The six-dimensional pictures of emperors of all dynasties were exposed, and the ancestors panicked

Chapter 732 Literary Prison

{That’s the problem…}
{This is the problem with the Qing emperors.}
{If the Ming Dynasty emperors were blinded by their ancestors’ brilliant martial arts, then the Qing Dynasty emperors closed their eyes to deceive themselves.}
{Didn't Qianlong know the harm of negotiating the silver for crimes?}

{He knows it better than anyone else!}

{In the 55th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign, on his 80th birthday, Yin Zhuangtu, a member of the Cabinet, submitted a memorial pointing out the serious drawbacks of the system of negotiating silver for crimes.}
｛Yin Zhuangtu's memorial clearly stated that the criminal silver actually encouraged officials to break laws and disciplines and condoned the spread of corruption. The huge fiscal deficits of local governments were also related to the implementation of the criminal silver system.｝
{Because of the existence of the criminal silver, corrupt people can be more daring and embezzle public funds. After all, if they are found out in the future, they can just pay a fine and make compensation.}
{As for honest officials, it is difficult to ensure that there will be no deficits during their tenure due to financial constraints, so they have to curry favor with their subordinates in order to get their help when there are deficits after their death.}
{Qianlong wrote in his pen, “It is not without opinion.”}
{Qianlong was well aware that the system of negotiating the punishment with silver was indeed prone to drawbacks.}
{But he believed that he was as wise as ever and could minimize the drawbacks of this system.}
{Therefore, the author changed his tone and said: "I am unable to find a good governor at the moment, so I will appoint someone with flaws and impose a light punishment on him."}
{After finishing his self-defense, Qianlong raised another question. He said that everything he said must be based on evidence.}
{You said that the governors of each province sent many subordinates to collect fines, which caused the warehouses to be short of money. Is this just your subjective conjecture, or is there any real evidence?}

{How could the Qing Dynasty, at its peak, have such a corrupt government as "many warehouses were in short supply"?}
{The two argued over this matter, and Qianlong even made the document public.}
{It must be said that the Qing emperors really loved to publish the correspondence between them and their ministers.}
……

Big man.

When Liu Bang thought about it, he found it really laughable.

"You want to let Beijing officials who have no position or power to catch local officials and find evidence of their crimes?"

"Qianlong...you are really getting old and confused."

Lu Zhi snorted and said:
"Confused? He's very smart."

The emperor knew that officials often wanted to be known for their outspokenness but were unwilling to offend others.

Therefore, his arguments read as passionate and indignant, but upon closer inspection, they do not involve specific people or events.

Moreover, since the emperor said so, it shows that his intention to refuse advice is revealed between the lines.

At this time, the smart way to deal with it is to change the course in time.

He responded promptly saying that he had no evidence, that the suggestion was indeed absurd, and that he had suddenly realized something after being educated by the Emperor.

Although you lose face, you can keep yourself safe.

"I just don't know what the final outcome of this minister will be."

……

The period of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty
"Heshen institutionalized the punishment of crimes in order to give the emperor some pocket money."

Liu Heng was mending the straw hat in his hand and said calmly:

"A huge amount of fines flowed into the emperor's treasury, which was used for the emperor's extra expenses, such as the expenses on the southern tour and the rewards on his birthday."

"Without this money, the emperor would be in financial difficulty immediately."

"One is the fiscal deficit that is far away."

"One is the pleasing sight that is within reach."

"It's obvious which one the old emperor will choose."

Liu Qi looked at the straw hat in Liu Heng's hand, half of it in his mouth, and said with his chin in his hand while sitting cross-legged:

"But if you want to talk about how old you are... Isn't that what Grandfather said?"

Liu Heng paused.

Father?

"Because Gaozu was severely beaten."

Liu Qi:?
……

[As mentioned earlier, after the middle of the Qianlong period, there were four kinds of social contradictions that became increasingly acute.]

