Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

Because of its terrifying power, officials have always called it an inhumane and cruel punishment, and they are very disgusted and opposed to it!

However, in Jia Jing's opinion, this punishment could also be used against corrupt officials!

Given the prevailing atmosphere in the Han Dynasty's officialdom at that time, it would be difficult to improve governance without decisive and swift measures.

When necessary, one must be ruthless; when correcting a wrong, one must not go too far; when in urgent situations, one must not disregard expediency; benevolence and righteousness are directed towards the people, not towards corrupt officials and gentry!

He had truly witnessed the cruelty of the border and the suffering of ordinary people, so he naturally fully supported Emperor Jingsheng's decision to use harsh punishments to govern officials!

In short: in times of chaos, harsh measures are necessary!

only……

We must also be careful about His Majesty's safety!

Some people, when pushed to the limit, are capable of doing the most outrageous and heinous things!

Xiong Cilu swayed. How could such a precedent be set when a cabinet minister was skinned alive?

His expression changed repeatedly, but he ultimately dared not speak first in the face of Emperor Jingsheng's wrath. He could only quickly signal to the faction behind him with his eyes.

Immediately, Imperial Censor Li Ruyue stepped forward and loudly proclaimed:

"Your Majesty, you mustn't! I know Your Majesty intends to severely punish their corrupt and lawless intentions!"

"However, not all those involved should be sentenced to death. The ringleaders should be severely punished, while those who were coerced should be treated leniently!"

"In particular, the punishment of skinning the skin and stuffing it with straw is truly against the natural order. The reason why Emperor Taizu used this punishment to punish the corrupt was that the country had just been settled and the people's hearts were not yet won over, so he needed to use severe punishment to deter evildoers."

"Now that Your Majesty has been on the throne for ten years, with your civil and military achievements, the world is gradually at peace. If this punishment is suddenly carried out at this time, it may damage Your Majesty's reputation for benevolence."

"As the sages have said, Heaven cherishes life! Your Majesty's anger is felt by us; Your Majesty's severity is something we know is unavoidable."

"However, if the punishment of skinning alive is reinstated, I fear that in the future generations, Your Majesty will not be seen as a ruler who restores the dynasty, but rather as a cruel and tyrannical ruler. I urge Your Majesty to reconsider!"

Although Li Ruyue's advice was tactful, her meaning was very clear.

First, I disagree with the practice of skinning animals and stuffing them with straw, as it is against the natural order and contradicts the teachings of the sages. Second, the ringleader should be severely punished, but those who were arrested afterward should be treated leniently.

Jia Jing glanced at Li Ruyue. He was sharp-eyed and perceptive, and he saw through Xiong Cilu's previous underhanded tactics. He knew that this was a civil official protecting the interests of his own bureaucratic group!

Once the trend of severe punishments and harsh laws is established, will officials have a good life in the future?

At this moment, Kong Ying, who had been holding back in the hall for half a day, stepped forward, holding an ivory jade tablet, his face flushed, and said loudly:

"Your Majesty! Emperor Taizu established the punishment of skinning the skin and stuffing it with straw, which was indeed the most severe punishment for corruption. However, after Taizu and Chengzu, all the emperors abolished this punishment. Why? It was not because they dared not, but because they could not bear to."

"If Your Majesty reinstates this punishment, how will Your Majesty's benevolence be demonstrated? I have heard that 'the best time to punish is when there is no punishment.' Your Majesty's authority has already been established, and the fear of all officials has been aroused. Today, the crime is committed against only Zhe, which is enough to intimidate all officials."

"If we were to further strip the officials bare and stuff them with straw, then scholars across the land would regard entering officialdom as a perilous path and the court as a tiger or wolf, which would certainly not be a blessing for the nation."

"Your Majesty, I implore you not to kill indiscriminately in anger, but to show mercy beyond the law and win people over with virtue!"

Upon hearing Kong Ying's words, Emperor Jingsheng's face darkened instantly, and his gaze became piercing!

Kong Ying's words implied that he was accusing himself of indiscriminately killing innocent people and that he was not a benevolent ruler.

When he first introduced the new policies, he said he was not following ancestral rules.

Now that he is following ancestral rules, he says that he is unrighteous and unjust. He has said all sorts of things!

Just because he is a descendant of the Sage Confucius, does he really think that even the emperor has to give him some leeway?

The courtiers were also discussing among themselves. Zhang Tingyu frowned, his eyes narrowed, as if he was pondering something.

Jia Jing stared at Kong Ying with a solemn expression. The Kong family was a major cancer and a family of traitors!

His opportunistic behavior in the face of foreign invasion, which showed no national integrity, was ridiculed by later generations as "the Duke Yansheng who surrendered to the emperor generation after generation".

The Qufu lineage has developed a "tradition" of surrendering first whenever foreign invaders invaded, having surrendered to regimes such as the Jin, Yuan, and Qing dynasties.

The most representative example is Kong Yinzhi, the Duke Yansheng of the late Ming Dynasty. While the Ming Dynasty was still in power, he submitted a memorial to show his loyalty. However, after the Qing army entered the pass in 1644, he quickly took the lead in submitting a memorial to surrender, becoming another ironclad proof of the political opportunism of the "Northern Kong".

Although history may differ in this world, the actions of these people are not much different.

