People in the Ming Dynasty are lawless

Chapter 727: Zhu Yuanzhang Still Sees Through

The next morning, the mist in Jinling City had not yet dissipated, but the outside of the Fengtian Hall was already filled with civil and military officials waiting to attend court.

Zhu Biao, dressed in the bright yellow crown prince's uniform, walked into the hall with a calm expression, followed by Chen Han holding a memorial in his hand.

The hall suddenly became quiet, and the eyes of all the ministers fell on the thick stack of documents.

"Two things will be discussed today." Zhu Biao went straight to the point and tapped the imperial desk with his fingertips. "First, the Ministry of Works will recycle the waste vouchers and use them for dyeing cloth and making paper. Second, the Ministry of Revenue will try out a new type of digital accounting, running parallel to the old method." As soon as he finished speaking, there was an uproar in the hall.

"Your Highness!" Zheng Qingzhuo, the Minister of Finance, stepped out first, his beard trembling with excitement. "The new numbers look like ghostly scribbles, even a child could tamper with them! The lesson of the Empty Seal Case is not far away. If a petty official adds a stroke to the 'three' to make a 'five', how can we detect the deficit in the national treasury?"

He opened a roll of account books and pointed at the Arabic numerals with wet ink on them. "How can such a child's play be used for state affairs?"

"Lord Zheng is wrong." Chen Han slowly unfolded a volume of "Anti-counterfeiting Number Writing Methods" and signaled the eunuch to pass it to the ministers. "The strokes of new numbers are connected, and additions and changes will leave flaws. For example, the character '7' with a horizontal stroke may look like '9', but if a wavy fire seal is added -" He held up a voucher sample and showed it to the morning light, "the tampered part will show cracks."

Minister Liu of the Ministry of Works snorted coldly: "Fancy tricks! The ancestral system of using Chinese characters to keep accounts has been around for more than a thousand years. Has there ever been any trouble?"

Several old officials behind him echoed him, and some even quoted from the classics: "The Book of Zhou says 'the writing system is unified'. How can we abandon the laws of our ancestors just because of the numbers of barbarians?"

Suddenly, a clear laughter came from the corner of the hall.

Everyone turned around and saw Zhu Yunhuan holding an abacus and coming forward. "Uncle Liu, your dyeing workshop saved 300 bolts of yarn last month with the new looms, but the account book says '' and it takes up half a page." He moved the copper beads with his fingertips. "If you write it as '', you can save a lot of time in checking the accounts. This is what your master said himself."

"You!" Liu's face flushed. At this time, Tongzhengshi Xu Lian stepped out and said, "I have checked the trial account books of the land survey in Zhejiang. The new digital account books have increased the efficiency of verification by 70%." He unfolded a roll of silk cloth, "This is the land deed numbered with Arabic numerals. It is clear at a glance when compared with the Chinese characters."

As the debate intensified, Zhu Biao coughed lightly. The hall was silent for a moment, and he said slowly: "I propose that the two methods be implemented in parallel. Capital numbers should still be used to prevent counterfeiting in key areas such as money, grain, and military equipment, while new numbers can be used as a supplement in engineering mathematics."

Chen Han duly presented an official document with the seal of the Ministry of Works: "According to this rule, anyone who changes key figures without authorization will be punished for embezzlement."

The old officials looked at each other in bewilderment. Suddenly, the Minister of War Wang Bi stroked his beard and said, "This old official remembered an old incident - the Northern Frontier Guard used '壹贰叁' to record the loss of arrows last year, but the clerk mistakenly wrote '贰' as '叁', and allocated 2 more arrows." He glanced at Zheng Qingzhuo meaningfully, "If they had used '3' or '' at that time, would there be a mistake due to the similarity of the characters?"

Zheng Qingzhuo was speechless, but he saw Chen Han take out a piece of glass from his sleeve: "Please look, gentlemen."

He placed the glass sheet over the account book, and the Arabic numerals immediately reflected three layers of light and shadow. "The Institute of Physics has developed a new anti-counterfeiting technology that will reveal any tampering. Besides—"

He pointed to the craftsmen waiting outside the hall and said, "Jinling Paper Mill has used the waste vouchers to make new paper, and the cost is only 30% of the old method. If we stick to the ancestral system, where will these benefits come from?"

