diskusbooks Chapter 262 The Hardest Man to Kill
Chapter 262 The Hardest Man to Kill
"However, this matter was recorded in the *Imperial Edicts*, a book of severe punishment laws personally compiled by Zhu Yuanzhang."
"It was used to severely punish crimes committed by subjects and to make up for the deficiencies of the law, but the main content of this book is to severely punish corrupt officials and powerful figures."
"However, after Zhu Yuanzhang died, his 'Great Proclamation' was abolished by Emperor Jianwen. At that time, if a family kept this book, they could reduce their punishment by one degree."
Zhu Bajie of the Ming Dynasty: "My good grandson is so filial!"
"However, the methods of punishment in this book are quite harsh, you could say they are perverse. Not to mention the specific punishments, just this book alone, Old Zhu clearly stipulated that all his subjects must be familiar with it, not even children!"
"If anyone is asked a question they cannot answer, then everyone involved, young and old, will be punished. It is because the punishment is so severe that even though Zhu Yuanzhang executed tens of thousands of people, the corruption only rebounded so fiercely after his death!"
A spoiled young master from the Song Dynasty: My goodness! You're going to punish me for this?! ? ?
A dashing and talented scholar from the Tang Dynasty: Good heavens! If you have a bad memory, you're going to have a hard time getting by!
Zhu Bajie of the Ming Dynasty: ...
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: No! This is too strict!
A spoiled young man from the Song Dynasty: If this standard is applied, we'd all be arrested!!!
In another timeline, Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry with Zhu Yunwen that he wanted to give him a good beating.
The Great Proclamation, which he had painstakingly compiled, was abolished after only one day!
If we are not strict, how can we stop the trend of corruption?!
……
Lin Ke's voice rang out again in the live stream.
"Therefore, throughout the Hongwu reign, due to the severity of his laws, when it came to catching corrupt officials, it was common to uncover entire dens, involving a very wide range of people. It is said that in the end, there was almost no one left to employ."
"However, besides these, Old Zhu did other things as well. For example, at the triennial performance evaluation banquet for officials, he stipulated that only those who achieved an excellent evaluation result could sit and eat."
"Other ordinary people could also attend such banquets, but they had to stand. It seems that being an official in the early Hongwu period was really not easy!"
The romantic scholars of the Tang Dynasty: Maybe they just thought that since they would die anyway if they were greedy, they might as well enjoy themselves first!
A spoiled young man from the Song Dynasty: That makes some sense!
"On the other hand, although the Great Proclamation contains many cases of corruption, it also records other aspects, such as the 'Murder by Adultery Case' in the Great Proclamation concerning social customs."
"The story is roughly about a commander named Zong Ju in the Jizhou Guard during the Hongwu era. He was audacious, lustful, and disdainful of his soldiers."
“He had a soldier named Wang Qun’er under his command. Zong Ju coveted Wang Qun’er’s wife, Zhou Shi. One day, when Wang Qun’er was not at home, he summoned Zhou Shi to his own home and abused her.”
"Not long after this incident, Wang Qun'er heard about it from others. As the person who was forced to wear a green hat, Wang Qun'er was very angry and beat Zhou Shi severely in a fit of rage."
"But things didn't end there; instead, they spiraled out of control in an absurd direction."
"Zhou was furious that Wang Qun'er hadn't gone to cause trouble for Zong Ju, but instead had given her a good beating. So, she harbored resentment and went to Zong Ju, telling him that Wang Qun'er knew about their affair and that she wanted to beat her to death!"
"After hearing this, Zongju thought that since the deed was already done, he might as well go all the way and send him to his death! He even tempted Zhou Shi to follow him, saying that he could provide her with good food and clothing. Wasn't that better than following that Wang Qun'er?"
"It is unknown whether Wang Qun'er's actions completely agitated Zhou Shi. Without much hesitation, Zhou Shi also developed a heart towards her husband and agreed to Zong Ju's idea."
An old farmer from the Song Dynasty: What's wrong with this woman! ...%? ...
A bystander in the Tang Dynasty commented: "This guy isn't any better! A pair of ruthless people!"
The Han Dynasty's Little Farming Expert: And then what? Was Wang Qun'er murdered?
……
"Then Zongju provided her with a clay figure, covered it with iron nails, and had her write Wang Qun'er's birth date and time on it before burying it under the kang (a heated brick bed). The ultimate purpose of this was to ward off Wang Qun'er."
"Although many of the spells used for cursing are fake, Wang Qun'er did indeed fall ill shortly after the clay figure was buried, but she hadn't yet reached the point of dying."
"But seeing that the curse could not defeat Wang Qun'er, Zhou went to Zong Ju and got a bottle of poison, intending to deliver a fatal blow and send him to his death early."
"However, I don't know if this poison is counterfeit or of poor quality! Wang Qun'er is so tenacious that she didn't die after drinking the poison, which made Zhou Shi, who had been trying to kill her repeatedly, very angry and finally lost her patience."
"He gritted his teeth and picked up an iron axe to hit Wang Qun'er on the head twice, but was stopped by the neighbors and ultimately failed to kill Wang Qun'er."
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: Is Wang Qun'er made of iron?! Luckily, he's tough, otherwise he really wouldn't make it!
A bystander in the Song Dynasty commented: "He's really unlucky to have run into a woman like that!"
A farming whiz from the Ming Dynasty: Hey, wait a minute! Big brother, you saved the King of Hell?!
……
People from other timelines exclaimed in amazement at the twists and turns of the story, never expecting that Zhou would hold such a grudge and be determined to kill her husband!
I just don't know what happened next, whether they were arrested or not!
……
Meanwhile, Lin Ke silently thought to herself: Wang Qun'er's calamities in this life are probably all here!
"At this moment, Wang Qun'er, who had been rescued by his neighbors, realized that his wife truly wanted to kill him, but her accomplice, Zong Ju, was a commander of a thousand men, and if he reported it to the authorities, it probably wouldn't work."
"So Wang Qun'er took the Great Proclamation and prepared to go to the capital to file a complaint. When Zong Ju found out, he intercepted him, robbed him of his travel expenses, and burned the Great Proclamation. He thought to himself, 'Wang Qun'er has no money and no Great Proclamation. Let's see how he manages to go to the capital to file a complaint!'"
"Here's why Wang Qun'er took the imperial edict to the capital to file a complaint. Back when Zhu Yuanzhang published this book, any person with a grievance could go to the capital to appeal to Zhu Yuanzhang himself, and he would definitely resolve the matter."
"But here's the problem: if someone with real power comes and robs you, will anyone actually comply?"
"Moreover, Old Zhu is unlikely to live for a long time, and some of the punishments in it are quite perverse, so this book is unlikely to last long."