Section 6, Large Dog

Zhang was momentarily taken aback, recalling that the victim had clearly stated to enter through the main gate. He calmed himself and thought it over carefully, and suddenly understood the intricacies involved. The words "dog" and "big" are only slightly different, yet the crimes are worlds apart; sneaking through a dog hole to steal and brazenly robbing with open force are not on the same level of offense

The clerk shook his head

Zhang Wen looked at Huang Renzhi, furrowing his brow in distress and said, "Mr. Huang, what do you think we should do?"

In the afternoon, the court session was to commence. The court officials struck the drum, and the attendants arranged on both sides of the hall raised their voices in unison, chanting: "Rise... to the... hall... oh..."

Is there no evidence

"Indeed, it was I who ordered you to be detained," Zhang inquired. "Do you know what we are about to discuss?"

It must be that this clerk received money from the criminal's family, which is why he deliberately tampered with the testimony. Such tricks, Zhang Wen immediately guessed with clarity. A glimmer of cold light flickered in his eyes; such a petty clerk, openly playing tricks under the magistrate's nose, left Zhang Wen feeling displeased.

After questioning the victim, the next step is to interrogate the criminal. Zhang Wen shouted, "Bring the thief up to the court."

At this moment, the clerk recording the case said: "My lord, the confession came through the dog gate"

The criminal knelt down on the ground

After questioning the victim, Zhang asked him to review the testimony. Once he finished, he pressed his fingerprint and signed it, and then he was released

Everything proceeded in an orderly manner, with each person fulfilling their duties diligently. However, everyone was preoccupied with the case that had been pre-reviewed in the morning, eagerly awaiting how the county magistrate would conclude it. The stout clerk standing to the side was naturally anxious as well. The most nervous of all was the court clerk sitting in the corner, preparing to record the proceedings, as it directly affected his livelihood

Zhang Wenda: "You don't know, the people outside... for example, those like the registrar, probably don't know either, right?"

"I now ask you, did you hear and see a dog or a large one?" Zhang asked, his tone both stern and severe.

Zhang Wen asked again: "Why is this county office in such disrepair?"

The clerk said with confusion: "What does the esteemed one wish of me?"

Certainly, if Zhang Wen were to take a step back and directly convict Huang Dashi of theft, it would also be acceptable. The victim has signed a confession stating that someone else committed the theft, leaving no room for further discussion.

Please go down and wait

Then Huang Renzhi continued to read the official documents, while Zhang Wenda continued to drink tea and ponder. After a long while, feeling extremely bored, Zhang suddenly slapped his thigh, as if he had come to a realization, and shouted towards the door: "Come in, summon the clerk from the criminal department."

Huang Dashi sighed and recited: "The common people's words are all true."

Zhang Wen, feigning anger, said: "I clearly heard that it was through the main gate, yet you insist on writing that it was through the dog gate. Negligence in duty, what punishment should be imposed?"

In the yamen, people were constantly observing the time with the sound of gongs and drums. During the intervals when Zhang Wen was pretending to ponder deeply, he asked Huang Renzhi what the meanings of those three and five beats were. Huang Renzhi explained them one by one, unhurriedly.

Zhang Wen then said: "Li Ke from the upper town has accused you of openly robbing the Li family. Do you plead guilty?"

The clerk exclaimed, "Was it not the esteemed one who instructed his subordinate to close it?"

Zhang Wen glanced at the closed door and said, "At this moment, you called me in, yet you closed the door again."

Huang Renzhi said: "Public funds for repairs will be seen by those above as a waste of tax money; private funds for repairs, since this county office is public property, is such a painful matter."

Zhang Wen nodded slightly and glanced at Huang Renzhi. After finishing, Zhang Wenda asked again: "Was what you just said the truth?"

Zhang Wen expressed his confusion: "That scribe is the one in charge of the main ledger, engaging in corruption and misconduct. As the county magistrate, I could dismiss him with a single word; wouldn't that serve as a warning to the one managing the ledger?"