The sunlight gradually became brighter, shining on the volume of "Regulations on the Use of Numbers" in front of Zhu Biao's desk.

He picked up his pen and dipped it in ink, then wrote in red under the gaze of all the ministers: "The trial is allowed. Minister Zheng Ai is ordered to draft the details and submit them within three days." He paused and added, "The surplus from the waste vouchers will be fully allocated to the Institute of Physics."

When leaving the court, Minister Liu stared at the corner of the dyeing workshop's new account book sticking out from his sleeve, on which the words "7.5 pieces" were clearly printed.

He sighed and finally stopped objecting.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the carved window lattices of the Fengtian Hall, casting mottled light and shadows on the blue brick floor. Chen Han tapped the glass pieces in his sleeves with his fingertips, and the crisp sound woke up the sparrows perched under the eaves.

"You are all right to worry." He suddenly turned to the old censor with white hair and beard, "I remember that three years ago in the Tongzhou grain case, the clerk added two strokes to the word '三' to change it to '五', and received an extra 2,000 dan of disaster relief grain?"

The old censor's ivory tablet slammed against his boots. The historian who was recording the daily life in the corner of the palace paused with his pen, and the ink spread out like a dark cloud on the paper.

"But have you ever thought about this..." Chen Han took out a blue booklet from his arms, and opened the pages filled with deeds from the market. "People have long had the tradition of using '〡〢〣' to count. Last year, among the land deeds verified by Shuntian Prefecture, there were 47 disputes caused by the similar shapes of the characters '贰' and '叁'."

Minister Liu of the Ministry of Works suddenly sneered: "Lord Chen, don't confuse me! Those are the crude methods of peddlers and hawkers, how can they be compared with the court documents?" Half of the dyeing factory account book slipped out of his sleeve, and the ink of the Arabic numerals had not yet dried.

"Liu Shishu is wrong." Zhu Yunhuan shook out the yellowed volume of "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art" from his sleeve. "The Han Dynasty's "Arithmetic Book" has a record of '〡〢〣', and the Song Dynasty's "Mengxi Bitan" calls it "a convenient method for mathematicians." He pointed at the annotations on the edge of the page, "The ancient sage Xu Guangqi even used '3.5 mu' to record the number of acres of land in the "Complete Book of Agricultural Administration" - are these also crude methods?"

The hall was suddenly quiet. As the old ministers were talking to each other, Chen Han noticed that Zheng Qingzhuo was secretly scratching the notice on the pillar with his fingernails. It was the "Tax Grain Collection Regulations" newly issued by the Ministry of Revenue yesterday, and the key points were all marked with Arabic numerals in red ink.

"I am not a pedantic person." Minister Liu suddenly raised his voice, "But if the people use such simple numbers to sign a contract, cunning people will add a '1' after the '0'..." He made a gesture of picking up a pen, and the indigo blue on the cuffs of his official robe was particularly dazzling in the sunset.

Chen Han clapped his hands three times without any hurry. Immediately, the sound of wheels rolling over gold bricks was heard outside the palace, and two Jinyiwei pushed a wooden frame covered with cloth in. The moment the cloth was lifted, the whole court was in an uproar - on the frame were private IOUs sandwiched between layers of colored glass, and the corresponding Arabic numeral translation was pasted on the side of each sheet.

"Please look at this." Chen Han picked up a yellowed IOU with silver tweezers. "In the third year of Hongwu, Wang Wu, a farmer in Wanping, borrowed 'one stone' of grain. The creditor added '亅' to the word '壹' and changed it to '五石'." He turned the glass piece over, and the crack was clearly visible at the bend of the word "壹". "But if the word '1' was used at the beginning -" the tweezers picked up the digital translation next to it, "adding '7' or '9' would destroy the original curvature of the word." The sun suddenly penetrated the clouds, illuminating the glass piece like a fire-proof cloth. Zhu Biao squinted and saw the light and shadow cast fine digital lines on Zheng Qingzhuo's face - this old minister secretly used the new numbers to check his own account book this morning.

