After listening to the student's complaint, Liang Shilang was naturally furious. He was not angry at Tang Fan for humiliating Yin Yuanhua, but Tang Fanming knew that Yin Yuanhua was his student and dared to do so, clearly not taking him seriously.
These days, with a lot of face, Tang Fan, a small boss, came to the Ministry of Punishment on the first day, and he dared to provoke the senior officials of the Ministry without even standing on his heels. Is this a brainless or a bear's heart and a leopard's guts
However, with Liang Shilang's status, it would seem to lose his identity to call Tang Fan over to reprimand him rashly, and this matter is actually because Yin Yuanhua did not respect his superiors. So Liang Shilang did nothing at that time.
After two days, the department wanted to inspect the work completed by the divisions in the first half of the year, so they called each of the division chiefs to interview them individually, and encouraged them to make persistent efforts in the second half of the year to strive for better performance. , In short, it is a face-to-face conversation alone. You can also take the opportunity to talk to the leader about any difficulties you encounter at work. If the leader is in a good mood, maybe it will help you solve it.
As a result, twelve of the thirteen officials of the Qing officials went, but Tang Fan was not called.
If the superiors considered Tang Fan's new arrival, he didn't know much about the secretary, so he should have called a clerk over there, but there was nothing, and it seemed that the Qing officials in Henan had been completely forgotten.
No one is an idiot. Everyone knows now that Tang Fan must have offended Liang Shilang and refused to entertain him.
There are three chiefs in the penal department, one minister and two servants.
Now Zhang Shangshu doesn't take care of things very much, and Peng Shilang is also an answering worm, and Liang Shilang is the only one left, who is in charge of most of the practical affairs of the ministry.
As a result, everyone rushed to draw a line with Tang Fan for fear of being implicated. Even Lu Tongguang, who had shown goodwill to Tang Fan before, avoided seeing Tang Fan under the excuse that he was not there.
It's natural for people to push the wall down. Now, seeing that Tang Fan hates Liang Shilang, he doesn't know when he will be kicked out of the punishment department.
"Have you seen it, Yin Yuanwailang is really proud of the spring breeze now, won't this Tang Langzhong be kicked out soon, then will Yin Yuanwailang be promoted to Langzhong?"
In the duty room, the three officers were sitting together, and Dai Hongming, the chief, was sitting beside him, which seemed to be a bit indifferent.
But there is no way. Seeing that their company is about to become a forgotten weed, everyone is panicking. They should hurry up and exchange information together, so as to give themselves some psychological comfort.
Yin Yuanhua's popularity is not very good, except for one of the officials in Henan's Qing officials who held Yin Yuanhua's thigh unswervingly, no one liked him. But if you like it or not, just think about it in your heart. With their status, they can't fight against Yin Yuanhua if their arms can't twist their thighs. He was born in a serious second-rank jinshi, and he had Liang Shilang, a direct supervisor and a teacher, on his head, and his official career was definitely smoother than theirs.
I thought that Tang Fan would come to suppress Yin Yuanhua's arrogance, and their life was a little better. Who knew that in just two days, Tang Fan would offend Liang Shilang, and even their Henan Qing officials were excluded.
"I see it!"
Cheng Wen sighed again and again, he is an old clerk, and now he is over 50 years old. He has been in the Qing clerk division in Henan for more than ten years, and has experienced several positions. Previously, Zhou Langzhong died of a sudden illness, and before Tang Fan came, Yin Yuanhua temporarily took over as the secretary, but he was flattering to his superiors, and he was arrogant to his inferiors. To serve Liang Shilang as his father, it is no wonder that Liang Shilang likes him, but the people below him don't like him, so neither Dai Hongming nor the other three commanders want Yin Yuanhua to be the boss. Unfortunately, they said It doesn't count.
"Tang Langzhong is too young after all. He couldn't hold back and taught Yin Yuanhua a lesson. He was happy, but he didn't think about the future?"
Another clerk pouted, not very optimistic about Tang Fan: "I heard that Mr. Tang is from a sectarian, and a Hanlin master like them has eyes on the top of his head, and he is very noble. , how do you know the seriousness of the matter!"
