In his later years, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty Yang Jian (541-604)
All of his founding heroes were killed or demoted by him
There were not many left. Although he believed in Buddhism
and educated his subjects to be kind
, he did not put down his butcher knife
but became more cruel and bloodthirsty
The reason for killing is also surprisingly strange.
On Jiazi Day in February 581 AD
Emperor Jing of the Northern Zhou Dynasty issued an edict to abdicate Yang Jian in the hope that Yang Jian would return. Yang Jian first became emperor
He vigorously abolished the harsh rule of the previous dynasty
Delete the old laws of the Northern Zhou Dynasty
Replace heavy punishment with light punishment
Some laws punishable by death were changed to exile
It was called "turning death into life". However
After the Sui Dynasty's regime gradually stabilized
Yang Jian began to kill as he pleased
All laws were in his eyes
All become worthless.
Yang Jian was suspicious by nature
He often prided himself on being proficient in the legal system and discerning everything
He was very harsh on his ministers. He often ordered his close associates to act as spies
to investigate central and local officials
and punish those who committed minor offenses
with serious crimes.
He was worried that his ministers and officials would be corrupt and bend the law
so he came up with the clever trick of "fishing for law enforcement"
He secretly sent people to send money and materials to some county magistrates and governors
If these people accept it
they will be killed immediately. Many people were blinded by the sight of wealth
and were temporarily confused
unable to withstand the "test"
Or they thought it was a reward from the central government and happily accepted the money and materials
As a result, he lost his head.
Yang Jian has a hobby of beating people
He often beats people in the court. If the executioner did not swing the stick hard enough
he would get angry
thinking that the executioner had selfish motives
and even ordered the executioner to be beheaded. Shangshu Zuopu shot Gao G and others to remonstrate with him
He said that the court was not a place to punish people
He advised Yang Jian not to punish ministers with sticks in the court
Yang Jian But ignored it. Whether he is an important member of the imperial court
or a scholar
as long as he gives the order
the warriors will rush forward and pin him down in the court
Hit with a stick in front of all the ministers. The person who was beaten was not only humiliated personally
but also suffered great physical pain
It could range from having his skin and flesh bruised
to death.
Once
As the prime minister, Gao G couldn't stand it anymore
So he led a group of ministers to the court to plead guilty
Said: "Your Majesty nurtures the world's living beings
and strives to eliminate evils
But the people are ignorant
The criminals are not exterminated
As a result, Your Majesty punishes them too much Severe. This is because we have failed to fulfill our responsibilities as ministers
Please let us resign
to make way for talented people."
As soon as Yang Jian heard about Gao G and others. The man wanted to resign
Feeling that the situation was a bit serious
He turned around and asked Tian Yuan, the commander-in-chief and commander-in-chief standing beside him: "Is my staff heavy?"
Tian Yuan I felt that I should remind the emperor to restrain himself
Then he told the truth: "Your Majesty's cane is indeed very heavy.
"
Yang Jian asked again: "Is there anything special about my staff?"
Tian Yuan gestured with his hands and said: "Your Majesty's staff is as thick as a fist
Much larger than the normal stick
Hit someone with 30 sticks
It is equivalent to hundreds of hits with a normal stick
So he often beats people to death. ”
Yang Jian was unhappy
But because Gao G and others persuaded him to resign
and he was not easy to get angry
he was very unhappy. Reluctantly ordered the removal of the big staff from the palace
Anyone who was punished
would be handed over to the relevant departments for processing.
Afterwards, Yang Jian remained as usual. He killed people in the court according to his own likes and dislikes. One day, a minister went to the court to report on his work. Yang Jian was offended by his words, so Yang Jian ordered the man to be killed. Beheading on the spot. Feng Ji, the Minister of War, repeatedly tried to dissuade him.
Yang Jian refused to listen.
Yang Jian later felt that it was too much. > But he was unwilling to admit his mistake, so he praised Feng Ji lightly.
He was also prepared to punish those officials who did not come forward to remonstrate.
Yang Jian returned the favor. He often enacted legal provisions at will. In the 16th year of Emperor Kaihuang's reign (596), an official reported that there was a shortage of 7,000 shi of grain in the Hechuan granary at the border. Qing was responsible for investigating the matter. Hulu Xiaoqing reported after investigation
The grain was stolen by the officials in charge. Yang Jian was furious
and ordered Hulu Xiaoqing to ride to Hechuan immediately.
Behead the official in charge
Conflict the family members into the government as slaves
Sell them at a certain price
to fill the vacancies in the granary
Yang Jian was very worried about the officials who supervised the granaries in the border areas
He ordered that anyone who stole more than 1 liter of grain from the granaries
would be sentenced to death
The family members are slaves without official positions.
In Yang Jian’s view,
local officials are all violators of the law.
