The Punishment Department and Dali Temple are together, with the northern half being the Punishment Department and the southern half being Dali Temple. The main courtyard of the Punishment Department faces east from the west, and there are two large prisons in the southwest and northwest corners of the courtyard, which are official prisons and ordinary prisons respectively. Ordinary prisons are for ordinary prisoners who have committed major crimes, while official prisons are for prisoners and their families.
The conditions in official prisons are much better than those in ordinary prisons. The guards in official prisons are also polite to the prisoners. This is an experience passed down from ancient times. Who knows which official of the imperial court said he wanted to be beheaded today but was reinstated tomorrow? ?You have offended people so much that after they are released from prison, they can strangle you to death like an ant with just a few words.
Therefore, the jailers in the official prisons are not only very polite to the prisoners, but still call them masters in prison. As long as you have money and enjoy whatever you want, the jailers will run errands for you.
Xia Xun walked into the prison cell accompanied by Liao En, the Minister of Punishment. The inside was very clean, the skylights were open a lot, and the air was fresh. However, because many of the prisoner's family members were also locked in, the cell was a bit a bit messy. A feeling of overcrowding.
Along the way, the wife was crying, the children were screaming, and some were yelling. If you listen carefully, you can see that they were their own relatives, such as Fang Xiaoru's relatives and Qitai's relatives. At this time, they didn't even remember that they had become officials, and a family of old and young chickens and dogs were brought to heaven. It was a great benefit. I just remember that they committed crimes and made my family tired. They scolded me extremely viciously and included all sorts of filthy words.
Xia Xun frowned slightly. Shilang Liao who was accompanying him saw that the Duke was a little displeased and quickly glanced at the prison chief. The prison chief immediately roared: "Shut up, everyone, and be careful about the whip!"
The scolding stopped abruptly. The jailer can be polite to you. If you dare to slap your nose and face, he will really dare to deal with you. People who guard the prison all year round have a somewhat dark psychology, and there are many vicious methods to punish people.
Shilang Liao respectfully accompanied Xia Xun as he walked inside. The further inside, the larger the officials were imprisoned. There were fewer and fewer people in each cell, and the cells became much emptier.
The people in these cells are all different. Some people seem to be accompanying a bigger official when they see the Minister of Punishment coming. They sit in the cell without talking, but their eyes follow Xia Xun closely. , his eyes revealed longing and hope, hoping that he was here to deliver the decree to release him.
Some people rushed to the fence, grabbed the fence with both hands, and yelled at Xia Xun and Liao En: "You officials and traitors, you will not die well!"
The jailer who was following Xia Xun with a hunched waist was not polite and yelled at the Duke, "Isn't this seeking death?" Once it comes out, you can pull it in through that gap. No matter where you hide, it will follow you like a shadow and make them scream in agony.
In some cells, the officer in prison uniform didn't even look at Xia Xun, Liao En and his party. He just took a stone, scrawled it on the wall, and wrote poems.
There are many old and new poems on the wall, which are carved all over the wall, just like the graffiti in the toilet. This person still wants to recite poems, but he can only find some gaps in it, and the words cannot be too big.
Others were sitting upright, watching Xia Xun and Liao En pass by, with calm expressions and smiles on their faces, as if they were enlightened monks. It was difficult to tell whether they were truly indifferent to life and death.
At that time, Xia Xun, the notorious thief who shouted "He will be a good man again in twenty years" before being executed, had never been seen before. However, in modern society, there are also nonchalant and playful people who go to the execution ground. Xia Xun is not sure whether they are really not afraid or pretending to be calm.
Their psychology is even more difficult to predict for these scholars.
People say that prison best embodies all aspects of life, and it seems that this is true.
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"My lord, further ahead, there are single cells, Fang Xiaoru, Huang Zicheng, Qi Tai, Lian Zining, Zhuo Jing, and..."
Xia Xun stopped and gave him a brief signal. Liao En immediately puffed up his chest, looked around, and said loudly: "The Duke of Fu Guo is here to visit you, sir, following the emperor's instructions. You certainly had some respect for the emperor in the past."
Disrespectful, disrespectful, but the Emperor is magnanimous. As long as you are willing to bow your heads and confess your sins, the Emperor will pardon you..."
Xia Xun raised his hand, stopped Liao En, and said: "Your Majesty said: Fang Xiaoru, Huang Zicheng, and Qi Tai are the main culprits for tampering with the ancestral system and alienating the clan. They should be blamed for the loss of the country, the displacement of the people, the slaughter of the clan, and the soldiers in the past four years.
Responsibility for the casualties will never be pardoned! Except for these three people, whoever is willing to repent will be treated with mercy and tolerance by the Emperor!"
