Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Zhu Youjian's indifference to Ge Cheng's case undoubtedly displeased Chen Jiru.

But before he could continue his rebuttal based on the tax resistance regulations, Zhang Pu, who knew the current emperor better, spoke first:
“Ge Cheng’s tax resistance occurred before the regulations on rent and tax resistance were established, therefore he should be convicted.”

"However, there was still something pitiable about his situation. Zhu Shumi, the then prefect of Suzhou, called him a 'hero'."

This forced Zhu Youjian to pay even more attention to the case.

Zhu Xieyuan was the commander-in-chief of the Great Wall and a highly capable general whom Zhu Xieyuan trusted. If he were implicated in an old case, it would affect the stability of the court.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian learned in detail about the Ge Cheng case, and after Zhang Pu, Chen Jiru, and others gave their responses, he seized on one point and asked:

Did Ge Cheng kill someone?

"Should the tax collector be killed?"

Chen Jiru hesitated upon hearing this, while Zhang Pu took the initiative to reply:
“When Ge Cheng resisted taxes, he bound six or seven tax officials and threw them into the river, and burned the tax collectors’ houses in the official’s family.”

"Then Prefect Zhu pacified the area."

Zhu Youjian was displeased and said sternly:
"Those who kill shall be executed, and those who injure or steal shall be punished accordingly."

"These are the three laws established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, which all dynasties must follow."

“Since Ge Cheng killed someone, he should be punished. Moreover, killing an official is no different from rebellion.”

"I hereby establish a rule: whether it is rent or tax resistance or other peaceful protests, no one shall take the opportunity to kill or injure others or steal property."

"Otherwise, it will be classified as a popular uprising, and those responsible will be held accountable according to the law."

"The Citizens' Committee must draft detailed legislation to serve as the basis for the trial."

"We must not encourage people to kill officials and rebel, thus disrupting the stability of the Ming Dynasty."

These words clearly state that Ge Cheng is a criminal and that his case cannot be overturned.

If Ge Cheng were to be re-examined according to the laws after the rites and music were revised, he might even be sentenced to death.

Others involved in the murder of the tax collectors should also be investigated, not just Ge Cheng.

Chen Jiru clearly knew that Ge Cheng was taking the blame for the murder of an official, as others had done.

Therefore, upon hearing the emperor's decision, he was immediately speechless.

Now that Ge Cheng is dead, other officials who killed him may still be alive. These survivors certainly wouldn't want to see Ge Cheng's case retried.

In particular, he could not encourage the people to kill officials and rebel, otherwise the gentry and officials in and out of the court would abandon him.

These people wanted the right to resist taxes and pay less. They didn't want their regions to descend into chaos and the country to become unstable.

So after thinking it over, Chen Jiru could only apologize to Ge Cheng in his heart and keep his matter to himself.

At the same time, he felt somewhat uncomfortable with the emperor's parallel treatment of rent resistance and tax resistance.

This policy has already been implemented in Suzhou, which is why many tenant farmers in Suzhou support the labor association.

The gentry of Suzhou were very dissatisfied with this, and Chen Jiru heard them complain about it quite often.

He estimated that the right to resist rent and taxes would inevitably continue to be debated in Congress in the future.

This gave him a deeper understanding of the saying "serving a ruler is like serving a tiger," and a profound realization of why the current emperor was revered by so many people.

This emperor may seem easy to talk to, but on some matters he is even more stubborn than the late emperor.

If you anger him, the consequences could be even worse.

So what happened next proceeded rather uneventfully. They all remembered what the emperor said, but rarely spoke out or discussed it.
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Zhu Youjian ignored this, as he was used to taking the silence of his ministers as tacit agreement.

After outlining the responsibilities of the Citizens' Rights Committee, the conclusion was as follows:
"Citizenship is equal, and everyone enjoys equal rights."

"The only exception is the right to be elected. Only those who are well-mannered and respectful of etiquette have the right to be elected."

"Other rights such as the right to life, liberty, property, dignity, and justice, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, or occupation, are equally enjoyed by all citizens of the Ming Dynasty."

"Now, Master Mei, you know how to treat women."

Chen Jiru was clearly taken aback and exclaimed in surprise:
"Does Your Majesty mean that women can also hold official positions and be elected as members of parliament?"

Zhu Youjian replied matter-of-factly:
"Of course women can be officials; there are female officials in the palace."

"In the future, some clerical and other tasks can be assigned to female civil servants as appropriate."

"Women can be talented and have opportunities to use their abilities."

This was a direct rejection of Chen Jiru's belief that "a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent," and Chen Jiru was extremely dissatisfied, arguing in his defense:

"Your Majesty, women who are literate and able to understand the greater principles are indeed virtuous, but they are rare indeed."

