Chapter 106: Revision of the Ming Code into the Nine Codes of the Ming Dynasty!
But, when will the morning court of the Ming Dynasty end?

Every day when attending court, both civil officials and military generals were terrified and took every step carefully, fearing that their words or actions would offend the emperor and bring down Zhu Yuanzhang's wrath.

But since Prince of Jin Zhu Gang returned to the court, Zhu Yuanzhang was angry almost every day, and the ministers in the Fengtian Hall were replaced one after another, like fallen leaves in autumn, drifting in the wind.

Now, these court officials have to say goodbye to their families before attending the morning court every day. After all, even if they can survive today, they may not be able to survive tomorrow.

After all, every day in this crappy morning court, people die.

Not to mention his former colleagues, even Shen Liben today would either be thrown into prison or beaten to death.

In this regard, Zhu Yuanzhang continued to do as he pleased, without any regard for human feelings. He either executed the entire family or exiled the entire clan.

This murderous nature alone is enough to rank him among the top three emperors of all time.

So, Zhu Yuanzhang had to show leniency to those corrupt officials?
Of course not, it’s just that the means are too cruel, which makes the subjects feel afraid.

"Good, good, good, this is our Ming Dynasty's minister, a good minister."

"Either they are corrupt or they are lawless and oppress the people, and this is Yingtian Prefecture under our rule."

"They dare to act like this under the feet of the emperor. I really can't imagine how miserable the people are under the rule of the Ming Dynasty!"

The sound of thunder and anger rang out, and the Fengtian Hall was covered with dark clouds. The ministers hurriedly looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with a gloomy look and kowtowed.

"Decree that all those involved in this case who have committed crimes, sought profit with their families, deceived the people and harmed others, or abused their power for personal gain."

"They will all be punished with thunderous wrath, regardless of the severity of their crimes, and their crimes will be punished, their clans demoted, and exiled to Lingnan, without ever being forgiven."

"Also, issue an order, starting from the south of the Yangtze River and ending at the whole country, from the south to the north, to investigate each prefecture, city and county one by one, and punish all the crimes equally, without any leniency, to bring justice to the law."

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice sounded again.

Suddenly, a dark cloud gathered over the Fengtian Hall, and the corners of the ministers' mouths were filled with bitterness. Today's accountability was spread all over the world, and no one knew how many officials would die.

As he pondered, even the most loyal minister felt a great deal of resentment in his heart.

After all, you, Zhu Yuanzhang, want to plead for the people and make decisions for the people. Don’t they want to do the same?

But at least you treat officials as human beings, right?

The livelihood of my whole family depends on the court, but the salary you give is just a small sum.

Not to mention the major prefectures and counties, even the officials in Yingtian Prefecture, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, under the feet of the emperor, were full of corruption.

But are there some officials who really want to be corrupt?

Stop it, if it wasn't for a living, who would be willing to do such a heinous thing?

But the income was not enough to make ends meet. Not only was it difficult for the family to make ends meet, but even the minor clerks in the government office had to be paid.

However, our Majesty Zhu Yuanzhang did not consider these issues at all and still stubbornly believed that these salaries were definitely enough.

He always looks for problems with officials and never with himself.

If any minor incident occurred, the person would be subject to the unforgivable death penalty. In worse cases, the entire family would be executed and exiled.

"Your Majesty, no!"

As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, Zhu Biao, who had been standing aside and had not spoken a word, turned around and looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and said.

"how?"

Zhu Yuanzhang lowered his head and looked at Zhu Biao.

"Your Majesty, yesterday the King of Jin arrested officials who had committed crimes throughout the capital, which caused a sensation in the court and the country."

"So I went to the Pacification Office in person and checked all the files one by one."

"I just discovered that there is a hidden story behind this."

Zhu Biao thought about it, then looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and bowed.

"Your Majesty, what the Crown Prince said is correct."

Zhu Gang also echoed.

"What's the secret?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sat back on the dragon throne before speaking.

"Jiang Wensheng, a seventh-rank official in the Yingtian Prefecture, embezzled 260 strings of banknotes, or 260 taels of silver. According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, anyone who embezzles more than 60 taels of silver shall be sentenced to death!"

"But your majesty, do you know how much money officials of the same rank as Jiang Wensheng have embezzled?"

Zhu Gang looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and raised his hand.

"explain."

Zhu Yuanzhang said without changing his expression.

Zhu Gang replied softly, "Your Majesty, among all the seventh-rank officials who have reported to the capital, except Jiang Wensheng, the amount of money they have embezzled is at least a few thousand strings of cash."

"Thousands and hundreds of guan upwards."

"Here at the feet of the emperor, in the capital of the Ming Dynasty, a mere seventh-rank official has embezzled thousands of taels of silver. He really deserves to die!"

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's face showed anger again.

