Wanli Ming Emperor

Chapter 209: The Four Seas Have One Tongue, Learning from the Past and the Present

The sky was bright.

He Xinyin, who was left out in the prison of Shuntian Prefecture, finally ended the long winter night. Following a eunuch, he walked out of the prison of Shuntian Prefecture and saw the light of day again.

He Xinyin raised his head, greedily feeling the not-so-bright light shining on his body.

He was happy to be able to leave the prison for a short time, and also felt relieved that the emperor had finally summoned him.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Shuntian Prefecture Governor Wang Zhiyuan avoiding him from a distance, seemingly not wanting to meet him.

"Let Lord Fushan know that Wang Jingzhao has not yet concluded his case. After this meeting with the emperor, we will still send Lord Fushan back." Sun Long on the side explained softly.

Sun Long was thoroughly influenced by Confucianism, and he was quite respectful in his words and deeds to grassroots opinion leaders like He Xinyin.

Of course, the respect was limited to words and did not prevent him from sending He Xinyin back to continue to stay in prison.

After all, He Xinyin has been involved in quite a few cases.

Although the case of resisting taxes and killing officials had been concluded, the crime of escaping from military service while being sentenced to conscription must be investigated.

In addition, there is the old case in which in the 40th year of Jiajing, he colluded with the Taoist priest Lan Daoxing to play with prophecies and confuse Emperor Shenzong, which cannot be avoided from being brought up again.

As for the case in February of the third year of Wanli's reign in which he gathered his disciples to give lectures and threatened that the Prime Minister was a dictator in the government, Wang Zhiyuan obviously did not intend to let it go.

As early as May of the sixth year of the Wanli reign, Jin Yunfeng, Zeng Guang and others fabricated the evil book "Daqian Qiyunlu", which reported the rebellion of the three chieftains of Yongshun, Baojing and Youyang. The names of Liang Ruyuan and Luo Xun were also included in the files reported by Huguang to the Ministry of Justice.

In addition to this case of criticizing the emperor and ridiculing the government.

With so many crimes to his name, and the fact that the case had to be transferred to the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple after the trial in Shuntian Prefecture, He Xinyin would probably have to spend the rest of his life in jail.

He Xinyin followed behind Sun Long and nodded calmly when he heard the words: "I am just a criminal. I would like to trouble you to pick me up."

When he did not escape this time but took the initiative to fall into the trap, he was mentally prepared.

His own fate no longer mattered; right now he just wanted to see the emperor.

Sun Long smiled politely and handed two buns without leeks from the buns he bought to He Xinyin.

"Mr. Fushan's case has not been concluded yet, so how can we say what crime he committed? In recent days, many officials inside and outside the government have been pleading for Mr. Fushan."

"Yesterday, Shandong Province Censor Zhao Chongshan mentioned this. Now, there are three people whose grievances should be redressed. Two of them have been redressed, but one has not yet been redressed."

Regardless of what the second one is, the first one obviously refers to He Xinyin.

"Thank you, eunuch." He Xinyin saw that the bun was still steaming, so he took it without any hesitation and started to eat it while walking. "No wonder His Majesty summoned me today. It turns out that someone asked for help."

Ever since I voluntarily surrendered myself, I have been left out by the emperor until now. I thought I would be easily sent away, but I didn't expect there would be a sudden turn of events today.

Sun Long was walking in front, and he immediately corrected him when he heard the words: "That's not the case. Your Majesty had been planning to summon Lord Fushan before."

"It's just that after His Majesty left for a tour of the capital, first the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, then he was assassinated by Shi Maohua, Liu Shiyan and other traitors, and has been busy ever since."

He Xinyin stopped stuffing the bun into his mouth and looked up in astonishment: "Assassination!?"

He had been in prison for a long time, and although he was not troubled by Wang Zhiyuan, he could not avoid being isolated from the world.

It is inevitable that one would be shocked to suddenly hear such a huge news as the emperor being assassinated.

Moreover, from the sound of it, they were assassinated one after another!

No matter how much better the current one is, he is much better than the previous ones, why do so many people keep rushing to him? ?

Sun Long had served in the deep palace for many years, so he naturally understood what it meant to stop at the right time. He only briefly outlined to He Xinyin what had happened recently.

At the end, he concluded: "…This morning, His Majesty did not attend the morning court, but instead summoned local officials to report on their work at the end of the year. During the meeting, he remembered that Lord Fushan had previously requested to see the Emperor, so he called us to summon Lord Fushan to the palace."

He Xinyin listened quietly and silently devoured the buns in his hand.

