Chapter 5 The Strange Case of the Fourth East Factory's Disruption of a Female Corpse
In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the area around the Drum Tower in Beijing was the most prosperous commercial district.According to the rule of "Left Zu You She, Former Dynasty and Future Market", Drum Tower has been the downtown area of the city since the Yuan Dynasty.After Zhu Di, Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, established his capital in Beijing, Xu Da, the Duke of Dingguo at that time, rebuilt the city of Beijing and still took the Drum Tower area as the commercial center. up.
Going west from the Drum Tower, there is a market called Xixie Street.The street twists and turns along the Shichahai Lake and leads directly to Jishuitan, which is densely covered with lotus flowers and covered by lotus leaves. The scenery is very beautiful.Along the street, there are many singing platforms, taverns, and a very elegant Wanghu Tower.Standing upstairs overlooking the lake, you can see thousands of hectares of blue waves, golden light, ten miles of lotus ponds, rolling green waves, setting off elegant bridges, exquisite pavilions and green distant mountains, which makes people linger and forget to return.Therefore, high-ranking officials and dignitaries often visit this place, while small merchants and hawkers gather here to sell snacks such as lotus porridge, lotus head, fresh water chestnut, etc., and their daily income is quite considerable.
In a small alley in the middle of Xixie Street, there lived a small businessman surnamed Zhang, who made the famous snack "Sibinguo" in Kyoto.This kind of snack is made by mixing fresh lotus seeds, lotus root slices, chicken head rice and candied ciru with ice cubes.After several generations of careful production by the Zhang family, "Four Bingguo" has become a traditional food in the Shichahai area.The current owner of the Zhang family is Zhang Zhu, who is 26 years old this year. He is honest, simple and kind-hearted. He often helps the neighbors, so the neighbors respect him very much.Zhang Zhu was nearly "established" and had not yet married. There was only one old mother in his family, who was almost sixty years old.The mother and son diligently practiced the ancestral Sibinguo craftsmanship, but they could barely get enough food and clothing.To sell four ice fruits in summer, one has to get up early in the morning to gather fresh lotus pods and fresh ciru, etc. when the lotus leaves are moistened with dew. Only when the food is full of natural fragrance can it attract customers.So Zhang Zhu rushed to Houhai with a big basket on his back to fetch fresh water just after the fourth watch every day.
In the early morning of this day, he woke up a little late because he felt a little unwell. He could have rested for a day, but he was used to hard work, so he struggled to get up, put the basket on his back and hurried out.In the early morning of summer, just after Yin's hour, there was a faint morning light in the east. In the quiet alley, no one walked, and a stream of water vapor evaporated on the dew-soaked ground, making the air extraordinarily fresh.Zhang Zhu's illness was instantly dispelled by the morning breeze carrying the fragrance of lotus flowers from the lake.The moon had just plunged into the lake, and the sun hadn't even turned red yet. In the darkness of night, he hurried towards the lake.
Suddenly, he found a black mass lying in the middle of the path more than ten feet away.What is this?Zhang Zhu was a little puzzled, so he slowed down and observed while walking, until he was two or three steps away, only to find that there was a person lying on the road alone.Startled in his heart, he took two quick steps and came to the front to look carefully, and recognized that the woman lying on the ground was a woman, wearing a simple and thick silk dress.Zhang Zhu is usually best at helping people. At this moment, he thought someone was sick, so he hurried forward to help him, but he felt the person's body was stiff after he got up, and when he touched his chest, he felt shocked. The man's chest was sticky and covered with blood, and Zhang Zhu was dizzy for a while due to the smell of blood. He loosened his hands and threw the female corpse heavily to the ground.At this time, he only felt a chill rising from the bottom of his heart, and his scalp was numb. He didn't care about throwing aside the basket he used to collect fresh water, and ran home in fright...At dawn, there was a mess of horseshoes The sound broke the silence of the night.Several knights wearing pointed hats and cyan ruffles appeared by the lakeside of Shichahai.From their attire, it can be known that they are the most prominent detectives in the dynasty——Fan servants of Dongchang.Dongchang is the largest spy agency in the Ming Dynasty specializing in criminal investigation and prison. Since its establishment in the eighteenth year of Yongle (1420), Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, it has been an institution full of terror and mystery.For more than a hundred years, almost all the large and small reconnaissance, frame-up, massacre and unjust imprisonment in the DPRK and China have been directly or indirectly related to Dongchang.The East Factory is directly under the command of the emperor. It can be said that except for the emperor, everyone in the country is under its surveillance.From the government to the private sector, there are traces of Dongchang activities everywhere.Today's Dongchang fan servants are in charge of suppressing places and searching for thieves, and their nature is a bit like the picket team later.They came out of Dongchang in the middle of the night, inspected northwest along Wangfujing Street, turned east at Shichahai, followed the lake to Xixie Street, accidentally put their horses into the small alley where Zhang Zhu lived, and suddenly found The female corpse that scared Zhang Zhu out of his soul.Several fan servants got off their horses and inspected the corpse, and found that the female corpse was about forty-four or five years old, with disheveled hair, stabbed three times in the chest and ribs, and blood flowed everywhere.Looking around again, except for a basket thrown three steps away, nothing else was found.Turning over the basket, I found a sharp sickle (that Zhang Zhu used to cut aquatic plants) and a rope.Several fan servants immediately called the ground guard and ordered to look after the corpse to find the owner of the corpse. While searching along the road, they vaguely found a few blood-stained footprints on the wet ground. Judging from the direction of the footprints, they were ran to the alley.
Dibao Zhao Yi is an old man who has lived in this hutong for many years. When he saw the corpse, he immediately recognized her as Zhang Sun who lived in the south end of the hutong.Looking at the basket thrown next to the corpse, I was not surprised, because the words "Four Bingguo" were clearly written in black on the basket. This was clearly Zhang Zhu's fresh water basket. Then look inside the basket. For Zhang Zhu's things, the ground guard secretly cried out for Zhang Zhu, thinking to himself: "Zhang Zhu, wow, Zhang Zhu, you are an honest man, why did you get involved in the murder case?" But the things were clearly there, and he How to hide it?So when the fan servants asked again, Zhao Yi had to report the truth.At this time, the news that "a murder case occurred in the alley" had spread, and many people gathered around, shaking their heads and sighing at the corpse.Not long after, I saw a girl in her early twenties running over anxiously. She had a tall figure, a slender waist, a slim figure, a melon-shaped face, and a pair of bright almond eyes under two thick black willow-leaf eyebrows. , quite a bit of beauty.At this moment, her eyes were full of uneasiness, she separated from the crowd, and when she saw the corpse, she immediately opened her eyes wide, yelled "Wow", and fainted next to the corpse.Seeing this, the dibao hurriedly summoned a few women around to help him, and reported to the Dongchang servant: "This is Zhang Xiuping, the daughter of the deceased. The deceased also had a son named Zhang Fu. At home." The servants summed up a few words and ordered Dibao: "You find someone to keep the corpse, and tell her son quickly, so that he can come to take care of the funeral, and we will catch the murderer." He took off the torture tools from his body and searched along the footprints.
