Abstract
The Three Arches case in Jiangning Prefecture during the reign of Guangxu, which shocked the whole government and public for two
suspects were executed wrongly, is one of the most famous unjust verdicts in late Qing. Most of the biographical sources attribute the rehabilitation of this case to Xue Yunsheng who was a legal expert of Qing dynasty, yet are vague about the process. This article will utilize official history books,
memorials to the throne, letters, newspapers, and other relevant materials, in order to verify and restore the details of the Three Arches case. Based on the aforementioned work, this article will reappraise the real contributions Xue Yunsheng had made during the process of this case, as well as revise and complement the historical records accordingly. In addition, this article will try to discuss the institutional problems revealed by the Three Arches case, thus to point out the potential deviations in practice from the design of the judicial review and ratification system.
Keywords
the Three Arches case、unjust verdict、rehabilitation、Xue Yunsheng、the judicial review and ratification system
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