Who killed the Ming Dynasty?

The main hall of the Luzhou Prefectural Government was filled with a gloomy atmosphere.

The iron horse-drawn carriage under the dripping eaves swayed in the draft, making sporadic tinkling sounds, adding to the somber atmosphere.

Zhu Cilang frowned, looking around as he saw red marks on his wrists from the hemp rope.

This dignified government office is so cold and gloomy; it seems that the righteous spirit here has long since vanished.

Song An stood close to his right, his gaze fixed on the plaque in the hall.

The four gold characters "清正廉明" (meaning "upright and honest") on the ebony plaque are mottled, and even the edges have peeled off a layer of veneer.

Sitting directly below the plaque is none other than Zhang Yuan's uncle—Zhang Bingchang, the prefect of Luzhou.

He remained calm, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, producing a soft "tap-tap" sound, as if he were truly deep in thought about official business.

Intermittent sobs could be heard from three steps away.

A half-dried leaf hung from a wooden hairpin in the hair of a commoner girl named Xiaocui, swaying slightly with her trembling body.

When Zhu Cilang counted to seventeen, a crisp "click" was heard in the hall—Zhang Bingchang's folding fan suddenly opened.

"The laws and regulations under the jurisdiction of this prefecture have always been strict."

The folding fan in his hand snapped shut with a "whoosh."

"How dare some madman commit violence and brawl within the jurisdiction of this prefecture?"

"mighty--"

The three shifts of yamen runners shouted in unison, causing Xiao Cui's tense body to tremble violently.

Zhu Cilang carefully examined the prefect.

He was born with a long, oval face, hawk-like eyes, and a scholarly air about him.

Although he was the prefect, he wore only a plain blue robe.

He waved the openwork folding fan in his hand at a leisurely pace, like a leisurely spectator watching a play on stage.

"Uncle, please!"

Zhang Yuan rushed forward impatiently, cupped his hands in greeting, and shouted.

"This unscrupulous commoner, seeing my nephew adorned in fine silks, became consumed by jealousy and even allowed his maid to defile my Shu brocade!"

"My nephew was only slightly reprimanded, and he was beaten up in the street!"

He suddenly ripped open his shirt, his face filled with the grief and indignation of a victim.

"Uncle, please look at this bloodstain on my lapel! If it had been half an inch off, it would have almost cost me my life."

He spoke fluently, embellishing and vividly describing the street conflict as he recounted the events.

They distorted the facts beyond recognition, claiming that a young woman named Xiao Cui had soiled his robes.

He intended to reason with them, but Zhu Cilang and Song An intervened and started hitting him without warning.

"What my nephew said is all true, without the slightest falsehood. I hope that my uncle will uphold justice for my nephew and severely punish these two madmen."

Zhu Cilang was furious upon hearing this and cursed inwardly, "Utterly shameless!"

The lie was spun so smoothly; the perpetrator must have done this kind of thing quite often.

"In court, there is no need to address him as uncle."

Zhang Bingchang's brows furrowed instantly, forming a deep frown. He flicked his folding fan through the air, revealing a surprising degree of selflessness.

"One should act in accordance with one's official rank; how can one let personal relationships disrupt the court proceedings?"

The tip of the fan points to the plaque on the beam.

"I bear the imperial plaque inscribed with 'Upright and Honest' above my head, and a three-foot-long sword hangs from the beam. You will have your own judgment on right and wrong."

"Your Excellency, please understand!"

Song An suddenly struggled against the rope and shouted loudly,

"There is more to this story than meets the eye. A powerful servant of the Zhang family abducted a woman in the street, and when he failed to smear her, he falsely accused an innocent person."

"We urge the Prefect to investigate thoroughly and give us justice!"

"A madman!"

Zhang Yuan pointed at Song An, his expression making it seem completely true:

"It was clearly you two who started the violence first. I was forced to fight back in order to protect myself."

"I have witnesses to prove it; how could I allow you to distort the truth!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two servants and Constable Wang rushed forward.

The squinting servant tilted his head and brought the faint red behind his ear into the light;

The horse-faced servant ripped open his shirt, revealing a bruise on his ribs;

Officer Wang solemnly demonstrated his famous swing punch and knee strike moves.

Three sweat-drenched faces were practically pressed against the gavel, swearing to the heavens that Zhu and Song were the ones who committed the crime first.

Zhu Cilang watched coldly, thinking, "Isn't this just blatant lying and turning black into white?"

Song An's face turned bright red with anxiety, and his voice suddenly rose:

"Don't be afraid, Miss Cui!"

"Tell me how they tore your clothes and what obscene words they used to harass you!"

