Three Kingdoms

Chang'an.

The sky seems to be still clear, the blue sky is still the same blue sky, and the clouds seem to have not changed at all, still lazy and motionless, but everything seems to have new changes.

Fei Qian watched Ruan Yu staggering out. He had entered the prison from the brilliance and confidence at the beginning, and now he was languid, as if he had been raped over and over again in the prison, and his body and mind were greatly hurt. , couldn't help but smile slightly.

When Ruan Yu came closer, he seemed to be a little unsteady on his feet. He shook for a moment before standing still. His eyes were scattered and blank, with no focus. His brocade robe was covered with filth from people's vomit, exuding a disgusting smell.

Fei Qian waved to someone to change Ruan Yu into a robe, and then without saying anything else, he took Ruan Yu out of the prison again and headed to the disaster-stricken market.

In the market place, the burnt black pillars stood upright towards the sky, as if they were silently complaining to the sky. Ordinary people who were cleaning up the debris were wiping away tears while silently digging through the rubble. Occasionally, some suppressed sobs could be heard.

Fei Qian turned around and said to Ruan Yu, "Brother Ruan, let's go for another walk." 』

Ruan Yu dismounted his horse somewhat numbly, and then slowly moved forward accompanied by his guards.

The surrounding people neither need special personnel to stop them, nor do they need soldiers to watch over the scene. On the contrary, both the villagers and the soldiers are working with the people to sort out the wreckage and remove items that can be restored or can still be used normally. , sorted out from the ruins piece by piece.

Half-blackened bricks and deflated cauldrons were slowly piled up on the side of the street. No one paid much attention to Ruan Yu who was walking slowly, and no one rushed to Ruan Yu to ask Ruan Yu to do this or that. Everyone was busy and said nothing.

Ruan Yu walked around silently, and then silently returned to Fei Qian.

"Brother Ruan, what is public opinion?" What is the public opinion? Fei Qian asked slowly.

Ruan Yu opened his mouth subconsciously, as if he wanted to answer, but it seemed as if something was stuck in his mouth. He made a sound but could not spit out any words.

Fei Qian sighed slightly.

From a certain point of view, Ruan Yu should be regarded as a well-known public figure, or a public knowledge for short. However, this Ruan Yu is not speaking for these ordinary people, but speaking to those guys in the prison who have their own agenda.

Of course, perhaps in Ruan Yu's original concept, the so-called "public opinion" is the public opinion of those people, not the busy and speechless common people in front of them like ants.

"The poem "Poetry" has no name, but it has its importance! Fei Qian looked at the people in front of him and said slowly, "Master taught you "Poetry" not because of Brother Ruan's literary talent, but because he knew that Brother Ruan had no intention of becoming an official, so he taught you "Poem" to encourage you to imitate it. In other words, they adopt folk customs, elegance, and praise, express their praise, and declare their evil. 』

"The Master said, "Three hundred poems can be summed up in one sentence: thinking without evil." Fei Qian turned his head and looked at Ruan Yu, "Dare you ask Brother Ruan, are you innocent?" 』

Of course, when Cai Yong taught Ruan Yu the Book of Songs, he may not have had the same intention as Fei Qian said, which was to enable Ruan Yu to collect folk customs like the poetry collectors of the Zhou Dynasty. However, this does not prevent Fei Qian from inferring that, Such a conclusion.

Since Ruan Yu is famous, he should be a public intellectual, and a very important responsibility of a public intellectual is indeed to speak out for the people, but what kind of "people" are the "people" in this? Has this "smooth" turned into a "prostitute"?

"Wu Xie... Wu Xie..." Ruan Yu murmured and repeated, and then shook his body, as if something collapsed in his heart. He couldn't even stand still, and fell to his knees on the ground. Tears and snot rolled down his face, "Teacher...Teacher..."

Those children of the gentry who usually have the right to speak, do they need someone special to speak for them? Still think those guys don’t talk loud enough? What kind of special meeting venue needs to be organized, what rights should be given to these people to speak, and what special listening skills should be shown to show that they have really listened to the "public opinion"?

What are you listening to? After all, it’s not just rushing to listen to the sound of the money colliding!

And did the people in front of me say something?

Will anyone really listen?

