Chapter 51: Jurisprudence is nothing more than human feelings
"This is Marquis Yang Yu from the front office of the palace. The front office secretary wanted to save trouble and sent him to go through the motions. All writing and ink matters are left to us in Kaifeng Mansion."
As soon as Yu Huatian finished speaking, Yang Yuhou spoke, his voice buzzing, as if it was reverberating in a copper bell before being released.
"I'm Yang Keshi, serving in the third shift." After saying this, probably wanting to convey a kind of goodwill, Yang Shishi grinned.
It was just the ugly smile that startled Li Jian and Song Yasi.
You might as well not laugh!
"This is Li Jian, who is recording the affairs of Zhongshu Province." Li Jian introduced himself with a slight smile and explained clearly the reason why he came here.
"This morning, the documents from the front office and the Kaifeng Prefecture were delivered to the Zhongshu Provincial Department. The junior provincial official sent me over to inquire and hand in the record of registration."
"It turns out he's the Shangguan of Zhongshu Province. Please invite me!" Yu Huatian quickly stood up and gave his seat to Li Jian.
Li Jian asked the jailer to bring two more chairs and a set of tables and chairs.
The chairs were given to Inspector Yu and Yang Banzhi to sit on, and the desk and chair were given to Song Yasi to serve as a clerk in the office to take notes.
After being prepared, Li Jian spoke to the five dejected officers of the Forbidden Army and the Pujun Army.
"Tell me, how did you accept bribes and neglect your duties?"
Li Jian asked, and the five junior officers lowered their heads and said nothing.
Seeing that these five people were still taking chances, Li Jian added, "I would like to remind you. Last night at three o'clock in the morning, at Mawangzao Lane in the north of the city where you were responsible for patrolling, King Jian and his retinue were captured by a group of people.
The gangsters ambushed and killed. Kaifeng Mansion was furious, the three government agencies were furious, and the three provinces were furious!"
What? Because of their negligence in their duties, Prince Jian, the official's brother, was attacked and killed by gangsters? The five people's faces were shocked, and their faces turned pale with fright when Li Jian shouted the last three sentences loudly.
The five people knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.
In particular, a young officer from the Pujun clan was knocked so hard that his forehead was covered with blood and his face was covered with tears.
"Young man is really helpless! If we don't accept some bribes, the whole family will not be able to survive." He argued with a howl and a cry.
"Let's be clear! You are an officer in the Xiang Army. The imperial court provides you with a salary every year. How can you let your whole family go hungry?" Li Jian said fiercely.
This man was so out of breath from crying that he was speechless for a moment. A Forbidden Army officer next to him couldn't help but speak first.
"Shangguan didn't know something. I spent half my life in Hedong, and finally made some military achievements. After transferring capital, I was promoted to ten generals. I spent more money and trusted connections to transfer to Kaifeng City to stay here. I originally thought
I can make more money, but I don’t want to be under the Emperor’s feet, and the Imperial Army is not even provided with full food and salary.”
"Last year's food and salary were only given to October, and they were discounted by 30%. There are nearly ten people in my family. We suffered a deficit during the transfer to Beijing, and we also need to repair and update our own armor and bows. How can I do it for free? I want to
Could you please share some profit money on the street to subsidize it?"
To put it nicely, it's actually just using your patrol power to extort money on the street.
"But people have already made rules. In this street, in each lane, in every shop, who will collect the profit, and on the fifty-fifth day of the lunar month, who should share how much? There is a fixed number! Where will it be the turn of newbies like us?
A transferred immigrant?"
"Besides, who knows which official is secretly covering the shops on the streets. If I dare to reach out randomly, not only will my military uniform be stripped off, but my life may also be in danger."
"Shangguan, if we don't accept some bribes, our whole family will starve to death. There are tens of thousands of hungry people outside the city, but at least there are officials who are kind and their lives are hanging by a bowl of gruel. If we, the whole family, run out of food, we will not even have food."
There is no place to go to beg for alms!”
The plaintive complaint of the Forbidden Army officer aroused the echo of the other four. The Pujun officer who had kowtowed repeatedly came back to howl and cry.
"Sir, officers, the military academies of the Forbidden Army are all like this, and we, the Xiang army, are even more miserable. The younger one originally lived in Puzhou, but there was a big flood that year, all the land and houses were lost, and the whole family was included in the Xiang army.
I was transferred to Kaifeng City as a patrol officer last year. I think it's a good thing."
"I used to work part-time as a mason to make a living. I thought I would patrol the shop for three hours and then work as a hired hand for the rest of the time. I could also earn some money and food to support the family. But after patrolling the shop, the official ordered
, that yamen is required to be on duty back and forth. I serve as a guard of honor and as a handyman. I work as an ox or a horse, which is time-consuming and laborious. Not only do I not get half a penny of stipends and rewards, but I also have to prepare my own dry food."