【Population explosion, intensified land annexation and usury, political corruption and severe financial constraints. 】

[There was also a widespread literary inquisition and large-scale banning of books.]

……

On the canopy.

The emperor sat on the dragon throne.

The sun shines on his feet.

And at the emperor's feet, pieces of white paper were scattered all over the ground.

……

[Strictly speaking, literary inquisition is not uncommon in Chinese history.]

[For example, Sima Qian's grandson Yang Yun was imprisoned by Emperor Xuan of Han for some reason, and was later demoted to a commoner. His friend, Sun Huizong, the governor of Anding County, advised him to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors and not to entertain guests and drink and have fun. Yang Yun wrote a letter to Sun Huizong, which is "Reply to Sun Huizong". ]

[Finally, Yang Yun was again accused and imprisoned. In the "Report to Sun Huizong" found in his home, there were many words of resentment towards the emperor, so "Emperor Xuan saw it and hated it", and he was eventually beheaded for high treason.]

……

The period of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty
Liu Bing was a little confused

"what?"

"me?"

Xu Pingjun was also a little surprised, then she covered her mouth and chuckled.

Liu Bingyi squinted his eyes and looked at her.

"What laughing?"

Xu Pingjun looked up again, lowered his head and smiled:

"I laughed, wondering how nasty his curse was."

"It makes you the one you hate the most."

Liu Bingyi was slightly stunned.

The person I hate the most...

When he reacted, his face darkened and he said unhappily:

"That must be because he committed the crime of disrespect! I must maintain the majesty of the emperor!"

Xu Pingjun took another look and laughed:

"It's even more like it when you put it that way! Hahaha!"

Liu Bingyi looked at him with a dark face.

Little Liu Shi, who was standing by, wiped his nose, threw away the wooden sword in his hand, and ran over to hug his mother.

"Who? Who does mother and father hate?"

Liu Bingyi looked at the little bastard with unkindness.

"Oh? You really want to know?"

"Come! Father will tell you!"

……

[Another typical example of a literary inquisition in the Song Dynasty was the "Wudai Poetry Case" that Su Shi encountered, in which more than 20 people including Su Shi's relatives and students were implicated.]

[During the Chongning reign of Emperor Huizong of Song, in order to completely ban the "Yuanyou Learning" including poetry, the "Yuanyou Party Members Monument" was specially established, and up to 300 people were listed in the monument. ]

[During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Song, in order to completely ban private history, he created a large number of literary inquisitions, the number and scope of which far exceeded that of the Northern Song Dynasty.]

【Anyone who made a mistake in speaking or wrote a controversial article would be thrown into prison and banished to the mountains and seas. For example, Hu Quan, Li Guang, Zhao Ding, and Zhang Yuangan were all punished with exile or detention.】

……

Song Shenzong Period
Zhao Xu was also very helpless.

One consequence of factional politics is literary inquisition.

However, literary inquisition could only investigate and punish those who expressed different political views in writing, but it could not prohibit scholars of the same era from stopping their thoughts and expressing their opinions.

Therefore, it is inevitable that the literary ban will be upgraded to a verbal ban.

Finally, it expanded to include being punished for speech.

"Uneasy."

……

[For example, during the Hongwu period, Xu Yikui, a professor in Hangzhou, presented a congratulatory letter to the emperor. In the letter, he wrote, "Under the bright sky, a saint was born to serve as an example for the world." This was originally a statement by a minister to praise the emperor, but Zhu Yuanzhang turned it into a literary inquisition and sentenced him to death.]

【Zhu Yuanzhang said after reviewing the memorial: "Sheng means monk, because I was once a monk. Guang means shaved head. Ze means the pronunciation of the word is similar to zei."】

[Because Zhu Yuanzhang was born in the countryside and once became a monk and had his hair shaved, this was considered an act of great disrespect and constituted a literary inquisition.]

