明代朝審的運作

A Study of the Court Assize Procedure in the Ming Dynasty

旨在覆核京師法司監押秋決人犯死刑的朝審，是明代的一項重要創制。從更廣闊的視域來看，朝審也是會議制度在死刑判決領域的具體運用。朝審的準備、召開等程式，與明代重事決策必經的廷議大同小異，二者在改進具體操作以提高會議質量方面相互促進。明代的朝審結果，自宣德時期（1425-1435）大致分化為情真、矜疑和有詞三項，至遲於成化（1465-1487）初完全確立。將死囚分別歸入這三類中的某一類，實即朝審這種專門會議的決議。朝審結果也要經過閣臣參決、皇帝核允，最終對每類人犯施以相應刑罰。考察朝審不應只注重其作為法制的特殊面，不應忽視它與其他政事之間處理制度的共性。

The Court Assize (chaoshen 朝審) was an important creation in the Ming Dynasty. From a broader perspective, the Court Assize was the specific application of the system of consultation (huiyi zhidu 會議制度) in the field of capital punishment. Its preparation, convening and other forms were broadly similar to those of the mandatory Court Conferences (tingyi 廷議), in which ministers debated major policies. As they sought to improve specific operations, the two institutions pushed each other to raise the quality of consultation. From the Xuande 宣德 reign period (1425-1435), the cases were generally classified as “qingzhen” 情真, “jinyi” 矜疑, and “youci” 有詞, and this system of classification was completely established by the beginning of the Chenghua 成 化 period (1465-1787). To place the condemned into one of these three categories was actually the resolution of such special meetings. These determinations still had to be reviewed by the Grand Secretariat and approved by the emperor before a punishment appropriate to each category of offense was assigned. We should not only pay attention to the special aspects of the Court Assize as a legal system, but also to its commonalities with other administrative systems.