The word "Wan" means exquisite and good-quality jade, and can also be used to describe beautiful things.
Wang Wan, as his name suggests, was handsome when he was young, with a face like a crown jewel and a handsome face. Although he is now fifty-five and has wrinkles on his forehead, he is still elegant, a little less impetuous and a little more impetuous.
Both restrained and profound.
This piece of beautiful jade came to the study, and according to the etiquette, he respectfully saluted Zhu Ruofeng and said, "See His Royal Highness King Yu."
"You don't need to be polite during the trial. Are you okay with me?" Zhu Ruofeng asked knowingly.
For some reason, he felt very comfortable every time he saw Wang Wan. Not only was this man good at writing articles, but he was also good at composing poems. More importantly, he had a good temper. Even if he argued with others, it seemed like he was just having a conversation.
Generally speaking, in the palace, he regarded Zhang Luxiang as his teacher, but regarded Wang Wan as his friend.
"I'm here because of the fact that Gu Junjie, the right servant of the royal family, broke the law. The day before yesterday, Gu Junjie went out of the city for some business. Late at night, he asked to stay in a common people's house. The owner of the house refused, so he forcibly kicked in the door and stayed there. He left the next day.
"The owner of the suffering has brought the case to me, and the evidence is conclusive. I have taken Gu Junjie into custody, and I have come here to ask for instructions from Your Highness, and he will be punished according to the law."
"Oh, according to the "Da Ming Law", how should we judge?" Zhu Ruofeng asked noncommittally.
"According to the law, anyone who enters someone else's house at night without any reason will be punished with an eighty stick." Wang Wan is a lawyer and knows the rules by heart.
"Eighty sticks?"
Zhu Ruofeng frowned, "I remember that Gu Junjie's body is not very good. If he is tortured, I'm afraid he won't be able to bear it. Can you give him a lighter sentence, fine him some money, and let him repair the doors of people's homes? How about that?"
"Your Highness, the law is the cornerstone of maintaining the stability of the country. How can there be any reason to give a light sentence? If so, the world will lose its trust." Although Wang Wan has a good temper, he also has his own principles and is not accommodating.
"How about changing it to twenty sticks, or thirty sticks?"
"It's absolutely impossible. The spirit of the law is that everyone is equal. How can there be different punishments for the same crime? If you can only stick twenty heroes, what's the point of using eighty sticks?" Wang Wan firmly opposed.
Zhu Ruofeng was unhappy, "Gu Junjie is a person close to Gu. For Gu's sake, why don't we give him a few less blows?" He specially emphasized the word "people close to him".
Wang Wan didn't seem to notice his displeasure, and still said gently: "In the past, Shang Yang reformed the law, and the prince of Qin broke the law. Yang Yang said: 'If the law does not work, you must violate it from above.'
He punished his master Gongzi Qian, and tattooed his master Gongsun Jia. Han Feizi also said: "The law is not noble, and the rope is not bent. When the law is imposed, a wise man cannot refuse it, and a brave man cannot dare to fight. If the punishment is excessive, the ministers will not be evaded."
"No one should be spared in rewarding good deeds." It can be seen that if a prince breaks the law, he is guilty of the same crime as the common people, let alone an eunuch. As a minister, it is my duty to judge justice and apply the law according to the law. I dare not pursue selfish interests."
"Oh, Tiao Wen," Zhu Ruofeng suddenly recalled Wang Wan's expression affectionately, "You are an official of my Prince Yu's Mansion, why don't you help the orphans, but instead help those outsiders?"
Feudal society implemented the rule of man, not the rule of law. Power was greater than the law, and the most important thing in the society of human relations was faction. Forming parties for personal gain, and partying with others to defeat different people were common phenomena in this era. Wang Wan was an official of the Prince of Yu's Palace, and Gu Junjie was an official of the Prince of Yu's Palace.
In Zhu Ruofeng's view, the internal servants are all his own people, while the common people whose doors were kicked down are outsiders. He doesn't understand that he doesn't help his own people but instead helps outsiders.
"I advocate that Gu Junjie be dealt with according to the law just to help Your Highness! Mencius said: 'The people are the most valuable, the country is second, the king is the least important', and he also said: 'Protecting the people is the king, and no one can control it'. The world
Well, how can the royal family last long without the support of the people? Dealing with the law and allowing the people to get justice is for the long-term peace and stability of the royal family. And everyone in the world knows that Gu Junjie is from Prince Yu's palace, and they are all observing how you are doing.