Dai Hongming was worried: "Okay, don't worry about others, think about ourselves first! Today, Master Tang told me that he had agreed with Lu Langzhong for a dinner party in a few days. I went to each department to inform me, but I walked around, but no one paid me any attention, either said that I was too busy to leave, or that I had a funeral at home and could not attend the banquet. What is this? Take Master Tang seriously! Tell me, what should I do?"
The other three officers sighed with him: "What can we do, just tell Tang Langzhong the truth, we can't force them to go there!"
"Where are you going?" A voice came from the door.
Everyone turned around and looked, saying that Cao Cao and Cao Cao had arrived, and Tang Fan walked in with his hands behind his back.
"People are really abandoned, what good things are there, and tell me about it?"
Everyone laughed dryly, embarrassed.
The officers quickly quit, Tang Fan smiled and nodded without stopping.
Dai Hongming is the only one left. This is his duty room. Of course, he can't get out of the room, so he can only smile: "Your Excellency is in charge of all kinds of things, why did you come here in person
Tang Fan smiled and said, "I asked you to go to each department to post a post to invite all of you to dinner, how is it going?"
Dai Hongming's smiling face suddenly collapsed: "Sir, it's not that the subordinate officials are ineffective in handling affairs, the superior officials are busy with their work, and you can't even get away..."
Tang Fan's smile didn't change: "It's not that I can't get away, but I'm afraid of offending Liang Shilang. I think I'll be kicked out of the penal department soon, so it's useless to befriend me?"
"Look at what you said, how could it be?" Dai Hongming laughed heartily, thinking that you already know, why are you still asking me
Tang Fan said: "I know about this, you just have to pass the word on, it's their business whether they go or not, not your business, when the time comes, you can call Liang Wen and the three of them, and they'll all go over. "
Dai Hongming wondered: "This is not appropriate, it has always been only among the ministers who can attend, and the lower officials and others are not enough..."
Tang Fan waved his hand and interrupted him: "You don't have to worry about this, I'm the owner, so I'll be the master, anyway, you can go with them when the time comes. After five days, wait until the ya, Xian I have already reserved a seat in the Lingyun Hall of the Cloud Pavilion."
Dai Hongming was stunned, Xianyun Restaurant, this is one of the best restaurants in the capital, who didn't know that it is owned by the same owner as Xianke Lou, and took a different route. The former is more upscale than Xianke Lou, I heard that the environment That elegant and quiet person is not allowed to enter through the door. Even if Liang Shilang wants to reserve a seat, he may not be able to book a seat. A small official like Dai Hongming is only known by its name.
Now Tang Fan can book a seat at Xianyun Pavilion. What does this mean? It shows that the family is wider than Liang Shilang!
Dai Hongming suddenly thought again that he heard that this Master Tang had been in the Shuntian Mansion for less than two years, and he was transferred to the Sixth Division, and he was promoted by a full level and a half. This was obviously someone from above, otherwise there would be many officials who have made meritorious deeds in the world. I've been there, and I've never seen everyone get promoted so quickly!
He began to have some thoughts, and in just a short while, the thoughts that turned in his mind did not know how many, and his heart also came alive.
Dai Hongming thought, he originally thought this Tang Langzhong was stupid and bold, but now it seems that people are not stunned at all, but fearless!
Although it is still unclear whether it is Jiang Long Meng or the local snake strong in the end, but if he can take the opportunity to burn the cold stove, maybe there will be good things in the future.
Thinking of this, Dai Hongming's attitude was not as negative as before, he responded quickly, and took the initiative to say: "Sir, most people in the world see the wind, and now they are worried about Liang Shilang, and they dare not express it to you. Kindness, even if you invite them to dinner, they may not dare to go, but let's delay it for a while?"
Tang Fan laughed when he heard the words, this Dai Hongming is really an interesting character.
He was new here and really needed his own manpower, so he took advantage of the opportunity to have a bad relationship with Yin Yuanhua and observed it for a few days, and found that Dai Hongming was not a bad person. So instead, I hope that Tang Fan can become strong so that he can have a backer.
