Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 486 Chahar Province
Holidays are always short-lived, and before Zhang Dai knew it, his vacation was over and he had to go back to work.

After being appointed as a censor, Zhang Dai attended court assemblies more and more frequently. Since Xingqing Palace did not have a place for officials to wait for their turn, more manpower was needed to maintain order before the court assemblies.

With insufficient staff in the palace, even the attending censors had to help maintain order during court sessions. Often, a single court assembly would leave everyone drenched in sweat. And no one dared to say much; after all, the decision to hold court in Xingqing Palace was made by the Emperor, and anyone who dared to utter a word would be asking for trouble.

Moreover, Xingqing Palace was not without its advantages. Due to its relatively small size, the journey from the palace gate to Xingqing Hall was several times shorter than that of the other two major palaces. In particular, Daming Palace itself did not have a place for the imperial officials, and the officials waited outside Danfeng Gate. After a court session, the ministers were so exhausted that they could hardly speak.

Lately, the morning meetings have been routine, with nothing major happening or announced. Today's meeting was no exception; the proceedings were completed and the assembly ended early.

Zhang Dai also returned to the Taiji Palace in the imperial city with the court officials to carry out his work. He was no longer serving as an inner court attendant, and therefore no longer had the right to stay overnight in Xingqing Palace. Only the portrait painted by two master painters in the Hanlin Academy Hall still proclaimed his glorious deeds.

Zhang Dai recalled that there was an emperor who also liked to send painters to paint portraits of his ministers and then present them to them for their appreciation; that emperor was Emperor Wu of the Southern Liang Dynasty, Xiao Pusa.

The life trajectories of today's sages are similar to those of Xiao Pusa. Not only did they gain and lose their national achievements, but they also suffered betrayal from trusted ministers and blood relatives.

Therefore, nothing is impossible in this world. As long as those in power put their personal desires before justice, there will be those who flatter and fawn while others secretly plot against them.

Upon returning to the capital, Zhang Dai first went to the Taichang Temple to take a look. Song Zhuo had already completed the handover with Ma Lizheng, and upon learning of Zhang Dai's return, he hurriedly led his men to welcome him, bowing to Zhang Dai from afar and saying, "This humble official is new to the post and has not yet gotten to the point. Everything here will have to be arranged by Sixth Brother!"

"As you, Song Xielu, are surely aware of my duties as Xielu Lang. I am too busy with official business to stay in my post for long, so I will leave all the duties to Song Xielu."

Zhang Dai did not hide the fact that he was receiving a salary without working at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. When Ma Lizheng was in office, he basically handled all the official duties, while Zhang Dai devoted more of his energy to the duties of the composer and the Left Remonstrance Official.

Upon hearing this, Song Zhuo quickly nodded and replied, "The department has already arranged for experienced officials to provide guidance. I will certainly do my best to ensure that Liu Lang has no worries."

After joining the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, he learned more about Zhang Dai's deeds and realized that Zhang Dai's current reputation was not self-praise, but was built up by his many achievements. He made many contributions in public affairs and took care of his colleagues in private affairs. He was impeccable as both a colleague and a friend.

"Another matter is the 'Brahman Song' that was recently appreciated by the Music Bureau. There will be people from the Yichun Courtyard to choreograph and innovate it. Since these women are not convenient to come to the music bureau, I will send someone over with a fish-shaped token from the Wangxian Gate later. Song Xielu can take this token to the Inner Music Bureau for an hour every day after noon to discuss and innovate together."

Now that Zhang Dai's uncle, Zhang Yang, is serving as the Chief Clerk of the Left Palace Gate Guard, it is very simple for him to register someone at the palace gate for entry and exit within a fixed time, without having to bother others.

Of course, it was only because Zhang Dai observed that Song Zhuo was a dignified and cautious man that he dared to grant him a favor. If it were his uncle, Song Hun, Zhang Dai would never have dared to let him into the inner music hall. This guy could spend hundreds of strings of cash in one night in the music hall; if he were to enter the inner palace, what would become of him!
After explaining these matters, Zhang Dai left the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and returned to the gloomy Censorate. The energetic clerk Zhao Ling also quickly presented the matters that needed to be dealt with that day to his desk.

Pei Guangting had recently instructed Zhang Dai to take his supervisory duties seriously. Zhang Dai guessed that Pei Guangting hoped he could discover and collect some of Yuwen Rong's mistakes and loopholes in various administrative procedures.

Even without Pei Guangting's reminder and urging, Zhang Dai still wanted to experience firsthand how the core government affairs of such a vast empire were operated and managed.

So he postponed some less important matters and instructed Zhao Ling to set aside some time each workday to oversee provincial affairs. Then he went into the hall to report briefly and then took the warrant issued by Taizhong to the Ministry of Personnel.

The Ministry of Personnel was a major administrative body in the imperial court, and thus it was always bustling with activity. The Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue were particularly important, making their offices and surrounding areas even more lively.

Seeing the crowds outside the Ministry of Revenue's office on the east side of the street, Zhang Dai figured that even if he went there now, he probably wouldn't find anyone willing to talk to him. So he headed to the relatively quiet Ministry of Justice first.

Lu Congyuan, the Minister of Justice, was assigned to Luoyang as the garrison commander of Luoyang, while Han Xiu, the Vice Minister of Justice, was currently in charge of the garrison in Xijing. Zhang Dai submitted his letter and was quickly summoned by Han Xiu.

"The Censorate has been without an official for a long time. When Prime Minister Pei took over the administration, he was just thinking about who to send, but unexpectedly it was this young and talented Censor Zhang!"

