Chapter 4 The Strange Case of the Three Brocade Yi Wei Lie Nu

In the fourth year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty, a strange case happened in Jinyiwei Prison, which was in charge of the investigation of "thieves and traitors" at that time.This case was caused by a young woman named Li Yuying complaining to Emperor Jiajing.The case is like a layer of fog, bright and dark, shadowy, ups and downs, repeated several times.Finally, I met an honest and courageous adjudicator, and after a lot of effort, the truth finally came to light.Because this lawsuit went from Jinyiwei all the way to Emperor Jiajing, it was a sensation and became a big mystery in the middle of the Ming Dynasty... "A stunning woman was sentenced to severe punishment by the Fusi of Jinyiwei Beizhen. Ling Chi has been executed." As the news spread, everyone in Zhenfusi Prison immediately sighed, and several elderly guards even shed tears.

In the guard room in the corner of the prison, several jailers were drinking and talking about the crimes committed by beauties.A young jailer, who was half drunk, stared into a pair of red eyes and asked, "What crime did she commit? How did she end up being cut to pieces?" An old guard sitting next to him said regretfully, "An adulterer is a big treason and unfilial... It's just a pity that at this age, with such a flower-like appearance." The young jailer seemed to be more drunk from being stimulated by the charge of an adulterer, and he blushed and asked roughly: "Abusing someone Who is the adulterer? I have seen this female prisoner a few times, that face is really cute, I don't think Tang Minghuang's Yang Guifei can compare to her, what a pity! What a pity!" Another middle-aged man with a gloomy face The Nian jailer shook his head disapprovingly and said, "What is the crime of adultery? I don't believe it. Such a flowery girl would do such an indecent thing? In Jinyiwei's prison, are there not many unjust dead ghosts?" ? Who can guarantee that she is not a wronged ghost?" This remark seemed to spoil everyone's interest, so no one said anything.But today, the guards in Fusi Prison in Jinyiwei North Town seem to have something on their minds.Those young people walked to the passage of the prison for a while, looked out twice, and slipped quietly to the front of the women's prison to whisper a few words with the female prison guard guarding the prison door.In fact, their purpose was very simple, they just wanted to see more of the famous beauty in Bei Prison.

It was already past noon, and the female prisoner Li Yuying, who had been discussed for a long time, returned to the prison with heavy shackles under the escort of seven or eight female prisoners.On both sides of the aisle of the prison, not only were there male guards waiting to see the beauties, but even the prisoners in the cells put their faces on the thick iron railings and looked out.This Li Yuying was between seventeen and eighteen years old. Although she was tortured, dressed in rags, had a haggard face, and struggled to walk, she had a graceful figure, a pointed chin, a small cherry-like mouth, and a pair of firm eyes. The eyes are full of melancholy but still radiant, but there is no place that does not show the outstanding beauty of a young woman.She lowered her head, her eyes were filled with tears, her white teeth were tightly biting her lower lip, and she seemed to be subconsciously being led by the jailer towards the death row.In her mind, the scenes that just happened in the lobby are still lingering... The ferocious chief interrogator, staring at her with a pair of greedy eyes, viciously interrogated the process of adultery with the adulterer, and she shyly He lowered his head and said nothing... The wolf-like captain of Jin Yiwei stretched his five fingers apart vigorously, and clamped the "拶子" between them.In an instant, a heart-piercing pain made me let out a miserable cry... The "clastrophic" instrument of torture was thrown in front of my eyes with a "slap", this is the torture of cutting off children and grandchildren!In the past, I just heard from my father that I didn't want to be my turn, and my eyes went dark for a while, so I didn't know the personnel.

The statement of confession reads, "Disagreement and disregard of shame, adultery, bullying mother, private love letter, ruining family customs..." Pressing his own bloody handprint below... The trial master coldly announced the verdict: "Li Yuying privately sought adultery... Husband, who has been committing adultery for a long time, and intends to put his stepmother to death, is a big treason, and plans to be punished by cutting, and will be executed in the autumn." Li Yuying didn't dare to think about it anymore, all in all it was over.What would it be like to die by a thousand cuts?Perhaps it is more comfortable than the torture in the hall?Die quickly, lest you go to court every day and suffer this unbearable torture. "Clatter!" There was a sound of iron chains, and the door of the female death row opened. The dark cell seemed to be the gate of hell in Fengdu City.Li Yuying was dragged over and shoved in. With the sound of the iron chains rattling again, the cell door was locked tightly. It was pitch black in front of her eyes. The musty smell from the mouth was sent to the nose, and the fingers that had been pinched by the "Zizi" were already swollen and inseparable.She tried rubbing it a few times, but another burst of pain caused her to fall headfirst on the straw mat.

In a coma, Li Yuying had a nightmare. She dreamed of the past when she was sent to Jinyiwei Prison a year ago. It was a dark night in midsummer.Li Yuying, who had embroidered the five-color picture of a hundred birds and phoenixes in silk and satin for most of the night, just went to bed and was about to fall asleep, when she suddenly heard a shout outside the door: "Catch the adulterer!" The mountain rings.Yuying hurriedly covered her clothes in a panic, and before she got out of bed, the door was kicked open, stepmother Jiao Shi, uncle Jiao Rong and two maids broke in.The sinister gaze of the stepmother, like a sharp knife, swept across Yuying's body, but the uncle stared at Yuying's plump breasts with a strange gaze, ah, in the rush, the skirt was not covered, and a touch of crisp breasts slightly The ground was exposed, so shameless, Yuying blushed unconsciously, and quickly covered the skirt of her clothes, the girl's shyness made her unable to lift her head anymore.The stepmother was furious, and shouted: "The adulterer ran away, but the adulterer couldn't escape, search for me." "Yes!" The uncle took the two maids and rummaged through the house.No, nothing was found, the uncle looked at the stepmother as if asking for help.The stepmother took the initiative to shake off the simple suitcases and thin bedding in the house again, but there was still nothing.So she went to the small table by the window and opened her daughter's dowry box. There was no rouge or jewelry in it, only a silver hairpin, which was left to her by her biological mother before she died.The stepmother opened a small drawer inside the dowry box and took out a stack of manuscripts.Those are a few small poems that Yuying wrote to relieve her worries when she was bored. The heart of a girl, the clouds in autumn, and a little secret in her heart are all in the poems.Every time I write it, I hide it in a small drawer in the dowry box, and I dare not let others see it. Now it has been dug out, how embarrassing it is?The stepmother opened the poem, looked at it twice, and seemed to find important evidence.Pointing to a poem, he asked sharply: "What does it mean to say goodbye to each other? Who are you whispering to? Why are you so sad when you are young? There is also the phrase 'Chaimen is lonely and locks the last spring ’, it’s clear that your lover didn’t come on time, and you feel lonely, what else can you say?” The malicious uncle fiddled with the found silver hairpin carefully for a while, pointing to the silver hairpin engraved with I whispered the words "unwavering" to my stepmother.The stepmother became even more annoyed, and threw the silver hairpin to the ground and asked, "Is this hairpin given by the adulterer? Huh! 'Unwavering', so deeply in love, tell me! Who is the adulterer? Don't tell me I'll tear it apart." Your mouth." What an injustice, what an absurd accusation.This silver hairpin was specially made as a gift from my father when he was working in Prince Qiu's mansion when he was young, and Prince Yun thought that he would be loyal in his work and wholeheartedly protect his master. The word "unwavering determination" is a commendation of father's loyalty to King Qiu, how could he get involved with an adulterer?Yuying, who was controlled by shyness and anger, how could she speak for a while?At this time, Li Qiang'er, the servant, came in with a man's shoe, and said that after searching outside the courtyard, he found a man's shoe, which was thrown in a grove dozens of feet away from the courtyard wall. Obviously, the adulterer escaped by jumping over the wall. Finally, it was dropped due to haste.The stepmother took the shoes, put them in front of Yuying, and said viciously: "You, an unworthy daughter who corrupts the family tradition, usually contradicts your mother and seduces your adulterer. How do you ask me to explain to your father who died under Jiuquan? Now With all the evidence, I can no longer think about the relationship between mother and daughter. Jiao Rong, you escort her to the Jinyiwei yamen and accuse her of adultery and unfilial piety, so that people will not point at my spine and call me raising a whore." The uncle and two family members tied up Yuying and dragged her to Jinyiwei... A loud sound of iron chains woke Yuying up from her dream. The female prisoner whose clothes were torn was taken away crying.Yuying knew that this was going to the court again. How can one bear the torture of beating boards, hanging, pinching, sticking bamboo needles between the nails, and putting red-hot irons on the thighs?She sympathized with those criminals from the bottom of her heart, and she even believed that a real bad guy had been beaten in Jinyiwei Prison.

