I'm really not doing business

Chapter 565: The Mouse Bells the Cat

"The formulation of government decrees has nothing to do with this collective, so on what grounds does the court levy taxes on them? This is true freedom." Li Zhi fully expressed his point of view and his understanding of freedom.

The Netherlands's struggle for independence was about no representation, no taxation, no interest representatives, and no participation in the formulation of government orders. Why should the Netherlands pay taxes to Spain? The heavy taxes made people breathless. The Dutch, from nobles to slaves, could only go to sea to make a living as pirates. The extreme oppression led to ubiquitous resistance.

Eventually, the Netherlands region became independent, and the Northern Alliance and the Southern Alliance jointly formed a parliament to discuss national affairs.

Zhu Yijun was curious whether Li Zhi had learned any experience from the struggle against the Western Netherlands, but upon closer thought, probably not, because the Central Plains also had extremely rich experience in rebellion in this regard.

Li Zhi's point of view actually goes a step further: power will only be directed towards the source of power. For example, the system in which Ming bureaucrats were fully accountable to their superiors was like this. The power of Ming officials came entirely from the emperor's appointment. Li Kaifang's younger brother Li Kaizao had his name crossed out from the list of Jinshi by the emperor because he clamored for fame.

The famous scholars in the audience and the Confucian scholars who came to watch the fun were already a little numb. They should not have come back just now, they should have left directly!
Look at what Li Zhi said! It's so outrageous!

"Then which groups have no representatives in the court? Lord Jiangling's class theory divides people into classes such as poor laborers, local sages, powerful and wealthy people, elected officials, hereditary officials, and so on. So which class has collectively lost its voice, unable to express its demands and unable to influence the court's decision?" Zhu Yijun walked out of the box, stood at the railing, and asked loudly.

Li Zhi sighed heavily and said, "Poor people and coolies."

"Only the poor coolies, with no one to represent their interests, quarreled in the court. This was also the root cause of the entire merger and concentration of means of production. No one cared about their life or death, so they became the cost themselves."

“Even those scholars who shouted that the people are the foundation of the country and that a solid foundation will bring peace to the country, the people they were talking about, their definition of the people, was not the poor laborers who worked like cows and horses, but the local sages and above, although the poor laborers were the majority.”

Li Zhi clearly realized that he had met his match. This Mr. Huang was definitely not as good-for-nothing as the rumors said. A good-for-nothing would not look at a problem so thoroughly and directly grasp the core and essence of the problem.

The more you argue, the clearer the truth becomes.

"So the poor and coolies should not pay taxes." Zhu Yijun said confidently: "Li Zhi, have you ever thought about this, if the poor and coolies should not pay taxes, then everyone in our Ming Dynasty would be a poor and coolie? I remember that when Master Lin discussed this issue, he said that he was mistaking the wrong person for the wrong one, and he disagreed with Enkoli's selection of Jinshi based on their family background."

"Identity can be changed."

Li Zhi thought his opponent was Wang Qian, so he went on stage with full confidence. However, he was defeated by Master Huang everywhere.

Over the past decade, Zhu Yijun had debated so many issues with court officials. His thinking ability was so outstanding that even Zhang Juzheng had to say, "Your Majesty, please take a look at the Emperor's Mirror and Illustrations," which was just a way to change the subject.

Li Zhi proposed an ideal country under absolute freedom, but as soon as the idea of ​​this ideal country was put forward, its foundation was refuted by the views of Lin Fucheng, who was also a liberal.

This problem will arise if we engage in identity politics instead of dividing based on means of production. Identity can change. You may say you are a TV, but I am still an armed helicopter.

Li Zhi had walked into a trap. His original intention was to use the gathering at Taibai Tower to establish a relationship with the two eldest sons of the capital, and to put forward his own frightening ideas, becoming famous in one fell swoop, and then slowly perfect his own theory. However, he had just started out when he ran into an expert among experts.

