Chapter 3 Strange Case 2: The Case of Emperor Yongle Beheading Zhou Xin by Mistake

On a summer night in the 16th year of Yongle, Emperor Chengzu of Ming Dynasty (1418 A.D.), the night was dark, covered by clouds, and a crescent moon walked through the sea of ​​clouds.The faint moonlight, sometimes hidden, sometimes hazy, gently casts the dim light on the scale-like tile roof of an official office.It was very late at night, and the lights in the government office were lonely, only the study room in the back office was still flickering, and on the window cases carved with fine flowers, there were figures of people reading at night holding candles.Zhou Xin, the procuratorate of Zhejiang Province, has been reviewing the pleading papers recently handed in by Hangzhou citizens in his study for three full hours. "Bang, bang, bang" several bangs sounded to announce the watch, waking him up from his concentration.He frowned slightly, raised his head preoccupiedly, looked at the infinitely deep night sky through the half-opened window sash, put a piece of paper on the table casually, got up and wandered around the room.

Since the morning before yesterday, the procuratorate's yamen has been receiving pleadings, some from Hangzhou city, and some from remote villages, and the contents are almost all accusing Xu Yingxian, a thousand households of Jinyiwei sent by the capital to Zhejiang for arrest.A pleading paper stated: Xu Yingxian searched the city of Hangzhou on the pretext of looking for the precious gem "emerald".All the wealthy households in the firm were extorted by him, and some households were extorted thousands of taels of silver, forcing them to go bankrupt.There is also a pleading paper from Yuhang County, which reads: Jinyiwei envoys exerted their power in the countryside, forcibly robbing women from good families during the day, and ravaging them to their heart's content.After the civilian women were tortured, some of them were sent to official prostitutes, so that every family in Yuhang County closed their doors during the day and dared not go out.A wealthy businessman on the bank of the West Lake complained in the pleadings: The wealthy businessman has a daughter named Mei Niang, who is twenty-eight years old, born beautiful, beautiful and dignified.Xu Ying saw it first and insisted on sending someone to propose marriage.The wealthy businessman refused, so Xu Yingxian dispatched dozens of pro-military forces to snatch Meiniang into a private house, hoping to be humiliated.Unexpectedly, Meiniang had a strong temper and fought to the death with scissors in hand, but was strangled to death by Xu Yingxian.That's not to mention, after Meiniang died, Xu Yingshi ordered the thugs to strip her naked and throw her naked body outside the Qiantang gate. The family members were not allowed to collect the violent corpse for three days.Some neighbors also came to complain, suing the army sent by Xu Yingxian to demolish houses and dig wells in the countryside, claiming that they were looking for "cat's eye", "diamond", "sapphire", and "sweet topaz", which was actually extortion Anyone who wants to express their dissatisfaction will be subjected to various tortures until they are beaten to death... These papers are filled with tears of blood, and the words contain sadness. Zhou Xin burst into anger and screamed at the case.

The Zhou Envoy is already in his fifties this year.During the Hongwu period, he was promoted to study in Taixue as a student, and soon he was appointed as a judge of Dali Temple and embarked on an official career.For more than 20 years, he defied the powerful and enforced the law like a mountain, and was called "cold face and cold iron".Later, he successively served as an inspector in Yunnan and Zhejiang. He was good at dissecting suspected prisons and won the hearts of the people.People in Zhejiang once said, "We will have a way to survive when the inspector Zhou arrives," and they respected him very much.Today, Zhou Xin felt embarrassed for the first time in front of the snowflakes of papers.Because he knew that the defendant Xu Yingxian was a very important person. Although his official rank was only fifth rank, his position was a foreign official of Jinyiwei.This Jinyiwei is the emperor's personal guard, and they have the privilege of directly arresting officials at all levels, especially they have the "edict" to torture the court ministers. If they want to frame anyone, they just need to file a complaint in front of the emperor. achieve the purpose.Therefore, none of the officials in the court dared to offend them.Xu Yingxian is not only a thousand households of the Jinyiwei, but also the most trusted minion of the Jinyiwei commander Ji Gang.Ji Gang has followed Zhu Di since before Zhu Di became emperor, and has won the trust of the emperor, and he never says anything in front of the emperor.Xu Yingxian is naturally also a figure in the ugly world.The reason why he dared to commit crimes so unscrupulously after leaving Beijing was because he knew that no one would dare to intervene with him.Thinking of this, Zhou Xin couldn't help but sigh. For a scoundrel like Xu Yingxian, even the high-ranking ministers have to give way, so what can I, a small boss like Zhou, do to them?However, how can the court's laws be abolished lightly, and the people are in jeopardy, so why not ask?For Jin Yiwei, who are domineering and rampant, if you don't bring them to justice, what's the use of me as a majestic police officer?Zhou Xin walked back to the paperwork and picked up another pleading paper. He felt the trust of the people of Hangzhou in him.These victims, risking a bloody relationship, cast the pleadings, can they turn a deaf ear to it?As the saying goes, "While in my position, I will do my work." Since the imperial court has appointed me to serve as a prisoner for a province, how can I not be the master of the people and uphold justice?Thinking of this, Zhou Xin put his own safety aside, and he was determined to immediately find a way to severely punish Xu Yingxian and his like to protect the lives and properties of the people in Zhejiang.

