Hanging pot to help the world, I just want to live forever

Chapter 386 Sincerely
Shang tilted his head and took a look, then laughed.

"Edict."

Those who give an imperial edict are called imperial edicts.

It also means the emperor’s orders to his ministers.

As the name suggests, the so-called imperial edict is naturally a collection of orders from the emperor to his ministers.

This book was compiled under the leadership of Emperor Taiping after Master Xun left and while Emperor Taiping was still on the throne. Naturally, he is very familiar with it.

When Emperor Taiping was in power, in addition to continuing the late emperor's philosophy of governing the country, the biggest and most proud thing he did was definitely not the growth of Legalist leaders during his reign.

Nor did he have the ambition and courage to watch Shang slaughter more than a thousand Confucian scholars in one go and forcefully promote Legalism.

Emperor Taiping's greatest contribution and hard work is in the "Edict", right before his eyes.

The "Edict" lists major crimes and punishments, such as forming parties and disrupting government, resisting grain and demolition, resisting rent, etc. In fact, there should have been a slander emperor.

It's just that the founding emperor Wang Mang never used this reason to punish others, and was eventually hailed as a holy king by the people.

Emperor Taiping thought about it and decided that it would be okay if his achievements in his reign could not be exceeded. There was really nothing he could do about it.

But the layout couldn't be any worse, so I didn't add it.

Emperor Qizhi was also ambitious after he succeeded to the throne, and even wanted to reverse the Xia Dynasty's national policy, so he was not charged with slandering the emperor.

In other words, in today's Xia Dynasty, ordinary people are still qualified to judge the emperor, at least they cannot use this reason to arrest people.

Of course, it's okay to slander those in power. If you really dare to slander Wang Mang or Emperor Taiping, that's absolutely not allowed.

After all, people who are alive can still quarrel and talk back, but if they die, the conclusion is sealed and everything is left to the history books.

If you criticize him at this time, you will be forgetting your ancestors rather than slandering the emperor.

The merits and demerits of thousands of years will be left for future generations to comment on.

In addition to various major criminal responsibilities, the "Edict" also contains Emperor Taiping's ardent expectations for the people of the Xia Dynasty.

Including but not limited to Mohism's universal love and non-aggression, Confucian's benevolence and morality, and Legalism's obedience to discipline and law.

It’s not that you’ve lost your temper when you come to the Legalists. It’s just that ordinary people really have nothing to learn from the Legalists.

You have to be a petty official at the very least to be able to use Legalist concepts, right?

Otherwise, it will be time to break the law.

Normal people who want to show off can say that they are benevolent and loving, and no one will get drunk and brag about being law-abiding, right?
Even if it's really worth investigating.

To put it bluntly, Emperor Taiping meant to use this book to guide the people of the Xia Dynasty on some personal behaviors and moral goals.

The concepts of Mohism, Confucianism, and Legalism are also recorded in this book. It can be regarded as a bowl of water. At least during the reign of Emperor Taiping, Emperor Taiping, through the joint efforts of himself and Shang, brought Legalism to the same level as Mohism and Confucianism. The existence of grade.

Now he has truly deserved his reputation and has not failed to live up to Emperor Taiping's expectations.

"what."

Listening to Shang's story, Gu Dan laughed softly.

These emperors may be able to resist luxurious enjoyment and laugh away ordinary temptations.

But there is almost no resistance to things like leaving a name in history and being famous forever. To be precise, it should be a dream.

He still remembered that when Shang took the stage at the Tianxia Academy to question Xun Ke's concepts of etiquette and law, the Confucian scholars around him were so excited that they even wanted to kill Shang with their swords.

Only Xun Ke and Emperor Taiping on the stage were not angry.

Xun Ke is not angry because he has his own cultivation and is sure of his own vision and ability.

Emperor Taiping was not angry because he had found another truly great talent.

After he succeeded to the throne, he discovered great talents.

As we all know, the bad things a minister does are his fault, but the good things a minister does must be authorized by the emperor.

This is called the way of the emperor.

The astonishing talent that grew up in his hands must be at least three-thirds of the credit given to him.

The rise of Legalism, which even now deeply affects the Xia Dynasty, is indeed inseparable from the firm support of Emperor Taiping.

Now Legalism has even suppressed Mohism and even Confucianism, which is quite an achievement.

Of course, the root cause of this problem is that Legalism is a top-down concept that focuses on the upper levels, and is the maker of rules. This is fundamentally different from Mohism and Confucianism.

The truly capable people in Legalism all hang out in the temple, and the more powerful they are, the higher their position will be. How can Mohists and Confucian scholars come into contact with the hawks and dogs of the court?