Dai Hongming didn't dare to speak before, because he felt that Tang Fan had little chance of winning against Yin Yuanhua. Now, when he saw the dawn, he naturally had to come to join him first, so as not to be alienated by his new boss.
Tang Fan also came from a grass-roots department like Shuntian Prefecture, so the minds of these opponents are naturally clear.
"No need to say more, just say two days is two days, call Liang Wen, Tian Xuan and Yin Wen." Tang Fan said.
There are four officers in this division, all of whom are working for the three Shangguans. Except for one Liao Zijin who rushed to hug Yin Yuanhua's thigh, the other three were watching. Anyway, for them, no matter who became the boss, They are all just errands and won't change much.
Of course, they are all soft-spoken in the department, and they have been neglected for many years. Even if they want to hug their thighs, Yin Yuanhua may not necessarily think of them. That's why the three of them just got together with Dai Hongming and sighed.
Tang Fan named the three people, which means excluding the remaining Liao Zijin. Dai Hongming thought that the new boss had made up his mind to fight Yin Yuanhua to the end, and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Seeing that he had agreed carefully, Tang Fan patted him on the shoulder, said a few words of encouragement, and asked him to find some files according to his own requirements and send them to his duty room before Shi Shiran left.
The place of the Ministry of Punishment is not big in the first place. Although Lang Zhong is a chief officer, he is not comparable to those of Shang Shu Shi Lang, and the duty room is about the same size as Tang Fan's previous office.
Walking into his new duty room, the nearly withered flowers and plants a few days ago have begun to glow with new vitality because of the careful care. Tang Fan brought two pots of orchids from his home. The slender leaves are as green as emerald jade. Lovely, the pink flower buds growing from the middle, because of the warmth in the room, have already shown signs of blooming, and a faint fragrance drifts out, making the duty room wafting with a refreshing and elegant fragrance, making everyone step into this place. Everyone couldn't help but take a deep breath.
It's the middle of the year, he should be busy, and he was already busy at the beginning of the year, but Tang Fan came here, of course, not for the sake of the corpse's meal. Because of the constraints of the layout, it could not be done. Now that I am in the Sixth Division, I have to take advantage of the convenience of the Sixth Division and do something within my power.
After a while, Dai Hongming came over with a pile of files. Tang Fan buried his head and did not lift his head. He let him put it down and removed it. Dai Hongming saw the half-cold tea cup on Tang Fan's table and didn't bother. Quietly turned and left.
After a while, the clerk Cheng Wen brought the hot tea over.
He had already learned from Dai Hongming that Tang Fan was going to treat guests at the Xianyun Pavilion, and he had to ask a few of them to accompany him. His smile and behavior were a little more attentive than usual, but Mr. Langzhong was busy flipping through the pages. Looking at the dossier, he didn't even look up to see who was serving him tea, he just murmured from his throat.
Staff Cheng had no choice but to walk away in disbelief.
Tang Fan is indeed doing something very important.
After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the "Law of the Ming Dynasty" was formulated with reference to the "Law of the Tang Dynasty" and "The Code of the Yuan Dynasty". Since then, the officials of the Ming Dynasty have sentenced the case to prison based on this, but things have changed over time, and now more than a hundred years have passed , many of the original laws did not apply to the present, and there were also many specific implementation details that were not standardized. Officials could not find any basis in the "Da Ming Law", so they began to judge according to their own code of conduct.
In Daming, if you want to be an official, you relied on the imperial examination. The imperial examination took the eight-legged essay, but did not take the "Daming Law". Some officials were transferred from the Ministry of Rites to the Ministry of Punishment, or they were originally the censors who were in charge of supervising hundreds of officials. After the prisoner who has concluded the case, let alone expect them to be familiar with the "Daming Law".
This is still the case in the center, not to mention the place.
Before Tang Fan took office, there was a famous case in Zhejiang.
A clashes with B, the two fight, and B misses to death.
