Judge of the Song Dynasty

“What?”

“The problem of excess officials?”

The hall fell silent.

The issue of excess officials had been raised repeatedly since the reign of Emperor Renzong, and no one dared say it wasn’t a problem. It was a universally acknowledged issue.

Everyone knew the harm it caused, but this harm was also at the core of the officials’ interests.

Since the officials controlled decision-making powers, no one wanted to undermine their own position.

This is why the problem of excess officials persisted despite everyone knowing about it.

However, no one had ever dared to attribute this problem to the policies of the First and Second Emperors.

Saying so was tantamount to seeking one’s own death.

Even Fu Bi and Han Qi had to admire Zhang Fei’s courage at this moment. Even Wang Anshi, who had proclaimed “the ancestors’ instructions are not infallible,” felt inferior in comparison.

People were dumbfounded.

He was playing a dangerous game!

Liu Shu hadn’t expected Zhang Fei to dare touch this issue and was stunned for a while. When he finally reacted, he excitedly asked, “Do you mean to say that the problem of excess officials stems from the policies of the First and Second Emperors?”

Before Zhang Fei could respond, Xu Zhiqian had already placed the document in front of him.

Zhang Fei opened it and began to read.

The officials present, upon seeing Zhang Fei refer to his documents, felt an inexplicable sense of dread.

They had thought they were well-prepared, but compared to Zhang Fei, they were like small fry.

There was no comparison.

Whenever they posed a question, Zhang Fei could find the answer in his prepared documents.

How thorough must his preparation be?

It almost seemed like cheating.

After reading for a while, Zhang Fei looked up, “The root of this problem lies with the First and Second Emperors, but it cannot be blamed on them. Instead, it should be blamed on the unworthy descendants who have violated ancestral law…”

He glanced at the document again to confirm, then continued, “which have led to the problem.”

Liu Shu, confused, scoffed, “Your words are self-contradictory.”

This nonsense clearly indicated panic.

“Not at all.”

Zhang Fei asked, “Are you all aware of the number of officials during the reigns of the First and Second Emperors compared to now? If not, I have the exact numbers here.”

Liu Shu hurriedly responded, “No need for more documents. We are aware.”

This issue had been debated so many times that they could recite the numbers by heart.

“That’s perfect.”

Zhang Fei read from his document, “During the reigns of the Second and Third Emperors, the number of officials was about eight thousand. Today, we have twenty-four thousand, a threefold increase in roughly fifty years. This is an alarming growth.”

Liu Shu interrupted, “Stop digressing. I asked if the problem of excess officials originated from the policies of the First and Second Emperors.”

“Please be patient, Associate Minister Liu. I will explain.”

Zhang Fei turned to Xu Zhiqian, “Distribute the documents marked with the character ‘Jie.'”

Xu Zhiqian was surprised, “So this document is for this purpose?”

Zhang Fei nodded.

Distribute more documents?

Many of the officials felt frustrated. This debate was anything but enjoyable.

Outside, Emperor Zhao Xu was sweating profusely. This lawsuit was becoming increasingly stressful for him.

He was in a critical position. The outcome of the case became more and more important the more it went on.

With the Emperor like that, Sima Guang and Wang Anshi were even more so.

They were now debating the policies of the First and Second Emperors.

In the feudal era, this was extremely dangerous.

Once they received the documents, the officials began to read.

As they read, they became confused.

“Tang Dynasty’s military governors?”

Emperor Zhao Xu looked at Liu Zhao, puzzled.

Liu Zhao shook his head.

Liu Shu was also confused and asked directly, “Why are you bringing up the Tang Dynasty’s military governors?”

He thought Zhang Fei was avoiding the critical issue but wouldn’t let him escape. That question must be answered.

Zhang Fei explained, “This document details the origins and decline of the Tang Dynasty’s military governors. While we all know the harm they caused, we must remember that initially, this system helped the Tang Dynasty expand its territory and resist foreign enemies. It was the benefits of this system that led the Tang Dynasty to continue empowering the military governors, eventually leading to the An Lushan Rebellion.”

The “military governor” or jiedushi system during the Tang Dynasty involved appointing military governors along the border who were authorized with the supervision of a defense command often encompassing several prefectures, the ability to maintain their own armies, collect taxes and promote and appoint subordinates. Eventually, An Lushan, a powerful military governor, rebelled against the imperial court, devastating the Tang Dynasty.

“When discussing a medicinal concoction, one cannot only talk about its toxicity without talking about its medical efficacy: both pros and cons had to be considered. Considering only one side would prevent understanding of the true essence of things.