After being frightened by the female corpse in the early morning, Zhang Zhu's illness that he had recovered from had another attack. He ran home in a panic, and only said "I was scared to death!" and then threw himself on the bed and couldn't get up.Seeing this, Zhang's mother was very anxious, and hurried over to ask, only to see her son's face was pale, his fists were clenched tightly, and his body was trembling constantly.Looking at her body again, there were bloodstains on the front of the jacket, and a pair of newly changed cloth shoes were also covered with blood. What surprised her was that her son's right hand was also stained with blood. What happened?She stayed by Zhang Zhu's bed and asked for a long time, but Zhang Zhu just shook his head and couldn't say a word.Mother Zhang had no choice but to fetch a basin of water to wash off the blood on her son's hands, and took a lot of effort to help her son take off his blood-stained shirt and soak it in the basin.The new pair of shoes had been stained with blood, and seemed useless, so I had to take them out and throw them in the garbage dump in the corner.After finishing these things, she remembered that her son hadn't eaten since he went out in the middle of the night, so she hurried to the kitchen to take out some eggs and prepare to cook.At this time, the main street gate was smashed with a "dong dong" sound.Zhang's mother is a law-abiding person. She has lived for more than fifty years, and she has never heard such a slamming sound on the door.She put down the eggs in a little panic, and stood in the yard and asked, "Who is it?" She heard shouts outside: "Stop talking nonsense, open the door!" She realized that these things might pose a threat to her son, so she frantically ran to the corner to pick up the shoes. Just as she was about to hide, the door was knocked open.Several fan servants rushed in with fierce faces, grabbed the shoe in Zhang's mother's hand, glanced at it, and said with a sneer: "Why, destroy the evidence?": Zhang's mother was shocked and frightened, muttering Said: "No...no...", the leading fan guards stopped talking to Zhang's mother and ordered "search"! These fan guards are veteran detectives who have been in Dongchang for a long time, and they took the clothes soaked in the basin without any effort. He brought it out. The water in the basin had turned bright red due to soaking the bloody clothes, and Fan Yan became more confident, rushed into the house and grabbed Zhang Zhu. At this moment, Zhang Zhu felt dazed and weak, The famous guard shook off the chain with a "crash", put it around Zhang Zhu's neck, and dragged him out of the house. Seeing that her son was locked up, Zhang's mother knelt on the ground with a "gudong" and begged: "I'm here!" My son is sick, please forgive him. I would like to go to Dongchang for my son. Seeing Zhang's mother blocking the way, the fan servants flew up and kicked over. Poor Zhang's mother, a skinny old man, how could she withstand such a fierce kick, and immediately passed out. The leading fan servant shouted "go", and the rest of the fan servants lifted her up. He picked up Zhang Zhu, threw him on the horse's back, then got on the horse and charged away.
When the sound of the hooves of the fan servants disappeared, Zhang's mother woke up from the coma.She looked at her small yard, only to see that the street gate was broken, the sundries were scattered, and she looked miserable after being robbed.She subconsciously called out "Zhu'er", but she didn't hear an echo, and then she woke up from the coma—wasn't Zhu'er captured by Dongchang?Thinking of mother and child being dependent on each other, remembering the honest and kind Zhu'er's consideration for her in every possible way, and thinking of the strange things that happened this morning, she felt an indescribable sense of loneliness in her heart, and tears flowed down her cheeks.She wanted to struggle to sit up, but her whole body seemed to be falling apart, and she had no strength at all. The part under her left rib that had been kicked by the Panhandle was painful, and she couldn't help moaning in pain.
Neighbors came to visit, and they all seemed to be puzzled by what happened today.Judging from Zhang Zhu's usual behavior, no one believed that this enthusiastic and kind-hearted young man would commit murder, but after hearing the vivid narration of the person who saw the corpse with his own eyes, no one could deny that Zhang Zhu was inseparable from the murder case. Relationship.They came to visit Zhang's mother now, entirely to repay Zhang's family for their help and generosity.Zhang's mother was weeping, and the miserable expression on her face also infected the neighbors, and some people secretly accompanied her to shed tears.They helped Zhang's mother up, walked into the house with her arms, and began to comfort each other one by one.But the pain of losing the child, the sorrow of the loss of the family, and the worry about the son are intertwined in Zhang's mother's heart. What kind of comfort can dispel it?Mother Zhang struggled to get down to the ground, opened the small pillar that Zhang Zhu usually used, tremblingly took out a few pieces of clothes she usually wore, and carefully folded a thin quilt and packed it into a small bag.She remembered that there were freshly boiled eggs in the kitchen, so she stumbled to the kitchen, put all the eggs in a bowl, and wrapped them in a cooking cloth.She knew that no matter who it was, as long as they were caught in Dongchang, they would not be released easily, and all she could do now was to give her son some clothes and some food.She thanked the neighbors incoherently, and asked everyone to go back. Then, carrying a small bag and leaning on a bamboo stick, she dragged her tired body to Dongchang to visit her son.
But Zhang's mother came late, and Zhang Zhu was tortured and interrogated immediately after he was taken into Dongchang.Before Zhang Zhu was arrested, Zhang Fu, the son of the victim, Zhang Sun, had already rushed to Dongchang and submitted a pleading against Zhang Zhu for murder.At that time, a man named Li Qing was on duty in Dongchang. According to the establishment of Dongchang at that time, the highest official of Dongchang was the eunuch who was in charge of ceremonies, and his official title was "Imperial Envoy Governor Dongchang Official School Office" Eunuch", commonly known as "supervisor" or "factory official", under him there is one in charge of punishing thousands of households and two in charge of punishing hundreds of households, commonly known as "posting punishment". And other officials are specialized in detective work.On weekdays, the "factory owner" does not come to the factory very often, and all criminals are judged by "post punishment".This "post-punishment" is the most ruthless, and torture is always used to extract confessions in the trial cases. It just so happens that Li Qing had some contacts with the plaintiff Zhang Fu.He received Zhang Fu's petition and was waiting to issue a signature to take the person. Fan servants had already captured Zhang Zhu.Li Qing examined the physical evidence of the murder—bamboo baskets, sickles, ropes, and the bloody clothes and boots found from Zhang's house. He had completely determined that Zhang Zhu was the murderer.So as soon as Zhang Zhu was taken to court, Li Qing immediately forced him to confess to murder.Although Zhang Zhu was usually timid, he was upright. In the courtroom, he told the story of how he found the dead body and how he was frightened and fled in panic.How could Li Qing believe it? He ordered the use of severe torture. Within an hour, he was subjected to two rounds of pincers, one round of ironing, and the cruelest tortures of stuffing the nose and nailing his fingers.Poor Zhang Zhu was tortured to death with his illness.When the executioner pulled out the bamboo needles from his fingernails, he was already dying.However, Zhang Zhu still has a lot of backbone, he came up with a strong will, and let you torture him in every possible way, but he refused to confess.Li Qing has tried quite a few cases, and he has never met a person like Zhang Zhu who refused to confess to death with such sufficient evidence, and he feels very troublesome.After torture for a while, he was really exhausted, so he ordered Zhang Fu's pleadings, together with the physical evidence of Zhang Zhu's murder, to be transferred to the Ministry of Punishment.