These ordinary Ming Dynasty people, firstly, have nothing to say, and secondly, they have no ability to express clearly. Over time, they have become accustomed to not speaking, and remain silent, like ants. And those people who seem to be jumping around every day probably have ulterior motives.

Real public opinion needs to be represented, because ordinary people in Liming really don’t know how to say it, or how to say it in order to comply with the rules and adapt to the process. However, these "spokespersons", or "public intellectuals", often say nothing. It often grew crooked, so the "Book of Songs" began to be banned on a large scale in the Qin Dynasty. Even if it was brought out again in the Han Dynasty, no one was willing to continue the greatness of the "Book of Songs"...

Fei Qian looked at Ruan Yu who was crying and did not try to comfort him.

From a certain perspective, Fei Qian doesn't like public figures like Ruan Yu, or even large-caliber shotgun figures like Mi Heng.

However, Mi Heng is indeed the conscience of the troll world. People in future generations are just childish when they troll on the Internet. Mi Heng took off his clothes and put a knife on his neck to troll people under his real name. I asked how many future generations there are. Can a troll do it?

In order to implement the art of trolling, one must learn a lot, and one’s talents and skills are all in service of trolling, and they should keep trolling from beginning to end. Look at the many trolls in later generations who only dare to troll on the Internet to get addicted to their mouths. In reality, Whatever you should do, you should do whatever you want. In real life, you are still very cowardly and simply have no sense of moral integrity. How can you afford such a great title as "the best"?

Later generations of trolls and trolls should learn from Mi Heng. They should not just troll on the Internet, but should troll in real life. At the same time, they should not stop until they are hacked to death!

So Fei Qian actually feels that having Ruan Yu appear here this time is better than having Mi Heng appear in Chang'an!

Speaking of which, Fei Qian can also understand why there are people like Ruan Yu and Mi Heng, because both Ruan Yu and Mi Heng are somewhat different from the Internet trolls of later generations. After all, both Ruan Mi are somewhat talented... …

The selection of talents in the Han Dynasty was based on the inspection and promotion system. In other words, in the current Han Dynasty society, if a person wants to climb up, the basic operation is to make his own reputation.

If you want to be famous, you can either demonstrate your morality, promote your talents, or find some big friends to endorse you. The worst thing is to throw money away. After all, there is a "Bachu" who can spread wealth. ’’s name. If we look at those people in later generations who are dissatisfied with their desires and seek pleasure all day long, they need to pretend to be "beep", and there must be a plot of pretending to be a pig and eating a tiger...

As for what kind of "beep" you are pretending to be? That is, if there is a "beep", just pretend to be a "beep". If it doesn't work, just pretend to be a moral and filial son. This is relatively simple.

The more difficult thing is to pretend to be talented. After all, this is the real thing. Once you talk to people, others can tell whether you are talented or not. If you don't pretend well, your secret will be exposed. Therefore, those who pretend to be talented must have the ability. people do it. For example, Brother Zhu's "tongue" to fight against the Confucian scholars is probably this type of "beep".

As for Mi Heng, there is a high probability that he went too far when pretending to beep. Different from those people in later generations who only dare to complain on the Internet, are submissive in reality, bow to the powerful, and only dare to complain to ordinary people, Mi Heng is the one who has a big name, complains about that, and has a high status. Squirt that...

To put it bluntly, many of the trolls in later generations are dog-like. They bully the weak and fear the strong. When they see evil people shaking their heads and wagging their tails, when they see good people barking, they directly apply the name of future trolls to Mi Heng. In fact, it is not very suitable.

"The inspection and examination system is already bad and must be changed!" Fei Qian pointed to the situation in front of him and said in a deep voice, "If it cannot be changed, it will be destroyed by the so-called "public opinion" one day!" Brother Ruan, if you know your mistakes and can correct them, you will live up to your master's high expectations! Please think carefully about it! 』

Seeing that Ruan Yu's grief was uncontrollable, Fei Qian did not continue to say anything, but asked someone to take Ruan Yu down first and wait for him to calm down before speaking.

When Fei Qian returned to the General Office, Wei Duan had been waiting for a long time.

Wei Duan respectfully handed over the form and reported: "After participating in the law and working hard, a total of 1,370 people were convicted, and all trials have been completed... The crimes listed are all in the form. Please return." Lord, read..."

