Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"Can we try this?" Shangluo was surprised. "How?"

"Let's have the Tianyi nobles try. They can work in very small areas. Just have them run around in front of the laser to block the light source, and that'll create different shapes. The laser light source might be another problem, though. We can try it, though. I'll first approve a few thousand acres of land and build a building in Shuntian's suburbs that can accommodate the laser transmitter."

Chapter 416 Decision

"Well, if you have any inspiration about the light bulb in the past few months, you can come to Santong anytime and he will take you in to see it."

"Any time on weekdays," Santong added, "Please make an appointment two hours in advance for holidays. I'll come over from home with the key."

"What about a few months later?" Shangluo asked.

"If there's no progress after a few months, we'll have to move. After all, this isn't the place to store dangerous items with supernatural powers—even if it seems safe now and we can mess around with it, we can't take the risk. After all, this is in the city center, and there are many pillars of the country in the next room, and from time to time, important national equipment is stored here. Any small accident will affect our work."

"Where should I put it then?"

"It will be stored in the fortress beneath the Imperial Prison, locked away with other rare objects with supernatural powers."

"Wait. Will there be any problems if I leave it here for a few months?"

Santong shook his head. "After all, I'm here. No matter what, I can at least hold on until help comes. When the time comes, I can just shake my hand and Lu Zu's sword will flash or Sa Zu's thunderbolt will strike down. Besides, Dao Zu is in charge here, so how could any foolish demon come in? After all, there are bigger ones under Purple Gold Mountain. If there is any trouble, it will start there first. It won't be the turn of this lightbulb that can be crushed with a pinch."

"So, don't worry, little cousin." Zhu Xianxun patted him on the shoulder. "You are speaking on behalf of my second uncle's family. We won't cause you any trouble. You can be at ease. We will handle the troubles."

Before he finished speaking, Santong next to him suddenly lowered his head, put his hands on his temples and nodded.

"Your Majesty, they're asking why you suddenly came out."

"Shangluo wants to visit, so I'll accompany him. Right? It's you who wants to visit, right?"

As he spoke, he glanced over here.

"Ah, this." Shangluo just said that he wanted to be more comfortable, and now he doesn't know how to answer.

"Your Majesty, the Holy Emperor, just said that Shangluo should be more relaxed, so stop putting pressure on him." Santong said what was in Shangluo's heart, "There's no point in putting this off any longer, it will be resolved sooner or later."

"Okay, okay, I know." Zhu Xianxun shook his head. "I just want a moment to relax so I can think again. Has Censor Liu arrived?"

"He's already had two cups of tea. Captain Lu felt he couldn't wait any longer, so he called me."

"Then let's stop here for today's tour of Shangluo. I'm going to get busy first."

"Ah," he hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "see you next time."

He wanted to ask. But this wasn't the first time he'd heard Zhu Xianxin hint at this—he'd said before that this was something that bothered him, but he couldn't tell anyone else. He'd also just said that he could just relax and not bother with the trouble.

This seemed to be a huge responsibility that only Zhu Xianxun could handle, a responsibility that no one else could bear, and it made him feel breathless.

It would be better for him not to ask such questions.

However, seeing his expression, Zhu Xianxun paused. "You're quite considerate of me and know I don't want to talk about it. But nothing is ever completely private to me. Even if you don't ask now and I don't tell you, you'll probably know it by reading the newspaper tomorrow morning. Okay, see you later. Probably tomorrow, after all, you're going to send the pill to me for research. If possible, could you please gather your classmates' opinions on this matter? Okay, please."

The next morning, at the breakfast table.

Shangluo was still eating his steamed bread, while Phaethon made herself some oatmeal and stirred the cup with a spoon across the table. While stirring, she read the newspaper.

"By the way." Shangluo raised his head. "Is there any news in the morning paper?"

"News? Are you asking about the headlines? Shouldn't you already know the headlines? After all, it's related to the emperor."

"I really don't know. He doesn't really want me to know. So, what is it?"

