Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The two experiments had a significant impact in Beijing, demonstrating the power of science to many.

Even Han Kuang, the chief minister who was busy with the leadership transition, spared some attention:
"Scientific calculation, investigation of things to acquire knowledge."

"Science has been making quite a splash these days!"

"The Emperor is supporting them."

Chengji's Destiny:

"His Majesty's support for science has been a long-standing practice; otherwise, the Royal Academy of Sciences would not have been established."

"It is better that His Majesty cares about scholarship than other things."

These words were loaded with meaning, and Han Kuang nodded and chuckled:

"really!"

"It's better for the Emperor to be concerned with science than to exert himself in politics."

"Now that the Emperor has delegated power, you and I must devote more attention to matters of state."

After the reshuffling of court officials and local governors, the new officials quickly discovered that the emperor had indeed relinquished power.

As long as each department follows the rules, the emperor rarely interferes directly with them.

Even matters requiring coordination between various government departments were delegated by the emperor to the Cabinet Committee.

As a result, the cabinet's power increased significantly, and its ministers became increasingly powerful, much like prime ministers.

Han Kuang was the most successful among them, as he was the Grand Secretary and the highest decision-maker besides the emperor.

When the emperor is not involved, he has the greatest decision-making power. He is only subject to the constraints of the second-in-command and the Director of the Secretariat.

Therefore, at this time, he absolutely did not want to disturb the emperor and make the emperor refocus on court affairs.

Under Cheng Jiming's reminder, Han Kuang realized that he could not interfere too much with the emperor or try to control everything the emperor did.

Otherwise, if they angered the emperor, he would also make trouble for the ministers in the court.

It's a good thing that the emperor is now paying attention to academics, and neither of them has any prejudice against the scientific school.

The Donglin School, which they relied on, had an influence far beyond that of the scientific school.

At this point, there is absolutely no need to worry about the threat posed by science.
-
However, Qian Qianyi was different. His practical learning was also a new school of thought, and it was established with the support of the emperor.

As emperors devoted more energy to science, their attention to practical learning naturally decreased.

In particular, the publication of his "Epistemology" in Science at the beginning of the year made him fully aware of the threats to science—

This article is said to be part of "On Practice." The emperor chose to publish it in "Science," but would he later hand it over to the practical school of thought?
If the scientific school were to seize "On Practice," the practical school would become a laughing stock, and Qian Qianyi would absolutely not accept this situation.

Now that the emperor is openly supporting science and is publicly offering rewards to draw attention to it, Qian Qianyi is very worried:
"Science and practical learning are both new schools of thought."

"Young people who study science for the sake of a reward will most likely join the scientific faction in the future."

"This school of thought will be a major enemy of the practical school in the future!"

We must fully recognize what Qu Shisi said and acknowledge that the scientific faction is a major enemy.

If he wants to control the court through the practical school of thought in the future, he must support the practical school of thought and suppress the scientific school of thought.

Qu Shisi was pleased that his teacher had finally recognized the importance of this matter, and said:
"The most troublesome thing about the scientific faction is that the Royal Academy of Sciences belongs to the inner court."

“With the Hanlin Academy not entirely under the Emperor’s control, the Academy of Sciences is more like the Emperor’s Hanlin Academy. In the future, the Emperor will select talents from the Academy of Sciences.”

"Not many people realize this now. In the future, as more officials come from the Academy of Sciences, more people will take shortcuts and choose to devote themselves to science."

"People from the Academy of Sciences who go on to become officials naturally have an influence on them as well."

"Our practical learning is different; we haven't yet taken control of the Hanlin Academy."

"Not all Hanlin scholars believe in practical learning."

This is the most awkward situation for the Practical Learning School. When Qian Qianyi served as the head of the Hanlin Academy, Practical Learning was very popular there. At that time, many Hanlin scholars were writing articles around Practical Learning.

However, after Qian Qianyi stepped down, the people of the Hanlin Academy not only abandoned practical learning, but also devoted more energy to the longevity theory promoted by the new head of the academy.

This feeling of being replaced made Qian Qianyi extremely uncomfortable.

However, he couldn't criticize it; he couldn't very well use his position as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites to forcibly interfere in the Hanlin Academy.
Now that Qu Shisi has pointed it out, he has also realized that the Hanlin Academy is not the base for practical learning.

It is impossible to expect all officials in the Hanlin Academy to be advocates of practical learning.

Qian Qianyi was helpless in the face of this situation, and he said:

"The Hanlin scholars hold a prestigious position, and now they wield real power through their appointments to other regions and concurrent positions."

"This government office cannot be completely controlled by one school of thought, and the emperor will not allow it."

"Let's find another place to serve as a stronghold for the Practical School."

After some thought, the two realized that none of the various departments and offices of the imperial court required practical knowledge.

