I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1038 In the name of light, praise the Holy Emperor!
The Ming Dynasty is leveraging its commodity advantages to establish a new narrative based on its status as a superior nation. If this narrative can spread globally with the Age of Exploration, Expansion, and Discovery, it can help the Ming Dynasty weather the storms of change more safely.

On the 24th day of the sixth month of the 21st year of the Wanli reign, Emperor Zhu Yijun of the Ming Dynasty arrived at the Guanchao Tower. Looking at the azure sea, his face was ashen, and the accompanying Ming officials dared not even breathe loudly.

The weather changes indicate an imbalance between water and drought; it means that it doesn't rain when it should, and it rains excessively when it shouldn't.

The summer of the twenty-first year was unusual. Since Zhu Yijun arrived at the Songjiang Prefecture Palace and stayed there, a full three months had passed. In Songjiang Prefecture, a place that is prone to rain, there was neither continuous heavy rain nor typhoon weather that could blow down trees and houses.

News from Hubei, Hunan, Anhui, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, and Guangdong and Guangxi indicates that this year's weather is generally hot and dry with little rainfall, which has already affected agricultural production in some areas. Even the Yangtze River flood season, which usually displays its immense power, seems weak and ineffective.

Poyang Lake, the site of the Battle of Ming Dynasty, saw its water level drop below 4 zhang (approximately 10 meters) in mid-June. Poyang Lake, which usually enters its dry season in early September, began to enter its dry season in late June.

The Luoxingdun in Poyang Lake has also been fully revealed.

Because it was the site of the Battle of Luoxingdun, successive Ming emperors would renovate the buildings there and occasionally add pavilions and towers. Fuyu Tower, Yujing Pavilion, and Qinghui Pavilion were all built in this way. During the Jiajing period, bamboo groves were planted, making Luoxingdun even more elegant and beautiful.

The full appearance of Luoxingdun signifies that the Yangtze River basin has officially entered the dry season. Poyang Lake is historically characterized by vast floods and stagnant water levels, making it the most direct indicator of the Yangtze River's water level.

Green grass has also grown on the dried-up lakebed around Poyang Lake, where birds fly and grass grows.

"The sea off Songjiang Prefecture has turned blue." Zhu Yijun stood at the Guanchao Pavilion, put down his telescope, and looked at the azure sea with deep concern.

Because of the Huai River, the Yangtze River, and the Qiantang River, a large amount of silt is washed into the sea. The mixture of silt and sand makes the sea surface relatively turbid all the way from Jiangsu to the vicinity of Taizhou Prefecture in Zhejiang.

In late June, the sea and sky are so blue, like jewels, that an old fisherman might only see a few times in his entire life.

The Imperial Astronomical Bureau told the emperor that the reason for this phenomenon was that rainfall had decreased, soil erosion had reduced, and the absence of typhoons stirring up the sea had caused silt to sink to the seabed. In addition, the strong ocean currents this year had brought a large amount of clear seawater, resulting in the scene before him.

Whenever the emperor was complacent, a celestial anomaly would appear to calm him down, reminding him that the road ahead was still long and that he should not become complacent.

Heavy rainfall after the start of autumn is inevitable. With so much rain every year, if it doesn't fall this summer, it will definitely fall in autumn.

"Let's go back." Zhu Yijun looked around for a quarter of an hour, then returned to the temporary palace with a worried expression.

He issued several imperial edicts that he had prepared. The main contents of these edicts included further reducing land taxes, ordering local government offices to strictly restrain powerful and influential people, requiring local gentry and elders to fulfill their promises made during the natural disaster, inspecting granaries to prevent a shortage of grain when relief was needed, and patrolling flood control dikes, etc.

There were significant disagreements among the Ming Dynasty's cabinet, the Six Ministries, the imperial court, and local authorities regarding the continuous reduction of land taxes.

The Ministry of Revenue, led by Zhang Xueyan, strongly opposed lowering land taxes, arguing that even if they were lowered, the burden would not fall on the people.

Local governments were very resistant to the reduction of land taxes because their finances depended entirely on taxes.