Xia Xun directly stated that these three people were destined to die, and begging for mercy was useless. This was the first step in differentiation. He wanted to persuade the ministers, but he was afraid that they would be swayed by Fang Xiaoru and others because of their righteousness. Some officials who could win over them also
There was no way to take the step of showing weakness and surrender. First, explain their life and death clearly, and then they would talk about generous sacrifices, and the effect would be greatly reduced. In order to persuade these officials not to make unnecessary sacrifices, Xia Xun actually did something.
Brainstorming.
He bowed his hands to the officials in the cells on the left and right, and said loudly: "My lords, in the past, each of you had your own master. You all earned your royal salary and were loyal to the emperor. Your loyalty is commendable. The emperor does not blame you now. The emperor once said, you
They are all the ministers left by Emperor Taizu, so naturally they should be loyal to the emperor who was succeeded by Emperor Taizu. This is the way to be a minister, and there is nothing wrong with it.
However, Emperor Jianwen grew up in a deep palace and was not familiar with world affairs. A few treacherous ministers controlled the government and deceived the emperor. Your Excellencies were also forced to do some wrong things that undermined the ancestral dispatch system and harmed the royal family members. They are blameless.
Forgiveness, it is excusable. When Emperor Jingnan was in trouble, he raised troops to fight at the gate of Jinling City. He originally followed the ancestral system, cleared the emperor's side, and punished the evildoers. However, Emperor Jianwen felt ashamed of his sins and had no shame to face his uncle, so he committed suicide. For the sake of the country and the country, he committed suicide.
Only the current emperor can inherit the throne, as long as you all..."
Before Xia Xun finished laying the steps for them, he heard a sneer and said: "Cunning words and tricks cannot change the fact that traitors are treasonous. We are upright and upright, like the light of the wind and the moon. Even if we die, our name will go down in history, and even if we die, we will be honored."
! You are treacherous and sycophant, but you will be reviled for eternity!"
Xia Xun took a look and saw that it was Huang Zicheng who was speaking. Xia Xun smiled slightly and said: "It turns out to be Mr. Huang, the minister of Taichang Temple. I am disrespectful and disrespectful. It is not difficult for a person to come up with bad ideas once. What is difficult is to come up with bad ideas in a lifetime. Such a high
Mr. Huang has done all the difficult things, and Yang really admires Mr. Huang very much."
Huang Zicheng's face turned as red as blood. He threw himself at the fence, pointed his halberd at Xia Xun, and said angrily: "You... dare to insult me..."
Xia Xun dusted off his robes and said disdainfully: "The bright wind and the bright moon? You deserve it! When Cao Guogong's army was defeated at Beiping City, who was the one who pretended to cover up for him and deceived Jianwen, so that he was not punished for his crimes but received heavy rewards? That's it. You, Imperial Master, why did you do this? Is it for Jianwen’s country or for the righteousness of the world? Or for your own future! I’m afraid you are so pretentious because you know you will die, and for the sake of your reputation after your death!”
Huang Zicheng was so angry that his heart was about to explode, but this incident was a stain that he could not refute. He choked for a moment and his face turned red. Fang Xiaoru, who was in the cell opposite, said in a deep voice: "Small offenses do not matter! Datong has always had eldest descendants since ancient times. How can the national ethical code be disordered? What we do is for the country and the people, and we have a clear conscience! If we can hold on to this point, a few flaws are nothing."
Xia Xun turned his head, looked at Fang Xiaoru, and asked: "Then, may I ask Scholar Fang, what ethical principles are so important to the national destiny and people's livelihood?"
Fang Xiaoru raised his voice and said: "The royal family is orthodox!"
Xia Xun smiled faintly: "It's just that I married my husband first and gave birth to my first child!"
Fang Xiaoru said sternly: "This is God's will, this is God's way!"
Xia Xun said: "God's will? Speaking of God's will, God made His Royal Highness the King of Yan the emperor! Don't you scholars advocate the ancient etiquette? In ancient times, there were people who selected talents and appointed them, and made concessions to the world. Whether he is a good emperor depends on it. What can he do to the country and the common people! He has built such a great country and is no match for a small corner of Peiping. What virtues and abilities does he have?"
Fang Xiaoru bowed his hands and said disdainfully: "Your Majesty is so benevolent and filial, how can Yan Thief be able to compare with you?"
Xia Xun sighed and said: "The most benevolent and the most filial. These words made my ears almost grow with calluses, but I thought about it and couldn't figure out what Jianwen Yuji had done in the past four years. Where is the benevolence!" Where? Is it filial piety to forbid a prince to go to funerals when he has just ascended the throne? Is it benevolence to punish an innocent prince, imprison the King of Qi, the King of Zhou, the King of Dai, and force the King of Xiang to death?
