Complex sentence: The magistrate was not allowed free rein or to rely on customary law but was constrained both by instructions from the emperor, which had the force of law, and by the Great Qing Code, which included both civil law and criminal law.
Split into simpler sentences: The magistrate was not allowed free rein or to rely on customary law but was constrained both by instructions from the emperor, which had the force of law. The dynastic law codes, such as the Tang Code or the Great Qing Code, included both civil law and criminal law.