The Decrees of Kaihuang Reign was a code adopted by the rulers of the Sui Dynasty on the basis of summarization of the legislative experiences of Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern dynasties. It established the systems of Twelve-chapter Law Code, Five Chief Forms of Punishment, Ten Categories of Major Crimes, and expanded legal privileges of feudal nobles and bureaucrats. The above-mentioned systems and the legislative spirit and judicial principles reflected in the Decrees were inherited by the Tang and Song dynasties and exerted profound influence on the future dynasties. |