It just happened to be such a coincidence that before Zhou Xin could go to Xu Ying to question the crime, Xu Yingxian came to the procurator's office by himself.The next morning, Zhou Xin was discussing with several aides how to dispose of Xu Yingxian. Suddenly, there was a commotion in the front office.When he came to the front of the hall, he saw a few tall and strong men, all in brocade clothes, standing in front of the hall with raised eyebrows.Under the lobby, there was a frail scholar who was tightly bound and lying on the ground. From the ragged condition of his clothes and the blood on his body, it could be seen that he had been severely beaten.Before Zhou Xin was seated, the group of strong men had already greeted him. One of them pointed to Zhou Xin and asked, "Are you the Inspector Zhou?" "At the order of Jin Yiwei Xu Qianhu, a thief was sent. The thief dared to sneak into Xu Qianhu's mansion late at night and stole a huge amount of property. Fortunately, he was discovered by the patrolling army and the stolen goods were found. Qianhu ordered the prisoner Take them to the procuratorate's yamen for interrogation. Now the stolen goods have been recovered by thousands of households. A list of the stolen goods has been made and handed over to you together with the criminals. In the majestic capital of Zhejiang, someone actually went to the imperial envoy's yamen to steal. What's wrong with that? If the case is cleared, it's fine, if there's anything wrong with it, I'll tell you, Zhou Jiantai, watch out for your head!" Zhou Xin was almost dizzy with his high-spirited words.But after all, he is a person who has experienced vicissitudes for more than 20 years, so he didn't have an attack. Instead, he said with a smile on his face: "Since people have both stolen goods, this case is very easy to handle. Please go back to the government for a while. After the official trial is clear, I will go to the government and report to Lord Xu."Seeing Zhou Xin's modest attitude, those Jin Yiwei soldiers became more domineering, threw a list of stolen goods on the ground and walked away.

Zhou Xin kept watching the strong men walk out of the Yamen, and then turned to the scholar who was escorted.I saw that he was haggard, but he couldn't hide his handsome demeanor, with a bookish look on his face, he looked like a well-educated son of an official family.Seeing that he was covered with club wounds, Zhou Xin felt pity for a moment, so he asked in a peaceful tone: "Whose descendants are you, why did you go to Xu Qian's house late at night to steal?" The scholar replied in a trembling voice: " Mr. Zhou, the student is really wronged." Zhou Xin said in his heart, I know you are wronged without shouting, and said; "Please tell me in detail." The scholar kowtowed and said, "According to Mr. Cha, the student's last name is Li's name is Mucai, and he is from a family in Hangzhou. Four generations of scholars, although he has no talent to help the world and the people, he also understands propriety, righteousness and shame. This is because the family of the student has a piece of rouge that has been inherited from his ancestors. The color of this rouge is like agate. Yinhong is lovely, if the weather changes, the color of the jade will turn light green, and when the weather improves, it will turn red again. It is a strange stone in the south of the Yangtze River. The students have always kept it in the secret room and refused to announce it. I don’t know where Xu Qianhu, the Jinyi guard, got it. The news, sent people to ask for it several times, but the students said they didn't have it, thinking that they could cover it up. Unexpectedly, three days ago, Xu Ganhu went to the door in person and asked to buy it at a high price. The villain still refused to come, Xu Qianhu suddenly changed his face and walked away. That night, the more the students thought about it, the more frightened they were, fearing that Xu Qianhu would bring someone to rob him and hide the treasure elsewhere. Unexpectedly, when the treasure box was opened, the jade had disappeared. After checking all the family members, I found out that it was stolen by a trusted housekeeper. The student was furious for a while, and went to the street to look for the person who stole the treasure. He didn't want to bump into him on the street, so he went to arrest him immediately. The thief ran straight to the Qianhu yamen, and the student They chased them all the way to Houya, but no one stopped them. Unexpectedly, when the culprits in Houya suddenly disappeared, a group of Jinyi guards rushed out like wolves and tigers, beat the students hard, and then sent them to the The lord’s yamen. The students have suffered such a catastrophe, and there are old mothers and wives at home. How can they live? I have heard for a long time that the adults in Taiwan hang a mirror, and the law is not in vain. I hope that the adults will avenge the students.”

After hearing these words, Zhou Xin already understood that this is Jin Yiwei's attempt to frame good people again.In order to further prove his judgment, he put Li Mucai in prison, and at the same time sent people to investigate near Li Mucai's home, and soon obtained definite evidence.According to Li Mucai's neighbors, Mucai is usually gentle and elegant, with a dignified manner, especially he often donates to his neighbors, and is very respected among the neighbors.This time he was suddenly arrested by Jin Yiwei and sent to the procurator's office, everyone felt at a loss.Lizheng, where the Li family is located, has proved that Ding, the Jinyi Guard, has gone to the Li family many times to extort money. A few days ago, Xu Qianhu also visited Li's house in person. He heard that he wanted to buy some kind of stone, but was rejected by the Li family. up.The most powerful evidence is the information provided by Mr. Shen who lives next door to Li's house.He said that there used to be a housekeeper in the Li family, named Li Yun, who was usually of bad character and disappeared suddenly a few days ago, but someone saw him on the street yesterday. In front of the shop, there are five shouts and six shouts, playing prestige.Having obtained these evidences, Zhou Xin became more confident, and an unknown fire made him almost unable to control himself.The hateful Xu Yingxian actually sent the person he framed up to the yamen of Taiwan for interrogation. He clearly wanted to put Li Mucai to death in the name of the government;He treats such a majestic king as a trifling matter, it is really lawless.If I don't seek justice for the people, won't my name be ruined for the rest of my life?Thinking of this, Zhou Xin has made up his mind to get rid of these villains no matter how strong Xu Yingxian's background is.He backed away, pondered over and over again, and finally came up with a way to lure the enemy to go deep, so that Xu Ying would not attack himself and fall into the law... It was already afternoon, and the summer heat made people a little out of breath.It was very quiet inside Jin Yiwei's police department, no one came out to move around.A large willow tree in the yard, its leaves curled up in the sun, seemed to have lost its vitality.Among the dense green leaves, a few cicadas kept chirping "squeak, squeak", which made people feel unbearably hot.Xu Yingxian, a thousand households of Jinyiwei, was wearing only a short-sleeved gown, and sat in front of the table in a daze.This time he came to Zhejiang, he took the initiative to ask Ji Gang, the commander of Jin Yiwei, to ask for a job.He knew that the area of ​​Zhejiang was rich and wealthy, and wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to make a fortune.So when they arrived in Hangzhou, they went around in the name of spying on the news, extorting rich households, blackmailing officials, and at the same time robbing civilian women, running amok.In order to save the lives of the whole family, none of the officials in the whole province dared to come out to dissuade them.On the contrary, from the chief envoy to the county magistrate, almost everyone is trying to curry favor with these villains.The officials in Zhejiang Province who came to Zhejiang Province for more than ten days, some prepared pearls and some donated money, so that Xu Yingxian made a fortune in half a month.But only Zhou Xin, the inspector, not only did not offer bribes, but he never even showed his face in the past ten days, which was really disrespectful to himself.Xu Yingxian originally wanted to make up a random accusation and give Zhou Xin a book.But I also heard that Zhou Xin has been quite politically vocal for more than 20 years, and I'm afraid it will arouse public anger, so he came up with a plan to kill people with a knife, and sent Li Mucai to the yamen in Taiwan to see Zhou Xin's attitude.He did not expect that Zhou Xin accepted the prisoner obediently and promised to speed up the interrogation.He didn't even expect that on the second day after the criminal was taken to the yamen in Taiwan, Zhou Xin sent a post saying, "The case of Li Mucai's theft has been cleared up, and Xu Qianhu is hereby invited to come to the yamen of the procuratorate to discuss the matter of conviction." ", Xu Ying held the poster first, and sneered unknowingly—in the face of imperial power and arbitrariness, Zhou Xin, who was called "cold face and iron", finally gave in obediently.A thousand households of Jinyiwei actually overwhelmed the officials in Zhejiang Province, which shows that the power of Jinyiwei can indeed deter the government and the public.Excitement and arrogance made Xu Yingxian a little bit overwhelmed, and went against the practice of taking a two-hour nap at noon every day, and leaned over the table in a daze.It took a while before he sent a soldier to deliver a letter to the procurator's office, saying that he would come to the office to interrogate Li Mucai in an hour's time, so that Zhou Xin could get ready.

