My Wife is Unbeatable in the Whole World, Touch Me If You Dare!
Chapter 522 - 345: Reverse Indecency

Zhao Country.

Capital.

A notice was just posted at the palace gate: Fourth Prince King Sheng has been found guilty of plotting against the Empress, with irrefutable evidence. According to the joint trial by the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Justice, and Zongzheng Si, he should be sentenced to death in accordance with the law.

However, the Empress showed mercy, considering their blood ties, and spared his life. She merely stripped him of his title, confiscated the Sheng Mansion's properties and assets, which were all turned over to the National Treasury, and King Sheng himself was put under house arrest in the palace, forbidden to leave for the rest of his life.

Before ascending to the throne, the Empress narrowly escaped an assassination attempt, which has become widely known.

To this day, people still speculate about the mastermind behind it.

Some say it was King An, as he had the second highest votes among the courtiers after the Empress.

Some say it was King Sheng, although he is the Empress's own brother. If anything happened to the Empress, a new election would be held, and those who originally supported the Empress would likely support King Sheng, giving him strong motivation.

Some courtiers believe that King Sheng had already changed his ways and given up on the throne, but it turns out that was just a facade.

The capital's citizens and officials have been discussing this matter.

Even with the Empress on the throne, King Sheng, as the most distinguished prince, ended up in such a state, and many say he deserved it.

Imperial Palace.

Zhaoyang Palace.

Zhaoyang Palace was originally the Empress's sleeping quarters, but these past two days, Li Nuo and Yiren also stayed here.

Saving the Empress cost Li Nuo half of his life span.

The capture of King Sheng allowed him to recover slightly.

Sentencing a first-grade prince could add a thousand days to his lifespan.

Although it wasn't a death penalty, such a punishment was almost as severe as death for him.

Capturing King Sheng is not the end, but the beginning.

There are still many officials and nobles in Zhao Country waiting for him to capture.

However, there are some issues to be solved before taking action.

In front of Li Nuo, there was a thick "Zhao Law."

The laws of Zhao Country and Daxia have some differences in details, but overall, they are not much different.

Redemption is present in both countries' laws, allowing officials and nobles to pay silver to be exempt from punishment or to offset penalties with a reduction in position or title.

As a Legalism, Li Nuo naturally disapproved of redemption.

But in Daxia, he couldn't make decisions. Legal reforms are not as easy as medical reforms; how could Daxia's officials and nobles easily give up their privileges?

Without the Emperor's support, even making a small push forward in the law is extremely difficult.

The Empress has just ascended the throne, and completely abolishing redemption would cause widespread unrest.

Li Nuo couldn't just do what he liked and leave her with an unmanageable mess.

This matter needs to be approached step by step and cannot be rushed.

Currently, in Zhao Country, only death penalty cannot be redeemed. If it can be changed to include both death and exile penalties, it would be a significant progress. The cultivation growth from pushing legal reforms is much more than from capturing a few people.

Afterwards, as her position becomes more stable and her control over the court becomes sufficient, the redemption system can be gradually reduced, and eventually, completely abolished.

In addition, Li Nuo also plans to change the upper limit of imprisonment.

The maximum imprisonment in Daxia is three years, while it's five years in Zhao Country. Five years are not enough, it should be increased to over twenty years. Within the recognized legal framework, he wants to thoroughly revise Zhao Country's law.

In Daxia, he moves forward with difficulty, but in Zhao Country, he can do as he wishes.

Two days later.

Another notice was posted at the palace gate.

This was the first decree issued by the Empress after ascending the throne.

It's common for a newly appointed officer to have a strong impact, and frequent issuance of decrees is expected for a new ruler.

The Empress's initial decree focused on the criminal laws of Zhao Country.

The redemption system, which previously allowed exemption from exile, now only allows exemption from imprisonment.

No matter how high an official or noble's position, if they commit a crime that warrants exile or higher, they will face legal punishment.

Additionally, there has been a significant adjustment in the amount of redemption silver.

Previously, exemption from a hundred strokes of the cane could be bought for one hundred taels of silver; now it costs one thousand taels.

Similarly, a year of imprisonment has risen from one hundred taels to one thousand taels.

A tenfold increase.

Furthermore, the maximum term of imprisonment has increased from five years to thirty years.

In other words, if one commits a serious crime, they might as well forget about ever getting out.

Originally, a maximum of five hundred taels was enough to exempt someone from imprisonment; now it costs thirty thousand taels.

Even those with redemption privileges can't come up with so much silver now.

This undoubtedly raises the cost of crimes significantly. For the children of officials and nobles who are short of money, they must consider whether their parents can come up with such an amount and are willing to spend it.

If any official can afford it, the court will probably investigate the source of their wealth.

This makes the nobles in the capital extremely uncomfortable. The Empress's first major action targeted them, and because it was her first move, no one dared to oppose it.

This step is clearly to establish authority.

Anyone daring to step out at this juncture should be prepared to face severe consequences.

Although their interests and power have been affected, it's still acceptable because nobody would willingly violate the law. As long as they can restrain their descendants, it won't have a significant impact on them.

In contrast to the nobles' discomfort, the citizens of the capital are extremely excited.