Holding on to the wet wall, Yuying sat up, the torture wounds all over her body ached like a fire.But she felt very peaceful in her heart. Counting the days, it was only 20 days until Liqiu, at that time, she would be completely freed from the pain.Sixteen years of age, full of economics, all paid for once.It is said that after death, you can meet your long-dead relatives in the underworld. Then, you can also see your father, mother and that lovely and pitiful little brother Lee Seung-jo.Yuying closed her eyes, and the kind faces of her parents appeared in front of her eyes. She thought of her childhood again, what a good time it was!My father lived in a thousand households of Jinyiwei. Although nine out of ten officials in Jinyiwei were domineering and domineering, my father never did that.After his father returned home, he often taught Yuying and his siblings to be knowledgeable, upright and benevolent. Mother was a virtuous woman who loved her children as their lifeblood.Unfortunately, she passed away when her brother was two years old.But that deep maternal love is one that people will never forget for the rest of their lives... Mother passed away early, and father often led troops away. In order to make Yuying and her four brothers have someone to take care of them, they remarried Jiao.In the second year, Jiao gave birth to another boy, Li Yanu.Unexpectedly, in order to make her own son inherit his father's title of a thousand households, the stepmother started to frame Li Chengzu, the younger brother.In the beginning, he just took advantage of the time when his father was not at home, beat and scolded him, refused to give him food, and tortured his ten-year-old brother until he was pale and emaciated.The cute little brother, for fear of his sisters being sad, never shed tears in front of his sister.Every time he was beaten, when his sister touched his bruised little face and wept secretly, the younger brother always endured the pain and comforted his sister, saying: "Sister, don't cry, I don't hurt, I don't hurt. In order not to attract the attention of the father, the vicious stepmother did not dare to leave obvious scars on the younger brother, and even refused to give the younger brother a bite of food for three days. The younger brother was finally too hungry to walk.That night, Yuying, her elder sister Guiying, and her younger sister Taoying secretly saved some Tommy and sent it to her younger brother. For the first time, her younger brother cried in her elder sister's arms. His tears were like broken pearls. It dripped down his slender little face.The four siblings hugged each other, almost crying.On a late autumn night, the cold moonlight shone on the thinly clad orphans. There was no warmth at all, only a bone-chilling chill.

As the saying goes: "Blessings never come together, misfortunes never come singly." Just as the siblings were living like years under the ravages of their stepmother, their father died in battle in Shaanxi.When the news came, the brothers and sisters were in agony, but the stepmother stepped up her efforts to harass the little brother, saying that her father died in the battle, and the bones were not complete. She forced the ten-year-old brother to go to Shaanxi, thousands of miles away, to find his father. remains.My God, this is asking my younger brother to be a filial piety, and it is clearly killing my younger brother!The sensible younger brother knew that it would be impossible not to leave, so he carried a simple luggage and headed for Shaanxi resolutely.It was an early morning covered with snowflakes. Sister Yuying sent her little brother off with tears in her eyes. Looking at his childish little face, the heart of being an older sister was simply heartbroken.The siblings joined hands, telling endless heartfelt words, and no one was willing to leave.The westerly wind howled and lifted up the thick sandy soil on the outskirts of Beijing, making the sky and fields all gray.At the head of the Lugou Bridge, reeds and grasses are everywhere, and there is a scene of desolation.The younger brother knelt down, kowtowed to the grief-stricken older sisters, and left with tears.The yellow sand rolled, and soon his thin figure was covered in the misty flying dust.What a sad parting between life and death, "We will be farewell from now on, and the two places will love each other like a dream", brother, I hope the heavens will be fair and bless you on your journey safe!

Li Yuying couldn't think about it anymore, her young girl's heart really couldn't tolerate so much bitterness.She only remembered that after her younger brother left, her eldest sister, Li Guiying, was sold by her stepmother to a powerful family as a slave.The third sister, Li Taoying, couldn't bear the abuse by her stepmother, so she ran away from home and wanted to take refuge at her grandmother's house, but her stepmother sent someone to chase her back, strip her clothes, and beat her so badly that she almost died.From then on, whenever my sister complained, she would be beaten severely.The 14-year-old sister suffered layer upon layer of club wounds, but her stepmother's beatings and scoldings were as ruthless as ever.The two sisters could only weep for each other, who would dare to resist a little bit?The good news is that a year later, the young brother came back in a hurry. The simple luggage had already been lost, but he brought back his father's bones.How embarrassing for this eleven-year-old child!When the younger brother came back, the family finally got a little angry. At night, the younger brother would often talk to his elder sister about the hardships on the road to find his father.Unexpectedly, the cruel stepmother was afraid that her younger brother would take away the position of a thousand households that was about to be inherited by her own son as the eldest son, so she went crazy and tricked her younger brother into drinking vegetable soup with arsenic in it.Poor little brother, instead of dying on the westbound road covered with thorns and hazels, he died at the hands of his stepmother.The vicious Mrs. Jiao, in order not to cause public outrage, personally dismembered his brother's body, took it out bit by bit, and threw it into the rushing moat.In the end, Yuying was sent to Jinyiwei Prison on the charge of "adultery".

