Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4990 Civilian Union
Humans are often extremely contradictory. For example, when it comes to scary things, we are both afraid and want to see them...

Since the Han Dynasty, rulers have understood that a good dynasty must do its best to curb the number of death sentences and abolish the most cruel corporal punishments. Therefore, the Sui Dynasty formulated the "Five Punishments": flogging, caning, imprisonment, exile, and death.

The Tang Dynasty also adopted this system, and the punishments stipulated in the law were significantly reduced. Even hanging was rarely carried out. Most people used beheading, which was a quick and easy way to end the crime.

As for the legendary "ling punishment", the people had only heard of it but had never seen it, so they all flocked to Chengtian Gate, loudly condemning the cruelty of such a punishment, while curiously watching how the executioner cut off the flesh of the person with a knife.

Strips of flesh and blood were cut from Li Siliang's body, and shrill screams rose to the sky. The onlookers were terrified and trembling, but they also enjoyed the scene very much. When faced with such a traitor, they cheered loudly.

……

On the city wall, the two people sitting opposite each other drinking tea listened to the extremely shrill screams and the people's discussions and shouting, and both shook their heads slightly.

Yang Shidao sighed: "Mencius may be wrong. I have always disagreed with Xunzi's point of view, but now I see that it may not be unreasonable."

This naturally refers to Mencius's statement that "human nature is good."

Mencius said that "human nature is good" because everyone has compassion. "Compassion is the beginning of benevolence; the sense of shame and disgust is the beginning of righteousness; the sense of courtesy and humility is the beginning of propriety; the sense of right and wrong is the beginning of wisdom."

Xunzi is different. He said that "human nature is evil". Human nature is no different from that of wild animals. They all seek benefits and avoid harm. All good and valuable things need to be obtained through hard work, and this kind of effort is "good". Therefore, human nature needs education to become "good". "Good" can only be acquired through learning. "The evil of human nature is obvious, and the good is false."

Now, those ordinary people who are watching the execution below the city wall are enjoying the cruel method and are cheering in unison. How can they have any compassion in their hearts?
Fang Jun poured him some tea and said slowly, "There is no good or evil in the human body, but there are good and evil intentions. Knowing good and evil is conscience, and doing good and avoiding evil is the study of things... The good or evil of human nature is actually not important. What is important is to recognize what is good and what is evil, and to do good and avoid evil. This is the 'unity of knowledge and action'."

When he brought out the doctrine of "unity of knowledge and action" which was taught by only two saints in the five thousand years of Chinese history, Yang Shidao was immediately shocked and enlightened!

"There is no good or evil in the body, but there are good and evil intentions in the action. Knowing good and evil is conscience, and doing good and eliminating evil is the study of things...Knowledge and action are one, knowledge and action are one!"

Yang Shidao's white beard trembled with excitement. He grabbed Fang Jun's hand and his face flushed: "Hearing your words, I have a glimpse of the truth! What a great 'unity of knowledge and action'. Erlang's views may be comparable to Confucius and Mencius, a world-renowned genius!"

"Cough cough!"

Although Fang Jun "borrowed" a lot of poems and songs, when he openly "quoted" Wang Mingyang's theory, Yang Shidao was shocked and still felt embarrassed.

He quickly changed the subject: "In my opinion, just cut a few times and then stop the execution. You can go and persuade His Majesty later. It is enough to make a gesture to shock people. If you really torture him to death, I am afraid that the infamy of being a 'tyrant' will never be washed away."

The people watching the execution from the city wall cheered unanimously, believing that the traitors should be sentenced to death and that His Majesty was a wise ruler for his decisiveness in killing...but they had no say.

The right to speak is in the hands of the scholar class. Who are the scholar class? They are the current court officials and aristocratic families. When these people saw the "cutting punishment" suddenly appear, they were all trembling with fear and grief, fearing that such a torture would be inflicted on themselves one day, and they would definitely strongly oppose it.

The harder Li Chengqian tries to suppress the voices of opposition now, the greater the backlash he will suffer in the future.

Yang Shidao was helpless: "I am old. The reason why Your Majesty appointed me to guard Chengtian Gate is nothing more than the word 'loyalty'. Loyalty, courage, and selflessness also mean that I am a lone minister without wings. When I need to charge into battle and face death, I will think of loyal ministers. But who will listen to the words of loyal ministers? Loyal words are unpleasant to the ear!"

Those who kings fear are never loyal ministers, because loyal ministers can risk their lives and go through fire and water for them with just one word, so why would they need to be won over and appeased?

Your Majesty will only listen to those ministers whom you deeply fear.

Fang Jun was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "Lord Ande is extremely intelligent and insightful, and I am deeply inspired. However, the punishment of flaying is against the harmony of nature, and loyal people in the court and the public will naturally not stand idly by. It's just that everyone dares not touch the tiger's beard of Your Majesty. Perhaps someone needs to stand in front to block the wind and rain, and then everyone will bravely follow."

Yang Shidao was speechless: "Are you asking me to take the lead and bear the wrath of His Majesty?"

Fang Jun poured tea respectfully, his expression humble: "Loyal ministers are naturally important. They may not be able to advise the king, but they are definitely the backbone. Since you call yourself a loyal minister, you must be selfless and fearless. After all, not everyone can withstand the anger of His Majesty."

"hehe,"

Yang Shidao laughed in anger: "You want to push me out to protect me from the wind and rain, and I should thank you for giving me a chance to be a loyal minister?"

