Subjects are able to act, and kings are able to reward and punish. - "Character Chronicles"
In the feudal empire, the emperor often plays the role of a rule-maker, and for the governance of the world, there is no way to do everything in detail, nor can it be too idealistic.
In contrast, how to achieve the goal of serving the masses and establishing prestige through some methods of four or two thousand pounds is particularly important.
As said in the opening "Character Chronicle", only the emperor who knows the art of control will have the opportunity to achieve the great cause in his heart.
And to talk about the emperor who has outstanding talents in this regard, Tang Taizong Li Shimin is a very classic example.
At that time, Li Shimin was criticized for the Xuanwumen Incident, and in order to show that he was not a brutal monarch, he had boldly implemented many benevolent policies.
The most famous thing is the release of 390 death row inmates to go home for the New Year, and what is even more unexpected is that the return of all death row inmates in the following year has really become a major achievement of Li Shimin's reign.
But in fact, throughout history, it is not difficult to find that behind this benevolent act, it is more like a political show, and the return of the death row prisoners has an indescribable helplessness and sadness.
A political gamble just to win hearts and minds – the death row pact
In the sixth year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin, who was able to inherit the unification because of the Xuanwumen Incident that year, still needed to constantly respond to the discussion from the outside world.
In the eyes of many people, the man who won the throne through fratricide must be a tyrant.
On the other hand, Li Shimin has already begun to calculate, through various means of benevolent rule, to completely whitewash himself.
By chance, Li Shimin flipped through the list of death row prisoners who were on death row and waited to be beheaded after the autumn of the next year, and on a whim, he decided to go to death row to see the situation of these death row inmates.
Moreover, during the reign of the emperors of the Tang Dynasty, there were often cases in which prisoners were pardoned under different names.
When Li Shimin came to death row, facing the emperor who could easily decide his own life and death, many death row inmates began to bow their heads and repent in front of Li Shimin.
In the face of death, most death row inmates are extremely eager for Li Shimin and can give themselves a way to live.
Faced with this situation, Li Shimin developed a heart of compassion, and on the spot, he announced a will.
That is, the immediate release of 390 death row inmates, who can have half a year to walk hand in hand with their families, and then return to death row to accept the criminal law when the deadline for the next fall is coming.
When Li Shimin announced his decision, the retinue around him was shocked.
You must know that Li Shimin's move was extremely rare among the emperors of all generations, and he did not want to be lenient with other people, but a group of people who were about to die in the eyes of the world.
Most of the ministers at that time thought that their visit would be a never-ending, and most of the people at that time would have the psychology of escape in the face of death.
To everyone's great surprise, the following autumn, when the day of the execution of death row inmates approached, 390 death row inmates returned to heavenly prison, and even everyone expressed their willingness to accept the criminal law.
When Li Shimin saw these death row inmates, he kept his promise so much that for a moment the dragon was overjoyed, and he made another will.
All these death row inmates were acquitted, and for a time, the emperor, who was considered by many to be a tyrant, changed the way many people looked at themselves.
In fact, the reason why these death row prisoners were treated so leniently was precisely because with their cooperation, Li Shimin's political gamble achieved the effect he wanted in his heart to win people's hearts.
The real reason why death row inmates have returned
In the eyes of many people, the act of releasing death row prisoners must be Li Shimin's benevolent act as a king, after all, as an emperor who holds the power to kill people in the world, there is nothing more than pardoning those who are about to die, and showing benevolence.
But in fact, when we understand the civilian governance situation in the Tang Dynasty at that time, we will know that there are many inevitablies and helplessness in the return of 390 death row prisoners.
First of all, in the case of extremely limited enforcement of the law, the ancients paid more attention to noble virtues, especially the spirit of keeping promises.
Therefore, when Li Shimin first made a lenient treatment of death row prisoners, the death row prisoners will also choose to repay Li Shimin by throwing peaches and repaying Li Shimin.
After all, the emperor gave them the last chance to reunite with their families, and in return, many people would choose to keep their promises and return to death row to accept the criminal law.
Second, it seems that when Li Shimin announced the release of death row inmates, this group of people was freed, but in fact, they still had the spying of relevant officials wherever they went.
That is to say, not all death row inmates will have the spirit of keeping their promises mentioned earlier, and once they really have the idea of escaping, these officials who are secretly monitoring them will also come forward to stop them.
Finally, and it should be the biggest concern of these death row prisoners, it is the most stringent system of joint sitting in the Tang Dynasty.
Although the Tang Dynasty has always had a tradition of benevolent rule of amnesty for the world, the coldness of the sitting system is still beyond the imagination of modern people.
It is conceivable that many of the 390 death row inmates who were originally pardoned and returned home had elderly elders and young children, and even if the death row inmates could go away alone and fly high, these weak families would also be affected.
Therefore, considering any of these three reasons alone, these death row inmates will involuntarily return to death row.
For them, the so-called months of personal freedom are also under surveillance, and acceptance and obedience are the wisest choices.
A political show of four or two pounds
For Li Shimin, stemming from the Xuanwumen Incident, the first few years of his succession to the throne, there seems to be nothing more important than establishing the image of benevolence in front of the courtiers and the people.
And this agreement with death row inmates, in the eyes of many modern people, is a political show of four or two pounds.
Just think, from the perspective of human instinct, no kind of forgiveness would be more gratifying than being exempt from capital crimes, and from the perspective of the people of the Tang Dynasty, no kind of imperial grace would be more worthy of praise than pardoning 390 death row prisoners at the same time.
Don't forget that this so-called act of benevolence began precisely in a foolproof situation.
That is to say, the act of imperial benevolence that the people of the world praise can actually be seen as Li Shimin's self-written and self-performed, but for people who do not know the truth, such a move is to show Li Shimin's benevolence.
I have to say that this is definitely the most cost-effective choice made by Tang Taizong in the process of giving grace to the world in order to seek a good reputation.
epilogue
Taken together, behind a amnesty that seems to show the benevolence of the monarch, there is a very strong political meaning.
Combined with the political environment of the Tang Dynasty during Li Shimin's time, we as descendants will truly understand Li Shimin's true intention of pardoning death row prisoners.
Of course, in the face of the imminent end of life, there is little hope of escape, and none of the 390 death row prisoners have returned with a fluke mentality, and we should also see the great importance of integrity in the hearts of the Tang Dynasty.