Chapter 95 Section 95 Zeng Guofan's Trial of Qi Shan's Case

The next morning at the court, without waiting for the emperor to ask questions, Hengchun handed over a booklet first. Emperor Xianfeng unfolded the booklet and looked at it, and suddenly asked Hengchun who was kneeling and waiting for the order: "Hengchun, according to what you said, Qishan is still not convinced. However, if you ask me to replace the presiding judge, I will not agree. You are the Secretary of the Criminal Ministry!" Hengchun bowed his head and replied: "If you go back to the emperor, the servant has been dizzy recently, it is really unbearable!" Emperor Xianfeng raised his head up, and suddenly said, "Mu Zhang, what do you think about Qi Shan?"

Mu Zhang'a came out of the class and said: "Returning to the emperor, the slave supervised the interrogation yesterday. Looking at Qi Shan's appearance, it seems that there is indeed some grievance. The slave thinks that if General Sa Ying of Ningxia is not recalled, the truth will not come to light. Please look into it clearly." "Hmm..." Emperor Xianfeng pondered for a long time, and said, "You two should step back first." He glanced at the ministers and said, "What do you all think, I can only recall Sa Ying?" Seeing that the second class was silent, he added another question: "Why don't you talk?"

Zeng Guofan saw that the princes and ministers all lowered their heads and pretended to be deaf, so he had to go out and play: "I want to report to the emperor, I think I must never call Sa to welcome you back to the court!" Emperor Xianfeng was taken aback, and asked back: "Zeng Guofan, tell me, why can't you call Sa to welcome Ah back to court?" Zeng Guofan said loudly: "Your majesty is wise, Xinjiang is in a hurry. I think Nasa is in full swing to welcome and suppress the bandits. If he is recalled at this time, not only all previous efforts will be wasted, but it will definitely lead to chaos in Xinjiang! The chaos in Guangxi has been big enough. Ningxia, Gansu and other remote areas can no longer have troubles! Please look into it clearly, Your Majesty."

Emperor Xianfeng nodded, and then asked back: "Ke Qishan didn't plead guilty to subdue the law? Sa Ying has found out that Qi Shan had indeed killed innocent people indiscriminately according to my order, but Qi Shan insisted that Sa Ying was framed! " Zeng Guofan replied: "Your Majesty, Yi Weichen thinks that the soldiers who escorted Qishan to Beijing must know the inside story. Asking them is similar to recalling Sa Ying'a! Please be aware of the emperor." Emperor Xianfeng waved his hand: "Go down. Master Du, what do you think?" Du Shoutian came out of the class and said: "Returning to the emperor, the old minister takes the "Four Books" and "Five Classics" as the main subjects, and is not very proficient in the criminal law. The old minister dare not speak falsely. Please the emperor carefully observe."

Several bachelors started covering their mouths and laughing, but Du Shoutian answered the wrong question. Mu Zhang stepped forward and played: "Your majesty, this servant knows very well that Mr. Du has learned from the past and the present! This servant recommends to the emperor that in Qishan's case, non-virtuous and talented people cannot preside over the trial, and Mr. Du will be the presiding judge." It is the most suitable! Please allow the emperor." Du Shoutian hastily raised his voice and shouted: "Your Majesty is wise, I thought about it for a long time last night, and I thought it was unreasonable for Qi Shan to have a title, and it was unreasonable for the Ministry of Criminal Justice to preside over the trial."

The Ministry of Officials and the Ministry of Household Affairs are under the management of the University scholar Mu Zhang'a. Emperor Xianfeng was stunned for a while, and asked Du Shoutian: "Master Du, don't you know that Qi Shan has been dismissed?" Du Shoutian dared not speak. At this moment, Mu Zhang'a said: "My Majesty, Mr. Du has read many poems and books, but he speaks such nondescript nonsense. This servant begged the Emperor to let Du Shoutian, who is full of nonsense, go back to his hometown and never use it again!" " Emperor Xianfeng stopped Huatou impatiently and said: "Okay, you all go down, I will pour the wine again." All the princes and ministers knelt down and left one by one.Sushun, a cabinet bachelor, was called into the imperial study by the eunuch on duty.

Not long after Zeng Guofan returned to the office of the Ministry of Rites, Emperor Xianfeng issued an edict to the Ministry of Rites: "Zeng Guofan will also serve as the right servant of the Ministry of Punishment from now on. I hope that the servant will be loyal to the country and serve the public wholeheartedly. I admire this." Zeng Guofan's titles and titles at this time are: the right servant of the Ministry of Rites, the minister of the Ministry of Military Affairs, the minister of the Ministry of Work, and the minister of the Ministry of Punishment. In the afternoon, Zeng Guofan went to the Hall of Qinzheng to thank him as usual, and was summoned.

