Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4881 What is the Law
Many important officials in the court disagreed and even expressed dissatisfaction with Li Chengqian's indecisiveness in the face of a very likely rebellion within the royal family. It was extremely foolish to repeatedly indulge notorious villains for the sake of so-called prestige and reputation. The emperor ruled the world, and the so-called "benevolence" was nothing more than a tool to deceive people. The real core of governance was "the way of the king and the hegemon", and he should take action when it was time to do so. How could he retreat again and again and condone and tolerate?
This will not only fail to persuade the traitors, but will make them more aggressive...

But Li Chengqian insisted that those rebels would not be able to accomplish anything great, and he was unwilling to bear the infamy of "massacre of royal family members" by taking action against them.

Li Yuanjia felt that this was simply playing with fire. After all, if a thief can steal for a thousand days, how can you guard against thieves for a thousand days?
The slightest negligence will lead to an irretrievable situation.

When Wang De personally served tea, Li Chengqian dismissed him and drank a sip of tea, smiling and saying, "Uncle Wang is worried about me, I am grateful in my heart, but there is no need to be so nervous, they are just a bunch of rabble, I have the Four Guards in my hands, Chang'an City is impregnable inside and out, what is there to be afraid of?"

Li Yuanjia said anxiously, "This is not a question of whether or not you are sure. You know that those people are about to commit a rebellious act, so why do you remain indifferent and indulge them again and again? Your Majesty is worth a lot of money, and you will never allow yourself to take the slightest risk."

He understood the reason why Li Chengqian was unwilling to bear the infamy of "massacre of royal family members". For an emperor who was canonized as the crown prince at a young age but was repeatedly questioned and attacked in the following years, and was even nearly deposed several times due to his lack of ability, he desperately needed the recognition of the world.

In his opinion, Li Chengqian did not have abundant energy or tenacious will, but he usually showed qualities of being diligent in government and caring for the people. It was precisely because he forced himself to do better and gained more recognition that he was praised by the world as "above average". This proved that the second emperor Li was wrong to depose him.

Just like when Emperor Li II launched the Xuanwu Gate Incident and ascended the throne, he strictly required himself to gain the recognition of the people of the world...

However, Li Yuanjia felt that putting oneself in great danger just to gain recognition was going astray and reaching extremes.

Li Chengqian was silent for a while, but still remained unmoved. Instead, he sighed and said, "Before and after the Xuanwu Gate Incident, the late emperor felt guilty towards the royal family. So many royal family members who followed Emperor Gaozu to build the Tang Dynasty and made great contributions were either beheaded or their families were exterminated, or they handed over their seals and became idle... So many years have passed, and although the merits and demerits of the past have long since dissipated like dust, the scars left behind are still vivid in my mind. I am not Emperor Taizong, and I do not have the grandeur and domineering power of Emperor Taizong. I only hope that the royal family will be united, the world will be one family, and the glory will last forever, and the country will be forever stable."

Li Yuanjia was dumbfounded. What did this mean?
Are you questioning Emperor Taizong's purge of royal family members and nobles after the Xuanwu Gate Incident?
But in fact, among all the mutinies throughout history, the Xuanwu Gate Incident was the most lenient and permissive. Except for a small number of royal family members and nobles who directly participated in the mutiny, most of the others who openly or secretly supported the Crown Prince were pardoned and given important positions. The evaluation of Emperor Taizong in history books is definitely indispensable, as he had a mind as broad as the sea and a courage that could swallow mountains and rivers.

But even though he has been so tolerant and generous, do we still have to question his massacre of the royal family?
Even if the whole world questioned Emperor Taizong's killing of Crown Prince Yin and the entire family of Prince Qi, and forced Emperor Gaozu to abdicate, as the biggest vested interest, how could you, Li Chengqian, stand up and question it?
Is it just to show that you are more merciful and magnanimous than Emperor Taizong?

Li Yuanjia said hurriedly, "Your Majesty, how can you do this? On the day of Emperor Taizong's death, both his posthumous title and temple name had already concluded his life's achievements. Of course, there were some flaws, but Emperor Taizong had told his subjects before his death not to hide them or even whitewash them. He was a hero in his lifetime, and his achievements were unparalleled. Not only can a few flaws not cover up his brilliant achievements, but they can also make people feel a bit of chivalry! At that time, no one in the court or the country objected or questioned the posthumous title and temple name, and the whole world accepted it!"

People all over the world know that Emperor Taizong killed his brothers and forced his father to abdicate, etc., but they still forgive him because of his great achievements. They think that his life's achievements are enough to compete for the title of "the greatest emperor of all time". As a son, how can you be the first to question it?

Even if you want to gain recognition from the world, you can't use Emperor Taizong's reputation as your stepping stone...

Li Chengqian had a serious face and said, "As a son, no one admires the great achievements of Emperor Taizong more than me, but right is right and wrong is wrong. Emperor Taizong killed everyone after suppressing the rebellion, which was against the will of heaven and too cruel. This is recognized by the world! Now it's just that someone has evil intentions. The rebellion has not yet been revealed, but the disgusting things are obvious. How can I kill them with a trumped-up excuse? This is unkind and unjust, and I disdain to do it."

"Your Majesty, have you ever studied the Tang Code?"

"It's natural."

"Then your majesty, do you still remember the judgment and punishment of 'treason' in the Tang Dynasty Code?"

