A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 109 Strong Hand
Spring rain is as soft as butter, gentle and silent.

At nightfall, the Imperial Archives and the Court of Justice formally arrested members of the Wei family who were involved in illegal activities.

Wei Junru, Wei Shao'er, and Wei Changjun were captured by Zhang Tang himself, and all their descendants, except for infants, were wiped out.

At the residences of Generals Wei Bu and Wei Guang, the Minister of Justice Bian Tong secretly visited them, appealing to their emotions and reasoning with them. Before leaving, he took some people with him.

The rising sun dispelled the darkness, and the three powerful Wei families seemed to have been wiped away by an invisible hand, as if they had never existed.

The Changping Marquis's Residence.

Imperial Censor Zhang Tang presented his visiting card early in the morning, handed over his several infants to the wet nurse of the Marquis's residence, and followed the directions to the study where he met Wei Qing, whose eyes were red.

After the guests and hosts were seated, the old man of the Marquis's mansion served tea and then dismissed all the servants, preventing anyone from approaching the study.

Zhang Tang was really tired. He drank most of the strong tea in one go before he felt his mind clear up a bit.

"Did Sikong not sleep all night?" Wei Qing poured Zhang Tang another cup of tea.

Half-full cups of tea are a sign of respect; a full cup is an insult.

Zhang Tang seemed oblivious to the general's hostility and retorted, "Didn't the general also stay up all night?"

During the arrest of the Wei clan's relatives, the Imperial Archives and the Court of Justice felt resistance from the very beginning. The Wei clan members were all clamoring to find the Grand General, the Emperor, and Empress Wei.

When the messengers from Changle Palace and the people from the General's Mansion arrived, he and Bian Tong, the Minister of Justice, were truly on tenterhooks. If the Empress Dowager and the General intervened to save people, the officials of the Imperial Archives and the Court of Justice would immediately be in a dilemma.

Fortunately, during the standoff, the Emperor's old eunuch, Jiang Bo, arrived.

Without saying a word or doing anything, the officials of the Imperial Archives and the Court of Justice felt the immense pressure recede like a receding tide, and went about their usual business.

Wei Qing continued pouring tea, even as it overflowed, saying as he poured, "How can I sleep when my siblings, born of the same mother, have been murdered?"

"The laws of Han state: 'Those who have rendered meritorious service shall not be punished less severely, and those who have done good deeds shall not be punished against the law.' Even if the Wei family has rendered meritorious service to Han, how can that offset their numerous serious crimes?"

Zhang Tang watched as the tea was poured out of the teapot little by little. He knew that no matter how much water was in the pot, it would eventually run out. Tea that was too hot to pick up would be able to be picked up once the pot was dry and the heat had subsided. "As for the trend of favoritism, perverting the law and showing leniency, if we follow the law, the country will never have peace and nothing will be accomplished."

"Great General, governing a country is about governing the law. If the law avoids the powerful, what kind of law is it?"

"Since ancient times, the law has always been inseparable from human sentiment..."

“The rites of the three dynasties were different, and the laws of the five hegemons were different. Qin law applied to high-ranking officials, and the laws were based on human relationships. The laws of the Han dynasty ended here,” Zhang Tang said slowly but firmly.

Wei Qing suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness; Zhang Tang's words were like a bolt from the blue for him.

He always believed that Zhang Tang and Bian Tong would not dare to kill members of the Wei clan without authorization. At the very least, they should have reported to the emperor. The emperor would never abruptly change the Han dynasty's tradition of relying on maternal relatives. He would be afraid of incurring the stigma of "killing relatives" and would therefore raise the issue high and let it go lightly, allowing the guilty relatives to return to the mountains in peace.

Shocked, he miraculously regained his senses. The Supreme Lord not only had the blood of the Wei family flowing through his veins, but also the blood of the Liu family!

The Liu rulers never showed mercy to stubborn insects.

