Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

"Huh? What's going on?" Jia Cong frowned.

When Jia Lian saw that there were outsiders present, he smiled awkwardly and hesitated to say anything.

Jia Cong glared at him, knowing that it must be some bullshit, so he said, "Mr. Pang, Shi Gong, you uncle and nephew can have a family chat, I'm going to go first."

"Please do as you please, Your Majesty." The two said hurriedly.

Jia Cong took Jia Lian to the inner hall and sat down, saying unhappily, "Speak."

Jia Lian did not dare to hide anything and said honestly, "Pan'er was caught with someone's wife, beaten up, and sent to the Shuntian government office."

"Exposed to the light?" Jia Cong frowned.

"It's just...it's just an affair...a secret love..." Jia Lian laughed dryly.

"Asshole!" Bang! Jia Cong slammed the table and shouted, "How did you know that?"

Jia Lian said hurriedly, "This matter has nothing to do with me. The other day Pan'er told me excitedly that he had hooked up with a restaurant proprietress who was very beautiful and flirtatious. He wanted to take me to see her today."

I had no choice but to go with him. When we got to the restaurant, I saw that the woman was indeed very beautiful and had a charming figure. They drank two glasses of wine, had a pleasant conversation, and then returned to the rear quarters.

I was drinking in the front, and soon I heard a commotion in the back. It turned out that the woman’s brother-in-law and his men had caught her in adultery.”

"What a useless thing!" Jia Cong cursed angrily, "Where is Pan'er now?"

"In Shuntian Prefecture, the new prefect is a blockhead who won't budge even if he's offered money. He must enforce the law impartially." Jia Lian smiled and said, "Otherwise I wouldn't dare to trouble you, my third brother."

"Hmm?" Jia Cong was stunned, and said, "Pan'er holds the title of Ziwei Sheren. Even if he breaks the law, what right does Shuntian Prefecture have to detain and execute him without authorization?"

The "Great Wu Law" stipulates that if civil and military officials in the capital above the seventh rank and officials outside the capital above the fifth rank commit crimes, they must be reported to the emperor before they can be arrested and interrogated. If they are convicted and sentenced, they must be reported again, with the exception of the Jinyiwei and the Dongchang.

Neither the Shuntian Prefecture nor the Ministry of Justice had the power to directly arrest officials.

Jia Lian said, "That's true, but Shuntian Prefecture won't let me go."

Jia Cong called Wen Youfang in and asked, "Who is the new Shuntian prefect?"

Wen Youfang said, "Your Highness, this man is called Bao Gangfeng. He is a student of Jun Gong. He has served as the magistrate of Xiaoshan County, the magistrate of Lin'an County, the prefect of Xiangyang, and the doctor of the Ministry of War. After the death of the previous prefect Li Chao, he took over Shuntian Prefecture."

Jia Cong thought for a moment and asked, "What is his reputation as an official?"

"As his name suggests, he is upright and incorruptible, never flattering the rich and powerful, and as clean as water. He is known as an upright person among the people, and all the rich and powerful who have committed crimes under his control have been brought to justice. Since he took over Shuntian Prefecture, he has investigated and prosecuted seven or eight noble officials and more than a dozen children of officials."

Wen Youfang knew everything about the capital. As Jia Cong's intelligence secretary, he was familiar with all the major and minor events in the capital and was ready to be asked questions at any time.

Jia Cong sighed. After all, he was his elder brother-in-law, so he still had to get him back. He said, "Ask Zhuang Qing to go and have a look. Get him back, and don't say it was my idea."

He is now in a high position with great power and cannot afford to lose face. If people knew that the Regent came out to plead for an adulterer, wouldn't it be a huge joke?

Wen Youfang hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I understand."

"Go." Jia Cong waved his hand.

Seeing that he looked unwell, Jia Lian hurriedly smiled and said, "Third brother, you are busy. I will go see Brother Pan first." After saying that, he hurried away.