Phaethon turned the newspaper to the front page and handed it over directly:

The front page headline was in large letters spanning the entire page:

The 329 Case Has Entered the Autumn Trial

Next to the title is a portrait. The figure in the painting faces the camera, his face serious. He wears official uniform, but the patch on his uniform isn't the usual depiction of a bird or animal, but rather a Xiezhi, a one-horned mythical beast. This is the insignia of the Imperial Censor. Regardless of rank, all Imperial Censors wear the Xiezhi patch, with the only difference being the pattern on their uniforms.

The text of the news begins just below the photo.

Liu Shuren, a Seventh-Rank Supervisory Censor, was the special censor for the March 29th murder case that shocked the nation. Following the principle of a three-court joint trial, Liu Shuren, as special censor, oversaw the entire case. If the county couldn't reach a decision, the case would be reported to the provincial government. If the provincial government couldn't reach a decision, the case would be reported to the capital. Once the six ministries in the capital reached a decision, however, for two consecutive years, the reports were "retained in the palace"—the emperor received no directive.

This year is the last year, and according to the rules, this case must enter the formal autumn adjudication process.

Since most people already knew about the case, the newspaper didn't mention it upfront, only briefly summarizing it at the end. However, Shangluo was shocked by those few dozen words.

On April 4st of the first year of the Shaoping era, a case occurred in the Chengguan District of Yongning County where Zhao Mouyuan murdered Zhao Mouping. The perpetrator fled after committing the crime but was apprehended the next day. The facts of the crime were clear: murder without a doubt. The process was also clear: impulsive and under the influence of alcohol. Normally, this case would be straightforward and easy to explain; the procedures would have been straightforward. However, the problem lay in the identities of the perpetrator and the victim—a case of father murdering his son. The victim was a student at a local high school, only 21 years old at the time of his death. The following pages also included extensive biographies of the victim and interviews with those around him.

If he had not been killed and Shangluo had not noticed him, he would have had the opportunity to come to Yujing and participate in the car race with Shangluo.

Legally, this case was actually quite easy to judge. According to the "Human Life" chapter in Volume 19 of the "Great Ming Code," the "Criminal Law" section begins with the statement: "Whoever plots to murder shall be beheaded." This statement, like Liu Bang's "Three Articles of Covenant," essentially means "Whoever murders shall be beheaded." With this principle as the foundation, the entire chapter discusses the specific circumstances.

For example, the main offender was beheaded, the main accomplice who provided assistance was hanged, and the secondary accomplice was given 100 strokes of the cane and exiled 3000 miles. Here, according to the "Yongqing Law", the corporal punishment of 100 strokes of the cane was converted into flogging, and the exile of 3000 miles was locked to Haozhou in the southern continent.

The following are some details. If the murder attempt fails, the offender will be exiled to Haozhou. If the murderer obtains money, both the principal and the accomplice will be beheaded. If the crime is only prepared but not completed, it will be counted separately.

This case refers to the situation of "killing and injuring descendants" - 70 strokes of the cane and one and a half years of imprisonment.

"Is this too much weight loss?" Phaethon tilted his head, "If you steal something in Rome, your hand will be cut off. Is it only a year and a half to kill someone here?"

"Hmm," Shangluo shook his head. "It was actually added later that other laws had modified this one. The final sentence was at least exile. But the question now is, is exile enough? This case seemed to have sparked a huge discussion throughout society when it first came out. The general consensus was that this person must be executed. So they sent him all the way to the capital, but he wouldn't pass the trial because according to the law, he clearly shouldn't be executed—but a trial is nominally just an opinion. The final conclusion still has to be made by one person."

"The Son of Heaven?"

"Yes. Special Censor Liu Shuren seems to have been closely following this case. For the past three years, he's been campaigning throughout the court, petitioning the court eight times, demanding that this man be executed to restore order. However, the law forbids this. The emperor must have been in a difficult position, so he delayed the case for two years. But this year, he can't delay any longer. No wonder he's looked so gloomy these past few days. This is a suicidal proposition; choosing either side is problematic."

"But he can't break the law, can he?"