When Jiao Rong sent the evidence of Yuying's seduction of an adulterer to Jinyiwei, Chen Yin, the commander of Jinyiwei who personally tried the case, immediately believed the plaintiff's one-sided words.Yuying is not allowed to argue, and blindly pursues the adulterer.Since Yuying entered the prison, she has kept silent. She knows that once she enters Jinyiwei's prison, there is no possibility of surviving.He was also worried that if he told the truth, the Jiao family would be punished, and his three-year-old brother Li Yanu would have no one to support him, and he would die of cold and starvation, which would cut off the fireworks in the Li family.Therefore, even though she has suffered all kinds of punishments and shed several layers of skin for more than a year, she has not given a single confession.Chen Yin couldn't catch up with the adulterer, and couldn't close the case, which delayed the case for more than a year.The more he couldn't close the case, the more Chen Yin hated Yuying, so he staged a scandal in which Wuying took advantage of her coma and forced her fingerprints.After the case was closed, he ordered Yuying to be put on death row, only to wait for Ling Chi after Qiuhou.Jin Yiwei's unjust imprisonment happened almost every day, once the case was determined, there was absolutely no possibility of changing it, Chen Yin had long put this matter behind his neck.

In the feudal society, there were many unjust cases, all of which happened by chance. In the open and secret struggles among the ruling classes, they were exploited by one faction and brought to justice.Li Yuying just caught up with this coincidence. Not long after Yuying was imprisoned, a big political contest took place among the upper-level rulers of the Ming Dynasty.The newly enthroned Emperor Jiajing was originally the cousin of the dead Emperor Zhengde. After he ascended the throne of the emperor, he planned to call his own father, Xingxian King Zhu Huhang, Huang Kao, and Ming Xiaozong, the father of Zhengde Emperor, as Huang Kao. Emperor uncle test.It was opposed by more than 200 court officials headed by the cabinet assistant Yang Tinghe. These courtiers all advocated that Emperor Xiaozong, the father of Emperor Zhengde, should be the emperor's test, and Emperor Jiajing's biological father should be called the emperor's uncle.Of course, Emperor Jiajing refused to comply, and the two sides insisted on their own opinions and refused to give in to each other.This "big gift" dispute has been stalemate for three years and there is no final conclusion.In the third year of Jiajing, Emperor Jiajing used Zhang Cong, a Jinshi who had always catered to him, and others to launch a fierce attack on Yang Tinghe's faction who opposed him.In July, the conflict reached its climax. Yang Ting and 229 court officials from one faction knelt in front of the "Zuoshun Gate" in the Forbidden City, crying and admonishing Jiajing to take Xiaozong as the emperor's test.Jiajing was furious and ordered the arrest of admonishing officials, 220 people were arrested at once, more than 180 of them were arrested by the court, 17 ministers were killed on the spot, and 8 prestigious court officials Discharged to the frontier, the chief assistant Yang Tinghe was also forced to retire and return to his hometown.The crackdown came very suddenly, after the crackdown.People in the court were unstable, and many court ministers who were not implicated also showed dissatisfaction.In order to stabilize people's hearts, Emperor Jiajing issued many decrees that could change his passive situation.He knows very well that there are many unjust cases in Jinyiwei Prison, and people all over the world have long criticized this.Therefore, a special order was given to Jin Yiwei—the "Sacred Order": "Because the weather is too hot, the soldiers and civilians in prison have not been released, and the eunuchs are still sent for interrogation. If there is anything wrong with others, Xu Tongxing will play it. Qin this Qin Follow."

Although, Jiajing issued this imperial decree only to invite people's hearts and win the support of courtiers.There is no serious plan to picket all unjust cases.But after the edict was issued, Jin Yiwei had no choice but to read it according to the regulations, and pretended to appoint deputy Qianhu Lu Bing, as the chief judge, to receive complaints from prisoners in prison and handle the review matters with full authority.This Lu Bing was the famous Jinyiwei Tishuai (commander of the capital) who became famous later on. In the Jiajing Dynasty, the power of the Jinyiwei under Lu Bing's charge surpassed that of the largest secret service agency in the Ming Dynasty - Dongchang.This is a later story, no need to say more.At this time, Lu Bing was only a small fifth-rank vice-thousand householder, but he had already shown his prominence in Jinyiwei.He is competent in handling affairs, and judges cases fairly, and he is definitely not like other officials of Jinyiwei, who specialize in planting and framing, spreading rumors and reporting.For more than a year as an official, he dared to speak for some officials who had been wronged, and even dared to deny the emperor's individual wrong judgments. Chen Yin, the commander of Jinyiwei, appointed Lu Bing as the chief judge, with