When Zhang Dai entered the hall to pay his respects, Han Xiu stood up from his seat, pointed at Zhang Dai, and said with a smile that he had quite a bit of admiration for him.

Zhang Dai was initially worried that he would be met with resistance from the officials. After all, he wasn't there to help them with their work, but to glare at them and find fault with them. Anyone would probably dislike having such a surveillance camera next to them.

"I have come under orders, not to interfere with provincial affairs, but to receive guidance from Vice Minister Han, so that we may work together to rectify the times and diligently serve the country." Seeing that Han Xiu's attitude towards him was relatively amiable, Zhang Dai stepped forward and bowed.

Han Xiu was historically renowned for his uprightness and courageous remonstrances, and was even referred to by later generations as the "Little Song Jing," which indirectly confirms Song Jing's high standing. Han Xiu himself was a refined scholar, not an arrogant or overbearing individual.

He walked straight down from the hall and smiled at Zhang Dai, saying, "I have not been in the Ministry of Justice for long, but I have already been asked to do so by Zhang Dai. Your words are well-founded and your actions are upright. It is even more rare that you have made a good suggestion to assess the value of stolen goods, so that the country's judicial sentencing can have a consistent standard. You are very commendable in the current situation. I believe that you can also investigate matters with integrity and correct the wrongdoing without causing trouble."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and gestured, "There is an investigating censor here who will take you there. I have a clerk to lead you there. I still have some matters to attend to on my desk. We can talk later when I have some free time."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai quickly took his leave and headed to his office under the guidance of an official. When he saw the case assigned to him by the Ministry of Justice, he was somewhat dumbfounded.

This place is just a small space separated by two side rooms, only a few feet wide and a little over ten feet deep, with a narrow desk placed in the middle, so narrow that you have to turn sideways to get in and out.

"Is this the place where the investigation is carried out?"

Even though Zhang Dai wasn't there to cause trouble, he couldn't help but stare at the doghouse-like room and ask questions.

"Please forgive me, Attendant Zhang, but this case has been in use for a long time and is not exclusively established for you. The Censorate and the Judicial Commissioner each have their own responsibilities, and the Judicial Commissioner sends officials here to investigate. If the two commissioners are in harmony and do not dispute the matter, then the law may be compromised..."

Upon hearing Zhang Dai's question, the clerk immediately replied with a troubled expression.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai was speechless. He peered inside and saw that the fences on both sides were shiny from being rubbed. He then believed what the official had said. Before him, countless colleagues from the Censorate had been imprisoned here.

Since this is the custom, there's nothing more to say. Zhang Dai saw that although the place inside was narrow, it was still relatively clean, and the sides were not completely sealed off, so the ventilation was also good. So he stepped inside and sat down, and then instructed, "Submit the relevant documents!"

As an imperial censor, he only had the power to supervise the affairs of the Ministry of Justice, but not the power to interfere or handle them. The content of his supervision mainly included staff attendance, efficiency in handling affairs, and whether major affairs were handled fairly and appropriately.

However, in the actual process of supervision, the boundaries are often difficult to define, since it is easy to point out mistakes but difficult to get things done. Censors have more say than the actual staff, so it is common for censors to interfere in provincial affairs.

Han Xiu's earlier statement that he hoped Zhang Dai would correct his mistakes without causing trouble meant that he hoped Zhang Dai would keep to his limits. He could point out any errors, but he should not overstep his bounds and interfere in the affairs of the Ministry of Justice.

However, the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice have overlapping responsibilities, and the censors also need to build up their political achievements. It's difficult for them to avoid getting involved in controversial legal cases. This explains why the Ministry of Justice sometimes assigns inmates to supervise these cases.

Zhang Dai didn't feel pressured to meet performance targets. He had been diligently handling cases, almost completing a year's worth of administrative duties. Unless it involved serious injustices that were difficult to redress, he didn't want to interfere. He wanted to give others a chance to prove themselves, since everyone was receiving a salary.

It is now July, and the autumnal equinox usually falls in mid-August. Therefore, during this month or so, major criminal cases from all over the country have been pouring into the Ministry of Justice. In particular, those cases involving serious crimes and beheadings have been piling up for half a year, and they all need to undergo a final review before they can enter the execution stage in the autumn.

Therefore, most of the Ministry of Justice's affairs are currently related to this, and the verdicts of various criminal cases have all been reviewed before Zhang Dai's eyes. Zhang Dai alone has reviewed more than a hundred death penalty cases, of which more than half were rejected, and the death row inmates were sentenced to other punishments.

One characteristic of the Tang Dynasty's judicial system was its leniency towards punishment and caution towards the death penalty. This was especially true during the relatively enlightened periods of Zhenguan and Kaiyuan, when death sentences were handed down with particular care.

Although Zhang Dai impeached people to death several times, these were all very extreme and special cases. Moreover, those who were sentenced to death were often not the main targets of his impeachment and remonstrance, but were implicated and not Zhang Dai's original intention to put them to death.

In fact, in civilian criminal judgments, unless the crime is truly heinous, even if the death penalty is imposed, the death penalty can often be waived if new evidence is found during the subsequent review stage or if there is a turning point such as a pardon.

However, the Tang Dynasty was ultimately a feudal society with a strict hierarchy, and its governance methods could not be separated from its historical context and stage of productivity development. Overly unrealistic praise would be disrespectful to history.

While Tang Dynasty justice was characterized by lenient punishments, it also featured heavy corvée labor. Frequent foreign wars, in particular, made the burden of corvée labor increasingly heavy.

(End of this chapter)