The end of the Ming Dynasty swept the world

Chapter 855
After seeing the Dagan Code, a large number of masters of Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism in the court and the people started to quarrel again.

On August [-]th, when the court came to court, Kong Wenen, the right servant of the Ministry of Rites, played in court: "I have this performance."

Ding Yi looked up at him and knew that this person was a child of the Confucian family in Shandong, known for his proficiency in Confucianism.

"Kong Qing, please tell me." Ding Yi said kindly.

With a splash, Kong Wenen knelt down on the spot and said loudly: "Please issue an order from the emperor to take back the Dagan Code, and copy and kill all the relevant personnel who formulated the Dagan Code, so as to secure the world."

Ding Yi didn't change his face, and asked: "Does Kong Qing have any objections?"

"The so-called, heaven and earth monarchs, relatives and teachers, have been granted by the emperor since ancient times. The truth of heaven and earth is that the emperor is the real dragon emperor. There is no imperial power in the law, and the royal family is humiliated. Please kill these little ones."

Ding Yi asked again: "Does Qing feel that the imperial power is supreme, the king wants the minister to die, and the minister has to die?"

"Yes." Kong Wenen said loudly.

Among the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, dozens of people suddenly walked out, knelt down, and shouted together: "Heaven and Earth Monarchs, relatives and teachers, the truth of the Dao since ancient times, please learn from the emperor, and rebuild the Dagan Code."

Looking at the minister who was kneeling on the ground in darkness, Ding Yi's face was extremely ugly.

"Come here." Ding Yi said suddenly, "Give me the sword."

Suddenly, a guard stepped forward and threw a knife at Kong Wenen's feet.

Kong Wenen's face suddenly changed, and he stared at Ding Yi.

"Now, I will let you--die, to show your will--"

Hiss, Kong Wenen took a deep breath, sweat poured down his face as if it was raining, he tremblingly said: "Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?"

"Heaven and earth, master and master, since ancient times, the great truth, I want you to die, why do I need a reason?" Ding Yi said slowly.

Brushing, Kong Wenen's face turned red, and his whole body trembled. He didn't know whether it was from fear or anger.

"Kong Shilang, do you want to resist the order?" Someone beside him sneered sinisterly.

Kong Wenen turned his head, it was Zhao Dashan, Duke Ding.

"I dare not." Kong Wenen knelt down, buried his head, and did not dare to raise his head, let alone pick up the knife on the ground.

Those who knelt down behind Kong Wenen just now lowered their heads, not daring to look at Ding Yi.

Ding Yi yelled angrily: "Are you guys dissatisfied with the anti-corrosion chapter, or are you dissatisfied with the heaven, earth, monarch, relatives and teachers?"

"I reduced the imperial power, put the power in a cage, and let the dignity of the founding emperor disappear."

"What for?"

Ding Yi's voice roared: "I am here for the people of the world, and for the majesty of the law."

"I just want to tell the people in the world that the king is under the law, and no one can surpass the Dagan Code, not even the emperor."

"It's okay if you don't support me, but you still have to go against me, right?"

"Okay, now I will give you the death penalty, Kong Wenen, don't you commit suicide?"

Kong Wenen trembled and raised his head slowly. He glanced at Ding Yi, gritted his teeth and said, "If I die, I can let the emperor understand the principles of governing the country. I am willing."

After finishing speaking, he glared at Zhao Dashan fiercely, and picked up the knife on the ground.

All the courtiers who were kneeling with him suddenly screamed, "Mr. Kong, stop."

"Kong Shilang, don't be impulsive."

Several ministers rushed forward and snatched his knife.

When the long knife fell to the ground suddenly, Kong Wenen cried bitterly on the ground.

"You are not joking." Ding Yi said coldly: "Come here, take Kong Shilang for a ride on my behalf."

"No." There were pro-military guards in front of the hall without saying a word, rushing up from left to right.

While the officials were stunned, one held down Kong Shilang, and the other held a knife, and with a squeak, he directly wiped Kong Wenen's neck.

The blood splashed in the hall, and all the officials were shocked.

"The emperor calm down." Wang Duo took the lead, and all the officials fell to the ground.

But after kneeling down, they found that all Lushun did not kneel, but stood still, watching them quietly.

