Chapter 124: Do unto others as they do unto you

  The county magistrate was taken aback and immediately became vigilant.

  This is a public court, he is the master of this county, and his county is under the jurisdiction of Ying Tianfu. Almost any major or minor event can reach the imperial court, if answered incorrectly, it will be ridiculed by others, and the loss of face will not only be Jiangning County's.

  He was the presiding judge, and he didn't have to answer, but he also had curiosity, he wanted to know the true purpose of this Qingzhou Shengyuan's inquiry, and he still hadn't figured out the other person's identity background. If it wasn't for Xia Jiu himself saying so, he wouldn't have known that the other party was also a meritorious person. This is Ying Tian Fu, the water in Ying Tian Fu is very deep, with dragons and snakes mixed together, generally speaking, people who are not clear about the situation should be polite, this is the common understanding of local officials under the emperor's feet.

  "The county magistrate pondered and replied cautiously: 'This is the case, the law is constant, while the regulations are expedient measures. It's impossible to generalize, if there's a conflict between the two, even if it means damaging the regulations, we should still uphold the law, because we can't sacrifice the fundamental principles of all ages for temporary expediency.'"

  He smiled secretly: "I knew he would answer like this. In this era, there is still a distinction between the upper and lower methods, with the former being greater than the latter. When they conflict, one should uphold the former. This principle has been true since ancient times."

  Xia Fu asked again: "So, students ask County Master, protecting private property, is this a long-term principle or a temporary measure?"

  "Protecting private property is an eternal and unchanging principle. If private property cannot be protected, how can people in the world be at peace?"

  He bowed his hands to the sky and said: "Therefore, I, Emperor Hongwu of Ming, have established the 'Da Ming Lu' law, which stipulates that anyone who enters someone's home at night without reason shall be flogged with eighty strokes. If the homeowner kills them on the spot, it will not be considered a crime. Those who occupy others' fields and houses, for every mu (about 0.165 acres) of land or one room of a house, shall be flogged with fifty strokes. For every five mu of land or three rooms of a house, the punishment shall be increased by one degree. The maximum punishment is eighty strokes of the cane and two years of penal servitude. If the offender is an official, the punishment shall be increased by two degrees. If someone falsely claims ownership of others' fields and houses, or if they offer them as gifts to officials or powerful people, both the giver and receiver shall be flogged with one hundred strokes and exiled for three years. If it is a case of strong occupation, the punishment shall be one hundred strokes of the cane and exile to a place three thousand li (about 1,500 km) away..."

  The county magistrate had memorized a copy of the Ming Code so thoroughly that he could recite it fluently. Yang Yu heard this and was already drenched in cold sweat.

  Xia Yu looked as if he hadn't heard and said: "The student asks the master again, is filial piety a constant principle or an expedient measure?"

  The county magistrate's face turned stern, and he said solemnly: "You are a scholar, do you still need to ask me? The Analects say: Filial piety is the fundamental principle of heaven, the righteous way of earth, and the conduct of the people. Among the virtues, none is greater than filial piety. In teaching the people to love their relatives, nothing is better than filial piety. Filial piety is the root of virtue, the root of benevolence, and the basis of education. The Three Cardinal Guides and the Five Constant Virtues all take this as their foundation. This is a principle that applies universally throughout the four seas, and it is a principle that applies to every person. If one does not practice filial piety, how are they different from beasts?"

  "The student asks for guidance. One last question, sir: is protecting the oxen a temporary measure or a long-term principle? Is it something that should be applied universally, or is it a rule that everyone should follow?"

  "This..."

  Magistrate Wu finally realized the purpose of his questioning, but he had already answered the first two questions and avoiding this one now would be too obvious.

  So, the Wu County magistrate hesitated for a moment and replied slowly: "The imperial court issued an order to protect the oxen because agriculture is the foundation of the country, and the oxen are tools for labor. However, times and places have their differences, and it's impossible to generalize, such as in the northern and western grasslands and deserts where the land is not suitable for farming, raising livestock for meat is a way of life, and these cows are naturally slaughtered for food.