Since the Wanli Emperor's land survey, land tax has become a pillar of local government. Now that it has been reduced again and again, some local government offices have begun to outwardly comply but inwardly defy it, using various pretexts to try to make up for these deficits from the people. The most common method is forced labor.

The imperial court's reduction of land taxes actually increased the conflict between local government offices and the people, exacerbating the conflict between officials and the people.

On the other hand, officials like Shen Shixing firmly supported the idea, for a very simple reason: the way of the king is unstoppable.

Reducing land taxes is His Majesty fulfilling a promise made in response to a celestial event. With the court taking the lead in reducing taxes, even powerful local gentry and wealthy families have no choice but to follow the original promise.

Despite significant disagreements, the decree was still implemented. The amount of the reduction was small, amounting to only 1.5 million taels of silver, which was generally in line with the court's expectations.

Adding one more thing only adds to the burden, and adding one more string of strings of cash only harms ten more families. Every time the imperial court levies an extra string of cash in land tax, with each layer increasing the burden, it will impoverish more than ten middle-class families.

This opposition and resistance indicates that the tool of reducing or exempting land taxes is gradually becoming ineffective.

After this reduction, the land tax collection of the Ming Dynasty will be reduced from 950 million taels of silver to 800 million taels of silver, which is still more than the annual land tax revenue in the first year of the Wanli reign.

"What is Shen Shixing planning to do? Conduct a major loyalty review of the eighteen universities?" Zhu Yijun looked at the memorial in front of him and asked Feng Bao in disbelief, "Isn't Shen Shixing a nice guy who likes to play both sides? Why is he doing this too?"

"The master had already stepped down from his duties, but he took over this task and intends to continue pushing it forward?"

Feng Bao said with a complicated expression, "I have no choice."

The narrative of gratitude was created by Zhang Juzheng, and because the emperor neither supported nor opposed it, it was not very large in scale.

Shen Shixing began to investigate and verify the loyalty of the eighteen universities.

The specific method was simple: the imperial guards of the Northern Garrison Command entered the Imperial University and questioned each teacher. In addition, they randomly selected one out of ten students for questioning.

The question was simple: whether the teacher publicly slandered, defamed, or criticized the Ming Dynasty's policies, the Wanli Reforms, or His Majesty in the lecture hall, in other words, whether he was loyal to His Majesty.

Once a clue is found, a comprehensive investigation will follow.

The lecture hall is a public place, in front of a large audience. To slander, defame, or criticize someone is disloyal.
Once the facts are clear and multiple testimonies confirm them, a formal investigation will be launched, including a full search. If the evidence is conclusive, the perpetrators will be convicted of treason and rebellion, which fall under the Ten Abominations and are unforgivable, and are not subject to the Eight Deliberations for Redemption.

People are much weaker than they imagine. Let alone being taken to the Northern Garrison Command to sit on the "chair of regret," even if the Imperial Guards suddenly come to question them, ordinary people facing the Imperial Guards will feel their hands and feet turn cold, their hearts race to a clearly audible pace, and their minds go completely blank.

Before the imperial guards even asked, he was eager to confess everything about stealing bird eggs when he was a child.

Shen Shixing conducted a thorough investigation at the Imperial University of Peking and planned to do the same at the remaining seventeen universities that had just been built in the Ming Dynasty, making the interrogation a regular occurrence and repeating the process periodically.

Any disloyalty, inappropriate words or actions will be judged; this is Shen Shixing's comprehensive loyalty review.

"Before you took over, you carried out a purge, which caused widespread panic. The changes in social dynamics were too hasty and may not be effective. Besides, it's normal for scholars to complain a bit, so how can that be considered disloyalty?" Zhu Yijun still disagreed with Shen Shixing's actions.

“Your Majesty, Grand Secretary Shen is not a frivolous person. He must have his reasons for doing this.” Feng Bao said with a furrowed brow. “Grand Secretary Shen’s idea is that these students are the future of the Ming Dynasty. Any attempt to bring the turmoil of officialdom and politics into the students’ lives is the most shameless act.”

