A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 686
Wude Hall.

Li Shimin was looking at the file in his hand, and the prince stood beside him.

"Official crimes can be divided into public crimes and private crimes. You have to understand this. If you commit a crime because of official duties, if you are selfless, it is a public crime. If you do not do official duties, it is a private crime. Although it is related to official duties, actions involving private interests are also private crimes. .”

Public crimes are light, private crimes are serious.

This is also a kind of partial protection given to officials by the laws of the Tang Dynasty, which followed the laws of the Sui Dynasty.

"Although your case seems complicated, if you distinguish it according to this, it is still relatively obvious. This warehouse supervisor managed the warehouse, but he committed theft. When his superior found out, he did not report it impartially, but he took advantage of the beauty of the warehouse supervisor's wife. Threatened to rape Cangdu's wife, but Cangdu was too afraid to complain.

The wife of the cang governor filed a complaint, but the official who took over the case violated the law and deliberately concealed it.

In this case, the warehouse supervisor committed a robbery, the city order raped his subordinate’s wife, and the Chang’an County judge violated the law for personal reasons. These three people all committed private crimes, and private crimes are subject to severe punishment.”

This case was actually an old case that had been closed. The emperor brought the files to examine the prince and asked him to prepare a verdict.

"You need to learn more about the format of the laws. I have a draft of the Zhenguan Laws that I am preparing here. You can take it and look at it and make some suggestions."

The Zhenguan Code is a revised law based on the Wu De Code and the Kaihuang Code. It has been revised for three years and has not yet been completed. There are twelve chapters and [-] articles. The Wu De Code was originally revised based on the Kaihuang Code, and the revision was relatively simple. , and today’s Zhenguan Law has never been completed,

This is because there are many places that are very different from the Kaihuang Law. For example, the newly added generals and tenants must be classified as customers and included in the good registration. Only slaves, tenant households, official households, and miscellaneous households (who were exempted once) Those with low status) are still not from good status,

The new identity of the client is given comprehensive legal protection, reducing its personal dependence on powerful landlords.

For example, in the past, it was stipulated that traitors such as Buqu and miscellaneous households would be punished by an additional level of crime, and slaves and traitors would be punished by an additional level of crime.But now, the legal status of being classified as a client is the same as that of a husband, and there is no such thing as a higher penalty for guilt.

In the past, if a master raped his own slave, servant, guest daughter, or other unfaithful person, it was not considered a crime of rape. If he raped someone else's slave, guest daughter, etc., he only had to pay compensation.As long as the person is raped, it is called rape.

Now the Zhenguan Law is quite controversial and is about to be revised.

Customers are also good people, and powerful landowners who rape their customers are also considered rape.Those who rape their own slaves and servants will be flogged with forty sticks. Previously, the master was not guilty of raping his wife and daughters, and he could also keep the guest girls and maidservants as concubines at will.

Even now, ministers are still discussing whether it is necessary to retain the status of servants, guest girls, and tenants. They should be changed to slaves who can become husbands directly after being released. Those who have no property can be customers, and those who have property can be promoted to householders.

In this way, they also become legal subjects, register their households independently, and are no longer attached to the landlord's name. Even if the client is a tenant of the landlord's family, or even a servant, it should only be an employment relationship, not a complete dependence relationship, let alone a legal relationship. Than livestock.

However, this article actually touches on the fundamental interests of the aristocratic and powerful class.
In the past, slaves had no identity of their own and were not considered human beings at all. They were called slaves and sluts, and were treated as livestock. They had the same status as cattle and horses. They had no household registration or identity.Life and death are all decided by the master. If you behave well, you may be exempted once.
However, after being released once, they are just servants and guest girls, and they are still untouchables. After being released once, they are slaves, and they are still unworthy, and they still have no real freedom and status.

Not only can the master enslave and exploit slaves at will, but he is also not guilty of execution, rape, etc.

Nowadays, Zhenguan Law wants to improve the abolition of the status of tribes and households. Official and private slaves will become good men directly after they are freed. Some people even suggest that even if the slave is a bitch, the master is not allowed to abuse or beat the slave to death, otherwise he will be punished.