  For example, in the vast eastern ocean, fishermen sail on the sea, relying on water for a living, and naturally do not consider cows to be important. Or, in my central plains, if there are better tools that can replace cows for farming, then it is not necessary to protect farm cows anymore, so this is just an expedient measure."

  At this point, Wu County Magistrate hastily added: "However, at this moment, within the borders of our great Ming dynasty, oxen are still very important and should be protected by law."

  Xia Yu Dao: "The student knows, so why does the student still want to angrily kill the farming cow?"

  His voice suddenly rose by an octave, recounting how he had traveled thousands of miles back to his hometown only to find that his ancestral home had been converted into a pigsty and cowshed, the spirit tablet of his deceased mother had been swept to the ground and sullied with filthy things. He emphasized this point before declaiming magnanimously: "Occupying someone else's house, claiming it as one's own, damaging and destroying it - isn't this a violation of the Great Ming Code?"

  Yang Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead and hastily said: "Being of the same clan and family, what is meant by encroachment? What matter cannot be discussed? The relatives and elders are also because for many years, your father and son had no news, mistakenly thinking that they had died in a foreign land, so they occupied your house. Now that you have returned, even if you are dissatisfied, you can seize the cattle and sheep and demand compensation one by one. How can you be so ruthless as to kill the cow?"

  "Ancestral house was destroyed, turned into a cattle pen, how can parents rest in peace? The spirit tablet of the deceased mother was swept away and landed on the corner of the house, with filth all over it. How can the deceased mother's spirit be at peace? Since ancient times, it has been said that the hatred for killing one's father cannot be shared under the same sky, eating the flesh of enemies and drinking their blood cannot resolve this hatred. What Yang received was no different from this. If Yang does not slaughter those beasts, how can this hatred be dispelled? How can we face our ancestors' spirits in heaven? How can we avenge the ancestral house being turned into a pigsty and the spirit of our deceased mother being humiliated?! If not for this, Yang would be unworthy to be called a human son!"

  Xia Yu's words immediately resonated with everyone in the hall. At that time, how did people describe someone who was so evil and had reached the extreme? "Kicking a widow's door, digging up an orphan's grave", this is the most despicable, the most shameful behavior.

  Filial piety, as a most ordinary moral concept, has been present since ancient times and permeates every level of society. It serves as the foundation for various humanistic principles. Bringing shame to one's ancestors is something that people cannot tolerate. Xia Bian's approach not only met the legal prerequisite of others occupying civilian residences but also conformed to the moral demands of the entire society, naturally evoking resonance from all personnel, including the magistrate of Shandong County.

  "It's laughable that it wasn't until today, when I stepped into the public hall and saw these written statements, these so-called plaintiffs, that I realized they were truly my uncles and elder relatives. How painful! What's the point of killing those animals that occupied my family's house? I had originally planned to submit a written statement to your honor, asking you to uphold justice for me. But... no matter what, they are still my closest relatives, how can I bear to do something that would bring pain to my own kin?"

  Yang Yuqi said with extreme disdain: "County Magistrate, sir, this is a sophistry, he is trying to find an excuse for himself to escape punishment for the crime of slaughtering the oxen..."

  Xia Yu's lips slowly curled up with a hint of a smile, he knew that unless the Yang family had already gained influence over the local government, this minor official would not dare to be corrupt and bend the law, otherwise, he already had the upper hand in this lawsuit.

  Killing the plowing cow is a crime, but compared to occupying people's homes, it's negligible. If you raise the banner of filial piety, then you'll be invincible, even if you're the emperor, you wouldn't dare make a decision that would make people question your filial piety. How could this case of killing a cow possibly reach the desk of Zhu Yuanzhang, who is busy with state affairs and suffering from illness?

  However, under the feet of the Son of Heaven and beside the true dragon, just how deep is that water?