the purpose of convincing everyone and expressing his importance to the emperor's will.However, he was not prepared to vindicate any unjust case at all.According to his idea: Lu Bing inspected the prison for a few days, and then handed over a memorial that "the prison is big or small, the judgment is fair, and everything is in accordance with the original proposal" and the job was over.Who would have thought that this Lu Bing would be a person who "recognizes the needle (true) when given a stick"? After receiving the appointment, he immediately moved to Fusi, Beizhen, and acted vigorously, printing the imperial decree of Jiajing into a proclamation, and published it in a proclamation. It is issued in all prisons, and the management personnel in the prison are also strictly ordered not to obstruct prisoners from appealing privately. If they are found to threaten prisoners and hide the oracle, they will be killed immediately. While on death row, Li Yuying also received the "Decree of Favor" from the emperor.After reading the decree, her heart that had been frozen by thousands of miles of ice began to thaw out.This young girl was educated in feudal ethics since she was a child. She believes that the various persecutions of her stepmother are all caused by her own bad fate. .What she is particularly worried about is: if she reveals all her grievances, once her stepmother is imprisoned and the descendants of the Li family are left unsupported, she will be the chief culprit for cutting off the Li family's fireworks, and she will end up rebellious and shameless. Father.Therefore, for more than a year, despite the trials of a hundred punishments, she has never said a word.After being sentenced to Ling Chi, she also had extreme resentment towards her stepmother Jiao, but she never thought of complaining.Now that the oracle has been issued, if he complains to the court, the case may be cleared up.When a dying person sees a glimmer of life, the desire to survive is indescribable.What's more, Li Yuying is a young woman who was once full of beautiful longings for life, how could she not be tempted?However, more than a year of prison life gave Yuying a deep understanding of the darkness in Jinyiwei Prison.She was worried that if she wrote a grievance complaint, not only would she not be rehabilitated, but she would be tortured again.At that time, there is no hope of survival, no hope of death, and a bad reputation of framing the stepmother, and it will be too late to repent.After much deliberation and indecisiveness, Yuying couldn't sleep all night. After Lu Bing issued the emperor's decree, fearing that the prison personnel would cause trouble, he sent more than a dozen trusted lieutenants to go directly to the prison to check cell by cell, and report any suspicious things immediately.When the school captains found Li Yuying, they were deeply attracted by the graceful behavior of the female prisoner, and repeatedly asked if there was any grievance. suspicion.So he ordered the prison woman to enlighten her repeatedly so that Yuying could speak.The female prison guard who guarded Yuying had always sympathized with Yuying, but now she received the order from Shangfeng, and told Yuying how serious the deputy Qianhu Lu Bing was doing his work, and how he was currently investigating grievances in the prison.She assured Yuying that as long as the case was really wronged, she would be able to get Zhaoxue.It was the first time Yuying heard this kind of enlightenment about concern. She thought of the thoughtfulness of her biological mother, the tragic death of her younger brother, and the cruelty that the Jiao family had inflicted on her siblings. Shu complained. In the miserable prison cell, under a small lamp like a bean, Yuying spread out the pleading paper.Countless years of grievances and past events all came to my mind, thoughts surged, and anger was hard to calm down. Yuying's hand holding the pen trembled slightly.She tried her best to suppress the excitement in her heart, and stretched out her hand to gently comb a lock of hair that was hanging down.Stained with ink, I began to write vigorously. "Li Yuying, the daughter of Li Xiong, a thousand households of Jinyiwei in the Forbidden City of Shuntian Prefecture, would like to play: To defend the injustice, to avenge death, to rectify the norms, to repay the common things..." At this point, Yuying raised her head and glanced outside the prison. .The silent cell, the deep prison door, and the dark corridor all seemed to be looking at her, calling to her, and letting her pour out her grievances to her heart's content.The oil lamp in the cell was flickering, and the dim light reflected her delicate face on the rough wall, like a silhouette of a statue.Yuying bit her hot lips tightly with her upper teeth, built up her feelings, and began to write again. "... I heard that the former king said that the five punishments are unfilial, and the four virtues are shameless. I also heard that "The Legend of Martyrs" says that those who are the most important of the rules with one body are called virtues. More importantly, it is called benevolence. Therefore, the Dou family has the righteousness of throwing a cliff, and Yunhua has the heroic style of falling into a well. This is why Zhen Gang often