When Zhang's mother rushed to Dongchang, Zhang Zhu had already been imprisoned in the prison of the Ministry of Justice. Zhang's mother couldn't find her son, and burst into tears. In order to find out the whereabouts of her son, she chased him to the Ministry of Criminal Justice with a bamboo stick.But the yamen of the Ministry of Punishment was as deep as the sea, and the gang of wolf-like yamen servants saw that Zhang's mother was a poor person who had no money to honor them, so they raised their eyebrows and drove her away, pushing and shoving her away.The clothes bag and a dozen boiled eggs brought by Zhang's mother were all snatched by the yamen servants, and they were all cleaned up.The kind and weak mother of Zhang called Tian Tian Ying, and the ground was not working, so she had to leave the Ministry of Punishment full of sorrow and step by step.
After receiving the letter from Dongchang, the officials of the Ministry of Punishment did not dare to be negligent, and sentenced Zhang Zhu, who was dying, to beheaded on the same day.Although there was no confession and no prisoner's signature, since the case was issued by Dongchang, there was no need to force procedures.Zhang Zhu was put in shackles and shackles in the hall, and sent to death row. He only needs to report to the official of the Ministry of Punishment, and after using the seal, he can be sent to the execution ground.But just when this unjust case had been settled, something unexpected happened, which turned the case for a better turn.
The summer evening seems to be very long, the sun has already set, but the night is still lingering.On the shore of Shichahai, the sunset glow is bright, and the orange-red glow reflects thousands of hectares of blue waves into red waves.But Mother Zhang didn't care to appreciate the beautiful lake. Ever since she returned home from the Ministry of Criminal Justice, she had been sitting blankly under an old locust tree in the courtyard, her eyes were fixed, and she didn't know what was going on in her mind.Several neighbors deeply sympathized with the old man who had suffered a sudden disaster, and came to comfort him one after another, and someone brought dinner, but Zhang's mother seemed numb and didn't even nod her head.The neighbors left with a sigh, only Zhang's mother was sitting in the courtyard like a mud tire.At this time, the door was suddenly knocked open, and a young woman, wearing a filial scarf and plain clothes, ran into the courtyard, knelt down beside Zhang's mother with a "gudong", and cried, "Aunt Zhang, we are the ones who killed you." For you, we ruined brother Zhang Zhu!" Zhang's mother was indeed a little confused, the series of events that happened today were so sudden and unexpected.Who is this beautiful girl with red eyes from crying?What is she doing here wearing such a heavy filial piety?Zhang's mother rubbed her eyes and looked carefully for a long time before realizing that she was Zhang Xiuping who lived at the south end of the alley, the daughter of Zhang Sun who was murdered in the morning.Xiuping saw her confusion from Zhang's mother's bewildered eyes, and her crying stopped suddenly, and she said with infinite apology: "It was not brother Zhang Zhu who killed my mother, but my own brother Zhang Fu. "Ah!" Zhang's mother opened her eyes wide and stared at Xiuping. There were crystal tears on this lovely girl's beautiful face, and her attitude was so sincere.The old man was full of hope, but afraid that he had heard it wrong, he asked, "What did you say?" Xiuping said, "It was Zhang Fu who killed my mother, and brother Zhuzi was wronged." After saying that, she threw herself into Zhang's mother's arms Zhong burst into tears.
Mother Zhang regained her composure, gently stroked Xiuping's slender shoulders, and said, "Son, don't cry, tell auntie slowly." Sobbing, Xiuping explained the truth intermittently: Xiuping's brother, Zhang Fu, is a rascal. Recently, he was seduced by a few gamblers and fell in love with gambling. He hung out in the casino for several days and lost all the money he brought with him.Last night, I asked my mother for the family heirloom of the Zhang family, the bead-encrusted jasper pendant, and planned to use it to make a big gamble and get back the money I lost.After knowing the truth, his mother tried hard to persuade him to get rid of his gambling habit. Zhang Fu said he agreed, but he had other ideas in his heart.After the old mother fell asleep, she secretly opened the mother's dowry box and stole the pearl-encrusted jasper pendant.The mother woke up from her sleep and saw that the family treasure had been stolen by her son. She was very angry and chased after Zhang Fu. She caught up with Zhang Fu at the entrance of the alley and dragged him back desperately.The gambling addiction was in full swing, and he wanted to go to the casino to make money, but he was suddenly grabbed by someone, and he couldn't get rid of it after struggling a few times. For a moment, "anger came from the heart, and evil came from the gut", so he took it out and hid it in his waist Zhang Fu stabbed Zhang Sun's chest fiercely with his dagger. Zhang Fu survived and stabbed twice in the chest. Poor Zhang Sun, a kind woman, was stabbed to death by her own son.Seeing that it was his mother who had been stabbed to death, Zhang Fu suddenly realized that he squatted down and shook himself twice, but Zhang Sun could no longer recover.He hurriedly left his mother's body and fled away.
Xiuping is a very diligent girl. She is good at weaving brocade, and she is busy until late at night every night.Last night, she rushed to weave a picture of "Magpies Climbing Plum Trees", and did not rest until after the third watch.The young woman was very tired from a day's work, so she slept soundly and knew nothing about what happened at home.In the early morning, I was awakened by the noise of neighbors talking, and when I got up, my mother was nowhere to be seen. I felt panic in my heart. When I arrived at the scene, I found out that my mother had been killed.My brother is useless, usually only myself and my mother depend on each other for life, now that my mother has suffered a sudden disaster, how can it not be heartbreaking?Fortunately, Dibao was a caring person, and helped Zhang Luo collect his mother and leave it at home.Xiuping stayed awake and wept, unable to drink a drop of water.At noon, my elder brother Zhang Fu came back with an unfathomable expression on his face. He didn't feel sad when he saw his mother's coffin. He just glanced at it and hurried back to his room.Xiuping was puzzled, and followed, but saw that her brother had locked the door, so she had to peep through the window. She found that her brother dragged out a cloth bundle from under the bed, opened it, and took out a blood-stained clothes. The scissors cut it, tore it into strips, and pushed it under the bed.Xiuping's heart was beating wildly, she didn't dare to say anything, and quietly returned to her mother's coffin.Not long after, Zhang Fu hurried out again.After Zhang Fu left, Xiuping slipped into his room, pulled out the cloth bundle, looked at the bloody gown cut into strips, and found that it was exactly the blue long gown he was wearing last night, but it had no sleeves. It was taken away by Zhang Fu and destroyed.Only then did she recall the scene of her mother persuading her elder brother last night, and also remembered that her elder brother had asked his mother for a jade pendant inlaid with pearls.She quickly opened her mother's dowry box and found that the family heirloom had disappeared, so she fully understood that it was Zhang Fu who stole the treasure and killed her mother, and Zhang Zhu was just acting as a scapegoat.No wonder Zhang Fu looked so unpredictable when he came home at noon, and no wonder he was so indifferent to his mother's death.Thinking of this, Xiuping couldn't sit still. A deep sense of guilt forced her to rush to Zhang Zhu's house to clarify the truth to the wronged person.