"Your Majesty, do you know why?"

Facing Zhu Yuanzhang's anger, Zhu Gang continued speaking.

"Say!"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Gang and said.

"According to the Great Ming Law, anyone who embezzles more than 60 taels of silver shall be sentenced to death."

Zhu Biao took over the conversation and looked at Zhu Yuanzhang.

"That's right, we just want to tell these corrupt officials that the Ming Dynasty will never tolerate corrupt officials!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly.

"But has your Majesty ever thought that anyone who embezzles more than 60 taels of silver is guilty of a capital crime?"

"But sixty taels is less than a year's salary for a seventh-rank official."

"Is it really worth risking your life for it?"

"It's not worth it, so they will only become more reckless, because they will die anyway, there is no way to avoid it, so why can't they be greedier?"

"At least you can enjoy wealth and glory while you are alive. As for afterlife, you are already dead, so what is there after death?"

"But aren't the people the ones who suffer? After all, they are drinking the blood of the people and eating their flesh."

"But in this case, the penalty for corruption of more than 60 taels set by Your Majesty is death. Wouldn't this make these corrupt officials even more unscrupulous?"

"After all, it's nothing more than death. Even if they are afraid, they have done it. You will not let them go even if they admit defeat. You will still sentence them to death."

Zhu Gang raised his head again and looked at Zhu Yuanzhang seriously.

However, Zhu Gang's words made the civil and military officials feel nervous.

And according to this person's style of doing things, the laws must be more stringent?
Why? Now even death is not a safe place for corruption?
This rotten and cowardly official of the Ming Dynasty can't serve for even a day longer.

"But there are also officials like Jiang Wensheng who are in dire straits. Their mother is seriously ill and they don't have enough money to save her life."

"Then for the sake of filial piety, Jiang Wensheng had no choice but to embezzle. But according to the investigation by the Jinyiwei, all the silver that Jiang Wensheng embezzled was used to treat his mother's illness."

"So I think that although Jiang Wensheng is corrupt, he does not deserve the death penalty. After all, the law is based on human feelings, and filial piety comes first."

Zhu Biao bowed again and looked at Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Then pardon his death penalty and change it to caning."

Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a moment and nodded. "Your Majesty, this is only a temporary solution, not a fundamental solution. In my opinion."

"Re-enforce the law and increase the salaries of officials."

"In order to avoid such human tragedies, it is difficult to be both loyal and filial."

"After all, in terms of justice, although corruption and bribery are serious crimes, his intention was not for himself. He just wanted to sacrifice his life in exchange for his mother's."

"Isn't this enough to explain that the annual salary of an official can only support the livelihood of one person, but cannot support the family. They don't even dare to get sick."

“Is this fair to those officials?”

"They work hard for the court, but their mother is sick. Out of loyalty, they cannot be greedy, but out of filial piety, should they let them watch their parents die?"

Facing Zhu Yuanzhang's intention, Zhu Gang took another step forward and stretched out his hand to bow.

"As for the revision of the law, it is to protect the interests of the people."

"After all, taking the death penalty for embezzlement of 60 taels as an example, if the bottom line is too low, it will make these corrupt officials even crazier, causing the people of the county to suffer. This is our fault!"

“Therefore, the Dharma must be revised!”

Zhu Gang also stepped forward, bowed and said, "Please grant me your permission, Your Majesty!"

The two brothers sang in unison, which stunned all the civil and military officials.

It seems like Zhu Gang and Zhu Biao are pleading for all the civil and military officials?
Salary increase?

Did you hear me wrong?

Some officials even picked their ears and looked around, and they all looked shocked.

That’s right, Zhu Gang and Zhu Biao were indeed interceding for the civil and military officials. These stingy salaries are finally going to increase!
In an instant, a hint of deep joy flashed across the eyes of all the civil and military officials!

As long as the salary is enough to support the family and they are wealthy, who would be willing to embezzle?
However, for some officials, such as those who have engaged in corruption and bribery in private, their faces are bitter.

The law needs to be revised simply because the bottom line is too low, to prevent officials from feeling guilty about their crimes and thus causing harm to the people.

But it does not mean that the new law can be much more lenient than before.

After all, since ancient times, the laws of the world have always been strict and there is no possibility of leniency.

Originally, embezzlement of 60 taels or more was punishable by death. Once it is amended, the punishment will definitely be more severe.

Judging from the personalities of Zhu Gang and his brothers, they are probably extremely corrupt and their crimes are unforgivable. Not only will they be sentenced to death, but their entire clan may also be punished.

That would be equivalent to extinction!
"Raise your salary. That's what I want."

Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a long time before nodding.

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Just this nod made all the civil and military officials excited, and they knelt down, kowtowed and shouted.

I have been suppressed for too long. With nine years of salary, as a court official, even if he was an upright minister, his life was too tight. Sometimes I could only make ends meet. After all, a whole family was waiting for food and clothing.

