The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

Pan Yun is playing chess with the emperor.

As the emperor descended the steps, he kept stealing glances at her.

Pan Yun: "What does Your Majesty wish to say?"

The Emperor said, "The Imperial Advisor divined the Mandate of Heaven, predicting a great victory in this battle, and indeed, a great victory was achieved. I thought the Imperial Advisor would intervene to help the army, but unexpectedly, he has remained silent since that divination. Why is that?"

Pan Yun: "Among all the civil and military officials, who didn't fight their way up through numerous trials and tribulations? Their intelligence is no less than mine, and Your Majesty should trust your own judgment."

Seeing that Pan Yun did not seek power at all, but instead encouraged him to take power and govern the country according to his own wishes, he was moved and choked up, saying, "None of the civil and military officials have had this confidence in me. Even Yu Qian often advised me to be cautious."

Pan Yun said gently, "Grand Secretary Yu's earnest wish is that His Majesty can become a wise and benevolent ruler for all time."

The Emperor: "Does the Imperial Advisor not want me to be a wise and benevolent ruler for all time?"

Pan Yun laughed and said, "My definition of a wise ruler throughout the ages is different from that of all the civil and military officials in the court."

The emperor, intrigued, sat up straight: "Oh? What kind of wise ruler does the Grand Preceptor envision for all time?"

Pan Yun: "A wise ruler clearly understands that the people are the foundation of the nation, is close to virtuous ministers and keeps away from petty people, knows his own shortcomings, listens and learns more about things he doesn't understand, and doesn't blindly interfere. This is what makes a wise ruler."

Zhu Qiyu's eyes widened: "So this is enough to make him a wise ruler for all time?"

Pan Yun said, "Yes, if His Majesty can do it and has always done it, then he will be a wise ruler for all time."

Zhu Qiyu pondered: "The people are the foundation of the nation, therefore princes and members of the imperial family must no longer seize the people's wealth; my personal desires must not supersede the people's welfare; by being close to virtuous ministers, I can implement beneficial policies; by keeping away from petty people, I can eliminate corrupt officials and cruel bureaucrats; knowing my own shortcomings and not blindly interfering is the way to listen to all sides and avoid making mistakes in governance..."

Pan Jun smiled and nodded: "Doing these things is easy in a day, not difficult in half a year, not easy in a year, difficult in three years, and even more difficult in five or ten years. There has never been a single emperor who has been able to do all of this in his lifetime. So Your Majesty, if you can do it for twenty years, and then hand over the throne when you are about to lose control and make a mistake, then you will be a wise ruler who can surpass Emperor Taizong of Tang."

Currently, in the eyes of scholars, Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han were both tyrannical rulers who exhausted the country with military campaigns, while the most admired emperors were Emperors Wen and Jing of Han and Emperor Taizong of Tang.

To surpass Emperor Taizong of Tang was the dream of countless emperors.
After calming down and thinking it over, Zhu Qiyu realized that the Grand Preceptor's requirements for a wise ruler were not simple at all. They were somewhat like the natural way of Laozi and Zhuangzi. The bottom line seemed easy, but it was very difficult to stick to it day after day for ten years.

Upon closer examination, the rules and regulations that Yu Qian and others set for him were actually what they hoped he would achieve.

However, allowing him to make mistakes seems easier to achieve when compared to the other side.

Therefore, there is a formula for wise rulers throughout history: as long as the conditions are met, the rest depends on luck.

Zhu Qiyu's eyes flickered slightly as he looked at Pan Yun thoughtfully.

He already had the good fortune.

With Pan Yun appearing out of nowhere, Yu Qian turning the tide, Xue Shao with outstanding abilities, and officials working together in unity, as long as he doesn't make mistakes, the Ming Dynasty can move forward, forward, and forward still.

Zhu Qiyu clenched the chess piece between his fingers: "Grand Preceptor, after this battle, I have avenged my brother, and the Ming Dynasty has wiped away its shame. Half of my lifelong wish has been fulfilled. The other half is what you once said: to ensure that the people of the world are free from hunger and cold, have enough to eat and wear, that the young have access to education, the sick have access to medical care, and the elderly have access to care."