Jia Cong was too lazy to care about him. He returned to the inner house and was hesitating whether to tell Baochai, but he saw Xiangling had already run out and bumped into his arms.

"Master, hurry up, the mistress is looking for you." Xiangling pulled him and left.

Jia Cong smiled bitterly and said, "What's wrong?"

Xiangling looked around and said mysteriously, covering her mouth: "I heard that it's because Mr. Xue got into trouble again."

Jia Cong shook his head and laughed, thinking, "Yes, the intelligence capabilities of the inner court are stronger than his own." He went in and saw Baochai sitting at the head of the bed with a slightly worried look on her face.

"What instructions does Sister Bao have?" Jia Cong pretended not to know and asked with a smile.

Baochai waved her hand and ordered Xiangling to leave, saying shyly, "Cong'er, I... have something to trouble you with."

"Oh? What's the matter?"

"I...my brother, ah, it's all my brother's fault! He's causing trouble for the family again." Baochai bit her lip, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

"Huh? What happened to Brother Xue?" Jia Cong asked.

"He...he and someone else's wife..." Baochai blushed and lowered her head, not knowing how to describe it.

Seeing that she was unable to speak, Jia Cong finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"You're still laughing! I'm so worried! Other people's families are in trouble, and you're gloating over their misfortune." Baochai said angrily.

Jia Cong waved his hand and smiled, "I have no such intention. Don't worry, Sister Bao, I have just sent someone to get her back. In fact, I am also very curious about how Brother Xue hooked up with that woman and why he likes this style."

Baochai spat at him and said, "No man is good. Maybe he learned that from you."

Jia Cong laughed dryly and said, "How can this be possible? I didn't go out to do anything stupid."

Baochai rolled her eyes at him, not wanting to say anything to him. She sighed faintly and said, "Mom will have to worry again."

Jia Cong said: "It is unknown whether this is the happiness of my mother-in-law. By the way, how did you know this?"

Baochai said, "It was the servant beside my brother who ran back to tell me the news."

"Forget it, don't be angry, it's not a big deal, I'll teach him a lesson later."

Baochai nodded and said, "Thank you very much, Cong'er."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "I should be the one thanking you."

"Huh? Thank me for what?"

"Thank you for disciplining Brother Xue well. It took only a few years for something to happen, which saved me a lot of energy."

"Bah, are all members of the Xue family troublemakers? They have no conscience." Baochai said coquettishly and tapped Jia Cong's forehead with her hand.

Jia Cong hurriedly apologized.

Baochai laughed again and said, "Besides, you can't thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank your sister-in-law. She is the one who takes care of your brother."

Jia Cong thought of Xia Jingui's fighting ability and had to agree: "That's true. If your sister-in-law only uses one-third of her ability, it will be enough to control Brother Xue."

Baochai pursed her lips and chuckled, then suddenly remembered something and said, "I have always forgotten to ask you, how did you subdue my sister-in-law?"

Jia Cong smiled when he heard this and said, "I have a clever plan. If you want to know, it's not impossible. You just need to pay some information fees."

Baochai rolled her eyes at him and asked, "What intelligence fee?"

Jia Cong leaned over and spoke in her ear.

Baochai's fair face instantly turned red, and she quickly spat, "I'll call you a filthy seed... Bah! You're already a prince, but you don't learn your lesson."

Thinking of how Xue Pan had caused her so much trouble, she glared at him in shame and anger, and said in a mosquito-like voice, "Let's talk about it after the month is over." Jia Cong was overjoyed and hurriedly told Baochai about how he dealt with Xia Jingui. Baochai was dumbfounded. How could she do this? No wonder Xia Jingui didn't dare to say a word even if she lost everything she had when she heard that it was Jia Cong's idea.

The couple was talking in private when Cheng Lingsu suddenly came in and said, "Master, the Jinyiwei reported that the governor of Shuntian Prefecture refused to release the man."