"Therefore, the poor and coolies should participate in the process of formulating the court's policies, and their opinions should be asked!" Li Zhi's thinking was very active. He immediately changed direction. There should be representatives of the poor and coolies in the court. The poor and coolies are easy to identify, and labor will leave traces on their bodies.

"Are you talking about the four auxiliary officials of spring, summer, autumn and winter?" Zhu Yijun thought for a while and asked Li Zhi what he meant specifically.

"Uh..." Li Zhi was stunned for a moment and said, "Mr. Huang, may I ask, what are these four assistant officials of spring, summer, autumn and winter?"

Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "After the abolition of the Secretariat in the 13th year of Hongwu, the Four Seasons Assistant Officials were established. These Four Seasons Assistant Officials are all Confucian scholars who started out as common people. The Taizu Gaohuang Emperor's Imperial Precepts says: "Yesterday you were common people, but now you are assisting me in managing the people's lives. If you excel, honor your ancestors, and the heavens and the people will celebrate, it will be a great success! You should assist me in governing and promoting civilization, so that the people can live in peace and order, and achieve the best governance."

It was not that Zhu Yijun was showing off his high cultural literacy and the amount of historical materials he had read. These were all notes compiled by Wan Shihe after reading history and presented to the palace. Wan Shihe was scolded badly for not reading history in the past, but now he can't put the book down. He read it himself and sent a copy to His Majesty after he finished reading. His main purpose was to express that he knew his mistakes and corrected them, and was respectful.

Zhu Yijun actually read all the contents of Wan Shihe's annotations, so when he sat down to discuss philosophy with others, Zhu Yijun had the entire Ministry of Rites as an ammunition depot behind him, and his ammunition was extremely sufficient.

"In July of the fifteenth year of Hongwu, the four auxiliary officials were abolished. From then on, Emperor Taizu Gaohuangdemocratized the country until the end of time." Zhu Yijun said with emotion.

"Is there such a thing?!" Li Zhi was greatly surprised. He had no idea that the Ming Dynasty had already explored its system in the early years of the country, during the Hongwu period, and had failed.

Mr. Huang is so knowledgeable!

Zhu Yijun looked at Li Zhi and asked, "Do you know why we need to abolish it?"

"I don't know." Li Zhi answered honestly. He didn't even know about this incident, let alone the reason.

Zhu Yijun said with a complicated expression: "Because I can't win. This scholar is too vicious."

The Four Seasons Assistants, who were commoners, were an attempt by Zhu Yuanzhang after the abolition of the Secretariat. However, these assistants who came from commoners did not meet Zhu Yuanzhang's expectations at all. One year and ten months after their establishment, Zhu Yuanzhang had to go back on his word and abolished the Four Seasons Assistants.

The reason is very simple. These assistant officials who come from common people are no match for the literati in the court.

Sometimes when Zhu Yijun really couldn't find a suitable adjective, he would use the word "scholar" to describe him. For example, the three big mountains created by Lin Fucheng, "Ming Dynasty" is not appropriate, but Lin Fucheng created them to sell to the West... He really didn't know how to curse him appropriately, so he just said that the other party was a scholar.

The scholars' twisted minds were too much for these assistant officials who came from commoner backgrounds to cope with.

The donkey in Master Bai's family gave a thumbs up to Zhu Yijun's diligence and said: When it comes to grinding, you are the best!

Zhu Yijun, the diligent king praised by the donkey at the mill, pales in comparison when facing Zhu Yuanzhang.

From the tenth year of Hongwu, Crown Prince Zhu Biao began to take charge of government affairs. He could express his opinions on all matters, but during the entire Hongwu period, Zhu Biao never issued a crown prince's order. From the fifteenth year of Hongwu to the thirtieth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang was the only one in charge of all matters in the court, big and small, until he passed away.

"Can't I win? Even with the support of Your Majesty?" Li Zhi said with a frown. He originally advocated absolute freedom, but now he actually needs help from the authoritarian leader, the emperor, to exercise imperial power and uphold justice.