Pan Yun said, "To achieve this, in addition to the above bottom line, Your Majesty also needs to promote all industries."

"To revitalize all industries?"

"Yes, food, clothing, shelter, transportation, medical care, education, and elderly care—aren't these all related to various industries?"

All industries need technological development. This is something the emperor has gradually realized in the past two years. The Ministry of Works' improvements to spinning and weaving machines have greatly increased the efficiency of textile production, and the prices of various fabrics have decreased. In particular, the prices of linen and cotton fabrics of various qualities have generally decreased by more than 5% compared to the Zhengtong era, with the highest decrease reaching 18%.

Chen Xun reported that in the capital region, the average household's consumption of cloth had increased from three and a half feet to five feet.

This was calculated by the Ministry of Revenue during a survey conducted this autumn in twenty-five villages in the Gyeonggi region.

Having served as a prince, Zhu Qiyu knew that the people in the capital region were relatively well-off, while ordinary people in other areas, especially in remote regions, consumed far less cloth per capita.

Some families only buy a new set of clothes every three years.

Even though the imperial court had been encouraging people to plant mulberry trees and raise silkworms, as well as hemp and cotton, for various reasons, families did not keep much cloth.

One of the most important reasons is that the process of collecting, beating, and washing hemp, and then spinning and weaving it, requires a great deal of manpower. Improvements in spinning and weaving machines not only reduced costs for workshops but also saved manpower for ordinary people.

This principle applies to other industries as well.

Improving tools and technology can greatly save manpower and resources.

With sufficient harvests and abundant resources, the lives of ordinary people will gradually improve.

Many of these components use raw materials.

Various ores, timber, and medicinal herbs...

Zhu Qiyu twirled the chess piece in his hand but didn't place it, asking, "What does the Grand Preceptor think would be a good name for the new tributary prefecture?"

Pan Jun suggested, “Although the Tatars and the Oirats are of the same ethnicity, they are different branches, so they often have conflicts. Judging from the lessons of the Yuan Dynasty, provinces that are too large are not conducive to the implementation of government orders, and this is especially true for tributary states. Therefore, I think this area can be divided into at least three tributary states.”

Zhu Qiyu: "Where should we start teaching?"

Pan Yun smiled and said, "Why doesn't Your Majesty summon the scholars of the Hanlin Academy for advice? There are many young people there with rich knowledge, and they will surely be able to give Your Majesty excellent advice."

Pan Yun was teaching Zhu Qiyu how to seek and adopt advice as an emperor.

Zhu Qiyu seemed to be deep in thought. After Pan Yun left, Zhu Qiyu personally went to the Hanlin Academy to inspect the work.

Before the peace talks were even finalized, the imperial court had already divided the newly conquered region into three parts, named them, and decided to establish three tributary states.

The imperial court was already preparing officials for the new tributary prefectures, and Kuang Ye was still arguing with the Oirat delegation.

Chen Huai on the western route calmed down, but Yang Hong on the eastern route was restless again. After discovering that the Oirat eastern route army intended to unite with the Jurchens of Jianzhou, he sent troops to attack the Oirat eastern route army, captured the spies who were communicating between the two sides, cut off their heads and sent them to the Jurchen tribes.

The Jianzhou Jurchens were as quiet as chickens, not daring to utter a sound.

Upon seeing this, Yang Hong immediately dispatched a troop of soldiers into Jianzhou territory to garrison troops there, and also sent people to cut down trees and build houses.

Jianzhou belonged to the Nurgan Regional Military Commission, and was also a tributary state. Its chieftains were hereditary and the state was self-governing. During the Yongle era, the court could still exercise some control over the area, but in recent years, the imperial court has been unable to manage it.

Yang Hong had always felt that the Xuande and Zhengtong reigns had been too lax in their management of the tributary states, and this was a good opportunity to tighten the reins. (End of Chapter)