Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

It wasn't just Qian Qianyi's disciples who read Liu Lishun's article.

As the Grand Secretary and Chief Minister, Han Kuang naturally also received a sample copy.

With his knowledge, he could naturally see that the nine articles in the first issue of "Hanlin" were all carefully arranged by the emperor, and it could be said that the emperor was guiding the academic community and the literati.

Of the nine articles, besides the emperor who wrote one as a sole author and another as a co-author, Liu Zongzhou and Qian Qianyi also wrote one, which reflects their status in academia.

Of the remaining articles, two were collective works by the Hanlin Academy, and the other three authors were Li Yu, Zhang Pu, and Liu Lishun.

Li Yu was the head of the royal orchestra and a music leader trained by the emperor. He was already known as the Grand Master of Music among the common people and was responsible for the music part of the revised ritual music.

Zhang Pu was the acting head of the Royal Academy of Sciences, a rising star in academia cultivated by the emperor, whose prestige was further enhanced by achieving the highest honors in the imperial examinations.

Only Liu Lishun, although he was the top scholar in the first year of Chongzhen's reign, had never made any significant contributions to academia before.

The sudden publication of an article, especially one concerning government functions, naturally caught Han Kuang's attention.
"Nine articles, and one article for each of the other galleries."

"Only the Political Bureau published two articles. What is the intention behind this?"

Jiang Yunyi, Imperial Censor of Shaanxi Circuit, said:
"What other purpose could there be?"

"The Emperor values ​​Liu Lishun highly!"

"Zhang Pu, as the newly appointed top scholar, published 'On Choice.' Liu Lishun, who was the top scholar in the previous examination, was asked by the emperor to write an article for publication."

"They didn't even consider whether Liu Lishun was qualified, what kind of twisted logic did he write?"

Clearly, he was extremely resentful of Liu Lishun's supposed service to the people. Officials in the censorate and bureaucracy always prided themselves on speaking out for the people and acting as their servants; how could they be expected to serve the people?
Hou Xun, also an imperial censor, said:

"Could it be that Liu Lishun is advocating for his teacher, implying that both he and his student possess political talent?"

"There are quite a few people in the capital who think that Yuan Shumi is more suitable to be the Grand Secretary."

Yuan Keli was praised in the capital for his ability to command the war so effectively while also generating profits for the factories he established. Many even hoped to extend the wartime status quo.

Compared to the orders from the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area, the Shuntian Prefecture and Beizhili, which were closer to the imperial court, received far more orders. The business owners who ran factories hoped the wartime status quo would continue.

It was only because the imperial court was powerful around the capital and many merchants were still imperial merchants affiliated with the inner court that they did not cause any trouble.

However, as news of the petition by Suzhou and Songjiang merchants spread, people in Beizhili quickly responded.

Therefore, Hou Xun guessed that this was a conspiracy by Yuan Keli and his apprentice, who did not want to relinquish power.

Han Kuang has not yet commented on this, but another Donglin Party scholar, Cheng Jiming, has already stated:
“Privy Councilor Yuan is not that kind of person.”

"Furthermore, the establishment of the Hanlin academic journal was the responsibility of the Emperor and Qian Qianyi, and Privy Councilor Yuan did not get involved in this matter at all."

"Otherwise, why would he have taken the initiative to propose ending the state of war?"

While still serving concurrently as Minister of Rites, he was well aware of the matter and did not believe that Yuan Keli would engage in such a conspiracy.

Before Han Kuang entered the capital, Grand Secretary Huang Li was extremely weak, and Yuan Keli was the de facto Grand Secretary.

But he did not hesitate at all when he relinquished his authority.

The end of the wartime state was at his own request, and no one has ever said that Yuan Keli is a power-hungry person.

Hou Xun, however, disagreed, saying:

"Who knows what Privy Councilor Yuan is thinking?"

"Maybe he wants to fight another war and earn a dukedom."

This speculation has garnered the approval of some people.

They judged Yuan Keli by their own standards, thinking he wouldn't give up this opportunity.

After all, even Sun Chengzong was granted the title of First-Class Marquis. Yuan Keli, whose merits surpassed Sun's, would at least be granted the title of Marquis after retiring from office.

If he works harder and conquers another country, becoming a duke is a very real possibility.

Han Kuang initially didn't believe such things, but after hearing Hou Xun say this, he became somewhat uncertain.

After all, even he himself hesitated when faced with the Duke's temptation.

Especially since Hou Xun and Yuan Keli both came from Guide Prefecture, he probably knew Yuan Keli better.

However, Cheng Jiming still insisted on trusting Yuan Keli, believing that he and his apprentice were not such people.

After the gathering ended, he said to Han Kuang:
"As a prime minister, one must have the demeanor of a prime minister and must not plot against others."

"The articles for the first issue of the Hanlin Academy were decided by His Majesty. Why not ask His Majesty and find out his opinion?"

