Northern Dynasties Imperial Industry

Punish people in the market and abandon them with the public.

Putting aside some excessively cruel killings and implicated punishments, the punishment of abandoning the city should be the most serious type of conventional punishment. The reason why it is executed in a busy city is not only to punish the victim himself, but also has certain The functions of warning and publicity.

But in reality, when the punishment of beheading is carried out in a busy city, people often just watch the excitement, and the effect of warning and education is not too great.

This is not because of the insensitivity of the public, but in a normally functioning social order, people who are subjected to such punishments are often not ordinary people, or the crimes they commit are never ordinary crimes. It is really far away from public life, making it difficult for people to feel any emotion and empathy.

Although the world is not yet completely at peace, and wars were still spreading throughout Kanto, social life in Guanzhong has been running in an orderly manner for many years.

Since His Majesty the current emperor became an assistant to the old Wei Dynasty last year, there have been few social unrest and political struggles in Guanzhong. The social atmosphere has improved, and judicial sentences have gradually become more lenient. Unless it is an extremely bad crime, otherwise There are very few criminal sentences in the city.

Whenever something similar happens, the government will post notices in the city a few days in advance. At the same time, grassroots civil officials such as the rural elders and Fangzheng will also arrange for rural residents to watch the execution. After all, not everyone can accept or appreciate the bloody execution scene.

When Chang'an West Market first opened, it already had thousands of shops and many business travelers gathered there, making it one of the liveliest areas in the city. In the northeast corner of the West Market, on the side of the Horse Market, there is Shanfu Temple and the Free Life Pond. Next to these places is the West Market Execution Ground.

Due to the special status of the person being executed today, it is said that there is also an emperor who is a traitor among them. This undoubtedly aroused the curiosity of the people in the capital. Therefore, as the Western Market opened, people gathered around the execution site to wait for the execution. When the time was about to arrive, the place outside the execution ground was already overcrowded and it was difficult for vehicles and horses to move.

"Come on, come on, the prison van is coming!"

Shouts rang outside the venue. People in the crowd looked around but saw only densely packed heads. The prison van and the prisoners were completely invisible. Some people were even pushed down and trampled by the crowd because they wanted to make way for the prison van. , couldn't help shouting loudly: "Dog slaves, be careful of your own dog's feet, squeeze and kill your dear brother Aye!"

The people who were lucky enough to stand by the road could see the prison car passing in front of them. They stood on tiptoe and shouted: "Which one is the master of Qi, the east thief? Why don't you dare to stand up in front of others? You really lack dignity!"

"Bullshit Lord Qi! He's just a crazy thief who pretends to be a thief. Now he's being held by Master Wang. He's really the one to blame. God will destroy all the thieves. We, the emperor, are destined to be destined by God. Who can defy the will of God and prosper?"

There were various shouts from the crowd, some ranging from curiosity to disdain, but of course, more of them were filled with surging confidence and glory.

Back then, the East and West were divided and became old enemies. Each wanted to put the other to death. Now the West has finally won and lured the powerful figures from the East to the West and killed them directly. This is naturally very satisfying!

In particular, Guanzhong is different from Hebei. Most of his sons, Erlang, have joined the army and served under the Emperor of Tang to kill enemies. Now they are punishing the thieves in the bustling city. This is also an explanation to the elders of Guanzhong and allows them to witness with their own eyes the achievements that Erlang has created after joining the army!

Different from the excitement of the people watching the execution, Gao Zhan and several other death row inmates inevitably arrived at the execution ground after howling and begging for mercy along the way. Their voices were already hoarse and they were sobbing. Their bodies were curled up in the prison car, and even Don't dare to look at things.

The execution process that followed was also clean and tidy. When the butcher knife was raised high and then suddenly slashed down, the scene of the head rolling to the ground and blood gushing out shocked the people around him and screamed in surprise for a long time.

At this time, in addition to ordinary Chang'an citizens, there were also people from the Kanto period around the execution ground, and there were even Gao Zhan's former relatives of the royal family. When they saw the scene of Gao Zhan and others being beheaded, their feelings were much more complicated than those of the people of Chang'an. For them, what the butcher knife chopped off was not only the heads of Gao Zhan and others, but also their past. A bad thing from the past.