At this time, among the hundreds of officials in the imperial court, Lushun origin probably accounted for less than half, which still seemed obvious.

Wang Duo realized something was wrong, and quickly stood up again.

The ministers stood up one after another, their expressions moved.

"Zhang Shenyan." Ding Yi said at this time.

"The minister is here." Chief Assistant Zhang Shenyan quickly agreed.

"In the future, there will be papers like heaven and earth monarchs, relatives and teachers from all provinces, no matter what official positions or people, they will answer the decree for me and give their whole family to commit suicide."

"I want to see if these Confucian masters are really loyal to me and understand the principle that the king's order is supreme."

"I obey the order." Zhang Shenyan secretly sighed.

In November, Shi Kefa, the governor of Guangdong, made another memorial, please change the Dagan Code.

The imperial court returned the decree and ordered his family to commit suicide.

Shi Kefa set up an incense table at home, solemnly accepted the order, and then led the whole family to kowtow towards the capital, and threw himself into a well to die.

In December, Jiangsu governor He Tengjiao played.

The imperial court returned the decree and ordered his family to commit suicide.

Like Shi Kefa, He Tengjiao's family threw themselves into a well and died.

Dozens of prefects, prefectures, prefectures and counties in various provinces and counties participated in the performance, all of whom were loyal ministers of the former Ming Dynasty and masters of Confucianism.

The imperial court responded unceremoniously and ordered other families to commit suicide.

I don’t know if those who committed suicide thought carefully before they died, whether it is the king under the law that is important, or the heaven, earth, ruler, relatives and teachers.

Most of them committed suicide following the example of Shi Kefa and others. There is also Fang Yizhi, the magistrate of Liyang County, who did not commit suicide after receiving the imperial decree. He apologized and retracted his previous memorial.

Then the imperial court did not convict him of the crime of resisting the decree. The official department wrote back and punished him with a year-end bonus for two years of benevolence and virtue, and he could not be promoted for three years, and his official position remained as usual.

In the three years of Rende, Fang Yizhi became famous all over the world for resisting the crime of decree.

But the court did not punish him, nor deprived him of his official position.

"World Affairs" opened a special issue on this matter.

Fang Yizhi made a mistake in the memorial, admitting that his mistake was a lack of morality and ability, but he did not commit a crime.

Disobeying the imperial decree was originally a capital offense in the Dagan Code.

But there is another article in the Dagan Code: If the imperial decree violates the core and main idea of ​​the Dagan Code, the Dagan Code shall prevail.

According to the core of the Dagan Code: "No one can be arrested or imprisoned, deprived of rights and property, banished or exiled, or deprived of reputation and status without a legal judgment or legal clause. Private property is inviolable, we cannot use power, and we cannot direct others to use power to harm anyone. Justice cannot be bought and sold, and everyone must be treated fairly and granted rights."

Fang Yizhi did not commit a crime, and the imperial decree ordered his family to commit suicide. This is a violation of the Dagan Code, so the Dagan Code should prevail.

Fang Yizhi is naturally innocent.

Fang Yizhi is not guilty, so the whole family does not need to commit suicide.

But he first went to the memorial, and then retreated to express his acknowledgment of his mistakes, lack of virtue, lack of ability, so he had to pay a fine.

The matter of Fang Yizhi's disobedience to the imperial decree was known all over the world, and the whole country was shocked.

However, disobedience to the imperial decree was not punished. On the surface, it seems that the imperial decree, the imperial court, and even Ding Yi's dignity have been trampled on. In fact, Ding Yi's reputation has reached its peak, whether it is in the court or among the people, and it can even be said that it cannot be restored. to the point of adding.

The dignity of an emperor is not measured by imperial edicts.

Both the common people and the officials knew that Ding Yi's determination to reform, to serve the common people and officials all over the world, was unshakable and immeasurable.

The ministers in the court understand better that as long as they don't violate the Dagan Code, no matter what they do to make Ding Yi unhappy, they can live safely.

In the final analysis, the restriction of royal power is only good for the ministers, and there is no harm.

The reason why so many people oppose it is probably because they feel dissatisfied and resist the brutality of the anti-corruption chapter.