Perhaps it's time to completely overthrow the prestigious title of Duke Yansheng!

Just as Jia Jing was pondering, Kong Ying, with an air of righteousness, once again began to speak eloquently, saying:

"Punishment is an aid to virtue! When a wise ruler is alive, he nurtures the people with virtue and does not arbitrarily impose punishments or kill them."

"The families of the Duke of Shan and the Marquis of Pingyuan have a long history of military exploits and have received the emperor's favor. Their sons are unworthy and deserve to die. I have no objection!"

"However, Grand Secretary Fang and the others were merely confused for a moment. They should be shown leniency outside the law. If they are all punished with the death penalty, it would damage the emperor's virtue and fail to show respect for Heaven and the ancestors!"

These words caused an uproar among the officials. They felt that the emperor's virtue was damaged and that he was disrespectful to Heaven and his ancestors. Only a descendant of the Duke of Yansheng would dare to speak so frankly to the emperor's face!

Well done!

Wu Xun's face darkened. What did they mean that Wu Xun deserved to die? That civil officials should be granted leniency outside the law?

Zhang Tingyu's expression hardened, and he said in a deep voice:

"Master Kong, you utter such arrogant words; do you still have any respect for your sovereign and father?"

He had only one thought in his mind: The Kong family is becoming more and more unscrupulous. It was one thing for them to organize officials to block his door yesterday, but today they dare to be so rude in the court!

At this moment, Hanlin Academician Peng Peng also stepped forward and said:

"Your Majesty, I believe that what Imperial Censor Li and Gentleman Kong said makes sense. I have heard that 'He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world,' and the people are the gentry."

"If Your Majesty were to carry out the punishment of skinning someone alive and stuffing them with straw today, how would the officials and gentry of the world view Your Majesty? They do not know Fang Congzhe's crimes, they only know Your Majesty's cruelty."

"I fear that under such cruel punishments, scholars throughout the land will become disaffected, and heroes will be deterred. This would certainly not be a blessing for Your Majesty or the nation."

Left Vice Censor-in-Chief Xu Sanli also stepped forward and said:

"Your Majesty, I second that opinion. If the ruler shows no compassion for his subjects and is ruthless beyond the reach of the law, how can he command respect? I believe that even if Emperor Taizu or Emperor Chengzu were alive, they would not resort to the torture of skinning people alive to intimidate their subjects!"

These two pieces of advice were like thunderclaps exploding in the main hall!

This is the strong opposition from civil officials to the restoration of the cruel punishment of skinning people alive with straw!

They were even unafraid of offending the emperor, and their words were often offensive and threatening!

Jia Jing stood in the ranks of Wu Xun, his gaze inscrutable.

Emperor Jingsheng remained silent. He knew that these upright officials dared to speak so frankly and directly to the emperor because they were thinking:

Firstly, the law does not punish the masses.

Secondly, even if they were flogged, demoted, or imprisoned, it would still be a good thing to gain fame. After all, you can't just cut off their heads for giving advice!

Thirdly, the torture of skinning the animals and stuffing them with straw truly terrified them.

Emperor Jingsheng picked up the small booklets piled up beside his desk and flipped through them expressionlessly.

He wasn't in a hurry; he wanted to see how many more people would jump out today!

At that moment, Zhang Tingyu could no longer stand and stepped forward to report:

"Your Majesty! I cannot agree with what they have said! I have served in the cabinet for many years and am well aware of the corruption among officials."

"Over the decades, the laws and regulations of the court have gradually become lax, and corrupt officials have sprung up like rats and ants eating away at a dam. If we do not take drastic measures, it will be difficult to clean up the officialdom."

"Now that the case of Cong Zhe has come to light, it is a good opportunity to sweep away the long-standing malpractices in one fell swoop. I believe that using severe punishment and establishing an ironclad case may be cruel for a time, but it will bring lasting peace and clarity for generations to come."

"People say that oppressive government is more ferocious than a tiger, but they don't know that the harm caused by corrupt officials is a thousand times greater than that of a tiger. A tiger may harm one or a few people, but corrupt officials can poison an entire region."

"They only talk about benevolence and morality, and about granting favors outside the law, but they don't see how many hungry and cold infants are waiting to die in the two capitals and thirteen provinces, and how many fish are waiting to be slaughtered on the chopping block."

"Fang Congzhe accepted 170,000 taels of silver in bribes and spoke out for the gentry in Jiangnan in the court, obstructing the new policies and causing the implementation of the new policies in Jiangnan to be slow."

"His greed, disregarding the well-being of the nation and its people, and caring only for his own selfish gain, indirectly harmed countless impoverished people?"

"Your Majesty, I beseech you to use Fang Congzhe's head as a sacrifice to the banner of the new policies, and to use the punishment of skinning alive to awaken the hearts of the people. This is not cruel, but rather a righteous act of stopping killing with punishment."

After the factionalism case and the capital inspection, Zhang Tingyu now has no choice but to follow Emperor Jingsheng down this dark path!

Given his status and position, he absolutely cannot be a fence-sitter who hesitates and wavers!

Therefore, the only hope is that Emperor Jingsheng and Jia Jing can control the situation and revive the Han Dynasty in the future!

However, at this moment, Kong Ying pointed at Zhang Tingyu and angrily cursed:

"Zhang Tingyu is a treacherous minister who has brought disaster to the country!"