"Other women who enjoy reading fictional novels, stirring up evil thoughts, or even manipulating the law are not as good as those who are illiterate and stay at home obediently."

These were his words of indignation, but Liu Zongzhou and others found them quite reasonable.

Liu Zongzhou echoed:
The Book of Documents, in the chapter "The Oath at Mu", states: "Hens do not crow at dawn; when hens crow at dawn, the house is ruined."

"The Xia dynasty had Meixi, the Shang dynasty had Daji, and the Zhou dynasty had Baosi. All three ancient dynasties perished because of this. Your Majesty, please take this as a lesson!"

Qian Qianyi and others also cited examples such as Empress Lü, Empress Wu, and Princess Taiping from the Han and Tang dynasties to illustrate that it is unacceptable for a hen to crow at dawn.

Zhu Youjian hadn't expected their strong opposition, and recalling the actions of some female judges in later generations, he compromised:
"Women and men have different strengths, so it is indeed inappropriate to ask them to do judicial or other similar work."

"In that case, you should discuss with the teachers at the girls' school to see which government offices women can serve as officials in and which positions they are suitable for. Make sure to leave room for them to use their talents."

"Outside of those government offices and positions, women are not used elsewhere; only men are employed as officials."

"The imperial court cannot be without female officials; women must be given the right to hold office."

This was a step back, indicating a decision not to appoint women to official positions on a large scale. After all, there weren't many educated women at the time, and many talented women were not qualified for official posts. Zhu Youjian intended to first establish gender equality and allow women to hold official positions, leaving more opportunities for them to strive for in the future.

Liu Zongzhou and others considered that the inner court could not possibly be without female officials, and that government offices such as the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) did indeed need women, so they reluctantly accepted this point. They decided to strictly limit the positions that women could hold, so as not to create a situation where "hens crow at dawn."

Upon hearing the conclusion of the consultation between the emperor and his ministers, Chen Jiru knew that the saying "a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent" would no longer be supported, and he then defended himself by saying:

"The saying in my book, 'A man's virtue is his talent, and a woman's lack of talent is her virtue,' actually comes from the ancients."

"The book records this statement not specifically for women, but rather to judge people based on their talent and virtue."

"Now that there is a misunderstanding, I will delete this ancient saying from the book so that it will not harm future generations."

Zhu Youjian was satisfied now, feeling that Chen Jiru was so flexible and cooperative, and said with satisfaction:

"Such easily misunderstood remarks should indeed be deleted."

"In the future, Mei Gong can publish a few articles in the 'Women and Children's Daily' and the 'Women's Journal' to clarify his attitude."

"Women, like men, have the right to hold office, perform official duties, and utilize their talents." This undoubtedly forced Chen Jiru to swallow his pride and admit the error of that statement to women everywhere.

As an old man who valued his reputation, he was naturally unwilling, but considering that the biggest obstacle to his becoming a scholar was the woman, and that things would become deadlocked if he didn't agree, he could only reluctantly agree to write an article to explain and support the woman's talent.

The thought of himself, a grown man, yielding to a woman filled him with resentment, and he raised a question:
"If women can serve as officials, can they also serve as members of parliament?"

Do they have the right to vote or be elected?

Zhu Youjian had considered this and immediately said:

"In the Ming Dynasty, citizens are not divided into men and women, and women naturally have the right to vote and be elected."

"But the current election is based on households, and only the head of household and those authorized by the head of household can elect representatives."

"Being elected also requires becoming a public servant and, at the same time, a head of household."

"Only one person from a family can be a member of parliament."

"The number of members of the same clan shall not exceed three."

Electing by household was a measure by Zhu Youjian to encourage separate households, while simultaneously excluding young people who were easily swayed by passion.

Before they became heads of their own households, they had no right to vote.

After moving to a separate household, with the added burden of a wife and children, one naturally starts to consider more practical issues.

This will maximize stability and prevent parliament from being controlled by immature young people.

At the same time, in order to prevent certain powerful clans from controlling the parliament, he also stipulated that the number of members from the same clan could not exceed three, and that members of lower status or younger age should recuse themselves from the same parliament, turning them into alternate members.

This was to encourage people to form separate clans, separating those outside the five degrees of kinship according to ancient methods.

The underlying meaning was primarily to prevent young people from starting a revolution, while also limiting the power of large families.

The restrictions imposed on women are merely incidental. Women can also overcome these restrictions, become heads of households, and have the right to vote.

To demonstrate gender equality, Zhu Youjian emphasized the following:
"Women can become heads of households and have the right to vote."

“Widows who are over thirty or have children can live independently like men, without any hindrance from anyone.”

"Women have property rights just like men and the right to inherit corresponding estates. If their family or clan obstructs them, they can also apply for independent household registration to avoid being coveted by those who have no descendants."

"The Citizens' Rights Committee should cooperate with the Maternal and Child Health Association to establish a women's association to protect women's rights."