At the beginning of the third year of Rende, Dagan's country became more stable, and the suicide of a former Ming official did not cause many disturbances.

The people trained by Ding Yi spread all over Daqian.

At the beginning of the first lunar month, the weather in the capital was cold, but after the ministers entered the Huangji Hall early in the morning, they found that the hall was very warm.

It turned out that the Ministry of Industry made coal stoves, and Ding Yi arranged a dozen of them in the Huangji Hall in the early court.

But the biggest change is more obvious.

When entering the gate of Huangji Hall, on the high plaque hanging outside, the original four characters are "Rende Dalong", which happens to be similar to Ding Yi's title.

But now, three years after entering Rende, these four characters have been changed to 'the king is under the law'.

Since the birth of the Dagan Law Code, all the ministers have been studying it carefully, reading it every day, and studying it, for fear of accidentally touching the law and being sanctioned.

"My dear friends, Wang Zaifa's words are easy to say, but very difficult to do." Ding Yi said loudly at this time.

"The emperor's sage--" Zhao Dashan yelled in the middle of his voice, and then stopped.

He looked around in embarrassment, as if he didn't need to flatter now, he decisively shut up.

Ding Yi slowly looked at the ministers, each with a different expression on their faces.

"I am determined to do it, and I am willing to weaken the royal power."

"How many ministers and workers are willing?"

"Let you go home when you are over 60 years old. From then on, you will have no salary, no support, and live the life of ordinary people like ordinary people. Are you willing?"

Chief Assistant Zhang Shenyan came out immediately: "I would like to resign and return to my hometown, please approve by the emperor."

Zhang Shenyan was born in 1576, and the original history is that he died in 1645, and because the Ming Dynasty fell, he got sick, refused to get treatment, and died of illness.

This time, he is probably in a good mood, and he is not sick. He is still alive and kicking, and he is the oldest member of the cabinet of the DPRK and China.

According to the Dagan Code, the cabinet will retire at the age of 66, and the chief minister will retire at the age of 70.

Now that he has been in Rende for three years, he is exactly 71 years old, and the Dagan Code is officially implemented in the third year of Rende. According to the law, he should retire and go home.

Ding Yi agreed on the spot, and asked Ruan Wenlong, Shangshu of the Ministry of Finance, how much is the retirement salary of Zhang Shenyan, a genuine product like Zhang Shenyan?

Ruan Wenlong came out and said, according to the Dagan Code, retired officials can choose one of the two.

The annual salary of Zhengyipin is two thousand stones, and you can get two years' salary at a time, that is, four thousand stones, or you can choose to get three stones a month.

Of course, you can also take silver.

Now it costs 1.3 silver to buy a stone of rice, and the price of grain is still relatively stable.

Zhang Shenyan said with a smile, as the minister is getting older, he can take the silver coins at one time, he can take five thousand two hundred taels of silver at one time.

All the officials are shy, first-rank officials, important officials of the court, is this what retirement looks like?
Apart from five thousand two hundred taels of silver, there is nothing else.

At this time, Ding Yi stepped down from the emperor's throne and came to Zhang Shenyan.

He bent over heavily.

"Your Majesty." Zhang Shenyan burst into tears.

He has only known Ding Yi for three or four years, and he is deeply impressed by Ding Yi. This is the first and only king in history who is not greedy for power. There is no one before, and there will be no one in the future.

"Old Zhang Ge, when we were in the capital, you and I hit it off right away. You have worked hard these years, and you have aged a lot for Dagan and my world. I am the people and officials of the world, thank you."

"If you are free, you can come back to see me, the capital and the palace, and open them for you at any time."

"Your Majesty, let me kneel down again, hoot." Zhang Shenyan wept bitterly, knelt down again, and kowtowed three times.

Many courtiers were in tears.

In the imperial courts of all dynasties, it is rare to see monarchs and ministers go this far.

After Zhang Shenyan left the palace, officials from the Ministry of Finance sent bank notes to his home, and Zhang Shenyan found that there were 200 taels.

Someone said that it was a personal gift from the emperor Ding Yi. According to the Dagan Code, the emperor's private gift is not a crime. Besides, you are no longer an official.

Zhang Shenyan burst into tears again.

(End of this chapter)