Chapter 494 Heavy Sentence
"I want him dead!"
"I want him to pay with his life!"
Zhang Huai's voice became a little intense.
“The life of the Crown Prince may be precious, but in my heart it is not more precious than my daughter. Moreover, I am his subject and I have never shown him any disrespect. Yet he treats a loyal subject like this.
Emperor Suwang once said, if the king treats his subjects like dirt, then the subjects will treat the king like an enemy!
Is there something wrong with killing your enemies? "
When Zhang Huai said this, Huo Guang and Liu Xiang's faces looked a little ugly.
It’s not because this incident was too inhumane. They have seen and heard of worse things.
Especially since Liu Xiang had been in the Court of Justice for many years, what kind of cruel and inhumane things had he not seen?
The evil in some people's hearts far exceeds the deepest, darkest abyss in this world.
But when ordinary people do this, it affects only one person. The prince is different. He should be a role model. He is the crown prince now and will be the king in the future. With such a king, wouldn't a subject feel ashamed?
Since ancient times, the Chinese civilization has despised people with poor personal morals, and the pursuit of morality even surpasses achievements. Since ancient times, those who have been respected and praised are those who have both moral models and achievements.
Even when seeking talents and learning, the first requirement is good conduct. Regardless of how well Confucianism actually does it, at least in theory it clearly defines the virtues that a gentleman should achieve.
In ancient times, there were also nine supreme moral requirements for holy kings.
Lust is the root of all evil!
Immorality is a big deal in itself, not to mention lust and sex, which are directly associated with the impression of dirtiness and messiness, and will make people feel a sticky and uncomfortable feeling when they are mentioned.
Who could forget this?
Later, when the prince became the emperor, whenever he talked about loving the people, everyone would think of this incident.
"Your Majesty, the blood of a 28-year-old girl was once splattered on your crown!
Now you are here speaking in a high-sounding manner about loving the people, but aren't you afraid of being laughed at by the world?"
The more Huo Guang and Liu Xiang thought about it, the uglier their faces looked. Luo Qing said seriously, "In the 17th year of Yuanfeng, the crown prince and his noble companions kidnapped the daughter of my minister Zhang Huailiang, killed her, and abandoned her body in the wilderness. In the summer of the 18th year of Yuanfeng, Huai wanted to kill the crown prince and hit him with a sword, but failed. How sad."
The historian would express sympathy for many people. Luo Qing told Zhang Huai that what he did was right, but he just didn't have enough strength. Moreover, the history books only mentioned harm, not sexual harm, which was considered to leave some dignity for Sanniang.
"When the Grand Historian met me a few days ago, he said that he was compiling an unprecedented general history. Today I will hand these things over to him as the life story of Crown Prince Liu He."
This was Luo Qing telling him that Liu He's case would be characterized in history books, and this was what the Luo family could do.
Zhang Huai was stunned when he heard this, and he bowed his head twice, crying and saying, "Thank you very much, sir. I wish you peace and happiness, and long life."
The assassin who was pinned to the ground spat out the cloth in his mouth and said in hatred, "It's a pity that I couldn't kill that evil villain Liu He and avenge Sanniang.
I don't want to go to jail and live like a zombie without taking my revenge. Please kill me here.
If you allow me to be buried with Sanniang, I will serve you like a cow or a horse in my next life to repay you all."
The assassin's voice was a little hoarse, but one could still tell that he was a young man.
Zhang Huai resolved the doubts in the three people's minds and sighed, "He is Sanniang's fiancé, a scholar of classics. I was planning to push him into the Wenguan to serve as a servant in the East Palace. I didn't expect that man's plans are not as good as God's plans, and it would come to this."
The atmosphere in the room seemed a little depressing. A feeling of discomfort filled everyone's heart, and even a feeling of grief for the loss of one's loved ones.
Zhang Huai was taken away, and Luo Qing and the other two returned with the imperial guards.
Sitting in the carriage, Luo Qing leaned against the side of the carriage and closed his eyes to rest. Huo Guang and Liu Xiang looked at each other. Liu Xiang suddenly said, "What the prince did was indeed wrong. Zhang Huai's revenge is understandable, but the position of the prince is responsible for the country and cannot be moved lightly. If it is moved, more than one person will be killed or injured. Zhang Huai has his reasons for revenge, and we have reasons to maintain order. Order and stability are of vital importance."
Liu Xiang felt a little uncomfortable after saying this. According to the classics he wrote, the law has a function of punishing evil and promoting good, but this kind of moral pursuit seems to have become a luxury in the face of the most fundamental duties.
He felt that Zhang Huai did nothing wrong in seeking revenge, and he also felt that he did nothing wrong in arresting Zhang Huai.
Regarding the duties of the imperial court, a certain permanent secretary once made a classic statement, that is, the imperial court does not care about good or evil, but only cares about order or chaos. The imperial court is used to maintain the stable operation of the world, prevent chaos, and stop division, that is, to prevent the world from entering a chaotic world where human lives are worth less than those of pigs and dogs.
After completing this, if there is still energy to spare, we can start to improve the moral standards of the people and then improve the moral standards of the entire court.
Liu Xiang was one of the rulers of the Han Dynasty, and a criminal lawyer who had experienced life at the bottom of society. He was of course very clear about this, and he was telling Luo Qing this.
Luo Qing curled his lips.
People always have a misunderstanding about Luo, thinking that he is a moral gentleman, but in fact it is not the case. There is only one ending for a moral gentleman, and that is to be morally kidnapped and eventually fall into a moral dilemma.