The most benevolent and filial person is a good emperor? According to what you said, a filial and honest person can be an emperor, but can he manage a country well? If the wise emperor in your eyes is just a noble person, then the one who should be the emperor is the one who should be the emperor. He is a monk. Sweeping the floor does not harm the lives of ants, and cherishing moths and covering lamps with gauze. Isn't it beautiful?"
Fang Xiaoru roared angrily: "The thief Yan killed his nephew with his uncle..."
"Come on, come on, can you, the great scholar Fang, be able to explain the truth? Everything must have a cause and effect! Oh, by the way, the great scholar Fang suppresses Buddhism and does not believe in cause and effect, but you must always speak the truth, right? The head of the family has just passed away, and his bones are not yet cold. As the eldest grandson who has inherited the family business, you have squeezed out all the uncles in the house and tried every means to seize the property your grandfather gave them under various names.
Not only that, but also forcing all the uncles to death, is this nephew a kind and righteous person? The uncle can only sit back and wait for death. If he resists, he will treat his uncle as an uncle and kill his nephew. Is there any provision in the Ming Dynasty law that says that treating a nephew as an uncle is a kind and righteous person? My uncle's rebellion is based on the fact that he is a disabled nephew. Isn't it a big rebellion? Confusing right and wrong, calling a deer a horse, that's all!"
Qi Tai had been sitting cross-legged in the cell, listening to their arguments. When he heard this, he just sighed slightly and closed his eyes gently.
Huang Zicheng said: "This is a state matter, how can it be compared with a family matter? The power of the vassal king is of no benefit to the country. For the sake of peace in the world, we must..."
Xia Xun glanced at him, spread his hands and said: "Look, let me talk to you about state affairs. You talk about my uncle and nephew with me. I'll talk to you about family matters. You talk about state affairs with me again. Okay, you want to talk about state affairs."
, let’s talk about state affairs.”
Xia Xun drew his body back and said loudly: "The Ancestor Instructions of the Emperor Ming": The world is so big that it is necessary to build a vassal screen to protect the country at the top and provide safety for the people at the bottom. Now that all the disciples have grown up, it is appropriate for each to have a title and to divide the kingdoms.
.I am not a relative, but abide by the system of ancient philosophers and kings, for the purpose of long-term peace and long-term governance. My lords, this vassal was established by Emperor Taizu. You keep saying that His Highness King Yan violated the ancestral system. Who violated the ancestral system?
"
Just as Huang Zicheng was about to speak, Xia Xun said again: "Okay, I won't argue with you because you are so self-centered. I will just follow what you said. The power of the vassal king is of no benefit to the country. For the sake of long-term peace and stability in the world, we should reduce the vassalage."
Then let me ask you, what does it mean to cut down a feudal clan?"
Xia Xun suddenly raised his voice and said in a deep voice: "A vassal is a fence. It has its own kingdom, supports its own soldiers, and calls it a vassal. You want military power, and the kings have handed it over. You want three guards, soldiers and horses.
The kings have also handed over to each other. This prince is just a prince and can no longer be called a vassal king. Why are we still pushing each other hard and refusing to let him die? "
Fang Xiaoru said sternly: "The power of enfeoffment is very strong. If something unfortunate happens, it will be severe. In the case of Wu Lubi, the King of Yan sat on one side and guarded the border for a long time. Once his ambition grows, the country will inevitably be in chaos! Handing over military power does not mean that he cannot do anything for him."
Trouble!"
"What if? What if? Don't you want to imitate the Duke of Zhou? If you see a capable and prestigious prince, if there are any civil servants and generals who are popular and have a large number of troops, then, what if?
He may rebel. With his ability, he will cause chaos in the world. So, regardless of whether he is guilty or not, kill him immediately?
No wonder you, the scholar, are a great Confucian. Such earth-shattering knowledge really makes me fall in admiration! No wonder you were recommended to the court by the local government, but Emperor Taizu refused to use you. Based on your theory, if you want the world to be too great
, then except for the crown prince, all the other princes should be raised and raised without teaching them martial arts or literacy, or they should all be strangled to death from birth to avoid future troubles, right?"
Huang Zicheng rolled his eyes and smiled coldly: "Did we wrong him? He did rebel, didn't he?"
Xia Xun also laughed: "Xueshi Huang, are you still shameless? His Highness King Yan should just bow down and kill him, just to take advantage of your wishes, right? But if His Highness King Yan really bows down and kills him, you will be willing to admit that you have wronged him.
Huh? I don’t think so. If King Yan was a loyal minister, wouldn’t Emperor Jianwen be a coward, and wouldn’t you be considered a traitor?
Therefore, if His Highness King Yan really surrendered and was killed, you would still accuse him of plotting rebellion. It will be written in the history books that your lords are wise and powerful, and as soon as they discover the traces of rebellion, they immediately kill the traitorous ministers. People die.