"His Majesty today follows the righteous path and disdains to use intrigue and trickery."

These words finally struck a chord with Han Kuang, making him realize that he had been overthinking things.

The current emperor's political maneuvering is comparable to that of Emperor Shizong, but he has never governed the country through political maneuvering. Instead, he persuades his ministers to support the restoration of rites and music by upholding the righteous path.

When formulating the rites and laws, everything was based on the words of the sages, with "benevolence and righteousness" as the core of Liu Zongzhou's advice.

Such a monarch seeks a name that will last for eternity. He disdains to tarnish his reputation with intrigue and treachery.

As the Grand Secretary recognized by the Emperor, he could simply ask if he didn't understand something; the Emperor couldn't possibly hide anything from his own Grand Secretary.

Therefore, he said to Cheng Ji Ming with considerable shame:

"My brother is absolutely right!"

"I will inquire with His Majesty tomorrow."

Having completely abandoned his pride as prime minister, he decided to proactively request a private audience tomorrow.

With the current emperor frequently summoning his ministers alone, even using this as a way to show his closeness to them, many officials have become less averse to these private audiences, and some even use the number of such audiences as a measure of the emperor's favor.

One reason Yuan Keli was trusted was that the emperor summoned him for private audiences on several occasions. The emperor almost always granted his requests.

Han Kuang was used to the old officialdom rules and considered himself the chief minister. Apart from having a private conversation with the emperor when he first became chief minister, he never took the initiative to request a private audience.

Now, awakened by Cheng Jiming, he suddenly realized:
His relationship with the emperor had become increasingly distant, which explained why he had been increasingly hampered in the past two years and had even effectively lost his position as chief minister.

Then he recalled that when the emperor appointed him, he had said that he could speak privately or in secret if he wanted to say something that was inconvenient to say in public. He couldn't help but feel ashamed, realizing that he had deliberately distanced himself from the emperor.

He didn't even know what he had been thinking before, doing something so unwise. He could only hope that the emperor still had expectations of him and was willing to give him a second chance.
-
The following day, after the Standing Committee meeting concluded, Han Kuang, as the Grand Secretary, stayed behind and took the initiative to request an audience with the Emperor.

This surprised the officials who heard it, and even Zhu Youjian himself was somewhat astonished:
When Han Kuang was first appointed, he had expectations and even told Han Kuang directly that they could communicate privately.

However, Han Kuang always maintained his composure and never took the initiative to communicate with him. He would even refuse Han Kuang's private audiences on some occasions with righteous indignation.

After this happened several times, Zhu Youjian naturally stopped summoning Han Kuang alone, after all, as the emperor, he also had dignity.

Aside from the initial exchanges upon his appointment and the dealings with Shanxi merchants, this was, in his recollection, the third time Han Kuang had a private conversation with him, which piqued his interest.

"Mr. Han, is there something you need to discuss with me?"

"It's been a long time since we, as ruler and subject, have had this kind of exchange. This is the third time, to my recollection."

Han Kuang was sweating profusely after hearing these words; he hadn't expected the emperor to remember them so clearly.

He was even more grateful that Cheng Jiming had enlightened him; if it weren't for these words today, he would have had no idea that the emperor harbored such resentment.

This is very detrimental to his chances of being re-elected as Grand Secretary. He must dispel the emperor's resentment and let the emperor know his loyalty.

He said to the emperor, “Your Majesty is already quite exhausted from handling so many affairs of state and holding court meetings every day.”

"How could I dare to trouble Your Majesty further after the meeting? That would not be the behavior of a loyal subject."

Zhu Youjian was fairly satisfied with his words, but he explicitly stated:

"As the emperor, I handle state affairs, which can also be described as going to work."

"You may have an audience with me on any important business day during working hours."

"One must not be bound by customary etiquette and alienate the relationship between ruler and subject."

To avoid ministers being afraid to pay homage to the emperor for this reason, thus isolating the emperor and his ministers.

Han Kuang repeatedly agreed, then offered a self-criticism before revealing his purpose for the day:
"When I read the articles in the first issue of Hanlin, I found that most of them were academic discussions."

"Only the second part of the political exhibition discusses specific governance."

"Does Your Majesty intend to promote the practice of 'officials serving the people' throughout the entire realm?"

This question made Zhu Youjian quite serious, and he said to Han Kuang with a solemn expression:

"how?"

Does the Prime Minister have any objections to this?

"Do you think Liu Lishun's article is wrong?"

Han Kuang said solemnly:

"If it is just one person's opinion, then there is nothing wrong with it."

"However, it is highly inappropriate to use this as a requirement for officials."

"Given the current state of affairs, it is simply impossible for local officials to do so."

"Forcibly promoting this measure will only raise public expectations too high, leading to resentment."

"Not only will it be detrimental to governing the country, but it will also destabilize the country."

