Chapter 577 Hai has a copy of the Ming Dynasty Law

Hai Rui.

This is a person who has an unshakable reputation in the entire Ming Dynasty officialdom.

He is honest and fair, cautious and strict with himself.

He often quoted the opening words of "Official Code of Conduct".

Officials do not fear my severity, but my integrity; the people do not submit to my ability, but my fairness; fairness leads to wisdom, and integrity leads to authority.

Li Chunfang, whose eyes were flickering and filled with fear, was especially clear about it.

At first.

The imperial court was governing the southeast, and he was not yet a cabinet minister, so Xu Jie was still the leader of the world's upright officials.

It was at that time that they had already seen the danger posed by Hai Rui.

So they began to mobilize all forces to secretly investigate everything about Hai Rui, hoping to eliminate this risk fundamentally in advance.

But the result shocked everyone and left them helpless.

Because Hai Rui was simply too impeccable.

So even if they wanted to criticize Hai Rui based on his character and humanity, they couldn't do it.

later.

Things developed to the point where every time Hai Rui spoke, it would cause a stir in the officialdom.

Because of Hai Rui.

Xu Jie and his entire family have now been exiled to Leizhou.

It was also because of Hai Rui.

Gao Gong could use this as an example all day long to vigorously promote the rectification of official administration in the court and the country.

In Li Chunfang's opinion.

Hai Rui is a monument, a mountain, which makes everyone afraid.

But no matter how timid she was in her heart, Li Chunfang still tried hard to restrain herself and not show any nervousness on her face.

As Hai Rui walked into the hall, he got closer and closer to him.

Li Chunfang even shouted coldly: "How dare you! When did the Censorate become so unruly?"

Hai Rui stopped and looked sideways at Li Chunfang, frowning slightly, without saying a word.

Li Chunfang was already on full alert, not daring to make the slightest mistake, and continued, "This is a court meeting in Wenhua Palace. If I remember correctly, the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief should be patrolling the nine borders at this moment. Why did he suddenly appear here? And he went straight into the palace without reporting anything? Does the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief still have any etiquette of a monarch and a minister?"

This is to make a fuss about Hai Rui's sudden return to Beijing.

But that alone is not the end.

Li Chunfang said, "The Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief is an official of the Censorate. He has always been well-known for his familiarity with the criminal law of the country. Today's incident has not been thoroughly investigated. Could it be that the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief is also going to make a rash judgment and abuse his power for personal gain?"

Hai Rui did not follow the rules and suddenly returned to Beijing to start trouble.

At this point, people have begun to attack whether Hai Rui is a qualified official.

Li Chunfang almost suppressed Hai Rui with just a few words.

however.

Hai Rui continued to stare at Li Chunfang silently.

His silence made Li Chunfang's heart suddenly tighten, and she felt something was wrong.

But it was at this moment.

Yuan Wei, who had been waiting for a long time, chuckled at Li Chunfang, then bowed to the emperor above, "Your Majesty, I am in charge of the three judicial departments in the cabinet. Hai Rui, the right deputy censor of the Censorate, was ordered to inspect the nine borders before. He returned today and reported to me. Because the border affairs are urgent, I also sent a letter to inform the right deputy censor in advance. After entering the capital, he can go directly to the cabinet to report to me. I think that Censor Hai went to the cabinet before and didn't see me, so he came here."

After saying that, Yuan Wei glanced at Li Chunfang, whose face turned green.

Not long ago, Li Chunfang was still complaining in front of others that he was in charge of the three judicial departments and was not doing his job well.

Now he is using the power of the three judicial departments to fight back against the other party.

Hai Rui was the Right Vice-Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, so he was naturally an official of the Three Judicial Departments and the area should be under his jurisdiction.

above.

Zhu Zaigui glanced at Li Chunfang with a half-smile.

If the power of the old party of Qingliu was not still there in the court, if the gentry in Jiangnan were not still dissatisfied, and if the court was not unable to completely resolve the Jiangnan Group in a short period of time, I would have kicked Li Chunfang out of the cabinet long ago.

Now, instead of letting someone from the Qingliu Old Party enter the cabinet, it is better to continue to keep Li Chunfang in the cabinet.

Zhu Zaigui glanced at Li Chunfang and looked at Hai Rui with a smile on his face.

"The Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief has been ordered to leave the capital. He has traveled thousands of miles and must have been exhausted. I am in the center of the government and cannot leave easily. All the affairs of the country depend on the hard work of the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief and others."

The emperor seemed to have said nothing, yet also seemed to have said everything.

