Chapter 5380 The Historical Trend

Chapter 5380 The Historical Trend
Liu Xiangdao's heart pounded. Looking at Fang Jun, who remained calm and composed, he sighed, "I admire the Grand Commandant's courage to be the first in the world. But has the Grand Commandant considered the resistance such a reform might encounter? It will surely shake the world!"

In other words, this is courting death.

……

While the saying "rites do not apply to commoners, and punishments do not apply to high officials" is indeed a saying from the Book of Rites and a "rite" system that should be followed by later generations, it was never actually implemented. Its original meaning was "the Book of Punishments does not apply to high officials." The Book of Punishments only regulated punishments for commoners, and the sentencing of nobles was based on the Eight Deliberations and was not publicly enforced.

In short, it's not that doctors and nobles didn't practice "punishment," but rather that their "punishment" was fundamentally different from that of commoners.

What's the difference?

When commoners commit crimes, they are convicted according to the Criminal Code, which is strict and rigorously enforced, ensuring that no one is wrongly convicted or let off the hook.

When nobles or high-ranking officials committed crimes, the decision was made privately by the "Eight Deliberations" or even by the emperor's will, without any set rules to follow.

It was Shang Yang who truly put forward the idea that "princes should be punished the same as commoners when they break the law."

Traditional Confucian ethics held that etiquette and punishment were separate. For educated scholars and nobles, etiquette was required to restrain them in ordinary times, but when they broke the law, their dignity should be preserved and less degrading punishments should be used. For uneducated commoners, there was no need to pay much attention to etiquette in ordinary times, but when they broke the law, the standards of punishment should be strictly followed.

Shang Yang's legal philosophy advocated combining rites and punishments under a single law.

We are all Chinese, so why should we be ranked as superior or inferior?
Therefore, this was something that nobles and officials would find extremely difficult to accept, and the failure of Shang Yang's reforms was almost inevitable.

From then on, the saying "the prince is subject to the same law as the commoner" became a legend, and with the inheritance of "the world as a family", it was swept into the dust.

The fundamental reason is that if all citizens were to abide by the same set of laws, and "the prince is subject to the same law as the commoner," then the authority of the monarch would inevitably be greatly diminished. Since everyone must act in accordance with the law and be punished according to the provisions of the law if they violate it, then who would hold the monarch high and worship him as a god?

Similarly, as long as I act in accordance with the law and regulations and do not violate the law, what can even a king do to me?

Therefore, Fang Jun intended to reform the Censorate to make the judicial system independent of the imperial power. The resistance and opposition he would face would not only come from the supreme imperial power, but also from all the members of the imperial family, nobles, and officials included in the "no punishment for high-ranking officials" principle...

What was Shang Yang's fate?

Dismemberment by chariot...

Even though Fang Jun now wields immense power and holds the title of Grand Commandant, can he withstand the backlash from all the royal family, nobles, and officials under heaven?
Fang Jun remained calm, took a sip of tea, and said, "The times are constantly evolving, like a long river that rolls on and cannot be resisted. Xia Qi inherited his father's throne and abolished the 'abdication system' to change the 'family rule'; the First Emperor unified the six kingdoms and implemented the prefecture-county system; the Tang Dynasty conquered all directions and pushed maritime trade to its peak... These are all the general trends of history."

Beside her, Princess Jinyang's beautiful eyes shone brightly, her pretty face filled with admiration and affection.

To compare the achievements of maritime trade to the Xia Dynasty's imperial rule and the First Emperor's prefecture-county system in a casual conversation—what confidence that must have been!

This is what a true man of integrity looks like!
Fang Jun continued, "The explosion of commerce will inevitably lead to the rise of merchants, and the rise of merchants will inevitably affect the policies of the court and the stance of officials."

Liu Xiangdao nodded in approval.

The world is bustling with activity, all for profit; people are constantly clamoring, all for gain.

Whether it's royalty, nobles, officials, merchants, or commoners... their stance depends on their own interests.

There is no right or wrong in this world, only self-interest.

When there is enough benefit, so-called benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, and filial piety can all be thrown aside.

He understood what Fang Jun meant.

At present, judicial independence may be seen as a shocking and universally opposed "tyranny," but as long as society moves forward steadily and the tide of history rolls on, one day the soaring interests will tear apart and destroy all the barriers of today, and naturally take center stage in history.

Fang Jun said softly, "What we are about to do is to lay a solid foundation before the tide comes, so that when the time comes, everything will fall into place and be irresistible. Instead of rushing for the day and plunging the whole country into turmoil for the sake of a correct ideal."

My promise to you is valid, but it requires a long process of preparation and development, rather than immediately launching changes that cause huge upheavals.

Liu Xiangdao pondered for a moment, then sighed softly, "But in that case, I'm afraid I won't be able to see that day."

Fang Jun laughed and said, "Since we are pioneers, how could future generations forget our achievements?"

Liu Xiangdao shook his head with a wry smile: "Isn't the purpose of life to achieve fame and fortune? For a prosperous era that one may never live to see, one is willing to make silent contributions, even if it may go unnoticed... My character is far inferior to that of the Grand Commandant!"

Fang Jun asked, "Then how should the chancellor be chosen?"