Among Wei Duan's sleeves, there is another statement. In fact, Wei Duan has never thought about whether he should charge Ruan Yu with the crime of treason or coercion. Then when he went to the general's mansion today to inquire, he heard that Fei Qian brought Ruan Yu out and asked him what he was asking. Only then did I finally decide to use the one that was closer to the facts, rather than the one that exaggerated Ruan Yu’s conspiracy.

Fei Qian unfolded his watch and looked up and down.

This time, it can be regarded as the powerful combat effectiveness of the Senate. Otherwise, according to the procrastination habit of the Han Dynasty officialdom, so many prisoners may not be able to be tried in ten days and a half, or even half a year.

Therefore, there is still a big difference between being proactive and passive in whether you can do things.

Fei Qian looked at it and slowly shook his head.

Wei Duan's heart suddenly rose.

"Liu, there are many things wrong with physical punishment..." Fei Qian said slowly.

Generally speaking, there is nothing wrong with Wei Duan, and it is roughly divided into three levels. The most serious one, according to Han law, was to be sentenced to beheading for those who were confirmed to have committed murder. For those whose hands were not stained with blood, but who just robbed property or destroyed the market, they were sentenced to the next level of sentencing, mainly exile, and then again. Those in the first grade who just followed the booing and had no clear crime were whipped and fined.

After hearing what Fei Qian said, Wei Duan was stunned for a moment, and then asked cautiously: "My lord, what you want is...please give me some advice..."

Fei Qian objected to using "cut", "flow" and "flesh", not because of the Holy Mother's heart attack, but on the contrary, he felt that just "cut", "flow" and "flesh" were too cheap.

"Meat" is simple.

"Liu", Fei Qian has mentioned before, sending these disloyal people to the border is actually an act of causing trouble for oneself.

As for the other punishment, "beheading" is undoubtedly the best result for many people.

The candidates who came to take the exam basically belong to the side branches of each family, that is, they roughly belong to the "poor family", so even if Fei Qian kills these people, it will hurt these noble families. It's not big, just like cutting off some branches without hurting the main trunk. And because Fei Qian killed these people, the guilt of these people will naturally be offset with death, and what's left is the loss of their loved ones. And the resentment slowly derived.

This kind of thing is not uncommon in future generations.

From the beginning, I begged for forgiveness and cried for reconciliation, but after my own child paid for his life, it evolved into full of resentment. Why is the other party unwilling to reconcile? Why are you still refusing to forgive me even though you have knelt down to beg? Why do you have to kill my child? Then I feel that the sins of my own children have ended, and then the "sin" of the other family has just begun, to entangle, make trouble, and block the other family's door.

"Those who break into homes, kill and plunder, behead them!" ’ There is nothing wrong with this, and it should be decided in this way.

"If someone is beaten and killed, even though they are still dead, they should not be beheaded." Fei Qian sneered and said, "You should be compensated!" 』

"Compensation?" Wei Duan asked slightly hesitantly.

"In the early Han Dynasty, there were about three chapters. Those who kill will die, and those who hurt others and steal will not be punished. Therefore, "offset" is also used today to compensate. Those who break into a house and kill someone should be treated as a capital offender. However, if many people surround and beat someone, causing casualties, it would be a bit biased to be treated as a capital offender. How can a person who died innocently not have parents, wife and children? Although the sentence of execution can alleviate the temporary hatred, it will not help in life..." Fei Qian said slowly, "We should compensate for it, either through labor or labor, to provide for our innocent parents and to support our wife who was in trouble... 』

Wei Duan shivered slightly and said, "Labour, labor?" 』

Fei Qian nodded.

Wei Duan asked cautiously: "How long will it last if we work hard?" 』

Fei Qian smiled and said, "Since the son of a man should grow old as his parents and become his wife...if he only damages the market place and destroys property, he should also pay for it until the old appearance is restored..."

They were beheaded, exiled, and whipped, but the losses remained the same. The losses were not immediately compensated because these people were punished. Therefore, for those whose crimes are not unavoidable, they should be sentenced to hard labor instead of exile or ordinary corporal punishment, so that the value generated can make up for the damaged families and shops.