"Students are young and passionate, but youth also means inexperience and naivety. They are easily swayed by rumors and gossip, and once they do something wrong, they are likely to make mistakes that will harm them for life."

"The purpose of such a vigorous screening is to nip problems in the bud and eliminate risks before they arise. Otherwise, when the house is full of cockroaches, we can only resort to an overcorrection and crackdown, killing countless innocent people and causing even greater and more serious harm."

Feng Bao was mentally prepared for Shen Shixing's actions, as this was actually a continuation of Zhang Juzheng's policies of purging the party and investigating taxes.

Feng Bao gave a simple example: when Zhang Juzheng passed away, some ambitious people would launch a counterattack, most likely by mobilizing the students.

Firstly, students are inexperienced in the ways of the world and are more easily deceived. Zhang Juzheng's one-man rule, to the point of "I am not the prime minister but the regent," effectively stifled free speech. Secondly, the students' status made them difficult for the court to deal with, as they were hesitant to act against them. Thirdly, targeting students was a lower-cost approach.

If this university is ruined, the Dinghai education system will be abolished; if education is ruined, the entire Ming Dynasty will be ruined, inside and out.

Shen Shixing's purpose in orchestrating this was to instill a sense of insecurity in everyone at the university, making them wary of each other and afraid to speak recklessly. He aimed to draw an insurmountable line within the university, prohibiting any discussion of national affairs on campus.

"Alright." Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment, then approved Shen Shixing's memorial, granting him approval for a major review of his loyalty.

In the early years of the Wanli Emperor's reign, when Zhang Juzheng was discussing governance, he told Zhu Yijun about some signs of a shift from order to chaos and why dynasties would change.

The fundamental reason for the change of dynasties was, of course, that land annexation left the people with no way to survive, coupled with the clever ideas of various fools who caused chaos in the country, ultimately leading to the downfall of the nation.

It's hard to say which cause is more significant. While land consolidation is certainly harmful, the clever idea of ​​a fool is no less so.

Zhang Juzheng transcended these two narratives and looked at the issue from another perspective, namely, the governance of officials. His conclusion was that dynastic change was inevitable.

After establishing their rule from the ruins, the war ended, and people longed for stability. In the beginning, the society, having just experienced war, was not very complex.

As time goes by, with the evolution of economic structures, changes in military strength, fluctuations in border situations, the reorganization of class relations, the annexation and monopoly of the means of production, and the spread of ideas and public opinion, the complexity of society will continue to increase.

Moreover, the longer a dynasty exists, the faster the complexity of society increases.

On the other hand, if the tools at the court's disposal—that is, the means of governing the entire system and regulating the contradictions between different social classes, such as financial instruments, legal governance, legal revision, border policies, information and correction, etc.—cannot effectively cover the ever-increasing complexity of society.

The court will then descend from order to disorder, and ultimately perish.

However, the reforms of the court's governance methods often fail to keep up with the increasing complexity of society, due to inevitable rigidity.

Historically, imperial courts have been very rigid and slow to react. There are many reasons for this rigidity, but the main reason is that people are flexible and will weigh the pros and cons.

Every group, from small families, workshops, and merchant guilds to large imperial courts, is subject to rigidity, which is an irreversible spiral of inertia.

In the imperial court, this manifests as a huge inertia in politics. Everyone knows about a problem, and even if everyone knows it's wrong, before it erupts, everyone will act according to inertia. No one is willing to stop it, and no one is willing to take responsibility.

It is incredibly foolish of someone to stand up and loudly call for change, to try to stop this great ship from moving forward. First, it's an inevitable trend; how could one person possibly stop it? Second, the people on board won't understand you; they might even blame and slander you.

When Zhang Juzheng first implemented the performance evaluation system, Yang Bo suggested a merger of Chu and Jin, which had a very slim chance of success, especially since it was a gamble that the young emperor, born with a noble destiny, would become a great ruler. By choosing the merger of Chu and Jin, Zhang Juzheng immediately became the number one person in the country.