encourages customs, and the name of Liufang is behind him, and the vertical track is endless. The minister's father, Li Xiong, attacked hundreds of households in the shadows. He received the grace of God, and made great achievements in conquering the west, seeking to be promoted to his previous position.The minister lost his mother when he was young, and there were three remaining ministers and sisters, including the younger brother Li Chengzu, who were all children.The benevolent father saw pity, so he married his stepmother Jiao, who was lonely and weak.At the age of twelve, the minister met the emperor's heir, and selected talented people.The ministers recommended by the governor of the government should be elected, and the ministers of the Ministry of Rites are lonely and weak.My father went to Shaanxi on July 14th, the 14th year of Zhengde, and was killed in battle.Heaven has brought disaster to the minister's family, and the displacement is increasing day by day.At the age of sixteen, I was married at the end of the year. There were three sisters, alone and helpless.The plum blossoms have passed, and the red leaves have no proof, so they are forced to overflow with liquid and chant in the form of chant.Occasionally, there is a unique poem in "Sending Spring": "The chaimen is silent and locks the last spring, and the money in the elms does not cure poverty."Cloud temples and rosy clothes are accompanied by soil, how can wild flowers look like a sad person. There is also a poem in "Farewell to Swallows": "The new nest is full of mud and the old nest is knocked on, and the spring is full of curtains to hide the delay."Sorrow whispered farewell to each other, and the painting hall was still the owner. 'It is the one who feels all the body and mind, forms all the pens, and speaks with great helplessness.However, although the mother's kindness is wide, Fucha's ministers are sincere, but she plays poetry, thinking that she is a foreigner, and is forced to blame day and night, and there is no way to seek death.Forcing his uncle Jiao Rong to take away Jin Yiwei, falsely accusing his ministers of adultery and unfilial piety.The courtier is a woman, and it is difficult to talk. The official is ignorant of the trial, and asks about the severe punishment for the crime.The minister had no choice but to bow down and obey, not daring to disobey the order of his stepmother, which was a crime of unfilial piety. " "You have been graciously sympathetic, 'especially because the weather is too hot, and the soldiers and civilians in the prison have not been released, and the eunuchs are still sent to review and record the eunuchs for research and review. If there is anything wrong, Xu Tongxing will play it. I respect this.' I have to have the will to survive. Road, with Zhao's words of death." "Although my father is a military minister, he knows a lot about classics, so even though I am a concubine, I have to learn about his teachings. Kuangchen's stepmother is twenty years old and has a younger brother, Li Yanu, who was born one year old. The minister's mother wants to follow her son, Therefore, when the father died, he ordered his younger brother Li Chengzu's ten-year-old son to go to the battlefield to find his father's remains, in order to seek his own selfishness. The bones returned. The previous plan failed, and the anger was still there. He cleverly poisoned his brother Chengzu to death with poison, dismembered him and buried him. He sold his sister Li Guiying to Quan Hao as a maidservant. Ying, copying along the street, stripping clothes, complaining a little, tortured day and night. Today, I have framed my ministers for adultery and other things. If my ministers are not talented, why don't the neighbors correct them? I have never won someone, but I used a few lines of poems to find them. The wind catches the shadow, and the minister is punished to death. There is no regret in the death of the minister. What is the guilt of the ten-year-old brother? How innocent is the younger sister? The crime of the minister’s mother, the minister dare not say There are poems, the minister should blame himself. The death of the minister is not to be regretted. Those who are afraid of the world as stepmothers can indulge their jealousy, and those who are children can point out the mistakes of the ministers. It is to pollute the customs all one's life, and to use the whole body And obscenity is common." "The minister has been in prison for a long time, and if he has the heart of deceiving the minister, being weak and unhealthy, the minister will feel great grief, and the prison will be panicked. Your Majesty looks down to observe the situation of the minister, and puts the performance of the minister into the department. It is clear that all the yamen know, and the minister is speedy. Beheaded, the body will not suffer, avoid the humiliation of "Xinglu", the soul will return, and there will be no filth in "Bluebottle". I will still review the poems of the ministers, whether there is adultery, etc., and infer the heart of the ministers and mothers It is all on the surface without words. The spirits of the ministers' parents can also be comforted in the ground, and the righteousness of the ministers cannot be hidden in the world." "The minister