Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

The Yellow River separates Hanoi Prefecture from Luoyang, and the straight-line distance between Huai County, where the imperial carriage is stationed, and Luoyang City is only about two hundred li.

In less than a full day, around noon on the second day, Liu Shao, the Minister of Justice in the Ministry of Justice, received the imperial edict written by Wang Xiong and approved by Cao Rui.

"Imperial Edict: The Emperor hereby decrees that corporal punishment damages the body and violates the grace and benevolence of the Holy Dynasty. Therefore, the Ministry of Justice and the Great Wei Criminal Law are hereby ordered to abolish corporal punishment, replacing existing crimes with exile, detention, and hard labor. The Ministry of Justice is hereby ordered to proclaim the abolition of corporal punishment throughout the empire, and all prefectures and counties must immediately prohibit corporal punishment upon receiving the decree, and complete the revision of the criminal law within one month. Respectfully Your Majesty."

Liu Shao stared quietly at the imperial edict in his hand and sighed deeply. After reading it several times, he was about to respectfully put it away, but after standing up, he couldn't help but unfold it again and read it once more, until he was moved to tears.

Liu Shao's behavior startled Li Xi, the Gentleman Attendant-in-Ordinary who had come to deliver the imperial decree.

Why are you crying like this?
Li Xi cupped his hands in greeting and tentatively asked, "Minister Liu... what's wrong?"

"It's alright." Liu Shao sniffed and smiled apologetically at Li Xi: "Minister Li may not know, but His Majesty ordered me to revise the laws in the early years of the Taihe era, and it has been almost ten years since then."

“Criminal law is the foundation of the nation, and its revision is fraught with difficulties. Every aspect and every detail must be carefully considered. We must correct the accumulated problems of the previous dynasty, rectify the social atmosphere, and plan ahead for the future… All these difficulties have been resolved, but the issue of corporal punishment has never been definitively resolved.”

"Today, I received His Majesty's decree to abolish corporal punishment. The decree was concise, to the point, and to the root of the problem. All my worries of the past years have been relieved in one day. Therefore, I lost my composure and made a fool of myself in front of Vice Minister Li."

“This…” Li Xi was stunned for a few moments upon hearing this, then bowed respectfully to Liu Shao: “I have long heard of Minister Liu’s hard work over the years. Now that the long-standing issues in Minister Liu’s revision of the law have been resolved, it is a cause for celebration.”

Liu Shao nodded: "Thank you for coming to deliver the decree, Vice Minister Li. Does His Majesty have any instructions on when this matter should be announced?"

Li Xi replied, "His Majesty only said as soon as possible, but I did not hear when the announcement would be made."

"Alright." Liu Shao nodded, and then personally escorted Li Xi out of the Ministry of Justice.

Liu Shao later summoned all the ministers and officials of the Ministry of Justice to the main hall of the Ministry of Justice, and ordered them to draft documents to be sent to various prefectures and counties. He also ordered them to immediately revise the section on corporal punishment in the criminal law. At the same time, he tidied himself up and went to the residence of Wang Su, the Chamberlain, in Luoyang.

Wang Su was on an inspection tour of Hanoi County with the imperial entourage, so he was naturally not at home. When Liu Shao went to the Wang family, he only met Wang Su's eldest son, Wang Yun.

When Wang Yun, who was only nineteen years old, heard from his servants that Liu Shao had come to visit, he was surprised and went to the gate to greet him personally.

"Greetings, Lord Liu." Wang Yun bowed and then asked cautiously, "I wonder what brings you to my home, Lord Liu? My father is on an imperial tour and is not in Luoyang at the moment. I'm afraid you will not be able to see my father."

Liu Shao cupped his hands in greeting: "I have not come to see Attendant Wang, but to pay my respects to the spirit of the late Minister Wang."

According to Wang Su's rules, Wang Yun would not be able to enter the Imperial Academy until he was twenty years old, which is next year. At this time, he was studying the Wang School of thought passed down in his family at home. Wang Su was accustomed to studying, and half of his house was his private residence, while the other half became a place for occasional teaching. Dozens of people often studied at Wang Su's house.

