Chapter 986: Revising the Laws

Ever since arriving at Qionglin Garden, the Emperor had settled in and showed no signs of leaving, clearly intending to stay for a while. Because Liu Chengyou was residing apart here, the noble ladies of the Han palace could no longer sit still, and one after another they left the palace to come keep him company and attend to him.

Indeed, the Great Han's imperial garden was this one place, where he could enjoy spring outings, sightseeing, and relaxation — just this one spot, simple enough. The princes naturally came along as well; by the fifteenth year of Qianyou, Liu Chengyou's sons had grown another notch.

The eldest prince, Liu Xu, was about to turn fourteen, and not long ago, Empress Dowager Li had already summoned Liu Chengyou to discuss finding him a proper wife. Though Liu Chengyou felt it was still early — not even reaching the Great Han's legal marriage age — the Empress Dowager was anxious, and Liu Chengyou had no choice but to consider the matter.

Liu Xu could be said to have grown up under the Empress Dowager's personal care, and the bond between grandmother and grandson ran deep. The Empress Dowager's urgency had its reasons — in recent years, her health had declined, and she was visibly aging day by day; after all, she was nearly sixty years of age.

It was the season of growing grass and singing orioles, with gentle winds and bright sunshine. Strolling amid a sea of green, long carpets were spread across the flat meadow. Reclining on his side in a comfortable posture, with a Lady of Beauty by his side, he basked in the sun, felt the lake breeze, sipped wine, listened to music, and watched his children playing in the distance — a picture of leisurely contentment.

A horseman came galloping up, sending grass clippings flying. As he drew near, a guard hurriedly took the reins and steadied the stirrup. Seeing Liu Chengyou's relaxed posture, the newcomer laughed from a distance: "Your Majesty is quite at ease! How this minister envies you!"

Hearing the voice, Liu Chengyou looked over at the arrival, sat up, and his expression brightened as he said: "My imperial uncle has come! Why haven't you set up a seat for my imperial uncle at once!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Murong Yanchao was also past fifty now, but he maintained his health well — hale and hearty, with a ruddy complexion and not a trace of white in his beard or hair. In fact, this imperial uncle of his, aside from a greedy nature, still had quite a few virtues and endearing qualities to be found in him. Moreover, under Liu Chengyou's restraint, his reputation had been fairly good these years, and he had handled many matters for the court.

Therefore, Liu Chengyou treated this imperial uncle quite generously. Once he was seated, Liu Chengyou asked with a smile: "What business required you to make a personal trip all the way to Qionglin Garden?"

Murong Yanchao didn't stand on ceremony. He first took a hearty drink of wine to moisten his throat, then said to Liu Chengyou: "For your minister to come see Your Majesty, naturally there must be important matters to report!"

"Please speak, imperial uncle!" Liu Chengyou raised a hand in a gesture of invitation, though inwardly he was fairly relaxed, even wondering whether his uncle had come again to request approval for some construction project.

Murong Yanchao then said: "Your Majesty, in recent years your minister has been reviewing criminal cases across the realm, and regarding certain judgments and sentences, I have some doubts. I have come specially to report them!"

"Hm?" Liu Chengyou's brow furrowed instinctively, and alarm bells rang in his mind: "Could there be some wrongful case or corrupt verdict?"

Murong Yanchao said: "No! It's just that in the process of reviewing cases, your minister feels that certain punishments need adjustment in terms of sentencing severity. I have also heard the views of many officials from the State Finance Commission, and they have all voiced their opinions."

Liu Chengyou grew interested and said: "Tell me the specifics!"

Seeing that he had caught the Emperor's attention, Murong Yanchao said: "Take the theft statutes — the Criminal Code stipulates that stolen goods worth one thousand full strings warrant the death penalty. Your minister and others believe this is somewhat too harsh and humbly request a more lenient sentencing standard!"

According to established custom, one string was a hundred coins, though in practice there were great discrepancies. When the government paid out, one string was set at ninety-three coins, while what the people paid in remained as before. The difference was called the provincial short-string. In the early days of the Han, under Wang Zhang's stewardship, it was even more exaggerated — the government paid out at eighty or even seventy-seven coins per string. Though this eased the court's fiscal pressure, it provoked tremendous popular resentment.

It couldn't be called outright extortion, but it was certainly oppressive governance. Even after it was later abolished, to this day, when the government side paid out money, it never paid a full string — after all, the "provincial short-string" was an extremely large source of revenue.

One thousand full strings — that is, one hundred min — and theft of goods exceeding that value meant death. Objectively speaking, that was indeed somewhat heavy. Theft was no minor crime, but depending on the severity of the circumstances, there should still be more appropriate sentencing.