dared to blaspheme the Holy Lord, and prayed for death to the extreme. It is a case of arguing life and death to avenge death and indignation. I dare not hide my feelings. Please read the book." As I write this, the oil in the lamp is almost burned out, the flame as big as a peanut is gradually dimming, a wisp of green smoke rises up, and the statue-like silhouette on the wall is gradually blurred.Li Yuying could no longer hold back her grief and indignation. Tears welled up from her beautiful eyes and fell on the pleading paper.With trembling hands, she held up the pleadings, pinning all her hopes on these few pages of pleadings made of weeping blood. Li Yuying's pleading paper was quickly sent to Lu Bing's hands. He unfolded the pleading, and after reading a few sentences, he was infected by Li Yuying's tragic and indignant brushstrokes.The beautiful lines of lowercase script showed the talent of Yuchao Yingchao, and the words of litigation from the heart have the power to move people to tears.When he read: "The plum blossoms have passed, and the red leaves have no proof", he couldn't help but praise: "Good writing, good sentiments, this woman should be worthy of the name of a talented scholar." After reading the pleadings, Lu Bing had keenly felt that , This must be a big injustice.Since this pleading paper was written directly to the emperor, Lu Bing did not dare to be negligent. On the one hand, he sent someone to transcribe the copy for future reference, and on the other hand, he sent the original pleadings directly to Ouchi for Emperor Jiajing's review.At the same time, Lu Bing ordered that all of Li Yuying's case files be brought in for him to try in person. Li Yuying's case file was assembled on the same day, and Lu Bing opened it for review without delay.However, as soon as he opened the first page of the case file, his brows furrowed. It turned out that the name of the presiding judge——Chen Yin was signed on it.This is the supreme commander of Jin Yiwei, his immediate boss, and the third-rank official of the imperial court who is most valued by the emperor. How can he turn over the case that he personally presides over?Lu Bing has served in Jinyiwei for many years, and he has the deepest understanding of the temperament of Chen Yin, the commander of the capital.This person has a stubborn personality and loves great achievements. He prides himself on handling cases quickly and never listens to others' refute his opinions.When he was in charge of Jin Yiwei, he was known as a stubborn head. Whenever someone raised a little objection to the case he handled, he would try to squeeze out the objector.After he became the commander of the capital, because of his great power, he was even less allowed to be criticized by others.However, Li Yuying's case has traces of injustice. Will it go to trial or not?Lu Bing hesitated, and Chen Yin's signature in front of him seemed to become a rope with a sheath, tightly binding Lu Bing's thoughts.Unexpectedly, the first case in Jinyi Prison involved the Supreme Commander of Jinyiwei, so what should I do?Lu Bing thought about it for a long time, but he still couldn't make up his mind.He browsed the contents of the case file aimlessly, and based on his years of experience in handling cases, he found many doubts at once. Li Yuying's case file is very simple. There is only one complaint from the plaintiff Jiao, which lists the facts that Yuying usually neglected her mother and seduced her adulterer, and another statement from Li Qianger, the family member of Li's family, saying that the night Yuying was captured, he I saw a man come in from the west over the wall and get into Yuying's bedroom. Later, when he was chasing after the adulterer, he picked up a men's shoe.The physical evidence of Li Yuying's adultery is also very simple. There are only two small poems written by Yuying herself, a man's shoe and an engraved one. A silver hairpin with the words "unwavering determination".Li Yuying's handwritten poems are beautifully written, which is exactly the same as the handwriting she wrote on the pleading paper, so it is obviously not a forgery.But a well-educated, twenty-eight-year-old girl like Yuying is already in love, even if she writes a few poems about spring, she does not necessarily have an affair with a certain man.What's more, Yuying's two poems, though sad, are dignified in style, without any trace of frivolity. It is too forced to say that she misses her adulterer.The shoe that the "adulter" lost when he ran away was a new shoe, with only a little dirt on the bottom. It seemed that it was worn for the first time, and no flaws could be seen from the shoe.As for the silver hairpin, it was heavy, and after twisting it with my hands, the body of the hairpin was soft, obviously made of pure silver.On the front of the hairpin is engraved with the words "unwavering resolve". From the meaning of the words, it makes sense to understand it as a lover's vow of eternal love.However, other explanations can also be established.What's more, there is no trace of the origin of the silver hairpin. There is only one sentence in Jiao's accusation letter: "I have never had such a hairpin in my family."Judging from the evidence, it seems that it is not enough to prove that Li Yuying is