The sound of boards cracking echoed from below the hall. Zhang turned to Huang Renzhi beside him and whispered, "Hitting hard means you were paid; hitting with intention means you were not paid."

"Who are you, what is your name, and where do you live? Please answer truthfully," Zhang inquired in an official tone.

Huang Renzhi shook his head and said, "By doing this, my lord, you are breaking the rules"

After the clerk left, Huang Renzhi murmured: "I would like to remind Lord Zhang that if you intend to use this matter to achieve the purpose of warning the tiger by striking the mountain, it is likely that..."

Zhang Wenda: "Previously, the victim clearly stated that you swaggered in through the main entrance to steal. Is there such blatant thievery?"

The clerk was taken aback, lost in thought for a moment, then turned to glance at the door, which had been closed by the esteemed elder. At this moment, he did not dare to open it, and turned back to say: "Esteemed elder... what is the meaning of this..."

At this moment, the criminal thought he was about to be tortured, and he cried out loudly for mercy, saying: "Your Honor, the commoner truly did not commit robbery; the commoner merely took a little something, the commoner confesses..."

Huang Renzhi's statement is entirely accurate; Zhang Wen has deliberately placed himself in a dilemma. At this moment, if he does not make concessions and opens that official, everyone will feel that the county magistrate is unwilling to give people a way out. It is certainly not a good thing to lose the people's trust right after arriving. On the other hand, if this matter is simply let go, the distinction will be clear, and it will be evident that everyone need not regard the county magistrate with any respect.

After a while, the chief clerk brought up a young man wearing shackles. The bailiff shouted: "Kneel down!"

When everyone had withdrawn, the scribe remained behind, walked up to Zhang Wen, took out a piece of silver, and said: "Your Honor, I deserve to die. I had intended to present you with your share only after the case was concluded..."

Huang Renzhi was also unaware of what Zhang Wen intended to do, and continued to sit and read the official gazette.

Zhang Wen picked up a ledger and threw it on top of the silver to cover it, looking at the ceiling and saying, "I will keep the silver; you can go down now." Such silver is too good to pass up, and no one would claim it.

Huang Renzhi stroked his beard and sighed, saying: "Caught in a dilemma. Just now, the master should have feigned ignorance, but instead, he saw through it and ended up truly confused... Now, the master should reflect on it himself."

The clerk was taken aback and looked towards the chief registrar. Upon noticing the clerk's gaze, Zhang turned to the chief registrar and said: "During the trial, you also heard it, was it a dog or a large one"

After Huang Dashi finished speaking, the hall fell silent, and everyone waited with bated breath. At this moment, Zhang asked how to easily expose the clerk of the criminal court; the answer was simple: have the victim come up and recount the story again. The clerk of the criminal court could claim it was a clerical error, but it also constituted negligence, warranting immediate dismissal. The county magistrate had the authority to do so, and it was reasonable to state it on the table.

Please provide a detailed account of the events that occurred on that day

Zhang Wen was momentarily taken aback, then turned to Huang Renzhi and asked in a low voice, "How should this situation be handled according to standard practice?"

Before long, the criminal surnamed Huang was brought into the hall. Zhang Wen, striking the wooden block with a loud bang, sternly asked: "Huang Dashih, I ask you, where were you on July 15 of this year?" Huang Dashih replied that he was stealing, having entered through a dog hole, stole something, was discovered, and then fled. The victim, Wang Ke, reported the matter to the county office, and he was subsequently apprehended by the constables.

Huang Dashi, emboldened by his confidence, insisted that it was theft. After a moment, Zhang, with a look of helplessness, could only say: "Take him away, we will choose another day for the trial, court adjourned"

Under the influence of this imposing atmosphere, Zhang Wen strolled into the main hall, entered the warm chamber, and took his seat on the official platform, at which point the sound of the hall drums and the shouts finally ceased

For example, signals are sent by patrolling personnel, with one person inside the monitoring room striking a gong, one person in the prison yard ringing a bell, and one person on the outer wall of the prison using a clapper. Every ten steps taken in the library, a signal is struck once, in the order of gong, bell, and clapper, continuously without interruption, and there must be no chaotic ringing of bells or clappers. Some signals represent phrases; for instance, striking seven times conveys the phrase "It is difficult for a ruler to be a minister," consisting of seven characters, while five strikes represent the phrase "A minister serves his ruler with loyalty," and so forth.