This is very contradictory, but it is the best solution Li Zhi could think of in the current era, seeking the emperor's full support to realize his political ideas. It is a bit ridiculous for a liberal to advocate that the emperor should implement liberal policies.

"The four assistant officials, Wang Ben, Du You, Gong Xiao and others, as well as the support of Emperor Taizu Gao, still suffered a crushing defeat, didn't they?" Zhu Yijun spread his hands and said helplessly to Li Zhi.

Did Zhang Juzheng win the battle against Gao Gong, Yang Bo, Wang Chonggu, Ge Shouli, and Zhang Siwei, the Jin Party members, because of the emperor's support? Zhang Juzheng won a decisive victory and won the emperor's full support.

Until now, Wang Chonggu has been treating Zhang Juzheng like a mouse seeing a cat, hiding whenever possible, because if the emperor does not take sides, he, Wang Chonggu, cannot defeat him.

If any court official in the world offended Wang Chonggu, he would most likely be recorded in "The Romantic Stories of Famous Scholars of Qingliu". However, Wang Chonggu was bullied by Zhang Juzheng, so he could only say stubbornly that he would not bother with him.

"Ah, this..." Li Zhi was silent. It seemed that his first shot of the capital was a dud. Before it could be fired, it was silenced by Mr. Huang. All his theories were over before he even started to describe them...

Because the foundation is unsustainable.

Zhu Yijun said with emotion: "This is like a staircase. You need to climb up step by step. Lord Jiangling also came from a poor family. His family only had a gate, but he walked up to the Wenhua Palace step by step. These steps were all to build up momentum. There are more and more people behind him. In the end, Lord Jiangling can decide the fate of the Ming Dynasty."

"It's like forcing a seedling to grow faster by pulling it up. He promoted commoners to become assistant ministers. He himself can't stand in the court, so no matter how much help he gets, he still can't stand."

"Officialdom is the biggest arena of fame and fortune. Every bit of power here is won through bloody battles."

Zhu Yijun spoke from experience. He had been hiding under the iron triangle of Empress Dowager Li, Feng Bao, and Zhang Juzheng. He carefully tested the situation, struggled a little bit, and consolidated his power bit by bit. It was all bloody. Which of the four major cases was not bloody? Zhu Yijun even had to watch the execution on the first day of his wedding.

This is all building up momentum.

Of course, one can become an emperor without accumulating strength. For example, Emperor Longqing simply disappeared and hid in the palace to live a carefree life. But the reason why Emperor Longqing was able to live a carefree life was because Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng and others were all people from Prince Yu's Mansion at that time.

"Then let's get back to your point." Zhu Yijun looked at Li Zhi and asked in confusion, "I think what you said makes sense. The poor coolies did not participate in the formulation of the imperial decrees. Those who hold power do not need to explain to the poor coolies. So the question is, how can you ensure that the representatives you mentioned, those who fight for the poor coolies in the court, will not betray the poor coolies?"

"We look at this issue from the perspective of class theory. After being promoted from commoners to the four assistant officials, they have already achieved a class transition, from poor laborers to the class of elected officials. At this time, their class has changed, and naturally their stance will also change."

Li Zhi felt that he was arrogant enough. He thought that by putting forward this point of view, he would be able to scare the group of lowly Confucian scholars in the capital into silence. In fact, this was the case. Those lowly Confucian scholars were already sweating profusely in their seats and could not utter a word. He was already very bold, but it turned out that there were people who were even bolder than him!

He was still discussing the feasibility, but Mr. Huang had already started thinking about putting it into practice!

"The problem Mr. Huang mentioned is indeed an issue that cannot be ignored. I haven't thought of it yet." Li Zhi admitted his shortcomings very clearly. He didn't expect it. There was no need to be stubborn like a lowly Confucian scholar.

If you haven't thought about it, then you haven't thought about it. If you are refuted or questioned, then you just need to think about it and improve it.