"I have another concern." Dali Temple Minister Zhou Shen stepped out with his cane, "The Ministry of Justice has received hundreds of lawsuits over the years, and there have been no fewer than a hundred disputes over land ownership caused by changing '拾' to '佰' or '千' to '萬'." His skinny finger suddenly pointed to the bottom of the wooden frame, "But if the people all count with '10' or '100', even children can add '1' after '0'!"

The sound of abacus beads clacking could be heard from the corner of the hall. Everyone turned around and saw Zhu Gaochi approaching with a copper abacus in his hand. His chubby fingers moved the number "100" and said, "Uncle Zhou, please look. The new abacus made by the Institute of Physics has positioning beads at each level." He turned the abacus over and a copper fire seal popped out from the bottom of the secret compartment. "Any number over 0 must be stamped with this seal. Adding a '' will expose the fake."

During the argument, a woman's clear voice was suddenly heard outside the hall. The historian looked over and saw that it was a dozen women workers from the Women's Workshop holding the Thousand Characters and the Algorithm of the Universe standing under the steps. The leader, Madam Liu, held up a sand table with the number "100" written on it with cinnabar mixed with iron powder, which shone with a metallic luster in the sunset.

"Your Highness!" The old nanny's voice startled the sparrows under the eaves, "I took the girls to the South City to buy yarn this morning. The cloth merchant wanted to add a '10' after the '0 taels', but his hand was burned by the iron powder!" She trembled as she presented the sand tray. There was half a burnt nail stuck to the bottom of the tray - it was clearly someone who had attempted to tamper with it.

Zhu Biao suddenly left his seat, his python-patterned boots stepping over the light and shadows on the ground. He picked up the sand table and examined it carefully, stroking the turning point of the stroke of "100" with his fingertips: "Mr. Zhou, you have been in charge of the prison for many years, have you ever seen a loan note forged with a branding iron?"

The old temple official's cane thumped on the ground. He thought of the Tongcheng case he had tried last year - the tenant farmer whose name was changed to "七" by his creditor using a red-hot hairpin, and who was still clutching half a burnt contract paper before his death.

The sound of evening drums came from the direction of Xuanwu Gate, awakening the ministers who were deep in thought. Chen Han took the opportunity to unfold the scroll: "This is the result of the half-month trial of the new figures in Yingtian Prefecture. Civil contract disputes have decreased by 60%, and the efficiency of tax collectors' auditing has increased fourfold." He suddenly lowered his voice, "The most amazing thing is that those lawyers who made a living by tampering with contracts have now changed their careers and gone to the Institute of Physics to learn anti-counterfeiting techniques."

The laughter spread like ripples in the hall. Minister Liu secretly glanced at the dyeing factory account book in his sleeve. Next to the record of "7.5 pieces", a ripple of anti-counterfeiting was drawn by the servant with cinnabar.

"Gentlemen!" Zhu Biao suddenly clapped his hands, startling the dust on the beams. "What Mr. Chen said just now reminded me of an old incident in the first year of Hongwu." He walked to the old censor and said, "When the late emperor promoted the 'household registration', many people said 'the common people are illiterate and will cause trouble'? But now -" his fingertips brushed across the glazed deeds on the wooden shelf, "these '〡〢〣' have become a weapon for the people to protect themselves!"

Zheng Qingzhuo's ivory tablet fell to the ground with a "clack". He suddenly remembered the "1+1=2" that his grandson had drawn on the wall with charcoal this morning. The child was clamoring to learn "the clever number that mother used to keep accounts".

"Old minister... Old minister..." The Dali Temple's cane left deep marks on the ground, and he suddenly turned to Chen Han, "The old case files archived by the Ministry of Justice..."

"You can use two sets of numbers to mark them in parallel." Chen Han took out a copper movable type from his sleeve, "Just like this '七' and '7' side by side, the authenticity can be judged immediately."

The last rays of the setting sun passed over the ridge of the palace, illuminating the copper movable type with golden light. Zhu Biao suddenly took off the jade pendant from his waist and handed it to the historian: "Today's discussion should be recorded in the Hongwu Baoxun." When the jade pendant turned over, the newly engraved "100" was revealed on the back - that was the engraving of the crown prince yesterday using the etching knife of the Institute of Physics.