  Yang Gang slammed his crutch and shouted in extreme anger: "Not only our Yang family, but also all the people in Juling Town, even those from surrounding villages, how many people are watching now? The matter of Yang Dingkun has passed for over ten years, but it's been dug up again and spread around, making us sound terrible! Now his son is back, with a magnificent horse and a large entourage, twenty big carts full of fine goods, isn't this a triumphant return?"

  Yang Rong panted heavily and said: "Isn't this a slap in my face? Isn't this a slap in my face? I was against our family members doing business from the start, and now look what's happened. He even passed the imperial examination and became a scholar-official, but as soon as he returned home, he gave me a demonstration of his power, killing cattle and sheep, beating up our clansmen, and insulting me in front of everyone. This little beast, this little beast has come to take revenge on his parents' behalf! Now that we've lost the lawsuit, and we're from the same hometown with many people on our side, how can I still hold my head up? You useless thing!"

  Yang Yu almost buried her head in her collar, listening with shame and not saying a word.

  At this time a bright-eyed and bushy-browed young man in a green shirt walked quickly in, and as soon as he entered the house, he said loudly: "Grandfather, what's going on at home that you had to hurry me back?"

  As soon as Yang Guang saw him, a smile appeared on his face. This young man was his most beloved grandson, the eldest son of the main house of the Yang family, Yang Chong, a student at Taixue, and one of the most promising young men in the younger generation of the Yang family.

  "Chonger, come here, come to Grandpa."

  Yang Rong waved his hand to drive Yang Yu out, called Sun Er to the front, and told him about the whole thing. Yang Chong listened with a slight smile on his face, saying: "Sun Er still thinks it's a big deal, just because of an unknown junior?"

  "What a mess!" Yang Rong said: "A thousand-mile dike collapses because of an ant hole. Our Yang family in this small town can't be compared to those remote and poor border towns, it's easy to maintain this big family? Today one person jumps out with their own ideas, tomorrow another person jumps out with their own plans, you have your own opinions, he has his own proposals, our family will eventually split into four or five factions!"

  Yang Chong smiled disbelievingly: "Don't worry, Grandpa, I won't let that kind of thing happen. Yang Xu? I still have some impression of him, is that good-for-nothing doing well now?"

  Yang Chong was the eldest grandson of the Yang family, and as such, he was the leader among the children. He would often lead the younger kids in bullying Yang Xu, and it was only natural that he took charge. However, he rarely took action himself, usually just coming up with bad ideas and ordering others to carry them out. Every time, they would end up making Yang Xu cry loudly as she returned home.

  Yang Gang said: "Yes, this little beast has now come out, and you are the same, both of whom have passed the imperial examination as a student, of course, you are a student of the Imperial Academy, he is only a student of Qingzhou Prefecture, can't compare with you. However, at least he also has an official title. This time he came back, it's clear that he wants to settle accounts with your grandfather on behalf of his parents. Hehe! Yesterday, in one breath, killed all the livestock raised by your uncle and aunt's family, smell, smell, now the whole town is still filled with the smell of meat, three meals a day, every moment, slapping your grandfather's old face."

  Now he has won the lawsuit again, and is proudly triumphant. Your grandfather...has grown old, with strong branches but weak roots, yes, your grandfather has been worried about this happening his whole life, from the beginning Yang Dingkun...what Grandfather was worried about was that one day it would come to this...this time he came with ill intentions, if we can't suppress him, I'm afraid the sky...will really change.

  "Grandpa, don't worry, Yang Xu this wild species, can't turn the sky over!"

  Yang Chong sneered, "He won the lawsuit today, but it's just because he took advantage of his filial piety. In ancient times, there were cases where a son killed someone who humiliated his father and was pardoned by the imperial court, which later became a precedent. What's more, it's just about slaughtering cows and sheep, the Jiangning magistrate wouldn't dare to make a big deal out of this. But is he really flawless in this move? I don't think so..."