After listening to Xiuping's narration, Zhang's mother got a little comfort in her heart. She was grateful to Xiuping from the bottom of her heart, and deeply sympathized with the rough fate of this young woman.She lovingly embraced Xiuping into her arms, and a pair of equally miserable women clinged to each other and cried bitterly.It was already very late, and the crooked moon climbed to the mid-heaven without knowing when. The sky was cloudless and full of stars. In the yard, there were one or two fireflies flying in the night sky with a little blue and white light. .Mother Zhang removed Xiuping's gentle hand and stood up. Xiuping asked, "Auntie, where are you going?" Haven't eaten yet." A warm current flowed through Xiuping's heart, she thought of her mother, isn't the white-haired old man in front of her the same as her own mother?Xiuping hurriedly supported the old man and said, "No, let me get you something to eat!" The old man shook his head sadly and said, "No, I want to...just go with my son...together." Xiuping couldn't bear it any longer. She couldn't stop, she said excitedly: "You can't die, brother Zhuzi can't die either, the one who should die is my brother Zhang Fu, I will go to the yamen of the Ministry of Criminal Justice tomorrow to complain for brother Zhang Zhu."... Zhang Xiuping didn't break his promise.After she left Zhang's mother, she rushed to the Ministry of Criminal Justice overnight, and bravely beat the drums.The official on duty hurriedly ascended to the court, and only after interrogation did he find out that Xiuping was his own brother.This is an important clue.After the investigation, the officials of the Ministry of Punishment decided to appoint Wei Yingzhao, a doctor of the Ministry of Punishment, to retry the case.
Wei Yingzhao, a doctor of the Ministry of Punishment, was a Jinshi in the early Jiajing period, and had served in the Yamen of the Ministry of Punishment for twenty years.In the past twenty years, he has witnessed all kinds of darkness in the Ministry of Justice, and also personally experienced the life of being a slave to Dongchang and Jinyiwei.However, a bit of loyalty has not disappeared from his conscience. He once said to his colleagues: "A vermilion pen of an official of the Ministry of Punishment is related to the lives of countless Li people, and the decision must be based on conscience." Therefore, in the yamen of the Ministry of Punishment, Although his official position is not high, he has quite a bit of prestige.This morning, he suddenly received a notice to reopen the case of Zhang Zhu's murder.Regarding this case, he heard about it a few days ago. The news that "a middle-aged woman was killed by the Shicha seaside" has been widely circulated in the streets and alleys these days. Want to review again?He couldn't figure it out.In his opinion, it was nothing more than Zhang Zhu's family spending money to get out of the way, trying to get a lighter punishment.But when he read all the case files, he deeply felt that the judgment of the original trial was too hasty. Based on years of experience in adjudicating cases, he saw that the original trial judge had at least three negligence in judging the case: First, there was Zhang Zhu's murder weapon in the case file ——A sickle, but after careful inspection, there is not a trace of blood on the sickle, and one or two traces of dry water plants can be found on the back of the knife. Obviously, this sickle is used for cutting water plants.If the murderer had used it to kill people, the blood would definitely stain the aquatic plants, and the color of the aquatic plants on the sickle was still green. From this, it can be seen that this sickle is not a murder weapon at all.Second, the bloody clothes and bloody boots found from Zhang Zhu's home also had flaws.Although the bloody coat had been soaked in water, it could still be seen that the main bloodstains were near the cuffs, but there was no bloodstain on the lapel.Judging from the blood on the cuff, it seemed to be rubbed up.The murderer usually kills with a sharp knife, and blood is sprayed from the opponent's wound to splatter dirty clothes. According to common sense, the blood should be on the chest and lapel.Looking at the pair of blood-stained boots again, the soles of the boots were covered with blood, but there was no blood on the surface of the boots. It was obvious that Zhang Zhu's feet were stained in the pool of blood.This is also inconsistent with the common sense of killing. Generally, murderers flee in a panic after killing people. It is impossible to wait for the dead's blood to flow all over the ground before stepping on their feet.From this point of view, the so-called bloody clothes and blood boots are not enough evidence.Third, if Zhang Zhu really killed someone, why would he throw the big basket with "Four Bingguo" on the scene?Isn't this obviously self-disclosure?No matter how stupid a murderer is, he would not do such a stupid thing, not to mention that he had never had any enmity with the murdered Zhang Sun family, so how could he suddenly commit such a murderous act?Based on these few items alone, it can be seen that the evidence is not true, and there is also a complaint from Zhang Xiuping, the daughter of the victim Zhang Sun, in the case file, accusing the murderer of being the victim's son Zhang Fu.This grievance complaint was written in a clear and clear context, and it was a sister suing her brother, so it must be taken seriously.According to Wei Yingzhao's scribes, Zhang Fu's home should be searched immediately and the bloody clothes hidden under the bed should be taken out.Wei Yingzhao just laughed it off.He knew that if Zhang Fu was really the murderer, he would never hide the bloody clothes under the bed for a long time, and searching Zhang Fu would only be a warning.In order to find out the ins and outs of the case, he decided not to contact the culprit first, but Weifu to visit the residents of Xixie Street before making a decision.
At noon in summer, the sun is like hot golden needles, piercing the pedestrians on the road to hide in the shade of the trees.In the streets and alleys, except for those who are in a hurry, there are very few pedestrians.On the Xixie Street along the coast of Shichahai, there used to be quite a few small business owners, but they were all driven home by the heat to take a lunch break.At this moment, a doctor with a Shanxi accent hung a sign under a big tree to solicit business.The doctor was very strange. He didn't need to check the pulse when he saw a doctor, but he could tell the cause of the disease by touching the patient's ear with his hand.That's not to mention, he also has a unique skill, that is, he can know the patient's fortune in the past three years through diagnosis, and it is very accurate.So even though the heat was unbearable, he was still surrounded by a group of people. Those who asked for medicine asked for medicine, and those who asked for sickness were overwhelmed.Another advantage of this doctor is that he never tires of asking questions, and his attitude is very easy-going. He can talk to everyone no matter who he is.For a whole afternoon, there were no patients under the big tree.Lang Zhong seemed to be paying attention to novelty, chatting, and inadvertently brought up the murder case that happened nearby a few days ago. He was very interested in the murderer named Zhang Zhu, and asked Zhang Zhu several times about his daily life.When everyone told him that Zhang Zhu kept his own life and was very warm to others, he always shook his head, expressing disbelief.In the end, a serious patient went to the vicinity of Zhang Zhu's home and brought Zhang Zhu's neighbors here to prove that his words were true.Several old neighbors who were brought here praised Zhang Zhu for his kindness in unison, and no one believed that this honest lump would kill someone.They said that Zhang Zhu went to Shichahai to collect seafood every day before the fifth watch. On the day of the accident, he seemed to be leaving a little later than usual, and came back shortly after leaving out of breath.Li Zhen, a shoemaker who lived next door, said: "When Zhang Zhu ran home, I was rinsing my mouth in the courtyard. I heard Zhang Zhu calling the door, and I heard Zhang Zhu say 'I was scared to death', and there was no movement at that time. I thought Zhang Zhu fell into the river, and I didn’t care, but now that I think about it, it’s very likely that Zhang Zhu kicked the female corpse in the dark, and was so frightened that he ran home.” A neighbor named Wang Yun said: “ I don't dare to say anything else, but if Zhang Zhu can start a murder, I won't believe it until he dies." The doctor said with a smile: "You are just talking here, if you really want you to go to the yamen, do you still dare to say it? "Wang Yun patted his chest and said: "Don't talk about going to the Yamen, even if I met the emperor, I dare to say it." The doctor asked everyone again, if Zhang Zhu didn't kill someone, who was the real murderer?One of the patients, an old man nicknamed "Er Zhuge", said: "The murdered Mrs. Zhang Sun was also a good man. She was a widow in her twenties, and she brought up her two children after suffering a lot. Her daughter Xiuping looks handsome and has a good personality." Good quality, often help neighbors embroider some flowers, weave some brocade, no matter how poor my family is, I have never asked others for money, who would not praise? The two of them will have no enemies, it is her son Zhang Fu did not live up to his expectations, he idled around all day long, and even worked as a spy for Dongchang for a while, defrauding many people. The killing of Zhang Sun must have something to do with Zhang Fu, maybe it was Zhang Fu himself who killed him!" The doctor said in disbelief. Question: "Who can kill my mother if my own son has no reason?" Er Zhuge said: "Zhang Fu is not doing his job properly. He has to rely on his younger sister and his mother to support him. Usually his mother often talks about him, and he also secretly calls his mother 'Immortal' , it can be seen that the mother and son do not have a deep relationship. Besides, Zhang Sun hates his son to be a spy for Dongchang the most. If Zhang Fu's privacy is discovered by his mother, he will be able to do it." Speaking of this, people A young man emerged from the pile and said, "I thought Zhang Fu was suspicious. I saw him throw something into the sea on the Shicha Sea in the middle of the night on the day of the accident." I looked at the young man who was talking, and said a little uneasy: "Oh, I see that your eye sockets are blue, and you must be sick. Come here and let me show you." I always feel my stomach is bloated, and I just want you to take a look." The doctor hurriedly pulled the young man over; he touched his ears and asked his name, and knew that his name was Wang Fuyi, and he lived by growing lotus root.After seeing a few people with acute illnesses, it was almost dusk, the doctor took away the signboard, and some people hugged him and refused to leave, so the doctor had to promise to come back in a few days; the people slowly dispersed.