As he spoke, he gave Qian Qianyi a meaningful look.

Because he remembered Liu Rushi in history, who was forced to commit suicide after Qian Qianyi's death.

Regardless of how much Qian Qianyi respected Liu Rushi during his lifetime, or whether he married her with the rites due to a principal wife, it could not change her vulnerable status as a concubine. Faced with pressure from her clan, she could only resort to suicide.

Therefore, he made a special provision to allow women to be independent from their clan.

Of course, how to implement this provision in order to prevent some women from murdering their husbands to seize their property needs to be carefully discussed.

What Chen Jiru and others were thinking about was that the method proposed by the emperor violated the Three Obediences and Four Virtues. Chen Jiru said:
The Book of Rites by Dai the Elder states: "Women are subservient to men. Therefore, they have no right to rule arbitrarily, but follow the Three Obediences: obeying their father at home, obeying their husband after marriage, and obeying their son after their husband's death. They dare not act on their own initiative."

"Your Majesty allows women to establish their own households, which violates the Three Obediences principle."

"I believe that women should not be the head of the household. Only after marriage can they live independently with their husbands. After becoming a widow, her son should be the head of the household. Only in this way can the three obediences and four virtues be fulfilled."

He explained to the emperor the passages in the *Da Dai Li Ji* concerning women, as well as the so-called "seven removals" and "three non-removals"—

Clearly, he was inspired by Liu Zongzhou's use of classical allusions to persuade the emperor, and he too began to display his erudition.
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Zhu Youjian found it somewhat daunting, realizing the shortcomings of his approach of citing classical texts to rewrite rites and music.

When his ministers were not yet accustomed to his teachings, he could easily quote ancient sayings to persuade them.

However, after the ministers adapted, more and more debates began to emerge.

If this debate continues, future court assemblies may well turn into a debate on scriptures.

Today we debate the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, tomorrow we debate the chastity arches... Any measure to restore rites and music requires debate, one by one.

Unwilling to deal with this issue piecemeal, Zhu Youjian began to consider a new method to resolve the problem all at once:

"The best way to overthrow outdated ideas like the Three Obediences and Four Virtues is to address their root causes."

"You should interpret me using the Six Classics, not the other way around."

I plan to establish a new system and discard all the dross I consider to be outdated.

Looking at Liu Zongzhou, Qian Qianyi, and Zhang Pu, whom he had placed high hopes on academically, Zhu Youjian said:
"Many ancient books contain errors and need to be punctuated and proofread."

"Mr. Liu was commissioned to compile the classics section of the Chongzhen Encyclopedia, but the collation of the classics needs to be done with more care. We should strive to produce a classic that is universally accepted and minimize controversy."

“Annotations also need to be proofread and revised by incorporating the ideas of various schools of thought.”

"Mr. Liu, Mr. Qian, Mr. Zhang, you are in charge of this matter."

"The collated and annotated versions of the Four Books and Five Classics can only be determined with the unanimous agreement of the three parties."

"These books were the imperial examination textbooks of the Ming Dynasty. Other classics were only used as references."

The *Da Dai Li Ji* is directly excluded, and its status is not recognized.

The Book of Rites used in the Ming Dynasty's imperial examinations was the Lesser Dai Book of Rites.

Zhu Youjian ordered Liu Zongzhou to compile the "Correct Meaning of the Book of Rites," which was not yet completed, but it had been preliminarily defined as the New Three Rites and the Old Three Rites.

Among them, the New Three Rites were the three major rites of the Ming Dynasty. The Old Three Rites were taken from the Book of Rites, the Book of Ceremonies, and the Rites of Zhou.

The *Da Dai Li Ji* is not included; at most, only a portion of it was extracted during its compilation.

The "Three Obediences" are clearly impossible to extract and can only be used as one of the reference points.

Chen Jiru, well-informed, had heard of Liu Zongzhou's compilation of the Book of Rites. Upon hearing that the emperor had explicitly included classics outside the Four Books and Five Classics as reference texts, he was utterly stunned.

Unexpectedly, the emperor simply flipped the table and refused to argue with him.

The Book of Rites by Dai the Elder was simply abandoned; the Three Obediences were merely one of the views of the ancients.

This left him feeling very disappointed, realizing that the emperor was very different from what he had heard, and that he had no grasp on the emperor's temperament at all.

However, Liu Zongzhou, Qian Qianyi, and Zhang Pu were extremely excited.

Because the emperor was clearly saying that their compiled Four Books and Five Classics would replace Zhu Xi's "Collected Annotations on the Four Books" and other imperial examination textbooks.

All students in the world must learn from their knowledge in the future, otherwise they will not be able to obtain fame and status.

This delighted them, and they gladly accepted the emperor's decree. (End of Chapter)