In terms of attitude, he completely supported and affirmed Hai Rui.

Hai Rui simply bowed and said, "This is my duty and the emperor's order. I dare not complain about the hard work. If I can serve the country with loyalty, then I have fulfilled my loyalty."

Li Chunfang on the side was almost furious.

In fact, he didn't care whether Hai Rui came back or not.

What made him angry was that Hai Rui actually interfered in the matter he was about to make as soon as he returned to Beijing.

If I had known today.

When Xu Jie was not forced out of the court, he should have been found with some trumped-up charges, had his waist broken and was sent back to the remote countryside of Qiongzhou.

Hu Zongxian, who was also in the hall and had remained silent the whole time, stared at Hai Rui silently for a while, and then glanced at Gao Gong, the Prime Minister.

Hu Zongxian then stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Right Vice-Chief Censor has returned from his inspection tour of the Nine Frontiers. He should follow the law to carry out his duties and report the situation of the Nine Frontiers to set things straight and ensure that the Central Government has full control over border affairs."

He was in charge of the Ministry of War in the cabinet, and Hai Rui's border patrols were mainly responsible for inspecting military affairs in the nine borders.

When he spoke, he was also reminding Gao Gong.

Border affairs are important.

The focus is on the center, which needs to control the nine sides at all times.

Gao Gong immediately understood this silent reminder.

Gao Gong, who originally wanted to just sit back and watch the struggle between the Qingliu Old Party and the Yan faction of the New Party, had no choice but to stand up.

"Your Majesty, since what we are discussing here today also involves border affairs, and the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief has just returned from his border patrol and has made remarks that Wang Zhigao and others deserve to die, why not first introduce the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief's report on the border affairs he investigated."

After expressing his attitude, Gao Gong looked back at Hu Zongxian.

Although he is now the Prime Minister, he is not the same as the previous cabinet ministers.

There may be conflicts in the court and even in the cabinet, but when it comes to matters concerning the nine frontiers, which are related to the country, he will still remain neutral.

Hu Zongxian nodded silently.

Seeing that the Prime Minister had spoken.

Zhu Zaigui immediately slammed the table and said, "Hai Rui, what did you gain from this border patrol? You said that Wang Zhigao and others deserved death. I think you must have found some solid evidence. Just explain it in front of the cabinet."

Under Li Chunfang's worried and horrified gaze.

Hai Rui waved his arms, clasped his hands together, and bowed deeply.

"I obey your order and will make a reply."

"This year, I was ordered to inspect the nine frontiers and take charge of criminal cases. I checked the military records, money, food, horses, military equipment, and military farms in the nine frontiers. What I saw was shocking. I reported that among the one million soldiers in the nine frontiers, more than ten thousand generals were left, and only one in ten survived. They were all guilty."

All guilty!
When these words were spoken, even Hu Zongxian was shocked.

Gao Gong frowned, this conclusion was not good news for him.

He never doubted that what Hai Rui said was false. Even though Hai Rui had always been too strict in criminal law, at most he had just spoken too harshly.

And so to speak.

What is the real situation in the nine borders of the Ming Dynasty now?

Gao Gong's heart suddenly tightened.

Even if he hadn't gone to the Nine Frontiers to see it with his own eyes, just based on what Hai Rui said, he was afraid that there were problems throughout the Nine Frontiers, and that these problems had been accumulating for a long time.

Li Chunfang sneered, turned around and looked at Hai Rui coldly: "Hai Rui! The nine borders of our Ming Dynasty have always been the foundation of the country. The court sent capable ministers and generals to maintain peace in the border areas and protect the country in the Central Plains. The soldiers sacrificed their lives and forgot their loyalty. How come today you are saying that even if there are tens of thousands of generals in the millions of border troops, only one in ten is still alive, and they are all guilty! In my opinion, you are probably spreading rumors to confuse the people, and you are trying to disrupt border affairs and provoke a mutiny!"

At this moment, a big hat was put on Hai Rui's head.

But he was not affected at all, he was not afraid at all, and his figure was as upright as a mountain.

"If the soldiers are loyal to the Ming Dynasty, loyal to the emperor and patriotic, how can a word from me easily cause them to change?"

"If there are generals in the army who harbor evil intentions, violate the law, and undermine military discipline, they will be held accountable. I suggest that in order to protect themselves, they may incite the morale of the army, gather troops to exercise power, seek stability through change, and threaten the central government!" he said in a cold voice.

Hai Rui raised his head and glanced at Li Chunfang indifferently.