Even if he is dead, he will remain infamy for a thousand years! Didn’t the King of Xiang, who was willing to be killed, receive such a treatment? The most benevolent and filial Emperor Jianwen gave his uncle who was driven to death by his own hands what kind of posthumous name he gave him! Violent!"
Xia Xun's voice was so stern that it shook the roof tiles, and word by word passed into the hearts of every official, stirring up waves in their hearts. Some people couldn't help but reflect on all the things they had been so confident about for the past four years.
Is it right?
Fang Xiaoru said in a loud voice: "Let your tongue shine like a lotus flower, Fang Xiaoru will only be loyal to the Tao in his heart, establish his heart for the heaven and earth, and establish his destiny for the people. Fang will die without regrets!"
Xia Xun calmed down, bowed slightly to him and said: "Scholar Fang, you are loyal to the Tao in your heart, and you seek benevolence and benevolence is worthy of respect! However, are you the only one who is loyal to your Tao? In the past four years, I have followed Emperor Yongle through life and death.
Aren’t those soldiers who never abandoned us loyal to their way?
You died to defend the Tao! General Zhang Yu died in a hundred battles. Isn’t it to defend the Tao in his heart? Only your Tao is the Tao? Only you deserve to die? Is the great road of heaven and earth just for you? Why do you want to die?
Dao is righteousness? To establish a heart for the heaven and earth, and to establish a life for the people? Are you worthy? Is this matter related to the country, the nation and the people? You only have a heart to establish the culture, ask for orders for orthodoxy, and die for your beliefs! The heart of martyrdom can be
Respect, it’s really not worth it!”
Fang Xiaoru suddenly took two steps back as if struck by lightning, and was speechless for a moment.
Xia Xun turned around with disdain and said coldly: "Xiaoshi Fang, when the city was destroyed, there was a day for the death of ministers. When Emperor Jianwen came to power, there was also a day for the death of ministers. You were not among them, and you were not relied upon by Emperor Jianwen."
You, you are trapped at home!
Huang Xueshi, Qi Shangshu, after the current Holy Shang Yuji, the recruiting ministers such as Wang Shuying, Huang Guan, etc. who did not go to Beijing all committed suicide, and you were not among them. You disbanded your troops, changed your robes, and were captured on the way to escape.
Caught back.
If they don't want to die, they don't have to die. Those who surrendered to Emperor Yongle have been pardoned and are safe. Generals like Sheng Yong who once defeated the Northern Army can survive, let alone them. And you are the ones who deserve to commit suicide.
, but none of you are dead, so why are you still here arguing with me about justice?"
Xia Xun's words were a bit provocative. When heard by other ministers, their expressions turned out to be strange. Xia Xun struck while the iron was hot and called out: "Shilang Liao!"
Liao En, who was listening in rapt attention, hurriedly stepped forward and said, "I'm here, what are your orders from the Duke?"
Xia Xun said: "Except Fang Xiaoru, Huang Zicheng, Qi Tai, all other officials please come out one by one, let's have a good talk!"
Xia Xun watched the expressions of the prison officials quietly. It was obvious that some of them had softened their attitude because of his words, but they could not speak out in front of everyone because of their face. He struck while the iron was hot and took these officials out for questioning one by one. There were no other prisoners around.
, then it would be easier for them to admit their guilt and ask for forgiveness.
Saving one is a family or even a clan, and the merit is immeasurable. As for those who still refuse to let go of their obsession, he can't care so much. If one person survives the change of dynasty, isn't that nonsense!
Xia Xun walked out. At this time, crazy roars could be heard from the cells of the prisoners' family members who were closer. Some prisoners and elders of the clan tried to show their elders' style and shouted at the top of their lungs. There were wives, children and parents wailing.
's plea.
Some people want to die to avenge Jianwen, and his family members may also have the same attitude, but they are a minority after all. Most of the clan relatives are like drowning people grabbing a life-saving straw. The shouts are deafening, as if something happened in a prison.
It was like a riot, and every sound was shaking the hearts of some people who were still determined.
Immediately afterwards, the family members of the prisoners in the cells farther away also understood, and immediately joined in begging and exhorting their masters. Some family members of Fang Xiaoru, Huang Zicheng, and Qi Tai, who were clearly declared to be punished,
He yelled like crazy and looked at the crazy way they were shaking the fence. If they were released now, they could pounce and bite to death the culprit who had caused his whole family.
Fang Xiaoru and Huang Zicheng also wanted to express their aspirations and call on the officials, but no matter how loud they shouted, they were drowned out by the roaring and tsunami-like shouts of the family members of the criminal officials who were in a frenzy of emotion.
When Xia Xun walked out of the cell, he quietly told Liao En: "Don't worry, wait half an hour before picking up the person!"
p: A big chapter, please vote for recommendation!
Recommended: "Heraldry's Wrath" ISBN: 2163477, science fiction: ancient martial arts and mecha novels, please enjoy.