Chapter 386 Sincerity
Shang leaned over to take a look and then laughed.
"Edict."
A edict is a report from the emperor to his subjects.
It also means the emperor's orders to his subjects.
As the name suggests, the so-called edicts are naturally a collection of the emperor's orders to his subjects.
This book was compiled under his leadership after Master Xun left, when Emperor Chengping was still in power, so he was naturally very familiar with it.
During the reign of Emperor Chengping, in addition to continuing the previous emperor's philosophy of governing the country, the biggest and most proud thing he did was not the growth of the Legalist leader during his reign.
Nor did he have the mind and courage to watch Shang slaughter more than a thousand Confucian scholars in one breath and forcefully promote the Legalist school.
Emperor Chengping's greatest contribution and hard work are in the "Edict", right before our eyes.
In the "Edict", there are lists of major crimes and punishments, such as forming a party to disrupt political order, resisting grain and demolition, resisting rent, etc. - in fact, there should also be a crime of slandering the emperor.
However, the founding emperor Wang Mang never used this reason to punish others, and was eventually hailed as a sage king by the people.
Emperor Chengping thought about it and decided that it didn't matter if he couldn't achieve anything better during his reign, there was really nothing he could do about it.
But the structure couldn’t be any worse, so I didn’t add it.
After Emperor Qizhi ascended the throne, he was also ambitious and even wanted to overturn the national policy of the Xia Dynasty, so he did not charge him with the crime of slandering the emperor.
In other words, in the Xia Dynasty today, ordinary people are still qualified to comment on the emperor, but at least they cannot use this reason to arrest people.
Of course, it is okay to slander those in power, but if you really dare to slander Wang Mang or Emperor Chengping, that is absolutely not allowed.
After all, living people can still quarrel and talk back, but when they are dead, the final judgment is made and everything will be left to history books.
If we continue to criticize at this time, it would be tantamount to forgetting our ancestors, rather than slandering the emperor.
The merits and demerits of the past will be left for future generations to judge.
In addition to various serious crimes, the "Edict" also contains Emperor Chengping's earnest expectations for the people of the Xia Dynasty.
Including but not limited to Mohism's universal love and non-aggression, Confucianism's benevolence, righteousness and morality, and Legalism's observance of laws and regulations.
It’s not that the Legalists are lame, but ordinary people really have nothing to learn from them.
At the very least, you have to be a minor official to be able to apply the Legalist philosophy, right?
Otherwise it is time to disobey the law.
Normal people want to show off, they can say they are benevolent, they love all, but no one is crazy enough to brag about being law-abiding when drunk, right? Even if it is true, it needs to be investigated.
To put it bluntly, Emperor Chengping intended to use this book to guide the people of the Xia Dynasty in some personal behavior and moral goals.
The ideas of the three schools of Mohism, Confucianism and Legalism are also recorded in this book, which can be regarded as a fair match. At least during the reign of Emperor Chengping, Emperor Chengping, through the joint efforts of himself and Shang, brought the Legalists to the same level as the Mohists and Confucians.
Now he has truly deserved the title and has not let down Emperor Chengping's expectations.
"ha."
Listening to Shang's story, Gu Dan laughed softly.
These emperors may be able to resist luxurious enjoyment and can also laugh off ordinary temptations.
But when it comes to leaving a name in history and being remembered forever, there is almost no resistance. To be more precise, it is something that one could only dream about.
He still remembered that when Shang took the stage at the Tianxia Academy to question Xun Ke's ideas about rites and laws, the Confucian scholars around him were so excited that they even wanted to draw their swords and kill Shang.
Only Xun Ke and Emperor Chengping on the stage were not angry.
Xun Ke was not angry because he had his own cultivation and was confident in his vision and ability.
Emperor Chengping was not angry because he had found another truly talented person.
After he ascended the throne, he discovered many great talents.
As we all know, if a minister does bad things, it is his own problem, but if a minister does good things, it must be instructed by the emperor.
This is called the way of the emperor.
At least three-tenths of the credit for the amazing talent that grew up under his guidance should be attributed to him.
The rise of the Legalists, which even had a profound influence on the Xia Dynasty today, was indeed inseparable from the firm support of Emperor Chengping.
Today, the Legalists have even suppressed the Mohists and even the Confucians, which is a remarkable achievement.
Of course, the root cause of this problem is that the Legalists focus on the upper class and have a top-down philosophy. They themselves are the rule makers, which is fundamentally different from the Mohists and Confucianists.
The truly capable people of the Legalists are all in the government, and the more powerful they are, the higher their positions. How can the Mohists and Confucian scholars clash with the court's lackeys?
There is not much benefit in winning the fight, it will just be a debate, but if you lose you will definitely go to jail.