If you win, there won't be much benefit. It's just a verbal debate. If you lose, you'll definitely get in.

"The previous things are actually nothing worth mentioning. They are just words to persuade people to do good, and they are not necessarily good words. In this case, the so-called "Edict" is just an ordinary book, not worth mentioning. .”

He said it was not worth mentioning, but Shang's waist was so straight that he almost had the words "I am proud" written on his face.

"The really important thing is actually the last part, the part about laws and regulations. It contains not only the culpability of ordinary people, but also the crimes and punishments of officials."

Shang guided the donkey, followed not far behind the man with the "Edict" on his head, and said slowly: "Besides, if there is corruption and perversion of the law, and the court does not investigate, the people can hold the edict on their heads and arrest the officials. , beating gongs and drums and sent to the imperial capital for punishment.

Not only are officials not allowed to stop them along the way, they must also provide food and accommodation. "

Gu Dan frowned slightly.

Good guy!
This is the reason for using the people to capture officials!
No wonder there were so many people watching, and even soldiers in armor following, but they never stepped forward to stop him.

Because that "Edict" represents the authority of Legalism and the permission of the imperial power.

"But, isn't it a bit too far to go from Yuzhou to the imperial capital?"

Gu Dan said sarcastically.

For ordinary people, this is quite a long journey.

Even if you eat and drink well along the way, there is no guarantee that there will be no accidents.

"Haha, I have also considered this. Therefore, the people can take the restrained officials to a higher-level official for trial, and then that official will notify the imperial capital.

If the people are still dissatisfied, they can hold the edict on their heads and go to the imperial capital to appeal. "

Shang Wei said: "Since the "Edict" was formed, every household in the Xia Dynasty must have kept it. So far, there have been 31 cases of people who have carried the "Edict" and went to the imperial capital to report or report officials.

Among them, the evidence is conclusive, and 26 cases were punished.

Among the remaining five cases, three cases were personal fights; two cases were misjudgments by the public. Those who misjudged the crime were charged double the amount of the crime they sued to show their authority. "

There are degrees of reward and punishment.

Those who dare to use the "Edict" as a command arrow are not [-]% sure. It is best to think about their own nine tribes first.

The matter is done, a corrupt official is eliminated, but there is no additional reward or encouragement, but it can be done.

But if it fails, all nine tribes will be greeted severely.

Although this is not absolutely fair, it is not easy, and it gives the people at the bottom a chance to resist reasonably and legally.

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 secondly, ensure that they are not investigated or exposed by others.

Otherwise, the spirits of the nine tribes in heaven should reflect carefully on why they gave birth to such evil beasts.

More and more people gathered on the street.

It is human nature to watch the excitement, not to mention this kind of excitement, if you don't watch it, you will be at a loss.

Without waiting too long, a man came straight away on a fast horse.

Before the person arrives, the sound is heard first.

"I am the chief envoy of Yuzhou. I can tell you how wronged you are and how guilty he is!
The people under my administration can hear everything and nothing is hidden.I will also send someone to check carefully. If I cannot make a clear conclusion, I will report it to the Holy One to set the record straight! "

Even before the horse could stand still, the governor of Yuzhou stood up from the horse with a vigorous figure, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

Dear mother, I was at work when I suddenly heard a report from my subordinates that someone had held the "Edict" on his head and captured an official.

His career was suddenly shattered by thunder.

If you don't handle this matter well, don't even think about your future. If you don't get demoted or punished, it will be considered a success. "I'm telling you, sir! This person swallowed up the court's relief supplies during the disaster three years ago. As a result, only ten households out of a hundred households in Cuiyan Village are left!"

The eyes of the people holding the rope were red, and they knelt on the ground with a plop, and said with tears in their eyes: "If he hadn't been drunk and mentioned this matter, we would still have been deceived by him! Sir, please, for Cuiyan Village The person who is starving to death has the final say!”

three years ago.

Catastrophe.

As soon as this statement came out, it can be said that the crowd was excited.

Even Shang's face suddenly turned cold.

He said back then that there was no shortage of food in the Xia Dynasty.

The difficulty is getting food to the people who need it.

Let’s not mention the losses incurred during the transportation of grain. Once the grain is in the hands of those who distribute it, can it really be distributed in full without being swallowed up halfway?

No one can guarantee this.

Under the great disaster, the roads were difficult to travel, and there might be aftershocks and robbers. There were too many accidents, and the more distant the place, the more so. However, the imperial court also suffered a serious loss of manpower.

If a dead line is set, no one can do it.

But once given the opportunity to "move around" and act expediently, corruption is destined to breed.

Amidst the scoldings, the official who was tied by the rope lowered his head and confessed to his crime.