Zhou Xin had indeed made full preparations. He knew clearly that if he wanted to attack Xu Ying first, he had to catch them all.In their group, as long as one person runs away, he may be falsely accused and sent to prison.So he and his trusted staff repeatedly studied the detailed steps to capture Xu Yingxian.Now in the yamen of Taiwan, a net has been laid, just waiting for Xu Ying to come to the door first. At the end of the afternoon, Xu Yingxian, surrounded by a group of guards in Jinyi, came to the standard yamen.Zhou Xin greeted him personally, entered the hall hand in hand with Xu Yingxian, and ordered the servants to lead the attendants into the flower hall to rest.Unexpectedly, those accompanying soldiers didn't listen to the reception, they just clustered around Xu Yingxian, refusing to leave half a step away.Zhou Xin had no choice but to wave his hand to order the servants to retreat.At this time, in the lobby, more than twenty Jinyi Guards guarded Xu Yingxian, staring at Zhou Xin who was sitting in the main seat.Xu Ying glanced contemptuously at Zhou Xin and asked, "Zhou Jietai, why didn't the prisoner come up?" Zhou Xin bowed humbly and replied: "The prisoner is now in the prison, forgive him for his wings. Before the prisoner, the lower officials still have a few unclear facts about the case, so I ask Lord Qianhu to make it clear." Xu Ying became angry when he heard it first, and shouted loudly: "Your poster clearly stated that the case has been cleared, why are there still unclear points? , do you want to interrogate me, Xu?" Zhou Xin hurriedly explained: "How dare the lower officials interrogate Lord Qianhu? It's just that the procuratorate's office is no better than Jin Yiwei in adjudicating cases. The details of the case must be checked clearly before they can be reported in detail. Now the case There are a few details that cannot be clearly analyzed, and if the case is decided rashly, it may hinder Mr. Xu's official voice." Xu Yingxian said: "So you are doing it for me? Well, if you don't understand, just ask. Zhou Xin took over He said: "Thank you, my lord, I would like to ask, did Li Mucai enter the yamen to steal with a gang?Still alone? "Xu Yingxian said: "Can you form a gang to steal things?Nature is alone. "Zhou Xin went on to say: "Since he went alone, the missing list sent by Mr. Xu included gold, silver, pearls, jade, agate, etc. How could he get so many things?" Xu Ying was dumbfounded at the question, "This...then Li Mucai went there in collusion with a gang of Jiangyang thieves, but when he stole, Li entered the house alone, and the others were outside the door to meet him. "So Li Mucai is not the only one who went into the house to steal?" "That's right, but Li Mu is the culprit." "Since it was a gang of robbers, why did Li Mucai only be captured?" "Xu Ying was a little anxious when he was asked, and said: "The others are all gangsters, and they all ran away when things were revealed. "Zhou Xin smiled slightly and said: "A group of thieves stole, only left the head of the thieves, and the others ran away. It's hard to believe. "Xu Yingxian said angrily: "It's true, can't Xu still lie! "Zhou Xin hurriedly stood up and gave a salute and said: "Master Qianhu's words are not true. It's just that a group came and only one person was captured. There is no circumstantial evidence. I'm afraid it will be difficult to report to the superior.In addition, there is still one thing that I don't know about the lower officials, and I have to ask Mr. Qianhu for advice.May I ask what duties does the Jinyiwei yamen perform in Beijing and abroad? "Xu Yingxian asked about Jin Yiwei's duties and powers, and felt a little elated, and immediately replied: "Up to protect the emperor, down to protect the people.Coming out of Beijing has the responsibility of arresting traitors and thieves, and protecting the environment and the people. "Zhou Xin seemed to understand and nodded and said: "So that's the case, but in the middle of the night, the Jinyiwei Police Department was robbed, and the majestic households could not capture the robber, but only a weak scholar. Your lord's official voice is a bit inconvenient, isn't it? "Zhou Xin's words made Xu Yingxian startled again. Yes, Zhou Xin asked the right question. As a royal guard, he couldn't even look after his own yamen, and watched a group of robbers escape. This is clearly his negligence! "This..., this..." Xu Ying said "this" several times in a row, but he couldn't even find a single explanation. Looking at Zhou Xin again, his attitude was very modest and he never questioned him. Seeing that Xu Ying was questioned first Sweating profusely, Zhou Xin reached out to pick up the report of loss from the official case, handed it to Xu Yingxian, and said softly, "Have you ever checked this report of loss, my lord? Xu Yingxian said: "I checked it myself." "Zhou Xin said solemnly: "This lost order is worth more than a thousand gold. Li Mucai stole so many things, he should be sentenced to death!" "Xu Yingxian waved his hand impatiently on purpose and said: "What crime should be convicted is based on the court's law, and I can't control so much. "Zhou Xin shook his head sighingly and said: "Then Li Mu can only die." "Xu Yingxian nodded in satisfaction and said; "Zhou Nengtai has only said a happy word until now. "Zhou Xin said, "Don't worry, my lord, the officials will act in accordance with the court's law."