Zhang Bingchang's gaze fell on Xiao Cui, he gently waved his folding fan, but his tone turned cold:

"Young lady Xiao Cui, this manor will not tolerate the slightest falsehood. Raise your head and speak carefully. If even a single word is untrue—"

His gaze swept towards the torture rack in the corner of the hall, and he slightly nodded with the tip of his fan.

"This finger-crushing technique shows no mercy."

They actually used torture instruments to intimidate a vulnerable woman!

Upon hearing the words "finger clamping" (a bamboo or wooden finger-pinching torture device), Xiao Cui gripped the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands.

Her lips trembled, and she hesitated several times before finally being silenced by overwhelming fear.

"Anyone who acts violently or aggressively, even in hand-to-hand combat, is breaking the law!"

Zhang Bingchang rose, put his hands behind his back, and strolled across the desk. As he walked slowly, he began to cite the laws and regulations one by one.

According to the "Great Ming Code": Anyone who fights or strikes another person with their hands or feet without causing injury shall be punished with twenty strokes of the cane.

"Pulling out a hair more than an inch in size shall be punished with fifty strokes of the cane. If blood comes out from the ears or eyes, or if there is internal injury and vomiting blood, the punishment shall be eighty strokes of the cane."

"To break a person's tooth, a finger, to blind a person's eye, to gouge out a person's ear or nose, or to break a person's bone, shall be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane."

He walked up to Zhang Yuan, then paused.

"Judging from the injuries sustained by Young Master Zhang's attendant, it appears that there are signs of broken bones. However, it is difficult to determine the truth based solely on one side of the story."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly turned around.

The gavel slammed down on the table with a loud "thud," sending a chill down everyone's spine.

"Send for the coroner!"

"Examine the injuries immediately and report the results promptly. I am determined to get to the bottom of this case and set the record straight."

He suddenly looked up and surveyed the courtroom.

"If anyone dares to deceive me or disrupt the court proceedings, I will not let them off lightly."

The two bailiffs responded with a loud shout and rushed out quickly, carrying their fire-and-water sticks.

Before half a cup of tea could be brewed, a hunchbacked old coroner came running into the hall with his satchel, and half-squatted next to the servant to begin examining the injuries.

He had half a slice of ginger between his teeth, looked behind the ear of the cross-eyed servant, and then had the horse-faced servant remove half of his clothes so he could carefully measure the area of ​​the bruises with a copper ruler.

Finally, he took out a silver needle from the pouch and slowly inserted it into the other person's Sanli acupoint. The whole process was done in a very professional and skillful manner.

"Reporting back to Your Excellency!"

Before long, the coroner, his back hunched, was already at the table.

"The mastoid process behind the ear was violently struck by a sharp object, so deeply that the bone is visible; there are bruises and dislocations under the ribs, indicating a serious injury..."

Zhu Cilang found it utterly unbelievable. What? So deep you could see the bone? That's too exaggerated! Is the coroner blind?

After the coroner finished his report, Zhang Bingchang's face darkened:

"Someone come here!"

The gavel slammed shut again.

"The coroner's examination confirmed that these two criminals caused bone damage with a weapon. According to the Ming Dynasty Code, they should be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane as a public warning!"

"Present this court to conduct an on-the-spot examination of the defendant!"

Zhu Cilang's pupils suddenly contracted. "I am the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. How can I suffer the humiliation of being flogged in this court?"

This caning punishment may seem like mere physical suffering, but it actually harbors a deadly intent.

Even an ordinary person would die after being flogged a hundred times.

If the bailiffs secretly exerted internal force when they struck the person with the cane, it was clearly an attempt to kill them.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuan's lips curled into a cold smile, and he stepped forward again:

"Your Excellency, according to the law on 'Fighting Between the Free and the Common,' if a servant assaults a free citizen, the punishment is one degree higher than that of any ordinary person. I am but a humble commoner—"

His gaze swept over Zhu Cilang's coarse cloth clothes.

"Insulting officials and gentry should be punished according to the law."

The implication is that the lowly who offend the noble should be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane, but the punishment should be increased to one hundred and ten.

Zhang Yuan's familiarity with the "Fighting Law" is as if he has always used the legal code as a weapon to chop off the necks of ordinary people.

"Young Master Zhang is well-versed in laws and regulations; he is truly a talent in criminal law."

Zhang Bingchang nodded slightly, and the gavel in his hand, engraved with the four characters "Enforcing the law is like a mountain," was raised sharply before slammed down heavily.

"Guards, drag these two criminals to the courtroom and, according to the law, administer ten strokes of the cane!"

Zhu Cilang was dumbfounded. Did fighting really have to be based on social status? Did the lower-ranking person's crime have to be punished more severely?