After the grand court meeting was over, Fang Yun returned to the Left Prime Minister's Cabinet and summoned the Queen Mother, the Left Prime Minister, all cabinet councilors, and important officials from the cabinet and ministries. With the participation of the great Legalist Confucian Gao Mo, they prepared to collectively draft a "Draft Constitution of the Jing Kingdom."
In fact, after everyone arrived, Fang Yun gave everyone a copy of the draft constitution he had drafted.
Just seeing the beginning, all the officials were shocked. They didn't expect Fang Yun to be so bold.
The first article of the Constitution states that Jingguo is a human nation with scholars as the main body under the leadership of the monarch and the cabinet.
The officials originally did not know what the Constitution was, but after listening to Fang Yun's explanation in the Fengtian Hall, they all knew that the Constitution is the highest law of a country, and all laws and regulations of the country must be formulated and implemented in accordance with and in compliance with the Constitution, and any unconstitutional behavior is not allowed.
It can be said that the Constitution stipulates what kind of country the country is, what kind of laws the laws are, and what kind of officials are.
Although the first article of this constitution did not clearly state the nature of the State of Jing, it placed the cabinet and the monarch on an almost equal footing for the first time, which meant that from now on, the King of Jing would not have the power to overthrow the cabinet.
In other words, Jingjun no longer had absolute control over the cabinet, not even the power of veto.
All the officials had the same thought in their minds: Sima Zhao's intention was known to everyone.
However, this first article obviously did not abolish the power of the monarch.
Gao Mo, the elder of the Criminal Hall, looked at the first item and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes, but then he sighed helplessly.
Gao Mo was very dissatisfied with Fang Yun's first point, which was too moderate or peacemaker-like, because it neither fully determined the nature of the country or political system, nor distinguished the superiority of Jingjun and the cabinet.
However, Gao Mo did not blame Fang Yun, because there was no other way. If the Constitution was formulated too radically, the royal family would rather die than agree to it, so this first constitution had to be like this.
However, when he saw the second constitution, Gao Mo smiled.
Article 2 of the Constitution provides that the legislative power provided for in this Constitution shall be vested entirely in the Cabinet.
This means that Jing Jun no longer has the power to legislate and can no longer formulate and decide the laws and regulations of Jing State.
The Queen Mother only read two articles of the constitution and she gritted her teeth, wishing she could tear the draft in front of her into pieces.
The third article made the Queen Mother's brows relax, as it stated that all laws of the Kingdom of Jing must be approved by the monarch and stamped with the imperial seal.
Article 4 states that all cabinet ministers, heads of departments, heads of states, and officials of the third rank or above are nominated by the cabinet, appointed by the monarch and sealed with the imperial seal.
This means that no one can hold a high position without Jing Jun’s consent.
However, the Queen Mother's expression changed afterwards, which meant that the monarch could only decide the appointment of high-level officials, but could not decide the stay or departure of middle- and low-level officials. Before that, the monarch was responsible for the appointment and dismissal of officials of the fifth rank and above.
After reading the fifth article, the Queen Mother's expression improved again. The Constitution stipulates that the monarch is the highest authority in charge of a country's ceremonies, and any major ceremony should be presided over by the monarch.
Seeing this, many officials also breathed a sigh of relief. In Shengyuan Continent, the importance of etiquette is beyond doubt, because the monarch is the Son of Heaven, the leader of the human race determined by heaven, and the monarch's power comes from heaven, which is the greatest etiquette. If the monarch cannot hold the etiquette, it means that the monarch is not the Son of Heaven, and without the orthodox status, the legitimacy and rationality of his power will not exist.
Fang Yun actually decided to let Jing Jun be in charge of the country's major ceremonies, which meant that there was no intention to abolish the monarch, which made the officials no longer worry about Fang Yun usurping the throne.
However, after reading the sixth article, the Queen Mother slammed the draft on the table in front of her.
"I will never allow the sixth rule to appear!"
The officials were silent.
Article 6 of the Constitution clearly states that the emperor is in charge of rituals, rituals belong to heaven, and the holy emperor governs with ease. The cabinet governs, politics belongs to the people, and scholars serve the monarch with diligence. Cabinet officials should take the initiative to take on government affairs on behalf of the monarch, so that the monarch can better manage the rituals of the country.
This is depriving the monarch of his power!
According to the orthodox Confucian interpretation, a sage emperor rules the country with ease, which means that he does not impose extra taxes, does not burden the people, and does not wage unnecessary wars. In short, he does not do things that he should not do. As long as he does things that are benevolent, righteous, and moral, and masters the laws of propriety, all officials and people will act in their own way and there will be no problems.
Since the world is well governed, it would be as easy for the emperor to govern the country as sitting back and doing nothing.
However, some eclectic scholars or scholars deliberately distorted this sentence and understood it to mean that a truly wise emperor should sit in the temple, do nothing, and leave government affairs to officials. This is good for the world and the people.
This intention to seize imperial power has been enduring among scholars and has never stopped.
All the officials seemed not to have heard the Queen Mother's words and continued to read.
Because it is just a draft, the content of the entries is not detailed.
Some of the content is broad, some is more pertinent, and some is offensive to the officials.
For example, everyone is equal before the law.
In the human race, there is no such thing as an emperor who is subject to the same punishment as the common people when breaking the law. Only when a prince breaks the law is he subject to the same punishment as the common people. In fact, there is no law that can restrain the monarch. Although this constitution is a bit weird, all officials know that it is just a slogan and can never really take effect.
However, the clause following this constitution is unacceptable to many officials.
Equality of men and women.
The Queen Mother looked at this with a complicated expression, and Zhao Hongzhuang's stubborn face appeared before her eyes.
"Prime Minister Fang, I do not agree with writing gender equality into such an important constitution." Yang Xuwen said.
Fang Yun smiled and said, "Half of Jingguo is made up of women, and all men are born of women. Without you and me, or even without the civil and military officials in the court, the human race can still continue. Without women, the human race will perish. If all the women in the world are not worthy of being important, then what is worthy of being important?"
Yang Xuwen said: "Women are weak and can't even tie a chicken, so they can't be accepted by the upper class. They can't govern the country with their literary skills, and they can't kill monsters with their martial arts. Why can they be equal to men?"
Many officials nodded slightly, agreeing with Yang Xuwen's words.
Fang Yun asked, "Could it be that Prime Minister Yang wants to stand up for women, recommend women to govern the country and bring peace to the nation, and let women be promoted to civil positions and gain the power to kill demons and barbarians?"
Yang Xuwen said helplessly: "I can't argue with you, but I absolutely don't agree with this. If you force it through, I will exercise my veto power."
The officials were shocked. They didn't expect that just after Sheng Boyuan was forced to leave, the court officials finally reached a consensus, and a conflict broke out between the Left Prime Minister and the Assistant Prime Minister.
This time, Yang Xuwen's attitude was extremely firm.
Fang Yun said helplessly: "Then I will take a step back. Men and women are equal before the law. If Prime Minister Yang allows his wife, daughter and mother to suffer unfair treatment, then I have nothing to say."
Yang Xuwen stared at Fang Yun for a long time, then silently lowered his head and continued to read the Constitution at the back.