The doctor who saw the doctor was Wei Yingzhao, who was ordered to try Zhang Zhu's murder case.Through this private interview, he already had a basic understanding of the case.After returning to the yamen, they quietly dispatched two capable servants to find Wang Fuyi, who planted lotus root, and asked about the approximate location where Zhang Fu threw things into the lake, and asked them to sneak into the lake pretending to be lotus planters. At the bottom of the lake, they took out a sharp knife with a cow's ear. From the shape of the knife, it was known that it was used by the anti-smugglers of the East Factory for self-defense. After careful inspection, there were bloodstains on the knife, which was obviously a murder weapon.Wei Yingzhao remained calm and secretly sent someone to monitor Zhang Fu.On the one hand, Zhang Zhu was interrogated separately, and Zhang's mother was summoned.It just so happened that Zhang Xiuping often stayed with the elderly at Zhang's mother's house these days, so she was also sent for questioning.Xiuping is a scheming person. After filing the complaint, she took advantage of Zhang Fu's absence and cut off a small piece of bloody clothes that Zhang Fu hid under the bed, providing evidence to solve the case without anyone noticing.In order to find out the whereabouts of the pearl-encrusted jasper pendant, Wei Yingzhao secretly sent someone to investigate more than a dozen pawnshops in Beicheng.As a result, Biyupei's pawn stub was found in the "Hengsheng" pawnshop inside Deshengmen.The date of the pawn happened to be the third day after Zhang Sun was killed, and the pawn was named Wu Ba, a gambler.When Wu Ba was arrested, he knew that Zhang Fu had sold this item to him for 500 taels of silver on the afternoon of the day Zhang Sun was killed.So far, the causes and consequences of Zhang Fu's murder have been ascertained.
After all the preparations were done, Wei Yingzhao suddenly ordered Zhang Fu to be arrested, and the case of Zhang Sun's murder was heard in the same day.Zhang Fu was very arrogant when he was taken to court.But after Wei Yingzhao presented every piece of evidence, he was immediately discouraged, and honestly confessed how he killed his biological mother, and finally confessed that after the case happened, in order to place the blame on Zhang Zhu, he gave Dongchang "posted punishment" Li Qing sent five hundred taels of silver, and Li Qing promised him to execute Zhang Zhu within 20 days.After Wei Yingzhao heard this, a shadow appeared on Wei Yingzhao's face. After thinking for a while, he let Zhang Fuhua recognise, but he didn't announce the trial result.