At this point, it seemed that he had asked all the questions about the interrogation. Zhou Xin moved his chair, turned to Xu Yingxian, and asked as if he was talking about family matters: "Is Xu Qianhu from a wealthy family?" Xu Yingxian shook his head and said: "No, no, Xu was born in the army, and his family is not rich. He earned a position of a thousand households only by relying on his martial arts." Zhou Xin asked again: "I don't know how many years has Mr. Xu been in office?" Said: "Not much, not much, just ten years." Zhou Xin asked enviously: "How much is the annual salary of a thousand Jinyiwei?" Xu Yingxian blurted out and replied: "Eighty stones of Lumi." He came down, and said with a bit of majesty: "A sixth-rank Beijing official with an annual salary of eighty shi, who has only been an official for ten years, and is not born in a wealthy family, but lost his daughter in a temporary yamen in Zhejiang. How did he get so much money? "Huh..." Xu Yingxian never imagined that Zhou Xin would go around and ask such a question that he couldn't answer. He stood up and shouted: "Bold Zhou Xin, dare to humiliate this official face to face, aren't you afraid of being thrown into prison?" His cold face sank, his eyes were fixed, and he said sonorously: "I miss Zhou Xin. I was born in Taixue Jugong. I have enforced the law for twenty years. I have never thought of fear of death. Long live you The royal bodyguard has been bullying others for more than ten years, and has long been condemned by the world. This time he came to Zhejiang, pretended to be public, extorted people's wealth, occupied good women, abused punishment, harmed the people, and made every family resentful. You don’t know how to restrain yourself, and you even bullied me to the inspector’s office, aren’t you afraid of the king’s law?” Xu Ying pointed at Zhou Xin and shouted: “You spit on people, saying that I harmed the people, what evidence do you have?” Zhou Xin pointed at the case He put on the thick pleading paper and said: "These pleading papers are proofs. The loss report written by you is your confession. Is this department still wronging you?"

That Xu Ying rushed over first, grabbed a stack of papers in his hands, and tore both of them to pieces.This made Zhou Xin furious, he slapped the gavel and shouted: "Xu Yingxian, do you know what this is?" Xu Yingxian said coldly without showing any weakness, "It's just a small office. "Zhou Xin said: "How can you allow you to be domineering and rampant?" Xu Yingxian sneered and said: "Not to mention the small standard yamen, even the hall of the Ministry of Punishment and the Metropolitan Procuratorate in the capital. Unimpeded." Even though he answered like this, Xu Yingxian couldn't help but feel palpitated, because Zhou Xin's words reminded Xu Yingxian that he knew that Zhou Xin was a person who was not afraid of the rich and powerful, and everyone in the Taiwanese government respected Zhou Xin, so there was a stalemate here It's no good going down, as the saying goes, thirty-six tactics are the best strategy, and I'm here to arrest you, sergeants! " When he called out, the more than 20 Jinyiwei guards who guarded him agreed in unison: "Yes! "Xu Ying first ordered, "Take down the traitor Zhou Xin." More than 20 soldiers shook out their torture tools and rushed towards Zhou Xin.

Zhou Xin stood in front of the hall, his face full of righteousness, and he yelled "Bold!" The soldiers were so frightened by his dignified righteousness that they didn't dare to go forward. The majestic shout of the people: "Ascension to the hall!" After one shout, only the two sides of the hall shouted in unison. Steel knives and sharp blades rushed up to the hall, and surrounded the twenty or so brocade-clothed soldiers tightly.That group of military vehicles turned out to be a group of stern and soft-hearted people, and they were full of arrogance and domineering just now with the help of Xu Yingxian's prestige, but when they saw the lively school captains and soldiers in the Taiwanese yamen, they all looked at each other angrily, and immediately lost their temper, one by one. He lowered his head, not knowing where the prestige had gone.

