I Am Truly Not a Treacherous Minister Your Majesty

Chapter 54 The Royal Court

The county magistrate’s words were indeed very useful.

Nowadays, many citizens of the Xia Kingdom have a strong sense of belonging to the Xia Kingdom. The country’s prosperity, the fact that most people can have enough food and clothing, and the long-standing culture and ideology have instilled a deep sense of patriotism in the people of the Great Xia.

It is precisely because of this that the Great Xia can truly become a powerful nation among humans.

Therefore, the method proposed by this county magistrate can indeed be adopted. To say the least, let’s first ignite everyone’s enthusiasm.

“I also think this plan is very clever, but regarding the matter of extreme punishment… I have a different opinion.”

Qin Ji stood aside and said.

This statement caught the attention of others.

“Oh? What is your opinion?”

“The so-called punishment is to punish evil deeds, to encourage and warn others not to imitate such actions. Therefore, punishment can warn the people. If extreme punishment is imposed, it can certainly deter the people, but it will also cause the people’s thoughts to focus not on the punishment itself, but on the means of punishment. This deviates from the original intention of punishment.”

Qin Ji raised his head and glanced at Xia Yuxiao’s expression, finding that she did not seem to show any displeasure, so he continued:

“I believe that the difference between humans and beasts lies in the fact that humans know etiquette and value righteousness. If punishment is imposed just for the sake of punishment, it loses the original intention of correcting the people’s mistakes in etiquette and law. Therefore, there is naturally no problem in executing a person, but using methods such as dismemberment and lingchi (death by a thousand cuts) goes against Your Majesty’s love and protection for the people.”

Qin Ji indeed could not tolerate such behavior.

The so-called extreme punishment in the Great Xia refers to punishments that go beyond the death penalty, where a person is tortured to death or experiences great pain before death.

Punishments such as lingchi and dismemberment are examples of this.

The original intention of creating such punishments was to deter others and demonstrate the majesty of the law. However, the actual effect is not very good. The people are indeed deterred by such punishments, but over time, with the continuous occurrence of extreme punishments, people have developed another layer of thought besides reverence for the law.

That is “watching for fun.”

The biggest problem with extreme punishment is that its mental and visual stimulation is extremely strong. After multiple such stimulations, many people have become numb, and they even treat the process of lingchi as watching a “blockbuster.”

In this situation, the people will only “fear” the law, not “respect” it.

Therefore, Qin Ji believes that such extreme punishments should be used sparingly, or even considered almost unnecessary.

“Your Majesty, what Lord Qin said is not without reason.”

After Qin Ji finished speaking, Prime Minister Long rarely agreed with his view.

In Prime Minister Long’s opinion, such extreme punishments are indeed somewhat excessive. It was reasonable to handle them this way when the domestic situation was severe, but now it seems somewhat inappropriate. However, since Your Majesty has just ascended the throne not long ago, these punishments do have some necessity, so he did not persuade too deeply.

“Do both of you think so?”

Xia Yuxiao looked at the two of them, seeing that they both said so, and nodded: “Alright, in that case, let’s give them a quick death.”

“Your Majesty is wise.”

“That’s it. You few should also thank the Grand Marshal and the Prime Minister for their kindness. If it weren’t for the two of them explaining the pros and cons to me, you wouldn’t even have a quick death today.” Xia Yuxiao coldly looked at the few people prostrating on the ground and said.

Those people were obedient and immediately turned around to kowtow to the two of them. To let them die quickly was a good thing.

…………

After the discussion, everyone took their leave.

However, in the grand hall, Qin Ji continued to stand.

“Why haven’t you left yet?”

Xia Yuxiao was about to leave the grand hall when she saw Qin Ji still there and couldn’t help but ask.

“Your Majesty, I just wanted to tell you that I really don’t want to take the position of Zongzheng.”

Qin Ji explained with a wry smile.

He really didn’t want to do this job. He didn’t understand the internal affairs of the royal family well, so how could he be suitable for the position?

“This job is not difficult. You are just temporarily filling in for Xia Zongzheng. Don’t worry, it’s not hard.”

“It’s not about whether it’s hard or not…”

“Alright, I’m tired. You should go back and rest early too.”

Xia Yuxiao’s tone was very gentle, but the gentler it was, the more abnormal it felt.

Actually, when Xia Yuxiao thought about it carefully, having Qin Ji do this job would have a similar effect.

Prime Minister Long had prestige and influence to suppress the royal family, and Qin Ji was the same.

Moreover, not long ago, Qin Ji had just saved her life. From his act of protecting her with his own body, she indeed had a reason to reward him. Qin Ji had never asked for anything, and now that he was taking the position of Zongzheng, if her second uncle returned in the future and he was willing to give up the position, that would be great. If not, this position would be a way to repay him.

Emmm…

Actually, it was still very uncomfortable, but what could she do? She could only comfort herself.

Xia Yuxiao could only think this way.

Seeing that Xia Yuxiao had no intention of continuing the conversation, Qin Ji could only shake his head and then take his leave.

From noble mtl dot com

……………………

Saar Royal Court.

Wu Heyan quietly watched the arguments of the old men in front of her.

To be honest, the elders within the royal court were really not commendable. A bunch of old men were going around in circles, talking for hours without coming to any conclusion. This meeting was making her brain numb.

And the most disgusting thing was that during the discussion, they would occasionally step on her. It was as if the failure of Saar this time was entirely her fault.

“The guys in the south… they really are asking for too much.”

A deep voice came from behind her, causing her to turn her head.

It was a sturdy man, his face chiseled as if carved by a knife, exuding a strong masculine aura just from his appearance.

Not to mention his arms, which were thicker than her thighs.

“Brother Wang.”

Wuhua Ya greeted respectfully.

“How are you? I heard you had some trouble when you came back?”

The man rubbed her head and asked gently.

“It’s nothing. It’s my fault that we lost a large amount of land and wealth. It’s understandable that the people are a bit angry.”

Wuhua Ya said lightly.

Since she returned to Saar, the scolding and reprimands had not stopped. In the eyes of many Saar people, the loss of land and money by the Great Saar Dynasty was due to her incompetence—”What was the royal court thinking, letting a girl negotiate with the south!”

Such complaints were common.

“They went too far,” the man said heavily. “I have already ordered the arrest of those who led the charge—no matter what, you are royalty. They should be punished for disrespecting the royal family.”

“Thank you for your concern, brother.”

Wuhua Ya smiled. The man seemed very friendly, like a brother who truly cared for his sister.

If that were true, it would be wonderful.

Unfortunately, this brother was named Bango.

He was the heir to the throne of the Saar Dynasty and the current “regent.”