Emperor Xianfeng limped back and forth in the empty hall alone, and several eunuchs on duty stood around in a dignified manner. Zeng Guofan Xie Enbi. Emperor Xianfeng sighed and said, "Zeng Guofan, I asked you to serve as the Minister of Criminal Affairs because I want you to preside over Qi Shan. What you said makes sense. How can Sa Ying leave Xinjiang at this time of year? Zeng Guofan, tomorrow will Let's re-examine Qishan!" Zeng Guofan bowed his head and replied: "Respond to the emperor's words, I dare not accept the order!" "Why..." Emperor Xianfeng stood still.

Zeng Guofan said: "Your majesty is wise. Although Qi Shan has been dismissed, his title is still there. Evergrande is a first-rank official, and Qi Shan still doesn't take him seriously. How can a mere servant be judged by the Marquis!" Emperor Xianfeng said angrily: "I made a special order to try him, why can't he be tried! Does he still dare to rebel?" Zeng Guofan said: "Your majesty is wise, according to our system of upright officials, if a prince or prince breaks the law, he can only be judged by the emperor, or dismissed, or exiled, or beheaded. Please check carefully."

Emperor Xianfeng said: "The prince breaks the law and commits the same crime as the common people. If the Ministry of Punishment can manage the people, it can also manage the officials, and it can also manage the princes and lords! Zeng Guofan, you are a veteran minister who was more relied on by the late emperor. You will do what I entrust to you. " Zeng Guofan kowtowed and said: "My Majesty, I dare not resist the order and refuse to obey it. But I think that the emperor can completely follow the old practice when he treats Qi kindly. If the evidence is convincing, he can be dismissed or exiled to the army, and he will be fine. Why bother?" Do you have to have a joint trial by the three courts?"

