Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 318 Showing Off Petty Cleverness (Bonus Chapter)

However, the matter at hand was truly troublesome for Liu Bian.

Knowing Liu Ye's reputation, he naturally couldn't bear to see a talented member of the imperial family die before he could fully mature. However, if saving his life would damage the authority of the court's laws, he would rather Liu Ye die.

Liu Bian's gaze fell on Liu Ye.

Liu Ye is only eight years old now, thin and with a childlike fear on his face.

However, those eyes were exceptionally bright and intelligent. Based on Dong Zhuo and Liu Yu's descriptions and what he had seen with his own eyes, Liu Ye did indeed possess a level of wit and wisdom far exceeding that of his peers.

"You can tell what a person will be like at three years old." Why did he possess extraordinary talent, and was highly valued by three generations of Cao family rulers in both military strategy and general affairs? Yet, he was ultimately disliked by Emperor Cao Rui of Wei and ostracized by his court officials and colleagues.

Nothing more than showing off one's petty cleverness.

Cao Rui wanted to attack Shu, but his ministers advised against it. Liu Ye secretly met with Cao Rui and expressed his support for the attack. However, as soon as he left the palace and faced his ministers, he immediately changed his mind and opposed the attack.

General Yang Ji, the commander of the central army, was highly favored by Cao Rui, but he strongly opposed attacking Shu at this time, claiming that Liu Ye also held the same opinion. Cao Rui, however, said that Liu Ye could not possibly oppose attacking Shu, so he summoned Liu Ye for questioning, but Liu Ye remained silent.

Afterwards, Liu Ye privately met with Cao Rui and instead rebuked Cao Rui for leaking the secret discussion, saying that the matter had caused a great uproar and that Shu Han had probably already received the news and was on guard.

Then, he went to see Yang Ji alone and criticized him for being too blunt in his advice. He said that Yang Ji should know how to advise him tactfully, otherwise he would make things worse. As a result, he won the gratitude of both Cao Rui and Yang Ji.

However, his duplicitous behavior of currying favor with both sides was soon exposed by someone with ulterior motives. Cao Rui deliberately tested him by feigning opposition to a certain matter, and Liu Ye indeed complied with the emperor's "pretend intentions" each time.

As a result, Cao Rui concluded that Liu Ye was a sycophantic and treacherous minister. Liu Ye was alienated and ostracized by Cao Rui and the other ministers, and died in depression.

Liu Bian snapped out of his thoughts, raised his hand and waved to Gao Wang beside him, signaling Gao Wang to bring Liu Ye a seat, and said, "Sit down, it's a good opportunity to hear how I and the ministers will discuss your sentence."

Liu Ye's face was slightly pale, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. His eyes were lowered, revealing a hint of fear, and he dared not look directly at the people in the hall.

Even if he was precocious, he was still just an eight-year-old child. How could he not feel fear when he heard the high-ranking officials in the hall discussing how to punish him?

Especially since he also had a father who wished for his death.

Upon hearing the Emperor's words, Liu Qing showed no sign of arrogance or pride, and said gently, "Since this is a matter of state, I would like to take my leave first. Later, I will have a lady-in-waiting bring some chilled plum juice and pastries to the state and the ministers."

"It's alright. This isn't a political discussion at court. It's just that a disobedient member of the clan has broken the law, and everyone is discussing how to deal with this brat. It's a family matter, so Lianyi doesn't need to avoid it." Liu Bian grasped Liu Qing's hand, pulled her back to sit, and then looked at Liu Ye, his tone turning cold. "If Lianyi hadn't pleaded with me, I would have made you kneel for at least another half an hour before summoning you, you brat."

However, even though Liu Bian spoke up, asking the cabinet ministers present, along with Liu Yu, the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, Guo Tu, the Chief Justice, Fa Yan, the Left Justice, and Wu Zheng, the Right Justice, to discuss the solution, the hall fell into a suffocating silence, and no one spoke for a long time.

Liu Bian could understand; this topic was indeed somewhat sensitive.

Historically, the handling of matters concerning members of the imperial clan has always been done by the Minister of the Imperial Clan, at most by consulting the emperor. There has never been a precedent of having the Court of Justice and other important officials of the court discuss the matter together.

