Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 824 The Holy Lord's Arrival
"The Emperor summons me?"

"What's going on this time?"

This was somewhat strange to Zhang Pu, who wondered why the emperor had summoned him again just a few days earlier.

He currently holds no official position and does not serve in the imperial court. He only sees the emperor once a month, which is a sign of the emperor's high regard for him.

This time, however, he was summoned again after only a few days.

With doubts in his heart, Zhang Pu asked Wang Dehua, the eunuch of Qianqing Palace who was delivering the imperial edict:
"Does Your Excellency know what has happened this time?"

"If it's convenient, please let me know."

Wang Dehua knew how much the emperor valued Zhang Pu, and also knew that this summons was not a secret, so he smiled and said:

"This is not a private audience with you, sir."

"His Majesty wishes to see Chen Jiru and requests that you accompany him."

"Speaking of which, Chen Jiru came to Beijing with you, sir, didn't he?"

"That's probably why the Emperor asked you to come along."

He revealed everything the emperor had instructed him to do, and didn't ask for any gifts.

The current emperor is cracking down on this very strictly. Anyone who privately accepts gifts from foreign officials will not only be subject to gift taxation, but will also have a record of it on their resume if discovered, and may even be accused of colluding with foreign officials.

With this evaluation, one would essentially be unable to participate in confidential matters within the palace, and would most likely be sent out of the palace and excluded from the core of the court.

As a eunuch in the Qianqing Palace, Wang Dehua naturally had a bright future ahead of him, and he certainly wouldn't give it up for a little money.

Moreover, he was now a high-ranking eunuch in the inner court, receiving an annual bonus from the Imperial Funds Commission. He had absolutely no interest in being asked for a small amount of money when delivering messages.

Zhang Pu was aware of this. Like many officials in the outer court, he now relied on the emperor's favor to obtain information from the eunuchs.

He was very happy to hear Wang Dehua's explanation and was delighted that Chen Jiru had this opportunity.

However, upon hearing that the emperor had not only summoned him and Chen Jiru, but also ordered Chen Renxi, Liu Zongzhou, and Qian Qianyi to accompany him, he keenly realized that this was unusual, and certainly not as simple as just summoning Chen Jiru.
What could it be?

Could it be related to academics?

Zhang Pu was aware of the uproar in the newspapers criticizing the Song Dynasty and the Confucian scholars of the Song Dynasty, and even saw an opportunity for the rise of science in it.

However, the emperor is now supporting Qian Qianyi's school of practical learning. Although Liu Zongzhou's philosophy of mind is also criticized, it does not bear the brunt of the criticism like the Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism.

The emperor summoned all three of them at the same time, perhaps because he had some academic ideas to discuss.

However, the fact that Chen Jiru and Chen Renxi were summoned again puzzled him.

Unable to figure it out, Zhang Pu gave up speculating. However, he still prepared a lot of scientific materials, especially regarding their application in the land survey and taxation in Suzhou—

When the emperor first decided on the name "science," he defined it as the study of mathematics, specifically the study of grains and measures.

With this definition in mind, Zhang Pu naturally strived to apply mathematics to the measurement of grain. He successively proposed concepts such as bulk density, and based on the geometry taught by the emperor and Xu Guangqi, he formulated methods for surveying various plots of land.

Furthermore, through scientific calculations, the number of tax collection steps is reduced, allowing more taxes to be collected directly.

All of this was praised by the emperor, which is why he gained increasing favor from the emperor.

In an era when Song Dynasty Confucianism was on the verge of collapse and new schools of thought were being established, Zhang Pu naturally harbored ambitions, believing that science might have a chance to become orthodox Confucianism.
"Rites, music, books, mathematics, archery, and charioteering; mathematics is one of the Six Arts of Confucianism."

"If we use mathematics as the basis to guide archery and horsemanship, and even to formulate rites and music, science will surely flourish in the world and have the opportunity to compete with practical learning."

"From now on, whatever we do, we must be scientific."

This is the conclusion reached by Zhang Pu and Chen Zilong after their exchange.

They were all disciples of Xu Guangqi and founders of the scientific school appointed by the emperor.

After Qian Qianyi attracted renowned authors with his practical scholarship, they realized that Ming Pao must establish its own responsibility.

"Speaking scientifically" became a consensus between the two, who believed that this banner must be raised no matter what. At the same time, they also wanted to establish a culture of investigation; Zhang Pu planned to have the *Ming Pao* newspaper truly assume the responsibility of public opinion oversight, becoming a kind of unofficial censor.

"The Emperor personally wrote an inscription for the investigative reporter, which is unprecedented and shows that he has high hopes for him!"

"Among the journalism awards, there is also a news column award. I think we can set up a column to publish investigative articles, or even make some hot issues into special features."

"As long as we insist on speaking with facts and using scientific investigations to obtain data, readers will have more faith in Ming Pao and Ming Pao will continue to stand tall."

Chen Zilong agreed with this, but he had some concerns:

“The position of censor is one that can offend people, let alone a censor from the common people.”

"If they are not properly protected, they may be subjected to retaliation or even framed."

"Do you think we should think of a way to ask the Emperor to send people to protect them?"

Zhang Pu nodded slightly, agreeing that this concern was quite reasonable.

Although the emperor rewarded the outstanding censor Yuan Shi, he did not grant him any other powers.

The annual quota of one Yuanshi (a high-ranking scholar) is not enough to attract people to risk their lives.

To leverage the role of investigative journalists, they also need to be given special powers.

He intended to raise this point before the emperor, and then said to Chen Zilong:

"Brother Zilong, please think more about the column. I have obtained the policy from the Emperor and it will be established soon."

"What name do you suggest for this column that shows how much importance we attach to it?"

Chen Zilong came up with names like "Investigation" and "Supervision," but Zhang Pu felt they were somewhat empty.

In the end, nothing was decided, and we'll discuss it in a few days.
-
The next day, Zhang Pu bathed and dressed, and went to the palace with Chen Renxi, Chen Jiru, Liu Zongzhou, and Qian Qianyi.

They were all from Jiangnan and knew each other very well.

Zhang Pu looked at Chen Jiru and congratulated him, saying:

Congratulations, Master Mei!

"Does His Majesty know of your wisdom? He specially summoned us to accompany him."

"I am fortunate to be here today thanks to Master Mei."

Chen Jiru was also very happy, because he realized from the emperor's summons that the emperor did not have much ill will towards him.

Moreover, the fact that he, a commoner, was summoned by the emperor was a rare honor.

If he could persuade the emperor to issue any decree, Chen Jiru's name would be passed down through the ages, and he would become one of the most respected scholars in the world.

So he smiled and said:

"The Holy Emperor has come to court and summoned us; it is truly a rare and precious opportunity."

"I, Chen, have never had an audience with the Emperor before, and I hope you will all help me."

Everyone said it was easy to say and didn't think there was anything difficult about it.

Although the current emperor has revived the system of rites and music, he places great emphasis on rituals and ceremonies.

They didn't pay much attention to minor etiquette in daily life. Even if someone behaved improperly in front of the emperor, they would usually only be reprimanded with a few words.

Everyone who has had contact with the emperor agrees that he is a benevolent ruler.

This is why Liu Zongzhou was willing to assist the current emperor in restoring the rites and music.

(End of this chapter)