Fang Jun said calmly, "Not everyone can be a loyal minister, especially a well-known loyal minister who is not only loyal to the king, but also loyal to the world. This is precious. At present, the civil officials are afraid of your Majesty's anger and your obsession with establishing authority, and dare not step forward. If the county lord steps forward, the civil officials will naturally appreciate your kindness."

Yang Shidao sat upright and nodded, saying, "In that case, I really have to accept your kindness."

……

Yang Shidao was born into the Hongnong Yang family, a prominent family. He was skilled in calligraphy and poetry. After entering the Tang Dynasty, he was highly regarded by Emperor Gaozu, who appointed him as Shang Yitong and Beishen Zuoyou, and also married his widowed daughter Princess Guiyang to him.

Yang Shidao lived up to the high trust placed in him by Emperor Gaozu. In the fourth year of Wude, Yang Shidao, then governor of Lingzhou, repelled the invasion of the Eastern Turks. In the fifth year of Wude, he defeated the Eastern Turks at Sanguan Mountain together with the governor of Jiaozhou, Quan Shitong, and the governor of Hongzhou, Yuwen Xin. In the seventh year of Wude, the governor of Qingzhou, Yang Wengan, rebelled, and Yang Shidao and the general of the Left Guard, Qian Jiulong, went to fight against the rebellion.

It can be said that he has made great military achievements.

In the tenth year of Zhenguan, Yang Shidao succeeded Wei Zheng as the Minister of the Court, and later became the Minister of the Secretariat, becoming the Prime Minister of the Tang Empire. Later, he made a mistake and was dismissed by Emperor Taizong, and was replaced by the Minister of Personnel. He was born in a wealthy family and did not understand the situation of the people. After taking charge of the Ministry of Personnel, he suppressed the powerful and relatives to avoid suspicion. Most of the officials he appointed were mediocre, so Emperor Taizong was dissatisfied with him and replaced him with Li Xiaogong, who dismissed him from office...

His official career started off well but ended badly, and his integrity was ruined in his later years.

Yang Shidao was Li Chengqian's teacher, so his loyalty was beyond doubt, but even if he was loyal to the emperor, what would that do? When the day came to discuss his posthumous title after his burial, it would be good enough if he didn't get a "bad posthumous title" based on his life's merits and demerits. It would be almost impossible for him to get a "good posthumous title". Even if Li Chengqian proposed this, the civil officials would reject it.

But if he could serve as a pioneer and fight back for those civil officials who were eager to show their "compassion for the world" and "benevolent governance" in order to win their favor, then when Li Chengqian proposed to give him a "beautiful posthumous title" in the future, perhaps not many people would object...

For literati, a "beautiful posthumous title" at the final judgment is worth anything they do.

……

The Council of State was the most up-to-date with news. The next morning, when all the ministers gathered there, they began to whisper about how Yang Shidao had written to His Majesty the day before to cancel the "punishment by flaying", which had caused His Majesty to become furious and to receive a severe rebuke.

Although it was freezing cold outside, the eunuchs got up early to light the floor heating, placed braziers in various rooms in the hall, and brewed hot tea for the cups on the table at the right time, so that when the prime ministers arrived, they felt the coldness disappear and their bodies were warm.

It was still early, and Liu Li, who arrived first, and Liu Xiangdao sat together drinking tea and discussing Yang Shidao's letter.

"I didn't expect that. Emperor Taizong once said that Duke Ande was 'cowardly, inexperienced, and incapable of responding to emergencies.' But now it seems that he has been enjoying leisure and cultivating his character over the years, and his style of doing things has changed greatly."

Liu Xiangdao took a sip of tea and felt a little emotional.

Yang Shidao had retired for many years and had a weak character. In any case, the "torture by slicing" had nothing to do with him. More importantly, His Majesty expressed the utmost trust in him this time and entrusted him with the important task of guarding Chengtian Gate, but he was still able to stand up and would rather offend His Majesty and speak uprightly. Such integrity is better than that of most ministers in the court.

"It's not necessarily true that he is impartial," Liu Li had a different view: "Brother Tongshou has never worked with him and doesn't know his character. He looks weak but is actually meticulous. It's certain that he doesn't want to take responsibility, but he's not necessarily fair and selfless."

A person who is unwilling to take responsibility and speaks out against others' opinions regardless of the consequences is definitely a problem.

It is not difficult to guess what he did. He wanted to win favor among the civil servants...

Liu Xiangdao didn't care: "In everything, we should judge by deeds, not by heart. No matter what you think in your heart, as long as you have done it, it is worthy of praise."

Liu Li also agreed: "How are your preparations going?"

"All the censors have already written their memorials and have submitted them to the Secretariat."

"Okay, I'll have someone sort it out and present it to the emperor later when I get back."

The civil officials were extremely disgusted with the "torture by flaying", but they knew that this was a means for His Majesty to establish his authority, so they were cautious when they gave advice. Now that Yang Shidao had taken the lead and rushed out, with him providing shelter in front, the other civil officials naturally had no more concerns.

The Censorate initiated the movement, followed by the other three provinces and six ministries.

Liu Xiangdao was a little worried: "I don't know what the other government offices think. They may not be willing to speak out against the emperor."

When all the civil servants unite to speak out against the emperor, it goes beyond the scope of persuasion.

After the military became powerful and hindered the imperial power, the civil officials also united to resist the imperial power... One can imagine how furious His Majesty will be.

(End of this chapter)