"No, he can." Shang Luo raised his head. "As the Son of Heaven, he can make the final ruling on this matter with his imperial decree, regardless of whether it's legal or not. His distress stems precisely from this supreme power. The Emperor is the source of the legitimacy of all laws and the ultimate interpreter of all laws. The decision to kill or not is made by him, and naturally, he is responsible for the consequences."

"That hasn't been decided yet, has it?"

"No." Shang Luo shook his head. "If it enters the Autumn Judgment process, then there's a 90% chance that he'll be executed. Because the Three Courts' Trial hasn't even begun yet, if he didn't want to kill him, he could have waited until the Three Courts' Trial was over. Now, if he directly brings the case to the Holy Trial, then he'll be executed. It seems like he's finally made up his mind."

Chapter 417 Three Trials

"The emperor is really hard-working." In the cafeteria, Qi Yuan muttered about the case.

"Did you see it too?" Shangluo asked.

"Of course they all saw it. My parents were talking about it at breakfast. Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, they were all clicking their tongues too. This is a life-or-death situation. Choosing either side is problematic. The emperor isn't even thirty years old this year, and he didn't study law or Confucianism at all; he's from a Neo-Confucian school. And what he's dealing with is unprecedented since the reign of Emperor Taizu Gao—this matter has reached everyone's ears through the radio and newspapers, and everyone is watching him. Tsk, tsk, tsk."

She could only shake her head: "At this point, although there is finally a result, the matter is probably not over yet."

"Do you want to continue?"

"Yes. Because ultimately, this case still has to go through a joint trial of three judges. And the three judges will never make a decision that goes against the ancestors, because the three judges' trial itself is to rule on the 'legality' of the matter. Finally, it is submitted to the imperial judgment, which is generally just a formality - but it can also be not necessary. Because the Son of Heaven is the living ancestor, Emperor Taizu Gao said that the Son of Heaven's reign is equivalent to his own, so all ethical issues are not a problem for him - you see, the Son of Heaven's uncle still has to pay homage to the Son of Heaven, because he is not worshiping his nephew, but the 'Son of Heaven'. Only the Son of Heaven can go against the decision of the ancestors, and he can do so, so the responsibility for making the decision lies entirely with him."

"Ah, that's it. So what was the judge thinking at the time?"

"Judge?" Qi Yuan glanced at him. "Sometimes I wonder if you went to elementary school in Rome. We don't have judges here."

"So we don't have judges here? What about the judiciary then?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Qi Yuan shook his head. "You really did go to elementary school in Rome, didn't you? Judiciary, legislation, and so on—those are Roman concepts. We don't have anything like that here."

"So where do you usually go to file lawsuits?"

"Of course it's the county government office. The person handling the case is of course the county magistrate."

[Wow! It turns out the county magistrate is the one who's solving the case!]

"Good boy!" Shangluo was also surprised. "Why didn't I know about this for so long?"

"Because only writers of public case novels would spend all day and night at the county government office to collect material. Ordinary people don't pay much attention to it, unless it's a case like the 'March 29th' incident that sparked a huge discussion throughout society."

"But if that's the case," Shangluo pondered. He'd heard Zhu Xianxun talk about this before: as a Neo-Confucianist, or someone with a science and engineering degree, modern government administration was completely beyond his capabilities. But to put it mildly, could all the affairs of a modern government, including administrative decisions, really be handled by a single county magistrate?

He did know how county magistrates were appointed: they were either chosen through the Jinshi examination, or promoted from Juren (a juren) to the position of county magistrate by the head of a department. It was common sense that Zhu Xianxun couldn't oversee the affairs of an entire nation; after all, he wasn't Emperor Taizu or Zhuge Liang. But even a Jinshi couldn't solve cases like Pang Tong. Ultimately, Li Kui was more likely to be the judge.

He asked Qi Yuan.

"Oh." Qi Yuan looked at him and shook his head. "You really have been dazzled by the Roman way of things—judicial administration. We don't even talk about that."

"So what are we talking about?"