"Some of my colleagues in the younger generation are so poor that they have no choice but to take turns putting on the few clothes they have and going to live in a private camp outside the city to make ends meet. There are also colleagues whose wives and daughters are quite pretty and come to the door.
Selling laughter to support the young and old. Shangguan, the young is really helpless!"
Looking at the five people kneeling on the ground, kowtowing and crying, Li Jian wanted to say something, but really didn't know what to say.
This dynasty has reached an extreme point of emphasizing culture over military affairs.
The mid-level and high-level military officers may only have their dignity despised and trampled by the civil servants, but their treatment is not bad. The court's generous salary and preferential treatment is to prevent them from having any thoughts of disobedience if they have military power.
However, for ordinary sergeants and most low-level officers, not only do they not have this preferential treatment, but they are also despised and exploited by various yamen, and are regarded as pigs and dogs, working as cattle and horses.
After a moment of silence, Li Jian said solemnly: "Everything in this world happens for a reason. You have difficulties and secrets, and I have already recorded them. How to deal with them, I can only wait for the superior officer to decide."
When the five young officers heard this, their hearts froze.
They knew in their hearts that in the eyes of the civil servants in the court, low-level officers like themselves were just like a piece of grass. With just a few strokes, they would be exiled to Salman Island and their families would be ruined.
Li Jian saw that the five of them were mourning, and he couldn't bear it. He added a few words, "Actually, your case can be big or small. The key is that Prince Jian's palace will not pursue it. Prince Jian is a chivalrous and righteous man, and he has a reputation for benevolence. You can trust me."
Go and beg him for mercy, saying that you can't escape."
Having said this, Li Jian turned around and said to Huatian: "Inspector Yu, do you think so?"
"That's exactly what he said. King Jian has a reputation for benevolence. This is well known. Li Lushi has a chivalrous spirit and a benevolent heart. Why not go to Prince Jian's palace to intercede for the five of them? It is better to live alone than to build a hundred Buddha temple. Don't you think so?
What happened to Li Lu?"
Li Jian looked at the five people who gathered around and hugged his legs and begged, and was dumbfounded for a moment.
Everyone in Prince Jian's Mansion is a talented person, and if he is not careful, he will turn an entire army against him.
Thinking about Yu Huatian's words, Li Jian's heart moved. He glanced at the door leading to the next door and said generously: "Okay, I'll write you a petition. You sign and sign it, and I'll send it to Prince Jian's Mansion. If you like it, I'll send it to him."
Forgiveness depends on your nature."
Following Song Yasi back to the gate of the prison, Li Jian saw the Prison Temple at a glance, turned around and respectfully offered three sticks of incense to the Prison God.
"Li Lushi didn't bow when he came in, why did he have to bow when he left?" Song Yasi asked curiously from the side.
"When you come, you ask God for nothing. When you leave, you ask God for something, so you have to worship."
"Li Lu, what do you want?"
"Ask the God of Prison to bless the wronged people inside. If they live one more day, they will have a chance to survive." Li Jian said sadly.
After Li Jian left, Zhao Si and others walked out of the inner room.
"The Forbidden Army is so rotten and rotten! It is such a wishful thinking to expect these poor people to defend their homes and country!"
Zhao Si sighed deeply, turned around and said to Huatian: "After receiving Li Jian's petition, you will negotiate with the Privy Council and the Ministry of Justice on behalf of the palace. Those five officers who accepted bribes and neglected their duties will be sent to Taiyuan."
"As commanded."
"Your Highness is benevolent!" Gao Shixuan and others said in unison.
"The imperial court owes them first. If the punishment is severe, it is in compliance with the law, but it is a loss of human feelings. The law is nothing more than human feelings. If it cannot protect even the most basic goodness, what is the use of the law?"
Zhao Si sighed a few words and turned to give instructions.
"Notify the jailer that we will start interrogating those officers who were investigated by Lai Shao and considered to be the remnants of Han Xueru. The result is probably the same. In such a situation, if you don't take bribes, your whole family will starve."
Having said this, Zhao seemed to feel a little sad, "The confession will be brought to trial first, and then we will be given a lighter sentence depending on the circumstances."
"yes!"
Turning around, I saw the deep and long prison, which was dark and gloomy, like a huge mouth that swallowed everything.
Zhao Si sighed, "'Today's ragged ants, yesterday's Great Wall'. It's still too late. If it turns into 'Today's ray of heroic soul, yesterday's Great Wall', it will be too late to regret it."
1. The left and right casual knights of the two provinces of Menxia and Zhongshu, the left and right admonition officials, the left and right admonishers, the left and right Zhengyan, Zhongshu Sheren, living Lang, etc. are generally called "officials of the two provinces"
The mid-level officials in charge of specific matters, such as the living ministers of Menxia Province and the middle-level officials of Zhongshu Sheren in Zhongshu Province, are called "small two provincial officials". The regular servants of casual riders, senior officials who advise the officials on matters, etc. are called "big two provincial officials"