"The above things are actually nothing to be concerned about. They are nothing more than words to persuade people to be good, and they are not necessarily good advice. If that's all, the so-called "Edict" is just an ordinary book, not worth mentioning."
Although he said it was not worth mentioning, Shang stood straight, and he almost had the word "proud" written on his face.
"The really important part is actually the last part, which is about the law. It contains not only the guilt of ordinary people, but also the guilt of officials and the way to punish them."
Shang guided the donkey, following the man with the imperial edict on his head, and said slowly: "In addition, if there is corruption and abuse of power, and the court does not investigate, the people can hold the imperial edict on their heads, arrest the officials, and send them to the imperial capital to be punished with gongs and drums.
Officials along the way are not only not allowed to stop them, but must also provide food and accommodation.”
Gu Dan raised his eyebrows slightly.
Good fellow! This is why civilians are used to capture officials! No wonder so many people gathered to watch, even soldiers in armor followed, but no one stepped forward to stop them.
Because that book represents the authority of the Legalists and also represents the permission of the imperial power.
"But isn't it a bit too far from Yuzhou to the Imperial Capital?"
Gu Dan criticized.
For ordinary people, this is a very long journey.
Even if you have good food and drink along the way, there is no guarantee that there will be no accidents.
"Haha, I have considered this as well. So the people can take the arrested officials to a higher-level official for trial, and then that official will report to the imperial capital.
If the people are still dissatisfied, they can go to the imperial capital to appeal with the imperial edict on their heads."
Shang complained: "Since the "Edict" was formed, every household in the Xia Dynasty must have kept it. So far, there have been 31 cases of people going to the imperial capital with the "Edict" on their heads to report and denounce officials.
Among them, there were twenty-six cases with conclusive evidence and legal punishment.
Of the remaining five cases, three were personal fights; two were misjudgments by the public, and the perpetrators of the misjudgments were ordered to pay double the amount of the charges to demonstrate their authority.
Rewards and punishments should be given in moderation.
Anyone who dares to use the imperial edict as a token of authority must not be 100% sure, so it is best to think about his own nine clans first.
The matter was accomplished, and a corrupt official was eliminated, but there was no extra reward and no encouragement, but it was done.
But if it fails, all nine clans will be severely punished.
Although this is not absolute fairness, it is not easy to achieve and gives the grassroots people an opportunity to resist in a reasonable and legal way.
As for secretly killing the people with the "Edict" on their heads on the road, it would be best to kill all the witnesses first, and then ensure that they are not investigated or exposed by others.
Otherwise, the spirits of the nine clans in heaven should reflect on why they gave birth to such evil creatures.
More and more people gathered on the street.
It is human nature to watch the fun, let alone this kind of "insurrection of the lower" fun. If you don't watch it, you will be at a loss.
Without waiting too long, a man came riding a fast horse.
The voice is heard before the person arrives.
"I am the governor of Yuzhou. You can tell me everything about your grievances and his crimes. The people under my rule can listen to everything. I will not hide anything. I will also send people to investigate carefully. If I cannot make a clear judgment, I will report it to the current emperor to set the record straight!"
Before the horse could even stand firmly, the Yuzhou Governor jumped off the horse with a nimble figure, his chest heaving rapidly.
Oh my god, I was working at work when I suddenly heard my subordinates report that someone had an imperial edict on his head and an official had been captured.
His career was immediately hit by a bolt from the blue, like a bolt from the blue.
If this matter is not handled well, forget about your future. It will be considered a success if you don't get demoted or punished.
"Report to the Lord! This man swallowed up the relief grain from the imperial court during the great disaster three years ago, causing Cuiyan Village to have only less than ten households left out of the hundred!"
The commoner who was holding the rope tightly had red eyes, and he knelt on the ground with a plop, and said with tears streaming down his face: "If he hadn't been drunk and mentioned this matter, we would have been deceived by him all along! Please, sir, help the people who starved to death in Cuiyan Village!"
Three years ago.
Great disaster.
Once these words were spoken, the crowd was excited.
Even Shang's face suddenly turned cold.
He said back then that the Xia Dynasty had no shortage of food.
The difficulty lies in how to deliver food to those who need it.
Not to mention the losses during transportation of grain, once the grain reaches the hands of those who distribute it, can it really be distributed in full or not swallowed up along the way?
No one can guarantee this.
In the face of a major disaster, not only are the roads difficult to travel on, there may also be aftershocks and robbers. There are really too many accidents, and the farther away the place is, the more so. What's more, the imperial court has also suffered heavy losses in manpower.
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If you set a deadline, no one will be able to do it.
But once there is an opportunity to "maneuver" and take advantage of others, corruption is bound to breed.
Amidst the scolding, the official tied up with ropes lowered his head and confessed his crimes.
If you grit your teeth and hold on, let’s not talk about whether you can withstand the investigation. If it really gets to the higher levels, a master will step in.