"It's ritual. The foundation of our nation is ultimately ritual, so the county magistrate's decisions ultimately hinge on matters of ritual. For example, in a murder case, the county magistrate is responsible for determining whether the murder was committed by the perpetrator himself. In other words, whether the crime was committed—this doesn't require any legal considerations. Have you read the stories of Judge Bao and Judge Di? When they analyze the case and the crime process, they don't need to bring up legal rules, do they?"

It seemed like there wasn't one. He remembered the two of them simply walking up to the scene, surrounded by others, asking questions, and then going through the details of the case. Usually at this point, the criminal's face would turn pale, revealing his true colors. Then, Zhan Zhao or some other expert would come along and apprehend the criminal. As for what happened after that, it wasn't really important.

"So, the law is used to determine sentencing. Once the facts of a crime are confirmed, the court will handle the case. The county magistrate's job isn't to deal with legal issues, but rather with matters of propriety. The same goes for other matters. The county magistrate bears the ethical responsibility of a parent official, and is therefore responsible for the ethics of the county. Then, when it comes to the specifics of the case and sentencing, another department will handle it: this is called a three-court hearing. Therefore, our country doesn't have the Roman division between judicial and legislative branches. We must integrate the opinions of all parties in a three-court hearing and then make a decision. But doing so will create a fundamental problem."

"So it will eventually belong to the emperor, right?" Shangluo asked.

"Yes." Qi Yuan nodded. "Because the county magistrate can only make ethical decisions within the county. For example, if the east family's roof encroaches on the west family's land, that's something the county can explain. The prefecture is talking about its own ethics—but this matter touches on the very foundations of propriety and law, which is the relationship between ruler and subject, father and son. This concerns the ethics of the entire world, so it will definitely be reported to the emperor himself. Of course, besides the emperor, Censor Liu must be very tired as well."

"By the way, what is the Imperial Censor doing here?"

"The Censor represents the Supreme Official. Our Three-Court Trial involves the consideration of ethics, the facts of the case, and legal provisions. Above the prefectural level, there are no Supreme Officials—after all, we don't have provincial governors. So, beyond the county and prefectural Three-Court Trials, at the provincial level, the Supreme Official becomes the Emperor himself, and the Emperor can't physically hear cases. Therefore, the Censor acts as the Emperor's proxy at the provincial and imperial court Three-Court Trials. Special Censors will follow the case from beginning to end, until it's concluded. So, the person putting the greatest pressure on the Emperor is Censor Liu himself. The news said he went to see the Emperor yesterday, but his battle isn't over yet. He'll still face his end at the Three-Court Trial."

“The one who met him was…”

"The Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple. The Ministry of Justice represents the opinions on the case, while the Dali Temple represents the opinions on the laws. Joining them are the censors, who represent the opinions on ethics. This is the trinity of heaven, earth, and man. Only when all three sides are involved can a case be completed. If any one side is not involved, it will not work. This matter will not be acceptable to the Dali Temple, because according to the law, the death penalty should not be imposed. Ah, so my father said this morning that he was just waiting for this man to die quickly. The production of elixirs has dropped a lot these days. I guess many people in the Jinyiwei are busy with this matter. Forget it, let's eat ours now. Do you still want to take a leave in Shangluo this afternoon?"

"Well, it won't take more than half the afternoon. I'll leave around three."

At around three o'clock, after he gave the pill to Zhu Xianxun, he had to go visit the mushroom people.

"Ah," he suddenly pressed his head, "I feel like I've also encountered this ethical issue. As the Creator, can I really completely distance myself from this matter and act like 'Heaven and Earth are indifferent'? I'm afraid it's difficult. After all, I have to go down and get the elixir no matter what."

【Would you like to arrange for an imperial censor to go and take a look? 】

"No need. This afternoon, I plan to go undercover. Ethical issues can't be discussed in vain; they must be considered in context. We'll know how to handle this specifically by observing the behavior of those mushroom people. I'm thinking about holding a three-court trial to handle this matter, which seems like a good idea. But first, we need to determine whether their society is worthy of the word 'ethical', or is it just a collection of ants and bees. We'll see when we go undercover."