Zhou Xin walked to the grand master's chair in front of the public case and sat down, took out a torch and threw it on the ground, shouting: "Take down these lunatics who have harmed the country and the people!" The school captains rushed forward like eagles. Grabbing chickens took down the twenty or so Jinyiwei soldiers.At this time, only Xu Yingxian was not fainted by fright, but his tone became trembling. He said, "Zhou Jietai, you can't take me!" Zhou Xin said, "Why can't you take me?" The edict written by Huang Duanzi said: "Before I left Beijing, Commander Ji personally gave me an edict of the Lord of Long Live. Officials from all provinces shall not be arrested and punished without the imperial approval of Long Live." Zhou Xin was unexpected.He hadn't made any preparations in advance, but the emperor's decree must not be disobeyed, and if Xu Yingxian were to be let go at this moment, it would be tantamount to returning the tiger to the mountain.Zhou Xin thought for a while before saying: "The oracle is to guarantee you to act impartially, and never to protect you from committing crimes. This secretary should take back your oracle. Forget it, and take down all the accomplices except Xu Yingxian, Xu Yingxian Escort him back to the police department to listen to the counselor, and when the imperial decree arrives, he will be arrested and brought to justice immediately after taking away his kindness." After saying that, he waved his hand and retreated out of the hall.The school captain, who was arresting the head in the hall, had exhausted his energy a long time ago, and dragged all the evil slaves of Jinyiwei who came with him to the prison, and Xu Yingxian was also sent back to Xingyuan. Zhou Xin's move immediately caused a sensation in Hangzhou City. Citizens carried plaques, hung flowers, beat gongs and drums, and came to the front of the yamen to thank the stern and selfless Zhou Niantai.In an instant, the plaques of "Steel Face and Selflessness", "Limin Enlu", and "Dragon Figure Reborn" were hung all over the street.Elders from all quarters selected a group of respected country gentry, brought local products, cloth and precious medicinal materials, and gathered in front of the standard-tai yamen to ask for an audience.But Zhou Nidetai only asked one of his staff to come out and say: "It is the duty of the inspector to plead for the people and punish the lawless. There is no need to thank you. The kindness of the neighbors has been accepted by the secretary, but all gifts will not be accepted. Call the neighbors. Return to your hometown quickly, don't violate the farming season, and thank the emperor." After these words were spread, the people were so moved that they even burned incense and prayed for Zhou Jietai's longevity than Nanshan.Zhou Xin issued another notice to release Li Mucai immediately, and sent people to raid the Jinyiwei Police Office, count all the extorted property and store it in the warehouse, and return it to the original owner after reporting to Long Live.For a time, the entire Jiangnan was a sensation, even the governor and chief envoy secretly admired Zhou Xin's courage and courage, and Zhou Xin's name was immediately famous all over the country. While the common people were cheering and running to celebrate, there was a pair of eyes staring gloomyly at the yamen in Taiwan.This is Xu Yingxian who was put under house arrest.Since being "escorted" back to his residence, although Zhou Xin still treats him with the etiquette of a foreign official in Jin Yiwei, and although he is still provided with fish and shrimp meals every day, he still cannot step out of the courtyard.According to the inspector's yamen, a team of prison guards was sent to guard the gate of the courtyard tightly. The patrol servants passed by the house from time to time. Xu Yingxian's every move was under surveillance, and it was extremely difficult to escape. .In the past two days, the stolen goods have been searched again.Several planners, together with a yamen servant, took out all the gold, silver, jewels, jade brocades extorted from each house, and counted and counted them in the yard.This made Xu Yingxian extremely anxious. He knew that if Zhou Xin made a list of these things and reported them to the court, the emperor would probably use himself as a sacrifice, and if he killed him, the consequences would be disastrous.At present, the only way to survive is to try to escape, go to Beijing to inform Zhou Xin before Zhou Xin, and label Zhou Xin as a traitor.In this way, one can save his own life; the other can punish Zhou Xin severely to dispel the hatred in his heart.But Zhou Xin is by no means a fool, how could he let his enemy escape from under his nose?Xu Ying spent two days figuring it out, but he didn't see any flaws in his defense. Finally, he finally gave up, gave up his plan to escape, and waited quietly for Zhou Xin to sentence him to death. The night quietly enveloped the big courtyard again, a string of lanterns was hung at the gate, and a big lock