"This is also the problem that Emperor Taizu Gao was unable to solve. Originally, Emperor Taizu Gao hoped that they could speak a few words for the common people, but he found that they gradually became like literati and spoke exactly like them." Zhu Yijun looked at Li Zhi helplessly and said. This is a very realistic problem. Zhu Yuanzhang was a person who would not easily bow his head, but in the end he still abolished the four assistant officials and chose to shoulder the responsibility alone.

For an emperor, revoking an order is more painful than killing him.

Zhu Yijun sometimes knew that some of his policies were not appropriate, and he would rather they become dormant clauses than to revoke the orders. For example, he once ordered that land abandonment should be included in the performance evaluation. Once one quarter of the land was abandoned, it would be evaluated as the lowest. However, the final result of practice was that it was inappropriate, or the timing was wrong, and this clause fell into dormancy and was not included in the scope of the performance evaluation.

Not retracting the order means that although I was wrong, I am the emperor and I did not do anything wrong. It was all because my ministers were not loyal enough to the emperor and the country. Not retracting the order means that I cannot do it now, but when I can do it in the future, I will definitely do it and write it down in the little notebook.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang rescinded his order because he really felt that this approach was not feasible.

Li Zhi fell silent, he had no way to argue.

He fell into the same dilemma as the Confucian scholar before him: he didn't understand and therefore couldn't have a conversation.

Zhu Yijun quite agreed with Li Zhi's idea. In fact, what the Ming Dynasty now advocates, that the people are the foundation of the country, and a solid foundation will bring peace to the country, is the same as Li Zhi's idea. Both require an explanation for the source of power. The people are the foundation of the country, which means that the root of the power of the Ming Dynasty is the people. The definition of the people had been discussed in the early years of the Wanli period. It refers to all people in the Ming Dynasty, not the local sages and above defined by the lowly Confucian scholars.

Li Zhi used more specific things to illustrate that everyone’s path was the same.

"Okay, let's put aside the facts for now." Zhu Yijun finally used the Confucian scholar's only trick and put aside the facts. If they talked about the facts, the topic would not continue.

"Let's put aside the fact that the assistant officials who came from common people could not defeat the civil officials who came from the imperial examination, and put aside the psychological changes and betrayal of their own interests brought about by their class transition. Let's discuss one issue, the issue represented by the assistant officials."

"Civil officials who passed the imperial examinations were selected through the imperial examinations. They passed the county examinations and became scholars, and then passed the provincial examinations and became juren. They traveled a long distance to the capital, passed the examinations and became jinshi. They climbed to high positions through the ups and downs of officialdom. This is the current official selection system. How should the assistant officials you mentioned be selected?"

Zhu Yijun asked the third question: how to select assistant officials?
"Elected by the people!" Li Zhi said loudly. He had really thought about this question. What does the official election correspond to? It is elected by the people!

Zhu Yijun immediately said, "What about the criteria for popular election?"

"Li Zhi, let me tell you a story about Li Kaizao and Li Kaifang. The head of the Li family was indebted to Li Kaifang. Since childhood, all of Li Kaifang's achievements have been usurped by Li Kaizao. Li Kaifang was like a fool. He ran to the Meridian Gate to kneel down, to challenge the supreme imperial power, to provoke the brutal and bloody emperor!"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Li Zhi was immediately anxious, and said: "I don't have the intention of criticizing the imperial carriage, if you want to die, don't take us with you!"

"It's okay. We didn't say it in front of the emperor. The emperor is busy with all kinds of affairs. He doesn't have time to care about our gossip." Zhu Yijun said with a smile.

You, Li Zhi, also know how to be afraid!

Why didn't you seem scared when I was making up the emperor's riddle just now? !
Where's that rebellious look just now? Recover!
Wang Qian was so happy that he was dying. He knew His Majesty too well. His Majesty was best at giving people a taste of their own medicine. He would use your words to hit you back and let you see what a boomerang was.

Obviously, Li Zhi had no choice but to take this boomerang.

