I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 183 I am with you

After hearing Zhao Yu's explanation, Liu Che instantly understood the meaning of this bizarre charge, and his pupils dilated slightly:

"In your opinion, should this law be implemented?"

"I dare not hide the fact from your Majesty that when I first saw this decree, I was simply astonished."

Zhao Yu replied seriously,

"If this law is implemented, corrupt officials in the court will be exposed immediately."

"Not only that, even if there are officials who dare to commit corruption in the future, I'm afraid they won't dare to enjoy the money openly, let alone buy conspicuous land and houses. They can only bury the money in the cellar and turn it into rotten soil."

"Therefore, I believe that this decree should be vigorously promoted."

"However, I do not agree with the punishment measures in the decree."

Liu Che recalled Zhao Yu's explanation of this decree and asked:
"You mean skinning and strawing?"

"That's right. The biggest difference between the Han Dynasty and the pre-Qin period lies in the two words benevolence and filial piety. Therefore, the heaviest punishment before was only beheading."

Zhao Yu nodded and said,
"Therefore, I think that the punishment of skinning and stuffing with straw is too cruel. The highest punishment should not exceed beheading, otherwise it may cause criticism to the court and Your Majesty."

"Instead of implementing such a cruel punishment, it would be better to add the punishment of exterminating the entire clan in addition to beheading."

"Corrupt officials embezzled a lot of money, and their families and descendants enjoyed it, and their clansmen also benefited from it. These family members and clansmen enjoyed the blessings they should not have enjoyed, so it is reasonable for them to share the responsibility when they are punished."

"Moreover, many corrupt officials usually buy a lot of land and houses after embezzling money."

"The purpose of this move is to leave these properties and mansions to future generations, to ensure that the family will prosper for a hundred years. Therefore, extermination of the entire family is the punishment that these criminals fear the most and is the most heartbreaking. The deterrent effect is no less than skinning and strawing, and may even be worse."

"Your Majesty, please make a wise decision."

Liu Che nodded slightly when he heard this, but did not make a decision immediately. He just pondered and said:
"That makes sense, but we can't rush into this matter. Let me think about it... You can leave first."

"……,promise."

Zhao Yu seemed to really like this decree and wanted to persuade Liu Che to implement it. However, seeing that Liu Che had already waved his hand and ordered him to expel him, he could only force himself to bow and leave.

Zhao Yu was one of the few chief judges and cruel officials in Emperor Wu of Han who had a good end during the reign of Emperor Liu Che. However, unlike Du Zhou who was "deeply evil", he was known for his "integrity and fairness".

The idiom "single-minded" comes from him.

Sima Qian said of him in "Biographies of Cruel Officials": "The ministers and ministers came to ask for help from Yu, but Yu never responded with thanks. He was determined to reject the requests of his friends and guests and act on his own."

Therefore, he was not implicated in Liu Ju's crime of "huge amounts of property of unknown origin".

He also very much hoped to use this amazing decree to accomplish some achievements, which would benefit the country and the people as well as himself, thus killing three birds with one stone.

After Zhao Yu left, Liu Che called out again:
"Su Wen."

"The servant is here."

Su Wen hurried into the hall to provide support.

"Quickly summon Sang Hongyang to the palace to see me. There must be no mistakes."

"promise!"

After Su Wen left, Liu Che let out a deep breath and said to himself:
"This rebellious son has given me another huge surprise."

"If this law is implemented, it will be like a sword hanging over the heads of corrupt officials, making them not dare to be corrupt, and not dare to use it easily if they are corrupt."

"Not only can it rectify the trend of official corruption, it can also curb the trend of officials annexing the land and real estate of the people. Even when the national treasury is short of money, it can... It is really a good prescription for governing the country."

"But the effect of this prescription is still too strong."

"Even if it is only used in the affairs of the salt and iron industry, it is too aggressive."

"Killing people is easy, but has he ever thought about who would replace them if all those who work for me were killed? Who would dare to work for me?"

“Destruction precedes construction. The important thing is construction, not destruction.”

"It is better not to destroy than to destroy without building..."

……

Half an hour later.

"Sang Hongyang, do you know about the crime of 'huge amounts of property of unknown origin'?"

Seeing Sang Hongyang rushing over, Liu Che did not play tricks on him and asked directly.

"This……"

Sang Hongyang was stunned for a moment, then he quickly bowed and apologized.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am a humble servant with poor hearing and did not hear clearly the charges you said. I dare to ask your Majesty to repeat them again."

Liu Che knew at a glance that Sang Hongyang knew nothing about this crime, so he naturally stopped arguing with him about this issue and said:
"Has there been any progress in the reform of the Salt and Iron Office?"

"I am about to submit a memorial to Your Majesty regarding this matter."

Sang Hongyang did not dare to ask the previous question again. He quickly took off the wooden box he had been carrying when he entered the room, raised his hands above his head, and
"Recently, I, the humble minister, have drafted a set of internal regulations based on the actual situation of the Salt and Iron Offices under the order of the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince calls it 'standardization' and is preparing to implement it in all Salt and Iron Offices. Your Majesty, please review it." "Standardization?"