When someone needs to step forward, most people will instinctively ask, "Why me?"
A true man acts entirely differently. A true man would ask: Why can't it be me? It's just a matter of death.

The court became rigid and inactive, its governance methods were slow to evolve and gradually became inadequate. As social complexity continued to increase, the court was destined to perish.

This is one of the reasons why Zhang Juzheng believed that dynasties always cycled periodically.

Zhu Yijun agreed with Shen Shixing's decision to conduct a major loyalty review. On the one hand, this was to increase the means available to the court, and on the other hand, to reduce the complexity of society, allowing the massive court more time to accumulate more tools to mediate conflicts between different social classes.

In early July, the foreign envoys residing in Wanguo City, Songjiang Prefecture, all learned of the Ming Dynasty's major loyalty review, which indeed caused astonishment among friendly nations.

"Why is the Ming Dynasty called the Celestial Empire?" Paulino stood before all the envoys and shouted at the top of his lungs, "It's because of this highly efficient and amazing ability to correct errors."

"In the West, we view the Great Flood as God's punishment. It seems that as long as we attribute all our sins to God, it will all be over, because God is an existence beyond all things and is beyond judgment!"

"That's why in the West, no one needs to take responsibility for the bad and chaotic situation; just blame it on God!"

"But in the Ming Dynasty, it wasn't like that!"

Paulino suddenly lunged forward, swung his hand forcefully, then clenched it and raised it to his chest, shouting, "In the Ming Dynasty, only those who can bear the suffering of all deserve to be a monarch; only those who can lead all out of calamity deserve to be the king of the world!" The Dutch envoy, Hotman, looked at the fanatical Paulino with a complex expression. This guy was actually a fanatical follower of the Great Light Cult. In the West, he could still pretend, but in the Ming Dynasty, he didn't even bother to pretend anymore, seizing every opportunity to preach to all the envoys.

The interpreter from the Ministry of Rites understood what Paulino was saying. In essence, it meant: "He who bears the nation's shame is called the master of the state; he who bears the nation's misfortune is called the king of the world."

Paulino raised his right hand high, outstretched, and said in a powerful and firm voice, "His Majesty the Supreme Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the great and wise prophet, the pioneer on the unknown path, he was never a god, he was a king among men!"

"In the Ming Dynasty, whether one opposes him or agrees with him, one has no choice but to use his banner. This is the nature of a monarch!"

The Ming interpreters accompanying him were somewhat ashamed; none of them were as enthusiastic as this foreigner.

The fanaticism of those who convert is still too strong.

Li Yashi squinted at Paulino. He had been invited to the banquet for envoys from the City of Nations, but he never expected that the Portuguese envoys would be preaching in such a setting.

Paulino is right. Whether the Ming Dynasty opposes or agrees with His Majesty, it must raise His Majesty's banner and act under the rules set by His Majesty.

This is true kingship.

Paulino's tone gradually became calm, and he said in a low voice, "I know that you are all laughing at me in your hearts for being a lackey of the Ming Dynasty. You feel proud of being a lackey of the Ming Dynasty, and you even think that we Portuguese people should be despised."

"Yes, I don't feel ashamed."

"At Portugal's most dangerous time, when Portugal was in dire straits, Spain wanted to annex us, English pirate ships were all over the coast, and even Lisbon was breached by pirates twice. The Dutch looked down on us and thought we were Felipe's lackeys."

"We are searching for a way out of our suffering."

"The Ming Dynasty, a country with a long history, vast territory, powerful national strength, and extremely remote location, is willing to help us. Indeed, this help has a very strong purpose and is very utilitarian."

"The Ming Dynasty wants to find a port in the West to distribute goods. The Ming Dynasty wants to understand the process of Western overseas expansion. It needs to absorb Western mathematics and needs a base. The help that the Ming Emperor gave us is only a war loan."

"Like a drowning person grasping at a straw, we see that straw as hope."

"Today, we are still Portugal, not a province of Spain! Today, Lisbon is a city of flowers, not a piggy bank that pirates can break at will! Today, artisans from the Netherlands have to come to us for a peaceful life! Today, the Portuguese are no longer bullied!"