It was getting dusk again, Wei Yingzhao sat in front of the spacious desk in his home, pondered for several hours, but couldn't sort out the worries in his mind.Originally, Zhang Zhu's murder case should have been concluded in this morning's trial.However, in Zhang Fu's confession, he mentioned Li Qing from Dongchang, which immediately complicated the matter.In the past few days, Dongchang had repeatedly sent people to urge Zhang Zhu to be executed. Wei Yingzhao thought it was just an attempt to save his own face, but now he realized that it was the result of Li Qing's bribery.After leaving the hall in the morning, the old scribe quietly handed in a note, which read "Zhang Fu is the 'pile driving' of Li Qingzhi in Dongchang, be very careful." The delicate relationship between Fu and Dongchang.It turned out that there was an unwritten rule in the East Factory at that time, that is, the fan servants could pay some hooligans in the society to scout for them.Once these scoundrels are found by Dongchang, they become the so-called "two dogs", looking for troubles everywhere, informing and harming people. Dongchang slang calls them "piling".Since Zhang Fu is Li Qing's "pile driver", the two are naturally the same breed. If Zhang Fu is sentenced to death, Li Qing will feel sad for the death of a rabbit and a fox, and the feeling of hurting others.He is likely to stand up and speak for Zhang Fu.皇帝对东厂的话向来深信不疑，而自己仅仅是一个五晶的郎中，没有当面向皇上剖析的机会。倘若案情倒向东厂一侧，自己就逃不脱一个“庇护真凶、草菅人命”的罪名，那可就要身败名裂了。魏应召正是基于这种顾虑，才没敢当堂宣判审理结果，但是究竟怎样断决才好呢？他实在举棋不定。退堂后，他连午饭也没有用，呆呆地坐在书案前反复权衡，还是不知如何是好。
门帘被悄悄地掀开了，夫人许氏轻手轻脚地走进来，在魏应召对面的一个圆凳上坐下，双目深情地盯着他，叹了一口气。许氏今年不过三十二岁，生得端庄秀丽，落落大方，而且胸有韬略，有时竟高出魏应召一筹，特别是她深明大义，颇有侠肠义骨，魏应召向来很敬重她。今天魏应召没有把心事吐露出来，是因为这一案断得是否得体，直接关系到自己的身家性命，恐怕说出来让夫人陪着担忧。但是半天来自己在书房内长吁短叹，苦苦思忖的情景如何瞒得许氏？许夫人不愿意再看着丈夫愁闷下去了，才来到这里询问根由。魏应召不再隐瞒，把事情原委说了一遍，许氏听罢并没有犹豫，义正辞严地说：“堂堂法度岂容儿戏？老爷身为刑部官吏，理当惩处邪恶，伸张正义倘若因为有两三个皇家鹰犬从中作梗，就委曲求全，那张柱岂不是冤沉海底了吗？”“只是这个案子直刺东厂，万一我由此获罪……”老爷放心，如果老爷被流放，妾身愿随老爷一同发配充军。 “倘若我被打下诏狱？”妾愿去大理寺为夫申冤。 ”“万一我获死罪？ ”“老爷为国为民，千古忠烈，妾身定将子女抚育成人，继承父遗志，再申国法！ "
许氏的几句勉励，掷地有声，'魏应召本来就是一个忠直之士，在夫人的激励下再也没有顾虑，立即赶回刑部，连夜升堂，斩钉截铁般地宣告：“张福残杀生母，罪不容诛，坐处斩立决。张柱无辜被执，身历酷刑，实属冤枉，当堂释放回家。张秀萍大义灭亲，维持正义，特令张榜嘉奖。”判决即出，全场惊服。消息很快传遍京师，百姓们交口称赞，魏应召成了众目交注的人物，接连几天，都有人到刑部衙门前欲观看魏郎中的仪容，还有不少蒙冤受屈的百姓，纷纷到刑部投状，请魏大人帮助申张正义，但他们哪里知道魏应召得罪了东厂，一场大祸就要降临到他的身上。
嘉靖年间，设在皇城东安门北边的东厂、规模已经十分庞大了。那座向南的大门，气势相当雄伟，但平常却总是紧闭着，透出一种森严和神秘的气氛。从厂西南侧的小门进去，迎面就是一座祠堂，里面供着历代东厂掌印太监的职名牌位，堂内还有一座小巧玲珑的牌坊，上写“流芳百世”四个大字，表现了皇上对东厂的高度信任。那些在东厂任职的太监、番役常常以此为自傲。出了祠堂向东数十步，是一座十分讲究的大厅，专给厂公使用。大厅左边还有一座小厅，是值厂的千户、百户们审理案件的地方。今天，小厅内显得格外安静，东厂理刑百户李青，从早晨进得屋来，就吩咐不准一切人役来干扰他，连负责递送案卷文书的司房官校，也被屏绝在门外，不敢进来。李青一个人，背着手从厅东头踱到西头，心绪烦乱极了。两天前，刑部就把由魏应召主审的张孙氏被杀案的审判结果详文报到了东厂。李青看到后十分恼怒，正准备把文书批驳回去，又听说案犯张福已在刑部大堂供出了曾送给自己五百两贿银的事情。这一下他感到为难了，如果直接驳斥刑部原审，无异于告诉大家，自己是受贿枉法。如果对原判不闻不问，又恰恰证明自己心中有愧，究竟怎么办好？李青一时没了主意。
时间已近中午了，夏日的阳光，透过雕花窗棱，投射在宽大的公案上，映得李青有些眼花。他抬起头呆呆地望着挂在中央墙壁上的一幅岳武穆像，脑子里却浮现出了秦桧夫妇的形象，“莫须有”三个字在他眼前越晃越大，使他灵犀顿通。他蓦地推开公案上的刑部详文，自言自语地说：“量小非君子，无毒不丈夫。”说罢，提起笔来在一张专门呈报皇帝的公文纸上，刷刷刷地疾写了起来。他按照自己的臆造，把张柱杀人写得绘声绘色，又着实潜张福诉了一通委屈，他特别抓出了张秀萍揭发亲哥哥的事实，编造出了张柱与秀萍通奸的神话，最后还倒打一耙，参劾魏应召接受张柱的三百两贿银，妄出人罪，包庇真凶，枉杀无辜。奏章写好后，他亲自盖上了东厂的大印，不经过司房文书润色，就直接令人送进宫中去了。他知道，东厂上奏的东西，是没有人敢扣押的，即使是半夜里，东华门关了，也可以从门缝里塞进去，当晚就能送到皇帝手中。他也知道，皇上对东厂的紧急呈文，是从来不驳回的，差不多是件件照办，所以他估计，不出两天，魏应召就将受到严厉切责，案子就能彻底翻回来。
