This Legalist excerpt from Han Feizi ‑ Chapter 33.1 uses short historical cases. It advocates impartial rewards‑punishments based on merit, warning mismatched official appointments harm stable ruler‑minister relations.
This article tells how Ming founder Zhu Yuanzhang, a former peasant, launched an extremely harsh anti‑corruption campaign. He set strict laws, used brutal punishments like skinning, and carried out large‑scale purges such as the Empty Seal Case and Guo Heng Scandal. Though he aimed to protect common people, his extreme terror caused massive injustice…