In the Kunning Palace in the Royal City of Guilin, a beautiful lady in green clothes and a thin application of pink and white is admiring the moon.
The moon is so full tonight!
The beautiful woman admired them and recited a poem: "The brilliant day lily flowers grow under the north hall. The south wind blows in her heart, shaking her for who? The loving mother leans on the door with love, but the wanderer travels hard. The delicious food is scattered by the sun,
The voice was blocked by the sun. I looked up at the cloud forest and felt ashamed to hear the words of the wise bird.
Two strings of tears slowly flowed down my cheeks.
Suddenly, the beauty's body trembled, and a pair of warm hands placed on her shoulders.
"My beloved concubine misses her parents?"
Zhu Hengjia asked Concubine Shi Xian with concern.
"Your Highness, why are you here?"
"I've just finished reviewing the memorial. Come and see my beloved concubine. My beloved concubine, what's wrong with you?"
"Today I summoned my father. He said that my mother was unwell. I felt pregnant when I saw the moon, which made His Highness laugh."
"What's so funny about this? It's human nature to miss your parents. My dear wife, please go home to visit your mother tomorrow."
Once you enter the harem, it is as deep as the sea. Generally, once you enter the harem, you are not allowed to return to your natal home as a rule. To return to your natal home, you must obtain special permission. The emperor "specially granted" the concubine a few hours to return to her natal home, which is a rare "convention".
.Even Zhu Hengjia’s concubine Yuan Fei and Concubine Shi Xian are no exception.
When Concubine Shi heard that she was allowed to go home, she burst into tears and laughed.
Zhu Hengjia lamented: It is not easy for these concubines to be alone! Once they enter the harem, they basically lose the opportunity to return to their natal family. If you want to summon your relatives, you can usually only wait for big days like three festivals, two birthdays, four o'clock and eight festivals. Yuan Fei
If this is the case, let alone others!
As soon as I thought about it, a sentence came out of my mouth.
"My dear concubine, look at this. From now on, all the concubines in the harem will have the opportunity to visit their parents once a year. How about that?"
Concubine Shi was shocked: "Your Highness, this goes against the ancestral system. If word spreads, it will bring bad reputation to the harem."
Zhu Hengjia smiled: "It is not the ancestral system. According to the ancestral system, I am not qualified to supervise the country, and my beloved concubine's palace is not qualified to be called Kunning Palace."
It turns out that Kunning Palace is not just for any concubine. It is the bedroom of the queen of the Ming Dynasty. When Li Zicheng conquered Beijing, Emperor Chongzhen’s Queen Zhou hanged herself in Kunning Palace.
In the Ming Dynasty, the emperor was Qian and the queen was Kun. Like the emperor, the queen was also the only one in the world. It was named Kunning Palace after the phrase "Kun gets one with peace" in the Tao Te Ching.
As his power grows, Zhu Hengjia's ambitions also grow.
All the regulations in the harem are exceeded.
The Nuanxin Pavilion where he originally lived was directly renamed to the emperor's palace: Qianqing Palace; the Yuan Concubine Shi's palace was renamed to the queen's palace: Kunning Palace; the palaces of the two concubines Chen Shufei and Wang Zhuangfei were also renamed.
The names of the imperial concubines’ palaces: Yaohua Palace and Yuxiu Palace.
Sima Zhao's ambition to become emperor is already known to everyone on the road.
I thought that many ministers would definitely object to such a serious violation of regulations. Zhu Hengheng was also prepared to kill a group of people to establish his power. Unexpectedly, not a single one objected.
If you think about it carefully, there is nothing surprising. Those old diehards who cling to the patriarchal clan will never defect to themselves. The ministers who are willing to defect to themselves are all smart people. They wish they could become emperor as soon as possible so that they can be supported. What about the merit of following the dragon? How can you object?
Concubine Shi was in charge of the harem and refused to agree because she was afraid of damaging the reputation of the harem.
