Kaifeng Prefecture Travelogue
Author: Liu Fang Anhui Province, Nashao Lake City, Hefei Eighth Hospital
It was a chance encounter with you. Although your name has always been resounding in the folk and in television dramas since childhood, it was the first time to stand close and observe your workplace. This was on the way to visit Guo Liang, so it was a detour. The host suggested that everyone visit the famous open court in Kaifeng, which took two hours. It could be used as a stopover, and it was also an opportunity to meet you face to face.
The Open Court was built during the fifth dynasty and was a government office. It was similar to many other ancient government offices, but it flourished during the Northern Song Dynasty. However, its prosperity and extravagance belonged only to the nobles, princes, and wealthy merchants. It was because of your achievements in administering the court that it became widely respected and known as a just and honorable legacy.
The government offices across the world were countless, so why was the Open Court so famous? It was because you had worked there.
When we stepped into the courtyard surrounded by high walls, we were not greeted by your towering statue, but by the stele in the original stone with your motto: 'Your salary, your merit, the people's benefits, the people's opinions, the heavens cannot intimidate, the people cannot deceive.' This is a simple and straightforward way of governing. It's a pity that it has been rarely understood for thousands of years.
It was because you always put the people's interests first and the common people as your family that you engraved these sixteen words in the center of your office courtyard, so that everyone who passed through it could not avoid seeing them. They not only reminded you of your conscience and righteousness, but also influenced many of the officials who worked with you.
Under your actions, the Northern Song Dynasty's judiciary had a period of open and transparent governance, and the Open Court in later generations also produced many prominent figures such as Ouyang Xiu, Sima Guang, Wang Anshi, and Su Shi. They were even more upright and diligent in administering justice than you, but they were not as bold as you to challenge the Empress and Princesses, or to chop off the heads of theirou. They also insisted on the principles of being just and upright, changing the to be more just, and advocating for the people. This was a good example for you to follow. Since then, the Open Court was revered by the people, and everyone respected and admired you. You were both diligent and lucky, because you met an enlightened and open-minded monarch and a political environment, which allowed your justice and talent to be fully developed.
Unfortunately, your and several scholars' efforts could not save the internal corruption of the royal group, and the Northern Song Dynasty eventually failed to withstand the iron hooves of the Jin people. Your 'Prince commits a crime, and the common people are guilty' concept of fair and equitable law and spirit were lost in the chaotic retreat of the army. But your name was engraved in the annals of history and deeply imprinted on the hearts of the people, which could never be replaced.
The tourists were happily beating the copper bells outside the main hall, and the clear sound of the bells and the majestic sound of the drums pierced through the carved beams and pillars. I could almost hear you slam the wooden gavel and sternly announce: 'Whoever commits a crime, let him be escorted to the hall!' I could also see the evil souls committing crimes and misdemeanors being terrified and trembling at your imposing and unwavering gaze, as if they were about to be punished.
It is said that you had the ability to 'examine the sun, investigate the moon.' You didn't use torture to coerce confessions, you relied on evidence to resolve cases, and you would never be afraid of powerful people, would never be swayed by private interests, and would never make arbitrary judgments or cause unnecessary bloodshed. Even the imperial family members and close friends would be brought to you to account for their crimes.
—You deserve it!
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