His eyes were calm, without a trace of ripples.

to him.

Li Chunfang is too weak.

It was so weak that the words he said and the charges he put upon me could be shattered and blown away with a snap of my fingers.

It really doesn't inspire any debate.

So, after just glancing at Li Chunfang expressionlessly, Hai Rui looked away.

But Li Chunfang became completely annoyed.

He understood the meaning of Hai Rui's look just now.

humiliation!

What a shame!
It would be far better for Hai Rui to argue with himself and defend his own ideas than to say nothing and do nothing.

Li Chunfang was so angry that his hands hidden under his sleeves began to tremble uncontrollably.

Hai Rui did not give Li Chunfang more opportunities to argue.

He took out a memorial from his sleeve.

The memorial had long been sealed with wax, and its thickness was much greater than that of ordinary official memorials, as thick as a book.

Hai Rui bowed and held up the memorial with both hands: "Your Majesty, this is what I have found during my inspection of the borders. I have recorded all the illegal activities I have seen and heard of, and now present it to Your Majesty for your review."

Feng Bao glanced at the emperor, then walked up to Hai Rui.

Looking at the censor, whose complexion had become darker and more weathered after his trip to the border, Feng Bao was alert and whispered, "Thank you for your hard work, censor Hai. You have made great contributions on this trip."

As soon as he finished speaking, Feng Bao took the memorial and returned to the emperor.

A light touch on the hand.

Hai Rui stood up and took out another book from his sleeve.

He seemed to be intentionally pointing the letter towards Li Chunfang.

"Your Majesty, fellow ministers, I have another book here."

Zhu Zaigui had just received the memorial sent by Feng Bao. Upon hearing this, he immediately looked up at Hai Rui.

"What book is this?"

Hai Rui replied: "Ming dynasty law."

Li Chunfang's eyes flickered.

Hai Rui said: "During my border patrol this time, I have heard of numerous illegal activities, too numerous to count. According to the Great Ming Law, I have summarized the illegal activities I have found in the nine borders and listed five crimes, which I will report to Your Majesty."

Zhu Zaigui's eyes sparkled and his face was full of anticipation.

"Accurate."

After receiving the emperor's permission, Hai Rui bowed again.

Then he opened his mouth and said in a loud voice: "I have listed five crimes. The most serious crimes are committed by the nine border civil and military officials, including Wang Zhigao, the governor-general of Xuanfu, Datong and Shanxi, Wang Jiluo, the governor of Shanxi, Sun Wu, the general officer of Datong, and Shen Weiyue, the general officer of Shanxi."

Li Chunfang closed his lips and his face turned pale.

Because when Hai Rui listed the five deadly sins, he was directly pointing at Wang Zhigao and others whom he had just defended.

However, Hai Rui's loud voice continued.

"First, Wang Zhigao and his men neglected their duties and were negligent. They hoped the enemy would not fight, and were afraid of the enemy and avoided fighting. According to the Great Ming Law, they can be convicted of deserting the battlefield and delaying the opportunity to fight!"

"Secondly, Wang Zhigao and others, as border officials, should have defended the border wall and expelled the Tartars, but they allowed the enemy to run rampant inside and outside the border wall. According to the Ming Dynasty law, they can be convicted of releasing the enemy troops privately."

"Third, all the officials in the nine frontiers that I have investigated have embezzled and withheld money and food from the frontier troops over the years, and some have even privately sold military equipment, war horses and other items. According to the Great Ming Code, they can be convicted of embezzling military pay and reselling military equipment."

"Third, I have found that many of the civil and military officials in the border areas, regardless of their official positions, have hidden armor, crossbows and other items in their homes, or sold them to the enemy privately, or passed them on to their children. According to the Great Ming Law, they can be convicted of the crime of hiding banned weapons and secretly communicating with the enemy!"

"Fourth, in the nine important border towns, there is a balance of power between the civil and military forces. Civil officials provide food and grass for the border people, while military officials provide border troops, military households, and garrisons. Over the years, the nine border armies have not been fully staffed and fully paid. They have lied about military intelligence, falsely claimed military pay, and withheld money and food. There are also frequent cases of generals punishing soldiers privately. According to the Great Ming Code, they can be convicted of falsely reporting the number of soldiers and abusing soldiers."

"Fifth, many border troops have secret exchanges with Mongolian tribes, selling weapons, passing military intelligence, and sending messages privately. The court spends countless money and grain every year, but border areas keep petitioning, all of which are based on enemy intelligence. According to the Ming Dynasty law, this can be considered a crime of nurturing the enemy."

