The Emperor noticed Min Feng looking unwell and narrowed his eyes slightly. But then he turned to Gu Chengyu, signaling him to respond.
"Your Majesty, previously I've studied the 'Da Yan Law' for some time. It states that if military officers commit crimes, those deserving exile or penal servitude should be sentenced to a hundred strokes of the cane, followed by five degrees of penal servitude, and assigned to garrisons within two thousand miles. For three degrees of exile, deployment depends on the distance to various garrisons. Soldiers and officers committing crimes should be penalized equivalently and are exempt from tattooing."
Gu Chengyu responded fluently without pause. The Emperor, familiar with the Ministry of Justice's penalties, found no fault in Gu Chengyu's words.
The Emperor nodded with satisfaction, "It seems you have studied the law extensively, something that cannot be achieved overnight."