Liu Che motioned Su Wen to come forward and take it, and doubts filled his mind again.

First there was the crime of “huge amounts of property of unknown origin”, and now there is another one that has never been heard of: “standardization”.

Liu Che felt that he had accepted more new things today than in the past year... No, he had accepted a lot in the past year, or even more if you count the year before that.

"That's right. According to the prince, this law covers all aspects of the operation of the Salt and Iron Office."

Sang Hongyang continued to answer, not disguising the admiration on his face.
"When I drafted this set of internal regulations, I immediately understood the Crown Prince's profound meaning and felt astonished."

"Your Majesty has previously ordered Your Highness to take charge of the reform of the salt and iron state-run enterprises. This is truly a far-sighted move!"

"I can assert that as long as this set of internal laws is strictly enforced and Your Majesty orders envoys to maintain proper supervision and supervision, even if the salt and iron merchants are completely separated and a few officials who don't know how to smelt iron and boil salt are assigned to manage it, the Salt and Iron Office can still run like a carriage."

"The drawbacks of the previous state-run salt and iron industry will surely be mostly eliminated, and the state-run salt and iron industry will soon be back on track."

Liu Che hesitated for a moment after hearing the words "stunning beauty".
"You mean, this internal decree can completely separate those salt merchants and iron merchants from the state-run salt and iron business, and it will not cause any adverse effects on the national finances? Are you serious?"

"How dare I speak so recklessly? I have deduced this matter many times and even tried it out in the iron workshop of Shanglin Garden."

Sang Hongyang said,

"It turns out that the 'standardization' proposed by the prince is absolutely feasible."

"After this law is implemented, officials at all levels are actually not as important as before. Instead, the craftsmen and servants in the ironworks are important. As long as there are those craftsmen and servants, the ironworks can operate normally without any official."

Sang Hongyang certainly hasn't realized it yet at this moment.

What he just said has unknowingly touched upon the core of the emergence of some capitalist societies.

Productivity determines the social system.

Just as the slave society disappeared from the stage of history because of the improvement of agricultural productivity, the rulers had to improve the social status of farmers in order to maintain their rule.

The same is true of the transition from feudal society to capitalist society.

However, the Han Dynasty is still far from such a transformation. Its productivity is still far from sufficient. It is just that under the restrictions of "standardization", it is difficult for these officials to become "local emperors" as before.

"..."

Liu Che believed in Sang Hongyang's ability and judgment in this regard, but he did not rush to draw a conclusion. Instead, he looked at him without comment, lowered his head and began to read the so-called "standardization".

After a long time.

"I found a treasure!"

Liu Che had fully understood the benefits of "standardization" and was filled with indescribable joy.
"In the end, I underestimated this rebellious son!"

"The two decrees he introduced are not only aimed at reforming the salt and iron industry, but also at reforming the entire Han officialdom!"

"As long as the 'huge amount of property from unknown sources' is implemented, it will not only be the salt officials, but all the officials in the Han Dynasty who will be hanging a sword over their heads!"

"And this 'standardization' is also the same. It can be used not only in the Salt and Iron Office, but also in other offices and industries. The standards can be refined in this way, thereby increasing the court's control over each office and industry!"

"This way, we can avoid the situation where corrupt officials take my money and only give me 20%, and I still have to thank them!"

"Isn't this better than the 'Zhu Jin Seizing the Title' that I had planned but not yet implemented?"

"..."

Thinking of this, Liu Che immediately made up his mind:
"Sang Hongyang, there are thousands of officials in the palace now. In addition to those who were previously appointed as officials, you must follow my order to select a group of available talents from among the officials in advance, learn your set of 'standardized' laws, and prepare their positions after passing the assessment, so as to prepare to replace those salt officials and iron officials."

"Once the thorough reform begins, these new officials must be immediately filled in to ensure that the Salt and Iron Office and the ironworks and salt fields in various places can operate as usual!"

"promise!"

Sang Hongyang was cheered up and responded quickly.

"Su Wen."

"The servant is here."

"Draft an imperial edict, ordering Zhao Yu to lead the court officials and other officials to fully cooperate with Liu Ju in implementing the new law in the Salt and Iron Office from now on."

"Also, let Zhao Yu remember one thing, which is also the most important point. Make sure to control the situation within the scope of Yanguan and Tieguan. It cannot spill over for the time being!"

"promise!"

As Sang Hongyang and Su Wen left.

Liu Che shook his head, still thoughtful:
"This rebellious son doesn't know how to advance or retreat, and doesn't understand the benefits and disadvantages."

"Now that this matter has become a matter of life and death, those people will definitely do something desperate."

"This rebellious son will soon understand that even though he is already the crown prince, there are still people in this world besides me who can bring him pressure that he cannot bear."

"But it doesn't matter, I am with you this time..."

(End of this chapter)