I remember that at that time, Zhao Ping solemnly put down the melon in his hand, stared at Xiao He, and said seriously,
"I have spent a few years in the imperial court, and I have been granted the title of a noble prince. I know how to grow melons, and I have seen people's hearts.
One day, I'm afraid it won't be easy for you to ask your current master to raise his noble hand and allow you to lead the yellow dog out of Caimen. "
At that time, Xiao He did not take it seriously. He believed that he was not inferior in intelligence and strategy, so he paid no attention to the advice of Marquis Dongling who had personally experienced the great collapse.
He and Liu Ji, Lv Zhi and his wife had known each other since a young age and had a close personal relationship. He was confident that even if it came to that point, he would have a complete self-protection strategy.
But now, his knees hurt from kneeling in Luoyang Nangong, and he was a little annoyed at his care.
After sitting upright for a long time, Liu Ji couldn't help it anymore, stretched out, and then suddenly remembered something, rubbed his eyebrows and said,
"By the way, the throne of the Yan Kingdom in the north cannot remain vacant forever.
You go back and have a discussion to see who is suitable to be the new King of Yan, and report them all.
The Yan State is adjacent to the Xiongnu, and it is necessary to find a reliable person like Wu Chen, King of Changsha, to ensure peace on the border. "
***
After the court meeting, Xiao He was ordered to go to the forbidden area, only to find that the porch was crowded with curious young officials, and Lu Fei and the prince were sitting peacefully on the couch.
The weather was getting colder, and Liu Ji was tired and afraid of the cold, so he lit a fire cage early, and the hall was filled with warmth.
There is another small case in front of the bed, which is like a hill, filled with documents from the people of Chang'an County suing Xiao He for forcibly buying people's land on credit.
The emperor changed his majestic demeanor in the court hall just now and sat on the side of the couch, leaning on the white jade table with his elbows and his legs hanging down from the edge of the couch, looking comfortable.
Seeing that her father's posture was very relaxed, Liu Ying was eager to imitate it, but was slapped on the leg by Lu Pheasant.
"Sitting in the mountains and wilds cannot reach the level of elegance.
Your father and Xiao Xiangguo are old friends, so he lost his temper a little. If you dare to sit like this in front of others, watch out for the master scolding you. "
The master mentioned by Lu Pheasant refers to Shusun Tong. Although he is flexible by nature, since he began to teach the prince and other princes to read, he has regarded it as a lifelong endeavor and is meticulous in everything.
Liu Ji glanced sideways at the queen, and then remembered Shusun Tong's indomitable and bitter face. He couldn't help but retract his legs slightly, pointed at the volumes of documents, and said to Xiao He with a smile,
"Look, the people of Chang'an County have come to Luoyang to complain."
Xiao He responded, tremblingly opened the slips one by one, and read them carefully.
***
Liu Ji would sometimes pick out a few large dried immortal dates from the carved bronze cups to eat, and sometimes tease Liu Ying and tell some jokes, while Xiao He would look at them slowly without urging him.
Lu Pheasant had already read those documents, and now he was looking at a good prime minister with excellent governance skills, who was being kneaded by the emperor like dough, and he couldn't help but think about it:
In those files, although Xiao He's family arrogantly bought a large amount of fertile land and drove away the people, despite countless evil deeds, they never harmed a person or an animal.
There is a subtle and secret compassion implicit in this, which is also the proper meaning of a capable official with the world in mind.
She remembered that when Xiao He first came to Guanzhong, there was a great famine and he had ten thousand dollars of rice, but he could still act impartially, protect people's livelihood, and operate a stable rear base for the Han army.
It is really difficult for a man who is so devoted to his life to be cautious even when trying to defile himself, for fear of harming innocent lives.
Thinking of this, Lu Pheasant glanced at Liu Ji, who looked relaxed and happy. With his wisdom, he should be very aware of Xiao He's deliberate self-destruction methods.
Xiao He knew that Liu Ji was suspicious of him, so he had no choice but to protect himself through self-contamination, deliberately showing off his flaws, and no longer coveted the false reputation of "virtuous prime minister".
Liu Ji knew that Xiao He knew that he was suspicious of him and that he was protecting himself through self-destruction. From Liu Ji's point of view, it seemed that this way of controlling him would allow him to sleep more peacefully every night.
It’s true that everyone has their own ambitions. The self-made master of Xiongcai can’t trust anyone, but his skills in love and conquest are inferior to others. If she had been in power for decades like her previous life, it would be terrible. Lu Pheasant cursed with complicated emotions.
***
Liu Ji waited for a while, feeling bored. He lay on the couch for a while, then sat up straight, took a sip of hot tea with a lacquer bowl in his hand, and asked Liu Ying casually, as if chatting casually.