"This is the light!"

"With the highest respect, in the name of light, we praise the Holy Emperor!"

The interpreters translated Paulino's Latin. Piggy banks also existed in the Ming Dynasty, called "缿". A piggy bank is one that has an opening but no exit.

What frustrated the interpreter was that translating "Holy Emperor" was somewhat difficult. "Holy" means holy or wise, and "Emperor" means monarch. "Holy Emperor in charge" describes a well-governed world. The Ming Dynasty also frequently used the term "Holy Emperor" to refer to His Majesty.

This translation could have been very accurate, but His Majesty dislikes the term "Holy Emperor".

The reason is simple: the Holy Emperor received the mandate and the map, transforming into a deity. The Holy Emperor thus transformed the emperor into a deity, while His Majesty has always scoffed at the idea of ​​gods and ghosts, and disdains becoming a deity.

As an official of the Ming Dynasty, if His Majesty's disliked words appear in a memorial, isn't that like lighting a lamp in an outhouse—asking for death?
The interpreter, quick-witted as ever, translated "Holy Emperor" as "Emperor".

The Purple Palace is the residence of the emperor, who refers to the ruler of both humans and gods, meaning that humans are the monarchs of the gods.

In this way, it is very elegant and expressive, conveying both sacredness and the political correctness of Your Majesty being only a human ruler.

Paulino's voice rose again, his gaze firm, and he said with a resounding tone, "Under His Majesty's boundless wisdom, we have seen the light, and we have also seen the darkness."

"The whole of Ctesi was still in a state of ignorance, backwardness, bloodshed, brutality, and utter lack of benevolence and justice. Endless darkness still shrouded the whole of Ctesi."

"As messengers of light, we vow to bring light to every corner of the West, and even more so to every corner of the world!"

"As long as your heart is turned toward the light, you are a messenger of light, waiting for the sharp blade to cut through the darkness, tear the sky, tear the ocean, and tear the earth."

"As long as we spread the light, you, me, and everyone else are all fellow travelers with the same aspirations!"

Li Yashi suddenly sensed the powerful vitality of the Great Light Cult.

It has no initiation ceremony and welcomes anyone to join; that is, anyone whose heart is turned toward the light is a believer.

It doesn't even require believers to do anything; any believer can wait in silence, waiting for the forerunners to dispel all darkness.

Those who are willing to spread light will become friends who walk alongside and enjoy life together.

Li Yaz was not at all surprised that Paulino thought this way. Tess was undergoing self-redemption, which was happening right now; the Renaissance was in progress.

Some people place the beginning of the Renaissance in Florence, saying that Dante's Divine Comedy started the struggle against religion;
Some people place the beginning on the day the bronze doors of the Baptistery of the Florence Cathedral were cast, because those doors are called the Gates of Heaven.
Some place the beginning on the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire, when scholars fled west from Constantinople, bringing culture to the vast and ignorant Western lands.

Of course, many people also regard Marco Polo's "Travels" as the beginning of the Renaissance. The idealized Eastern world inspired Westerners' yearning for civilization and prosperity.

One can endure darkness if one has never witnessed light. When one sees light piercing through darkness, one will unconsciously yearn for it.

The Great Brightness Sect and the Bliss Sect were both sects that emerged after the Ming Dynasty opened up the seas. One took the wisdom of the Ming Dynasty as its guide, while the other regarded the Ming Dynasty as the Pure Land of Bliss. These two sects went down completely different paths, just like two sides of the same yin and yang.

The fundamental reason is that the Great Light Church has always been filled with the concepts of self-redemption and universal redemption, aiming to use the wisdom of the Great Light to solve the various problems that have arisen in the development of the West.

However, the Pure Land religion fundamentally emphasizes escapism—escaping responsibility, obligations, suffering, and all hardships. By escaping to the Pure Land, one can gain a new life.

If it grows crooked from the root, the fruit it produces will naturally be different.