The Ming law stipulates that if one's grandparents or parents are killed, the descendants will avenge them on the spot, and the murder is innocent.
If the enemy has already been judged, because the amnesty has not been executed, and if the descendants still go to take revenge and kill at this time, then they will have to stick a hundred sticks and be exiled for three thousand miles.
At this time, A's son did not kill on the spot, and he privately reached an agreement with B: B compensated him for the land, then claimed that his father died in an accident, and then applied to the government for no autopsy, even if it was closed privately.
Because at that time, the dead were the most important, and autopsy would destroy the corpse. Many people were unwilling to do this. Therefore, the government would not insist on receiving such an application. Everything was subject to the wishes of the family members of the parties concerned.
It is not legal to do so, but it is also not illegal, it is nothing more than taking advantage of the law.
If things end here, it will be over, and A's son will be dismissed as unfilial at best, unable to hold his head in the countryside, and so on.
But it certainly didn't end that way.
The land that B compensated A's family received a lot of rent every year. He took the knife and stabbed B to death, saying that he had completed the task of inheriting the lineage and could avenge his father.
Well, here comes the problem, the law has long stipulated that if the parents are killed, it is not a crime for the children and grandchildren to kill the other party on the spot. Now, he still concealed the report to the government, which means that the case has come to an end. As a result, three years later, he killed B again. According to the regulations, at least one hundred sticks were required and he was exiled for three thousand miles.
The case was very sensational at the time, and it even reached the Ministry of Justice. The officials who judged the case mainly had two opinions:
One opinion is that the sentence is strictly based on the law. A's son refuses to perform an autopsy and hides it from the officials, which is undoubtedly contempt for the officials, and such behavior must be severely punished.
Another opinion is that A's son gave birth to a son in order to carry on the lineage, and this was a sign of filial piety. It should be treated leniently and the crime can be reduced.
The two opinions were at odds, and the Dali Temple and the Duchayuan also joined the debate. In the end, the cabinet gave instructions: A's son is pitiful, but his crime is also abhorrent, so the two sides are compromised, and the stick is 100. Exile is exempt.
In Tang Fan's view, this case is a typical example of using filial piety to cover up his despicableness and exploiting legal loopholes.
Because according to the regulations, if A's son killed B immediately after his father was killed, he could have been forgiven, but he didn't do that. Instead, he took B's money to enjoy it for a few years, and then married a wife After giving birth to a child, he ran to stab B to death, saying that he was avenging his father.
The Ministry of Punishment and the Cabinet did not fail to understand this, but the son of Jia used filial piety as a talisman, and the Ming Dynasty ruled the world with filial piety. A relatively balanced choice.
But this also directly cheapened Jia's son.
He used to have a poor family, and only relied on the land compensated by B to improve his family. Now he doesn't have to die, his wife and children are complete, the family is rich, and he has a good reputation for filial piety. Do it all.
This reflects some of the problems that exist today.
In terms of regulations that are not so carefully regulated in the current law, many people have the opportunity to take advantage of the loopholes, such as the case of A's son.
This problem is not only realized by Tang Fan, but also by many people.
For example, Lin Cong, the former minister of punishment, Dong Fang, and others have clearly proposed to revise the "Da Ming Law" in order to meet the growing demand for judgments.
But the "Law of the Great Ming" was set by Emperor Taizu, and it can't be changed if he wants to. After Taizu, many officials proposed to revise it, but every time someone proposed it, there would be a lot of speeches. He came out to impeach him in the name of violating the family law of his ancestors. Over time, the "Law of the Great Ming" was still the same "Law of the Great Ming". Many officials failed to find a basis in the process of judging the case, and could only judge according to their own common sense. Many wrongful convictions.
Tang Fan also felt that the "Law of the Great Ming" had to be revised, but it couldn't be changed directly above. Countless seniors had already demonstrated to him that it would not work and would be scolded badly, but if he didn't change the "Law of the Great Ming" , and choose to add some additional criminal regulations, there is no problem.
But even so, it's not Tang Fan's turn to call the shots now. He's just a small fifth-ranking lord, not the minister of the cabinet. If such a proposal is presented, it will probably be shelved. Besides, the court is not doing anything. 's court.
