Volume 1 The Wind Rises Chapter 10: Stab someone in the back and make things difficult for them
"Strict laws are not for punishment, but for restraint!"
Zhang Yue was pleased to hear this and exclaimed, "That's very well said. The Central Plains has been through war for a long time and the people are living in hardship. It is inevitable that some scoundrels will take advantage of the situation to cause chaos. If we use strict laws to restrain them, the world will be in order. Luo and I share the same ideals!"
There was some excitement in his words.
Today's Great Zhou still uses the "Da Zhong Criminal Law General Classification" promulgated during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang as the basis for criminal law.
This was absolutely unacceptable to the ambitious Guo Rong. He wanted to draft a completely new law, a law that belonged only to the Great Zhou.
This new law is divided into several categories, including imperial edicts, decrees, regulations and styles. Kaifeng Prefecture is responsible for the part of the criminal law regarding civil litigation, which is also the duty of Kaifeng Prefecture, to plead for the people.
This is why there is a difference between Zhang Yue and Lu Bin in terms of strictness and leniency.
They did not know that Luo Youdu was an official appointed by Guo Rong himself, but Luo Youdu was appointed without any assessment. He was arranged by the top leader of Kaifeng Prefecture himself and the Ministry of Personnel gave the order directly. This kind of treatment was usually only enjoyed by the top scholar in the imperial examination.
They are all thousand-year-old foxes, who can't see some problems?
Although Luo Youdu's position is not high, he is the one who is most worth winning over and incorporating into one's own administrative philosophy in order to achieve the goal of promotion.
Zhang Yue treated Luo Youdu as his own and worked extra hard to help him.
Just like in later generations, as long as you have your own people in the position, things will go surprisingly smoothly.
The following procedures did not require Luo Youdu to run around at all. Everything was kept simple and was completed after going through a set of procedures within the Ministry of Households.
It was not just a blind allocation, the doctor of the Ministry of Revenue specially selected three places and let Luo Youdu choose for himself.
One is very close to Kaifeng Mansion, just two streets away, in a prime location. But it only has a small courtyard, and the environment and orientation are not very good, facing away from the sun. Another is relatively far away, a small to medium-sized mansion facing north and south. The last one is located in the middle of Kaifeng, not in the prosperous north, but it covers a large area and has three large courtyards.
Luo Youdu decisively chose the second set as a compromise.
There are only one old man, one child and a donkey in the family. We don't need too much space, but we don't want to compromise ourselves, so a compromise is the most suitable.
After thanking Zhang Yue again and again, Luo Youdu returned to Kaifeng Prefecture and studied the Da Zhong Criminal Law General Class until dusk. When he left Kaifeng Prefecture, it was like punching out from get off work.
When he returned to the mansion, Luo Youdu selected an inkstone and a box of Nanyue Yunwu Tea from the generous gifts sent by Zhao Kuangyin, and asked Lao Hu to deliver them to Zhang Yue . Then he told him about the new home and asked him to find some reliable people tomorrow, give each of them two big coins, and move the valuables to the new home in the north of the city.
They used all their remaining Tongbao coins to buy wine and meat, but Zhao Kuangyin was very generous and the gifts they gave were all valuable items, especially brocade and silk.
Among food, clothing, housing and transportation, clothing comes first.
Whenever inflation occurred, the imperial currency lost credibility and the era of barter began.
Cloth will always be the first hard currency to replace coins.
Just by cutting six feet of the brocade given by Zhao Kuangyin and selling it, their economic conditions improved.
The south of the city was too deserted and the security was not very good, so Lao Hu was naturally happy to move to the north of the city and had no regrets at all.
The next day, Luo Youdu studied "Da Zhong Criminal Law General Classification " as usual and gained a preliminary understanding of criminal law.
Just as he was absorbed in watching, Lu Bin approached with an unsuspecting look on his face and asked, "Are you used to being here, Mr. Luo?"
Luo Youdu quickly put the book in his hand aside, stood up and gave way, and said with a smile: "It's much more relaxed than before, so there's nothing to get used to."
Lu Bin asked pointedly, "I heard that the official went to the Ministry of Revenue yesterday to apply for a residence, and is about to move into a new house?"
Luo Youdu’s mind raced, was he being tricked?
Is it Yin Yide?
It seems that my job as a legal professional has made him wary.
Come to think of it, as a fellow lawyer, although I don't have much experience, I am very famous.
If there is an opportunity for promotion, who is more likely to get it?
If Lü Bin takes the position, the post of Fa Cao will be vacant. Similarly, if Zhang Yue becomes the second in command of Kaifeng Prefecture, given the conflict between him and Lü Bin, I am afraid Lü Bin will not be able to stay in office for long.
If he didn't show up, with his style of pleasing both sides, no matter who was in power, he would be able to make further progress.
Now that I have my own existence, it’s hard to say who will take the top position.
"Yes!"
Without hesitation, as if nothing had happened, Luo Youdu said straightforwardly: "Let the old housekeeper hire people to move. Our family is poor and we don't have many things. We can move in tonight. Speaking of this, I have to thank Zhang Yue and Zhang Fuyuan. It's a coincidence. When I got the news from Yin Gongshi that I could apply for a house, I immediately went to the Ministry of Revenue. I met Zhang Fuyuan in the Ministry of Personnel. I didn't recognize him, but I didn't expect that he actually recognized me. He was very enthusiastic to help, which saved me a lot of trouble."
There is something else behind his words.
Lu Bin is one of the six officials of Kaifeng Prefecture. He is not the imperial secret agent Ling Lingqi, nor is he the spy chief like Jinyiwei. He has a group of elusive spies under him to gather intelligence.
If no one had told him, how could he have known so quickly that he had met his opponent yesterday and come to me with an unhappy look on his face to talk?
Seeing Luo Youdu's casual answer, Lu Bin thought that Luo Youdu was unaware of the conflict between himself and Zhang Yue, and even less aware that the two of them had fought tooth and nail for the position of magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture, so he heaved a sigh of relief.
But I could hear another meaning from Luo Youdu's words.
I got the news from Yin Yide, and then we met by coincidence. I also unexpectedly heard from Yin Yide that Zhang Yue was leading Luo Youdu to apply for a mansion!
This is not a coincidence, right?
Lu Bin was a little confused and he chatted absentmindedly with Luo Youdu for a few words before leaving in a hurry.
Luo Youdu returned to his seat calmly, picked up the "Da Zhong Criminal Law General Class" and continued reading it.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed. Luo Youdu had finished reading the twelve volumes, 121 chapters, and 1,250 articles of the "Da Zhong Criminal Law General Classification" and could recite it fluently.
During this period, several criminal cases occurred. Luo Youdu gave Lu Bin corresponding suggestions based on the criminal law regulations in his mind, which was highly praised.
Luo Youdu also clearly felt that Lu Bin was trying to make things difficult for Yin Yide again.
During this month, the dispute between Lu Bin and Zhang Yue intensified, because Guo Rong had given Kaifeng Prefecture a final deadline that the regulations and standards for civil litigation must be clarified within this year.
Cui Yan held three , and the two sides engaged in a heated debate.
The man has his own reasons and the woman has her own reasons, just like the old woman's foot binding which is long and smelly, no one can convince anyone else.
Luo Youdu just stood there watching a play and never said a word.