Li Chengqian was displeased. He felt that Li Yuanjia was mocking him for being "ignorant and unskilled". He said with a sullen face, "Those who plot treason shall be sentenced to death, and their entire family shall be punished together. Sons over 16 years old shall be strangled; mothers, daughters, wives and concubines shall be exiled 3,000 miles away... However, after the Xuanwu Gate Incident, all the sons and daughters in the Eastern Palace and the Prince of Qi's Palace were strangled regardless of their age, but the daughters were spared. So it is not in accordance with the law."

Li Yuanjia was speechless: "Your Majesty, the Great Tang Code was drafted by Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui and others, and was implemented during the Zhenguan period. The Xuanwu Gate Incident you mentioned happened in the ninth year of the Wude period. How can the laws of the Zhenguan period be used to judge the cases of the Wude period? On the contrary, those who are trying to overthrow the imperial power are subject to the Great Tang Code! 'Treason' is one of the ten evils and is unforgivable. The Great Tang Code defines 'treason' as 'conspiring to endanger the country', that is, all words and deeds that plan to shake the imperial power are included in it."

During the imperial era, "treason" was taken extremely seriously and was not tolerated, so the scope of its conviction was extremely wide.

"If an action is done, it is a sin, even if it does not cause any harm; if a word is spoken, it is a sin, even if it does not involve any action; but if a plan is a sin, even if it involves no words or actions."

Moreover, "one person can be called a strategist, not two or more people are needed."

As long as it is carried out, it is a crime regardless of whether it is harmful or not. As long as it is spoken out, it does not have to be carried out and it constitutes the crime of "treason". Moreover, there does not need to be multiple people conspiring, as long as one person is considered "conspiring".

He felt that His Majesty had gone too far and was even willing to "trample" the reputation of Emperor Taizong to win the recognition of the world. So he did not refute Li Chengqian from this point, but insisted that the words and deeds of Li Shenfu and others constituted "treason" and there was no need to wait for them to show signs of rebellion before punishing them. Instead, he should take thundering measures to prevent trouble before it happens.

Since the law has already stipulated what constitutes "treason", it is only necessary for the three judicial departments to jointly try the case and take action once the guilt of Li Shenfu and others is determined. This way, there is a law to follow and the whole world will be convinced, which is the safest way.

However, contrary to his expectation, Li Chengqian shook his head and sighed, "At the beginning, the drafting of the Great Tang Code was jointly participated by the world's famous scholars. It was fair, strict, and magnificent. However, times have changed. The provisions of that time seem too harsh now. At that time, the world was not at peace and the regime was unstable, so strict laws were naturally needed to maintain order. In troubled times, severe punishments should be used. But now that the rivers and seas are peaceful and the world is united, what is needed is relatively kind and lenient laws to ensure social development. For example, the definition of the crime of 'treason' should be based on the exact action, rather than a few words in private. "

Li Yuanjia: “…”

Not only do you question the achievements of Emperor Taizong, you even want to change the Tang Dynasty Code?!

Do you really think that you, as the supreme ruler of the world, can hold the sun and the moon in your hands and do whatever you want?
Do you have any misunderstanding about the saying "All under heaven belongs to the king; all within the four seas are the king's subjects"?
Do you really think that if you become an emperor, all the people in the world will respect you and abide by your words and deeds without any disobedience?

"Your Majesty, the law is the foundation of the empire and the code of conduct for the world. Although it needs to keep pace with the times, it cannot be easily changed, otherwise the world will be in chaos!"

Why is this emperor so naive?
Do you really think that the law advocates fairness and justice?

fart!
The reason why laws exist is not for fairness and justice, but for the ruling class to achieve class rule, that's all!

When the ruling class needs justice and fairness to reflect the correctness of the ruling class, then the law reflects fairness and justice.

When the ruling class needs to maintain its rule, the law is a weapon derived for the purpose of ruling!

This is an issue that every member of the ruling class should be well aware of. Why is it that there is a cognitive bias on the part of Your Majesty?

The Eastern Palace gathered almost all the famous scholars and great Confucian scholars of the Zhenguan period. What did they teach Li Chengqian?
The eldest son and grandson of the Zhenguan Dynasty, the undisputed heir to the throne, not only almost lost the ironclad succession to the throne, but even the most basic cognition that a ruler should have deviated...

Li Yuanjia had no choice but to advise, "This matter is of great importance. Even Your Majesty, the Supreme Ruler, cannot make a decision on his own. We should take a long-term view. However, Li Shenfu and his men are clearly rebelling and cannot be tolerated. Your Majesty should make a prompt decision to eliminate the hidden dangers and avoid the risk of the country falling into turmoil."

This time Li Chengqian did not say much, but nodded and said, "I understand what His Royal Highness Prince Han said. I will send the Hundred Cavalry Division to keep an eye on him and arrest him if he makes any unusual move. I will never allow him to disrupt the government and subvert the imperial power."

Li Yuanjia was helpless. Although the emperor no longer said stupid words like "tolerance", "kindness", "cannot be punished for words", he was still indecisive, which made him dissatisfied.

I still lack some weight. Perhaps I should let Fang Jun come and give some advice. With Fang Jun's qualifications, status, and temperament, if Li Chengqian still said such stupid things, he would surely be scolded by Fang Jun in person...