"Ying'er, you have read all the documents that the people complained to the officials.
Please tell me, according to law, how should we deal with the matter of Xiao Xiangguo forcibly buying people's land on credit? "
Liu Ying looked straight at Xiao Xiangguo, whom she respected greatly, and then at Lu Pheasant, who was smiling.
Every day when the queen came to court, she would tell him that Xiao Xiangguo was the pillar of the country and had made indelible contributions to the country and the family. In the future, he would leave his name in history and must not be humiliated.
So, he quickly made a draft in his mind and said to Liu Ji in a serious manner,
"As the prime minister, Xiao He once personally composed the "Nine Chapters of Law", but now he knows the law and breaks the law. He stings the officials and people, forcibly lends people's fields on credit, and obtains tens of millions of dollars.
According to the law, the market should be abandoned——"
"puff--"
Liu Ji couldn't hold back and sprayed all the tea on the thick brocade woven with large colorful flowers, soaking a large area.
The palace people hurriedly rushed forward to wipe it, but Liu Ying was frightened by his reaction, her face turned pale, and she fell silent at a loss.
***
The death penalty in the Han Dynasty can be divided into two types: explicit killing and hidden killing.
Hidden killings can be understood as secret executions, leaving dignity to the deceased, while explicit killings are executions of criminals in the city or in nearby busy areas, usually at crossroads where roads extend in all directions.
In order to show that the prisoner deserved to be killed, gongs and drums were often beaten before the execution to attract the people in the city, and then jū (jū) was performed, that is, the crime committed by the prisoner was read out in public.
Liu Ying's "abandonment of the market" is a kind of explicit killing. After a prisoner is beheaded or hanged in a busy market, his body is left in the market for three days or more than ten days to serve as a warning to the world.
Therefore, abandoning the market is a more humiliating punishment than ordinary capital crimes. It is a double destruction of body and reputation for those who have committed the most heinous crimes.
As soon as the prince said this, even though Xiao He had seen thousands of grand scenes, he was so frightened that he dropped the slip to the ground. His eyes widened and he looked at the prince in horror. The past between himself and the prince flashed through his mind——
He has never offended this little King of Hell. Could it be that someone else taught him what he said?
But who could it be? Is it Liu Ji himself, or Lu Pheasant?
Or is it Shu Sun Tong, Zhang Liang, or Cao Shen?
Or some other secretly formed enemy, trying to fake it and give him a fatal blow?
The changing mood on his face and the erratic thoughts on his face were all seen by Lu Pheasant.
Lu Pheasant knew Liu Ying's character very well. He was dull and weak, but he was a kind and loyal young man, so he encouraged her with gentle words,
"Ying'er, it's okay. Just finish what you want to say."
"yes."
Encouraged by her mother, Liu Ying took a breath and then said,
"But Xiangguo Xiao has devoted himself to my great man, and my sons and ministers see it every day and feel grateful in their hearts.
"The Rites of Zhou"... "The Rites of Zhou" contains eight rules for describing the state's laws and punishments. The third is for discussing virtuous people, the fourth is for discussing ability, the fifth is for discussing merit, and the sixth is for discussing nobles. Establish.
The ministers thought that Xiao He had made great contributions to the country and was a man of virtue, ability and merit, so he should not be dealt with by ordinary laws. "
Bapi originated in the Zhou Dynasty and was the predecessor of the "Eight Discussions" in the Tang Dynasty. It consists of eight items: discussing relatives, discussing old friends, discussing talents, discussing abilities, discussing merits, discussing nobles, discussing diligence, and discussing guests.
In short, when the above eight categories of people commit capital crimes, they need to be handed over to the emperor for special treatment, and they can usually receive extrajudicial leniency.
The opposite of Bapi is the unpardonable evil, which means that no matter how much forgiveness is given, it cannot be exempted from the ten serious crimes such as treason and treason, which are capital crimes.
Obviously, what Xiao He committed was not one of the ten evil things, and it can still be discussed.
Liu Ji didn't expect that after not seeing him for a few months, the prince could actually tell the story of Zhou Lizhong's prison sentence precedent. He was a little surprised, but he still asked calmly,
"So, according to what you say, does Xiangguo change from abandoning the market to being innocent?"
"No,"
Liu Ying said slowly,
"In order to stabilize the hearts of the people in the world, my father reduced corvee service, exempted taxes, and rested with the people. This is the foundation of the country.
Although Xiao Xiangguo's crime may not lead to death, he still needs to be punished and exposed to the world to show that our court's laws are strict and to encourage farmers to teach farming.
As for the punishment, I, the minister, oversees the country and fails to observe the situation. I am willing to accept the punishment of kūn on behalf of the prime minister and apologize to the people. "
