So!【4500】

Kyoto, Kyoto Administrative Office, Hakushu——

Hakushu: The courthouse of judicial institutions such as the Edo Period. It was named after it was covered with white sand, which symbolizes justice and sanctity.

A straw mat was spread in the center of Baizhou, and the suspect who was tied up sat on his knees.

The police officer named "Shengtori" stands behind the suspect, holding the hemp rope that binds the suspect, and is on guard against the suspect doing anything inappropriate.

Tongxin, who was responsible for assisting in the trial of the case, sat on both sides of Baizhou.

Yinwei Fang Yuli and Lisuke, who were responsible for trying the case, as well as the clerk who recorded the trial process, were all sitting in the lobby directly in front of the suspect.

[Note·Ginmi side: the judicial institution of the Edo period.]

The above is the basic staffing of judicial courts in the Edo period.

In order to reduce the occurrence of unjust, false and wrongful convictions and to limit the power of the judiciary, the shogunate has a set of complex and mature judicial procedures.

The suspect was first handed over to Ginmi Fang Yuli for interrogation.

Once the suspect pleads guilty, the clerk will record it, and the editor will compare it with the edited old records, and then draft the case according to the previous case and submit it to the town for execution.

[Note: Editor’s title: Responsible for reviewing the court records of the clerk. Case editor: Responsible for recording and investigating legal cases]

After multiple interrogations and confirming the crime confessed by the suspect, the town official will pronounce the sentence. The death penalty requires the permission of Edo Laochu.

At this moment, Aoto was sitting in the suspect's seat at Shirashima in the Kyoto Prison, looking around with curious eyes.

In the past, when he returned to Feng Gong in Kitabansho Town, Edo, he always looked at others from a high position, and this was the first time he sat in the position of a suspect.

There are some torture instruments used to intimidate prisoners on both sides of Baizhou, but according to common practice, they will not be tortured casually.

Only when the suspect has committed a crime that is more than a capital crime but is unwilling to confess, Yuriki will apply to the town chief for permission to torture, and the town chief will ask Lao Zhong for instructions. After obtaining Lao Zhong's permission, Ginmi and Riki will go to the prison house, and in

Accompanied by the prison guards, the prisoners were tortured in the tunnel.

If the prisoner still refuses to confess, he will be taken to the torture chamber and tortured. If the evidence of the prisoner's crime is conclusive but still untrue, he will apply for "chadouqiao" (a penalty system that does not require a confession from the suspect on the premise that the evidence of the crime is clear).

execution).

The people responsible for the whole case will be there to witness until the end of the execution.

However, with the blessing of the talent [Fire Eyes + 5], Qingdeng, who has sharp eyes, keenly discovered that the torture instruments placed on both sides of Baizhou did not have deep dust accumulation, and there were traces of use everywhere, which was obvious at a glance.

is used frequently.

Qingdeng turned his head and looked at the two Tongxin who had already arrived and were sitting on both sides of Baizhou.

"Hey, Sato-kun, do you want to go to Shimabara to have some fun tonight?"

"Going to Shimabara again? Your energy is too high, right?"

"I can't help it. Who said that the new wandering girl in Lotus House is so sexy? Those little feet really make me want to stop!"

They chatted casually as if no one was around, without even looking at the suspect Qingdeng. Both their words, deeds, and appearance exuded a strong sense of laxity.

"...Little brother, do you have money?"

At this time, a calm male voice suddenly came from behind Qingdeng.

Qingden turned his head back and looked at the owner of the voice - the man who was responsible for guarding him.

In front of Qingdeng's blade, the officials did not dare to approach him, let alone tie him with hemp rope.

Therefore, the man who was responsible for guarding Qingden was very free. He did not need to control the hemp rope used to bind Qingden. He only had to stand upright behind him and stare.

"Money? What? Do you want me to spend money to buy you off?"

Naotori sneered.

"I'm just a powerless little official, so what's the point of giving me all the gold and silver in the world? If you are rich, you can use money to buy off Mr. Takahashi. In this way, maybe

You can save a life."

"Master Takahashi? Who is he?"

"Kinzaburo Takahashi, Yin Wei Fang Yu Li, he will be the judge of you later."

Speaking of this, Nadori curled his lips.

"Little brother, you are so unlucky."

