Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 463 Rewards in spring and summer, punishments in autumn and winter

"Is there a problem?"

Seeing Zhang Dai's troubled expression, Pei Kuan immediately frowned and asked again.

"No."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai immediately shook his head and said, "But when faced with instructions from my superiors, I must solve objective problems myself and overcome subjective problems myself. Neither of these is a reason to shirk my duties."

After a pause, he continued, "I am simply a little surprised. It is the height of summer, and the autumnal equinox is still far away. Why is it time to execute prisoners?"

The Spring and Autumn Annals records: "Rewards are given in spring and summer, and punishments are given in autumn and winter." This is also one of the origins of the later saying "autumn executions," meaning that executions of criminals were usually arranged in autumn and winter.

Furthermore, the Tang Code explicitly stipulated that no private executions were permitted between the beginning of spring and the autumnal equinox each year, except for a few crimes such as heinous crimes and the killing of masters by slaves or servants. These crimes were to be carried out immediately upon presentation of a report.

Heinous crimes are the fourth of the ten heinous crimes, referring to offenses such as beating or murdering grandparents, parents, and other relatives. As for other crimes, even those such as treason and rebellion, the offenders would be imprisoned and await execution in the autumn.

However, these crimes also have certain extensions and variations. For example, at the beginning of this year, Gen Kiyoshi, the son of Gen Kengyo, was executed in the spring. His crime was the crime of wickedness and rebellion. The son abused his father's power and framed his father, which is considered a crime punishable by death.

Local crimes are usually not reported as heinous crimes; even if similar crimes exist, they are often classified under other crimes. This is because if a heinous crime occurs in a locality, the prefectural and county officials will be implicated, as the crime is simply too egregious.

Therefore, the only cases requiring immediate execution are those in the capital, most likely those involving the thirteen officials of the Eastern Palace sentenced to death. Zhang Dai was also very curious about the charges against them.

Upon hearing this question, Pei Kuan's eyes flashed with curiosity, clearly indicating that he had not received any specific instructions either. He then shook his head and said, "We are only responsible for supervising the execution; other matters are not our concern. Go back and prepare. On the day of the execution, wear your official caps and await our arrival."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai asked no further questions, simply nodded in agreement, and then took his leave. The execution was scheduled for two days later, and besides this official mission, he had many other cases to handle as usual.

When Zhang Dai returned to the Censorate, Zhang Yi, a fellow censor, learned that he was going to oversee the execution of prisoners and asked, "Does Zongzhi know any monks or Taoist priests?"

Why does Attendant Zhang ask this question?

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai became wary and subconsciously shook his head. The sage had repeatedly restricted high-ranking officials and nobles from associating with reclusive scholars; his grandfather had been charged with such a crime. Since Zhang Yi had suddenly asked this question, he had to say no, even if he had.

Seeing that he was a little nervous, Zhang Yi smiled slightly and said, "There is great resentment between life and death. If it is not resolved, it will inevitably cause trouble for people. If Zongzhi is not obsessed with these supernatural and strange things, then there is no need to worry too much. Otherwise, you can seek out one or two objects to take with you, so as to avoid the contamination of evil spirits."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai realized that this guy was being mysterious, making him jumpy and wondering what was going to happen.

He didn't really believe in these strange and supernatural beings. If those wronged ghosts and monsters really had any supernatural abilities, wouldn't so many corrupt officials and heartless rich bastards be the first to suffer and die a terrible death?

However, this kind of thing is neither about believing nor disbelieving; it's ultimately just a psychological comfort. Zhang Dai didn't say anything more, simply keeping it in mind before returning to his official duties.

Zhao Ling was really helpful. Although he wasn't a judicial official, he was very experienced in handling official documents.

When Zhang Dai went to see Pei Kuan in the main hall, Pei Kuan had already arranged several cases to be tried the next day. Not only were the case outlines drawn up, but the necessary witnesses and physical evidence had also been summoned. Zhang Dai only needed to take the documents and files to the judicial office for trial.

After reviewing Zhao Ling's preparations, Zhang Dai felt he had found the right helper and encouraged him with a smile: "Do your job well. The position of Magistrate is not the main focus. Focus on accumulating merit here, and look for opportunities elsewhere next year!"

"Your humble servant will certainly devote yourself to your duties and share the burden with your master!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ling was immediately filled with excitement and knelt down before Zhang Dai, his voice trembling as he spoke.

Having a powerful backer in officialdom is a completely different situation, and Zhao Ling was well aware of whether Zhang Dai's backer was reliable. Upon hearing this, he was overjoyed.

While the Tang Dynasty introduced the relatively fair method of selecting officials through the imperial examination system, the atmosphere of aristocratic politics remained very strong. Not only powerful families, but also high-ranking officials who reached a certain level would pass on a considerable portion of their political resources to their descendants.

This led to a proliferation of commonplace and accepted injustices in officialdom. For example, Zhang Dai, despite being far more capable than his uncle and consistently ranking first in the imperial examinations, was only granted the rank of eighth grade. His uncle, Zhang Ji, married a princess and was directly appointed to the third grade, while Zhang Yang, being the son of a second-grade official, was initially appointed to the seventh grade and later the sixth grade. This unfairness meant that those who controlled political resources easily attracted ambitious individuals seeking advancement. Zhang Dai didn't even need to become the principal of the Imperial Academy to have a considerable number of students under his wing. As his official rank rose, the quantity and quality of these students also increased.

Because of Zhang Dai's promise, Zhao Ling was full of energy and said that he would stay and work overtime tonight to try to sort out all the remaining documents and files.