At that time, even dying would not be an easy thing.
This matter is actually not complicated.
It was simply that when transporting grain, blinded by greed, they secretly withheld part of the grain and sold it to wealthy businessmen.
The reason is naturally to blame it on natural disasters and man-made disasters.
In addition, the missing part was not that large, and there was a shortage of manpower everywhere during the disaster years, so the truth was never revealed.
Until the real owner heard it after he got drunk.
The portion of grain he withheld was indeed not much.
It’s just the lives of dozens of families in Cuiyan Village.
He is not even a big corrupt official.
But for those who lack that part of food, it will be a disaster.
And the wealthy businessman who bought his grain back then was none other than Mr. Fan, the one from whom they drank two bowls of mung bean porridge, the leader of Confucian businessmen!
If we are not careful, this matter may become a real big case.
It even dealt a direct blow to Confucianism.
The governor of Yuzhou did not dare to be careless at all.
Even Gu Dan and Shang stayed temporarily.
They did not go to find the governor of Yuzhou, but watched quietly to see how the matter would develop and how it would be handled.
Whether they can even give an answer that satisfies them - after they have moved away from the center of power of the Xia Dynasty and are no longer supporters of the Xia Dynasty.
But things soon began to take shape.
The resolution was unexpectedly fast.
In less than a month, the truth of the matter was revealed.
The person who bought that batch of grain back then was indeed the head of the Confucian merchants, Mr. Fan’s grandson.
But he bought food to help the victims.
Nor did they drive up food prices to make a profit.
As to whether it is true or not, it is very simple. Just check the account books and ask the people at that time whether Mr. Fan's caravan had ever sold grain at a high price, or even take out the expenditure and consumption of stored grain.
It was finally proved that Mr. Fan still holds the position of the head of the Confucian business family.
His grandson really bought the grain to help the disaster victims, and he immediately distributed porridge after buying it.
If there is a single mistake to be made, it is probably that the origin of the food was not carefully investigated.
But they were eager to save people and buy food and give out porridge. It was a time of great disaster, so how could they have the time to go and find out? Even the imperial court was too busy to take care of itself.
It is impossible to avoid any mistakes.
At that time, who would have really checked the identity of a person who made up an identity at random? Moreover, it was not Mr. Fan's grandson who bought the grain himself, but he instructed his shopkeepers to collect more grain and help the victims. It would be too much to criticize him for spending money to save people.
Therefore, the Yuzhou governor decided not to pursue the matter against Mr. Fan’s grandson, the head of the Confucian merchants.
The real source, of course, was the culprit who dared to sell the imperial government's disaster relief grain.
Since he has admitted his guilt and accepted the punishment, and we have both witnesses and evidence, he will be executed without mercy!
Gu Dan was quite satisfied with the handling of this matter.
But the people who deserved to die died, and the dozens of families in Cuiyan Village who starved to death due to lack of food could not be resurrected.
After all, no matter how just and efficient the law is, it will always be one step behind human beings.
Punishment is justice delayed, but justice delayed is not the same as no justice at all.
That is for the living to see.
If Mohism and Confucianism teach people what to do and what not to do before things happen, then the greatest role of Legalism is to tell people what to do and what will happen after things happen.
All of these are indispensable to maintaining the operation of a huge dynasty.
This incident is not a happy one for everyone, and it can even be said to be a sad thing.
But in the end, he gave an answer that made Gu Dan quite satisfied.
The people who had the edict on their heads also put it back into their arms.
After this matter is settled, everyone still has their own lives to live.
Gu Dan and Shang also set out on the road again with their donkey.
"The edict is quite good, why don't you give me a copy?"
On the way, Gu Dan said somewhat dissatisfiedly.
Wasn't it said that every household in the Xia Dynasty had at least one imperial edict?
You are bullying the Gu family compound because it doesn’t have a property certificate, right?
Thinking carefully, it seems that what is pressed under the wall tiles in the house is indeed the house deed from the Dayue period, which has lost its validity.
Strictly speaking, the current Gu family courtyard is an illegal building and has not been reported to the government. Wang Mang never mentioned this to him.
Alas, those were the things that happened to the generation of Emperor Qizhi’s grandfather and Emperor Chengping’s father.
In fact, he has always been very law-abiding, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with his personal qualities.
This is the self-discipline of the immortals!
"What are you talking about?"
Shang said innocently: "Why do you need the Edict? Your words are the words of the Xia Dynasty, your will is the will of the Xia Dynasty, and your decision is the decision of the Xia Dynasty.
Although the edict is good, it is not half as good as Mr. Gu’s. It is far inferior.”
"Huh?"
Gu Dan exclaimed in surprise, "So you can flatter people, too?"
"I mean it from the bottom of my heart."
(End of this chapter)