Zhu Hengjia frowned and thought: "My dear concubine, this is how we can handle this matter: every concubine in the harem has the opportunity to return to her parents' home to visit her parents once a year. It is a common practice. But she doesn't say it to the outside world. She only says that it is a gift from Gute. 'Grace'.How?"
Concubine Shi thought for a moment and smiled: "If this is done, it will not only allow the concubines in the harem to visit their parents, but also preserve the reputation of the harem. Your Highness, you are so wise!"
"Haha! If you can't handle such a small matter well, how can I sit in the position of supervising the country?"
??
Princess Jing is going back to visit her family, which is no small matter.
Zuo Chengfeng and Liu Rong notified Shi Fei's father Shi Hu early in the morning.
This patriarch was originally a small officer in the guard station. In the ancestral system of the Ming Dynasty, concubines were produced through female drafts. Therefore, few concubines came from big aristocrats and big bureaucratic families. The Ming generation effectively prevented relatives from interfering in politics.< /p>
Eunuch Liu and Zhang Guozhang were very busy.
Arrange security guards, raise barriers, clear roads, sprinkle water, lay soil, determine the process of getting up, instruct relevant people on where to greet, where to kneel, where to retreat, where to play music, where to have a banquet, how to dress, and pick up the driver. ??
After finishing all these tasks, Concubine Shi returned to her parents' home.
"Father!"
"Rou'er!"
It is not easy for father and daughter to meet each other, and they are very excited.
"Is mother feeling better?"
"Much better. I heard that you are going home, and she keeps talking about you. Come on, come on, follow me to the back hall to see your mother!"
??
Encounter is always short-lived, and in a flash, the time has arrived.
Shi Fei's Luanjia returned to the royal city, thinking about the scene of seeing her relatives, wiping her tears with a handkerchief in the Luanzan.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
As soon as I reached the Tiren Gate of the Royal City, I heard the sound of drums.
"What is this sound?"
Zuo Chengfeng and Liu Rong reported: "Madam, a commoner is beating the "Dengwen Drum".
"Dengwen Drum" is usually located in the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
After Zhu Hengjia supervised the country, in order to win over the people's support, he erected the "Dengwen Drum" next to the Renmen Gate of the Royal City. He asked the Supervisory Council to send censors to take turns to record records, and allowed the people to beat the drums to appeal. If any political affairs are inconvenient for the people, they should be removed immediately; If there is anything that can be done to facilitate the people, do it immediately.
In fact, Zhu Hengjia was just pretending. He had so many things to do, how could he have time to deal with petitions? He just let the censors handle it. Unexpectedly, he got the news and the effect was very good, and the people praised him as a wise king.
He originally wanted to move the drum to the gate of the Inspectorate, but when he saw that it would go against public opinion, he was too embarrassed to move it.
If the common people want to beat the drum at the gate of the outer city, let them do it. Anyway, they live alone in the inner city and can't hear it.
Today is the day when Zhou Feng, the supervisory censor, is on duty to "hear the drums". He sees an old man playing drums and calls him to him.
"Who are you? What do you want to complain about?"
"The little old man's surname is Xu Minggui, and he is from Gongcheng County, Pinyue Prefecture. He told Wang Hongru, the magistrate of Gongcheng County, that he did not follow the Ming Dynasty Law and decided the case randomly."
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??
There are two sisters in Gongcheng County.
The eldest, Zhang Meilan, married Zhao Long in Zhaojiazhuang and gave birth to a daughter, Zhao Ying; the second eldest, Zhang Meizhu, married to Xu Gui, a cloth merchant in the city, and gave birth to a daughter, Xu Aiying.
Zhao Ying and Xu Aiying are cousins.
The elders saw that these two children had similar personalities, and they went to bed together every day to make green plums. Their names also matched, one was called Zhao Ying, and the other was called Xu Aiying. They might as well kiss each other! They arranged a baby wedding for these two cousins, and they made a decision.
etiquette.
In the blink of an eye, the two children grew up and reached the age of marriage.
There are unforeseen circumstances. The old Zhao family's family situation is becoming increasingly difficult, and their livelihood is struggling; while the old Xu family is able to manage well, and Xu Gui's business is getting bigger and bigger.