was added to the street gate.The watchman guarding the yard circled Xu Yingxian's house with his clapper.Sometimes he boldly took a lantern and took a picture of the house, until he saw that Xu Qianhu was still sleeping on the bed, and then he left with peace of mind.Xu Yingxian loudly reprimanded him a few times at first, but later seeing that the reprimand didn't work, he had to let it go.I just lay my head against the wall, and closed my eyes when I couldn't sleep. In the middle of the night, the bang-guang sound of the third watch had just struck.The courtyard was completely silent, except for the slight rustling of the branches of the big willow tree in the summer night breeze.Xu Yingxian was just about to fall asleep when he suddenly felt someone touch him. He sat up quickly and blurted out, "Who!" Hand covering his mouth.At this time, a voice sounded beside his ear: "Don't make a fuss, I'm here to save you." It was a familiar voice, yes, it was Li Yun, Li Mucai's housekeeper.Xu Yingxian burst into ecstasy.I only heard Li Yun whisper, "Change quickly. The soldier on duty has already been scented by me, and I just escaped." Xu Ying hurriedly took the clothes that Li Yun handed over and put them on in a hurry. Li Yun opened the door from the inside. Pin it on, point to the back corner and say, "Get out of here! At this time, Xu Yingxian saw that a small hole had been dug out in the wall, and he could only pass through people, so he hurriedly got out of the hole. After Li Yun got out, he turned around and blocked the hole with bricks so that No sign of escape could be found from the outside. It was the beginning of June, the sky was full of stars, blinking, but there was no moonlight. Li Yun helped Xu Yingxian run forward with one deep foot and one shallow foot...At dawn, Xu Yingxian absconded The news reached the Taitai yamen, and Zhou Xin, who had just fallen asleep, was awakened from his dream. He keenly felt that Xu Yingxian's escape would pose a great threat to himself and bring harm to the people of Zhejiang. So he sent an order quickly At that time, the four gates of Hangzhou City were closed, and all investigators were mobilized to search from house to house, so as to capture Xu Yingxian and bring him to justice. As soon as Xu Yingxian is found in the arrest warrant of Taiwan Yamen, no matter what decree he holds, he must immediately take it and send it to the provincial government. After the two orders came out, he was still worried, and asked his staff to draft a notice to arrest Xu Yingxian Wen, enumerating Xu's crimes, appealing to the people of the whole province, sending news to those who have news, reporting doubts to those who have doubts, no matter what, the traitor can't escape the law. The whole province has heard the news, and the arrest of Xu Yingxian has become a household name. But two days have passed Now, Xu Yingxian seems to have fallen into the sea, and there is no news at all. Zhou Xin calculated that Xu Yingxian has probably left the Hangzhou border at this moment. If he wants to intercept and arrest him, he is really looking for a needle in a haystack. It seems that he has to go to Beijing himself. On the one hand, he reported the situation to Zao Shang, obtained the support of the emperor, and relied on the laws of the country to punish Xu Yingxian. Therefore, he no longer waited for news of arrests from various counties, and hurriedly selected four capable people from the three squads of arresters As an attendant, he dressed lightly and rushed to the capital in the starry night. I heard that in order to protect the lives of the people in the province, Zhou Nietai went to the capital alone to sue the imperial court, and the people in Hangzhou were all sweating for him.Many people took the initiative to go to the governor's office and the chief envoy's yamen, asking them to go to Shushu to support Zhou Jiantai in the qualification of a feudal official.Zhou Xin had a good relationship with the Governor and Fu on weekdays, so both the Governor and Chief Envoy prepared this chapter, impeaching Xu Yingxian and saying a lot of good things for Zhou Xin.But they knew in their hearts that Zhu Di had ascended to the throne of emperor by launching a mutiny to oust his nephew Zhu Yunwen. Since the throne was very disreputable, he was of course afraid of the people all over the world talking about him.They also understood that what worries Zhu Di the most is that the legal emperor Zhu Yunwen of the Ming Dynasty who was ousted by him has been missing. This is the biggest threat to the Yongle Emperor.Therefore, since ascension to the