Deal with this matter. If you bend the law for your own sake and spread it to the ears of the Holy One, disaster will be imminent. Even if the Holy One does not blame you, those slaves will become more bold and reckless when they see that they are not punished, causing you even greater trouble. Today is just
If you kick down the door of a common people's house, you will dare to kill people tomorrow! Instead of getting out of control in the future, it is better to punish severely according to the law today and nip the disaster in the bud." Wang Wan talked eloquently.
Zhu Ruofeng thought about it and suddenly gave Wang Wan a deep bow, "Wang has put so much painstaking efforts in the trial, I understand, and I would like to be taught."
You Chengfeng Gu Junjie still received eighty sticks after all. Sometimes law can still outweigh power.
When Wang Wan returned to his house, he suddenly heard that a good man was looking for him. He was indeed a good man, such a strong man! He had a red face, a huge body, and unusual equipment. He didn't look like a scholar.
Unfortunately, he was not only a literati, but also a writer. His surname was Li Bai, whose courtesy name was Xuemu. He was from Meixian County, Shaanxi Province. Together with Li Yong of Zhouzhi and Li Yindu of Fuping, they were collectively known as the "Three Lis of Guanzhong".
Li Bai was entrusted by Li Yindu to inform Wang Wan of the death of both the prince and the king of Ji during the incident of seizing the gate. By the way, he would like to ask if there is a possibility for the king of Yu to become Yao and Shun. If so, he will strongly support it. If not, he will give his full support.
, we can only look for the future Yao and Shun among the emperors and their grandchildren.
"Xuemu, why are you here?" Wang Wan asked Li Bai in surprise.
"Tiao Wen, I am here to report the news to you on the order of Zide. A while ago, there was a coup in the capital. Empress Shi, the Crown Prince, Concubine Chen Huang, and King Ji all died!"
"Pa!"
Even though Wang Wan was very good at cultivating qi, he was still so shocked that the teacup dropped from his hand.
"Tiao Wen, Zide asked you to ask, can the king of Yu succeed Yao and Shun?"
Wang Wan thought for a while and said: "The spirit of what I said to King Yu today is that everyone is equal. I also deliberately quoted two sentences from Mencius. He did not object, which shows that he has hope to become Yao and Shun." p>
Mencius, the sub-sage, was a figure that gave Emperor Taizu Gao a headache. Not only did he say such a masterpiece as "the people are the most valuable, the country is second, the king is the least important"; he also said, "Protecting the people is the king, and no one can control it."
Whoever can protect the people can be crowned king, but whoever harms the people is not worthy of the world. He also said: "If the king treats his ministers as his hands and feet, then his ministers will regard him as his heart and soul; if his ministers regard his ministers as dogs and horses, then his ministers will regard him as his fellow countrymen."
"If a king treats his ministers like dirt, then his ministers will regard him as a bandit." It is believed that the relationship between the king and his ministers is relative, and there is no absolute authority of the emperor. If the king is polite to his ministers, his ministers will be sincere to him.
You don’t have to be loyal.
Emperor Gao, who was creating a feudal dictatorship in the world, hated Mencius to death. In the fifth year of Hongwu, he ordered the removal of Mencius's wooden tablet from the four seats in the Confucius Temple, expelled him from the hall of the Confucius Temple, and canceled the benefits he enjoyed. But in the world
Under the strong opposition of the people, he had to invite Mencius's memorial tablet back in the sixth year of Hongwu. He could not drive away Mencius, so he had to order the Hanlin bachelor to delete 85 items about democracy in "Mencius", retaining only 170
The remaining articles were compiled into the book "Mencius Jiewen". An edict was also issued that the 85 deleted articles should not appear in the imperial examination questions.
Wang Wan spoke loudly about Mencius' remarks to King Yu, but King Yu did not object like Emperor Gao did. It was indeed possible for him to become Yao and Shun.
Li Bai was overjoyed: "In this way, our ideals may be realized with the help of King Yu. I will return to Shaanxi immediately and tell Zide the good news."
Wang Wan suddenly said solemnly: "However, His Highness Prince Yu has lived in the deep palace for a long time and does not know much about the sufferings of the people. I plan to secretly arrange for His Highness to leave the city in the near future and pay a private visit incognito."