典藏书目

Whenever officials in charge of inspection dispatch Tingzi (attendants) or Yuhou (guards), or employ personal followers as public servants, or have family members accompany them closely, and summon neighbors and Bao Wu (neighborhood watch groups), referred to as "Xian Pai" (vanguard cards), clearing paths through the Bao system, trampling grass to check roads, and inspecting corpses beforehand—all these actions disturb the local populace. This harm is the most severe and must be strictly prohibited.

After receiving the inspection warrant, one must not meet with nearby officials, scholars, practitioners, monks, or Daoists, to prevent fraud and avoid inviting lawsuits. One must also not pre-determine the date and time on the warrant. Upon arriving at the destination, only after estimating the travel duration should the date be recorded, to avoid delays. Furthermore, clerks and runners must be instructed not to stray far from the official, lest they engage in bribery. When traveling at night, clerks must be required to provide written statements before staying overnight.

When conducting an inspection upon receiving a warrant, the perpetrator must be made to accompany the team. Local individuals with fixed residence, property, land, no criminal record, such as Jieji (section chiefs), Jiaotou (instructors), or Buyagongren (escorting public servants), should be assigned to supervise. Upon arrival, the perpetrator must be ordered to face the corpse for careful examination and questioning. Runners and clerks must provide sworn statements in front of neighbors and Bao members on site; cases should not be taken back to the office to prevent excessive manipulation and corruption. If the perpetrator has not been caught, neighbors and Bao members serve as witnesses. All corpse inspection records must not be disclosed by the initial or re-inspection officials. The official must personally visit the scene to supervise the examination, ensuring that serious injuries are not overlooked.

When inspecting officials stay overnight, they must inquire whether the host family are blood relatives of the murderer, to avoid suspicion.

When blood relatives submit petitions requesting exemption from inspection, it is often because they have secretly accepted bribes from the murderer to settle matters privately, colluding with clerks to file the petition. Inspection officials must never blindly trust such requests and immediately report or return the forms. Even if there is an official judgment from the prefecture or county with clear documentation, careful consideration is still required. Otherwise, disputes over money among relatives may arise later, leading to litigation or exposure, which could tarnish the official's reputation and make innocence difficult to prove.

Regarding murder weapons or clubs, if retrieval is delayed, the families of criminals may hide or alter them, creating doubtful cases that allow perpetrators to escape death, which is of great consequence. Upon first accepting the assignment, immediate collection is necessary. Early retrieval allows the official to compare the size and width of wounds for accurate verification.

Upon arriving at the inspection site, do not approach immediately; instead, sit downwind. Briefly summon the deceased's relatives, or the "Dizhu" (landlord/property owner—a term specific to Hunan), or disputing parties, to question the circumstances. Count all relevant persons, including neighbors and Bao members, who are required to sign the inspection record. First, clearly define the four boundaries (Si Zhi). Then, proceed with the clerks to examine. In cases of hanging, carefully inspect the suspension point and marks on the neck; check the dust at the tying point to see if it was disturbed; note the height of the tying point and what surface was used to reach it; measure the length of the hanging body and the thickness of the rope against the width of the mark; determine if it is a slipknot (live loop) or a fixed knot (dead loop); observe if it is a single cross-knot or wrapped knot, examining each detail carefully. In cases of falling from heights, inspect the soil marks and traces at the slipping point. In cases of drowning, also check the soil marks at the slipping point and measure the water depth.

For other deaths due to injury, illness, or unnatural causes, after defining the boundaries, move the body to a bright and clean place. Do not use hot water, wine, vinegar, or other liquids initially; perform a dry examination first. Carefully inspect the back of the head, crown, and within the hair for signs of nails driven into bone by fire (where bleeding may not be visible). Thoroughly check the eyes, mouth, teeth, tongue, nose, and excretory organs for foreign objects. Then wash with warm water. Use paper soaked in wine and vinegar applied to the face, chest, ribs, breasts, abdomen, and flanks. Cover with clothing, pour more wine and vinegar, and cover with straw mats for a prolonged period before proceeding with the detailed examination. Do not rely on runners merely splashing wine and vinegar, as this will fail to reveal the injuries.