However, as the final arbiter, Liu Bian must not be the first to express his opinion at this moment, otherwise he would lose the original intention of public opinion and change the nature of the matter.

Therefore, Liu Bian slowly swept his gaze over the ministers at the table, a "kind" smile on his face, and gestured to them to speak.

The officials secretly groaned inwardly. If a member of the imperial family broke the law, it would be inappropriate to punish him too leniently or too harshly. This was a hot potato, and it was not something that outsiders like them could easily interfere with.

After a long silence, Guo Tu, who was sitting upright at his seat, finally bowed to Liu Bian, then turned to Liu Ye, his gaze sharp as a knife, and slowly said, word by word: "I have been deeply favored by the Emperor and am now acting as the Chief Supervisor of the Court of Justice, performing all my duties in accordance with the law. According to the laws of our Great Han, this man's crime deserves to be executed in the marketplace!"

The words "abandon the market" were like icicles, piercing Liu Ye along with the biting cold air from the ice chest beside him.

Liu Ye shuddered violently, her face drained of color instantly, and her body trembled uncontrollably.

Liu Bian remained expressionless, turning his gaze to the other ministers, waiting for them to speak.

Of the cabinet ministers in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Zhong Yao has been transferred to the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Cheng Yu is far away in Youzhou plotting to sow discord among the Xianbei tribes, and only Dong Zhao and Jia Xu remain in the capital.

Dong Zhao was always decisive and impartial, so there was no way he would defend Liu Ye.

As for Jia Xu... Liu Bian sneered inwardly, knowing that this fellow would never get involved in the quagmire of the imperial clan's affairs.

Among the group of Yellow Gate Attendants, Feng Ji, Shen Pei, and Zhu Zhi were all staunch supporters of the inviolable law, and naturally they were unwilling to defend Liu Ye.

Xun You and Zhong Yan were not well-versed in the law, and since this was not a case adjudicated according to the Spring and Autumn Annals, they could not use classical texts to exonerate them.

Moreover, even according to the ancient literature school's interpretation of the "Three Pardons" in the *Zhou Guan Li* (Rites of Zhou), specifically the section on the "Autumn Official" and the "Chief Censor," the "three pardons" are for the young and weak, the old and frail, and the stupid and foolish. The definition of "young and weak" is seven years old and under, and Liu Ye, who is eight years old this year, is precisely excluded from the scope of the pardon. However, Guo Yuan, the Attendant-in-Ordinary who had studied law under Zheng Xuan, frowned slightly and raised his head to retort: ​​"Supervisor Guo is mistaken. The *Second Year Laws and Ordinances* clearly states: 'If a person is under ten years old and commits a crime, he is pardoned; if he kills someone, he shall be sentenced to hard labor in the city.' Therefore, according to the law, this child's crime should be sentenced to 'hard labor in the city,' so how can there be talk of him being executed in the marketplace?"

Guo Tu looked at Guo Yuan, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

The fact that Guo Yuan could accurately identify clauses favorable to Liu Ye from a vast array of legal texts in such a short time demonstrates his solid legal foundation and makes him a promising talent in the field of law.

However, in the eyes of Guo Tu, a legal expert who has been immersed in the law for more than ten years, Guo Yuan is just a "good prospect".

To describe Guo Tu's talent in law in one sentence, it would be that he had seen many geniuses in the field of law, but these people all looked up to him and called him a genius.

Guo Tu did not directly refute Guo Yuan, but merely shook his head slightly, then slowly quoted: "In the spring of the eleventh year of Jianwu, on the day of Ji-Mao in the second month, an imperial edict was issued: 'Of all things under heaven, humanity is the most precious; those who kill slaves shall not be punished less severely.'"

"In the autumn of the eleventh year of Jianwu (1563), on the day of Guihai, an imperial edict was issued: 'Anyone who dares to burn a slave or maidservant will be punished according to the law, and the person burned will be reduced to a commoner.'"

"On the day of Renwu in the tenth month of the winter of the eleventh year of Jianwu, an imperial edict was issued: 'The law of executing slaves who have shot or injured people is abolished.'"