But this is very controversial,
Nowadays, more people still tend to be innocent or misdemeanor. For example, if you beat your own slave to death, no matter what the circumstances, you will only be sentenced to one year in prison, and you can pay a copper fine to atone. If you kill intentionally, the penalty will be aggravated and you will be sentenced to one and a half years in prison.

If a good man kills another's slave, he will be sentenced to three years' imprisonment and compensation.

Those who kill the slave master’s relatives and maternal grandparents shall be the same as the master.

Li Shimin talked with the prince and asked him to go back.

The first revision of Zhenguan Law has not produced results for three years, and has even stagnated. It is useless for Li Shimin to be anxious. The law is the key basis for governing the country. If the law cannot be repaired, it is actually the disagreement between the central government and the fundamental direction of governing the country.

If the route is not determined, of course the law cannot be enacted. The law serves the national policy line.

After closing the file, Li Shimin waved to Zhang Anan.
"Is there a lot of noise in the Political Hall today?"

Zhang Ananda, as the eunuch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is also secretly in charge of the secret agents of the Imperial City Department. This is the only trust that the emperor has. His eyes and spies are everywhere in the imperial city, palaces, and even the outer city of Chang'an.

Even the back officials of the Political Affairs Hall and the fifth room have his eyes and ears.

Zhang Ananda reported to the emperor the details of today's political affairs hall, especially the conflict between Wu Huaiyu and Hou Junji. His god-granddaughter was Wu Huaiyu's wife, but he did not favor anyone.

a long time,

Li Shimin rubbed his temples and sighed softly.

Hou Junji is known as the Four Old Men of the Shogunate. He was his playmate since childhood. He has been his confidant since childhood, especially after the Taiyuan Uprising.
Hou Junji was well known to the emperor. He was unparalleled in bravery, loyalty and courage. On the day of Xuanwu Gate, everyone only knew how Yu Chigong stabbed Qi King Li Yuanji to death, and how he had the courage to carry the heads of the prince and Yuanji in front of him. Xuanwumen shouted and drove away the palace soldiers.

How about carrying a bloody horse to Haichi to ask the emperor to issue an order for the King of Qin to control Chinese and foreign soldiers and horses?
But not many people know that in fact, the most dangerous battle that day was when Hou Junji led a group of dead soldiers to enter the emperor's palace and hijacked the emperor on a dragon boat in the sea. This was the success of the palace transformation. The most important thing is, otherwise just by killing Jiancheng and Yuanji, Li Shimin would also be captured by the emperor.

Therefore, after the palace coup, Hou Junji and Yuchi Gong were ranked first in meritorious service and received the most rewards.

In the past few years, Hou Junji has been in Beijing, and Li Shimin was very satisfied with his loyalty and bravery. When Yuchi Gong was unruly and Qin Qiong kept claiming illness and asked to resign, Hou Junji also became the representative of the military generals of the Prince of Qin's Palace. The center serves as prime minister.

I trust this little friend Li Shimin very much and have high hopes for him.

Although the emperor is the most powerful person in the world, he still has to go through his ministers to rule the world. The emperor cannot face hundreds of millions of people in person.

Hou Junji is different from Xiao Yu, Feng Deyi, Wei Zheng and other prime ministers. He is unconditionally loyal and obedient to the emperor. "Hou Junji is really... in front of Wu Huaiyu..." The emperor shook his head at Zhang Anan ,
Wu Huaiyu is said to be younger, and even came after the palace coup, but Wu Huaiyu's performance is indeed eye-catching. In recent years, he can be both civil and military, and has made countless contributions.

In addition to being young and capable of fighting, the most important thing about Wu Huaiyu is that he has brains. Especially the emperor often feels that he and Wu Huaiyu always have the same heroic views. Many suggestions put forward by Wu Huaiyu can always touch the emperor's heart.

There are too few such tacit understandings, such insights, and such ministers who can worry about the king's needs and can also raise and solve problems for the king.

Hou Junji is loyal and brave, but now no more than before, what he needs more now is capable ministers and generals like Wu Huaiyu.

This incident in the Western Regions,

Hou Junji only knew how to submit a letter to ask for an order to lead troops in the Western Expedition. He was thinking about how to establish meritorious deeds, but Wu Huaiyuti's policy was based on the overall situation, which was called military expedition.

High judgment.