"As soon as I offended Kusunoki-gumi with my front foot, I immediately offended Mr. Takahashi with my back foot."

"Master Takahashi is known as a miser."

"For a long time, he has relied on his status as Yinweifang Yuli to make money unscrupulously."

"In any case he handles, the outcome of the trial is not linked to the amount of evidence, but only to the amount of the bribe."

"As long as he pays enough money, he can change the conviction of a major crime to a minor crime, and the minor crime to a not guilty one."

"If conditions permit and you give enough money, even if it is a heinous felony, he can find a way to let you regain your freedom on the same day."

"Master Takahashi has no other abilities, but he still has the ability to make money by taking advantage of his official position, and it is very high."

"In terms of his ability to bend the law for personal gain, he is simply an unrivaled genius."

"Even if you are proven innocent, he will still make a fortune. If you don't pay, he will change your not guilty verdict to a guilty verdict."

"In short, little brother, if you have money, I can help you contact your family and ask them to bring money. This is your only chance to survive. You should think carefully about it."

Speaking of this, Naotori seemed to have remembered something, paused, and then changed to a serious tone:

"By the way, don't rely on your bravery and act willfully, thinking that you can walk around in this capital."

"I know you are very skilled."

"I have heard from my friends that the famous Umehara Junyuki has not even passed a single round in your hands, and more than a dozen officials with long ladders and spears in their hands came together, and they could not get close to you."

"But no matter how great your skills are, can you still fight against the entire Kyoto Enforcement Office?"

"Even if you succeed in killing him, you will have to carry a heavy wanted warrant from now on and live a wandering life."

"Ogata, who is unparalleled in the world, was wanted by the shogunate for a large amount of money. He could not bear the turmoil and kept his name anonymous. He lived a secluded life where the world did not even know his life and death, let alone you?"

After hearing this, Qingdeng blinked and changed into a half-joking tone:

"Thank you for your kind reminder. I have long heard that the Kyoto Administrative Office is a putrid garbage dump with rotten people running rampant. Looking at it now, it is not necessarily the case."

Nōtori shrugged.

"You're too generous. I can't bear such a heavy evaluation."

"I'm not a good person. Don't think of me too lofty."

"You killed the people of the Kusunoki group - such a feat made me feel relieved. It is for this reason that I decided to do my best to help you."

He paused, and after a moment of silence, he continued:

"I am a native of Kyoto, and I feel very painful when I see that my hometown has been transformed into what it is today by those so-called lofty ideals."

Qingdeng pursed his lips and looked thoughtful:

"So... in your opinion, how much money will it cost me to get out of jail?"

"You killed the people of Nanmu Group. If you want to get away with it...it will cost you 100 taels of gold at least."

"100 taels of gold?"

Qingdeng couldn't help but laugh.

"How can ordinary people afford such a large sum of money?"

Naotori let out a long sigh.

"Yes, it's because ordinary people can't afford this money at all, so in the end the people who suffer are the poor people who are hungry and cold."

"Those wealthy businessmen and nobles who are rich in wealth and wear gold and purple can proudly get away with it by relying on their strong family wealth and lofty status."

"Now that all we have in the world is money, who can be reasonable? The yamen is open, so if you are reasonable but don't have money, don't come in."

Qingdeng nodded gently with deep understanding:

"...people with lofty ideals are acting recklessly, forces from all sides are fighting for each other, and the authority of the government is gone. The social order in Kyoto is really worse than I expected."

Naotori smiled bitterly:

"Who says otherwise? Although the shogunate has sent a new envoy from Gyeonggi Province, in my opinion, this new official will probably not be able to accomplish anything. At the age of 21, with only a few hundred people under his command, what use can he make?

? Not to mention the powerful Choshu Army and Satsuma Army, I'm afraid the Kusunoki Group alone is enough to give them a drink."

"...This is not easy to say."

"Um?"

Nōtori shrugged his eyebrows and subconsciously cast a doubtful glance at Ayoto - only to see a meaningful expression on his face.

"You should be able to hear it from my accent, right? I'm from Kanto, so I have a much deeper understanding of this newly appointed governor of Gyeonggi Town who was born in Edo than you do."

"As far as I know, the governor of Gyeonggi Town... that is, Ju Qingden, has a very rough style of acting, and he is best at cutting through messes with a quick knife."

Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch...
To be continued...