Unlike the Academy of Sciences, which was established for science, the Academy of Sciences would cease to exist if science collapsed.

For this reason, Qu Shisi proposed again:

"We still need to establish academies and schools."

"We must cultivate our own people and bring together those who believe in practical learning."

Qian Qianyi nodded in agreement, then clenched his fist and said with determination:

"Ordinary societies have a limited number of members, so I will ask the Emperor for special approval to establish a large society."

"We should try to persuade the Emperor to establish a real academy, with the same status as the Academy of Sciences."

They planned to build a practical academy, modeled after the current Academy of Sciences, and requested the emperor to do so.

They also requested that a school be set up and run by the Practical School.

Everything was modeled after science; the pragmatists wanted everything they had.

Qu Shisi was very pleasantly surprised:

"Sir, you've finally made up your mind?"

"His Majesty still values ​​you highly."

"This time we must be resolute and do whatever the Emperor says."

He specifically instructed the teacher to listen to the emperor.

His biggest flaw as a teacher was his lack of resolve; he often left tasks assigned by the emperor unfinished.

Otherwise, the emperor wouldn't have been disappointed and would have directed more support toward science.

Seeing that the emperor was paying more attention to scholarship after delegating power, Qu Shisi encouraged his teacher to persevere once he made up his mind.

The practical school of thought needed the emperor's support to achieve significant development.

When Qian Qianyi heard the student's request, he couldn't help but blush.

He also knows his own weakness: he easily gives in when faced with resistance.

Even students can't stand it now, so you can imagine what others think.

If we still can't do a good job after getting the emperor's support this time, the emperor will probably lose patience completely.

He silently encouraged himself and submitted his memorial requesting an audience.
-
When Zhu Youjian saw the memorial, he was fishing in the West Garden.

He hadn't found fishing particularly enjoyable before, but as he gradually relinquished control of state affairs, he grew to love fishing more and more in the Western Garden.

Otherwise, when you have nothing to do, you're prone to overthinking, especially getting caught up in the entanglements of the harem.

In order to live longer and complete the restoration of ritual music, he resolutely refused all kinds of pleasure activities, citing his love of quiet, and often went fishing in the West Garden.

Over time, this hobby was cultivated.

Those around him knew that the emperor must not be disturbed while fishing, especially by any mundane matters.

However, Qian Qianyi's request for an audience was clearly not an ordinary matter.

When court officials privately meet with the emperor, it is a way of demonstrating their loyalty. Even Zhu Youjian, as emperor, could not ignore them.

After a day of fishing, Zhu Youjian received a request for an audience with Qian Qianyi. Zhu Youjian smiled and said:

"Qian Muzhai finally couldn't sit still any longer."

“He’s such a fence-sitter, he needs to be pushed a little, otherwise he’ll easily get carried away.”

"Have him come over tomorrow and go fishing with me."

His life is very structured now.

While not as precise as to what needs to be done every minute and second, daily meeting arrangements and official documents all have clearly defined timelines.

To maintain his health, Zhu Youjian strictly adhered to this schedule. He now only worked on weekdays, and the time he spent in meetings and reviewing memorials each day never exceeded eight hours.

Unless it's an important and urgent matter that requires his attention, he won't handle anything after work. Even important matters will be postponed to tomorrow if they aren't urgent.

Some were even directly delegated to the cabinet, so the cabinet members all felt that the emperor was relinquishing power.

If there are few important tasks, Zhu Youjian has plenty of free time to arrange as he pleases.

Fishing was included in his leisure time, and Zhu Youjian was free to decide what to do.

He wasn't too busy these days and was able to find time to meet with Qian Qianyi.

After receiving the instructions, Qian Qianyi made thorough preparations.

He knew that the conversation at Xiyuan showed trust and respect, and he had to prove himself.

Their conversation began with fishing.

Zhu Youjian looked relaxed as he gazed at Taiye Pond and said:

"Mr. Muzhai, do you know why so many people like fishing?"

"What conclusions can be drawn from practical analysis?"

Qian Qianyi pondered deeply, wondering what the emperor's intention was.

He knew that the current emperor's thinking was always unconventional, and that he could think of many things that ordinary people would not pay attention to.

The emperor's words clearly indicated that he had thought of something, and I should just listen to them.

So he replied very respectfully:
"I am dull-witted and cannot think of an answer for the time being."

"I humbly request Your Majesty's guidance!"

Zhu Youjian shook his head and said to him with a smile:

"You're always like this."

"They have thoughts in their minds, but they are unwilling to say them directly."

"Even after requesting my instructions, they are unwilling to do things entirely according to my wishes."

"Now I am delegating power to the officials in the court. If you have any ideas, you can bring them up and take the initiative to implement them."

"The development of practical learning must come from practice."

"If you don't put it into practice, it will always remain a castle in the air."