Zhang Dai was naturally very pleased with his subordinates' high level of initiative. Before leaving the government office at dusk, he made a special trip to the kitchen to instruct Zhao Ling and the other staff who had worked overtime to prepare a late-night snack.

Wang Han was also going to visit the Zhang family today. He had survived a great calamity and was destined for good fortune. Zhang Yue had always admired him and had promoted him several times during his tenure. Having suffered from illness before, he had become much more composed. Therefore, Zhang Yue had gone to great lengths to arrange for him to serve as a Supervising Censor in the Censorate, showing his intention to cultivate him.

The two returned to the Zhang family mansion together and found that the family was still hosting a banquet that day. In addition to the brothers Zhao Dongxi and Zhao Yizhen, there was also Feng Shaozheng, the Shaofujian (Minister of the Imperial Household Department) and the son of Zhang Wei, the Duke of Deng, Zhang Luzhen, the Taichangcheng (Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices). It was clear that they were up to some kind of conspiracy.

"Your duties as magistrate are heavy, so you should be diligent in your work. After your meal, go back to your quarters to rest as soon as possible."

After Zhang Dai stepped forward to pay his respects, Zhang Shuo began to speak.

Zhang Dai knew that his grandfather was protecting him and didn't want him to get too involved and get hurt by the dying Wang Maozhong. Although he was quite curious about what they were discussing, since his grandfather had said so, he could only take his leave.

Even without participating in their gathering, Zhang Dai could roughly guess what they were planning.

He had discussed some ideas about the Northern Army with his grandfather. Things like replacing older generals with younger ones at the Northern Gate, which would directly involve interaction and conflict, could certainly be handled by the eunuchs. However, it would be best to try to control the replenishment of the Northern Gate soldiers.

This is not just about considering the power of one family, but about checking and balancing the overall situation to prevent any one family from becoming too powerful, especially the eunuchs, whose power cannot be allowed to grow too quickly.

If the eunuchs control the replacement of generals and the selection and recruitment of soldiers, then the North Gate Guards will no longer be the emperor's personal soldiers, but the eunuchs' personal servants!

Zhang Shuo had once presided over the reduction of hundreds of thousands of border troops and the selection and recruitment of long-term guards, namely the cavalry, so he naturally had a deep understanding of related matters.

If this matter is not clearly stated beforehand, it is very likely that it will be gradually swallowed up by the inner court forces in the subsequent development of the situation. But now that it has been clearly stated, it can be used as a bargaining chip to attract more people to join and achieve a situation where everyone benefits and checks and balances each other.

Of course, deciding who to attract is a matter that requires careful consideration. First, Prime Minister Pei Guangting clearly does not want to get too involved, and Xiao Song, another prime minister who also has deep ties with the Imperial Guard and is currently in charge of military affairs, is even less likely to get involved.

If Xiao Song wants to get involved, everyone else has to step aside.

Xiao Song's power is now showing signs of surpassing Zhang Yue's back then. When Zhang Yue was in power, there were others like Prince Jun of Shuofang who rivaled him. However, before becoming prime minister, Xiao Song was transferred to Shuofang and Helong.

Currently, half of the generals on the border are his protégés, and he also holds the position of Minister of War and leads the government affairs in the court. If he were to interfere in the affairs of the Northern Gate as well, even the emperor would lose sleep.

Furthermore, the emperor himself was very wary of outsiders interfering in the Northern Gate Imperial Guard system, so he didn't have many options. However, there was one group that could gain the emperor's trust to a certain extent: the meritorious officials Yuan Cong.

These people, represented by Liu Youqiu, Zhong Shaojing, Jiang Jiao, Wang Shouyi, and Li Lingwen, all contributed significantly to the current sage's ascension to the throne, and their merits were no less than those of the Tang and Yuan dynasty officials in the Northern Gate. Zhang Yue also belonged to this group.

However, as early as the beginning of the Kaiyuan era, Liu Youqiu and others were ostracized and suppressed by Yao Chong and lost power. Jiang Jiao was involved in the incident of Emperor Xuanzong deposing the empress and was framed and killed by Zhang Jiazhen at the instigation of Wang Shouyi. Wang Shouyi was not spared afterward.

This group of meritorious officials had largely withered away by the early Kaiyuan period. Zhang Shuo was one of the few who, after being suppressed, managed to reinstate the rulers through his own abilities. What truly allowed him to establish himself in the world was no longer his status as a meritorious official from the past, but rather his ability to govern effectively, like that of Yao and Song.

Among this group of meritorious officials, there is actually one still alive, namely Zhang Wei, the Duke of Deng.

Zhang Wei had been deliberately cultivating a good relationship with Emperor Xuanzong since the latter was serving as the Prefect of Luzhou. The current Crown Prince was even born into Zhang Wei's family. The Crown Prince's mother, Consort Zhao, was presented to Emperor Xuanzong by Zhang Wei, and Emperor Xuanzong had a child with Consort Zhao after they had sex.

Therefore, after the emperor ascended to the throne, he also showed Zhang Wei great favor. Although Zhang Wei's power was not as prominent as Zhang Yue's, he still held many important positions, especially the important position of Palace Attendant. Now, Wang Maozhong is serving as Palace Attendant, succeeding Zhang Wei.

After Zhang Shuo was dismissed from his post as prime minister, it was difficult for him to regain power. Therefore, he used his status as a meritorious official to join forces with Zhang Wei to share some of the power over the North Gate, which could be considered a mutually beneficial choice.

(End of this chapter)