The government executed executions but did not care about the burial. All those who were beheaded and abandoned in the market had to be buried by their families, relatives and friends. But now Gao Zhan's wife, children, and family are still being detained by officials, so naturally they won't come to collect his body.

As the crowd watching the execution dispersed, his body was still left on the execution ground. Although there is no shortage of Kanto Shiliu entering Chang'an now, no one has come forward to collect their bodies.

Most of Gao Zhan's cronies fled eastward, and today there are several people who are being executed together. Others who are estranged from him will naturally not take the risk to come forward to collect his body. Secondly, the entire Kanto Toki-ryu community is still in a state of uncertainty. Their respective futures are still worrying, and naturally they don't have much thought to care about external affairs.

Although the imperial court announced a series of punishment and reward orders against the Kanto Tokiliu at the beginning of the year, it only set a standard for their punishment. As for what position the Kanto Tokiliu will occupy in the future political situation of the Tang Dynasty, Then there is still no clear situation formed.

In the past, the Li family of Zhao County was almost all punished in Hebei, but that was a special case during the war. With the war against the Northern Qi temporarily coming to an end, the court still showed a comparative attitude towards the subsequent punishment of the Northern Qi survivors. On the lenient side, there was no indiscriminate killing, and most of the old officials of the Northern Qi Dynasty were pardoned one after another.

Of course, this pardon is not unconditional. After all, many Northern Qi officials have caused real harm to the Guanzhong regime during the years of confrontation between the East and the West. Although everyone was their own master before, but now the past is completely erased based on this alone. It would not be fair to the soldiers who died on the battlefield between the East and the West!

Therefore, for these officials of the Northern Qi Dynasty, all those who had participated in the East-West war and served in border states and counties were required to pay money to atone for their sins, depending on their original official rank in the Northern Qi Dynasty.

As for the atonement money and silk that were handed over, the imperial court would use it to provide relief to the families of the soldiers who had died in battle since the unification. If there are any leftovers, they will be sent to Yuzhou County in Hebei Province to establish charity warehouses to provide relief to people who were orphaned due to the war.

This order was naturally an attempt to exploit the former Northern Qi bureaucracy. Li Tai was not worried that those Northern Qi officials would rebel because of this. Now the situation in all parties in Guandong was settled, and the Fubing system had already established a firm foothold in Hebei. . Linking the confiscation of money to relief for orphans and widows in Hebei can also avoid human incitement. It is even more difficult to cause any trouble based on the remaining administrative structure of Northern Qi.

Because many Northern Qi officials were taken directly to Guanzhong as prisoners of war, they naturally could not carry too much property with them, and it was difficult to collect money and silk for atonement at a time.

In view of the commonness of this situation, in order to prevent those officials from being imprisoned for a long time because they had no money to redeem their bodies, Li Taite temporarily borrowed items from the inner treasury to the disciples, so that they could redeem themselves early and be free until they were restored to freedom. After you die, you can calmly raise money and goods and return them to the inner government.

If these people are willing to settle in Gyeonggi, they will not even be charged interest, and they only need to repay the property within the specified time. If they are homesick and insist on returning home, they will not be stopped. The relevant money will be collected by the local government. Naturally, His Majesty the Emperor will not lend money for profit, but the labor required to transport money and materials must still be borne by each of them. of.

Therefore, these Northern Qi officials who were imprisoned in the Criminal Division were pardoned one after another, and they were all intact, except that they had an additional IOU issued by the Imperial Household.

Of course, there are also people who are from well-off families, and if their family and friends can raise enough money and silk in Chang'an in time, they will choose to pay the fine directly to avoid some subsequent troubles. This includes Zhao Yanshen, an important minister of the Northern Qi Dynasty.

The reason why Zhao Yanshen was able to redeem himself happily was not because of his wealthy family, but because he took advantage of the loopholes in the order. The amount of the fine was determined based on the original official title in Northern Qi, but before the city of Jinyang was destroyed, Zhao Yanshen happened to dissuade Qi Lord Gao Yan from holding a grand funeral for his mother, Lou, and offended Gao Yan, so he was deprived of his official title and title. Expelled from the palace. Therefore, when Zhao Yanshen was imprisoned in Guanzhong, he was a white man. If he had not been well-known, he probably would not have been imprisoned in Guanzhong.