  Yang Rong's spirit lifted, and he hastily asked: "Cheng Er, what are you saying?"

  Yang Chong said, "Occupying civilian houses, this is something we can't shake off, however... the law does not blame the masses, let alone there are over a dozen households, and they are all from the same clan and family as the elders. Compared to outsiders taking over by force, it's different. The punishment can be light or severe, depending on the chief judge's heart. This point, as long as we find someone with influence to mediate, it's not that serious."

  Yang Gang said, "This is not serious at all, and Jiangning County has not made a heavy sentence. The county magistrate's handling of the case today can be said to be a compromise, he is trying to smooth things over and calm people down. The problem is, if Yang Xu does this, and I don't discipline him, how can I show my face in front of our clansmen in the future? Will anyone still listen to what I say?"

  Yang Chong said, "You're treating someone else's ancestral home like a pigsty. It's as if you're shitting on their heads. If I were in their shoes, I'd kill you and still not be satisfied. You're killing a few pigs and sheep, what's there to be unhappy about?"

  But he could only say this in his heart, and he also understood that Grandfather's oppression of Yang Dingkun's family was to strangle the danger of challenging his authority at birth. Later, allowing the clan members to occupy Yang Dingkun's house and courtyard was also to use a living example to intimidate other clansmen, after all, it was for the benefit and authority of this house not to be harmed.

  He was the eldest grandson of the long house, and what his grandfather maintained was what he should maintain. He thought for a moment and said: "Killing cows is still against the imperial law. Those livestock are all from the ancestral family, even if they are not right, he shouldn't be below the offense, do you want to slaughter them all to show filial piety? This filial piety, isn't it just about being filial to parents, shouldn't he also be filial to his ancestors? Hmm, with their way, we can make some moves on this point.

  Yang Gang said: "The county magistrate of Jiangning has already made a judgment, can you overthrow this case?"

  Yang Chong smiled faintly: "Continue telling, tell it all the way to the Heavenly Court."

  Yang Rong, although a local gentry, had never been to the Ying Tian Prefecture to file a lawsuit. The prefect of Ying Tian was not an ordinary prefect, but the governor of the imperial capital, directly under the emperor's feet. This prefecture was connected to the six ministries and could directly report to the emperor if there were any issues. He was one of the emperor's close officials. Yang Rong hesitated: "Ying Tian Prefecture? Like this... is it possible?"

  Yang Chong said, "Of course not now. I'll go back to the city immediately to find my mentor. He and Wang Hongrui, the prefect of Ying Tian Prefecture, are close friends. I will tell my mentor about this matter and ask him to put in a good word for me with Prefect Wang, then Grandfather can go to the Ying Tian Prefecture to file a complaint."

  Yang Rong asked anxiously: "Can your teacher really speak up in front of Lord Fu Yin?"

  Yang said proudly: "Grandfather, rest assured, this teacher of mine is a great talent who ranked first in the provincial examination and third in the imperial examination in the 18th year of Hongwu. He was appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, promoted to a reviser, transferred to be an official in charge of lecturing at the Spring Pavilion, accompanied the Crown Prince in reading, taught the grandson of the Emperor, and was repeatedly promoted until he became the Minister of the Imperial Sacrifices and concurrently the Chancellor of the National University. His surname is Huang and his name is Zi-Cheng. Not only is he a good friend of the Prefect of Ying Tian, but also the current Crown Prince listens to him and follows his advice. When he says something, it carries great weight."

  Yang Gang was overjoyed and stood up, laughing loudly: "Good! Good! My good grandson, you recognize such a person, what are we afraid of him for?"

  Suddenly hearing the good news, the old man's spirit was high and he gritted his teeth, saying: "Yang Xu, you this disobedient and unfilial little beast, relying on your glib tongue, can you still outdo the two mouths of the officials? I will definitely deal with you so severely that you won't be able to live or die!"

  （）