Ming Dynasty Law.

As a compulsory book for Ming Dynasty officials, all the officials present had read it, and many even studied it specifically.

But when Hai Rui summarized the five sins of the border troops after this border patrol, everyone fell silent.

If what Hai Rui said was true, then he had used almost all the crimes recorded in the military laws of the Ming Dynasty.

What does this mean?
This only shows that the border troops have committed all the crimes they can.

All they're short of is raising the flag and starting a rebellion!
Li Chunfang was so frightened that his face turned pale. He pointed at Hai Rui and said, "You! You..."

Hai Rui still looked at Li Chunfang calmly.

Then he bowed his hands and said, "Your Majesty, according to the Great Ming Law, the five crimes of the border troops that I reported, and the people like Wang Zhigao who were brought back to the capital by the Northern Expedition Army, have all been violated."

Li Chunfang trembled all over: "You are talking nonsense!"

But no one listened to what he said.

Because Hai Rui said in a louder voice: "According to the Military Law of the Great Ming Dynasty, deserting from the battlefield or delaying military operations can be executed in front of the army, and serious cases can be punished by slow slicing. And according to the Great Edict, Wang Zhigao and others can be skinned and stuffed with straw!"

"According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty! If you release the enemy troops privately, you will be guilty of treason! You shall be executed by slow slicing! And your entire clan shall be exterminated!"

"According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty! If you embezzle military pay and sell military equipment, you can be charged with thieves. If you embezzle more than 40 strings of cash, you will be beheaded. If you embezzle more than 80 strings of cash, you will be hanged! In addition, your property will be confiscated and your relatives will be sent to the army! Accomplices will be punished with 100 strokes of the cane and exiled 3,000 miles! If you trade with foreign enemies, you will be charged with treason!"

"According to the Great Ming Law! Those who falsely report the number of soldiers, embezzle military pay, and abuse soldiers will be dismissed from their posts, beaten with 100 sticks, and exiled 3,000 miles away. Those who are extremely corrupt will be beheaded! Those who cause the death of soldiers will be hanged!"

"According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty! Leaking military secrets and nurturing the enemy for personal gain shall be punished by slow slicing and the entire clan shall be exiled!"

Every word of Hai Rui.

All of this made the people in Wenhua Hall feel chilled.

When he finished speaking.

The entire Wenhua Hall was filled with murderous aura and bone-chilling cold.

Hai Rui stood firm and said, "Wang Zhigao, Wang Jiluo, Sun Wu, Shen Weiyue and others who were escorted back to Beijing by the Northern Expedition Army have committed unforgivable crimes, tantamount to treason. Beheading or hanging are not enough. They should be executed by slow slicing, their property confiscated, and their entire clans implicated!"

There was silence in the hall.

It's freezing cold.

Li Chunfang widened his eyes with shock on his face.

According to Hai Rui, even if Wang Zhigao and others were beheaded or hanged, it would not be enough to offset the crimes they committed. They must be tortured to death in public, with their flesh cut by thousands of knives, and their three clans must be implicated, with the death of the people and the extermination of the clan.

How many years has it been since the Ming Dynasty used such extreme punishment?

No reason.

Even though she had nothing to do with these things, Li Chunfang was already feeling nervous.

The cowardice and weakness of Qingliu!
Hai Rui glanced at Li Chunfang indifferently, his heart full of contempt.

He also requested: "I was not able to conduct a thorough investigation during my border patrol this time, but the crimes of Wang Zhigao and others are already proven. Your Majesty should issue an imperial decree to convict them, and the rest of the people in the nine borders should be investigated thoroughly by the three judicial departments, and each of them should be punished!"

now.

It was clearly the place where the royal books were stored, where the emperor held imperial lectures, where the princes had daily lectures, and where ministers discussed matters, but it was like a battlefield with rivers of blood and corpses everywhere.

There was blood and corpses everywhere.

Boundless murderous intent surged.

Gao Gong's eyes narrowed several times, but he did not dare to refute Hai Rui's request.

And his respect for Hai Rui increased several levels.

Today, Wang Zhigao and others must die.

Otherwise, it would be just as Hai Rui said, he would investigate all nine sides thoroughly.

Hai Rui had to make the choice: should Wang Zhigao and the others accept the imperial order today, kneel down and thank the emperor for their death, or should the entire nine borders be flooded with blood?

This Ming Dynasty.

Even if it is the world of smart people.

But in this court, there is probably no one smarter than Hai Rui!

…………

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(End of this chapter)