Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

A major case involving Duke Zhang Liang of Yun and his five hundred adopted sons, involving collusion between officials and merchants in Jiangnan Circuit and even smuggling weapons and supplies to Japan, was unfolding when thousands of officials from Jiangnan Circuit were escorted to Chang'an.

This also caused quite a stir in Chang'an.

The Censor-in-Chief Dai Zhou, the Minister of Justice Li Daozong, and the Minister of Revenue Feng Deyi all vehemently demanded that the Crown Prince punish Zhang Liang, the Duke of Yun, and execute him.

Meanwhile, senior officials of the Prince of Qin's court, such as Duke Hou Junji of Lu and Duke Yuchi Jingde of E, pleaded with Li Chengqian to be lenient on the grounds that Zhang Liang was unaware of the truth.

After the incident was reported in the newspapers, it sparked widespread discussion among the public.

"That Duke of Yun is doomed! He's fallen into the hands of our Crown Prince. Everyone knows that the Crown Prince despises those lowly Japanese slaves the most. Smuggling goods for those scoundrels, especially crossbows, is unacceptable. A hundred lives wouldn't be enough to kill him!"

"Hey, hey, you can't just say things like that. The imperial court has said that there's currently no concrete evidence to prove Zhang Liang's involvement..."

"Tch, those chests of gold and silver confiscated by the Imperial Guards from the Duke of Yun's mansion, could they be faked? And those privately hoarded armor and weapons, anyone would be sentenced to death for that!"

In the Tang Dynasty, the people are now enlightened, and the court does not prohibit them from discussing state affairs. As long as they do not spread rumors with malicious intent or try to sow discord among the people, it is common to hear some commoners boasting and talking nonsense while drinking in teahouses and restaurants.

Among them, perhaps even the vast majority, they probably didn't know who Zhang Liang was, or where the Duke of Yun's mansion was.

"Your Majesty, do you really intend to execute the Duke of Yun?"

By the window on the second floor of the tavern, Little Sizi Li Mingda blinked. Although she could speak, she was still so ignorant that she probably didn't even know what execution meant.

They assumed it was like the Ninth Prince being punished by the Empress Dowager.

Li Chengqian smiled slightly and patted her little head.

Do you think I should execute him?

Little Sizi was imitating the students of the Imperial Academy, frowning and deep in thought when questioned by the teacher. His chubby little face was deliberately serious, accompanied by a few deep sighs.

"Hmm... He should be punished for his mistakes, but considering how old he is, and how pitifully he's crying..."

The child looked longingly at his elder brother, the emperor.

“Brother, why not punish them separately? The other day, Ninth Brother made Second Sister Wu cry, and Mother beat him over several days... Why don’t you punish him over several days as well? Execute him once today, and then execute him again the day after tomorrow.”

"Pfft!"

Chang Le, who was sitting next to Xiao Sizi, couldn't help but burst out laughing on the spot.

Even Li Chengqian couldn't help but look at this little girl with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

She really doesn't even know what execution means.

He rolled his eyes slightly and affectionately placed a plate of peeled peanuts in front of the other person.

"You, you, your Ninth Brother is truly blessed to have you. If it weren't for your love of making a scene, would your Ninth Brother have had the opportunity to skip work for several days?"

Little Sizi didn't understand what it meant to enjoy watching a good show, but when she saw her elder brother peeling her favorite peanuts, she put her doubts aside and buried her head in eating.

Li Chengqian then looked at Li Zhen, who was standing to the side.

"Eighth brother, I see that you are quite proficient in matters of law now. You have been compiling laws for several years now, how is it progressing?"

Without any files or books in his hands, Li Zhen couldn't help but shake his leg anxiously even when sitting with Li Chengqian. Hearing his elder brother ask about the law...

The anxiety on his face vanished instantly.

The shaking in his legs also stopped abruptly.

He revealed a confident yet composed smile: "Your Majesty, laws must be constantly changed. Although I have been compiling the New Tang Code, the nation is developing too rapidly, and many laws must also be revised..."

When they started talking about his areas of expertise and passion, Li Zhen's entire demeanor underwent a dramatic transformation.

It looks like it's glowing.

He began to speak eloquently, telling Li Chengqian about some of his new discoveries when compiling the laws, most of which were adjustments made based on the current development of the Tang Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, you encourage the people to have children, but the court's initial law stated that 'for every child born, regardless of gender, a household shall be granted five shi of millet and three bolts of silk. The amount shall be doubled for twins. Once a boy is five years old and a girl is seven years old, the village head shall verify that there are no disabilities and report to the county government for allocation of land.'"