After thinking it over, Liu Chengyou asked: "In these years, how many criminals have been sentenced to death for theft?"

At the question, Murong Yanchao immediately replied: "In the past five years, a total of three hundred ninety-two people!"

"That many!" Liu Chengyou looked rather surprised.

"Then change it!" Liu Chengyou was decisive and immediately instructed Murong Yanchao: "Raise the threshold for the death penalty in theft cases! But this does not mean leniency toward thieves — this remains a vile act that endangers public order. Continue to refine the punitive statutes!"

"Yes!"

His expression still grave, Liu Chengyou asked again: "Surely it's not just this one statute?"

Murong Yanchao nodded and proactively handed over a memorial, saying: "This is what your minister and various colleagues have compiled. I ask Your Majesty to review it. Many points require deliberation, especially the commercial statutes — in recent years, the court's commercial tax revenue has surged, yet the laws still have many loopholes..."

Liu Chengyou opened it and skimmed through it. The listed statutes were indeed numerous — several dozen of them — with each entry annotated with the reasons for adjustment. He couldn't help but look at this imperial uncle with a surprised gaze. Not long ago he had been teasing him for not tending to proper business, and now he had delivered this pleasant surprise — he had done a great deal of work behind the scenes!

A smile appeared on his face as Liu Chengyou said: "It seems the Great Han's Criminal Code is due for another revision! I'll leave this matter for you, imperial uncle, to lead. Select officials from the three judicial offices to amend and adjust the outdated statutes. In addition, besides the criminal statutes, the civil statutes should also undergo a review!"

"Yes!"

Since the Criminal Code had been completed, the Great Han's laws had been continuously expanded, revised, and refined — but these were all minor patches. A major revision like this was the first of its kind.

Revising the laws was an extremely important commission, and being entrusted with it, Murong Yanchao felt both invigorated and under considerable pressure. After a moment's thought, he said: "Your Majesty, revising the laws is a great matter of state. With your minister's abilities, presiding over this task — I fear I may not be equal to it!"

Liu Chengyou was even more pleased with Murong Yanchao's self-awareness and immediately laughed: "Then I'll find you a deputy, imperial uncle!"

Liu Chengyou knew well what Murong Yanchao's abilities were — sufficient for trying cases and rendering judgments, but when it came to legal provisions, that would be a struggle for him. Were he truly given full authority, Liu Chengyou wouldn't feel entirely at ease.

He searched his mind for suitable candidates, names flashing past one by one. Suddenly, Liu Chengyou looked at Murong Yanchao: "Imperial uncle, do you have anyone to recommend?"

Almost without hesitation, Murong Yanchao said: "What about Dou Yan, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice?"

"He's the one!" With those words, Liu Chengyou settled the matter.

That man had been among the candidates Liu Chengyou was just considering. Of the five Dou brothers, Dou Yi and Dou Yan were both highly accomplished in the study of legal codes and institutions. Dou Yan had originally earned Liu Chengyou's appreciation for this very reason, later being transferred to the Eastern Palace, and at the start of last year, reassigned to the Ministry of Justice. At the same time, Liu Chengyou could be fairly certain that the idea of revising the laws had likely originated with Dou Yan, merely submitted through Murong Yanchao's memorial.

"Since my imperial uncle rarely visits, stay and sit with me for a while — let's enjoy the scenery of Jinming Pool together!" Having finished the official business, Liu Chengyou said to Murong Yanchao.

Upon hearing this, while gladly accepting the invitation, Murong Yanchao couldn't help but offer a suggestion: "Your Majesty, you possess all within the four seas, yet the places available for you to tour and relieve the fatigue of governance number just this one — even horse riding can't be enjoyed to the full. Your minister knows Your Majesty does not care for extravagant sights, but you have labored for the state for many years. Building a detached palace for rest during leisure — your minister believes that when the realm's subjects hear of it, they will not criticize, and will even understand..."

There it was — what Imperial Uncle Murong truly loved was still construction. First Kaifeng, then recently suggesting the restoration of Luoyang, and now directly proposing a detached palace to his face.

Liu Chengyou countered: "Imperial uncle, you haven't already planned out a detached palace for me together with those friends and fellow enthusiasts you've gathered, have you?"

Suddenly invigorated, Murong Yanchao clasped his hands and said: "If Your Majesty so desires, your minister will immediately arrange for people to put brush to paper and draft the plans!"

"No need!" Liu Chengyou waved his hand: "I appreciate your kind intentions, imperial uncle! Not to mention that my aspirations lie elsewhere — even if I had such a mind, this is not the time for it!"