Oh..." Zhang nodded in realization.

Zhang Wen nodded upon hearing this and said without a moment's hesitation: "Come here..."

That day was July 15, which is the Ghost Festival, and the common people remember it very well. The young rascal was also known to the common people; he was from the Huang family in this area, notorious for his vices of drinking, gambling, and debauchery. He had borrowed money from the common people multiple times, but how could they lend money to such a scoundrel? Unexpectedly, taking advantage of the festival, he entered through the main gate and began to take whatever he could find

What was originally a straightforward case has intricate relationships involved

I, as the official, intend to dismiss you. You, fearing this, betrayed the chief clerk and sought refuge with me, is that correct

"Sir, the common people are wronged!" the thief cried out.

Oh? What rules?

At that moment, Huang Renzhi beside him suddenly burst into laughter, stroking his goatee and saying, "Wonderful! Wonderful!"

The clerk had no choice but to turn around and close the door to the signing room

Huang Renzhi said: "Beat him up and lock him up, then have the constables collect evidence, and finally have the victim confront him face to face"

The clerk said in a low and humble voice: "I beseech the esteemed one to show mercy; I have understood the rules."

The scribe touched his forehead, furrowing his brow with a face full of sorrow and said: "I... do not understand what the esteemed one means."

The servant rushed forward and pushed Huang Dashu to the ground. The overseer nearby picked up the bamboo sticks, and although the four were clearly visible at a glance, the overseer still counted them carefully and said to the servant holding the board: "Twenty strokes, hit hard."

Zhang inquired step by step about the name, place of origin, and the criminal's own statement, which was consistent with that of the victim, thus confirming that the right person was not apprehended

If torture is used and one does not confess, the authorities will judge based on their confrontation and make a random ruling to conclude the matter

A moment of silence in the hall. The chief clerk said: "Since the scribe has recorded it this way, why must the presiding judge..."

At this moment, Zhang asked, "Bring the criminal to the court."

The kneeling commoner said tremulously: "I am Li Ke, a resident of Shangchengxiang in Shangyu County"

The chief clerk fell silent for a moment and said: "What I heard was a dog."

The yamen runners beat the drum loudly, and the people in the main hall dispersed

Zhang Wen exclaimed and grabbed the bamboo sticks from the table. Huang Dashih was startled, as each stick meant five strikes; if he threw down a handful, wouldn't his backside be ruined? Unexpectedly, Zhang Wen pulled out four sticks from the bunch and tossed them down to the floor, saying: "No need for punishment; you are not speaking the truth."

Huang Renzhi said: "The clerks only receive meal allowances and no salary. He just wrote 'dog' in capital letters to gain profit, and as a result, it merely reduced the criminal's sentence, which is not excessive. It can barely be considered a petty rule. Therefore, the superior allowed him to leave, but the subordinates will not be convinced by this decision"

"Come, sit here," Zhang Wen said, pointing to a chair in the warm room.

However, he quickly suppressed the discomfort of being underestimated. ... The Shen family must be monitoring his every move now ... . ... This small matter can indeed be put to use.

The criminal exclaimed loudly: "Isn't it true, the commoners crawled in through the dog hole to steal."

It was the scribe who had written the character for 'big' as 'dog', and he quickly walked into the signing room. After the scribe entered, Zhang asked, "Close the door"

"Very well," Zhang said coldly, "Take the thief and detain him first, to be tried in the main hall."

Zhang Wentui retreated to the signing room, sitting in the warm pavilion drinking tea. Huang Renzhi also sat nearby, drinking tea and pretending to review accounts. Whether he was genuinely examining the documents, Zhang Wentai could not ascertain.