What is the true essence? There’s an ancient saying: ‘When the sun reaches its zenith, it starts to decline; when the moon is full, it begins to wane.’ This means that anything taken to an extreme will backfire. Just like rice, which can satisfy hunger and provide many benefits, if you eat a hundred bowls in one day, you will die. Does that mean rice is poisonous? This is the essence of the problem. The military governor system itself was not the issue.”

Emperor Zhao Xu nodded, “I see!”

Fu Bi, full of admiration, said, “This young man is truly exceptional!”

You like to play with classics? Today, I’ll play with you to the end. Zhang Fei continued, “The First and Second Emperors divided administrative powers to prevent regional warlords from splitting the state. This fully embodies the core idea of the ancestral law, which is to “establish comprehensive order as a precaution to malfeasances”. At the time, there was no problem of excess officials. The arrangements made by the First and Second Emperors were very appropriate.

Why has it evolved into today’s problem of excess officials? The reason lies in the incorrect understanding of the ancestral law by later generations.

They mistakenly believed that ancestral law was not unique. They took the policies of the First and Second Emperors to be ancestral law, leading to new emperors further promoting these incorrect ‘ancestral law’, resulting in the continued division of administrative powers. This led to the exponential growth of officials, like pigs giving birth endlessly, causing the current problem of excess officials.”

“Brilliant!”

Emperor Zhao Xu shouted in excitement, then quickly silenced himself, glancing inside nervously. Seeing no one noticed, he sighed in relief.

This explanation brought the issue back to the core, the uniqueness of the ancestral law.

This example was enough to define the ancestral law.

Liu Shu was speechless, no longer as arrogant as before.

Zhang Fei continued, “Returning to the true ancestral law, to ‘establish comprehensive order as a precaution to malfeasances’ means creating comprehensive, detailed systems to prevent potential problems.

The First and Second Emperors were not preventing the military governor system itself but preventing it from becoming a malpractice. Policy-making must be thorough, detailed, and understand the principle of moderation.”

Holding up a chart, Zhang Fei said, “Look at this chart of the number of officials over the years.”

It showed a steep upward line.

Then, he held up a paper with the phrase ‘establish comprehensive order as a precaution to malfeasances’.

“Does this chart match these words?” Zhang Fei asked the officials.

Awkward!

The words paired with the chart were extremely awkward.

“Not at all detailed or comprehensive, no restraints or precaution, just skyrocketing numbers.”

He put down the papers and continued, “If you believe the problem of excess officials isn’t due to the policies of the First and Second Emperors, then you must acknowledge the uniqueness of ancestral law. Otherwise, the problem is due to their policies. Associate Minister Liu, what do you think?”

“I…”

Sweat dripped from Liu Shu’s forehead.

This question was fatal.

Zhang Fei cleverly explained ancestral law as preventing problems, aligning more with the core idea of ‘establish comprehensive order as a precaution to malfeasances’.

Preventing malpractices means addressing problems early, correcting them before they develop.

Using the example of the military governors, Zhang Fei showed that malfeasances result from taking a policy to an extreme, not from the policy itself.

The division of administrative powers was a good policy to prevent the rise of powerful warlords. The problem arose from later officials not understanding ancestral law, leading to problems and malpractices.

The blame fell on you ministers.

If it did not, then the blame would fall on the First and Second Emperors.

You choose.

How to choose?

Either choice was deadly.

Liu Shu thought he had posed a fatal question to Zhang Fei, but the joke was on him.

Wang Anshi was thrilled. This shattered the argument that ancestral laws supported the continued fragmentation of administrative powers.

Keep talking! Say all you want; I, Wang Anshi, will accompany you to the end! The source of this content ɪs novel⚑fire.net

Everyone knew the problem of redundant officials stemmed from the policy of dividing administrative powers by the First and Second Emperors. If you split one department into four, you would naturally have excess officials.

But no one dared change this policy set by the First and Second Emperors.

Only Wang Anshi dared to proclaim “the ancestors’ instructions are not infallible.”

But this caused him numerous troubles.

Officials who originally supported him distanced themselves due to such statements.

Now, Zhang Fei provided him with legal and ideological justification.

Undertaking reforms was the true adherence to ancestral law!

These officials had no prepared documents, no last-minute cramming would help.

This explanation left them helpless.

It was flawless.

Zhang Fei cleverly shifted the blame for the problem of excess officials onto the ministers while praising the First and Second Emperors.

