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Very good! If you say so...
*** Chao, Ma Han, Zhang Long, Zhao Hu!
Here!
Hold a session right now!
Sir!
[Court chant] Power and might.
Now, I will examine the matters which took place in the Grand Palace more than twenty years ago.
Chen Lin, former Keeper of the Grand Palace and Chief Eunuch, represents the family of the victim.
He shall be the Plaintiff.
Guo Huai, Keeper of the Inner Palace, shall be the Defendant.
Lord Bao...
I'm here to give evidence.
Why am I Defendant?
At the time Kuo Zhu was dead, she was a maid of honour in the Palace of Golden Flower,
and you were the Keeper of the Palace of Golden Flower.
You must therefore be the defending party.
Lord Bao...
The plaintiff is not always right.
The defendant is not always wrong.
What are you worrying about?
All the proceedings before this Court will be recorded.
You both are Plaintiff and Defendant.
I will directly refer to you by your names, not by your positions.
I beg your understanding.
Chen Lin.
Lord Bao.
What is the plaint? Relate it to this Court.
Years ago, Kuo Zhu, Palace of Golden Flower maid, died of an unknown cause.
But the Palace of Golden Flower provided no any compensation to her family as required by the laws.
Now, her parents are incapable of maintaining themselves.
They then authorise me to bring an action for compensation against the Palace of Golden Flower.
Guo Huai.
Lord Bao.
How do you plead?
Lord Bao.
No compensation was given, because Kuo Zhu committed suicide.
Now, her family is claiming compensation. I truly want to help them.
You can dismiss the session and I will order compensation without delay.
For what reason did she commit suicide?
Lord Bao.
It happened for more than twenty years.
I don't find we need to revive this matter.
I've told that I will pay compensation to them.
You can now conclude the case and cancel the examination.
No.
Though the compensation will be provided by the Inner Palace, it will be paid out of the public account.
Public money must be disbursed for appropriate purposes.
Without reasonable grounds, how should it be paid?
If the Court cannot ascertain the truth, how can it conclude the case?
Lord Bao...
Guo Huai!
Why did Maid of Honour Kuo Zhu commit suicide?
Lord Bao.
It's an old matter. Personally, I don't want to talk about it again.
But if you insist that you want to know, I will tell you the truth.
At that time, Kuo Zhu was in the palace. She felt lonely and missed her home. She then tried to escape from the palace.
But she was captured.
What have you done?
The Inner Palace is surrounded by tight security. How can you escape?
Look what happen now! You're arrested and brought back here.
What should I do with you?
High Eunuch.
I really miss my home.
Please have a heart and let me go home.
The Grand Palace is as vast as an ocean.
Once you enter it, you can't leave it.
Until your pensionable age, you shouldn't think about leaving.
I really want to help you. But that's impossible.
I can no longer stay here, unless I would go mad.
High Eunuch, please help me!
Kou Zhu.
I can't help you in whatever case.
You should calm yourself down.
I'll relieve you of all works for two or three days, so that you can have some rest.
And I won't punish you for your escape.
You should conduct yourself carefully.
High Eunuch, I really can't stay here anymore!
If you don't let me go,
I...
What will you do?
I...
I don't want to live anymore!
You!
No, Kou Zhu!
What a pity, she's too young to die.
I really don't want to talk about that again.
Guo Huai!
Why are you saying such a nonsensical thing in court?
Chen Lin!
The Court is carrying out an examination. You shall not disturb.
Guo Huai.
If what you said is true, why don't I find any palace record about Kou Zhu's escape and arrest?
Lord Bao, you have reviewed the palace records?
Before an examination can be held, evidence must be reviewed.
Answer my question.
At that time, I feared that the Palace of Golden Flower would be disgraced.
Consort Liu, or the current Empress Dowager, gave importance to palace reputation.
I then asked the officers to not record the matter.
Is that so?
I have no objection if I should be punished for failing to discharge my duty.
But that would actually be the power of the Ministry of Justice, not the Kaifeng Prefectural Court.
Correct.
Originally, I am not entitled to interfere with this matter.
However, according to the law, the Palace was required to deliver Kou Zhu's dead body to the Kaifeng Court for autopsy.
I am Lord Prefect of Kaifeng.
I am therefore empowered to deal with the matter.
Instructor Gongsun.
Sir.
The Kaifeng Court has well maintained all documents for a great deal of time.
I found that Kou Zhu, Palace of Golden Flower maid, died of cerebral congestion as a result of serious traumatic brain injury.
She hit herself in the head!
Guo Huai.
No one is thinking she was murdered.
You don't need emphasise that.
I am just talkative and impatient. Lord Bao, please don't take offence.
Instructor Gongsun, please continue.
Sir.
The autopsy report recorded that many external wounds were found on her body.
These wounds indicate that she had been whipped.
Presumably, she had been punished before her death.
Lord Bao!
I don't really know why there were wounds on her body!
Maybe these were old wounds. This must be a misunderstanding.
As you said, not only did you refrain from punishing her, you also calmed her down.
You did not inflict any penalty upon her, didn't you?
That's true. You're such a wise judge!
My Lord, the autopsy report also recorded something.
What is that?
My Lord.
The medical examiners investigated the bloodstains and wounds
and decided that the whipping injuries occurred at the same time as the brain injury.
No! How could that be?
Guo Huai.
I want to know how you will explain.
Lord Bao...
I didn't punish her for real.
It might be a mistake of the examiners.
You may not know much about the judicial proceedings.
I will explain them to you.
An autopsy is conducted in a very intensive manner.
The medical processes are witnessed and countersigned by judicial officers.
Before the body is encoffined, it will be reexamined.
When everything is correct, an inquest will be rendered.
The activities are this complicated, because the value of life is as high as the heavens.
As you argued that there might be a mistake during the autopsy,
I can say that, as for this Court which is in charge of the Capital City of Kaifeng, a mistake could barely happen.
Lord Bao...
For what reason have you uttered a falsehood?
Why did you punish Maid of Honour Kou Zhu to the extent that she could no longer bear the pain and committed suicide?
Why did you force her to commit suicide?
Give me the reasons for all these.
If you don't speak the truth, you shall not blame me for punishing you according to the law, without considering your dignity.
Lord Bao...
It's been over twenty years. I could hardly recall it.
But I did not tell a lie.
She missed her home for real. She then tried to escape from the palace.
I had no reason to punish her or force her to kill herself.
It is not yet clear whether Kou Zhu killed herself or was killed by someone else.
How could you prove that she committed suicide because she missed her home for real?
Lord Bao, if you say so,
I'd like to ask you how you will prove that she didn't miss her home for real.
That's so easy!
Before she entered the palace, she was a homeless girl.
How could there be any home for her to miss?
I just concocted the story that her family is claiming compensation, so that you would be here.
What I actually want to examine is the reason why she was punished to death.
You!
How dare you trick me?
I will go back to the Inner Palace and complain this to Her Majesty!
Stop!
Today, you can come here, but you can't leave!
Lord Bao.
Are you thinking you can restrain me by force?
Are you thinking I can't?
Lord Bao.
Do you forget that I am the Keeper of the Inner Palace?
If you want to touch me, you must seek Her Majesty's permission first!
Guo Huai.
If you think that alluding to Her Majesty can prevent me from dealing with you, you must be very wrong.
Now, you are a suspect in a *** case brought to me,
I am empowered by the law to restrain you.
Even if we're in His Majesty's presence, I wouldn't spare you.
Don't think you can avoid the clutches of the law!
Bao Zheng! You!
Officers!
Here!
Place Suspect Guo Huai in the prison and keep him in custody pending further trial!
Sir!