After a moment, he sighed and said, "I am a country dweller. I usually only see the emperor at the peak of his power. I never expected that he would be so murderous. Just listening to it, I couldn't help but feel my hair stand on end. I am terrified."

"Fortunately, no disaster occurred."

Sun Long reached out and took out the chicken tongue incense from his arms, and handed it to He Xinyin, praising him: "It is just as your majesty said, Lord Fushan is not confused about major issues."

This is also the reason why Sun Long respects He Xinyin.

Criticizing the emperor and criticizing state affairs is certainly a crime, but the motive is still open to question.

Tan Yao, who was demoted to the Imperial Academy to teach the moral code between the monarch and his subjects, was reported by students a few days ago for cheering for Shi Maohua in private and was paraded through the streets.

He Xinyin, who was also disliked by the court, sincerely cared about the emperor's safety.

Comparing the two, the difference is obvious.

He Xinyin was just about to take the chicken tongue incense, but his movements paused when he heard this.

He put it in his mouth and said unhappily, "I have never been confused about trivial matters!"

Sun Long heard this and shook his head and laughed: "Your Majesty, are you mocking Mr. Fushan for being confused about trivial matters?"

He bowed towards the Forbidden City and said, "Your Majesty said that since He Xinyin was willing to surrender himself to Shuntian Prefecture and ask for an audience with the emperor, it means that this fellow only has a problem with his route... that is, his path, but his conscience is still very good."

The more He Xinyin listened, the stranger his expression became.

He Xinyin doesn't care much about the comments of those in higher positions.

But the emperor is always the emperor. This is the conclusion made based on the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues. Even if he is such a rebellious person, he can't help feeling a little strange in his heart.

"Cough cough."

He Xinyin coughed lightly, tried to cover up his mistake, and said no more.

Seeing this, Sun Long tactfully stopped talking and quietly led the way.

In winter, the days are short and the nights are long.

Since it was already dawn, it was naturally getting late.

The people in the city have already set up their businesses along the road.

Along the way, you might occasionally run into officials who were napping, missing their deadlines, or running in a hurry.

When Sun Long led He Xinyin into the Meridian Gate, the sky was already bright.

Then came the tireless body searches and security checks by the guards.

There were several body searches at each palace gate, and the guards rubbed off the chapped skin that had accumulated on He Xinyin's skin from not washing for more than ten days.

This made He Xinyin begin to doubt whether these guards were deliberately making things difficult for him.

"Is the palace inspection so strict now?"

He Xinyin looked back at the guards at the palace gate.

It's not like he had never been to the imperial palace before. During the Jiajing period, he only paid ten taels of silver to the eunuch and was able to tour the imperial palace.

This solemn look nowadays is really strange.

Sun Long politely explained, "Last time, the vassal monks tried to assassinate the emperor, and the commander of the Imperial Guard, Xia Kai, committed suicide out of fear of punishment. The imperial guards are not as lazy as before."

I just don't know how long it can last. Thinking of this, Sun Long couldn't help but shook his head.

The two of them walked quickly along the imperial road in silence, and soon entered the West Garden and stood outside the Chengguang Palace.

Sun Long naturally went in to report.

He Xinyin stood outside the corridor with his hands behind his back, looking around aimlessly.

The Chengguang Hall faces the Wengcheng in the east and the Taiye Lake in the west. There are huabiao in the north and south, named Jicui and Duixue respectively. In the middle is the Golden Hall with a dome like a cover, showing the grandeur of the imperial family.

He Xinyin twirled his beard and curled his lips slightly. It's all the people's hard-earned money!

He turned around and saw several officials waiting outside Chengguang Hall, some with their eyes closed to rest, while others were looking over here curiously.

From time to time, faint sounds of conversation could be heard in the hall, but they were not clear.

Apparently, as Sun Long said, the emperor was summoning officials from outside the capital.

Soon, Sun Long walked out of the hall in small steps, came to He Xinyin, and extended his hand to lead the way: "Mr. Fushan, follow me inside to see the emperor. You must be polite later."

He Xinyin nodded and followed Sun Long obediently.

After he entered the hall, he still couldn't help but look around with his peripheral vision.

I saw that the inside of the hall was more gorgeous than the outside, with winding and rotating like a ring, red door sills and green windows, it was extremely luxurious and gorgeous.

He Xinyin kept shaking his head, silently preparing for his meeting with the Emperor later.

As he took steps, the sounds of conversation inside the hall became clearer.