Envoys from various Western countries, including the governor's office and even the Kingdom of Congo, were listening to Paulino's preaching. Their thoughts varied: some were thoughtful, some scoffed, and some were clearly disgusted.

"So, you also want to kill all the nobles?" A sudden voice rang out; it was Léon de Levitt, an envoy of Henry IV of France.

This person comes from Normandy in northwestern France and is the owner of Rouen Castle.

This question stunned everyone present. Although Paulino’s vision of the future seemed very bright, the actions of the Great Light Church were anything but. The priests indiscriminately killed all the nobles and granted everyone freedom.

The Church of the Holy Light behaved very moderately in Portugal and Spain, but not in France.

Will killing all the nobles bring us the light? Isn't that a bit too cruel?

“Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in your Rouen castle.” Paulino didn’t evade the question, answering it directly. He looked at Leon and said, “Now, France is preparing to kill a second saint. Will they use the stake again this time?”

Léon did not answer, but fell silent. Joan of Arc's death was filled with betrayal.

Paulino looked at Leon and said with a very serious expression, "If you don't want to talk about it, then I will."

"Joan of Arc's appearance changed the Hundred Years' War between England and France. Before Joan of Arc's appearance, the Hundred Years' War was just a boring trick between the English and French royal families to fight for the right of succession."

"But after Joan of Arc appeared, the French common people who had suffered greatly from her anger raged. Because of the fear of the common people's anger, Joan of Arc was betrayed, captured, slandered, and eventually died in flames."

"Joan of Arc could be killed, but she gained immortality in the fire."

"I never said that the Great Light Church wanted to kill all the nobles. This is the most explosive means of struggle to break through the darkness, and it is an inevitable process to pierce through the darkness."

“The sky was covered with dark clouds for fifteen hundred years. Fifteen centuries later, the clouds dispersed, and you, Lord Leon, are now blaming the thunder, calling it terror.”

"This was Patriarch Marion's choice. She was willing to risk her life to try for the French people. The Great Light Priest respects the French people's courage in fighting for the light."

Paulino's complete answer to Leon's question pierced through the dark clouds with thunder, a righteous anger that proclaimed that the common people of France were also human beings, and this was a natural justice.

“There was absolutely no need for such a violent struggle.” Paulino slowly scanned everyone before speaking, “The Ming Dynasty has no nobles.”

These words caused an uproar and sparked much discussion.

Li Yashi was taken aback, then immediately shook his head. Paulino believed in the Great Light Church, in wisdom, and in the Ming Dynasty's path.

He's right, the Ming Dynasty indeed had no nobles.

The class of dukes and marquises was hereditary, not noble.

They had no fiefdoms, no estates, no armies, and even the number of servants was strictly limited. In order to circumvent the law, they could only use adopted sons, daughters, and family members. They possessed the judicial privilege of eight deliberations and eight reprieves, but these privileges required court deliberation.

What kind of nobles are they if they can't even kill a commoner at will?
Those censors and officials who criticize the government are good at finding fault even when there is none. If there is a problem, they will find one, and if there is a problem, they will impeach the officials in a series of impeachments.

In His Majesty's words, the Wanli Reforms were merely a small step forward, standing on the shoulders of giants with thousands of years of history.

But is the Ming Dynasty's approach more moderate?
This is the result of thousands of years of repeated struggles and dynastic changes by the Chinese people, and this path is by no means gentle.

Having lived in the Ming Dynasty for a long time, Li Yashi knew very well that this path was more difficult and more violent, and that the vertically cut Westerners simply did not have the conditions to do these things.

"boom!"

Luo Bingliang, leading a squad of elite cavalry, suddenly burst into the Four Barbarian Pavilion of the City of Ten Thousand Nations. Luo Bingliang looked around and said to Paulino, "Time's up, you're under arrest!"

"Why?" Paulino was shocked. He had no idea how he had violated the laws of the Ming Dynasty.

"No gatherings for missionary work are allowed within the territory of the Great Ming Dynasty, not even the Great Brightness Sect. Take them away!" Luo Bingliang waved his hand, signaling them to leave.

(End of this chapter)