Joy of Life: Starting from Teacher Fan Xian

Chapter 69 Chen Pingping's approach
Shu Wu said in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, the law is nothing but emotion. The law is born to govern the people. Respecting human ethics and considering human feelings, let the people of Qingguo also understand the kindness of the law and appreciate the grace of Your Majesty. This is the great use of the law. It is not to be harsh on the people and make them afraid."

"The purpose of the law is to let the people know that they can live and work in peace under the constraints of the rules, rather than everyone being in danger. Simply using the law without regard for people's hearts and such rigid fairness is the greatest injustice. I dare to ask Your Majesty to exempt Aliang from the death penalty!"

Shu Wu's words were heart-piercing and earnest, and they also gave the death penalty faction a rigid image of being inconsiderate and unaware of the people's sentiments. They ruled the world with one law and disregarded human ethics and reason, which was extremely foolish.

The Emperor's mouth curled up slightly, as if this was what he expected. If it was a one-sided situation, this court meeting would be a failure.

Shu Wu's appearance attracted the attention of the ministers around him. Combined with the reaction of His Majesty, many ministers could not help but waver.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say."

Minister of Rites Guo Youzhi stepped out, stood shoulder to shoulder with Shu Wu, bowed and said: "Although the law is strict, the feelings are also deep. Both are indispensable to the country. There must be feelings in the law and the law in the feelings. Only then can we govern the country in the right way, make the people obey us, and protect our Qing country for thousands of years."

For a time, the Rongqing faction faced a counterattack, and the situation in the court changed suddenly.

"If the punishment is not appropriate, the people will be at a loss. Do you want the world to follow your example in the future?"

"This is an accident, why should we imitate it?"

"The majesty of the law cannot be violated."

"Ugh, wait till people come to your doorstep and spit on you, then you must not bully them by taking advantage of your power."

"Quiet, the noise is disgraceful." The loud shout echoed in the hall. All the ministers were silent, lowered their heads, and dared not look directly at the emperor who was sitting on the high seat.

His Majesty the Emperor rubbed his brows and frowned as he looked at the situation below which was almost in chaos.

"Who else wants to speak?"

As soon as these words came out, all the officials looked towards the four Grand Secretaries of the Hanlin Academy. The reason why the case was brought to the court was due to their help.

Now that the situation is escalating, the Hanlin Academy must speak out.

However, there are different opinions within the Hanlin Academy, and it is extremely difficult to decide which side to stand on.

When they thought of Lin Ruofu's status in the Hanlin Academy, and knew that the Hanlin Academy should also take him into consideration now that his tone was clear, the death penalty faction couldn't help but feel relieved, thinking that the Hanlin Academy was probably on the same front with them.

Many ministers secretly watched the reaction of Lin Ruofu, the Vice Minister of Personnel. This popular figure in front of His Majesty, the beneficiary of the Spring Examination case, remained calm and composed with great confidence.

He was able to reorganize the power of the court and restore his prestige after the Spring Examination when all the ministers were wary of him. The reason for this was, firstly, his promotion, and secondly, his unfathomable strength.

No one knows who is standing behind it, and how many knives are hidden in the tangled web.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say."

The one who stepped out was the Censor of the Metropolitan Censorate. He said frankly, "If those who abide by the law are strong, the country will be strong; if those who abide by the law are weak, the country will be weak. If the emperor and his subjects, high and low, all abide by the law, this is called great order. In the case of Aliang, the law was the basis for his actions and he did nothing wrong. He should be sentenced to death. If he deliberately bent the law because of the opposition of a few people, this is a disregard for moral principles and ethics."

The Censorate is in charge of impeachment and suggestions, and has never taken a party stance in the court. Their words are undoubtedly more convincing.

The momentum of the death penalty faction is gradually growing.

For a moment, the focus returned to the Hanlin Academy again. As long as the Hanlin Academy made the final move, the death penalty faction would be able to completely suppress the mercy faction with its huge numerical advantage, and the case would end without any chance of recovery.

But after a while of deathly silence in the hall, the Hanlin Academy still did not make any move.

All the ministers were surprised, and those in the death penalty faction looked over in confusion, wondering what the Hanlin Academy was up to.

Lin Ruofu's mouth twitched slightly, and he glanced to the side secretly.

The Minister of Personnel immediately stepped out again and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the Hanlin Academy is the first debater on this case and should speak out. There is no reason to remain silent. Please consider what you say."

His Majesty the Emperor nodded slightly and looked at him sternly.

The Hanlin Academy had to step out, and Zhang Xueshi, as a representative, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, there are mixed opinions in our Hanlin Academy on this matter. It is difficult to reconcile the opinions, and it is unreasonable for everyone to have their own opinions, so we have decided not to make any opinions."

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of the death penalty faction changed drastically, and all the officials in the hall were shocked. Many court officials looked at Lin Ruofu tacitly, with unclear meanings.

The Rongqing faction breathed a sigh of relief, but they also had to think deeply about who else in the court could stand up and speak for them.

If this is not done, the death penalty faction will still be unable to escape falling into the abyss if even a slightly powerful official stands up to criticize them.

The Ministry of Revenue will not speak, the Qin family of the Privy Council and the Ministry of War are too different in their duties, so they will not speak out either, and Dean Chen...

"Your Majesty, the Hanlin Academy has gone back on its word. This is punishable by the crime of deceiving the emperor!" The Minister of Personnel was obviously furious.

His Majesty the Emperor snorted coldly: "The Hanlin Academy can choose not to speak out."