But when he entered the Ministry of Punishment, Tang Fan has a good environment. Here he can consult a lot of dossier materials that he could not see in Shuntian Mansion before, and he can also start his own plan - find out from various cases over the years The places where the judgment is unreasonable are listed and sorted out, and new punishment regulations are written on the basis of the "Daming Law".
If he can't ascend to a high position in his lifetime, these things are likely to never be implemented, but this does not mean that Tang Fan can live in the Ministry of Punishment like Yin Yuanhua and others, and spend all his energy on intrigue. He never forgot his original intention of becoming an official, just as he would never forget what his teacher Qiu Jun encouraged him before he left the capital.
No matter how dark the world is, there will always be a day when it will be bright again. No matter how dark the world is, there will always be a group of people who will make unremitting efforts to bring back that bright day.
Tang Fan is not the only one who is working hard, but he is willing to be one of them.
As a result, after Tang Fan was isolated, instead of being overwhelmed as everyone expected, he was so busy that he wanted to bury people in a tall case.
However, this task cannot be done overnight. It is not only huge, but also cumbersome. It is impossible for Tang Fan to do it alone. If several people do it together, the efficiency will definitely be much higher than that of him alone.
But Tang Fan also had his own plans. He was not in a hurry to call Dai Hongming and others over to show their loyalty and assign tasks to them, nor was he anxious because of the outside world's comments about him, so he moved all the files to him in Dai Hongming. After coming here, Master Tang let him do his own work, and then his daily work was to read the files and wait for the good show to kick off.
Two days later, it was normal working hours. Tang Fan was drinking tea while looking at the pile of files like a hill.
He looked at it very carefully. He looked at the case first, then the judgment. He picked out the unreasonable points and marked them separately, and then wrote his own opinions and ideas. The speed must be very slow, but he is not in a hurry. No hot tofu.
Just then, there was the sound of hurried footsteps outside.
After a while, Dai Hongming appeared at the door with a slightly anxious face: "My lord! My lord!"
Tang Fan raised his head: "What's the matter? Come in."
Dai Hongming walked in and lowered his voice: "Sir Butang called the ministers and members to a meeting, saying that they want to ask about the situation of the departments in the second half of the year."
Tang Fan asked, "When?"
Dai Hongming: "It's now!"
Tang Fan frowned slightly: "Why didn't you tell me in advance?"
Dai Hongming hesitated: "Xiaguan just found out..."
Tang Fan understood that Yuanwai Lang was Lang Zhong's deputy. Yin Yuanhua should have been in charge of this matter and informed him in advance, but Yin Yuanhua wanted him to make a fool of himself, so how could he have told him in advance
He hummed and didn't blame Dai Hongming, got up and walked out.
Dai Hongming was apprehensive, not only worried that Tang Fan would anger him, but also worried that Tang Fan's lack of preparation would cause the company to make a fool of himself at the meeting.
After walking for a while, Tang Fan turned around and saw that Dai Hongming was still following.
"No, no, the lower official thinks that the lord has something else to say, let's go, let's go!" Dai Hongming laughed dryly and hurriedly slipped away.
This meeting is a regular meeting. It is held every month, usually near the end of the month. However, this month it was postponed because Zhang Shangshu was away from the ministry for a few days. It should have been notified in advance. Tang Fan was a newcomer and was not welcome, so everyone bullied the newcomer, so when he just found out, the meeting was about to start.
Of course, among the various divisions, Tang Fan was the last to arrive, even half a step behind the two servants.
He hurriedly bowed his hands, then found his seat and sat down.
According to the rules, the bosses of the various divisions and the foreign bosses naturally sat together. Tang Fan's eyes met Yin Yuanhua, who was sitting next to him, inadvertently, and the latter gave him a smug look.
Tang Fan responded with a faint smile.
