Chương 564: Doors Left Unlocked at Night

"Thirdly, those who repeatedly disregard the rules and insist on violating the curfew on three separate occasions will be detained for a short period of seven days and assigned to clean and perform miscellaneous tasks in the government office so that they can calmly reflect on their mistakes."

"Only those heinous criminal cases that take advantage of the nighttime curfew to deliberately commit violence, theft, arson, gang fights, or intentionally murder others will be severely punished in accordance with the written laws of the Han Dynasty."

Furthermore, the judgment and punishment process for all cases must strictly follow the formal judicial trial process, ensuring that all witnesses and physical evidence are complete and accurate, and that confessions and testimonies are thoroughly verified, resolutely preventing any instances of forced confessions or arbitrary convictions and punishments.

The truly bad people will not escape; the good people will not be wronged.

At this point, Liu Ce's tone became even gentler and more approachable, his voice filled with warmth and humanity. He then added many special travel rules that were also very considerate:

"In addition, all emergencies concerning the lives and property of ordinary people are not subject to any curfew rules or restrictions."

If someone in a household suddenly falls seriously ill, a woman is about to give birth, a fire or flood occurs in the neighborhood, or a close relative or elder is critically ill and urgently needs to be visited and cared for, people can knock on the gate of any neighborhood for help, no matter what time it is at night.

When it comes to matters of life and death, things can be done anytime.

"The guards on duty in the neighborhood and the soldiers patrolling the streets must immediately open the gates and do their utmost to provide assistance and convenience."

If any personnel on duty dare to deliberately make things difficult for people in distress, they will be punished with thirty strokes of the cane without asking any questions, and then sentenced to exile three thousand miles away as a severe punishment, to serve as a warning to others.

"If you dare to stop someone from saving a life, you don't deserve to wear this official uniform!"

"Moreover, during the five major traditional festivals celebrated nationwide—the Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Double Ninth Festival—the entire city of Luoyang completely lifts the three-day curfew."

The street drums throughout the city were all suspended, and all the gates to the entrances and exits of the neighborhoods were kept wide open all day. Everyone was celebrating together; no one was allowed to stop us.

"The imperial court and government will also take the lead in organizing and preparing a grand Lantern Festival, folk temple fairs, classic opera performances, fireworks displays and other celebratory activities. The city gates will be opened to allow all the people of the city to play and revel freely, putting aside the fatigue of daily work and enjoying the festive atmosphere to the fullest."

When it's time to play, play to your heart's content!

After a series of thoughtful and convenient new regulations and measures were introduced, the tense and solemn atmosphere inside the hall instantly became relaxed and eased. Even Yang Biao, who usually adhered to the old rules and had a serious and rigid face, slowly relaxed his eyebrows and revealed a relieved smile.

He leaned on his cane and let out a long breath, as if he had put down a heavy burden.

The atmosphere in the imperial court grew increasingly harmonious and peaceful. Fang Xuanling stepped forward, bowed, and asked the last question concerning the long-term implementation of the system, his voice tinged with seriousness:

"Does Your Majesty intend to establish this new flexible curfew system as a permanent rule, or is it merely a temporary measure?"

Liu Ce smiled calmly upon hearing this, raising his eyes to gaze at the lights dotting the city outside the palace, his gaze sweeping across the vast land in the distance. In his heart lay a grander, more ambitious plan for a prosperous future, his tone deep and resolute, as if recounting a beautiful vision:

"This segmented and flexible curfew system is merely a temporary measure to smoothly transition the situation during the current stage when the capital has a large and complex population and the security system is not yet fully perfect. It is not the ideal situation that I ultimately want to achieve."

This is just the first step, not the last.

"My true ultimate goal is to abolish all curfews throughout the entire territory of the Han Dynasty when the time is right!"

These words caused another uproar in the hall, and everyone stared wide-eyed.

"In the future, once the city's street patrol and security system is built to be more and more complete, the people's moral character and civility across the country are gradually improving and becoming more virtuous, the new criminal investigation methods in the court are becoming more and more advanced and complete, and the various livelihood security systems for people's clothing, food, housing and transportation are all perfected and stable, I will take the lead in gradually reducing the period of strict control at night, leaving only a short period of control from 2 a.

m. to 6 a. m."

"Five years from now, once the second five-year development plan of the Great Han Dynasty is successfully completed and all governance measures have been implemented and are effective, the secondary flexible neighborhoods where ordinary people live can gradually abolish all curfew restrictions."

By then, leaving doors unlocked at night will no longer be a dream, but a reality.

Finally, Liu Ce's gaze swept over every loyal civil and military official in the hall, his eyes gleaming with the brilliance of a prosperous era. His tone was firm and resolute, full of anticipation:

"One day, I will make sure that all the people of my Han Dynasty can walk freely and carefree on every inch of the vast territory of my Han Dynasty, whether they are under the bright sunshine of day or in the deep darkness of night."

"In the future, during leisure time late at night, ordinary people will be able to invite three or five close friends to go to a bustling restaurant on the street, have a few cups of warm wine, and sit around chatting about the world and the current situation."

"Being able to take advantage of the first light of dawn, bring your closest family members to the canal wharf outside the city, quietly wait for the sunrise in the east, and witness the magnificent scene of thousands of sails returning to port under the morning light."

"Whenever you go out and walk through the streets and alleys, you don't need to be afraid of the villains and thieves lurking in the dark, or of the street patrol officers making things difficult for you. Put down all your worries, live a peaceful and carefree life, and enjoy a comfortable and pleasant life."

"My beloved ministers must keep this in mind: a truly prosperous and peaceful world, where the whole country is at peace and the people are safe and sound, has never been a repressive world where people are forced to close their doors at sunset and not dare to go out at night."

Rather, it truly means leaving doors unlocked at night and ensuring no lost items are picked up on the road, so that all citizens, regardless of day or night, can live and work in peace and contentment, free from worries and anxieties, and enjoy a comfortable and prosperous life.

"This peaceful and stable world, where day and night are in harmony, is the magnificent Han Dynasty that I have devoted my entire life to building!"

After a heartfelt declaration of a prosperous era, the entire Liangyi Hall fell silent. All the civil and military officials stared in awe at the emperor before them, whose vision and understanding of the world far surpassed that of ordinary people, their hearts filled with sincere respect and admiration.

Such a broad and far-sighted vision for governing the country, and such a sincere heart for caring for the people, were grand visions that the ministers had never heard of or seen before, even after reading through ancient and modern history books and looking at the dynasties of the past.

After a brief silence, Fang Xuanling was the first to kneel down, his voice filled with moved admiration, his eyes slightly red:

"Your Majesty's heart is with all the people under heaven, and your vision and strategic thinking are unparalleled. Your subject is sincerely convinced and will obey all of Your Majesty's decrees!"

Following closely behind, Xun Yu, Du Ruhui, Lu Bing, Song Yingxing, Shen Wansan, Yang Biao, and other important civil and military officials all bowed and paid their respects. The sounds of worship throughout the hall were uniform and resounded through the sky.