The Shu Kingdom sent many people to protect Mr. Wang, the magistrate of Huayang County. Every cup of tea and bowl of rice he drank was watched. On this day, the court was called to the court for questioning, and many people gathered in front of the hall to hear the trial. Mr. Wang clapped his hands.
They were ordered to lead the plaintiff and defendant. Before the next two people had finished speaking, Mr. Wang suddenly tilted his body and fell to the ground dead in front of everyone.
Situ Cen and the prince's uncle and nephew were both so angry that they were itching their teeth. However, in the past few days, the details of County Magistrate Wang had been found out. He was taking bribes next door to the Chengdu Mansion and took advantage of the court to beat the two people.
He had just come to Huayang County from below the year before last, and it was obvious that he had done this thing many times before. Situ Cen sighed: "It is hard to guard against such covert use of public and private interests. If we hadn't passed through it like a sieve,
The people around him can’t be traced at all.”
The prince thought for a moment and said: "This is a mistake on our part. "Chengdu Weekly" will publish an additional issue tomorrow to make all his actions public. We will also send people to investigate where he worked before and do a follow-up report.
, no matter what good deeds you have done, it will not be published.”
Situ Cen frowned and said, "Isn't that the right thing to do to tell people who poison the world?"
"No, it's to tell the world's courts that anyone who can be upright can be more upright than any god, Buddha or hero." The prince said, "I don't believe they didn't find out these things, maybe they kept them behind the scenes."
Situ Cen nodded and said, "That's fine."
"Those who offer bribes should not be spared," the prince said through gritted teeth, "even good and upright officials have been led astray by them."
The corner of Situ Cen's mouth twitched: "Eldest nephew, what you said is wrong. A good and upright official is not so easily corrupted by money." The prince snorted.
After all, they were still a step too late. Shortly after "Chengdu Weekly" published the story about Magistrate Wang accepting bribes and maiming people, "Chang'an Tianxia News" also published an additional issue, preemptively publishing similar incidents that this man had done before.
The investigation on the Shu side has not yet been completed. Several articles were published in the same newspaper for readers to ask for help. All of them were full of hatred and unjust.
The prince held a court meeting to discuss countermeasures. Situ Cen once again proposed to amend the law, abolish slavery, and cancel humble status. All the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty opposed it. Situ Cen held a stack of "Chang'an Tianxia Bao" and gave one copy to each adult. He pointed at the readers.
The help column said: "Tell me how to deal with this matter." The officials were speechless.
A classmate next to the prince followed him to the court today and said loudly: "Today, there are unknown forces protecting the human rights of slaves and lowly people in Shu Kingdom, which has resulted in the murder of many good people. The youngest among them is only fourteen years old. Each family
Most households have few masters and many slaves. If the master is used to pay for the life of the slaves, two slaves are more than enough to pay for one master."
One official said: "I'll just go back and teach the children at home so that they can treat their servants well."
The classmate said: "So, you always teach your disciples to just beat them to death at will, regardless of whether it is a problem or not?"
The official shouted: "Of course not!"
"But here we go again." The classmate said, "Every household teaches their children like adults, but there are still so many slaves who die unexpectedly. As long as the masters are given the power to beat, scold and punish slaves, it is impossible for them not to use it. Once they use it, they will
It is inevitable not to overdo it, and once it is overdone, people will inevitably die. The same is true for lowly status. Good people think they are superior to them, and they will involuntarily lose their importance when they attack them." He bowed his hand to the prince, "This prince is determined to abolish slavery and abolish slavery.
The lowly ones seem to be protecting them, but aren’t they protecting good people? Everyone, it’s wise to take precautions before they happen.”
Another official said: "This is unreasonable! How can we change the law to follow thieves?"
Situ Cen smiled bitterly and said, "These people are not ordinary thieves." He took out a letter from his arms. "This was stuffed into the door of my house by someone unknown last night."
The classmate just now took the letter from him, stood in front of the hall and read it out. The person who wrote the letter claimed to be the former Ouchi guard in the palace. Since there was no one in the world, they left the palace. For a period of time, there were wanderers all over the capital.
They were the ones who defended the common people against injustice. Whether they were high-ranking officials of the imperial court or the brother-in-law of King Yan, those who did evil were killed without mercy. Later, there were less injustices in the capital, and the imperial guards dispersed everywhere. In recent years, the Federation
With the rise of power, most of their jobs have been taken away by the government. The internal guards of Xian Da and their disciples and friends gathered unknowingly in the land of Shu and Xian Chu. There is nothing else to do. There are guerrillas in Shu.
Although they occasionally grab business, it has nothing to do with them.
Situ Cen said seriously: "There were originally a large number of imperial guards. The world has been divided for more than 20 years, and they have also left the Forbidden City for more than 20 years. They are bandits as soon as they enter the green forest, but they are much more capable than ordinary bandits.