Emperor Xianfeng thought for a while and said: "Qi Shan's ancestors have contributed to the Qing Dynasty, and Qi Shan is also a veteran of this dynasty. A man of his age and title should have returned to Beijing to enjoy Qingfu! But Qi Shan still guards for me. The frontier. A person like this who enjoys a high position and has made great achievements, is not too hasty to make a decision based on my decree? Please accept the decree and thank you." Zeng Guofan said loudly: "Thank you, Your Majesty! I still have something to say." Emperor Xianfeng said, "Speak." Zeng Guofan said: "The emperor asked my minister to judge Qi Shan, and I obeyed the order, but I must ask the emperor to be extra merciful. Tomorrow, the minister will preside over Qi Shan in the lobby of the Ministry of Punishment. I ask the emperor to reward me. Please use the crown. As long as the crown is enshrined in The hall is equivalent to the presence of the Holy One to strengthen the courage of the humble minister. Please be aware of the emperor." Emperor Xianfeng pondered for a while and said: "After the court tomorrow morning, I will send the crown to the lobby of the Ministry of Punishment. You kneel down." Zeng Guofan withdrew from the main hall and went straight to the Ministry of Punishment.According to the usual practice, he would pay his respects to Hengchun and meet with officials below the Minister of Criminal Affairs. Hengchun was not in the criminal department at this time, and went to the military aircraft department to find Mu Zhang'a for private affairs. Zeng Guofan and the officials of the Ministry of Punishment met with the ceremony, and the officials on duty enthusiastically led Zeng Guofan around the various offices. In the Office of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, Zeng Guofan tasted the tea served by Li Wen'an, the man on duty, and suddenly said: "Lord Li, Qi Shan is currently in the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, where is the escort who escorted him?" Li Wen'an replied respectfully: "Responding to my lord's words, there are a total of twelve escorts escorting Qishan, and they are now resting at the Beijing Division of the Ministry of War; they can return to their orders only after receiving the reply from the Ministry of Punishment." Zeng Guofan let out a "hmm", thought for a while, and said, "Master Li, please open a fire ticket to go to the station of the Ministry of Military Affairs, and send the twelve deputies to come to the Ministry of Punishment. The Ministry Hall has a few questions to ask them." Li Wen'an said: "I'll do it now, my lord, please wait a moment." After two moments, Li Wen'an walked in one by one with twelve escorts. When all the missionaries saw Zeng Guofan's red cap, they all saluted and greeted him. Li Wen'an said at this time: "My lord, but I would like to ask you, I will leave first." Then he withdrew and went to his doctor's office to drink tea. Zeng Guofan said with a smile: "A few people from this department came here to ask a few questions. Please tell the truth and don't hide anything! How was Qi Shan dismissed? How did Sa Junmen be investigated by order? Please repeat once." A messenger said loudly: "Qi Shanben was going to encircle and suppress the Sara Hui bandits, but he was almost besieged by Sara, so he took out his anger on the Hui people of other tribes and killed thousands of people at once! How can the Hui people swallow this?" Feeling wronged? So I wrote a joint petition and sued it to the Ningxia General’s Mansion. General Kesa was originally controlled by Qi Shan, how dare he take care of this matter? He had to ride eight hundred miles to pass it to Beijing.” Zeng Guofan quietly Question: "How many of you were in the governor's yamen or in the general's mansion?" Six of the officers said: "We are the standard inspectors, and some of them are the military standard people. Qishan's suppression of Sara was indeed defeated due to lack of preparation, but the killing of innocent Muslims was indeed a victory. It is also true that tens of thousands of sheep and hundreds of cattle were plundered from various Hui tribes, and the whole army ate mutton and beef for three days." The other six people said: "On the day when General Sa took over the defense of the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, he was afraid that Qishan would return to Beijing to revoke his confession, so he sent six deputies from the superintendent's battalion and the general's camp, saying that it was a critical moment, and they could be living witnesses. .” Zeng Guofan praised in his heart: What a careful Sa Ying!After pondering for a moment, Zeng Guofan said: "Tomorrow will be the public trial of Qi Shan, and I will have to ask a few people to testify in court. Are the few of you who came to supervise the bid afraid of him?" The six people said together: "A dismissed governor is afraid of what he will do!" Zeng Guofan said: "Although Qi Shan was dismissed and still holds the title, he is a first-class marquis! He is even higher in rank than the governor!" A tall man laughed and said, "What's so scary about us being sent by adults as a soldier? What's more, we are hired by the emperor, and we are not anyone's servants." Zeng Guofan stood up and said, "Okay, everyone go back to the station to rest first, and when I need you tomorrow, I will summon you." After the messengers left, Zeng Guofan sorted out the testimonies of the messengers, and asked Li Wen'an to take the twelve messengers to the Ministry of War Station to draw pictures one by one. After Li Wen'an came back, Zeng Guofan sleeved up the testimonials he had painted and charged, and then returned to his residence in a sedan chair. It was the night when the moon was thin and the stars were thin, the wind rose suddenly, and the temperature dropped sharply, which was the lowest in the history. At the royal horse farm of Taipu Temple, four officials were frostbitten overnight, and fifty or sixty horses froze to death, which was amazing at the time.Could it be that Qishan is a prince and shouldn't be tried in the hall of the Ministry of Criminal Justice?Did Emperor Xianfeng do something wrong this time? In the early morning of this day, although the princes and ministers were called into the main hall, Emperor Xianfeng had not yet arrived. Zeng Guofan saw several university scholars gathering together to discuss something quietly.Judging from the expressions on the faces of several senior scholars, there was mystery in solemnity and timidity in sorrow, as if another big event had happened. Emperor Xianfeng walked in with red and swollen eyes, and all the princes and ministers knelt down to pay their respects, and no one dared to raise their heads.Emperor Xianfeng sat down indifferently, waved his hands, and spoke to his body. The civil and military ministers all got up and looked at each other, but no one said a word. Emperor Xianfeng was stunned for a long time, and finally sighed: "Last night, I received a note from Zhou Tianjue from the Guangxi Governor's Yamen, saying that Hong Xiuquan, a bandit in Guangxi, publicly announced the establishment of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom yesterday, proclaiming himself the king of heaven, and setting up a separate court. Guilin, the prefecture, is still stable, and none of the prefectures and counties are complete. Guangxi has become so troubled, why has there been no news about Lin Zexu? Ah, Mu Zhang, after the imperial court, the Military Aircraft Department will use 800 Li Kuaiqi to send a military department to Fujian Fire tickets. Guangxi can’t make mistakes again and again!” Mu Zhang’a promised, “I’ll do it when I’m down.” The former eunuch on duty at this time announced the oracle: In the case of Qishan, the right servants of the Ministry of Rites, the ministers of the Ministry of Military Affairs, the ministers of the Ministry of Works, and the ministers of the Ministry of Punishment Zeng Guofan will lead the presiding judges. They are Shangshu Hengchun of the Ministry of Punishment, Huashana, Zuodu Yushi of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Sushun, Minister of the Cabinet and Minister of Rites, and Woren, Minister of Dali Temple.All ministries, court ministers and above officials are on the jury. At this time, Qi Yuzao was the Minister of Rites in the Department of Rites of Tiren Pavilion University, and he was an important minister during the reign of Emperor Daoguang.