"This..." Wang Yun had never encountered such a situation before, and with Wang Su not at home, he was at a loss for words. However, Wang Lang's grave was in Beiman, and only the Wang family in Luoyang had Wang Lang's memorial tablet. After hesitating for a moment, Wang Yun cautiously asked, "May I ask, Lord Liu, what brings you to pay your respects to our ancestor?"

Liu Shao asked, "Are you aware of the discussions surrounding the former Minister of Works, Prince Wang, regarding the abolition of corporal punishment over the years?"

Wang Yun replied, "Of course I know."

Liu Shao nodded: "To be honest, His Majesty has issued an edict to the Ministry of Justice, abolishing corporal punishment in the Great Wei Dynasty from this day forward. The Ministry of Justice will announce and amend the penal code accordingly. As for the matter of corporal punishment, the late Grand Minister Wang has insisted on it for many years, and I have received much guidance and instruction from him... Therefore, after receiving the edict, I came to pay my respects and inform the spirit of the late Grand Minister Wang in heaven. With Attendant-in-Ordinary Wang by His Majesty's side, I imagine he has also contributed to this matter."

"I see!" Wang Yun exclaimed in realization, then bowed to Liu Shao and said, "Please wait a moment, Lord Liu, I will have my family open the main gate to welcome you!"

Liu Shao nodded in agreement.

He did not think that Wang Yun was welcoming him, but rather that Wang Yun was welcoming the news that Wang Lang's long-held wish had finally been fulfilled.

However, Liu Shao was overthinking things. This matter was actually pushed forward by Wang Xiong, the Chamberlain, and had nothing to do with Wang Su...

The Secretariat was originally a unified entity, with information flowing freely between its various departments. There were no clear divisions between the different departments within the Great Wei Secretariat. Liu Shao had no intention of keeping this matter secret, so news of the complete abolition of corporal punishment quickly spread throughout the Secretariat.

Now that the Imperial Secretariat knows about this, it's bound to spread throughout Luoyang.

The Minister of Justice, Gao Rou, who had the closest working relationship with the Ministry of Justice, learned of this matter immediately. After thinking it over, Gao Rou left his office and took a carriage to Jiang Ji's residence.

Even though Jiang Ji had served as the governor of Yangzhou for many years, his mansion in Luoyang was still attended to by family and servants, and he could stay there at any time, unlike ordinary minor officials who had to stay in post stations when they arrived in Luoyang.

When Jiang Ji heard that the Minister of Justice Gao Rou was coming, he quickly got up from his bed to greet him. Lying in bed all day with nothing to do was quite a pleasant thing.

"Brother Wenhui!" Jiang Ji greeted him, "I have been in Luoyang for two days and have not yet had a chance to pay my respects to you. I did not expect you to come to my humble abode in person!"

"Zitong, it's been so many years!" Gao Rou strode forward, took Jiang Ji's arm, glanced around, and said softly, "Is it convenient to talk here?" Jiang Ji's eyes darted around, and he gestured towards his bedroom: "Please come inside to talk!"

"Okay." Gao Rou nodded.

The two chatted as they entered, and only after closing the door did Jiang Ji sigh and say, "I haven't been to Luoyang for a long time, and most of the servants in my house are not from the old family. I don't recognize many of them either, so I'd like to invite Brother Wenhui inside for a chat."

"Brother Wenhui, what brings you here in such a hurry?"

Gao Rou said, "Do you know that His Majesty issued an edict yesterday, ordering Liu Shao of the Ministry of Justice to abolish corporal punishment immediately?"

"Corporal punishment has been abolished?" Jiang Ji, who had just sat down, stood up in a panic upon hearing this, momentarily at a loss: "Brother Wenhui, you are the Minister of Justice. Wasn't corporal punishment something that the court had been debating for decades, a matter that had been ongoing since the Jian'an era? How come corporal punishment was abolished as soon as I arrived in Luoyang?"

"Why is this so?"