indeed guilty of adultery.And there is no circumstantial evidence for the crime of "neglecting mother", so it is too heavy to easily frame a young girl as Ling Chi and execute her death. What is even more puzzling is that there is not a single statement from the prisoner in the entire case file.In each torture session, two sentences were recorded: "The prisoner did not say a word." Explain that the prisoner pressed his fingerprints when his finger was pinched by a stick.Lu Bing shook his head and frowned even tighter. Should this suspicious case be retried?Can the re-examination be approved by Ti Shuai?Should I overturn the conclusion of my immediate boss?A series of question marks flashed through his mind quickly.In the end, he decided to contact Li Yuying in person before making a decision. The hall of Fusi in Jinyiwei Town is more eerie and terrifying than the halls of Dali Temple, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the Ministry of Criminal Justice.Today Lu Bing was going to interrogate Li Yuying here. In order to reduce Li Yuying's sense of fear, he specially ordered the removal of the torture equipment on the hatchback, and sent him to be executed as human servants, leaving only a dozen school lieutenants on duty.Even so, the dim atmosphere in the lobby, the "quietness" and "avoidance" on both sides of the hall, and the tiger head cards baring their teeth and claws are enough to make people hairy.Li Yuying was escorted by more than ten female prisoners, and she entered the lobby in shackles.For more than a year, she has been tried in court many times, and the gloomy atmosphere can no longer stimulate her.But she clearly felt that the atmosphere in the lobby today was different from usual. She didn't hear the soul-stirring majesty of the hall, and she didn't see those executioners who were staring at the executioner. Break the silence in the hall.Li Yuying dragged the heavy shackles, staggered to the front of the public case, knelt down on her knees, still not saying a word. Lu Bing has been staring at Yuying with sharp eyes since she appeared in the hall.Seeing that she was petite and graceful, and indeed had the charm of a woman from all over the world, she asked peacefully, "Are you Li Yuying?" Yuying lightly opened her red lips and replied, "Exactly." Startled, but still looked up respectfully.Lu Bing looked at her carefully for a while, and saw that although she had been tortured, her hair was disheveled and her complexion was sallow, but she could not hide her handsome demeanor, so she sighed secretly: "What a beautiful woman, if she doesn't suffer from this hardship, Sending her to the palace, I'm afraid I'll become a noble concubine now." But such a beauty is unavoidable to be spotted and seduced by some men, and do things that are immoral.Thinking of this, Lu Bing's tone became dignified, and he asked: "You have committed adultery with your adulterer for a long time, neglected your mother, and you are already planning to kill your mother. What else can you say?"大老爷明察。”陆炳紧盯着她问：“难道你不曾与人通奸？”玉英说：“小女子年方二八，继母平日看管甚严，连大门也难以出去，能与何人通奸？ ”陆炳梳理了一下他那整齐的长髯，问道：“你纵不曾与人通奸，可曾不慎失身于人否？”玉英满面绯红，掩饰不住羞涩之态，把头几乎垂到胸前，喃喃回答道：“小女自幼攻读经史，深知礼义廉耻，自古道'男女授受不亲'，烈女自当守身如玉，何敢轻易失身于人？”陆炳点了点头说：“你即没有与人通奸，又不曾不慎失身于人，想来还是黄花幼女了。”玉英面色更加红涨，羞答答地轻声说：“正是。”陆炳随手从笔筒内掣出一根火签喝道：“传仵作。”不一会，刑房班内的仵作领班就赶到了大堂。陆炳吩咐道：“速将此女送往女囚，验看她是否童身，越快越好。”仵作领班答了一声：“是！”随即示意站在旁边的女牢子，把李玉英押了下去。 陆炳面无表情地打开玉英的案卷，眼睛盯着陈寅那笔走龙蛇的签字，不觉又皱起了眉头。约摸两袋烟的功夫过去了，李玉英又被押回大堂听审。两名负责检查的女仵作捧着一张验查书禀报道：“回陆大人，经检验犯人李玉英，身上刑伤累累，但仍是童身洁女。”陆炳把脸一沉，带着压力追问道：“尔等可曾认真检查？”两位仵作答道：“事关重大，小人岂敢儿戏，是小人两个人分头检查后才填写的报单。”陆炳满意地点点头挥手道：“你们且退下吧！”仵作叩头后退下堂去。 陆炳从心中感到一阵可笑，“荒唐，哪有一个长期与人通奸的女子，到现在还是处女的呢？李玉英的冤情是毫无疑问了。”于是他用怜爱的眼光看着李玉英道：“玉英，你即是个童身女子，那么与人通奸纯系乌有，原审已明显有误，自今日起，本司免去你的刑具，从死囚牢中提出，暂拘女监，待官司彻底明了之时，再来发落，你意如何”？李玉英绝没想到已经冤沉海底的官司，竟被陆炳轻轻地挽了回来，感激之情油然而生，重重地叩了三个头说道：“大人明察秋毫，小女子终生不忘解脱之恩。”说话之间，早有死囚牢子走上来，三下五除二地去掉了玉英身上脚上的枷镣，搀扶着她走下堂去。 又是深夜了，京师的夏夜，暑气退下去了，一弯新月，斜挂树梢，把幽冷的月光，轻轻地铺洒在地面上。锦衣卫北镇抚司的院子里，种满了北方特有的草茉莉花，这种被称为“鬼花”的植物，只有到夜间才开放，一丛丛，一团团小喇叭式的花朵，簇拥在一起，迎着轻轻吹拂的夜风，放出一阵阵馥郁的清香，把夏夜装缀得更加甜蜜、宁静。陆炳坐在花丛中的一张石桌前，陷入丁沉思。风吹花动，枝叶轻拂着他的衣襟，他顺手摘下一朵淡黄色的花来，放在鼻前嗅着，但似乎并没有觉察到芳香。在他的脑子里，只有李玉英案的情节在翻滚。凭他多年的阅历和办事经验，要给李玉英翻案并不困难，但关键在于这个案子是陈指挥使判定的。李玉英的状纸中公然指责他是：“本官昧审事理”，这是多么大胆的揭露呀，陈寅见到状子该做何感想呢？自己仅是个从：五品的副千户，今后升迁还要仰仗陈指挥使，倘若在这个案子上完全否决了他的原审，他会答应吗？这些问题都可以退一步想，怕只怕自己把案子审理清楚？也会被陈寅彻底否定。如果他否定了自己的审理结果，再派一个别的官员会审，是不难把这桩假案锻炼成真的锦衣卫别的本事没有，要制造假案那是手到擒来，陆炳清楚地知道，锦衣卫的种种酷刑，可以逼迫任何人说出审案人需要听的任何供状来，那“剥皮”、“铲头会”（把人埋得只露出头部，再用刀砍）、“刷洗”（脱光衣服绑在铁床，上，往身上浇滚水，再用铁刷子刷去皮肉）、“钩背”（以铁钩穿透脊梁骨，悬挂起来）、“抽肠”（从肛门塞进铁钩，把肠子钩出来）。种种惨无人道的刑罚，会轮番降到李玉英这个弱女子身上，自己救人不成，反令地备受摧残，岂不事与愿违了？这一切都是陆炳举棋不定的原因，也正是为了这些，陆炳才难以入眠，只得在花间徘徊。夏皮是短暂的，当三颗启明星在天边出现的时候，才只是寅初时分，陆炳经过一番激烈的思想斗争，决定天明后就去都指挥使衙门向陈寅如实禀明案情，申请重审。 锦衣卫都指挥使陈寅，今年已经六十多岁了，年龄并没有使他显得苍老，相反，由于保养得当，他的面色红润，虽然鬓发和胡须已经花白，但梳理得十分整齐。两只眼睛深邃而精明，使人感到深不可测。微胖的身躯，配上方正的面庞，显出一种难以形容的威严。常言道：“贵人语话迟”，他很少做成本大套的讲话。今天他倾听陆炳的报告时，也是这样。尽管陆炳把语调放得很激烈，老先生却始终不发一言，甚至连头也一点一下。到后来，他索性把眼睛闭丁起来。使陆炳怀疑他已经睡着了。其实陈寅已经把陆炳的话完全地、一字不漏地听进去了。他感到很心烦，暗暗责备陆炳过于认真，尤其是对陆炳竟敢重审由自己定案的案件，更是·十分恼火。但碍于自己的身份，又不便于发作，所以就以这种冷淡的态度给陆炳一个暗示，希望他见风转舵，不要再说下去。偏偏陆炳是一根直肠子，一点儿也不领会上司的意思，还是把案情从头到尾禀报一遍。 待到他说完了，陈寅才睁开眼睛，把火一样的目光射向了陆炳。停了一会儿，才缓缓地说：“李玉英一案老夫完全清楚，人证物证俱在；犯人也亲手画了押，本无冤情可信。你在锦衣卫居官，切记不要年轻气盛，哗众取庞，辜负了老夫的重托。”陆炳恭谦地说：“老元帅的教诲，下官定当牢记，只是李玉英以奸淫罪拟成凌迟，然而至今，她还是个黄花幼女，如此结案怎叫天下人敬服呢？”陈寅不耐烦地打断他说：“那么奸夫的鞋子是怎么回事？”“'矢志不移'的银簪又是怎么回事？李玉英平日伤春轻俏，就有那浪荡男人勾引她，这本是顺情合理的事情嘛，纵使未能成奸，也属伤风败俗，拟个凌迟以正风气，有何不可？”