Killing one's own family?
What does the cruel official's actions have to do with the emperor?
Wei Qing deeply regretted not being able to persuade his brothers, sisters, nephews, and nieces to abandon evil and do good. "If only I had known this would happen," he lamented.

Two lines of tears fell like broken drops. Although he did not have a good relationship with Wei Junru, Wei Shao'er, and Wei Changjun, they were all born of the same mother, so how could he not be heartbroken at this moment?

“Great benevolence is not benevolence, great kindness is not charity. General, you may regard Zhang Tang as a harsh and cruel official.” Zhang Tang stood up, cupped his hands, turned around and strode towards the door.

"Wait a minute!"

"Does the General have anything else to say?"

"Are my brother and sister still alive?"

Zhang Tang paused for a moment, then said, "Alive. In a place where no one knows."

Just like the vanished Li Ji, Prince Liu Dan of Yan, and Prince Liu Xu of Guangling, she will live in a corner of this world, but will never appear in the eyes of the world again.

"Thank you."

……

Weiyang Palace, Xuanshi Hall.

The Han Dynasty lost a princess, Princess Yangshi.

Liu Ju summoned the new Minister of the Imperial Clan, Liu Piqiang, and removed Princess Yangshi from the Liu clan's genealogy.

Her maternal clan was already of lowly status, and she was removed from the imperial genealogy. Now, there was no trace of her existence in the world. Future generations may never even know that such a princess ever existed in this dynasty.

Zhang Tang went to the capital to report back.

Such an incident occurring in an imperial family is more than just morally reprehensible; however, there's always someone stronger.

After he took office as Imperial Censor and took charge of the Imperial Archives, he ordered his subordinates to review the "imperial petitions" received by the Archives. Combining the unusual events in the court and local areas, he sensed the signs of many major cases.

Some major cases were beyond the jurisdiction of even the Imperial Archives and the Court of Justice; an imperial edict from the emperor was required to investigate them.

“Your Majesty, a messenger from the Imperial Library reports to the palace that Prince Dan of Zhao, along with his sister and the Queen, are committing adultery, colluding with powerful and wicked men from various prefectures and kingdoms, and engaging in plunder and other criminal activities. The officials are unable to stop them…” Zhang Tang respectfully reported.

The term "sisters born of the same mother" refers to sisters born of the same mother. The term "royal palace" refers to the harem of King Zhao, including the concubines and palace women of King Zhao Liu Pengzu.

Liu Ju was stunned by the "beastly behavior" of the imperial relatives, but what forced him to his senses was that Zhao King Liu Pengzu "colluded with powerful and cunning officials in various prefectures and kingdoms, and engaged in plundering and other wicked acts" and "the officials were unable to stop him."

The report states that the powerful and cunning local figures in the counties and prefectures of Zhao colluded with the King of Zhao to attack merchants and rob them. The report also states that Liu Pengzu colluded with local powerful figures in various counties of the state, acting as an intermediary in transactions between merchants and reaping huge profits. He monopolized the "intermediary" service in the state of Zhao by virtue of his status and position.

Moreover, Liu Pengzu often personally led people to "patrol" the city of Handan at night. However, the result of the "patrol" was not to make the people of the country safer, but to make various envoys and merchants passing through Handan dare not stay in Handan.

This act, which seriously violated the laws of the Han Dynasty and disrupted local order, was clearly in opposition to the general principles and policies of continuously weakening and preventing the princes since the reign of Emperor Jing and the present dynasty.

What alarmed Liu Ju most was that "officials could not restrain," which meant that the restraining force sent by the imperial court to the local areas had lost its due effectiveness.

He was a local official who colluded with powerful figures, bullied and monopolized the market, amassed wealth, defied the emperor's decrees, and even suppressed imperial envoys. He built high walls and stockpiled grain. What was he trying to do?
Before Liu Ju could issue the edict, Zhang Tang continued, "Furthermore, Peng Li, the Prince of Jidong, is arrogant and fierce, and has repeatedly led his servants to rob and kill people for his own amusement..."

(End of this chapter)