清代的京控制度普遍被賦予「伸冤」的意義，呈控者也經常被塑造成「含冤」的形象。而事實上，京控檔案中訟案類型十分廣泛，並非都涉及命盜案件。部分案件是呈控者表達對地方官員施政的控訴，要求案件重審，或是揭發他人罪狀。 隨著京控制度在地方的發展，「伸冤」效果在司法實踐中逐漸減少，百姓卻從中發展了另一種意義：維護自我權益。清廷賦予京控的「合法」地位，給呈控者提供了善加利用的機會。透過京控程序向朝廷申訴地方施政的過失，通常會受到一定程度的重視，不容易被拒絕受理。從清代乾嘉朝的湖北京控案可以看到，部分控案是出於對湖地地權爭奪的上控，地方官員管理湖地的失當，以及對救災落實度的懷疑與不滿。在土地、賑濟與稅糧等與社會經濟問題相關的京控案件裡，以「冤」為名的訴狀可以說是出於司法的慣常用語。清代湖北的百姓如何運用京控去得遂自己的念想與爭取權益，又得到了什麼樣的回應，是本文的關注點。

The “Capital Appeals” system generally carried the meaning of “grievance-resolving” in Qing Dynasty, and accusers were often portrayed as “bearing injustice” at that time. The types of cases from archives are very wide-ranging and includ of some civil cases. Sometime accusers wanted to present complaints against local officials’ policy, demand retrials, or expose the crimes of others. As the effect of “grievance-resolving” through “capital appeals” system gradually diminished in practice, another use of the system was found－protecting self-interests. The “legal” status of capital appeals granted by the Qing court provided opportunities for accusers to seek their interests. If people used this special litigation procedure to complain about the fault of the local government, usually the emperor would pay attention to their demands. From the cases in Hubei province, we can see that some allegations concerned the fight for lakeside land rights, misconducts of local official in policy implementation, and suspicion and complaint about governments’ role in disaster relief. Especially in some cases concerning property, relief goods and tax, accusers usually claimed themselves that they suffered “grievance”, but used this judicial terminology due to locution of indictment. This article describes how people in the province of Hubei made use of the “capital appeals” system to seek their own interests and what responce they got from the government.