These words gave Zhu Youjian much to think about, because he had considered promoting this idea.

Even if we can't reach it right away, we still need to strive towards this goal.

Now that Han Kuang has said this, he realizes that the resistance to this matter is unimaginable. Not only will officials resist, but the uninformed masses may also have unreasonable expectations and make all sorts of demands.

In general, the social environment has not yet reached this stage, and being too far ahead may lead to chaos.

This made him sigh:

"The people serve the officials, and the officials serve the people; this is the power and responsibility between the two sides."

"I had hoped that all my subjects would meet this requirement, but it seems that it was too idealistic."

"This should be the requirement for the Great Harmony. The Great Harmony of the future will not be without monarchs or officials. Rather, the relationship between monarchs and officials will be transformed into a profession, just like the agriculture, industry, and commerce that the common people engage in."

"At that time, it will be a matter of course for the people to serve the government and for the government to serve the people."

"Officials can be said to be public servants of the people, rather than acting as shepherds on behalf of Heaven."

These words made Han Kuang's heart pound with fear, as he felt they were even more radical than the ideas proposed by Liu Lishun.

No wonder the emperor allowed Liu Lishun to publish such an article; he even suspected that the emperor had Liu Lishun write it at the emperor's behest.

At this moment, he addressed the emperor, offering his advice:
"Your Majesty must not say such a thing. Your Majesty once said: In the Great Harmony, there will still be the relationships between ruler and subject, father and son."

"The principle of rulers acting as rulers, ministers acting as ministers, and people acting as people is an unchanging truth for all ages."

Zhu Youjian laughed heartily:

"What is eternally unchanging? Change is the norm in the world."

"Mr. Han should read my 'On Yin and Yang' more carefully and understand what the unity of opposites means."

As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and instructed the eunuch attending him:

"Go and bring me the draft of 'On Contradiction' that I wrote, and ask Mr. Han to correct it."

"Combining this article with the study of Yin and Yang will make it easier to understand the theory of Yin and Yang."

Then he said to Han Kuang:
"I cannot fully predict what the rulers, subjects, and people will be like in the era of Great Harmony."

"However, the principle of equal rights and responsibilities between the ruler, his subjects, and the people is certainly correct."

"When Yu the Great was taming the floods, he passed by his home three times without entering, precisely because he bore a responsibility to the people."

"Emperor Chengzu chose to establish the capital in Beijing, guarding the country's borders as the Son of Heaven, and even launched five expeditions against the northern deserts, because he shouldered the responsibility of protecting the people."

"Therefore, the relationship between the ruler, his subjects, and the people in the Great Harmony era must be equal. The people serve the officials, and naturally, the officials serve the people."

"It can't be like what some people say, that in a utopian world there are no rulers and subjects, fathers and sons, husbands and wives."

"Even if we truly achieve universal harmony, there should still be various professions."

Han Kuang had figured out the subtext of those words.

It means replacing previous interpretations with a more equal relationship.

Compared to the Song Dynasty Confucian interpretation that there was no proper relationship between ruler and subject, father and son, he was more inclined to believe this.

So he reluctantly accepted:
"Officials serving the people can be interpreted as the people serving officials in return, but in this era of moderate prosperity, we should not force that."

"Your Majesty only needs to commend officials like Liu Lishun, but should not impose this requirement on all officials."

Zhu Youjian nodded in approval, acknowledging Han Kuang's advice.

Han Kuang also realized from the emperor's reply that there was no conspiracy between Yuan Keli and Liu Lishun, but simply an academic discussion.

This greatly pleased him and gave him the confidence to continue serving as Grand Secretary.

To demonstrate his abilities to the emperor, he continued the previous topic:
"When I said earlier that the officials of the empire could not achieve this, I was not exaggerating."

"Instead, this investigation into the implementation of wartime status shows that most officials simply do not have the capability."

"Only Shuntian Prefecture and Beizhili truly entered a state of war to provide supplies to the imperial court. Apart from the large amount of daily necessities provided by the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area, only a few supplies were transported over from other places."

"In many places, people are taking advantage of the state of war to act recklessly, even intimidating the public to requisition supplies, but in reality, they don't deliver them."

"Given the current situation, it would be good enough if the court could rectify the bureaucracy; we cannot ask for more."

This report made Zhu Youjian's expression serious, and he truly realized the difficulty of governing a local area.

Although he had anticipated that the situation of various places entering a state of war would not be ideal, he still did not expect so much trouble to occur.

At this moment, he realized more deeply that he only truly controlled Shuntian Prefecture and Beizhili, as well as the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area, which he had only taken control of last year.

In most other places, it operates on inertia, and any external force will cause damage.

This reality was vastly different from his ideals, prompting him to ponder how the world should be governed.

Looking at Han Kuang, Zhu Youjian hoped he could provide an answer, after all, it was Han Kuang who had pointed out the problem. (End of Chapter)