The Tang court was very strict about the execution of the decrees. Since the special circumstances of Zhao Yanshen were not taken into account when the decree was first issued, the fines were determined based on the list of officials and titles seized from the Qi court when Jinyang was conquered. Those who were deprived of their titles were Zhao Yanshen paid a very low fine and regained his freedom.

In the old years, Zhao Yanshen won the trust of Gao Huan and his son in the Eastern Wei and Northern Qi Dynasties, and he repeatedly participated in elections in the Northern Qi Dynasty. In addition, he was modest and cautious, so he was quite popular among the people in Guandong. As he regained his freedom, many people who are now in the The Kanto Shiliu from Chang'an came to visit one after another. Moreover, because he and Sima Xiaonan's father, Sima Ziru, had a guest-host relationship, Sima Xiaonan specially hosted a banquet for Zhao Yanshen at his house.

Because he was demoted and punished for making a big splash before, Sima Xiaonan has calmed down a lot compared to before. Today, he only entertained Zhao Yanshen and a few other old acquaintances from Guandong at his residence, and they only talked about old events in Guandong.

During the banquet, Sima Xiaonan asked Zhao Yanshen about his future plans, and Zhao Yanshen sighed: "Although Guanzhong is prosperous, it is not my hometown. Now I am pardoned by the Lord of the Tang Dynasty. I am lucky enough to survive the disaster. I am also lazy and exhausted. I just want to go back to Jinyang and live in the countryside, and don’t want to experience the prosperity of the world again.”

"Although Chang'an is good, it is not my hometown. There are countless people who rely on power to dominate others. I feel the same way when I heard the Duke's words about returning home. Instead of wandering around in officialdom and wasting my ambition, it is better to go back!"

Sima Xiaonan has been feeling quite discouraged recently. After hearing this, he sighed with sadness.

A few people were chatting sadly here, when suddenly a servant came to report that there was a guest outside. When Sima Xiaonan lowered his head and saw that the name sticker was signed by Zu Jue, he frowned and said displeasedly: "I have no friendship with this disciple. Why is he here to visit you now?"

Next to him, his cousin Sima Zirui came up and whispered: "Although Zu Xiaozheng is a villain, he took advantage of the current situation. He went east from Xu Guogong to attack the remaining people of Qingzhou. This time he entered the court as a meritorious soldier. Now he is here to visit. It’s still not appropriate to be rude.”

Zu Jue had joined Han Xiong's army before and went on an expedition. After pacifying the Yu bandits in Qingzhou, Han Xiong summed up his previous achievements and granted him the title of Duke of Xu. Zu Jue also took advantage of his achievements and entered the court as a meritorious soldier. Nowadays, people from the Northern Qi Dynasty enter the court. He's doing pretty well. Nowadays, Sima Xiaonan is no longer as glorious as before. It is better not to offend a powerful villain like Zu Jue too much.

After hearing Sima Zirui's persuasion, Sima Xiaonan ordered his servants to invite Zu Jue into his house. Of course, he himself would not get up to welcome him in person.

Not long after, Zu Jue, who was wearing a brand new robe, was introduced. After seeing everyone in the hall, he bowed his head and said with a smile: "When I came to Beijing a few days ago, I had the intention to come to visit Duke Xingyang, but I postponed it due to something. I'm here now, but I ask for your forgiveness, Duke Xingyang. It's really surprising that Zhao Shizhong is here... No, we shouldn't use the old name now, it's rude and disrespectful!"

Although Zu Juejiu was well-known in the Eastern Wei and Northern Qi Dynasties, he did not have a great reputation. Therefore, Sima Xiaonan, Zhao Yanshen and others did not have a good look at him, but only nodded briefly.

Zu Jue didn't care about this, and walked to an empty table. Before taking his seat, he asked Sima Xiaonan's servant to sweep the dust with his tail. He pointed at the clothes on his body and said with a smile: "Qi Wan Lu Zhen is not a treasure in the world." , during the expedition to Qingzhou to collect the stolen goods, the imperial court rewarded the meritorious servicemen generously and made them into tailor-made garments, but I really didn’t dare to tarnish this meritorious robe.”