[The most frequently appearing sensitive word is “则”. ]

[Because "ze" is pronounced the same as "zei" in Huaixi dialect. ]

【For example, Lin Yuanliang, a professor at Zhejiang Provincial Academy, was killed because he wrote the sentence "set an example and set a precedent" in his "Thank you for the increase in salary".】

【Jiang Zhi, the instructor of Guilin Prefecture School, was killed because he wrote "Jianzhong Zuoshi" in his "New Year's Day Congratulations".】

[Zhao Boning, the instructor of Beiping Prefecture School, wrote a "Longevity Table" for the commander-in-chief. He was executed because the table contained the sentence "to serve as an example for future generations".]

【Lin Bojing, the instructor of Fuzhou Prefecture School, wrote a "Winter Greeting" for the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner. He was executed because the sentence "to serve the world" was included in the letter. 】

【Secondly, if there are words like "生" (similar to "僧") and "法坤" (similar to "发髡") in the memorial, it is also considered to be a satire on his having been a monk. 】【There are many similar cases of literary inquisitions in the Hongwu period. 】

……

Ming dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang shut up.

Queen Ma opened her mouth.

"Zhongba... the letter is full of meaningless clichés. Why should you punish me for this?"

"You are a commoner who has made great contributions to China. How proud is that?"

"If you really count, Emperor Gaozu of Han's family background is a little higher than yours."

"You are the true Dragon Snake Transformation!"

"Why should you be afraid of others mentioning your origins?"

“This should be the thing I’m most proud of!”

Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent.

Although I often feel proud of being a commoner from Huaiyou and Jiangzuo, and of coming from a humble background and farming background.

But these words can only be said by him, no one else can say them.

You think this is part of my glory.

But these glories are also the past that he cannot bear to look back on.

……

{? What about the Tang Dynasty? Was there no literary inquisition in the Tang Dynasty?}
{You can’t imagine it! No!}
{The Tang Dynasty basically did not engage in literary inquisition in politics.}
{But didn’t Han Yu’s writing of “The Memorial on the Concern for the Buddha’s Bones” lead to his demotion?}

{How should I put it? Strictly speaking, this was not a literary inquisition, because the "memorial" in "Memorial to the Buddha's Bones" was actually an official document. This was just a problem caused by political differences.}
｛Although we later regarded the "Remonstrance on the Buddha's Bones" as a literary work, it was originally an official document.｝
{And we can notice that generally speaking, during the era of literary inquisition, literature is often suppressed.}
{But there were none in the Tang Dynasty, or there were very few.}
{After all, there are people like Bai Juyi, who are so bold as to write about the private affairs of the emperor and the imperial concubine in his poems, and describe them vividly.}
{This kind of thing was absolutely unimaginable in the era of literary inquisition.}
{…I have never thought about this angle…but now that you have said it, I understand. So this is probably an important reason for the prosperity of Tang Dynasty literature.}
{Nonsense... Why did you not mention a word about Liu Yuxi being demoted?}
{Yes! I was wondering what was wrong! Wasn't it because of his satirical poems that Liu Yuxi was demoted?}
{Was Liu Yuxi demoted because of factional strife? Is this also considered a literary inquisition?}
{If you say so, then Su Shi doesn't count!}
{Oh...they are arguing again...}
……

Datang.

Li Shimin looked at the sudden surge of comments from later generations and twitched the corners of his mouth.

"Really... these kids are really good at verbal battles."

"No one will give in to anyone else."

"it is good!"

"Is this what a flourishing culture should be like?!"

Empress Changsun chuckled and said:
"Erlang was also taken away by them."

Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, then he held his belt and laughed.

"Yeah yeah!"

"Isn't it about the Qianlong literary inquisition?"

"Hahahaha!"

……

Tang Xuanzong Period
"Isn't it funny..."

Li Longji glanced at Yang Yuhuan who was covering her mouth and laughing.

Yang Yuhuan rubbed the corners of her mouth and said with a smile:
"It's not funny."

“But…but…hahaha!”