Sima Guang, seeing Liu Shu at a loss for words, asked Wang Anshi, “Do you have any more questions?”

Wang Anshi glanced around, “Does anyone have anything to add?”

“……!”

They had learned their lesson. Asking questions could result in self-incrimination.

Wang Anshi smiled, “I have no further questions on this matter.”

Sima Guang looked at Zhang Fei and said, “You seem to have done a lot of homework.”

Zhang Fei nodded, “Regarding the ancestral laws, I dare not speak lightly.”

“Very good!” Sima Guang nodded in approval, “You also mentioned binding force and universality.”

“Yes!”

Zhang Fei took out the first document and read, “Regarding the law’s legally binding nature, the Second Emperor’s decree clearly states, ‘The laws have been fixed and norms have been established. We shall be judicious in abiding by them, and not presume to commit any transgression.’ These two sentences alone show that this law supersedes all other laws, being the fundamental law of the nation.

As for universality, it’s easy to understand. The ancestral law sets the foundation for the entire country, covering all aspects. Every policy must respect this law.

Previously, some officials cited a single sentence or a decree from the First or Second Emperors as ancestral laws. That is pure nonsense, showing a lack of understanding of the law.”

Han Qi and Fu Bi’s faces turned red.

Who are you referring to?

Sima Guang, Lu Hui, Tang Jie, and others were no exception.

They often did such things.

Zhang Fei looked at Xu Zhiqian.

Xu Zhiqian immediately stood up and distributed another document.

The officials hesitated to read it.

Even their looks at Xu Zhiqian were resentful and angry.

But they had no choice.

Once they opened it, Zhang Fei said, “This document records some policies and statements of the First and Second Emperors. If applied today, do you think they are appropriate?”

No one spoke.

The document mentioned policies toward the Later Shu. The Later Shu was one of the states during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, and no longer existed, so how could those policies be appropriate?

You’re playing with words!

This is shameless.

But Zhang Fei said seriously, “The law is a very serious matter, not something to be taken lightly. If we casually use policies of the First and Second Emperors as ancestral laws, then all their policies would become ancestral laws, which is obviously not feasible.”

Sima Guang nodded and asked, “So, you believe ‘establish comprehensive order as a precaution to malfeasances’ is the core idea of the ancestral laws?”

Zhang Fei corrected, “This is the only ancestral law.”

Sima Guang did not argue, “Can you explain this phrase?”

“Of course!”

Zhang Fei took a small note and read, “This phrase is from the ancient classic ‘Book of Han, Records of Rites and Music,’ stating, ‘matters should be regulated systematically and meticulously’.

In the Second Emperor’s decree, ‘establish comprehensive order as a precaution to malfeasances’ means precaution should be exercised in all matters, the system should be comprehensive with detailed regulations, to prevent minor issues from becoming major problems, policy from becoming malfeasance.”

Sima Guang nodded and asked, “If a policy does not pre-emptively address potential issues, does it violate the ancestral law?”

Zhang Fei nodded, “Of course, it does.”

Sima Guang asked again, “If a policy lacks comprehensive regulations, does it violate the ancestral law?”

Zhang Fei nodded, “Certainly.”

Sima Guang nodded and did not ask further.

Zhang Fei glanced at Sima Guang, thinking, “As expected of Sima Guang, still so sharp. Those questions laid the foundations for his opposition to possible reforms by Wang Anshi”

Liu Shu thought, “Let’s end this quickly. We can’t dig deeper. This boy is too prepared.” Taking advantage of Sima Guang’s diversion, he said, “We have almost forgot that you’re here for the second son of the Shi family, claiming the imperial court’s punishment of him violated the Second Emperor’s decree.”

Second Emperor’s decree!

Not ancestral law.

They were reluctant to acknowledge Zhang Fei’s definition.

But their tone softened. Violating the Second Emperor’s decree also meant violating the ancestral law.

Zhang Fei was about to speak when he saw Sima Guang sipping tea.

He’s drinking tea?

I want some too!

Zhang Fei coughed, then croaked, “Ah, oh, eh! Yi, wu, xu!”

Liu Shu, puzzled, asked, “What are you doing?”

Zhang Fei, feigning hoarseness, said, “My throat is sore.”

Sima Guang whispered, “Your turn again!”

Wang Anshi, slightly annoyed, reprimanded his subordinate, “How could you not prepare tea for Zhang San? If word gets out, won’t it be said that the imperial court won unfairly?”

Won unfairly?

More like losing without a fight!