The Minister of Personnel had no choice but to retreat. Lin Ruofu's face finally turned ugly. He slightly blamed the Minister of Personnel for acting on his own initiative and condemned the actions of the Hanlin Academy.

But soon, Lin Ruofu's complexion returned to normal.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say."

The Minister of the Honglu Temple stepped out quickly and said loudly: "The most difficult thing in the world is not to make laws, but to enforce them. The laws cannot be messed up. I beg Your Majesty to sentence Aliang to death."

As soon as the Honglu Temple expressed its position, the death penalty faction regained its prestige and once again occupied the majority of the ministers' opinions.

Lin Ruofu smiled to himself, victory was assured. Hanlin Academy…Honglu Temple, the Emperor muttered softly, his eyes slightly closed as if sleepy, in a happy mood, as if he thought the case was over.

Finally, he asked tentatively, "Do you have any other opinions, my dear ministers?"

A moment after the words were spoken, someone suddenly stood up unexpectedly at the side of the dull court.

"Your Majesty, I have an opinion." The speaker was the Six Departments Censor.

Many ministers were suddenly startled, with complicated thoughts in their minds. Why did the Six Departments' Censors stand up?
Lin Ruofu, who had kept his head down from beginning to end, finally raised his eyes and looked over openly.

His Majesty the Emperor tapped the dragon throne with his hand and said hurriedly, "Speak."

The Sixth Department Secretary paused for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the law is about justice and injustice. In this case, there is a clear distinction between who is right and who is wrong. The victim, Huang Dalong, is notorious, but the perpetrator, Aliang, is suffering terribly. Under justice, following the law can comfort the people."

The situation slowed down again, and the Emperor turned his gaze to the bottom: "Let me think about it."

"Your Majesty, may I speak?" A very familiar voice sounded in the emperor's ears. It was Chen Pingping's voice.

His Majesty the Emperor raised his head and looked straight ahead: "Go ahead, I want to hear your opinion, too."

As the ministers watched, Chen Pingping slowly pushed his wheelchair to the center of the hall and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I think both sides have a point. It's fine to act according to the law, and it's also fine to act at your discretion."

After hearing this, the ministers stiffened their necks in disbelief. His Majesty asked you to solve the problem, but you actually remained neutral and tried to smooth things over...

It would be better not to say it. Is Dean Chen getting senile and confused today?
No one knew what Chen Pingping was thinking, even the Emperor looked puzzled.

"Chen Pingping, is this your answer?"

"That's not my answer." Chen Pingping shook his head. "I'm not taking sides in this case. I'm only considering its impact on our Qing country and analyzing how to handle it in the best way."

"Speak." His Majesty the Emperor looked at him.

Chen Pingping nodded and sighed, "In recent days, the case of Aliang has spread widely in Qingguo, from Shandong Road to Kyoto. The people are stupid and do not respect the majesty of the law. They are the only ones who cry out for his injustice. It is ridiculous."

"I believe that you ministers are aware of the situation and will not care about the stupidity of the people. However, the impact is too great and we cannot ignore it, right? Since the death penalty is to be imposed, I think we should investigate the law to appease the people's grievances. Otherwise, it will leave a grudge in many people's hearts, which is not appropriate."

"May I ask if you ministers have any way to quell the people's grievances?" Chen Pingping suddenly turned around and asked.

The ministers bowed their heads and remained silent.

His Majesty the Emperor said in a deep voice: "So, you have a solution?"

Chen Pingping nodded and replied, "No discussion is allowed. Suppress with violence. Those who violate the rules will be put in jail. It won't take long for the case to be over, Your Majesty."

"This is ridiculous! How can this stabilize the people's hearts?" His Majesty the Emperor rebuked.

Chen Pingping was terrified: "Your Majesty, I have no other choice. I am ashamed of your grace for only being able to think of this."

If there is no way to solve the impact of the death penalty, doesn't it mean that the death penalty should not be imposed? What a subtle counter-argument.

He neither openly took sides nor did he do what he wanted to do.

The court officials finally understood clearly that Chen Pingping was on the side of the lenient faction.

The high and mighty Emperor sneered, and the chill rushed straight into people's hearts: "Chen Pingping, you always bring surprises to me."

……

Today's court meeting ended very late, and when Fan Jian returned home, it was already past the hour of Si.

After breakfast, Fan Jian called Lin Ruo to the study.

"The case results are out." Fan Jian looked at the young man in front of him with dissatisfaction, "Death penalty, no room for trial, it will be carried out in ten days."

"Is this the solution you and Chen Pingping came up with? Don't think that the situation can be saved just because there are many people who support leniency. His Majesty has already made up his mind, and you can't change it."

"This is an act of openly forming a clique in front of His Majesty, do you know that? Chen Pingping is asking for trouble."

This was the first time Fan Jian was so angry.

Lin Ruo listened to Fan Jian's lecture in surprise, and replied thoughtfully, "I didn't ask Dean Chen to speak out."

Fan Jian stopped scolding.

"Have the Six Department Censors come forward?" Lin Ruo asked.

"Stand up." Fan Jian said.

"Then there's no problem." Lin Ruo shook his head. In fact, his original idea was to hope that President Chen would instigate some forces in the court to speak out and maintain the discussion of this case at a balanced level, at least so that His Majesty would not make a decision in court.

Afterwards, we will ask Dean Chen to go to the Imperial Study and use the people's grievances to appeal to His Majesty. This way, we will not openly offend His Majesty and there will be a chance to save the case from execution.

But the current situation is beyond everyone's expectations...

(End of this chapter)