As the night watchman's clappers and the sound of looms in the women's workshop intertwined in the twilight, the palace lanterns in the Fengtian Hall lit up one after another. As the light and shadow swayed, I wondered who was the first to discover that the fine bamboo strips on the lampshades formed countless secret marks of "100".

……

The afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on the vegetable patch in the imperial garden. Zhu Yuanzhang bent down and pulled up a weed, his fingertips stained with fresh soil. He listened to the footsteps approaching behind him, and shook off the mud on his hands without looking back: "Biao'er, our chive patch is much more lively than your morning court."

Zhu Biao lifted the corner of his robe and stepped over the ridge of the field, crushing a clod of earth with his boots. "Father, Chen Qing's new number..."

"What's the hurry?" Zhu Yuanzhang picked up an earthworm with the tip of his hoe. The dark brown body of the worm twisted in the sunset glow. "First, take a look at this ridge - the left side is as hard as an old account book of the Ministry of Revenue, and the right side is so soft that you can squeeze water out of it." He suddenly turned around and pointed the hoe handle at Chen Han's chest. "Tell me, kid, which side can grow good vegetables?"

Chen Han's official uniform suddenly had a mud stain on it. He looked along the hoe handle and saw that the soil on the left side of the vegetable patch was cracked and white, and a few drooping leeks looked like the beard of an old official in the Ministry of Revenue; the soil on the right side was fluffy and moist, and a few earthworms were jumping among the tender green seedlings.

"I understand." Zhu Biao suddenly squatted down, picked up two handfuls of soil and rubbed them in his palms. "The soil on the left has not been turned over for 30 years, and the soil on the right has been rotated with new fertilizer every season - just like the alternation of new and old numbers."

Zhu Yuanzhang's hoe pounded into the ground, startling the sparrows beside the vegetable patch. "Why did the empty seal case happen back then? Wasn't it because the soil on the account book was too hard, allowing someone to take advantage of it?" He rolled over the soil with his shoe soles, revealing the bean dregs fertilizer buried in the early years in the cracks. "When we invented capital numbers, it was like spreading lime on hardened ground - it worked, but spreading too much would burn the seedlings."

The evening breeze brought the aroma of lard boiling in the kitchen, and Chen Han saw that the old emperor's rolled-up trouser legs were stained with vegetable leaves. This emperor, who had used iron-blooded means to rectify the administration of officials, now bent down and pinched off a yellowed chive leaf, his movements as gentle as if he was wiping a baby's face.

"Chen kid, come here." Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly waved his hand, and the tip of his hoe drew a crooked "三" on the edge of the vegetable patch. "Back then, there was a clerk in the Ministry of Revenue who added a stroke to the character '壹' and changed it to '拾', thus embezzling nine stone of military rations." His rough fingertips smoothed out the writing and drew another "3". "If it was this weird talisman, he would have to draw half of the curved hook again - do you think I really don't understand mathematics?"

The laughter of weavers could be heard from the other side of the Imperial River, as they were harvesting indigo grass grown from waste vouchers. Zhu Yuanzhang squinted at the figures moving back and forth, and suddenly pulled out a handkerchief from his bosom—the words “Hongwu” were embroidered on the indigo cloth with gold thread, and the stitches were as fine as the numbers in a new account book.

"Biao'er, do you remember how your mother taught the palace maids to keep accounts?" The old emperor shook open his handkerchief, and the inner layer was densely written with words such as "three catties and two ounces" and "seven cents and five cents". "She always said, 'There is no correct form for the numbers, as long as it can prevent adultery.'"

Zhu Biao's fingertips touched the frayed thread of the handkerchief, where there was a plum blossom knot embroidered by Empress Ma herself. He suddenly remembered that when he was young, he saw his mother checking calculations on the wall with charcoal pencils. Those crooked numbers later became the precise rationing of disaster relief grain.

"Father, what you mean is..." The prince crushed a piece of hard soil and watched the crumbs leak back into the vegetable patch through his fingers, "New numbers are like new fertilizer, they have to be mixed with old soil?"

……

(End of this chapter)