清代司法實務中的錯誤——以《刑案匯覽．毆期親尊長》為中心

Abstract

靜態的法條和動態的司法審判是法律史研究的主要課題。本文以《刑案匯覽》為史料，針對毆期親尊長門記載的案件進行分類，以及刑部法律推理的探討。分類方面，強調錯誤類型的區分，並以說帖事實描述為標準，指出刑部或律例館官員認為下級審斷案錯誤之處。法律推理部分，注重各別律和例實際的適用結果，特別是遇到疑難雜案的案情時，刑部如何論處。清代律例延續唐、明兩代的概念，比禮制所稱的期親範圍更廣。《大清律例》的毆期親尊長門計有13條例文，其定罪量刑的原則是，不同身分和不同情狀，應以示區別。當毆期親尊長案件裡的律例和司法實務衝突時，作為司法審判者的刑部，會嘗試綜合事實和律例，作出適當的審判。其中，「期親卑幼聽從尊長，共毆期親尊長、尊屬致死，下手輕傷的卑幼，止科傷罪」是該門律例重要的立法議題。裁判實態方面，刑部對「毆期親尊長」的錯誤分類，可分為三種類型：聽從尊長的犯罪、與尊長共同的犯罪與聽從他人的犯罪。這些類型，和律例的適用及成案的援引有很大的關係。其立論的基礎，在於說帖內，事實掌握的程度。各別條例適用雖有不同，卻都是刑部經過縝密的法律推理後，得出最恰當的適用結果，目的只有一個：追求情與罪的平衡，尤其是毆期親尊長這類涉及服制和尊卑議題的案件。毆期親尊長這類案件，涉及「夾簽制度」的成立與確立，目的是為平衡社會上，法律與司法實踐層面的落差。此外，毆期親尊長的條例，在清末變法裡大量刪除，究其本質，是源於各立法者背景和觀念的不同。不過，身分倫理秩序的概念，仍存在這批立法人才心中。綜合來說，清代乾嘉道時期的期親尊長案件，所涉事態萬千，本文分類的錯誤類型並非唯一標準，而是能因應當時所載的親屬糾紛實際狀況，再做適當的類型劃分。The static nature of legal statutes and the dynamic nature of judicial judgments are the main topics of study in legal history. This article focuses on the Qing Dynasty's " Conspectus of Penal Cases "（Xing-An-Hui-Lan刑案匯覽） as a historical source, classifying the cases involving mistreatment of elders and discussing the legal reasoning of the Ministry of Justice. In terms of classification, it emphasizes distinguishing different types of errors and uses factual descriptions as criteria to identify the mistakes identified by the Ministry of Justice or officials from the Law Bureau in lower court judgments. In the section on legal reasoning, it highlights the practical application of individual laws and precedents, especially when dealing with complex and difficult cases, and examines how the Ministry of Justice handles them.The Qing Dynasty's legal statutes inherited the concept from the Tang and Ming dynasties, and the scope of " Relation in the first degree "（期親） was broader than what was referred to in the ritual system. The "Great Qing Code" includes 13 articles related to the mistreatment of elders, and the principles for conviction and sentencing state that distinctions should be made based on different statuses and circumstances. When conflicts arise between the statutes and judicial practices in cases of Relation in the first degree, the Ministry of Justice, as the judicial body, attempts to integrate facts and laws to make appropriate judgments. Among them, the issue of"minors obeying their elders during the period of kinship, jointly mistreating elders during the period of kinship, causing death to elders or relatives, and inflicting minor injuries with light force" is an important legislative topic in this area of law. Regarding the actual judgments made, the Ministry of Justice classifies errors related to " Relation in the first degree " into three types: crimes committed under the instructions of elders, crimes committed jointly with elders, and crimes committed under the instructions of others. These types are closely related to the application of the statutes and the references used in establishing the case. The basis for argumentation lies in the degree to which the facts are understood based on the factual descriptions provided. Although the application of specific provisions may differ, they all result from careful legal reasoning by the Ministry of Justice to achieve the most appropriate application, with the sole purpose of balancing leniency and guilt, especially in cases involving the relation in the first degree that touch upon issues of"Grade of Mourning Clothes"（服制）, hierarchy and respect. Relation in the first degree cases involve the establishment and consolidation of the " Jiaqing system"（夾簽制度） aimed at balancing the gap between the legal framework and judicial practice in society. Furthermore, the legislation pertaining to the protection of elders from violence underwent extensive revisions during the late Qing Dynasty reform. The essence of these changes can be attributed to the divergent backgrounds and perspectivesof the legislators. However, the concept of ethical order based on social status still resonates within the minds of these lawmakers.In summary, the cases involving relation in the first degree during the Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Daoguang periods of the Qing Dynasty involved diverse situations. The classification of error types in this article is not the only standard but rather a suitable classification based on the actual circumstances of family disputes at the time.