Sedition by the Blog

January 31

Imperial Edict

Emperor Qian Long

Zeng Jing and Zhang Xi are seditious, rebellious, treacherous,lawless. On the grounds that their slanders were aimed only at his own person, my late imperial father (the late Emperor YongZheng), with a sagacity akin to that of Heaven, chose to spare them from death. Furthermore, he expressly ordered that his own sons and grandsons must not, at any time in the future, reopen the case and punish them with death or dismemberment. But though the late emperor, in his own day, chose to be lenient, I at this present day find it impossible to be so compassionate. Though the two ways that we have chosen to handle this case appear to be so different, yet he and I have the same view of natural principles and of human emotions. Besides which, in their anger and their resentment, the hundreds of millions of our people, whether officials or commoners, all want to see justice and punishments promptly and correctly applied according to the standards of today. How can I stand against the feelings my people have about the nature of the common good and evil? Let Zeng Jing and Zhang Xi, in accordance with the law, be executed by being sliced to death.

Taken from,
Jonathan D Spence
Treason By The Book (2001)