What's more, there are still so many mines in Feiqian that need to be opened, roads need to be repaired, houses need to be built, and city walls need to be repaired. Since you have the energy to jump around, you might as well use this energy on these infrastructures, which can also be regarded as benefiting the general public. benefit.

Of course, this is only one aspect of meaning, there is another reason...

Wei Duan accepted Party A's modifications and retreated in panic. He returned to the Law Council and sat behind his desk. He was in a daze for a while, like a person who was exhausted physically and mentally after being revised many times. designer.

Trouble.

Big trouble.

Wei Duan sentenced those who were assaulted and caused death to death. Firstly, it was to vent his personal anger. After all, Wei Dan was disabled, which also made Wei Duan painful and angry. Secondly, it was to save some trouble. After all, if a group of people surrounded and assaulted, who could be blamed? maximum? If it's an equal split, I don't know how to split it evenly. Anyway, let's just say it's death. It's simple and straightforward.

But Fei Qian objected, and people in this category should be converted into hard labor. Those who were exiled and those who were subjected to corporal punishment were all converted to hard labor. The length of time was different. Those who injured people to death will naturally be repaid in their lifetime, while those who destroyed houses and property will be restored to their original appearance in a shorter period of time...

Wei Duan knew that if he really followed Fei Qian's request, it would change the existing legal structure and even have a far-reaching impact, because it was inconsistent with "taboo for the venerable, taboo for the relatives, taboo for the sage" standards...

Whether these people were sentenced to beheading or to hard labor, in fact, the crime was not the key, the key was their face, the face of the nobles, the face of the "Honorable"!

"Taboo for the venerable, taboo for the relatives, taboo for the wise", this was the principle and attitude of Confucius when he compiled and deleted the Spring and Autumn Annals. This is also a manifestation of the so-called "ritual" in Confucianism.

The so-called tabooing of shame for the sake of the venerable happened during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States period when rituals and music collapsed, the royal family declined, and princes often invaded and insulted the king of Zhou. This was the shame of the king of Zhou. He was humiliated for no reason, and people did not want it, so he tabooed it. The taboo of being respected was originally meant to show respect for your respect. If you don't respect your respect, your orders will not come out. If your orders don't come out, the world will be in chaos.

"Taboo" was originally a way for Confucius to express his attitude. Taboo for the venerable to show respect, taboo for the sage to show the virtuous, taboo for the relatives to show closeness, people are ashamed and cannot bear to write clearly, This was Confucius's honest intention, but it turned out to be a shame cloth used by later generations...

Even if a nobleman is a criminal, he is still a nobleman. Even if he is punished, exiled or beheaded, he is still a nobleman.

But labor...

this is too scary!

Wei Duan recalled the smile on General Fei Qian's face when he said this, and felt a little shuddering.

Who is a laborer? Can those children of the gentry who serve in labor still be called children of the gentry? Among a group of naked, ragged and dirty laborers, who can tell which ones are nobles and which ones are Guizhou leaders?

When the fig leaf of "taboo for the venerable" is removed, it is actually just as dirty.

Although in the Han Dynasty, some noble families often had their homes confiscated and were either slaves or maids, the situation was different from the current situation. That kind of situation is where the whole family is unlucky together, and no one is much better off. But this is just one person, or a few people. Even if they are freed from labor in the future, it is equivalent to being unable to return to the entire gentry circle...

In comparison, exile is light.

After all, after being exiled, many people can come back, and some can continue to serve as officials. But after hard labor, even if they can survive, their life is almost over, and they may never be able to join the officialdom again.

This is undoubtedly fatal to such "venerables" as nobles.

It is no longer possible to make troubles to win popularity, nor is it possible to show off one's fame by chasing rumors, because the price before was not high, at least one death, and after death one can still have a clear name for one's descendants, but now there is no death penalty. Living sin is hard to bear! One wrong move and your official career will be cut off! My face will be stripped off, and I will work like a Guizhou head!

But when it came to retorting, Wei Duan didn't know what to say. After all, Fei Qian's banner was loud and clear, and the "three chapters of the agreement" of the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty were extremely legitimate.

Wei Duan's eyes widened as he looked at the beaten form on the table. He even thought that it was a red-hot soldering iron and that he was an ant about to be scorched by the soldering iron...