"Hmm?" Jia Cong frowned and asked, "Are there any Jinyiwei soldiers coming?"

Cheng Lingsu glanced at Baochai and said, "It is said that because Master Xue did not reveal his true identity, Shuntian Prefecture made the best of it."

"No wonder Shuntian Prefecture is so bold. If Brother Xue reveals his identity, who would dare to execute him?" Jia Cong said, "Why doesn't he reveal his identity?"

Cheng Lingsu said, "I heard from Captain Zhuang that Master Xue was afraid of damaging the family's reputation, so he responded to the lawsuit under a pseudonym."

Jia Cong laughed and said, "This fool has become smart. He knows to consider his family and his own reputation. If the censors knew that a noble Ziwei official had committed adultery with a common woman, he would be reported to the sieve."

Baochai didn't care about the embarrassment and asked anxiously, "Cong'er, what should we do?"

Jia Cong pinched his chin and thought about it. This was a dead end. If he revealed his identity, he could easily get away, but his reputation would be ruined. If he did not reveal his identity, he would be severely punished.

Yin said, "Don't worry, Sister Bao, I'll go out and take a look."

"Well, I'm sorry to trouble you again." Baochai said apologetically.

"It's nothing, just a small matter." Jia Cong smiled and went out to sit down in the main hall.

Zhuang Qing and Wen Youfang had been waiting for a long time and knelt down to plead guilty: "We are incompetent, please punish us, Your Majesty."

"Please stand up and tell me the situation." Jia Cong waved his hand.

Zhuang Qing said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, I just went to Shuntian Mansion to meet Master Xue, hoping to rescue him, but Master Xue was concerned about the reputation of his family and the palace, so he refused to reveal his name and insisted that his name was Xin Ke.

I dare not reveal that it was the prince's intention, nor can I explain Mr. Xue's identity. Bao Gangfeng was unyielding and insisted that even if this person was convicted of a serious crime, the Jinyiwei would have to let Shuntianfu finish the execution before handing him over. "

Jia Cong asked, "What did you say?"

"I am afraid that the prisoner cannot bear the punishment, so I will not execute him for the time being. He will be detained in Shuntian Prefecture for the time being and we will discuss it later. Bao Gangfeng had no objection to this.

Except for... except for the time when he was caught cheating on his wife, no one in the yamen had offended Mr. Xue.

I have already ordered people to take good care of the Shuntian Prefecture's police chiefs, so it won't be a big deal even if the execution is carried out." Zhuang Qing said.

Jia Cong pondered and said, "How does the law punish adultery?"

Zhuang Qing said, "Your Highness, according to the "Great Wu Law·Criminal Law·Adultery", anyone who commits adultery shall be caned 80 times, and if the couple is married, 90 times; if the couple commits adultery, 100 times; and if the couple rapes, they shall be strangled."

"What is treacherous? What is cunning and treacherous?" Although Jia Cong had been in charge of the prison for several years, he still did not quite understand the judicial terminology of that era.

"When a man and a woman are in love and commit adultery, it is called adultery; when they are seduced to another place with money and sweet words to commit adultery, it is called cunning adultery. And cunning must be based on adultery, so both adultery and cunning adultery are equally punishable by both men and women. If it is rape, the woman shall not be held responsible," said Zhuang Qing.

Jia Cong thought about it and according to this definition, Pan Qiaoyun's adultery with the monk in "Water Margin" was considered adultery, while Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian were considered treacherous adultery.

Xue Pan is also an adulterer, and the woman is married, so he should be beaten with ten more boards.

"What does the woman's family say?"

"Your Highness, the woman's husband is not at home, and her brother demands that the government punish her severely."

"This is reasonable. What does Xue Pan say?"

"Uncle Xue asked the prince to take care of that woman and not let her die," said Zhuang Qing.

Jia Cong laughed angrily and snorted, "This fool has become a passionate seed. This woman is not a good wife and has committed adultery. How can I take care of her?"