When he said these words, the villain's triumph was evident, and Sima Xiaonan and others couldn't help but frown deeply.

After sitting down, Zu Jue looked at Zhao Yan and said with a deep smile: "When I was in the traitor court, I often heard that Duke Zhao praised the virtuous. Unexpectedly, in addition to this, Duke Zhao was also very talented in managing the family business! Recently, the court issued a new order of redemption. In a blink of an eye, Duke Zhao was out of jail. He was once so prominent in the imperial court that no one could compare with him. Now he can redeem himself. It must have cost a lot of money."

After Zhao Yanshen heard this, he said coldly: "I don't need to worry about this matter. The Emperor of Tang Dynasty was kind and generous and made wise decisions. Do you have any objections?"

After hearing this, Zu Jue quickly waved his hands and said with a smile: "The imperial court's orders are fair. Of course I dare not question it. I am just curious that Duke Zhao is so rich. It is really amazing. A certain person and Duke Zhao also worked in the same palace, but they lacked the governance of Duke Zhao." Career can generate wealth, but now that I am in Kansai, it is not easy to find a place in the prosperous capital. I would like to ask Mr. Zhao to give me some advice on how to be self-sufficient."

Zhao Yanshen's face darkened even more after hearing these words, and he couldn't help but said angrily: "Zu, a treacherous villain, can actually rise to the top of the world. How unfair is the world!"

After hearing Zhao Yanshen's scolding, Zu Jue showed no anger on his face. Instead, he smiled and said, "Since Duke Zhao claims to be loyal and upright, how many Kuang talented people have he recommended to the traitor court? Lord Qi gave you his best advice last year." , where is Qi Ye now?

You have been living in poverty for many years, unable to change the times, and cannot destroy the country, but you have a huge amount of money to redeem yourself. Is it fair to you in the world? At that time, I recommended myself to Jinyang many times, but I was blocked by Zhao. Now that I think about it, Zhao has always done nothing in the Tang Dynasty by blocking talented people. Jue seeks advancement because of his merits, Zhao spends money to protect himself, who is the more treacherous and evil person? "

Zu Jue's words were so harsh that even the host Sima Xiaonan couldn't hold back. He frowned and said, "I'm very happy that Zu Jun comes to visit, but please don't disturb my guests like this!"

"Please forgive me, Mr. Xingyang. My husband should act with clear distinction between grudges and grievances. I deeply admire Mr. Xingyang's deeds when he was distressed and angry and fled to the west. Now he lives in this mansion and enjoys the glory. He will be restored after a short period of time. There are also generous rewards, which is enviable.”

Zu Jue, however, didn't care much about Sima's attitude towards solving the problem. Instead, he pointed at Zhao Yanshen and said: "Zhao blocked my career back then, but now I meet him at the right time. If I don't take revenge, how can there be any grudges in the world? Now I I come here to tell you, don’t think that you can avoid disaster by redeeming yourself! You used to express insults and insults to Kansai many times. If you don’t want to pay it back, I will sue Yousi calmly. Let you die in Kansai!"

Now that his face has been broken, Zu Jue no longer pretends. He came here to target Zhao Yanshen. In addition to revenge, he also covets Zhao Yanshen's rich family wealth that can directly redeem himself, so he wants to take advantage of the situation to blackmail him. While taking revenge, you can also generate some income at the same time.

Hearing Zu Jue's words, Zhao Yanshen was naturally extremely angry, but when his eyes fell on Zu Jue's new clothes cut by Qi Wan Lu Can, he couldn't help but feel a little discouraged. He knew that such a villain was really They couldn't offend easily, and they didn't want to let the old grudges between each other continue to deepen, so they took a deep breath and said calmly: "Zu misunderstood, I was deprived of my official title in Jinyang before, and I was punished for nothing, so If you redeem yourself in vain, you don’t have a huge amount of money..."

Zu Jue burst out laughing when he heard this, and then pointed at Zhao Yanshen and said angrily: "I am willing to come to discuss with you now, which is a courtesy to you. If Zhao is still stingy and greedy, and refuses to make a good relationship, your father and son will never be together." The period of Wu Sheng’s coming out of Guanzhong!”

After saying this, he no longer paid attention to the livid master Sima Xiaonan and others, stood up and walked away.