Disciple, I have gathered friends. These people do not act according to the law, and they kill people regardless of light or heavy punishment. My dear friends, how sure are you that you can teach the children of the whole family not to fall into their hands? There is a case this year, a scholar
Because he killed a young husband, he was poisoned to death by these people. His poor old father had no idea that his son had ever been to the husband's palace, and thought he was pure and kind-hearted and never hurt anyone."
A minister shouted: "It's not because of thieves that the law is changed! It makes the world laugh at you." Everyone agreed.
The prince glanced down and said: "My dear friends, for whom is the law established? For the king or for the people?"
Most of the courtiers twirled their beards and thought about how to respond, but two rushed to say, "Of course it is for the king." Everyone was anxious and turned around to see that these two princes were Situ Cen's people.
"Very good." The prince nodded, "Although I am not the king yet, since I supervise the country for my father, I will perform the responsibilities of the king on my behalf. I have the final say in revising laws, abolishing slaves, and removing lowly status."
Someone shouted: "I beg the prince to consult with the prince before making a decision."
"No need." The prince smiled and said, "I am the only son of my father." The ministers were speechless.
After the court meeting dispersed, everyone was eagerly waiting for the King of Shu to take the prince away and give him a scolding. After waiting for half a day, there was no movement from the King of Shu, but the prince was issuing orders one after another. After waiting for another two days,
There was still no movement from the King of Shu, and the decrees that should be issued have been roughly finished. In the past two days, all the classmates brought by the prince have put on official robes to supervise these two things. The ministers were disappointed: Could it be that the King of Shu is like the King of Qin?
Are you pretending to be sick in order to get the prince to come forward and do these things? Then the land tax also needs to be changed? What are you afraid of? The prince thought, and he would not stop doing it, so he simply changed the land tax.
The matter immediately came to the attention of the Queen Mother. Naturally, the Queen Mother could not agree and hurriedly called her grandson over. The prince came in with a smile and said hello, "I know what my grandmother wants me to do. I didn't do it alone, there is also my third uncle."
The Queen Mother said with a stern face: "You two are really fooling around, doing whatever you want while I'm not here."
The prince sighed: "There is really no way. Grandma Wang, they did not read all the letters they sent to the third uncle. Please read them again." Then he took out the letter.
The Queen Mother picked it up and looked at it, and her face suddenly changed. It turned out that there was a list attached to the letter. It was the Supreme King, the Queen Mother, the King of Shu, the Queen, the princess and other royal children who killed and injured eunuchs, maids and others.
list. There is no need to elaborate on the implication. Next time, they will not miss even these.
The Queen Mother murmured: "Do you really have this letter? Your uncle said that it was written by one of Cen'er's men."
The prince was shocked. The letter was actually forged by Situ Cen's subordinates, and the list was also sent by their uncle and nephew to inquire about it. However, he underestimated his uncle, who had the ability to find out information from the third uncle's house. He said:
"The security skills of Ouchi are bottomless. We protected Mr. Wang like that, but we couldn't save him. Moreover, Mr. Qiu personally went out to investigate for many days, but he still hasn't found out what method they used. Grandma Wang, Sun
I am incompetent and have no confidence that I can protect you."
The Queen Mother pointed to a name and said: "This slave chews his master's tongue. I will drag him out and beat him to death. Shouldn't he be beaten?"
"We should fight," the prince said. "We think we should fight, but they don't think we should fight. We can't guard against them."
The Queen Mother said: "Then let's not beat him to death from now on."
The prince said: "There is no use in Prince Shan's Mansion. There are so many people in the Shu Kingdom, how can everyone control themselves? If a county magistrate dies on the left and a general dies on the right every three days, we can't hold on. There is no way we can think of."
I have thought of everything. Grandma Wang, my third uncle is so smart, but most people are at a loss. Apart from reform, there is really no other good solution."
The Queen Mother said: "Let's wait until your father comes back."
The prince shook his head: "I can't wait. He has been away for at least half a year, and every day I don't know how many letters fly to the Nalaoshizi newspaper office in Qin."
The Queen Mother responded: "My old lady won't even be able to serve as a servant in the future?"
"Servants are just like ordinary servants."
The Queen Mother stumbled: "How can it be the same! You are still young and don't understand the stakes here. Let's wait until your father comes back to discuss it, and that's it." She waved him away and sent him away. The prince wanted to argue but stopped and bowed out with a bow.
go out.
The Queen Mother sent someone to tell her brothers that she had ordered the Crown Prince to stop messing around. Everyone felt a little relieved when they heard the news. After waiting for another two days, they wondered what the Crown Prince and his men should do. The Queen Mother waited for another two days and it was still the same, so she sent
A eunuch went to the Crown Prince's Mansion and asked, "The Queen Mother said, didn't she ask the Crown Prince to suspend those two matters?"