嘉靖皇帝当天下午就接到了李青的密本。这位一心炼丹铸药、梦想长生不老的皇帝，对朝政大事可以不闻不问，但对东厂送来的密报，却从来没有积压过。李青的密本言之凿凿，有凭有据，使嘉靖深信不疑二他本来就对刑部官员不放心，这次又触动了他心中的猜忌，便不假思索，亲自在密本上批道：“刑部妄出人罪，当受切责，魏应召草菅人命，罪不容诛，着即下诏狱待审。原案移往都察院，令右都御史熊浃复审后报来。”写完后，他唯恐内阁官员将这道圣谕压下，又特意吩咐司礼监，此谕直接下达到都察院，并责成熊浃在十日内将复审结果具本禀报。
都察院右都御史熊浃，接到圣旨后，心中很是诧异，他不明白像这样一件普通的民间凶杀案，何以会受到皇上如此的重视？他这几天也风闻刑部断理此案后，很得民心。尤其是对魏应召，他更有了解，因为刑部曾与都察院会审过几件大案，魏应召在会审中那种一丝不苟的精神，曾给他留下了很深的印象。因此，对如何审理此案他心中也感踌躇。遵照皇帝旨意，他下令将魏应召下到了锦衣卫的诏狱之中，然后立即行文，调张孙氏被杀案的全部案卷，以便详细了解案情。但是，刑部案卷还没转来，魏应召的夫人许氏已经来都察院击鼓喊冤了，熊浃感到案情复杂，接了许氏的状纸，就一头埋进了案卷堆中。
刑部的案卷，条理非常清楚，张福杀死亲生母亲的证据件件齐全，无可辨驳，而李青密本上的所有指控，都属于虚乌有，经不住推敲。比如，李青揭发张秀萍与张柱通奸，但经过熊浃亲自察访，这两个人在案发前就没见过面。再如参劾魏应召接受张柱贿银三百两，而查抄魏应召家时，这位廉洁的京官，家中竟没有三十两纹银的积蓄。事情很明显，东厂在无中生有诽谤刑部，魏应召因为明察秋毫，得罪了东厂被无端下狱，而皇帝轻信了东厂的谗言，把案情颠倒了。对于这样一个案子究竟应该怎样判断，使熊浃伤透了脑筋。
熊浃深深感到，自己成了一根扁担，一端挑着皇帝和东厂，一端挑着魏应召和几个无权无势的平民。这对立的双方，力量相差是那样悬殊，但是真理又偏偏在弱者手中。身为都御史，自己不能不秉公依法办事。然而一旦秉公办理，就违背了皇帝的旨意，戳了东厂的痛处，后果是可想而知的。熊浃费尽脑汁企图找出一种两全其美的办法来，但人命关天，要了却这场官司就得杀人，实在容不得半点含糊。what to do?这位素以办事决断著称的执法大臣，左思右想，竟然无所适从了。他想到自己二十余年的宦海生崖，想到自己由一个刑部主事，几经周折，终于成为一个二品大员的艰巨历程，想到自己如今已年过半百，再过几年就可以朝廷重臣的身份致仕衣锦还乡了，实在不希望在什么地方与皇帝发生矛盾，弄出风险来。于是，他心一横，提起笔来颤巍巍地写下了一道维持东厂原议的奏折。但是，当他要把奏折往信袋内装的时候，眼前又浮现出了许夫人击鼓鸣冤时那凄切而坚定的神态，耳际又响起了魏应召在被缉拿下狱前那几句义正词严的话语：“王法条条，岂能轻废，国家法司，焉可徇私？”不觉又犹豫起来。他似乎看到了无辜的张柱被绑赴刑场就戮，看到了纤弱的张秀萍被铐镣入狱，看到了李青和张福那得意的狞笑。熊浃再也坐不住了，他感到自己做了一件与自己人格相悖的丑事，自己在心目中树立起来的公正廉明的信念竟受到了渎亵。感到整个京师的人都在指着自己的背影顿足唾骂。熊浃到底是一个明辨是非的人，经过反复权衡，还是觉得不能用徇私枉法的行径去换取皇上的欢心和东厂的青睐。于是又把写好的奏折取出来，就着已燃得将尽的蜡烛烧毁了。奏折被火焰灼食着，顷刻化为灰烬。当最后一点火焰陡然熄灭，一缕青烟徐徐升起的时候，熊浃的嘴角露出了一丝微笑，那微笑中有轻松、有苦涩，也有对未卜的将来的蔑视……紫禁城中的养心殿，原本是嘉靖皇帝料理政务、会见台阁重臣的地方。但自从嘉靖迷恋上了炼丹术以后，这里已经十余年没有外臣涉足了。为了炼丹方便，他把一座和太上老君的八卦炉——样的丹炉架到了养心殿的东暖阁内，整天坐在炉前添火、扇风，怀着极大的希望盼望着炼出一颗长生不老的丹药。但是，他的凡心并没有脱尽，除了炼丹，他还时时注视着宫门外的风吹草动。极端的权力欲，使他对群臣一概地持不信任态度，而对由他亲自掌握的两支庞大的特务机构——东厂和锦衣卫却百般宠信、三天前，他亲自朱批了东厂千户李青呈送的关于张孙氏被杀案的密本，今天就迫不及待地问司礼监太监有没有都察院的奏折。偏偏司礼监就从一厚摺奏折中找到了都御史熊浃的本章。当嘉靖接过这本写得恭恭整整的折子时，心里涌起了一股快感，他既为熊浃能在这么短的时间内把案情复核完毕而惊叹，又为自己的圣旨能得到臣下这样重视而欣慰。可是当他打开奏折看了两行后，脸色立刻阴沉下来了。越往下看，脸上的怒容越重，看到最后，他不由一顺手就把奏折抛进了熊熊的炉火中。原来，熊浃的奏折竟与刑部一个鼻孔出气，力主维持魏应召的原议，并在奏折中狠狠指斥了东厂徇私受贿、诬良为盗的行径，指出应当免除东厂干涉三法司的权力。把司法大权交还给三法司，这是嘉靖最怕听的话，他怎能不雷霆暴怒？
看见皇帝发怒，侍候在殿外的宫娥、内监慌了，齐齐地跪了一地，静静地听候着嘉靖的旨意。嘉靖气得双手乱抖，连炼丹也顾不得了，对着司礼监秉笔太监吼道：“传孤旨意，魏应召即刻革职查问。熊浃暂解都御史之职，回家听参。另派刑部给事中陆粲、刘希简二人重新审理张柱杀人案，五日内必须将案情审清，如有差误，拿陆、刘二人是问！”秉笔太监哪敢怠慢，立时拟旨、用印，只两个时辰就将一切办好，发到刑部去了。
刑部给事中陆粲、刘希简接到宫里发下的急旨时，已经是黄昏时分了。两个司法官不敢拖延，连在都察院的案卷也来不及调，就匆匆赶赴都察院，借了一处房子，当即商议复审方法。陆粲今年刚交“不惑”之龄，办事决断，而且性格方正，不肯阿谀奉承，很有点包龙图的气度。在刑部衙门中，他与魏应召私交最厚，魏应召在复审此案后，曾与他详细谈过案情的细节，所以不用再翻案卷，陆粲也能把整个案情讲清楚。魏应召也向他透露过自己审理此案时的矛盾心情，他当时还曾进行过劝慰。在他看来，魏应召秉公断案理直气壮，不会有谁敢来加害于他。谁料短短几天里，皇帝两道圣旨，魏应召从抄家下诏狱到被革职查办，连遭惨重摧残，陆粲才感到事态的严重性。不料今天这个难断的案子又降临到自己头上来了。
陆粲清楚地知道，这个案子说难也难，说容易也容易。皇上的意思很明白，就是让按照东厂密本的路子办，只要朱笔一点，将张柱判斩，张福释放，一天的乌云就烟消云散了，这还不容易吗？但是，那样一来，是非就被颠倒了，这个案子虽然不大，但经过几次反复，京师上下已几乎家喻户晓，自己迎合了皇帝，却违悖了民心。不但要遭万民唾骂，而且也对不起挚友魏应召，这就是案子的难办之处。陆粲与刘希简刚一碰面，就把自己的想法全盘说出来了。老谋深算的刘希简，满把胡须已经斑白了。这位在刑部当了年四十年执法官的老先生，听了陆粲的话后，没有表示任何态度，只是狡狯地望着陆粲说：“依陆大人的主意应该怎样断才好呢？”陆粲看着刘希简那闪烁不定的眼神，心想：看来他还没有一定的主见，我不如以大义去打动他，使他与我同心戮力。于是，把语调放得十分坚定地说：“此案情节清楚，脉咯分明，魏郎中是依法而断，岂能推翻？”刘希简似乎没有听明白，眨了眨几乎睁不开的小眼问道：“大人的意思是说完全依魏应召的原议？”陆粲简直有点生气了，冷冷地说：“正是。”刘希简不言语了，只见他微闭起双目，嘴里自言自语地叨唠着，也听不出他说的什么，但是可以看出他是盘算着这样处理会得到什么结果！陆粲被刘希简的这种神态引得有点好笑，他紧紧地盯着刘希简那张正在紧张思索的面孔，等着下文。过了好一会儿，刘希简才摇了摇头说：“不妥，不妥，陆大人这样断，无异于引火烧身。”陆粲不高兴地说：“难道依东厂的判断？”刘希简似乎没有听见这句追问，只是絮絮叨叨地说：“斩了张福，东厂等于彻底败讼，那李青之流岂肯罢休？放了张柱，皇帝的旨意等于放屁，万岁爷焉能照准？到时候—'道圣旨下来，不但保不住要保的人，反而把我二人饶进去，这又何苦来？何况熊都御史地位那样显赫，只因替魏应召说了几句真话，就落了个解职待罪的下场，你我小小四品京官，又怎能力挽狂澜？”陆粲听了这几句话，心头也罩上了一层冰。虽然他不满刘希简的明哲保身，但仔细一想，刘希简说的又句句是实情，于是也变得哑口无言了。
