The Sage of Confucianism and Taoism

Chapter 2499 The Drum of the People's Court Sounds

Xu Changgeng was stunned, looking at Fang Yun's deep eyes, and shuddered involuntarily. He said helplessly: "Prime Minister, I am just passing on the letter. The decision is in your hands. I dare not presumptuously decide for you. If you don't want to read it, I will return all the letters."

Fang Yun said slowly: "We are all officials in the same court, working together, and we have feelings for each other. If you have something to ask me for help, I, Fang Yun, am not a heartless person who does not recognize relatives and has no desires. I will definitely lend a hand. But you are helping others to pass the letter, which seems to be nothing, but in my opinion, you are looking for me for others. Do you understand the difference?"

The officials lowered their heads, sweating profusely.

The root of the matter is not whether Fang Yun wants to help, nor is it a question of whether it is difficult or not, nor is it a question of whether Fang Yun can do it, but that they are using Fang Yun's feelings to exchange for others' feelings.

If they plead for their family, it is out of necessity, Fang Yun will not refuse, but pleading for others is equivalent to satisfying their own face, vanity or interests, and damaging Fang Yun's interests.

In their view, solving the problem is just a piece of cake for Fang Yun, but it is not.

Even if it is a piece of cake, why should Fang Yun do it?

Li Zhixiao sighed and said, "What the Prime Minister said is right. We think we are close to the Prime Minister, and it is okay to ask the Prime Minister for help, but we have not figured it out. If we really regard the Prime Minister as our own, we should think about whether the Prime Minister has any difficulties before asking him for help. Not to mention that the Prime Minister is presiding over this reform, the number of people who ask the Prime Minister for leniency is unimaginable. Everyone thinks it is easy for the Prime Minister to help one person, but the Prime Minister is not facing me alone."

Fang Yun said: "That's the truth. By extension, all the people of Panorama are my own people, and we all have feelings. What should I do? Can I really kill them all?"

The officials looked at Fang Yun, and suddenly felt sorry for this virtual saint who was omnipotent on weekdays.

In fact, everyone has noticed that the reform has reached the final stage. How to avoid civil unrest and counterattacks from major forces while reforming is the top priority, even more than the reform itself.

If the reform, the interests of each family and the interests of the people cannot be balanced, the reform will inevitably fail.

All the reforms in history have been difficult to consolidate the interests of all parties, and one party has always been sacrificed.

In mild reforms, the lower-class people sacrifice the most, because the lower-class people have no ability to resist and are always the first group to be sacrificed.

In drastic reforms, the middle and high-level people sacrifice the most, but Jingguo cannot bear drastic reforms now.

In other words, the entire human race cannot bear drastic reforms.

Once Fang Yun and the three halls force the reform, the human race will inevitably fall apart soon, and the disaster will start from within, and finally the demon world will benefit.

However, if there is no reform, the human race will inevitably be exterminated in the near future.

Fang Yun and the human race are now in trouble.

The human race was also in a similar dilemma back then.

The first dilemma was solved by King Wen of Zhou, who was the first to be canonized.

The second dilemma was solved by Confucius, who was infinitely close to being a saint.

Facing the third dilemma, Fang Yun could also solve it if he could be promoted to a saint in a short period of time and become the saint ancestor of all worlds.

However, this was impossible.

Even Confucius took decades and hundreds of years to accumulate to reach that height.

Finally, Fang Yun said slowly: "This opening should either not be opened or opened wide. Therefore, long before the plan for a severe crackdown, I discussed with the Criminal Court how to solve this stage. All families that take human lives lightly, are greedy, and have committed countless crimes, no matter how many there are, will be uprooted! For all families with serious crimes but the possibility of repentance, the head of the family must be punished and the family split up. For all families with minor crimes, they can atone for their sins by donating land to indirectly support the soldiers fighting against the demon world."

No official spoke, even Dong Yueqian remained silent.

After a few breaths, Li Zhixiao took a deep breath and said slowly: "Prime Minister, I have something to say."

"Speak." Fang Yun said.

"Fundamentally, there is no real difference between your tiered punishment and unified heavy punishment. Those who donated land will resent you, those who split up their families will resent you, and those who were uprooted will certainly resent you. As long as you punish them, as long as you hurt them, if they can't see the hope of preservation, they will definitely fight back with all their strength. They may be stupid, but they are smart in one thing. They know that they can't beat you and the Holy Court, so they will unite and would rather die than sit back and wait for death. They know very well that you and the Holy Court can't afford the cost of dying. "

Many officials nodded secretly. This kind of thing has happened in history.

Both Qin Shihuang and Wang Mang made this mistake. The country established by the former collapsed in an instant after his death, and the latter failed to complete the reform at all.

Even as strong as the Han Dynasty, from Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing to Emperor Wu of Han, it went through three generations, from reducing the feudal lords to the Enfeoffment Order, and during its period, it constantly experienced the rebellion of the kings, and finally relied on powerful forces to completely suppress it.

Moreover, the three emperors of the Han Dynasty only targeted the vassal kings. Fang Yun's opponents this time include small and medium-sized landlords, prominent families, famous families, wealthy families and even aristocratic families!

A family may not necessarily have officials, but officials must form their own families.

Therefore, the objects of this reform essentially include all the civil and military officials in the court and all families.

Every country is an enemy.

No one in history has ever been able to accomplish this feat, not even a semi-saint.

Fang Yun nodded, and scanned the crowd with a cold gaze, saying: "Does this mean that I, the left prime minister, can no longer control the officials? The various departments of Jingguo can no longer control the laws of Jingguo? The elders of the Criminal Palace are no longer able to restrain the families?"

Fang Yun's heart-piercing words were sharp and piercing, making everyone feel uncomfortable.

Fang Yun's words were not wrong. Throughout the dynasties, except for the chaotic times when there was unlimited harshness and killing, any era of stable regimes could not carry out thorough reforms. Once a more thorough reform was carried out, the whole country would inevitably be in chaos.

In fact, the court and the Criminal Palace could not do anything to the major families of the human race with the Saints as the core.

It was the major families that controlled the Saint Academy itself.

In this reform, the Legalists, Workers and Farmers benefited the most, but how could those families that benefited less or even suffered losses get what they wanted?

This reform essentially involves the struggle for the Holy Way.

The struggle for the Holy Way is far more dangerous than the reform of a country.

Commoners and poor scholars hate the oppression of nobles more than anyone else at the beginning, but once they are in high positions, they will instinctively strengthen their own families.

Every cabinet official present will be able to establish at least one prominent family in the future.

The grassroots level of Jingguo and even Shengyuan Continent, especially the county and town level, is basically controlled by various families.

Transforming agriculture into industry and accelerating urbanization are effective means to resolve local forces, but it takes too long and Fang Yun can't wait.

Finally, Fang Yun said firmly: "Bringing criminals to justice is the duty of every official and the duty of the Criminal Hall. This basic principle can never be shaken. Any force that attempts to resist the law of the country is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot and hitting a stone with an egg!"

All cabinet officials continued to remain silent.

Fang Yun looked at everyone with disappointment and said: "Disperse, you will be very busy next. If you don't want to do it, you can submit your resignation, and I won't make it difficult for you, but as long as I am in Jingguo in the future, you can't think of working in Jingguo."

Everyone was shocked.

Fang Yun said and left.

The officials slowly left.

That afternoon, three cabinet officials resigned.

The next morning, a woman knocked on the drum at the gate of the imperial palace in the capital, suing the eldest grandson of the fourth branch of the Chen Sheng family for killing her father.