Looking towards the source of the voice, He Xinyin saw that in the center of the hall, the emperor was sitting behind the imperial desk, talking to an official who was bowing and saluting at the bottom of the imperial steps.

"Your Majesty, He Xinyin is here."

Sun Long stepped forward to report.

Just as He Xinyin was about to pay his respects, the emperor's voice rang out at the right moment: "Just wait and see for now."

He had just bent down, then straightened up silently, followed Sun Long to the side, and looked at the emperor.

"Xiong Qing, please continue."

Zhu Yijun only glanced at He Xinyin, then looked away and signaled Xiong Dunpu to continue.

Xiong Dunpu collected his words and then said, "But the resistance to promoting Yunlue Yitong in the south is too great."

"Not only did the local government pretend to obey but actually disobeyed, the common people were also quite repulsive."

"There are many reasons. From a regional perspective, the officialdom is secretly saying that this move is an intentional attempt by northern officials to change customs and practices, and to suppress the south step by step. Among the people, most people are saying the so-called official language, erasing local characteristics and tampering with the culture and soul of the local people."

“The two phases converged, and the emotions were extremely strong.”

"Nowadays, from Zhejiang officials to scholars in the private sector, whenever Yunlue Yitong is mentioned, they will bring up Hongwu Zhengyun, regarding it as the orthodox work of Taizu."

"In this situation, I dare not force my way into it."

Xiong Dunpu took out a memorial from his sleeve and handed it to the eunuch beside him.

Zhu Yijun took Xiong Dunpu's proposal and quickly read it.

The more he looked, the more his brows furrowed.

The "Yunlue Yitong" mentioned by Xiong Dunpu is the representative of the Central Plains phonetics today. It is in the same line as the elegant language of the Spring and Autumn Period, the common language of the Western Han Dynasty, the correct pronunciation of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and the correct pronunciation of the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

That is Northern Mandarin - the northern pronunciation is correct and can blend with each other. It is called the Central Plains Elegant Pronunciation, which is about 70% to 80% similar to Mandarin.

The so-called "Hongwu Zhengyun" is the official language based on the southern dialect.

In addition to these two, there are also Tianjin Mandarin, Fuzhou Mandarin, Southeastern Mandarin, and so on.

They are all serious languages ​​used throughout the world.

But serious matters aside, the world does not need so much official language. When it is time to retreat to the second line, it should not be ostentatious anymore. Xiong Dunpu’s words of “Fuck you” are a lesson not far away. Haven’t you heard it? In order to achieve the goal of “ruling the world”, “same language all over the world” is an indispensable means.

It goes without saying that vigorously promoting Northern Mandarin is a matter of course.

Therefore, Xiong Dunpu and others took up this task and are now serving in Yuqian.

It is obvious that such a major event as achieving universal harmony is not something that can be accomplished overnight and there is still a long way to go.

Xiong Dunpu hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for being blunt, but if the central government doesn't intervene, I'm afraid this matter will continue to be difficult to move forward."

"Only if the central government makes it a rule and makes the Central Plains elegant language the national language, can we achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Zhu Yijun slowly closed the memorial and sighed helplessly: "Let you blow the wind first, isn't it just to test the water temperature?"

"Now it seems that it is obviously not the right time."

If a policy is not supported by local officials or the general public, then pushing it through will only be a piece of dead paper and become a joke.

When Xiong Dunpu heard this, he also sensed that the emperor was unwilling to give in.

He subconsciously complained: "The legacy of the previous Yuan Dynasty is indeed deep!"

Naturally, this matter should be blamed on the previous dynasty.

The concept of Central Plains is constantly expanding, from the original Zhou and Qin royal capitals, the Luoxia area in Henan, to gradually expanding to Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong and other places. The Central Plains elegant language, which is the northern Mandarin, also gradually began to be "spoken in all directions."

But in the early Yuan Dynasty, Mongolian was designated as the national language, and the Phags-pa script was designated as the national script. The elegant language lost its status as the national language for the first time. At that time, Xu Jingren, the son of the great Confucian scholar Xu Heng, was fluent in Mongolian, and the whole family was proud of it. They would even use Mongolian when scolding others.

As the elegant language spoken in the Central Plains lost its status as the national language and was no longer used everywhere, it was natural for local official languages ​​to quietly make a comeback.

After a century of historical reversal, it will naturally take more effort to move forward.

Zhu Yijun shook his head and didn't join others in complaining.

"Let's lay a solid foundation first."

"Let the vassal states of Ryukyu and Korea send people to the Siyi Pavilion for further study, and revise books such as "Learning Mandarin" and "Mandarin Questions and Answers" to make sure they are the elegant language of the Central Plains."

