The Silent Reforms of Eldridge Chapter 32

emperor's teachings

On August 14, I arrived in the capital and stayed at Tianning Temple outside Zhangyi Gate. On the 18th I was summoned to Jingmingyuan. The next day, the emperor summoned him at the East Nuan Pavilion of Qinzheng Hall. The emperor asked me when I set out from Shaanxi, where I passed along the way, what the harvest was like, my background and where my hometown was, etc. I answered them all truthfully. The emperor asked again: "Was it because you were sent to Shuoping Mansion because you were a member of the imperial police?" I kowtowed and replied, "It was because of the emperor's special abbreviation." The emperor asked again: "You were promoted to Shaanxi Grain Road because of me." Jane?" I kowtowed and answered yes. The emperor said: "That's all for today. You can hand over the sign as usual tomorrow." I nodded and backed out.

After returning to his apartment, he was busy visiting the military ministers and Zhang Jing who were on duty, and then visited several bachelors who were in the study room. Du Shoutian, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, asked me to discuss something with the chief envoy Liu Yuanhao when passing through Shanxi. He said that his fellow countryman Wang Jilan was serving as Dingyou, the magistrate of Pingding Prefecture, and wrote a letter saying that he was in a deficit and had to get help from his superiors. Du Shangshu had written to Liu Yuanhao before, but there was no reply. He asked me to help him when passing through Shanxi, and I only agreed. In fact, if an employee is short-changed, if it is a donation of miscellaneous funds, the superiors may be able to accommodate it, or ask the successor to make up for it; but if the shortfall is from regular funds, what can the boss do? What's more, I am a passing official and not a vassal in Shanxi Province, so I can't help you much, so just leave it as it is.

On the 20th, the emperor summoned me again.

The emperor said: "Sichuan has the largest number of criminal matters among all provinces in the country. You will know this if you have been a Beijing official. Every autumn, Sichuan Province has a whole day, and yellow books with suspended sentences are piled up everywhere. Sichuan is really a place where violence is concentrated, and there are endless cases of heartbreaking cases. I see that many of the deferred sentences are worthy of immediate execution, but they are just a little lenient because they killed too many people. It's really too much to punish. After you take office, you have to make up your own mind and don't believe in the fallacy of those low-moral masters who say it's not about saving lives. What kind of knowledge and opinions do these people have? It's just deceiving people if you do good deeds, but you don't know that allowing the deceased to be wronged and letting the murderer slip through the net is the real crime. Moreover, you don't have to have any certain rules. For example, when you sentenced 120 people to death last year, if you have one during the autumn trial. If the circumstances are pitiable, what does it matter if there are a few fewer people than last year? If the case is more serious, why not have a few more sentences than last year? It is always their own fault. What does it have to do with you? If I talk about the retribution of life and death, then I can only refuse to do it every year. Does that make sense?" The emperor then said: "I will go to the Black Dragon Pond tomorrow to offer incense. If you are not familiar with the road, you don't have to follow me. The day after tomorrow. Pass the sign again."