Sitting next to him was Lu Tongguang. The other party also saw Yin Yuanhua's demonstration against Tang Fan. He couldn't help sighing in his heart. After all, he couldn't bear it, so he quietly said to Tang Fan, "This meeting is not only about this month, but also about When discussing the plans of various divisions in the second half of the year, Zhang Butang may ask each division one by one, so you have to be prepared."
Tang Fan returned him a grateful smile and whispered, "Thank you, Brother Lu."
Lu Tongguang wanted to say something else, but Shang Shu Zhang Ying came in. He waved his hand quickly, motioning Tang Fan to stop talking.
As soon as the master arrives, the meeting officially begins.
Just as Lu Tongguang said, Zhang Shangshu first talked about the general situation of the Ministry of Justice in the first half of the year, and then focused on a few cases that had not yet been judged, urged the departments to step up, and then began to let the departments report.
Yin Yuanhua had already made a plan. Since he had no preparation in advance, and it was just a few days after his arrival, when it was the turn of the Henan Qing officials, Tang Fan reckoned that most likely he would not be able to answer. Opportunity now.
Even if Tang Fan is unlikely to be dismissed or transferred for a while, but as long as he behaves poorly and is isolated, he will be unable to do anything in the punishment department, and his powers will be emptied. Not as good.
Si Xian Langzhong, a Qing official in Fujian, said: "It is a common practice in Fujian to have a younger brother, and it is customary, and many people have come from the palace because of this, but they are not allowed to enter the palace as eunuchs. The envoys have repeatedly sent letters to the court requesting that the imperial court strictly forbid the common people to use their palaces privately, and those who violate the law will be severely punished, otherwise I am afraid that this trend will intensify."
Zhang Shangshu asked Liang Shilang, "What do you think?"
Liang Shilang pondered: "I have also seen a letter from Fujian reporting this matter. In the seventh year of Jingtai and the seventh year of Chenghua, the imperial court ordered the prohibition of civilians from the palace, but the effect was very limited. To this end, it has accumulated over time and has become a common practice, which is why it has been banned repeatedly. If you want to completely cut off this matter, you should think about the source. My proposal is to be ordered by the imperial court, which stipulates that people who privately go to the palace in the future will not be allowed to enter the palace. "
Tang Fan nodded secretly when he heard it. Although this Liang Shilang was covering up his disciples and getting along with him everywhere, he did have some abilities, and he was a bit better than those mediocre officials.
Zhang Shangshu nodded and said to Xian Lang, "You can write it down first, then go back and sort out Liang Shilang's proposal and present it to me to take a look."
Xian Langzhong responded quickly and reported some more information.
After Fujian's speech, it was naturally the next one's turn.
The speeches at the meeting were originally not based on the order from north to south or from south to north, but were distinguished according to everyone's seats. Lu Tongguang sat on the left of Tang Fan, Xian Langzhong sat on the right of Tang Fan, In order from right to left, after Xian Langzhong finished speaking, it was Tang Fan's turn, then Lu Tongguang.
Zhang Shangshu's eyes moved away from Xian Langzhong and fell on Tang Fan.
"Are you the new Henan Qing official? We don't seem to have met before?"
Tang Fan got up and saluted: "It's the official. The official went to visit the Ministry these few days. Unfortunately, the Ministry was away, so I didn't meet you. Please forgive me."
Zhang Shangshu grinned, but he was reasonable: "Since it's a coincidence, what's the crime? Sit down, what do you think is the situation of the Qing officials in Henan?"
When Yin Yuanhua heard the words, he was overjoyed. Tang Fan has only been here for two days, and he has a fart situation to talk about. Shouldn't it be up to him
Thinking of this, he straightened his back and wanted to speak.
But I heard Tang Fan say: "Xiaguan went to Henan Qingli Division for a few days, and found that people here are superfluous and procrastination. Many old cases were wrongly judged due to negligence, and they were even fooled. There are indeed many things worth improving. "
Is there anything wrong with this person, why is he biting like a mad dog when he talks? Yin Yuanhua couldn't help turning his head to stare at him.
Not only him, but everyone else looked at Tang Fan like a monster.
Only Tang Fan's expression was as usual, calm and composed, as if those words just now didn't come out of his own mouth.