Luo Qing did not need his guidance. He knew the importance of political stability better than Liu Xiang. During the Bang Zhou and Luo Guo periods, the Luo Guo royal family did not simply support the people with kindness. These things were very clear to him.
But he was still unhappy, so he didn't want to talk and didn't know how to talk.
Prince Zhaogong wanted the Emperor of Han to kill his own prince as a penalty for his life?
Luo Qing felt crazy just thinking about it.
Seeing that Luo Qing didn't say anything, Huo Guang said, "Lord Zi Zheng, the position of the crown prince cannot be easily changed, but it is still necessary to punish evil and promote good. The majesty of the laws of the Han Dynasty cannot be questioned. It is better to follow the example of Wei Yang."
Liu Xiang suddenly realized and looked at Huo Guang in surprise. He admitted that Huo Guang was a talented person, but he also knew that Huo Guang did not like reading. He did not expect that he could actually tell the old story of Wei Yang.
In the pre-Qin period, when a crown prince was punished, his teachers would be implicated, and the crown prince would not be punished directly.
"If you can't touch the prince, can you touch others?"
Huo Guang said meaningfully: "Zhang Huai holds a position of official rank, his daughter Sanniang is from a good family, and her fiancé is a scholar, so her status is not comparable to that of the lowest common people.
Do you really think you are the prince if you kill such a person?
Besides, Emperor Xiaoding was able to issue an edict of self-criticism and admit his mistakes to the world, so wouldn’t a mere prince be wrong?”
"Hiss~"
This time even Luo Qing took a serious look at his cousin. Huo Guang has always been very low-key and would not speak when necessary, giving people a sense of trustworthiness.
Luo Qing had always known that his cousin was not ordinary, but now he suddenly discovered that Huo Guang was very black-hearted and had a vibe that if he did so, he would kill him.
Liu Xiang and Huo Guang hurried to the palace to report to the emperor the results of the assassination of the prince.
In Changle Palace.
When Liu Xun saw the results of the investigation, he remained calm on the surface, but he turned the case file over on the table. This subconscious action made Liu Xiang guess that Liu Xun was probably very angry.
"Zi Zheng, you used to be in charge of the court, how do you think we should deal with it?"
Liu Xun was very vague about this question. He only said the punishment, but did not say who to punish. Huo Guang stood beside Liu Xun without saying a word. Liu Xiang bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Zhang Huai intended to kill the prince because of hatred. According to the law, he should be executed, and his three clans should be exiled.
Zhang Sanniang was a girl from a good family. Emperor Xiaowen said that the emperor of the Han Dynasty was a boat and the children of good families were the water, supporting the Han Dynasty. The powerful and wealthy killed the children of good families. According to the laws of Emperor Xiaowu, they should be executed.
As for the Crown Prince's affairs, please let Your Majesty make the decision."
The reason why they had to follow the laws of Emperor Wu of Han's reign was because during Emperor Wu of Han's reign there was a shortage of money for the war, so all sorts of ways of extorting money were thought of. If someone committed a crime, they could pay money to redeem themselves, even a death sentence.
This practice of draining the pond to catch fish was a serious blow to the majesty and sanctity of imperial power.
After Liu Xun came to power, he naturally abolished this law. In order to negate Liu Dan, Liu Xun basically hung up all of Liu Dan's evil laws and whipped their corpses, abolishing them wherever possible without mercy.
Liu Xun adhered to a strict but not harsh criminal law. After hearing Liu Xiang's answer, he had a rough idea in his mind and knew what his important minister was thinking.
After a moment of hesitation, Liu Xun said decisively: "Zi Meng drafted an edict. Zhang Huai and the assassins will be allowed to keep their bodies intact, and their three clans will be exiled to Qi. All those involved in the Zhang Sanniang case will be executed. The Crown Prince will issue an edict to reprimand them, confiscate their various ceremonial objects, and then put them in solitary confinement.
That should probably be enough.”
It really worked. Liu Xiang and Huo Guang were both excited. Now they should be able to report to the people of Chang'an.
The next day.
The imperial guards of the Supreme Court broke the tranquility of Chang'an City. Arrest documents were issued one after another, and then one by one, the sons of nobles were taken away directly from various romantic occasions by the imperial guards.
Many people knew about the murder of Mrs. Zhang San, and they all applauded.
Someone got the news in advance and rushed to the Prince's Palace, hoping that the Prince could be sheltered, but the Prince's Palace was tightly closed. Only then did they know that the Prince had been put in solitary confinement.
Looking at the approaching Ti cavalry, everyone couldn't help but feel a little desperate.
Liu Xiang looked at this scene and said coldly: "If I had known this would happen, why did I do it in the first place?"
You are extremely arrogant when you oppress the common people, and you regret it when you fall into the law. Then you can repent in your next life!
————
The course of history is driven invisibly by countless small people. The "Murder of Madam Zhang San" in the 17th year of Yuanfeng and the "Assassination of the Crown Prince" in the 18th year of Yuanfeng, on the surface, were just ordinary cases of powerful people oppressing the people and eventually leading to revenge, but the impact and value it caused are more than that.
Because of Luo's involvement, this case that happened two thousand years ago left behind a large amount of written materials. From these vivid and fresh written materials, we can extract the values and living habits of that era, which is something that cannot be done in historical books with just a few words.
From these texts, we can even read about the changes in the mentality of historical figures such as Huo Guang and Liu Xiang, which provides many ideas for studying subsequent historical events. ——"A Brief Account of Qin and Han Case Files"
(End of this chapter)
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