Zhuang Qing explained, "Your Highness, according to the law, women who commit adultery must take off all their clothes and be punished naked in public... Only then did Master Xue begin to feel sympathy for her."

Jia Cong was stunned. Although he had killed female prisoners in Liaodong before, he had never beaten them with a stick. He didn't know this rule. He thought the punishment was indeed excessive, so he asked, "Did the woman receive the punishment?"

"Not yet."

"Forget it. Since Lao Bao is a great judge, I won't go and make trouble for myself. Send someone to supervise the execution. Don't beat him too hard. Don't make him naked, as it is immoral." Jia Cong said.

"Yes. I will do it right away."

"By the way, what should we do after a woman is punished for adultery?" Jia Cong asked.

"It's up to her husband's family to decide. They can keep her, divorce her, or sell her to someone else. But she can't be sold to an adulterer, otherwise it will violate the criminal law." Zhuang Qing said.

"Well, let's go."

"Come back. After you get the person out, send him back quietly. Don't let anyone know. I can't afford to lose him."

"Yes, I understand."

In the lobby of Shuntian Mansion.

Bao Gangfeng sat majestically under the plaque "A Clear Mirror Hanging High" and slammed the gavel, shouting, "Xin Ke and Yang Shen, you are sentenced to be criminals and traitors by this government. Do you have anything to say?"

Xue Pan glanced at Zhuang Qing, who was supervising the trial in a Feiyu suit, and saw him nod slightly. He could only hang his head and said dejectedly, "I am convinced."

He didn't know how serious a crime adultery was and just wanted to get away and go home as soon as possible.

Yang also cried and said, "I plead guilty."

"Okay! Since you accept the verdict, left and right! According to the law, each of you will be given ninety strokes of the cane!" Bao Gangfeng raised his hand and picked up the fire stick.

"What?! Ninety?! Wait a minute!" Xue Pan hurriedly said, "Sir, I have something to say." He cursed the Jinyiwei in his heart for being unreliable. Wouldn't ninety strokes of the cane break his butt?

Bao Gangfeng held the fire stick in his hand and was about to shoot, but when he heard this, he glared at him and said, "Tell me."

Xue Pan smiled and said, "Sir, I have a close relationship with Yang, and it was not a robber who broke into the house and raped me. Would ninety strokes of the cane be too severe? I am willing to reconcile with the Yang family and pay more money and get less cane, okay?"

Then he turned to the Yang family member next to him and said, "How much do you want? Just tell me the number and I'll give it to you."

"Bah! You bastard! You committed adultery with someone else's wife and you still don't repent! I don't want a penny, I just ask that you be fair and strict." Yang Jia Erlang shouted.

Xue Pan was anxious and said, "How about I offer 10,000 taels of silver?"

Ten thousand taels?! Yang Jiazi was a little tempted, and just as he was thinking, he heard Bao Gangfeng shout angrily: "How dare you! How dare you defy the law in court! Ten more strokes of the cane!"

Bang! The fire stick fell to the ground.

"I am following the orders of the master!" The head of the bailiff stepped forward and picked up the fire stick. Four or five strong bailiffs had already dragged the adulterer and the adulteress to the hall.

"Sir, please spare my life..." Xue Pan wailed as he was pinned down by the bailiff and his pants were pulled down to his knees, revealing his plump white buttocks.

The Great Wu Code defines flogging, caning, imprisonment, exile and death as the five punishments, which are the so-called main punishments. Caning is beating with a small board, and caning is beating with a large board.

But the bailiff took out a specially made stick, about four feet long, about an inch thick, big at one end and small at the other. The big end was about two inches wide, and the small end was about an inch wide. There were still old dark red bloodstains on it.

"Beat them!" the yamen runner shouted, and started to beat them with his arms. In an instant, the fair skin of the two men became red and swollen. (End of this chapter)