Gao Rou said softly, "Isn't it all because of Xiahou Taichu's impeachment letter? There has been much discussion in Luoyang for days. In recent years, the country has been busy with military affairs, and the central government has not been in Luoyang. There has never been such a discussion in many years. It has almost become a trend!"

"Zitong, you are unaware of the fact that there is a great deal of commotion in Luoyang regarding matters such as corporal punishment. From high-ranking officials in the court to scholars in the Imperial Academy and Luoyang, everyone is concerned about this matter!"

"Let them be concerned, let them come as they will, I'll accept it all." Jiang Ji sighed, "But these past two days I've asked several people, and none of them have told me about these things in Luoyang. On the contrary, when I went to Taizhong, it was the Left Minister Huang Gongheng who first told me about this. Brother Wenhui, how can people's hearts be like this?"

“Everyone is protecting themselves and doesn’t want to cause trouble. What else could it be?” Gao Rou sighed. “But Huang Gongheng is truly a gentleman! He is impartial and impartial, and handles matters in a neutral manner. He truly has the talent of a prime minister!”

"Yes." Jiang Ji's face showed some sadness: "Thank you, Brother Wenhui, for informing me of this matter so soon! Otherwise, I would still be in the dark and might not have found out until tomorrow or the day after."

Gao Rou said, "Don't say such formal things. What do you plan to do? Whatever you do, do it as soon as possible, lest things get complicated and you lose the Emperor's favor!"

Jiang Ji smiled bitterly, "What else can we do? Corporal punishment has been abolished; perhaps this is a sign that His Majesty is dissatisfied with me. Brother Wenhui, please go back first. I will immediately write a letter of apology and send it to His Majesty!"

Gao Rou also stood up and patted Jiang Ji on the shoulder: "There's no need to worry too much. You were just granted the title of Duke last year and are a meritorious official of the Great Wei. You are subject to the Eight Deliberations Law, so there's no need to be overly concerned."

Jiang Ji shook his head: "What are the Eight Deliberations? His Majesty can abolish corporal punishment with a single word. Whether or not to apply the Eight Laws depends on His Majesty's will. I will write a letter of apology now and will not see it off to Brother Wenhui!"

"Okay." Gao Rou nodded and then left.

Jiang Ji ground the ink and picked up the brush. Without pausing for a moment, he finished writing the petition of apology in less than a quarter of an hour and sent it to the Secretariat of the Northern Palace. According to custom, such documents would be presented directly to the emperor by the Secretariat.

Jiang Ji barely rested before taking six large carts loaded with various treasures from his residence and heading to the Shaofu government office once again.

Ji Liang was quite surprised: "Why has Governor Jiang come here again?"

Jiang Ji cupped his hands in greeting: "Brother Ji, it's a long story, a long story indeed."

"And what are those things on the carriages behind Magistrate Jiang...?" Ji Liang asked, puzzled.

Jiang Ji cupped his hands and said, “Brother Ji, these are some private gifts that I received from various families in Yangzhou when I took office. I originally intended to present them to His Majesty after His Majesty returned to Luoyang, but His Majesty has not returned after two days. It is not appropriate for these items to remain in my home, so I handed them over to the Imperial Household Department for safekeeping.”

"I see." Ji Liang smiled. "Since these items are presented to His Majesty, I will have them stored away. Do you have an inventory of these items?"

“Of course there is.” Jiang Ji nodded, took out a booklet from his sleeve, and handed it to Ji Liang.

Without giving it much thought, Ji Liang opened the booklet, glanced at it a few times, and then quickly flipped through it with an incredulous expression. He closed it halfway through, looking at Jiang Ji with surprise:

"Lord Jiang, were all these things obtained from Jiangdong?"

"Hmm." Jiang Ji nodded silently.

Ji Liang gasped, "This is... quite a sight..."

Jiang Ji pursed his lips, speechless for a moment, watching the clerks of the Imperial Household Department lead the carriage into the government office and towards the treasury, feeling a pang of sorrow in his heart.

Having given away so much money, he probably won't have another chance to earn this much in his lifetime. (End of Chapter)