throne, Zhu Di has made great efforts to search for Zhu Yunqian at home and abroad, and the main organization responsible for this task is Jinyiwei.Zhu Di had absolute trust in Jin Yiwei, and it would not be easy to sue Xu Yingxian, who he thought was the most capable.The governor of Zhejiang and the chief envoy had analyzed the situation together many times, and they were very appreciative of Zhou Xin's vigorous and vigorous punishment of the villains of the Jinyiwei, but they could only secretly admire this act of breaking ground in Taisui.They felt that this hornet's nest had been stabbed quite a bit, and they had vaguely expected that Zhou Xin would be framed. Out of friendship, the two of them wrote the memorial together, which is indeed very valuable. Zhou Xin didn't think so much these days.After starting from Hangzhou, he set off for the capital along the official road according to the normal route.On the way, he also instructed his entourage to track down Xu Yingxian's whereabouts at any time. Therefore, although he traveled day and night, he did not walk too fast, and he often delayed his journey for half a day if he got a little clue.Regrettably, although there seemed to be traces of Xu Yingxian a few times, it turned out to be wrong at all upon careful inspection.In this way, it took them twenty days to reach Zhuozhou, not far from Beijing.When we arrived in Zhuozhou, it was already dusk.The wine flag merchants in the county are posing in front of the exhibition, which is very lively.At dusk in summer, although the sun has set, the sky does not look dark. The famous Yunju Temple Pagoda in the northeast of the city can still be seen clearly in the twilight, adding a little antique atmosphere to the ancient county of Zhuozhou.Zhou Xin still followed the old rules and did not go to rest in the post house, but found a clean inn to start.The four asked for two upper rooms, one for Zhou Xin alone, and one for his four attendants. After staying there, he had a quick meal. Zhou Xin sent four of his attendants to the streets to check on Xu Yingxian's whereabouts, and stayed in the room by himself to prepare to enter. The official documents that should be brought in Beijing.He sorted out the certificates of the people in various counties in Hangzhou, and especially carefully put together some certificates that Xu Ying had torn up first, and glued them together with paste.He read again and again the certificate he wrote to Jin Yiwei and the memorial to the emperor.Regarding the content of the memorial, he felt that he was indeed confident, and he had full confidence in participating in Xu Yingxian. Just as he was seriously revising the memorial, he suddenly saw an attendant rushing into the room.He didn't know what happened, so he signaled his attendant to sit down, but this attendant seemed very excited, and said in a trembling voice: "My lord, Xu Yingxian has been discovered by us." "Ah!" Good news, as long as Xu Ying is captured first, all my actions will be completely in an active position.He hurriedly asked, "Where is it?" The entourage said, "The four of us divided into two groups and searched along the street. At the "Chunlai Inn" at the east end of the long street, we found a man dressed as a merchant. His back was very familiar. , so I followed him into the store, and saw Xu Yingxian in the side room where he lived. It turned out that this fake merchant was Li Yun who let Xu Yingxian go. We looked outside the window and found that Xu Yingxian didn't know that we had also arrived in Zhuozhou. He urged Li Yun to rest early , hurry up tomorrow, we will gather together immediately, and leave three people in the Chunlai store to monitor Xu Yingxian, and ask me to report to the Lord, and ask for instructions on how to deal with it?" Zhou Xin said decisively: "Hurry up and take down the two villains, and use the Zhejiang police to inspect Xu Yingxian. Send the yamen documents to the Zhuozhou county yamen." The entourage answered "Yes!" Then he turned and left, and Zhou Xin shouted, "Come back!" The entourage hurriedly bowed to listen to the order. Tell the county magistrate of Zhuozhou that I will go to visit immediately."The entourage led the order and hurriedly withdrew.Zhou Xin was both happy and nervous at the same time. He was happy because he didn't expect to meet Xu Yingxian here, and he was nervous because he was afraid that the four captors would be careless and startle Xu Yingxian away. Zhou Xin's worries were unfounded. These four arresters were all veterans of catching thieves, and they were the backbone of the Taiwanese yamen.