"How come every topic involves you, Sanlang?"

"Hahahahaha!"

Li Longji had a nasty face.

Yeah, I want to know too.

Why am I everywhere?

……

[From this perspective, it seems that literary inquisition is not a big deal and has little to do with national turmoil.]

[Why did the literary inquisition during the reign of Emperor Qianlong affect the stability of the country? ]

[This is the characteristic of the literary inquisition during the Qianlong period.]

[Because the focus of the literary inquisition during the Qianlong period was on the lower classes of society.]

【In all dynasties of China, literary inquisitions were carried out against the scholar-official class. 】

[According to statistics from the book "Literary Inquisitions in the Qing Dynasty", there were approximately thirty literary inquisitions during the reigns of Kangxi and Yongzheng, of which at least twenty involved officials, gentry, and celebrities, accounting for two-thirds of all cases.]

【However, during the Qianlong period, most of them were lower-class scholars and common people who had some understanding of literature.】

[Among the approximately 130 cases of literary inquisition, low-level literati, namely, students, scholars, students, and martial artists, accounted for nearly 40 cases.]

[There were more than 50 cases involving civilians, and the two together accounted for 72 percent of the total.]

[These people had various occupations, including a book mounter, a hotel owner, three pawnshop owners, four students, four teachers, a quack doctor, a vegetable farmer, two helpers, a sedan bearer, three fortune tellers, a tailor, a vagrant, and five monks.]

[There are 22 people whose occupations are unclear, and 18 lunatics of various occupations.]

[This phenomenon has never occurred in any literary inquisition in any dynasty before Qianlong.]

[From a certain perspective, Qianlong broke the situation in which the scholar-officials had a "monopoly" on literary inquisition. ]

……

Tang Dynasty and Gaozong period
Li Zhi stroked his beard and understood.

The ultimate reason is to ensure the stability of the ruling position.

Qianlong's character is very clear.

The emperor is the only one who makes decisions.

He did it in the court.

He also did it militarily.

The only difference is the scholars and the people.

But scholars and common people are not in high positions in the government.

Since the rules of power change do not apply to them, they can only use crude but effective methods.

Cover your mouth.

……

【After the literary inquisitions during the reigns of Kangxi and Yongzheng, the Qing dynasty’s ideological autocracy had been greatly strengthened among the upper classes.】

【However, the upper level does not mean the whole level. 】

[The anti-Qing consciousness of the whole society, especially the lower and middle classes, has not been completely eradicated, and a large number of "illegal writings" still exist in private.]

[Many families in the private sector have hidden Ming Dynasty unofficial histories, and even Wu Sangui’s anti-Qing manifesto.]

[The scholars regarded it as a rare treasure, rushed to copy it, and even commented on it to show their approval.]

[This situation means that some people, especially the middle and lower class scholars, still think about the "distinction between Chinese and barbarians" and do not agree with the rule of the Qing Dynasty.]

[For example, the Ma Chaozhu anti-Qing case in the 1752th year of Qianlong () was carried out under the banner of "anti-Qing and restoration of Ming".]

Qianlong clearly realized that the "anti-Qing consciousness" in the minds of the Han people was still the best source of social unrest and the biggest hidden danger in the Qing Dynasty.

[So Qianlong always understood that the ancestors of the Qing Dynasty successfully tamed the bodies of the people, but failed to completely tame their hearts. ]

[Only by achieving the depth of ruling by taming the heart can the Qing Dynasty last for hundreds of millions of years. ]

【Qianlong took over the job of taming the heart.】

Anyone who understands history knows how profound the intricacies here are.

……

There is a sentence by Jiang Wen that I like very much, which roughly means:
The audience may not understand now, but they will understand in the future.

And when they understand it, the audience will be able to say, Jiang Wen is a good guy, he didn’t fool me.

This is also one of the motivations for me to write this book.

……

But you only need to read this kind of book once!

This is written in a very frightening way...



(End of this chapter)