"Xiong Qing is now an independent inspector. You might as well be more assertive and pay more attention to local government offices, private schools, academies, temples, newspapers, and storytellers..."

We should naturally learn from good experiences, and especially respect the objective laws of language development.

Zhu Yijun still planned to use schools as the foundation, local government offices as the leader, newspapers, storytellers and other news media as examples, Buddhism, Taoism, and other public service industries as windows, gradually expand and lay the foundation.

Xiong Dunpu had suffered losses himself, so he agreed with this and nodded frequently.

"As for the matter of the Pinyin dictionary, Xiong Qing will go to the Tongzhengsi later to find Ni Guangjian, and then go to the Ministry of Rites to discuss it together and see how to improve and promote it."

Zhu Yijun gave another instruction.

Xiong Dunpu kept it in mind and responded softly.

After a moment, seeing that the emperor had no further instructions, he bowed and quietly left.

Zhu Yijun stretched out his hand and rubbed his neck: "Who's next?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Hong immediately stepped forward and responded, "Your Majesty, it is Mei Yousong, the right deputy staff officer of the General Staff Office of the Five Military Commanders' Office, who wants to retire in person with Your Majesty."

Zhu Yijun clicked his tongue.

The Five Military Commandery is now a hot job, and people are thinking about retiring before they even take up the post.

Of course, this cannot be blamed on Mei Yousong.

He did a very good job in the local area. He was "experienced in administration, had a deep understanding of human nature, eliminated corruption and greed, and cleared up injustice. He had great strategies and wisdom, and was admired by the soldiers and civilians." He was well-known for his ability.

But as soon as the news of his appointment to the Five Military Commandery spread, rumors began to spread among the people that this capable official from Sichuan was quite fond of homosexuality - even the name was chosen by his parents with foresight to cover up the fact.

When Zhu Yijun thought of this, he couldn't help laughing.

He was already accustomed to these tactics. From him as the emperor, to Zhang Juzheng in the cabinet, Li Zaiting who was fortunately promoted, and even Wang Zhiyuan today, who among those who followed the new policy had not been rumored to have such unofficial history?
Mei Yousong's qi-cultivation skills are clearly still a little lacking.

Zhu Yijun waved his hand: "Let him wait for a while, and cut in line here."

Unlike Xiong Dunpu who was in a hurry to return to Zhejiang immediately after reporting on his work, Mei Yousong would definitely not be able to leave once he arrived in Beijing, so it would be okay to meet him later.

Zhang Hong glanced at He Xinyin who had cut in line and understood what he meant: "I'll go right away."

……

After Zhang Hong left, Sun Long pulled He Xinyin and stepped forward: "Your Highness."

He Xinyin paused, then stepped forward and bowed: "I, He Xinyin, pay my respects to Your Majesty."

Sun Long's eyelids twitched when he heard this.

However, there was no room for him to speak here. He just cast a look at He Xinyin and retreated worriedly.

Zhu Yijun stood up from the throne and stretched himself: "Commoner? Why don't you kneel before me?"

He looked He Xinyin up and down, a sixty-year-old man, skinny and frail. The rumors in the martial arts world that this man was a martial arts master who could kill officers and soldiers like grass were obviously untrue.

But judging from his complexion, he still looked quite rosy, and there was no sign that his end was near - historically, He Xinyin died in Wang Zhiyuan's prison in the seventh year of the Wanli reign.

Now it is confirmed that Wang Zhiyuan was the one who was behind this in history.

Zhu Yijun's mind was in a state of confusion.

He Xinyin lowered his head and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Your Majesty, I was the first in the Jiangxi provincial examination in the 25th year of Jiajing, and I have the title of Juren. I will not kneel unless it is a grand ceremony."

Since he was not deprived of his literary status, his status as a juren naturally still counted.

Zhu Yijun laughed: "Didn't you call yourself a commoner just now?"

He Xinyin was silent for a moment: "I dare not be your Majesty's student."

Zhu Yijun walked out from behind the imperial desk and walked down the imperial steps.

What He Xinyin said "I dare not" was just "I am unwilling".

For He Xinyin, who believed that the five human relationships were all about "friendship" and that "the emperor is just a job", recognizing the emperor as his teacher and being inferior to him was probably more difficult than death.

Similarly, the new theory of the four classes of people, which is unorthodox and believes that "there are saints everywhere on the street" and "different divisions of labor, equality for all", are also unwilling to accept things like kneeling.

That's why He Xinyin called himself a commoner and used his status as a juren to avoid kneeling, looking extremely awkward.