The prince said with an innocent face: "She said it, but I didn't agree! By the way, the palace will also start to abolish slavery in a few days. You can leave if you want to, and those who don't want to leave must register as laborers."
The eunuch was stunned, with tears streaming down his face, and choked with sobs: "Do you mean you don't want me to wait anymore?"
"No," the prince said, "I just don't want you to be slaves anymore."
At this moment, the classmates brought by the Crown Prince showed their abilities. The rules set out were clear and detailed, and not even a crack could be found. And the protagonists published in the last issue of "Chang'an Tianxia Bao" were all dead.
Got it clean.
This morning, the prince and his classmates and staff had just changed their clothes and were about to go to the Yamen together. The disciples came and went in a hurry: "Your Highness, it's not good! There are all officers and soldiers outside!"
The prince was shocked and rushed to the door of the palace. He saw a large group of people surrounding the door of the prince's house in darkness. The leader was a veteran general. The prince recognized him, his surname was Han, and he had a loyal and upright temperament. So he walked out with his hands behind his back: "Old General Han.
"
General Han stepped forward and knelt down on one knee: "Your Majesty is a thousand years old, and my old ministers have been ordered by the Supreme King to temporarily surround the Prince's Mansion."
The prince was shocked: "Grandpa!" Yes, the old man had been on the battlefield. His father went to Beijing this time and left himself the golden seal of the King of Shu, but he did not give him the tiger talisman. It turned out to be his grandfather.
As soon as he finished speaking, an old eunuch came out from behind him, put a heavy face on his face, and hit Qian'er: "Your Highness, the Supreme King has a decree, and the prince has done nothing, acted wantonly, and brought trouble to the country. Starting today, we will order you to study behind closed doors.
, it’s good to think and reflect.”
The prince stayed for half a day. "What about third uncle?"
General Han said: "Same as the Crown Prince."
The prince looked at the sky in despair, and shook his head for a long time: "Grandpa, I really don't know..." He turned back and glanced at his friends, "Now that we have done all our work, the rest is just up to luck." Then he clasped his fists towards General Han and said, "I want to meet him.
Lord Qiu Liang, is it possible?"
General Han said: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will tell you this."
The prince smiled bitterly: "Grandpa, if you have any other orders, please let me know."
General Han said: "The Supreme King sealed the sales office of "Chang'an Tianxia Bao" early this morning. From now on, newspapers from other countries are not allowed to be sold in Shu."
The prince sneered: "That's fine. When my father comes back, he will know what the outside world has become like." He turned around and stepped into the palace door. "No need to close the door. Open it." The door agreed in unison.
Back in the study, everyone was sitting around. The prince said: "The book is really right. Political power comes from the barrel of a gun. Without force, everything is empty."
A classmate said: "The Federation has never fought a war."
Another said: "I don't believe it. If there was no open war, there must have been a secret war."
The tall man raised his hand and said: "Let alone others, 90% of the time Han Qi from Jin is from the Federation. Do you believe it?"
The prince's lips curled up: "Not only Han Qi, but Zhu Tong from Qin must also be one of theirs. A young official from an official family who has never been in the Federation has abolished slavery so neatly. I can't believe it unless the Federation is a trickster. Oops...
" Only then did she realize. How could her grandmother's natal brother have the ability to place an informant in Situ Cen's mansion? They were clearly her grandfather's, and her grandmother was coaxing her. She despised the old man. Then she thought about it, the military power is in their hands.
It's useless to pay attention to it.
While they were discussing, the disciples came to report, and the Supreme King sent another eunuch. The prince had no choice but to go out to greet him. This eunuch was a confidant of the Supreme King. He knelt down and kowtowed three times to the prince, then stood up and said:
"Your Highness, Your Highness, the Supreme King has a letter for Your Highness." He handed it over with both hands.
The prince took it and opened it and took a look. It was indeed written by the old man. There were only a few lines in the letter. "If there are no slaves, there will be no inferior people. If there are no inferior people, there will be no superior people. If there are no superior people, there will be no king. Abolition of slaves."
, in fact, the king is deposed." The prince took a breath.
The eunuch said: "Your Majesty said that the countries that have joined the federation are listed one by one: the King of Yan is ill, the King of Zhao is a playboy and ignores politics, the King of Qin and King Jin are young and ignorant, and the King of Yue is held in the hands of Zhen Zangzhu and has no power.
.It seems that there is a king, but there is no king at all. Without a king, the people will be disordered, and sooner or later the country will be in chaos."
The prince smiled bitterly and said: "My grandson understands. Why don't my grandson understand? Well, let's wait until my father comes back from the capital. My grandfather has been living in the country for a long time, and he has no idea that the sea has already turned into mulberry fields. Technology is changing as fast as lightning. If I don't move, the world will move."
, it’s better for me to move together with the world. I hope grandpa will think twice...forget it." She waved her hand, "I can't think of anything even after thinking about it."