Zhao Long took Zhao Ying to Xu Gui's house to propose marriage. Unexpectedly, Xu Gui thought that the Zhao family was poor, so he married Xu Aiying to someone else.
Zhao Long was furious, we had already made the engagement, but if you want to regret the engagement, how can you do that?
A complaint was filed with Wang Hongru, the magistrate of Gongcheng County.
Wang Zhixian, named Hongru, attaches great importance to the teachings of saints.
"The Analects of Confucius: Weizheng" says: "If a person has no faith, he does not know what is possible." It is wrong for the Ru Laoxu family to want to regret their marriage.
Therefore, Wangzhi County ruled in favor of the old Zhao family and gave Xu Gui a slap in the face, asking the two families to choose a good day so that the cousins could get married as soon as possible.
Xu Gui was beaten and refused to accept the beating, so he approached Qian Tongsheng, a lawyer in the county who was proficient in law.
The profession of lawyer originated in the Ming Dynasty. It is usually held by scholars who are proficient in law, defending employees in court and collecting some money for litigation.
With this money, Tongsheng always failed to pass the scholar examination, so he had to work as a lawyer. Not to mention, he was quite talented in this profession and became a famous lawyer in Gongcheng.
Xu Gui gave him a lot of money, so Qian Tongsheng naturally wanted to give him advice.
"Exceptor Xu Yuan, don't be afraid. The "Da Ming Law" clearly stipulates that intermarriage between cousins with the same surname or cousins is prohibited. Violators will be punished as adultery and forcibly divorced. Your daughter and Zhao Ying are cousins, and he
The engagement between the two violates the "Laws of the Ming Dynasty" and the engagement is invalid. Then Wang Zhixian decided the case randomly, you can sue him."
"Alas! Since ancient times, officials have protected each other. Where can I go to complain?"
"Go to Guilin? Climb and hear the drums."
??
The supervisory censor Zhou Feng was furious after hearing what Xu Gui said and reading the complaint written by Qian Tongsheng.
"Well, Wang Hongru, as a county magistrate, you are ignorant and incompetent, and you decide the case indiscriminately, which is extremely ridiculous! Zhao Ying and Xu Aiying are cousins, and their marriage contract is really incest. Instead of invalidating it, you made the two families choose
Day, get married as soon as possible. Do you think my "Da Ming Law" is child's play? I will impeach you!"
Zhou Feng was roaring when he suddenly saw a man dressed as a chamberlain walking over.
"This imperial censor, the queen asked me to ask, why are the people here? Dengwengu".
Zhou Feng took a look at this person. Although he was a chamberlain, he was wearing a unicorn suit and a jade belt. It seemed that he had a high status in the palace.
The officials in the capital were all talented people. They quickly and respectfully asked: "Who are you?"
"Our family is in charge of Liu Rong. Princess Shi saw people beating drums and asked our family to ask."
Zhou Feng did not dare to neglect, and quickly told Liu Rong the whole story.
Liu Rong reported back to Concubine Shi.
After hearing this, Concubine Shi was stunned: Can cousins can't get married? Then how come there is a love story between Lu You and Tang Wan, and they each wrote a song "The Hairpin-Headed Phoenix"?
Under the Ming Dynasty's ancestral system, the harem was not allowed to interfere in politics. Empress Shi only saw someone beating drums in front of the palace and asked.
Lady Shi had no time to pay attention to such a trivial matter. After asking, Luan drove back to the palace.
??
The couple had a deep love for each other. When he heard that Concubine Shi had come back from the wedding, Zhu Hengjia hurriedly went to show her courtesy.
"My dear concubine, how is your life at home?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. My family is doing well and my mother's health is getting better."
"That's good, that's good!"
The two chatted for a while.
Concubine Shi suddenly thought of the matter of climbing the Wengu: "Your Highness, when I returned to the palace today, did I see the common people? Climb the Wengu??"
??
Zhou Feng's impeachment of Wang Hongru was submitted to Zhu Hengjia's court case.