"Perhaps I should let Mr. Hou gather outside and go to the local area to supervise the whole government first, so as to gain experience and experience,"

Sword Master Zhang, however, was there like an old cat, silently, as if hidden in the smoke of the incense burner.

thinking for a long time,

The emperor decided to summon the princes to discuss the matter.

"The princes of Zhao are gathered together and summon Wei Zheng, Zhang Liang, and Ma Zhou."

The emperor did not let Hou Junji play a solo.

In the afternoon,

The chamberlain went to the right guard Yamen of the imperial city to convey the order.
Hou Junji discussed matters in the political hall in the morning and returned to his office in the afternoon. However, there are actually several generals in the right guard now, and it is not Hou Junji who is actually in charge of affairs.

He has a public room here, which is quite large, but the Youwei Yamen does not have any specific affairs. No matter which general he is, he is usually very free.

Hou Junji was quite happy to hear the edict from his chamberlain.

I happily rushed to the Ouchi Butokuden Hall.
When I arrived, I discovered that several other ministers were here.
In addition to Wei Zheng and Zhang Liang, who were both prime ministers, Ma Zhou, the minister of Zhongshu, also came, as well as Chu Suiliang, the daily minister, and Cen Wenwen, the secretary and director of Zhongshu.

Seeing these people, Hou Junji slowly calmed down.

Wei Zheng was his teacher, but now the teacher doesn't pay much attention to him. Zhang Liang used to have a good relationship with him, but they have become distant recently.

Chu Suiliang was a member of Changsun Wuji, and Cen Wenwen was a member of Li Jing.

Cen Wenwen's ancestors were originally from a family of Nanchen officials. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, Cen Wenwen worked under Xiao Xian as a minister of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Li Jing and Li Xiaogong fought against Jingzhou. Li Xiaogong originally planned to plunder, but Cen Wenwen went to Li Jing to persuade him. Li Jing took him to see Li Xiaogong. , persuaded him to ban plunder,
After that, Li Jing and Cen Wenwen worked together in Southeast China for a long time, and Li Jing appreciated his talent very much.

At the beginning of Zhenguan, Wu Huaiyu also strongly recommended Cen Wenwen for his talents, and Li Jing paid homage to the prime minister. He also recommended Cen Wenwen's ability several times. The court recognized that Cen Wenwen was a man of Li Jing and Wu Huaiyu.

"Li Daliang has been out in Liangzhou for several years, and has made great contributions to the stability of Hexi. I will reward him for his merits. I want him to be granted the title of Duke of Wuyang County by the Jin Dynasty, and he will be summoned to the imperial court to inspect the right guard, the general and the prince's right guard.

The Commander-in-Chief of Liangzhou is the most important responsibility in the northwest, and the post of Commander-in-Chief is indispensable."

The emperor looked at Hou Junji and said, "Sanshui, I plan to let you take over this important position as the Commander-in-Chief of Liangzhou."

Hou Junji's heart skipped a beat.

Why did he, the prime minister, suddenly want to leave Liangzhou? The governor of Liangzhou was just the governor of No. [-] Middle School.

Give up?

There was a bang in Hou Junji's head, and he was a little confused.

"His Majesty,"

"What did I do wrong?"

Hou Junji was dissatisfied.
The emperor was very dissatisfied when he heard this, but he still said patiently:
"Sanshui, you have always been loyal and brave to the armed forces, but you still lack some local experience. You see, although Wu Huaiyu is younger than you, in the past few years, he has gone from being the Sima of Weizhou to the governor of Lingzhou, to the governor of Yanzhou, and He served as the governor of Xiazhou, then as minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, then participated in political affairs, then as governor of Youzhou, and then as deputy commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition. After success, he returned to the court.

I have served as a general and a prime minister, and have experienced prefectures, counties, and provinces. Because of my rich experience, I can consider things more comprehensively..."

Hearing that the emperor compared Wu Huaiyu with him, Hou Junji became more and more dissatisfied.

"Your Majesty, I want to expose and accuse Wu Huaiyu of having ulterior motives and intending to commit rebellion!"

As soon as this statement came out, Wei Zheng, Zhang Liang, Ma Zhou, Chu Suiliang, Cen Wenwen and others in the palace were all startled.
Even the emperor's eyes widened.

"Hou Junji, do you know what you are talking about?" the emperor asked.

(End of this chapter)