"However, despite this, there are still some families in various places who secretly drown female infants, and then I thought of a change."

As Li Zhen spoke, she drew something on the table with one hand still wet with tea.

It seemed to be a jumble of symbols that only he could understand. Li Chengqian couldn't understand it either, but he still listened attentively.

"Your younger brother then changed the land allocation policy to allow men and women to share the land, and later added a new clause: 'If a child dies before the age of fifteen, the land shall belong to the public, and the parents may apply for half of the grain and cloth as compensation.'"

"This two-pronged approach has significantly reduced the premature death rate of girls in various regions..."

“Recently, Your Majesty, you have been busy with the relocation of Hebei Province to Liaodong Province. As a result, there have been many cases of families splitting up or selling ancestral property in Hebei Province. As a result, I have also studied a lot of laws.”

Li Zhen continued, “When sons are separated into different households, their parents must leave them thirty mu of land for their old age and a house. If this is insufficient, the sons shall not register another household. This is to prevent some people with rash minds or bad habits from mortgaging or selling their parents’ place of residence, leaving them not only unable to live but also causing their parents to suffer hardship and displacement.”

The look of satisfaction and appreciation on Li Chengqian's face grew even stronger.

Even Chang Le, who was peeling nuts for Xiao Sizi, couldn't help but show a hint of surprise in her eyes and listened attentively.

Perhaps encouraged, Li Zhen raised her head slightly.

"Does Your Majesty think that what I am studying is just a trivial matter that the officials in the court study every day? This is no easy task. It not only requires consulting many classics, but also combining them with the detailed accounting rules of some local courts. Furthermore, we must be wary of whether it will conflict with the established laws."

“If those who compile the laws are not rigorous, it will only lead to numerous loopholes in local laws. Over time, petty and despicable acts will inevitably originate from the hands of the law officials. Your subject must also deal with this with caution.”

Li Chengqian nodded: "That is correct!"

Li Zhen seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly smiled as she looked at her elder brother, the emperor.

"Your Majesty, I have recently been studying a file and am preparing to add new legal provisions based on it. Would Your Majesty be willing to listen?"

Before Li Chengqian could say anything, he continued talking to himself.

"In Fenzhou, Hedong Province, there was a wealthy family who owned a farm with a thousand acres of land and a hundred slaves under the official command of the government. One day, the master of the household went out to do business, leaving behind his wives, concubines, and children..."

For some reason, Li Chengqian thought of his younger brother's so-called "humor" in the past, and an ominous premonition suddenly rose in his heart.

Sure enough, the next moment.

"His wives and concubines in the manor all had illicit relations with Harsha's slaves every single day..."

Chang Le's pretty face instantly turned bright red, and Li Chengqian's lips twitched involuntarily. Only Xiao Sizi looked like she "understood," nodding repeatedly with a bewildered and innocent expression.

"This matter happened to come to the attention of the patriarch's confidant, who rushed home to report it. The patriarch intended to divorce his wives and concubines, but unexpectedly, they demanded, according to Tang law, a share of the farm and property..."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, trying to stop Li Zhen.

However, he looked at everyone with an expectant expression, as if he couldn't understand their strange looks.

"According to Tang law, these wives and concubines should not have received any property, but the prefect of Fenzhou ruled their request legal... Your Majesty, do you know why?"

Li Chengqian was so embarrassed he could have scratched the floor with his toes; he was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to answer or not.

Little Si blinked his big eyes: "Myna, why is that?"

With someone playing the straight man, Li Zhen tossed his head and gave a strange smile.

"According to the Tang Slave Law, the slave Jie Ri had no human rights in our dynasty. In other words, the adulterous Jie Ri was not a human being. The lawyer for the wives and concubines used this as grounds to refute the wealthy merchant's accusation of infidelity."

"So-called adultery is nothing more than bedroom toys..."

"Eighth brother!"

"Eighth Imperial Brother!" Li Chengqian and Chang Le both exclaimed.

The two reacted quickly and covered Xiao Sizi's ears.

However, the little girl had excellent hearing and asked with the curiosity of a child, "Toy? Myna, what toy?"

Li Zhen snapped back to reality, her expression gradually freezing...

On this day, he grimaced and personally experienced just how robust his sixth and ninth brothers were.

On that very day, Empress Zhangsun began to arrange for the Eighth Prince, Prince Yue, Li Zhen, to find a suitable Princess Consort.

If this child's condition worsens any longer, it will truly become incurable...

On this day, Prince Li Zhi of Jin was writing a letter while laughing.

The golden eagle carried his letter and soared into the sky.

"Hahahaha, myna bird, pfft hahaha..."