许应先被获前又亮出了皇上的圣谕，被四位捕头一把抢过来，说：“既有万岁的圣谕，你为什么从杭州私逃出来，又为什么假扮客商？分明是心中有鬼。”然后不容分说用刑具将许应先和李云锁起来，送到了涿州县衙。县令验看了浙江按察使的官印，又听说铁面无私的周臬台就在本县投宿，下敢怠慢，立即吩咐把犯人收监，然后备轿亲自到周新的旅舍来迎接。周新见县令盛情相迎，只得随他到驿馆住下。那位知县原是京师人氏，中举前就听说过周新在京师大理寺任职时断案如神，二人相见情投意合，谈得很是投机，直到深夜才殷勤道别，各自休息。 由于许应先已经落网，周新不再担心被人诬陷，所以在涿州耽搁了一天才起身进京。一路上心境欢快，竟也留恋起山川景致来了，一边走，一边观赏风景，从涿州到卢沟桥竞走了三天。这天下午，来到了卢沟桥头，只见一座长桥横跨在宽阔的河面上，雄浑的桥身雕饰精致的桥栏，数不清的石狮，或坐或嬉戏，栩栩如生。站在桥上纵目观望，则见无定河水奔腾直下，两岸芦荻密布，一片苍翠。远处巍巍燕山，峰峦起伏，恰似一座屏障，拱卫京师，果然是京师要地。 周新牵着马，一边走一边看，心中竟涌出一点诗意来，刚要张口吟诵，忽见从桥东飞步跑过十几名旗牌校尉来，为首一人手执写着“令”字的蓝旗，与周新走个对面，见周新身着四品官服，遂问道：“哪位是浙江按察使周新？”周新心里甚感纳闷，在这荒野古桥，谁会来找我周新？就答道：“下官就是。”没等他说完，那旗校就大声吼道：“周新接圣旨。”周新一见有圣旨下来，慌忙跪倒，只听旗校大喝一声：“奉万岁圣谕，着将逆臣周新拿下。”说罢一挥手，后面的旗校已蜂拥而上，摘去周新的乌纱帽和官衣，周新的四位随从欲将上前阻拦，却被他喝退了，周新此刻已经料定，必是出了大变故，他示意随从火速离开，免受牵连。那如狼似虎般的旗校抖出刑具，将周新锁上，周新怒喝道：“我乃堂堂四品按察使，你们休得无礼。”只听为首的旗校一阵狞笑说：“不要说你这小小的按察使，就是内阁辅臣我也拿得。不过今天得让你明白明白被抓的原因，告诉你吧，锦衣卫指挥使纪纲大人在皇上面前把你参下来了，你竟敢公然缉拿万岁爷派出的锦衣卫缉事官员，强抢万岁圣渝，分明图谋反叛。幸亏苍天有眼，许千户在狱中被典狱官员放出，已经在你前头进京了。现在人证俱在，你还有什么话讲？”周新此刻才知道，那许应先居然又从涿州狱中逃脱了。 他暗暗埋怨自己过于自信，竟被许应先抢在前面恶人先告状，误了大事。他也料到，此番被拿进京，恐怕就难以生还了，想到这里，他反而镇定下来，对旗校们说：“许应先诬陷朝廷大臣，罪不容诛。我周新居官：二十余载，一不欺君，二不傲上，三不贪赃，四不枉法，不怕到金殿面君，尔等不必缉拿，我随你们一起进京就是了。”为首的旗校说：“说得好轻巧，我等出京之时，受锦衣卫之托，要替许千户出口恶气，少不得要委屈你了。”说罢对站在两侧的旗校说：“还不给我打！”两侧的打手听见号令，早拿出藏在腰间的棍棒，没头没脑，向周新打去。这宫廷御用旗校别的本领没有，论打人行刑，却个个十分凶狠，可叹周新一届清官，只半袋烟功夫就被打得皮开肉绽，体无完肤了。 按照明初的惯例，凡属皇上亲自下旨缉拿的官员，品级在四品以上的，要由皇帝亲自审理定罪。所以周新被逮京后，并没有下到由锦衣卫掌管的诏狱里，而是直接押进宫去面君。昨天晚上，锦衣卫指挥使纪纲进宫禀报机密大事时，告诉朱棣，他派往浙江的千户许应先，已经侦察到朱允蚊的线索，正在深入追查，不想被浙江按察使周新凭空抓走，无理监押，以至眼睁睁看着朱允蚊又潜逃了。许应先为禀报朱允蚊的消息，从杭州逃出，又被周新追到涿县二次缉拿。锦衣卫经过缉查，发现周新本是洪武年间的旧臣，对朱允蚊素有依恋之情，平日也有为朱允蚊鸣不平的言辞。这次无理缉拿许应先，实在是为了保护朱允蚊，意在谋反朝廷。朱棣得讯勃然大怒，因为他一向把抓捕朱允蚊当做本朝最大的事情，听说周新把朱允蚊放跑了，岂能不生气？他历来对纪纲百般信赖，那里还去分辨纪纲的话是真是假？当即发下圣谕，火速逮周新进京问罪。下午申时，内待报告周新已被押逮进宫，朱棣立即传谕，在太液池西边的兴圣宫审问钦犯。 周新此时早已是体无完肤，血肉模糊了。但他自恃为民请命，理直气壮，还希望皇帝圣明，能查明真情严惩恶吏，所以进殿时，还尽量挺直身躯，见了朱棣恭恭敬敬行跪拜礼。朱棣不等周新拜罢，劈头就问：“周新，你私拿朕谕旨派出的锦衣卫缉事人员，又公然抢夺圣旨，坏了朕的大事，朕缉拿于你该是不该？”周新叩了一个头说：“锦衣卫千户许应先，矫旨在杭州一带敲诈勒索，强抢民女，肆意荼毒百姓，民怒如沸，状纸云集，臣身为按察使，掌管一省刑狱，不能不严惩恶吏，解救百姓。”朱棣听周新辩护，更加气恼，说：“锦衣卫缉察要案，必要搜寻，怎么能说是敲诈勒索，分明是你欲加其罪！”周新说：“臣惩办许应先，是根据无数百姓的状纸行事。许应先一伙在杭州城攫贿掠民，作威作福，杭州府官民有目共睹，万岁只须派人查对便可水落石出，臣与许应先素昧平生，为什么要无缘无故的加罪于他？”朱棣被周新这番话堵得无话可说，越发恼怒，拍案斥道，“即令许应先有扰民之举，也非是你地方官吏所能随便缉拿的，为什么不上奏朝廷，却突然下手缉朕亲派使臣？”周新抬起头来，两眼射出了两道犀利的光芒，望着朱棣说：“臣记得陛下曾有明论，按察使行事与都察院同，臣奉旨擒拿奸恶，有何不可？俗话说，王子犯法与庶民同罪，难道许应先一个小小千户竟能凌驾堂堂王法之外吗？”朱棣自登基以来，虽然也见过几位敢于进谏的直臣，却从来没有像今天这样挨过顶撞，不由得怒火中烧，吼道：“放肆！你一个小小臬司，竟然如此无法无天，连朕的钦差官员也敢缉拿，倘若各省都效法于你，朕的政令如何得行？天下岂不大乱？就凭这一条，朕也要问你个反叛之罪！”周新此刻早将生死置之度外，大声抗争道：“锦衣卫官员假借万岁名义，在四处行凶作恶，无故查抄良民，毒打无辜，诬陷忠臣，早被天下臣民所指斥，若不及时绳之以法，要大明刑律何用？况且这种劣迹若不及时扫荡，将来锦衣卫使者出京循此旧律，必将更加肆无忌惮，早晚要激起民变，那时恐怕真要天下大乱了。”几句忠言，掷地有声，朱棣竟然无懈可击，只得把语调压得更加阴沉严厉说：“周新，你当庭顶撞寡人，罪不容诛。但朕念你平日有不畏权贵的美称，不来加罪于你。你且回监仔细想想，如果知罪呢，就上一道谢罪本章。朕当从轻发落，如果死不认罪，朕也有处置你的办法。下殿去罢！”说罢一挥手，早有护卫旗校，给周新上了刑具，押往狱中去了。 永乐十八年前，北京的紫禁城尚未建成。朱棣的皇宫还暂时设在元代的宫城里。其位置在现在北海琼华岛的正东。但朱棣居住的地方却常常变化，由于这年夏天天气酷热，所以朱棣索性搬到琼华岛南边的仪天殿居住了。今天早膳以后，他屏退群臣，一个人在殿内批阅奏章，又想起了周新一案。自兴圣宫审讯周新后，他已降旨把有关周新的案卷全部调进来了。这里有浙江总督和布政使的奏疏，有刑部力保周新的本章，还有浙江省百姓士绅上的万民折，都要求保护直臣，严惩恶吏。据他派到民间刺探消息的内待报告，杭州的一些老百姓，已经自发组织了一个请愿团，两天前进了京，正在吏部、刑部等处为营救周新奔走。这一切都使他感到为难。按说周新一案应发到刑部，汇同三大法司会审，但是他非常担心刑部会替周新说话。何况只要官司移到刑部，许应先作为被告入，也要被拘捕审讯。在三大法司那森严的大堂上，如果许应先泄露了缉查朱允蚊的隐私，那么自己也要跟着受到指斥。所以朱棣下决心，不让刑部插手审理。但是此案又绝不能发往自己最信任的锦衣卫诏狱，因为这一案与锦衣卫相关太紧，下到诏狱后，明明是羊入虎口，显出自己袒护锦衣卫，又会受到言官的指责。朱棣最痛恨的是周新放跑了他一心要抓到的朱允蚊，虽然这是纪纲平空给周新安上的罪名，但朱棣却深信不疑。自他登基以来，对朱允蚊的臣下，已经进行了大规模的杀戮，但唯恐还有一些同情者漏掉，所以只要听说谁与朱允蚊有牵连，他是定斩不饶的。纪纲正是抓住了他的这个心理特点，因而一告便准。但朱棣绝没想到一个小小按察使竟会惊动这么多朝臣来替他说话，现在如果冒然杀掉周新，说不定会引起一场轩然大波，因此他几次提起朱笔又都轻轻地放下了。左右权衡一时拿不定主意，就站起来在殿内来回踱步。 仪天殿是建在一个小岛上的，这个小岛就是今天的北海团城，四面临水。他站在窗前向北望去，琼华岛上的广寒殿，殿宇巍峨，万绿围绕，斗拱飞檐时隐时现，真如一座仙宫一般。仪天殿下，太液池碧波潋滟，一阵清风徐来，把池中的水气夹杂着山上奇花的芳香送进殿中，令人心旷神怡。面对这一片绚丽景致，朱棣忽然动了侧隐之心，想起周新二十余年忠贞秉正，倒也值得可怜，不如顺乎人心，将他放出官复原职罢了。这时他才记起，上次审讯时，曾嘱咐周新写一道谢罪本章，不知是否交上来了。如果谢表已经送来，正好顺水推舟，赦他出去。于是，他喊声“内侍！”立即有两名司礼监秉笔太监走进殿来候旨。朱棣问：“周新的奏章可曾送进来？”太监小心翼翼地回答：“已经送进来了。”朱棣有些不满地说：“为什么不随周新案卷一齐呈报？”太监回禀道：“臣看周新的奏章，以为内中多有忌讳，没敢呈送。”朱棣把脸一沉说：“大胆，还不速速取来？”那位太监有些慌乱地叩了一个头，赶紧把周新的奏折取来交给了朱棣。朱棣展开奏折，见折子中的蝇头小楷写得工工整整，字迹苍劲有力，不知道的人绝不会相信这是一个遍身棒伤的人写的，不觉点了点头。但他看到奏折中的内容时，却越看越生气。原来周新在折中没有一句谢罪的话，反而建议削减锦衣卫官员到京师以外各省去缉查案件。这分明要断皇帝的耳目，减弱皇权。朱棣不能忍耐了，他把周新的奏折狠狠地摔在了地下，提起朱笔，刷刷地写下了“以逆臣罪名，立即处斩周新”的上谕。 五天以后，刑部遵照朱棣的旨意要对周新行刑了。京师百姓，纷纷嗟叹，杭州来的父老备了香案，在刑车必经之路上，跪着给周臬台送行。六部言官中那些刚正之臣本为周新鸣冤。这些奏本一概被朱棣留中不发。七月中旬，天阴雨湿，愁云惨淡。周新的刑车在数百名带刀护卫的簇拥下，开往西四牌楼刑场。一路上，百姓们备酒，捻香泣送忠良。周新此时已经过一番梳洗打扮，虽然脸上伤痕累累，却依然神采奕奕，双目凝光，面情庄重，边走边向跪在街道两侧的百姓们点头致意。刑车快到刑场时，杭州父老们拥了上来，把一束大红绸子披在了周臬台身上，他们一个个泣不成声，呜呜咽咽地说：“周大人，杭州百姓给您送行来了。愿您英灵永在，神魂早升天际。”一番话说得两侧围观的人无不泪如雨下。 车到刑场，周新从容地走下车来，整了整衣冠，对着西北皇城方向恭恭敬敬的叩了三个头，算是与皇帝拜别。又转过身来向着南方自己故乡南海的方向叩了三个头，口称“老母在上，儿臣在此尽忠了。”拜罢仰天长叹，厉声高呼“周新生为直臣，死当做直鬼。”说罢慷慨就戮。其从容的姿态直到数年后还被京师目睹的父老赞叹。 朱棣杀了周新后，心中也很不是滋味，因为上至都察院，下至六部言官纷纷为周新鸣冤，扰得他一个多月不得安宁。还是纪纲出来，以锦衣卫的名义发了一道文告，谁要是再替周新说话，就与周新同等论罪，才将这场风波压下去。自此以后，明朝官场中形成了一种风气，锦衣卫官员可以左右六部九卿。这就造成了以后正统、天顺年间锦衣卫都指挥使门达、逯果专权，嘉靖时期锦衣卫百户王邦奇，肆意诬陷忠良的大冤狱。明代十余位皇帝都依靠锦衣卫镇压朝廷大臣，也不能不说是由朱棣杀周新一案留下的弊端。