These three edicts have clear implications: those who kill slaves will not be punished less severely; those who burn slaves will be punished according to the law and the burned slaves will be freed from slavery and become commoners; and the old law that slaves who accidentally injured passersby with stray arrows while hunting will be executed regardless of the reason will be abolished.

Upon hearing this, Guo Yuan's face showed a hint of surprise.

Before Emperor Guangwu issued three edicts in succession to protect the human rights of slaves and servants, killing government slaves, which were considered official property, was naturally a crime. However, killing private slaves, who were considered private property, was something that had never been legally permissible.

The traditional view was that private slaves, as the property of their masters, were like livestock that the masters could kill or beat at will. Even if they were tortured to death, it was only a matter of moral failings and did not violate the law.

However, the three edicts issued by Emperor Guangwu of the Later Han Dynasty, which relied on powerful clans to establish the country, had very low actual enforcement in the face of deeply entrenched aristocratic families. These families still treated their private slaves like livestock.

However, from a legal perspective, the killing of private slaves is indeed classified as a criminal offense, thus providing a legal basis for it.

In other words, how the hell can this kind of thing be made public?
If you kill someone in private and provide compensation afterward, as long as you don't make a big fuss, the matter will be over. The government usually turns a blind eye and won't pursue the matter.

However, if it becomes public and has a legal basis, it will inevitably be seized upon by upright officials or political enemies who will try every means to bring you down.

However, Guo Yuan was not intimidated by Guo Tu. He calmed himself down and continued to argue with Guo Tu from multiple angles and different laws. As the two went back and forth, their verbal exchanges became more intense, which heated up the atmosphere of the discussion. The originally stagnant atmosphere in the hall was stirred up, and a group of cabinet ministers also joined the discussion and expressed their own opinions.

Liu Ye's killing of his private slave was, in essence, a case of running into trouble.

The Three Dukes, the Court of Justice, and a group of cabinet ministers were revising the law, preparing to further guarantee the rights of private slaves based on the foundation laid by Emperor Guangwu of the Ming Dynasty. They were considering abolishing the "buyout system" of selling slaves and replacing it with an "employment system."

It wasn't that Liu Bian was acting out of a sudden goodwill to liberate human rights; from the perspective of national governance, it's difficult to consider the interests of a particular group in isolation, unless it's to restrict another, more powerful group.

This will facilitate the implementation of the land survey decree in the future, increase the number of registered households in the country, and increase tax revenue.

Of course, abolishing the buyout system has both advantages and disadvantages, and the risks are not insignificant.

Servants were people who sold themselves into servitude to powerful families because they were too poor to support their families or to escape heavy taxes.

Having liberated these private slaves, it was imperative to find ways to guarantee their basic livelihoods.

The salary standards and benefits of an employment system require the development of comprehensive supporting systems.

It is also necessary to consider how powerful and wealthy families will respond, such as refusing to hire private slaves under the "employment system" or hiring private slaves with a term of 99 years, etc.

The law was originally established to protect human rights, which is certainly well-intentioned, but it may inevitably lead to worse results in practice.

In addition, it is necessary to leverage the influence of prominent Confucian scholars of the Classical Literature School in the "Great Han Imperial Gazette" to promote this matter and utilize their local influence.

Even if Confucian scholars opposed it in their hearts because their own interests were harmed, they would not shirk their natural responsibility to govern the people if they had upheld the Confucian principle of participating in politics.

It is precisely because of this delicate juncture of legal revision that Liu Ye was simply unlucky to have run into trouble.

Liu Ye in the present situation is just like King Huiwen of Qin, who, as the crown prince, violated the new laws during Shang Yang's reforms.

Although the revision of the new laws and the promulgation of related supporting systems cannot be accomplished overnight, if Liu Ye's case is not handled properly and fails to set a fair and strict precedent, it will inevitably sow the seeds of hidden dangers for a series of new policies that the court is about to implement, and set a bad precedent.

(3273 words)
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P.S.: Hehe, although I felt really uncomfortable tonight with acute gastroenteritis and even had to get an IV drip, and I was in a bad mood, I'll still add a short update of 1600 words.
Dear readers, please give me some extra monthly votes in recognition of the extra 1600 words I've added!
(End of this chapter)