陆炳道：“只是奸夫至今下落不明，银簪来自何处也不清楚，案中疑窦甚多，下官唯恐为一小案坏了大人一世英名，所以才想重新理出个头绪。”陈寅听后越发不耐烦了，他皱起眉头说：“难道老夫不想究出奸夫？查明银簪来历？怎奈那李玉英自进狱以来，就没有说过一句话，几次大刑只听见过她的几声惨叫，叫人那里去找奸夫？没有奸夫，却有证据，除非你能把这些证据全部推翻，不然这个案子就决难改变。”陆炳说：“恕下官冒昧，只要老大人首肯重新审理此案，下官愿意将桩桩疑点都弄个水落石出。若判析不清，甘愿领革职查办之罪。”陈寅冷笑了一声说：“好个为民请命的清官，只是李玉英一案已申报朝廷，两天之后，内庭就要将奏本呈送皇上朱批，如果你能在两天里把案情剖清，还来得及撤回原本，如若不能……也就算了。”陆炳见陈寅有了活口，急忙站起来说：“下官一定要在两天之内把案情剖明，望老大人恩准。”陈寅无可奈何地摇了一下头说：“也罢，就给你两天的时间，不过话要讲清，两天之内如果剖析不清，或此案中并无冤情，老夫都不会轻谅于你。”陆炳赶紧应道：“遵命。”陈寅满肚子不高兴，站起来狠狠地瞪了陆炳一眼，拂袖走出了客厅。 陆炳深知自己请求审理此案要担些风险，但想不到陈寅只给自己两天的功夫，而且从陈寅那句“不会轻谅于你”的恐吓语中，已经听出，不把案子搞清楚，自己的下场绝不仅仅是丢官而已，看来风险是越来越大了。陆炳再也不敢耽搁，回到北镇抚司立即再传李玉英，把焦氏鸩杀李承祖及玉英珍存的银簪来历都问了个一清二楚。为了争取时间，他一面派人去邱王府找老王爷证明银簪确属老王爷所赠，一面决定亲自到焦氏家中，缉访实情。刚刚准备出发，却接到都指挥使陈寅的通知，令锦衣卫佥事朱化南陪同缉查。这锦衣卫佥事乃是正四晶大员，比起陆炳高着两级，让他前来协助缉查，分明是陈寅在有意牵制陆炳。陆炳心情变得十分沉重，但表面上还不得不作出一副兴高采烈的神态，恭恭敬敬地把朱化南请进大堂。这朱化南是一个纠纠武夫，平日只知唯指挥使的马首是瞻，这次奉命监查陆炳，只是一个心眼地给陆炳挑毛病，所以听说要去李府缉访，马上就催促动身。陆炳忙给他也备了一乘大轿，在一群校尉的护拥下，前往广安门外的李府（焦氏）家中查访去了。 焦氏年仅二十三岁，也颇有几分姿色，只是言谈话语中间，透出一股过火的热情，使人感到有些轻浮。焦榕是焦氏的弟弟，二十一岁，生得獐头鼠目，一看就不是正路人。陆炳与朱化南坐定之后，立即传李府家人李强儿来问话，这个李强儿年纪比焦氏还大，身材却十分矮小，讲起话来有点口吃。他结结巴巴地述说了“捉奸”那天的经过。据他说，出事那天的后半夜里，他到后院拿东西，看到一个人鬼鬼崇崇地钻进了玉英小姐的卧房，不一会儿，小姐就吹熄了灯火。他急忙去舅爷房中禀报给焦榕，然后召唤了两个使女一同前往捉奸，等到踢开小姐房门，奸夫已经逃走。李强儿估计他是越墙而下的，就翻墙追了出去，结果在几十丈外的小树林内，发现了奸夫遗失的鞋子，奸夫却不知去向了。 陆炳立即问李强儿是从哪里翻墙出去追奸夫的，李强儿很熟悉地把他们引到西院墙下，指着一段墙说：“就是这里。”陆炳仔细勘察，发现墙体很高，估计李强儿一个很难攀上去。李强儿似乎也看出了陆炳的意思，赶紧解释；“出事之前，墙下原有两块假山石，很好攀登。出事后。主母恐怕再出意外，就雇人来把假山石移走了。”朱化南点了点头，对陆炳说：“看来李强儿的话可信，”陆炳没有说什么。却吩咐搭了梯子，站上墙头向外观看，发现墙外是一条干涸了的水沟，似乎很长时间没有流水了，浮土很厚，还有一些村民倾倒的垃圾之类的东西。沟西约四、五十丈远处，有一座小树林。朱化南站在梯子上指着墙外说：“墙外没有隐身之处，所以奸夫跳下墙后直奔小树林，完全在情理之中。”陆炳仍然没有说话，却令校尉们请几位邻居父老和里正来焦家问话。吩咐罢了，才与朱化南一起下了梯子，问李强儿：“你亲眼见了奸夫进屋了，可曾看清他是什么模样？”李强儿说：“黑暗之中难以看清，况奸夫又是背朝着我，所以不好说模样，但隐约觉得好夫是个大个子，背影显得很魁梧。”陆炳点了点头。 此时，里正与四邻父老都请到了，奇怪的是陆炳并没有问起案情之事，只是闲扯似的与大家聊起了这两年的年景。大家都说：“年景不太好，去年夏天大涝，刚过端午就连阴天，时有暴雨降下，不要说大田里，就是路旁的小沟都溢满了水。今天又大旱，过了五月十三还没有降下一滴雨，庄稼都干死了。”陆炳说：“本千户一定代你们请求免去税收。”扯了半天闲话，才草草地问了问焦家和玉英小姐的情况，大家都说：“李府原是礼义人家，真没想到小姐竟然勾引奸夫。”其中住在北隔壁的农民张保还介绍说：“李二小姐勾引奸夫，我们事先就发现了一点影子。两年前的秋天，我曾亲眼看到李府大汀在夜里只是虚掩着，有几次看见一个陌生的男人，午夜从大门里出来，手里抱着一包东西，鬼鬼祟祟地走了。”北邻的李栓也提供了一条线索，说：“也是去年秋天，我们家的狗好象疯了一样，总往李家跑，我追到李家，发现有几条狗，围着一棵大槐树转，看看树下的土好像很松，可能是奸夫带来了酒肉，二人吃不了就埋在槐树下了。”李栓讲这些情况时，陆炳似乎没有认真听，眼睛却一直盯着摆在屋门前的一面大铜镜，这面镜子擦得十分光亮，连朱化南也好像喜欢上了它，对陆炳说：“这面镜子擦拭得真亮啊！”陆炳这才好像刚刚醒悟过来，应付似地说：“好！好！”焦氏赶紧走过来，满脸堆笑地说：“陆大人喜欢铜境，就请派人搬走吧。”陆炳摇了摇头笑着说：“岂能夺爱？”说罢，回过头来问朱化南说：“朱大人还有什么话要问吗？”朱化南一摊手说：“老夫是个陪审，陆大人如没有话问，老夫也就没有了。”陆炳向里正和乡亲们道了乏，又对焦氏说；“请你们于明日上午到锦衣卫衙门听取判决。”说罢打轿回府。 回到镇抚司府衙，陆炳急忙叫来两名亲随校尉，耳语几句，校尉匆匆离去了。朱化南问道：“陆大人，你看案情清楚了吧？若不是随大人缉访李宅，还真不知道李玉英竟在两年前就与人通奸了。”陆炳陪笑道：“朱大人果然精明，看来此案明天可以了结了。大人一路辛苦，休息去吧，下官下午也不再审事，明日卯时升堂结案，大人意下如何？”朱化南说：“明日卯时老夫定来镇抚司奉陪，告辞！” 送走了朱化南，陆炳才把去邱王府追查银簪来历的人找来，询问情况。派去的人禀报道，邱王爷亲自接见了他，当把银簪取出后，老王爷一眼就认出了那是他亲手赠给贴心卫护李雄的，老王爷还说，李雄本是锦衣卫世袭百户，但在王府中却事事小心谨慎，忠心耿耿，还是他保荐李雄升到了千户之职。为了证实银簪确实出自王府，老王爷还亲自写了一个证明，至此，银簪下落已经一清二楚，陆炳心中也越来越感到有底了。 第二天卯时初刻，北镇抚司大堂就热闹起来了，各班差役，行刑人员，旗牌校尉，满满站了一堂。大堂两侧放置着械、镣、枷、棍、拶、夹棍等刑具。陆炳、朱化南在一班卫护校尉的簇拥下进入公座。陆炳谦让，请朱化南做主审，见其不肯，也不勉强，便坐在主审位上，喝令升堂。三遍堂威喊过，大堂上又恢复了肃静，陆炳下令：“带李玉英。”李玉英已被卸去了刑具，并换上了一身干净衣裙，虽然刑伤未愈，却已不像前几天那样憔悴，轻移莲步，走上公堂。那窈窕的身姿，楚楚动人，跪在堂下，竟令满堂人役目不转睛。朱化南刚要拍案喝斥，却被陆炳用手阻止了。陆炳和颜悦色地对李玉英说：“玉英，你的冤情已全部剖析清楚，本官今日当堂宣告你无罪，待惩治了杀你弟弟、诬你清白的人犯之后，即可回家……”这突如其来的宣判，使朱化南瞠目结舌，一句话也说不出来。却见陆炳把脸一沉，双目射出一股凶光，拍案喝道：“带焦氏、焦榕。”下面一阵随声威喝，焦氏与焦榕早被三、五个校尉拉进大堂。那焦氏在几分钟前，还以为自己是原告，在堂外与镇抚司人员套近乎，闲搭讪，猛听得里面一声威喝，就被拽了进来，一时不知发生了什么事，跪在堂上，左顾右盼，不知如何是好。陆炳把惊堂木一拍，带着无比的威严问道：“焦氏、焦榕，你们是如何鸠杀李承祖，并诬陷李玉英的，当堂讲来。”焦氏故作不解地问：“民女奉命前来听审淫妇，这杀人诬陷的罪名从何说起？”陆炳厉声答道：“李玉英本属无辜，本官已剖析清楚，你与焦榕残杀李承祖罪案如山，诬陷李玉英证据确凿，难道还要本官一一宣示不成？”焦氏与焦榕齐声喊起冤来，陆炳冷笑一声吼道：“带李强儿。”一刹间，李强儿已被押上堂来。陆炳喝道：“李强儿，你受焦氏之贿，诬陷李玉英，现在还有何话讲？”李强儿偷了焦氏一眼说：“小人所说的都是实情，不知大人为何说小人是诬陷？”陆炳随手把李强儿捡来的那只鞋子掷下堂去说：“这可是你捡回的奸夫的鞋？”李强儿看了一眼说：“正是。”陆炳冷笑一声后反问：“你说奸夫是个魁梧之人，这只鞋子尺码却小得可怜，试问一个八尺大汉能穿下去吗？”李强儿被问得一愣，不敢再出声。陆炳接着说道：“昨日在李家勘察，众多乡邻异口同声都说去年大涝，沟渠之间全被溢满，你家西墙外的旧水沟，地处洼地，若有雨水，必首先集中于其内，奸夫越墙跨沟逃走，必定要涉水跋泥，那鞋子上岂能没有泥污？你这鞋子，只有鞋底有点泥土，鞋帮鞋面一尘不染，难道奸夫是飞过水沟去的吗？”李强儿此时早已冷汗满面，无以对答，陆炳喝声：“罪证累累，你还不肯招供，来人，立枷侍候！”当堂一声令下，堂下百人呼应，那血迹斑斑的立枷，立即被推了出来。李强儿吓得面如土色，磕头如捣蒜般地哀告：“大人饶命，小人愿招！”陆炳喝声：“讲！”李强儿战战兢兢地道出了实情。原来诬陷李玉英的丑剧是焦氏一手导演的，焦榕本来对玉英有意，不忍下手，还是焦氏逼着他将玉英送到锦衣卫。事后李强儿得了二百两银子。不久玉英在狱中默认奸情的消息就传了出来。这三个歹人认为此案已天衣无缝，正在弹冠相庆，不想被陆炳看出了破绽，一讯即服。陆炳吩咐将李强乳收监看押，又转向焦氏兄妹问道，“杀害李承祖之事，你们还不肯认罪吗？”焦氏颤抖地说：“民妇冤枉。”陆炳不再搭理她，对校尉们说：“取血衣来。”早有两名校尉走上堂，把几片已经发霉变质的血衣残片抛在堂下，焦氏见状，魂飞魄散，焦榕也像一滩泥似地瘫软在地上。 这个突如其来的举动，连朱化南也被搞得莫名其妙了，心中暗自思忖：这个陆炳难道是诸葛亮再世，怎么半天时间就起出了血衣？陆炳此时却没有顾及到朱化南的表情，只把剑一般的目光留在焦榕身上，厉声追问：“你们此时不肯招供，难道一定要大刑侍候吗？”焦氏再也不敢抵赖，只得招供道：“陆大人不必用刑，小妇人愿招。那李承祖确系小妇人与焦榕合谋鸩死的。”“使的什么毒药？”砒霜二两。”“药是何人所供？”“焦榕从城内目补堂药店买的。”“尸骨如何处理？”“是小妇人亲手将其肢解，由焦榕乘夜间带出，分段抛在无定河中，血衣及头颅一时无法销毁，就埋在院中的大槐树下了。”“所供可是实情？”“句句是实。”“焦榕，你还有何话讲？”“小人知罪，只是杀人之事全由姐姐筹划，小人仅是帮凶而已” 这场快刀斩乱麻的审讯，真使人眼花缭乱，堂上堂下的校尉、差役，没有一个不暗暗称奇。审到这里，陆炳才松下一口气来，吩咐把口供拿去让焦氏姐弟画押。一场天大的官司，被陆炳一天多的时间里审理的清清楚楚。当焦氏姐弟被披枷砸镣地拖下堂去后，陆炳才对跪在一旁的李玉英说：“玉英，你现在可以回家了，本官已派人将你妹妹李桃英找回，现在堂下等着迎接你，锦衣卫监中一年，你吃苦不小，特恩赉发你纹银二百两，作为将息之资，你给万岁爷的鸣冤本章，已蒙圣阅，并降旨令镇抚司审理清楚，现真相大白，你望旨谢恩吧。”李玉英泪流满面，恭恭敬敬地叩了三个响头，被女牢子们扶护着下堂与妹妹团聚去了。陆炳对坐在一旁，呆若木鸡的朱化南拱了拱手，喝道：“退堂。”大堂上下不到一刻钟就恢复了寂静。 朱化南见陆炳走过来搀扶自己：赶紧站了起来，但是没有挪步。他由衷地以求教地口吻问道：“陆大人，你是怎么断定焦氏杀人？又怎么取出血衣的？今天你不说明白，老哥哥可要糊涂一辈子了。”陆炳微微一笑说：“全是在昨天一场勘察中得到的消息。村民张保言道，前年秋天，每天深夜就有一人从虚掩的李家门中抱着大包出来，他误以为那是李玉英的奸夫，我却从时间上推算出，其时正是李承祖被害之时，深夜持包外出，必是弃尸灭迹，而那个外出的又是男子，我推测可能是焦榕。同时我又想到了李承祖的血衣是不可能被抛在河里的，一定是被找地方掩埋了。而李栓又说起他家的狗往李家跑，在大槐树下狂吠之事，狗的嗅觉最灵敏，闻见血腥岂能不来，那么血衣就可能在大槐树底下，此时我紧紧地盯住了那面铜镜，因为从铜镜中正好看到了焦氏的面容，李栓讲者无心，焦氏听者有悸，她面露紧张之色，不断地用眼偷看我，见我背对着她，就赶紧掏出手帕来悄悄地擦虚汗，我料定她必定与杀害李承祖有关。回府之后，我就密派了两个精干的校尉，暗中监视焦氏姐弟，他们没敢挖掘转匿血衣。等她今天凌晨离家来锦衣卫听审后，两个校尉就乘其家中无人之机，掘开泥土，取出血衣残片，这几件事在我开堂之前就已经办好，所以我才胸有成竹了。”朱化南此时才顿开茅塞，竖起大拇指叹道：“你真不愧是包龙图再世，陈指挥使面前，我一定代你美言，请他加倍重用于你。” 朱化南老态龙钟地走了，陆炳回过身来，看了看空空荡荡的公堂，叹了一口