时间已到了下半夜，从大街上传来的阵阵梆声，报告着天色已近三更。两位复审官员你看着我，我看着你，谁也不知如何是好。刘希简从大太师椅上站了起来，步履蹒跚地走到门前，把虚掩的屋门推开。一股夜风卷着阵阵花香吹进屋来，使人感到'了一点清爽。他不再坐下，只是佝偻着腰身，倒背着双手，在屋里踱起步来。走了一会，他似乎有了点新的启示，眼睛一亮，说声：“有了。”陆粲赶忙走过来问：“刘大人莫非有了力挽狂澜的妙计？”刘希简此时忽然一扫他那龙钟的老态，面情庄重，语调恳切地说：“陆大人，老朽自接到圣旨后，就知道审完此案，老朽的宦途生涯也就该结束了。说实在的张孙氏被杀一案，只有依魏郎中之议才可使天纲恢恢、民心俯顺，老朽再昏庸也不会不知道这一点。我所顾虑的只是陆大人，大人今年刚满不惑，正是鹏程万里之时，况且大人才华横溢，方正忠直，前途不可限量，如果和老朽一道维持原议，下场必然和魏郎中'相同。为揭示李青一个人丑恶，同时毁掉两个复审官员，未免有点不值得。所以老朽千方百计企图寻求一条两全其美的良策。无奈冰火不同炉，实在难以在李青和魏郎中之间找出一个互不伤害的办法……”刘希简说到这里，似乎有点动感情了，他用炯炯有光的双目盯着陆粲说：“陆大人从明天起可上本告假，老朽当于三天之后，上本替魏郎中力争。倘若天恩浩荡，准了我的奏本，那满城的风雨自可平息，倘惹万岁震怒降罪，自有老朽一人承担。老朽今年已近古稀，儿女子孙都远在四川务农，谅无可牵连……”“不！”刘希简的话没有说完，陆粲就激动地打断了他，“老大人年事已高，我陆粲岂能让大人挺身领险，不如大人称病告假，此案由我陆某一人料理，纵有塌天大祸，陆某愿一力承担！”刘希简深为陆粲的不避斧钺所感动，坚持要自己一人上本。两位忠肝义胆的直臣，直争了半个时辰，谁也劝不退谁，最后陆粲才说：“既然如此，不如咱们谁也不回避，联名上表，也许两个人比一个的影响大一点，万岁会采纳忠言呢？”刘希简想了一下，也不再坚持，于是一老一中两位审案官员，一字一句地探讨起给皇帝的奏本来。
嘉靖没有想到，在自己急旨降下的第二天下午，陆粲、刘希简的复审本章就送来了。他自己度测，陆刘二人之所以这么快就回奏，说明他们已经领会到自己袒护东厂的意思，这道奏本必定会痛驳刑部原议。因此，在展开折子前，他特别仔细看了一眼奏折封面上那苍劲有力的题名。但是，读到奏折正文后，嘉靖不由震怒了。这道奏折没有过多地讲述案情经过，只将证据一一列明，但案情已然一目了然。而对李青受贿、东厂横行、京师民怨沸腾的情况，写得详详细细，奏本上大声疾呼“严惩阉贼，整肃法纪，以定民心”。这恰似万根钢针字字刺到嘉靖的心尖上，对于这种不识时务的奏本，他岂能置之不问！他把这道奏本同样掷入了炼丹炉，然后传旨，将陆粲、刘希简一起投入诏狱，并明确表示，刑部官吏互相偏袒，妄出入罪，魏应召原议必须推翻。为了怕自己这道圣旨再遭反驳，他命令将圣旨先发到东厂，由东厂百户李青亲自送到刑部督审，并指定由一名侍郎亲自主持复审。圣旨发下后，嘉靖犹自余怒未息，以致于差点忘了往炼丹炉下添火，直到一名伴驾宫女惊呼炉火不旺时，他才赶紧跑进暖阁，用力地扇起那渐渐微弱下去的火焰。
嘉靖为了一桩民事案件，十天之内连降三道圣旨，把刑部三位主管官员投进了沼狱的消息，很快传遍了京师。酒肆茶楼之内，街谈巷语之中，几乎都要扯到这个案子。大家异口同声地称赞魏应召、熊浃和陆粲、刘希简，不少人说：“如果三法司里都像这几位大人那样不避斧钺，大明江山就有指望了。”市内的一些商户及士绅，还派人给被囚的主审官送酒菜，以示慰问。右都御史熊浃在家中听参，每天都有人来拜望他，为避免嫌疑，熊浃一概不予接见。合城上下都睁大眼睛，看着刑部的最后审理。
第四次复审的主审人是刑部侍郎许赞。这个人在刑部任职多年，但一直默默无闻。据说在审理各种案件时，许侍郎从来不多开口，因此他颇有一种语迟威重的风度，而刑部上下的官员，提起许侍郎来，也总有一种敬而远之的感觉。听不见人说他的坏话，但也看不见他做出的哪一件业绩。刑部把圣旨发到许赞头上时，他犹疑了一下，还是顺从地接了。跟着，他宣布组成了一个二十余人的复审机构，并于当天就把案卷从都察院调回了刑部。第二天，张柱、张福、张秀萍都被传到了刑部，而且被监禁了起来。东厂百户李青奉旨督促复审，但李青到刑部去了三次，都被许侍郎挡了驾。这一系列消息，好似开戏前的紧锣密鼓，使人们纷纷猜度着复审的结果。
转眼间十天过去了，北京城里已开始刮起了飒爽的秋风，但刑部审理的结果，仍然没有出来。据说许侍郎派出二十多个人去什刹海的一带察访，已经得到了新的证据，但凶犯究竟是张柱还是张福，却没有人透露一点消息。
其实，主审大员许赞，早已将复审的奏章写好了，他之所以迟迟不往上递送，是为了仔细观察一下京师百姓的态度。在接到圣旨的那天，许赞已经意识到，这个案子不按皇上的旨意办是断断行不通的。他在京居官多年，深谙官场中的规律，要想不断升迁，首先不能得罪皇帝，第二不能得罪东厂和锦衣卫。现在案子明摆着是以皇帝和东厂为一方，以熊浃和魏应召为另一方，不管怎么权衡，皇帝和东厂也比都察院厉害得多，所以许赞早已确定了一定宗旨——百分之百地照皇帝的旨意办事。他暗中嘲笑熊浃等人是以卵击石，而自己是绝对不干那种傻事的。现在他把案子压了十几天，对于民间的议论也听够了。尽管他已知道民间的舆论都是同情张柱和秀萍，而对东厂怨声载道，但他感到，顺从了皇帝，无非要在百姓中落个执法不公的名声，那算得了什么？“官大压死人。”只要保住了自己的职衔，何惧几声背后的指责呢？于是他在九月初一日，公开升堂审理了这件众目交注的案子。
刑部衙门外，挤满了前来听审的人。老态龙钟的张母，青衣素服的许夫人，都被人簇拥到了最前面。刑部大堂上今天并没有那种森严的气氛，许侍郎只准二十一名复审官员进入大堂，而没有传唤三班衙役和刑房书吏。审判仪式也很简单，许大人叫一个，大牢内押出一个，上堂来并不问讯，就由主审官宣读结果。案子只审了半个时辰就结束了——杀人凶犯定为“四冰果”贩子张柱，判处斩立决。被害人张孙氏之子张福无辜受监，赏银五两当堂释放。张福之妹张秀萍，与凶犯张柱关系暧昧，诬陷其兄，判处杖一百棍，赶出京师。刑部郎中魏应召受贿枉法，妄出入罪，即刻发往云南充军。张柱的邻人李真、王云乱出伪证，与魏应召一道充军。
榜文贴出，全城哗然，但是人言固然可畏，权势更能压人。无辜的张柱于当天被押赴市曹处斩，张母悲愤难忍，于当天夜间举身