Chapter 4971 Responsibilities

The "Book of Rites" says "Punishments do not apply to officials, and rituals do not extend to common people." This is the "prosperous and peaceful times" that the literati have been tirelessly pursuing. In reality, such a situation has never occurred and will never occur.

"Punishment shall not be imposed on officials." If officials commit crimes, can't they be punished?

"Etiquette does not extend to common people." Can't the actions of common people be governed by etiquette?
Obviously, that's impossible.

The crimes committed by the scholar-officials also require punishment, but the method and intensity of punishment are different from those of the common people. But in any case, the fact that Li Siliang, as a "Tongshi Sheren", is to be punished with "flaying" today means that the punishment standard for the scholar-officials has been broken.

Although Li Siliang was "cut to pieces" for the crime of treason, once this precedent is set, the standards will surely be gradually lowered in the future.

In a dynasty, human rule is more important than legal rule. Life and death are in the hands of the king. In many cases, a single word from the king can wipe out an entire family. People in the officialdom have a psychological expectation of such risks, but there are many ways to die, and no one is willing to endure such a "light knife cutting" capital punishment.

In fact, the probability of this extremely cruel punishment happening to officials is much higher than that happening to common people. After all, the most heinous crime that a common person can commit is probably just murder, while officials can commit many crimes...

In other words, isn't this kind of extreme punishment prepared for officials all over the world?

The mutiny that occurred in the Taiji Palace last night did not shock the officials too much. After all, His Majesty had only been on the throne for a few years and large-scale mutinies had already occurred twice, so everyone was somewhat accustomed to it. However, the sudden emergence of "flaying" caused panic and discussion among officials in various government offices throughout the imperial city.

The Censorate was responsible for controlling public opinion, so all these discussions naturally fed back directly to the yamen. Liu Xiangdao had not slept all night, and when he arrived at the yamen in the morning, he saw mountains of letters and reports on the desk, and he was immediately overwhelmed.

How could he not know the harm of "flaying"?

But what could he do? He could do nothing.

But if he does nothing, how will the people of the world view him as the Imperial Censor?

Are they really the "emperor's lackeys" and "yes-men"?
For soldiers, "hawk dog" is a commendatory word, which means loyalty to the emperor and patriotism; but for civil servants, "hawk dog" is a definite derogatory word. Civil servants should have the responsibility to advocate isolation, resist imperial power, and speak for the people. If they blindly curry favor with their superiors and fawn on them, they will lose the essence of a civil servant. Not only will they be ridiculed and slandered by people all over the world, but they will not even have a good reputation in history books.

But last night, all the ministers in Taiji Palace had expressed their opposition to the "punishment by flaying". What would be the point even if he, the Imperial Censor, wrote another letter to persuade them?

But it would be even worse if we did nothing.

There was no other choice but to tidy up the things on the table and throw them aside, grind the paper, carefully consider the words and write a memorial. Then he gritted his teeth, made up his mind, walked out of the Censorate alone, and went straight into Chengtian Gate.

Standing at the foot of Chengtian Gate, Liu Xiangdao looked up at the towering city wall for a long time, then turned his head to look at the imperial city with its continuous and densely packed roofs. After the palace gate was opened, he walked through the doorway with an expressionless face and stepped into the palace.

Inside the Wude Hall, the imperial study.

Li Chengqian was busy handling government affairs. Although he had handed the case of the mutiny over to Liu Li, and did not need to spend too much time on the deeply involved royal family, as the saying goes, a single move affects the entire body, the military and the court were involved, and more personnel arrangements were involved, so his government affairs were still heavy.

Seeing Liu Xiangdao coming in for an audience, he also put down his brush, asked Liu Xiangdao to sit down, and asked the inner chamber to serve tea. He smiled and asked: "My dear, you just left the palace not long ago, why are you in such a hurry to come back? Is there something important?"

Liu Xiangdao did not sit down, but bowed and saluted with a solemn expression: "Your Majesty, Li Siliang is about to be executed by slicing, which has caused an uproar in the court and the people. As the Imperial Censor, I not only shoulder the responsibility of supervising all officials, but also the responsibility of guarding against public opinion. The officials in the court have different opinions. They all think that the king is benevolent and the times are prosperous, so the taxes should be light and the punishment should be lenient. This kind of cruel punishment should not be rampant in the world, so I come here to ask Your Majesty to revoke the order."

Li Chengqian paused while drinking water, then put down the cup, looked at Liu Xiangdao with cold eyes, and asked: "Does anyone in the court know what crime Li Siliang has committed?"

"This matter has spread all over the city, and everyone knows about it."

Li Chengqian nodded, expressionless, and said slowly: "I am the Son of Heaven, the Supreme Ruler, responsible for the well-being of the country and the people. Li Siliang is as vicious as a snake and scorpion, and he wants to poison me to achieve his goal of usurping the throne. How should I deal with such a villain?"

"He is guilty of the ten unforgivable crimes. His death is not a pity. His entire family should be killed and his entire clan exterminated!"