Liu Xiang said, “Even the most vulgar person can be noble at times. Besides, with the Grand Commandant leading the way and daring to be the first in the world, what do I have to fear? In this life, one should do something that one believes is right and meaningful.”

Fang Jun smiled happily and raised his cup to offer tea.

Liu Xiangdao readily drank the tea, his face full of anticipation: "What a glorious era that would be!"

……

After Liu Xiangdao left, Princess Jinyang asked Fang Jun the same question.

Fang Jun pondered for a moment, then sighed softly, “For the empire, for the world, and for the common people, it is naturally a glorious era, but for the emperor, it may not be so.”

Princess Jinyang rose from behind the table, her skirt embroidered with colorful patterns and her stockings white. She sat down beside Fang Jun, turned her head to look at his handsome profile, and smiled slyly: "Brother-in-law, do you really think I know nothing about court politics?"

"Hmm? Your Highness, why don't you tell me?"

Princess Jinyang said softly, "I only ask you, if the imperial power remains supreme, will the Tang Dynasty ever perish?"

Without hesitation, Fang Jun said decisively, "It is bound to perish. As long as the supreme imperial power exists, problems such as land annexation and the rise of powerful clans will never disappear. No matter how powerful an empire is, it will eventually perish."

Maintaining the absolute supremacy of imperial power always comes at a price.

The foundation of imperial power lay in the nobility, officials, scholar-official class, aristocratic families, gentry, and landlords, but never in the common people.

Princess Jinyang's gaze was deep and thoughtful: "If one day the imperial power is no longer supreme, will the Tang Dynasty be able to enjoy lasting peace and prosperity for ten thousand generations?"

Fang Jun smiled with relief. He was worried that Princess Jinyang would take her anger out on him for suppressing imperial power, but he never expected that such a gentle and charming girl would see through the root of his actions.

"The rise and fall of empires and the cycle of dynasties hinge on the supreme power of the emperor... The temptation is simply too great. Ambitious people all over the world are like fish crossing a river; who doesn't want to be a 'great man'? Who doesn't want to 'replace him'? You must know that things in this world are never about difficulty or right or wrong, but only about benefits and losses. When the benefits outweigh the losses, even if it means risking the extermination of nine generations of one's family, one dares to take the plunge. Conversely, even if you put it in front of him, he will spit on it and discard it like a worn-out shoe."

Princess Jinyang nodded slightly: "The more the imperial power is weakened, the less tempting it becomes. When the benefits of seizing the imperial power cannot compensate for the losses of raising an army in rebellion, and the risks and rewards are not equal or even seriously unbalanced, then no one will dream of ascending the throne anymore."

Her bright eyes sparkled: "But His Majesty wouldn't understand such a principle, and even if he did, he wouldn't agree with it."

Ultimately, Li Chengqian is the biggest beneficiary of the current era and belongs to the highest class.

No one will betray their class.

Fang Jun laughed and said, "So now His Majesty is doing everything he can to resist, trying to completely revitalize the imperial power by changing the heir apparent, and return to that state of 'having the will of Heaven' and 'having the power of life and death'."

Princess Jinyang sighed, “But one day, everyone except the emperor will realize the benefits of limiting imperial power. At that time, the emperor will become truly alone. If he sits on the throne obediently as a symbol, that will be fine. But if he has even the slightest thought of restoring imperial power, everyone will rise up against him.”

The reason for supporting imperial power is that it can bring more benefits to the royal family, nobles, and officials.

When people discovered that they could obtain benefits without relying on imperial power, they naturally abandoned imperial power as if it were worthless.

But relying solely on the consciousness of the "scholar-officials" is not enough; it requires the "awakening" of the entire nation, which is naturally a time-consuming and gradual transformation.

*****
Li Chengqian and Xu Jingzong discussed the current political situation at length and had a very pleasant conversation.

The fear in Xu Jingzong's heart about the constant encroachment of the imperial power by the Council of State Affairs and the Grand Council dissipated as he looked to the future.

An emperor who grew up in the deep palace and had no military achievements could only make his imperial power manifest by controlling the prime minister. As for military power, he could only try to gain it gradually, and it would be difficult to completely control it before the older generation of nobles passed away.

Li Ji and other meritorious officials of the Zhenguan era were in a better position; as they grew older, they would eventually have to retire completely.

But Fang Jun's age...

Li Chengqian sighed deeply.

He'll probably never have a day when he truly controls the military...

However, as long as one controls the prime minister and the government, it is enough to rival military power.

After all, he firmly believed that Fang Jun had no intention of rebelling or causing chaos.

An attendant entered from outside the gate to announce that the Imperial Censor Sun Chuyue was requesting an audience.

Xu Jingzong was about to get up and take his leave, but Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "Since the Censor-in-Chief has come in person, he must have a memorial to impeach a certain important minister. It would be good for you to stay and listen, so that you can give me some advice."

Since he is about to take office as the Grand Secretary, this kind of treatment is a must.

Xu Jingzong sat down comfortably, feeling quite smug. After all, the memorials impeaching important officials submitted by the Censorate were considered confidential, and he would never have been able to see them in the past.

Is this the treatment of the Grand Secretary?

It's really good.