Generally, Zhu Hengjia had no time to read the memorials for impeaching a seventh-rank official, so he transferred them directly to the cabinet for the bachelor to handle. However, this incident was caused by the common people beating the drum, and Concubine Shi mentioned it, and it went directly to heaven.
Listen, so I took a closer look.
He was very surprised, couldn't cousins get married? What happened to Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu in the later "Dream of Red Mansions"?
I asked Wang Huacheng, the Minister of Punishment.
"Wang Qing, does the Ming Law stipulate that cousins cannot get married?"
"In the prison state, it is not allowed to marry not just cousins, but also cousins with the same surname. The "Daming Code" clearly stipulates that intermarriage between cousins with the same surname or between cousins is prohibited. Violators will be punished as adultery and forcibly divorced."
Zhu Hengjia frowned: "The cousins are not allowed to intermarry, so I can understand it; the same surname is not allowed to intermarry, but I feel it is inappropriate. If two families have the same surname but are not related by blood, why can't they intermarry? It's so unreasonable! ”
Wang Huacheng smiled bitterly: "I also feel that this provision of supervising the country is inappropriate. But I have no choice but to change it."
"Oh? Why can't it be changed?"
"Taizu Jinkou Yuyan said, "Da Ming Law", descendants will abide by it, and not a word may be changed."
It turns out that Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang spent a lot of effort compiling the "Law of the Ming Dynasty" after conquering this picturesque country.
He came from "Huaiyou Commoner" and personally experienced the tyranny of the late Yuan Dynasty. Therefore, he attached great importance to summarizing the ruling experience of previous dynasties since the Tang and Song Dynasties. He formed the "clear etiquette to guide the people, the law to be stubborn", "to use heavy codes to govern troubled times", and "legislation" The "Da Ming Law" was compiled based on targeted legal thoughts such as "the time is right" and "the long-term plan should be considered". Based on this, we compiled the "Da Ming Law".
After compiling it, he felt that this law was unprecedented and unprecedented. As long as future generations govern the country according to it, they will be able to prosper the country forever.
So he left his ancestors' instructions and ordered his descendants to abide by this "Da Ming Law" and not change a word.
The problem is that laws are constantly developing and changing. The laws that were applicable at that time may no longer be applicable after being used for a period of time. How can we do it without changing it?
The ancestors refused to change it, but later emperors wanted to change it. What should we do?
We had no choice but to promulgate regulations attached to the "Da Ming Code" to supplement the shortcomings of the "Da Ming Regulations". For example, the 297 "Regulations on Punishment" promulgated by Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty, etc.
Because they were not allowed to change, the Ming Dynasty formulated various regulations to supplement the Ming Law. The variety was dazzling.
There were four types of laws and regulations in the Ming Dynasty: laws, imperial edicts, regulations, and orders.
Law refers to "Da Ming Law", the cornerstone.
Gao refers to the "Ming Dynasty Gao", mainly some cases. Because the punishment was far harsher than the Ming law, Zhu Yuanzhang was ignored after his death.
Regulations and orders are supplements to the Ming Dynasty regulations. There are thousands of them, tens of thousands of them.
After listening to Wang Huacheng's introduction, Zhu Hengjia sighed: No wonder the Gongcheng County Magistrate decided wrong cases. How could he remember so many legal provisions?
He thought for a while and said: "Wang Qing, I would like to merge these laws, edicts, regulations and orders into the "Da Ming Code". In addition, all the outdated legal provisions in the "Da Ming Code" will be abolished. What do you think? ”
Wang Huacheng was shocked: "It is impossible to supervise the country. Taizu left the ancestral system and cannot change a single word of "Da Ming Code".
Zhu Hengjia laughed loudly: "As long as it benefits the country and the people, it doesn't matter what the ancestral system is or not?"
In March of the 21st year of Chongzhen, Zhu Hengjia ordered Su Guansheng, a scholar of Dongge University, Wang Huacheng, the Minister of Punishment, and others to revise the Ming Dynasty Code.