Wu innocent, the officials who prevented Zou Wu's mother from beating the Dengwen drum, as well as all officials related to the case, will be held accountable for this.

The person with the greatest responsibility is the county magistrate himself.

However, Kuai Yue ignored the life and death of the county magistrate and continued to think: "I will go to the governor again to praise Zhuge Liang for his superb handling of the case and ask him to review the controversial cases in Xiangyang over the years."

"There are several cases, but they involve huge stakes."

"I would like to see if Zhuge Liang can get away easily every time!"

Kuai Yue knows that sometimes flattery is more terrifying than blind suppression.

(End of this chapter)