If you grit your teeth and hold on, let alone whether you can withstand the investigation, if the trouble goes to the top, the master will take action.

At that time, it is not easy to die.

This matter is actually not complicated.

It was nothing more than that when transporting grain, out of greed for profit, he secretly withheld part of the grain and sold it to wealthy businessmen.

The reason is naturally attributed to natural and man-made disasters.

In addition, the missing part is not too much. During the years of the disaster, there was a shortage of manpower everywhere, but the secret was never revealed.

Until he was heard by the real owner after being drunk.

The portion of food he withheld was indeed not that much.

It was just the lives of dozens of families in Cuiyan Village.

Not even greedy.

But for those who lack exactly that part of food, it is a disaster.

And the wealthy businessman who bought his grain back then was none other than the family of Mr. Fan, the head of the Confucian businessmen who drank two bowls of mung bean porridge!

If you're not careful, this matter could become a really big case.

It even directly hit Confucianism hard.

The chief envoy of Yuzhou did not dare to be careless at all.

Even Gu Dan and Shang stayed temporarily.

They did not go to the Chief Envoy of Yuzhou, but watched silently to see how this matter would develop and how it would be handled.

Can they even give an answer that satisfies them - after they stay away from the center of power of the Xia Dynasty and no longer support the Xia Dynasty.

But things soon took shape.

The resolution was surprisingly quick.

In less than a month, this matter has come to light.

The person who purchased that batch of grain was indeed the grandson of Mr. Fan, the leader of the Confucian businessmen.

But he bought food to help the victims.

Nor is it driving up food prices to make profits.

As for whether it is true or not, it is very simple. Just check the account books and ask people at the time whether any of Mr. Fan's caravans sold grain at high prices, or even spent and consumed the stored grain.

In the end, it was proved that Mr. Fan's position as the head of the Confucian businessman family was still sustainable.

His grandson bought the grain to help the victims, and he immediately started giving porridge after buying it.

If I were to say that my only mistake was probably that I didn't investigate the origin of the food carefully.

But he was eager to save people, and he was indeed buying food and giving porridge. It was a disaster, so how could he have so much time to find out?Even the imperial court was a little overwhelmed and lacked the skills to take care of itself.

It is impossible not to make any mistakes.

At that time, if you just made up an identity casually, who else could not verify it?
What's more, the grandson of Mr. Fan's family didn't buy the grain himself, but he told the shopkeepers under him to collect more grain and help the victims. Spending money to save people is too harsh to criticize.

Therefore, the Chief Minister of Yuzhou decided not to pursue the case against the grandson of Mr. Fan, the leader of the Confucian businessmen.

The real source is naturally the culprit who dared to sell the food provided by the court for disaster relief.

Since he pleads guilty and accepts punishment, and has both witnesses and material evidence, he will be killed without mercy!

Gu Dan was quite satisfied with how this matter was handled.

It’s just that the damned people are dead, and the dozens of families in Cuiyan Village who are starving to death due to lack of food cannot be revived.

After all, the law, no matter how just and efficient it is, must be one step slower than others.

Punishment is delayed justice, and delayed justice does not mean nothing.

That is for the living to see.

If Mohism and Confucianism teach people what to do and what not to do before something happens, then the biggest role of Legalism is to tell people what to do after something happens, and what will happen if they do it.

To maintain the operation of a huge dynasty, all of these are indispensable.

This incident is not a happy one, it can even be said to be deplorable.

But in the end, he gave an answer that satisfied Gu Dan.

The people who had the "Edict" on their heads also put it back into their arms.

After the dust settles on this matter, everyone still has their own lives to live.

Gu Dan and Shang set out on the road again with their little donkey.

"The imperial edict is very good, why don't you give me one?"

On the way, Gu Dan said with some dissatisfaction.

Did you say that every household in the Xia Dynasty had at least one imperial edict?

Bullying the Gu family’s courtyard for not having a real estate certificate, right?

Thinking back carefully, it seems that the house deed buried under the wall bricks is indeed from the Otsuki period and has lost its validity.

Strictly speaking, the current Gu family courtyard is an illegal construction and has not been reported to the government. Wang Mang has not mentioned this matter to him.

Alas, those are all matters of the generation of Emperor Qizhi's grandfather and Emperor Taiping.

In fact, he has always been very disciplined and law-abiding, and there is absolutely no fault in his personal quality.

This is the self-discipline of the immortal!

"What are you talking about?"

Shang said with an innocent face: "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 imperial edict is good, it is not half as good as Mr. Gu.Far inferior. "

"what?"

Gu Dan exclaimed in surprise, "So you know how to flatter others?"

"Speaking from the heart."

(End of this chapter)