These words, spoken with feeling, pointed out the biggest problem with Qian Qianyi.

This person is really unreliable; he often starts things but doesn't finish them.

For example, Qian Qianyi did not study "On Constant Property" in depth, even though it was the first important theoretical work of the Practical School. As a result, the right to interpret "Constant Property" was seized by Liu Lishun, Zhang Pu and others, and now many people do not believe that "On Constant Property" belongs solely to the Practical School.

The same is true of "On Production". After writing this article, Qian Qianyi never thought about how to use it to guide practice.

So much so that this article was shelved, seemingly to enhance Qian Qianyi's reputation in academic circles.

How could Zhu Youjian trust him? He didn't even give Qian Qianyi the "On Practice" he had written.

Upon hearing the emperor's words, Qian Qianyi broke out in a cold sweat. He realized that not only did his disciple think this way, but the emperor himself was not a resolute person in his eyes.

Fortunately, he made up his mind this time and immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness in the face of the emperor's accusations.

With tears in his eyes, he said to the emperor:

"Your Majesty did not consider me lowly or base, and has given me guidance on several occasions."

"Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful and am willing to serve you to the death and put your theories into practice."

He lay prostrate on the ground, pleading to regain the emperor's trust.

Zhu Youjian, however, felt nothing, because he had seen this situation many times in the years since he ascended the throne, and he had no shortage of people willing to serve him.

Old ministers like Qian Qianyi, regardless of what they say, still harbor the influence of the Wanli and Tianqi eras and don't really care about the emperor.

They won the struggle over the succession of the state and showed the backbone of gentlemen in the face of the oppression of the eunuch faction. This made them less respectful to the emperor, and many even wanted to deliberately defy him.

In the past few years, Zhu Youjian used a high-pressure approach to suppress them. Now that he has relaxed his stance slightly, many people feel that they have figured out the emperor's methods and are making various tests.

Zhu Youjian found these things very annoying. He now preferred to cultivate a new generation of talents, such as Liu Lishun, Zhang Pu, and Chen Zilong, whom he had personally promoted.

Of course, Zhu Youjian could not ignore Qian Qianyi's gesture.

He put down his fishing rod, stood up, walked to Qian Qianyi's side, and personally helped him up, saying:
"Get up!"

"Don't kneel down so easily."

"I have previously made a request that no one is allowed to kneel except in formal ceremonies when facing Heaven, Earth, the Sovereign, Parents, and Teachers."

"Has the Ministry of Rites put this into practice? What measures have they taken?"

"What punishment is there for officials who lack self-respect and voluntarily kneel before their superiors, as well as for superiors who demand that their subordinates and the common people kneel before them?"

"You are the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, responsible for the daily affairs of the Ministry. You must pay close attention to the matters of the Ministry of Rites."

Zhu Youjian only mentioned such trivial matters briefly and couldn't possibly keep up with them.

Seeing that the emperor wasn't paying attention, the Ministry of Rites naturally didn't put in much effort either. As a prestigious and influential government department, they rarely dealt with specific matters.

Although Qian Qianyi had been serving as an official in the Ministry of Rites, he knew nothing about the matter and could only wipe his sweat and say:

"I have failed in my duty!"

"Upon returning, I immediately established a system requiring officials at all levels to comply with it."

Zhu Youjian inwardly scoffed, knowing that this wasn't something that could be resolved with just another document.

But he could only praise Qian Qianyi:
"As long as you are willing to do things, that's good. The practical school of thought should be able to do practical things, which will distinguish it from other schools of thought."

“Even if the Ministry of Rites is a prestigious and respectable government office, as the founder of the practical learning school, you still have to make something of it.”

"I am writing you an imperial edict to discuss with the Ministry of Personnel the inclusion of kneeling in the examination of the Four Cardinal Principles and Eight Laws."

"When officials talk about shame, they should include inappropriate kneeling in their statements and engage in self-criticism."

This level of force is far greater than a document from the Ministry of Rites.

Because the Ministry of Personnel's assessment is related to one's official position.

Moreover, officials' self-evaluations are included in their files and will stay with them for life.

If someone were to witness such an ugly act of fawning and kneeling, even if he became a high-ranking official, he would probably never be able to hold his head high.

Only in this way can the practice of kneeling in officialdom be curbed, and subordinates be prevented from arbitrarily kneeling before their superiors.

Qian Qianyi gained a profound understanding of how pragmatic the emperor was from this behavior.

He didn't just draft a document or issue an edict; he required all departments to implement it. He aimed to achieve tangible results through various measures, rather than simply relying on empty words.

The very name "Shixue" (实学) reflects the emperor's attitude.

The emperor urged him to put his ideas into practice and produce tangible results.

Without meeting this requirement, true learning will forever remain a superficial school of thought. (End of Chapter)