Chapter 418 Things

It was past three o'clock, and it was time to go deliver the pill. If he could replicate the snake pill, he wouldn't have to run to the Three Continents in the tin can every now and then.

But he always felt that these snake pills might not be so easy to copy.

[Wait, I just found something on the forum that seems to be related to Phaethon.]

"She's on the forum?"

[It's not directly mentioning her, look at this post. ]

Shangluo opened his phone and took a quick look.

Someone posted in the forum:

"Six-year-olds are such a nuisance! My son applied for 300 boxes of saltine soda on his supply voucher! Help!"

The photos are attached below. A mountain of salt water stretched out from the front door, with trucks behind still carrying it into the alley. Neighbors watched in shock, the soda practically blocking the road.

"Good guy!" Shangluo remembered hearing something similar, and it was Qi Yuan who did it. She said that when she was a child, she once stuffed 200 kilograms of watermelon and was beaten afterward.

But 200 kilograms of watermelon actually only makes about a dozen large ones. Watermelon can be stored quite well, so it's not a big deal if you eat half at home and give the rest to your neighbors.

But 300 cases of saltine soda is a big problem. Even if you finish one case every three days, those 300 cases can last for several years.

"How come he added so much all at once?"

【Because this is supplies for half a year.】

“Then he’ll be in big trouble.”

The high price of rice in Chang'an isn't just a myth here. Rice in Yingtian is truly expensive. These coupons are used to exchange for rice and other basic necessities. This, in turn, explains the high price of rice: those with a registered household here don't need to buy their own rice. If you're from out of town living in Yingtian and are studying at school, it's not a problem, as the school provides rations. But if you wander around here on your own, the rice price alone is enough to scare you away.

This is essentially the same procedure everywhere. Although it's not explicitly stated, this is a "flexible restriction" on the disorderly flow of people after the abolition of road permits. Since Yingtian doesn't support idlers, this not only reduces the number of idlers, but also encourages those without jobs to find food as soon as possible—at least one job, as long as they have food to eat and don't wander the streets.

If someone filled out their ticket carelessly, they'd be in big trouble. If they went to buy rice directly, one dan of rice would cost five or six liang, meaning about 200 jin (approximately 150 kilograms) of rice. Converting that to a small rice cooker, a pot of rice would cost fifty or sixty wen, while a large one might cost a hundred wen per pot—an exorbitant expense so high it reminds one of the price of rice in a disaster year.

"So how did this get filled out incorrectly? How did a six-year-old get the stamp? How did he put the stamp on? And how did he know that this was the correct amount for 300 cases of saltines?"

So, this kind of thing is quite rare. This kid has a pretty good imitation ability. And he seemed to have seen his own quota record? So he divided the upper limit by the price of salt soda. Hey~~ 300 boxes are coming. What a little genius.

"So is this resolved now?"

[No. I read the subsequent discussion, and logically speaking, these supplies should absolutely not be resold. If caught, they'd be fined, and their work would likely be affected. However, without some cost recovery, the expense would still be too great for their family—most importantly, they had nowhere to store them, and if they blocked the road again, they'd have to pay a fine. They couldn't bear to give them away. But in the end, someone offered a life-saving suggestion: to file a paperwork application at the Jiangning County Government Office.]

"What's the use?"

This is the crux of the matter. Qi Yuan's reminder earlier about not always relying on the Roman administrative system is related to this. I've found that county yamen affairs are quite flexible, because the county magistrate has considerable discretion over county affairs—even if the rules are slightly problematic but ethically appropriate, you can get a request handled at the yamen. This is because the magistrate has the power to exercise some flexible ethical discretion. Some people in the yamen actually went to the magistrate to ask about this.

"The results of it?"

The magistrate offered a preliminary plan: salt water was a basic supply, and the county government needed to purchase it. So, while the rain wasn't dampening the alley, he hurried to the county government office to hold a hearing. He then requested that the salt water be deposited into the county government warehouse, and he would then convert the rice from the county government into the supply.