They often take advantage of legal loopholes.
p>Indulging criminals
Making it difficult to implement the central government's policies
He issued an edict in the seventeenth year of Kaihuang's reign (597)
Officials at all levels of ***
If there are criminals
they can be punished with sticks at their discretion. As a result, officials at all levels are forced to do so
It is better to be left than to be right
Repeated severe punishments on the people being interrogated
As a result, unjust cases are increasing day by day
Although Yang Jian is determined to implement harsh punishments
However, the crime rate across the country remains high
The security situation in Beijing is also deteriorating
Bandits actually robbed the market in broad daylight
Incidents of thefts occurred one after another. Yang Jian asked the officials how to deal with it, but before they could express their opinions, he asked himself again and said, "I know what to do." "Then he ordered that anyone who reported a thief
should confiscate the property of the person being reported
as a reward for the whistleblower.
After the edict was issued, he received a number of Effect
However, some ruffians find this method profitable. They deliberately discard property on the roadside
Once passers-by pick it up
they turn it over to the government.
False as a thief
To receive rewards. The result of this method is bad people
Many people specialize in falsely accusing others.
Yang Jian then promulgated more stringent laws one after another: anyone who steals more than 1 yuan will be put to death; anyone who embezzles more than 1 yuan from an official will be put to death; anyone who hears a report or sees a thief without reporting it will be put to death; four people join forces to steal 1 Anyone who steals a melon and fruit from the rafters of a house will be put to death...
After the promulgation of the new law
it aroused public resentment. Someone kidnapped a law enforcement officer
and said to him: "Listen, Dog Officer
You report to the emperor on our behalf
Since ancient times
No one in any dynasty has ever stolen money and died. If you don't tell the emperor, we will come to you again.
The whole family has no chance of surviving!"
The law enforcement officer immediately went to the palace to report Yang Jian. Yang Jian was proud of the rapid improvement of social security due to the series of orders he issued
After listening to the officials' reports
he hesitated for a long time
then reluctantly Said: "Then cancel the 'death for stealing 1 money' clause."
One Spring Festival one year
Someone reported to Yang Jian
Yu Shijian The division did not impeach those officials who were not neatly dressed and sword-wielding. Yang Jian was furious
Thinking this was disrespectful to the emperor
He yelled at the supervisor: "As a censor, why do you indulge officials and not abide by the system?" ?" Immediately ordered him to be executed. The admonishing doctor Mao Sizu felt that Yang Jian had gone too far
He stepped forward to dissuade him
and was beheaded by Yang Jian on the charge of protecting the guilty minister. There are countless officials who were beheaded for various trivial matters: one was beheaded for delaying the wheat straw harvest season
The official in charge of the weapons depot was beheaded for having too many weeds in the office
Some people were beheaded for accepting parrots sent by envoys from the Western Regions...
Yang Jian was moody
He would beat and kill people when he was angry. One June, Yang Jian wanted to kill someone in the court again. According to the law, criminals should be executed after autumn
So Dali Shaoqing Zhao Chuo admonished him: "It is the end of summer.
It is the time when everything grows in the heaven and earth Season
You cannot kill people in this season."
Yang Jian argued: "Although June is the growing season
, there is also thunder! Since Heaven is in the heat. I will also be angry when I do it
I act according to the way of heaven
Why not?" Then he ordered the man to be killed.
Xin, the Minister of Justice, heard that wearing red trousers would lead to promotion
So he wore red trousers to court. Unexpectedly, Yang Jian said that he was using witchcraft to curse others and ordered him to be beheaded. Zhao Chuo reported: "According to the law
Xin should not be executed
I dare not obey the imperial edict." Yang Jian was furious and arrested Zhao Chuo The court prepared to behead him. Zhao Chuo still insisted on his opinion
and said without changing his face: "I would rather your Majesty kill me
than Xin." Then he calmly undressed
and was beheaded. Finally
Yang Jian was afraid that killing Zhao Chuo would cause too many people to resent him
so he ordered Zhao Chuo to be released.
Yang Jian ignores the law
Determines the life and death of ministers based on his own emotions, likes and dislikes
Some sycophants took advantage of this.
Prime Minister Yang Su is good at playing with power
He often slanders others in front of Yang Jian
All ministers are afraid. Yang Su had a conflict with Honglu Shaoqing Chen Yan
One day
He passed by Chen Yan's official office
and saw horse manure in the courtyard
Several servants were gambling on the carpet. Yang Su felt that an opportunity for revenge had come and reported to Yang Jian immediately.
Yang Jian was furious
and shouted: "The chief official did not clean the courtyard
The servants played games and soiled and damaged the official felt
What other crime could there be than this? What's more serious?" Immediately ordered the gamblers to be dragged to the West Market and beaten to death with sticks
Chen Yan was flogged
Beaten to death
Almost Lose your life.
/p>
Countless people were killed unjustly. He eliminated one confidant's troubles one after another
He thought that his country could be passed down forever
But he didn't expect that it would only be more than ten years after he died
>The children and grandchildren were slaughtered one by one as if they were chopping melons and vegetables
The Sui Dynasty was also changed to the Li Tang Dynasty.
Emperor Wen killed someone