He had a lot of experience in dealing with the crazy husband Zhu Yijun. Who is not a crazy husband? Back then, the emperor's uncle Zhu Zaiyu was much more crazy than Li Zhi. He had been scolding the Taoist master for fifteen years. The prince of Zheng lived in a thatched cottage outside the palace. It was self-evident who he was scolding.

The emperor's uncle Zhu Zaiyu relied on his talent and was so arrogant that he started giving mathematics lessons to the emperor as soon as he entered the palace.

To deal with the madman Zhu Yijun, you have plenty of experience, so you just need to be better than him. Of course, Zhu Zaiyu is now far ahead in the study of things, and Zhu Yijun can only look up to that mountain.

Zhu Yijun continued, "Why do you say Li Kaifang is a fool? It's because the emperor values ​​talents and doesn't bother with him. He started the practice of bowing in front of the emperor's gate. For such a long time, no official dared to bow in front of the emperor's gate. It's because they knew that the emperor would kill people and whoever went would die."

"The head of the Li family did a favor to Li Kaifang, but the favor was not so great that Li Kaifang would repay it with his life. Li Kaizao's achievements all came from Li Kaifang, but it was Li Kaizao who was famous. So who is Li Kaizao, himself, or Li Kaifang?"

"This is a question worth discussing. How can we ensure that the elected official we the people want to elect is consistent in what he says and what he does, that all his achievements are his own, and that his fame, his good deeds, and his various behaviors are not a carefully designed performance since childhood?"

Packaging, misattribution.

After so many years and so many things, Zhu Yijun searched his mind and found the case. Is Li Kaizao really Li Kaizao? Li Kaizao's reputation outside was built on Li Kaifang's achievements.

This is an issue that deserves discussion.

"To be honest, my thoughts are still in a... hypothetical category, and I haven't thought about the practical issues." Li Zhi finally admitted it, admitting that he didn't think enough. The incident of Li Kaifang kneeling in the palace was a sensation, known to the world, and the story behind it was widely circulated.

Many people say that compared to Li Kaizao's unkindness, unjustness, unfilial piety, dishonesty and dishonesty, Li Kaifang's kindness, righteousness, filial piety, brotherhood and trustworthiness are even more precious, but Mr. Huang said he was stupid.

Li Kaifang hesitated for a long time, but finally, at dusk, he took that step resolutely. The whole palace was filled with the sound of excited drums. After so many years, the skills of the imperial guards in beating with the imperial cane had become rusty!
"Okay, let's put this issue aside for now." Zhu Yijun took another step back and did not continue discussing this issue. He chose to let Li Zhi go. Li Zhi had already admitted defeat, so there was really no need to do so.

"Let's discuss the next question." Zhu Yijun said with a smile: "We know that among the people, the imperial court is the greatest evil. For example, I have read a book called "Water Margin". The first chapter is: Zhang Tianshi prayed for the plague, and General Hong mistakenly let the demons go. It is said that General Hong let go of the thirty-six heavenly generals, the seventy-two earthly demons, and the one hundred and eighteen demon kings, who later became the one hundred and eight heroes of Liangshan."

"Who let these demon kings out? The imperial court."

"For example, the term 'beast in human clothing' originally referred to the patches worn by high-ranking officials, but its meaning has gradually evolved into someone who looks glamorous but has lost his moral integrity. If the court is wrong, does that mean the people are right? How can you guarantee that what this assistant official is promoting and advocating is really beneficial to the country and the people?"

"We heard from the general that there is no such thing as a self-resolved dilemma. Everything is a choice. Those decrees that seem the most perfect are actually the most dangerous. They are even more dangerous than those that are bold and decisive."

Li Zhi was silent for a long time before he said, "Since the assistants come from the common people, they must naturally accept the supervision and dethronement of the common people. In this way, in this way, people are born free and no longer in shackles!"

Li Zhi was already sweating profusely. He had come here just to have a chat and to make a name for himself, but what a shame. He had really hit a wall. Now he was a bit like a monk who could only chant sutras.