It’s really...good!
A hint of admiration rose in Zhu Yijun's heart.

This advanced idea is so far ahead that I don’t know how many years ahead it is.

It is no wonder that when he traveled around the world giving lectures, the streets were always packed with people. Whether it was Li Zhi or Wang Shizhen, they all regarded him as an idol. Even the court officials called him a remarkable man and highly respected him.

It can be said that he is the first person in the world who can resonate with Zhu Yijun spiritually!
The emperor's smile grew wider.

He naturally would not embarrass He Xinyin, so he just asked someone to bring a coffee table and asked directly, "Why does Liang Zhuqian keep asking to see me? Is it not enough to insult me ​​by posting a letter, but he wants to point at my nose and scold me again?"

After saying that, he sat down leisurely and extended his hand to signal He Xinyin to take a seat.

He Xinyin looked at the emperor's magnanimity and couldn't help but praise him secretly.

He bowed and sat down with confidence: "Your Majesty, I have no intention of offending you."

"The post was only an opportunity to advise Your Majesty. To correct others, one must correct oneself first. It is only a pity that Heaven has no way out, so I resorted to this inferior measure."

"I am willing to take the blame for my inappropriate words."

Zhu Yijun did not respond, but listened quietly to He Xinyin's words, pouring himself some tea to moisten his dry throat.

"As for the reason for seeking an audience with Your Majesty..."

He Xinyin raised his head, looked at the emperor, and said seriously: "I would like to ask your majesty, what is the real intention of the so-called public disclosure of royal property?"

Speak from the bottom of my heart.

He used the imperial farm to persuade the emperor, and at most hoped that the emperor would be less strict with others and more lenient with himself - at best, under the pressure of public opinion, he hoped that the imperial farm would take advantage of the favorable conditions for land measurement and be slightly restrained.

Unexpectedly, the emperor took such a big move and directly disclosed his property.

It was really unexpected.

Then comes the more puzzling key point: what on earth was the emperor thinking to say such a thing?

Zhu Yijun took a sip of tea and put it down slowly.

He raised his head and looked at He Xinyin with a strange look, his eyes dim, "Liang Zhuqian thinks that you are the only saints in the world who care about the world."

"The rest, including me, the emperor, and even the civil and military officials in the court, are all tyrants who exploit the people and treat them like grass?"

There was a hint of coldness in his tone.

Faced with the emperor's naked pressure, He Xinyin cautiously did not answer immediately.

After a moment, he met the emperor's gaze, his expression serious and sincere: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking frankly...isn't it?"

There was no extraneous sound in the hall for a moment.

The breathing of both of them could be heard clearly.

The eyes looked at each other silently, confronting each other, and no one deviated at all.

The atmosphere gradually became tense.

After an unknown amount of time, He Xinyin seemed a little tired and lowered his eyes slightly.

He shrugged his nose, took a long breath, and said, "I have lived through three dynasties. I have seen the Temple of the Gods build tall buildings, the Temple of the Gods indulge in sensual pleasures and entertain guests, the court officials aided and abetted the tyrant, and the people became increasingly impoverished and wailed everywhere."

"Even though Your Majesty has been famous for his civil and military achievements over the past eight years, and his reputation is well-known both inside and outside the court, the people... I'm talking about the real people, how much better have their lives been?"

"How can I know if your Majesty is just using the guise of the people to seize power?"

"It's not just Shi Miao, wasn't Emperor Xuanzong of Tang also a wise ruler?"

At the end, He Xinyin couldn't help but sigh.

When Emperor Xuanzong of Tang first ascended the throne, he put order out of chaos, worked hard to govern the country, and created the most prosperous era for the Tang Dynasty. Who could not say that he was a wise ruler?
What happens after you have gained enough power?
Not to mention Duke Huan of Qi, Emperor Wu of Liang, and Emperor Shizong of our dynasty, there are too many to mention…

How many emperors really care about the people? Most of them just shout slogans loudly.

He Xinyin didn't trust the emperor from the bottom of his heart.

But it was also because of this that he reacted so strongly when the emperor proposed to make his property public and insisted on meeting the emperor.

He Xinyin stared into the emperor's eyes, his expression sincere and heartfelt, as if he was crying: "It is because of your Majesty's actions that I have seen a glimmer of hope that I will risk my life to surrender and ask to see your Majesty."

"I dare to take a look at the true form of your Majesty's conscience."

"Your Majesty, please grant me your permission."

After saying this, he stood up from the table and bowed respectfully to the emperor.

(End of this chapter)