Liu Xiangdao raised his head, his eyes firm: "But! Even if Li Siliang deserves death, he should not be sentenced to 'slicing'. This punishment is too harsh, against the harmony of nature, and will damage your majesty's reputation for benevolence. How can it tarnish your majesty's reputation if a mere traitor is executed and beheaded?"

In his opinion, although your majesty used himself as bait and took risks in suppressing the rebellion, which was an unwise act, the result was satisfactory after all, and all the rebels in the royal family were wiped out, which greatly increased your majesty's reputation.

It is clearly a very good situation, how can it be branded as "cruel" just because of a mere Li Siliang?
Isn't the most reasonable way to deal with it to show appropriate generosity?

Li Chengqian gritted his teeth and tried his best to control his expression. He said slowly, "Since I ascended the throne, I have always been kind and lenient to others, but what is the result? One by one, they all think that I am not worthy of sitting on the throne. Mutinies have occurred one after another, and slander has never stopped. I have had enough! I did not hang those traitors from the royal family outside Chengtian Gate and cut them into pieces. I am already generous and kind. If I can't even punish Li Siliang severely to relieve my hatred, what kind of emperor am I?!"

Liu Xiangdao closed his eyes in pain, knowing that no one could persuade His Majesty.

Because he understood that the reason why His Majesty wanted to cut Li Siliang into pieces was not just because Li Siliang rebelled, but because of the outbreak of old grudges.

Zhangsun Wuji rebelled and later committed suicide to save the Zhangsun family and the Guanlong clan from being implicated; Prince of Jin rebelled, repented sincerely after the failure and has been imprisoned ever since... After two consecutive mutinies, Li Chengqian was terrified and on the verge of collapse, but after the mutinies he showed his magnanimity and kindness to the people of the world, and let the matter go with a wave of his hand without pursuing the matter.

The resentment in my heart cannot be relieved.

As a result, his kindness not only failed to win the admiration and respect of the people of the world, but instead made people think he was weak, especially when the royal family, which should have been the cornerstone of the imperial power, rebelled again...

All negative emotions accumulate and ferment until they explode.

But he still restrained himself and did not brutally kill the royal family. Instead, he vented all his resentment and anger on Li Siliang.

As an emperor, the supreme being in the world, he doesn't even have a channel to vent his anger?
As a subject, I should not give any more advice.

However, as a subject, I cannot help but give advice.

Liu Xiangdao took off the futou on his head, knelt on the ground, and advised with tears in his eyes: "I know your majesty is angry, but I still want to persuade your majesty to calm down. Your majesty is the supreme ruler of the world, not a peddler. You must know how to be patient and tolerant. Peddler can take revenge, but your majesty cannot, because everyone is watching your majesty, and no one wants the king they are loyal to to be an ordinary person who is greedy for revenge... Since your majesty is sitting on the throne and ruling the world, you should abandon the seven emotions and six desires of ordinary mortals, put the country first in everything, and only do things that are beneficial to the country, instead of expressing your feelings and doing whatever you want. If you can't even restrain your emotions and act arbitrarily, how is it different from a tyrant? Your majesty has selected me, and I can't bear to see your majesty go astray. So your majesty cannot take back your order. Please dismiss me from my post and exile me."

Life is long and arduous, and we will encounter all kinds of difficulties. However, everything can be summed up in one word: "trade-offs".

Liu Xiangdao is about making choices.

What he gave up was the emperor's favor, his official position, and everything he had gained after a lifetime of ups and downs in the officialdom.

What you seek is a good reputation in the world, what you pursue is the ambition in your heart, what you seek is your duty and peace of mind.

So the moment he stepped into Chengtian Gate, he had lofty aspirations, held his head high, and his steps were steadier than ever before.

And now I am requesting to resign with all my heart and without any falsehood.

A gentleman should not do certain things, but should also do certain things.

Li Chengqian's face was ashen, and his previous elegant and easy-going image disappeared. He was furious and furious, and shouted angrily: "Since I ascended the throne, I have been working day and night, following the rules and regulations, and dare not have the slightest slackness or negligence. But even so, why can't I win your sincere support? It is because I am kind and soft-hearted that you have neither respect nor fear. Now I will use this method to let you know that it is not that I will not kill people, nor that I cannot bear to kill people. It is just that I am grateful that you still stand by my side in times of crisis, so I will let you go! But if you don't know what is good for you and have no respect for me, don't blame me for not considering the past feelings!"

In a rage, he vented all the resentment and anger that had been accumulating in his heart for a long time. Although what he said was inappropriate and beneath his dignity, and "flaying" could only be used as a deterrent but should not be spoken out loud, Li Chengqian could not care less.

As a king, he had no prestige. He went through all kinds of hardships to eradicate the rebellion, but not only did he not receive the respect he deserved, but he was also opposed by the government and the public because he wanted to execute a traitor with the death penalty...

Am I the ruler of a country?
Isn’t it said that the king “holds the law in his mouth and his orders are followed by laws”? But why is it that when it comes to me, anyone can refute my holy will?

When the previous emperor was alive, his position as crown prince was in danger and he had no choice but to keep his tail between his legs and endure the consequences.

The previous emperor was gone, and I ascended the throne, but I still couldn't do whatever I wanted and get the prestige I deserved...