So being able to have enough food and clothing is already pretty good.

But from today on, they don't have to worry about money anymore, so how can they not feel happy?
Zhu Yuanzhang sighed slightly in his heart at the cheers of the court officials, but did not show it.

After all, as an autocratic emperor, he really would not listen to any opinions. So if his ministers proposed a salary increase, Zhu Yuanzhang would definitely think that the officials were not satisfied with the status quo and would be furious.

And if it weren’t for Zhu Gang and his brothers, Old Zhu wouldn’t have known that what he had done was so outrageous!
Of course, Old Zhu also had preconceived ideas, thinking that in this way, corruption could be eliminated. However, he never thought that the livelihood of a family depended entirely on an official, so that little bit of money was not enough.

Furthermore, there is no greater virtue than to admit one’s mistakes and correct them.

"So what do you think about revising the law?"

Afterwards, Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyes and looked at Zhu Gang and Zhu Biao.

Yesterday, although Zhu Gang mentioned that he would revise the laws, he did not explain it in detail. So Zhu Yuanzhang was quite curious about how Zhu Gang would revise the Ming Dynasty laws.

"Your Majesty, I would like to divide the Great Ming Law into the Nine Great Ming Laws."

After thinking for a moment, Zhu Gang looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and bowed.

"What are the Nine Laws of the Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was still curious.

"The first law is that the ancestral code governs the world: it is like the constitution of heaven, laying the foundation of the country, making it clear that the emperor's power is granted by heaven and the way of the subjects, establishing the foundation of the country and rectifying the principles and norms."

"The second law is the order of propriety: maintaining the relationship between heaven and earth and human relations, regulating the ceremonies of the court and the family, educating people's hearts, governing the country with propriety, and promoting harmony among the people."

"The third law is the law of land and land security: to determine the boundaries of land and fields, the order of household registration, and the migration of population, to ensure the peace of the country, the people have land to rely on, and the family and the country prosper together."

"The fourth law is to enrich the economy through farming and commerce: strengthen the agricultural foundation, open up trade routes, adjust the currency system, and impose taxes in moderation, so as to promote the prosperity of the people and the growth of national strength."

"The fifth law, the canonical theory of punishment: clearly list the crimes, impose appropriate sentences, punish evil and encourage good, use the water of the law to level out injustice and demonstrate justice."

"The sixth law, the principle of civil and commercial integrity: mediate civil disputes, regulate marriage, inheritance, and contracts, promote the integrity of merchants, and protect individual rights and market order."

"The seventh law, the chapter on the mirror of legal judgment: strict laws of adjudication, emphasis on the litigation process, giving the right to defend, so that right and wrong can be clearly distinguished, the law is like a mirror, reflecting people's hearts."

"The eighth law, the law of frontier policy: consolidate our borders, pacify the four barbarians, and raise troops to suppress those who do not submit to the rule of the Great Ming King, so as to suppress disobedience and demonstrate our prestige overseas."

"The ninth law, the law of culture: Promote all kinds of learning, develop academies, encourage learning, enlighten the people with culture and education, cultivate the pillars of the country, and prosper our country."

Zhu Gang had nothing to hide, and he showed off all the Nine Laws of the Ming Dynasty that he had thought of.

As soon as these words were spoken, the court suddenly became as quiet as night, with only Zhu Gang's steady and powerful voice echoing.

It was like a breeze that ruffled the water of the rule of law of past dynasties.

This caused all the ministers to be stunned and look at each other, and then they began to talk about it, and the whole court and the country were shocked.

At this moment, time seemed to freeze, and people from all walks of life were deeply shocked by this unprecedented legal concept.

"This is a change that has not happened in a thousand years!"

The old voice sounded, like a stone thrown into the water, causing ripples.

I saw a figure slowly walking out of the back hall.

"Old Prime Minister."

All the ministers looked over and were shocked. Even Hu Weiyong's pupils shrank sharply.

South Korean public Lee Shan-chang.

The first meritorious official in the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

This person actually came to the morning court today and stayed in the back hall.

"Your Highness is a man of great talent. I admire you!"

Duke of Korea Li Shanchang looked at Zhu Gang and bowed.

"Old Prime Minister, your words are too kind."

Zhu Gang quickly turned sideways to avoid Li Shanchang's salute.

"Why are you talking so much? Compared to Your Highness, all the talents since ancient times have been inferior to Your Highness and follow His lead."

In response to this, Li Shanchang shook his head slightly and spoke with emotion.

"Mr. Korea."

Zhu Yuanzhang coughed lightly.

"Your Majesty, I second the proposal of His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin on the Nine Laws of the Ming Dynasty."

Li Shanchang patted his head lightly, then looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and bowed.

(End of this chapter)