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "Li Zhi, don't you think your statement is too empty and not specific? Who will supervise? How to supervise? Who will depose? How to depose? According to the absolute oppression from top to bottom in class theory, how can the poor and the coolies supervise and depose those who hold power?"

"Can a mouse tie a bell to a cat?"

"Well, well, it is true." Li Zhi was silent. He felt that he should return to Quanzhou instead of going to Beijing.

Li Zhi and Geng Dingxiang's younger brother Geng Dingli were good friends. Geng Dingxiang did not like Li Zhi's arrogance and his ideas, but Geng Dingli forced Li Zhi to stay in his house for a long time. After Geng Dingli passed away, Li Zhi settled in Macheng. Later, he heard about the trend of gathering and talking in the capital, so he came to the capital from afar. In the end, he might as well not have come, as he was interrogated to this extent by a young man.

Zhu Yijun did not continue to make things difficult for him. Looking at Li Zhi's flushed face and sweaty forehead, he knew that Li Zhi had never thought about these specific issues, so he was so at a loss.

Young Master Huang put away the folding fan in his hand and continued to ask: "Li Zhi, it's still the problem of the mouse tying the bell to the cat. Let's go back to the original question. If there is no representative of the interests, there will be no taxation. Are you, as a representative, a poor coolie?"

"There is a paradox here. If this assistant official is not a poor laborer, how can he represent the poor laborers? If he is a poor laborer, how can more people know him? If no one knows him, how can he gain support? You are talking about popular elections, but the assistant official finally elected is still a local gentry, a powerful and wealthy person, or their lackeys, right?"

Zhu Yijun asked Li Zhi, "What is the difference between the people he elected in this completely free election and the officials elected by the imperial examination? Aren't they still meat eaters or lackeys?"

"What do you think?" Seeing that Li Zhi refused to answer, Zhu Yijun continued to ask.

"I...Mr. Huang is right." Li Zhi had a huge headache. This Mr. Huang was a bit too difficult to deal with. None of the questions Mr. Huang raised were questions that Li Zhi could answer, because Li Zhi had not thought about putting it into practice. He just put forward such a proposition.

Zhu Yijun then concluded: "There are now two factions in the court. One faction advocates more currency, and the other advocates more goods. The two factions' claims are not clearly divided. You are part of me, I am part of you. It is more of a tendency, but the goal of the two factions is the same, which is to benefit everyone."

"For example, this prince's father, Wang Chonggu, hosted a three-level school and supervised the construction of the Royal Institute of Technology. The second phase is now under construction, and the planning for the third phase has been completed. This is also a solution."

"Let more people study, enter the officialdom through the imperial examination, and gradually move to the decision-making level step by step under the relatively fair competition environment of the examination system. This is certainly not the most perfect solution, but it is a relatively reliable method in practice. What do you think?"

"Of course it's a good thing that everyone benefits! Your Majesty is wise, so the court is so clear!" Li Zhi chose to sing praises. His idea was still a young seedling, and at this time, it could not be compared with the imperial examination system that had grown into a towering tree.

"In fact, the biggest difficulty of your proposal is to convince the emperor. Think about it, he is the emperor. All the officials are the emperor's disciples. The emperor and the teacher are one, the emperor and the country are one, and the emperor and the father are one. You want the emperor to give up power and put a bell on the emperor, the biggest cat. How can you convince the emperor?" Zhu Yijun said with a smile: "Think about this question carefully."

"Okay, that's all for today. I'll go back first. You guys can continue."

Lin Fucheng was also sitting in the audience, laughing at Li Zhi's joke. As soon as Li Zhi arrived in Beijing, he labeled Lin Fucheng a traitor to the liberal faction. Now it was Li Zhi's turn to suffer.

The secret of Lin Fucheng's success is that he never proposes solutions or ideas. He just points out the problems. As for how to solve them, he is not an official in the court. This is a very clear line and Lin Fucheng never crosses it.

(End of this chapter)