Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 470: The Power Scheme is Plain and Simple
Someone has done statistics and found that the number of people convicted and executed during the four major cases during the Hongwu period was probably as high as 100,000.

If the Hu Weiyong and Lan Yu cases mainly involved founding heroes, it was Taizu's intention to reduce the power of the prime minister, strengthen the imperial power, and ensure the stability of the succession of the country, and there were not many ordinary families involved. Then the case of Guo Huan, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, embezzled and had an empty seal involved a large number of ordinary officials and local wealthy families. Taizu's intention to crack down on local tyrants is self-evident.

Because of the Guo Huan case, the tradition of using capital letters such as 一, 二, ３, ４ for accounting was born; it was said that the proceeds of Guo Huan's corruption were "loans all over the country", so "most of the people's homes were ruined."

More than two hundred years later, ostensibly because of the "Assassination of the Crown Prince Case", but actually because of the New Currency Law, the literati and officials of the entire Ming Dynasty, who had lived in comfort for many years, once again recalled the Zhu family's tactics.

The difference is that this time it is more like a precision strike: the geographical area involved is quite wide, but the families involved are not so many that "most of the middle-class families are ruined", and most of them are due to the continuous digging of new and old lawsuits among the people.

Each county or state only had three or five cases, so the scope of the crackdown was not too large. With each county or state having a dedicated court and police department, the workload was not too heavy.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that it's like completing a task target.

But how many counties and states are there in the Ming Dynasty?
In the 19th year of Taichang, more than 1,000 counties and prefectures were massacred, with more than 10,000 people sentenced to death. The number of people who were fined, forced labor, or even sent to serve as border guards exceeded 100,000.

Yuan Keli and his team have already arrived in Jiangning Province, and their next step will be to their last stop, Zhejiang.

At the beginning of the new year of the 20th year of Taichang, the "Xueyong" morning newspaper published the full text of "Twenty Years of the Emperor's Reign: The People's Teachings on Academic and State Governance".

The court newspaper was aimed at officials and gentry.

At the same time, there were imperial decrees and orders from the prime minister to make Zhang known to the whole world, even to the villages.

"…The people are empowered to rule the country?"

This was the first imperial edict in the Ming Dynasty that did not begin with "The Emperor of the Fengtian Chengyun".

In the city of Beijing, there are many "surviving" candidates and Jinshi.

Because they were not implicated, they were able to stay in the capital. The 19th year of Taichang was a bloody year for some officials and gentry, but it was a year of "great tests" for them. After the examinations, the special examinations, the national examinations... one after another, and at the same time, one case after another, although they were waiting for vacancies, they only had to wait for the Jinxian Academy to arrange their official positions and take up their posts after the spring.

The best among them was Chen Zizhuang, the champion of the classics, history and humanities in the 19th year of Taichang. His courtesy name was Jisheng, and he later stood out in the imperial examination specially for the new Jinshi of the previous year and the officials below the sixth rank in Beijing.

To put it bluntly, at this moment, they have not yet been appointed to positions but are studying at the Tongzheng University College. They are a group of young "comrades" selected by Zhu Changluo.

Even though they had already heard the emperor talk about many ideas in Tongzheng Academy, the few people who came and went during the New Year were still shocked by the imperial edict.

"Brother Jisheng, this is a earth-shaking event."

Chen Zizhuang nodded: "The palace examination asked why the court exempted the gentry, and the imperial examination asked how to give benefits to the people and enrich the country. Your Majesty is a scholar of heaven and man, and this time you really put the people above everything else."

"Let me start with this. Look at this sentence: 'He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world, and the hearts of the people contain the destiny of heaven. The people's hearts of the Ming Dynasty do not come from a few families or surnames, but from the whole of all industries and people, and the common people.' This is to identify who among the people is the disease."

Since they were able to "survive", at least they did not come from a family with a bad reputation in the local area.

At this moment, they understood the difference between a minor illness and a serious illness from this sentence.

What are the people? The true opinions expressed in private have always reflected the positions of different people.

Now someone continued to ask Chen Zizhuang: "Brother Jisheng, did your father have any comments on the situation last year?"

"…My father first knew Changxing, then Jiaxing, and now he is the superintendent of education in Zhejiang. He only says that there is no better benevolent government than the one in the present dynasty."

Chen Zizhuang was a "second-generation official" of the Taichang Dynasty, and the Shabei Chen family was also a well-known scholarly family in Nanhai County, Guangzhou Prefecture.

His great-grandfather Chen Shaoru was a Jinshi in the 17th year of Jiajing, and eventually became the Minister of Works. His father was a Jinshi in the 7th year of Taichang, and later took over Shu Baiqing's position as the magistrate of Changxing County and then the prefect of Changxing.

Now Chen Zizhuang has become the top scholar in the imperial examination and has performed well in the imperial examination. The "seven Jinshi in one family, five local celebrities in four generations" of the Shabei Chen family has become even more valuable.

Regardless of other things, at least his father Chen Shaoru was the first Jinshi to be divided into natural sciences and classics, history and humanities. His uncle also had a smooth career because the upper limit of Juren's official career was higher in the Taichang Dynasty. The Shabei Chen family was at least the beneficiary of the imperial examinations and government office reforms in the new dynasty.

Now their family is the first among the officials and gentry of the Ming Dynasty to transform, and has taken advantage of the favorable conditions of establishing the Southern Capital and developing maritime trade.

Jiangnan is more conservative and traditional. It is obvious that the proportion of Jinshi (imperial examination candidates) from Jiangnan in several subjects has been decreasing in recent years.

For example, in the north, Guangdong and Fujian, a large number of scholars who passed the imperial examinations by studying the natural world began to appear. In the past, they were inferior to the scholars in the south in the study of the Five Classics, and they were more willing to occupy a new ecological niche in the classics, history and humanities from the perspective of studying the natural world.

In this life, Chen Zizhuang no longer needs to be known as one of the "Three Loyalists of Lingnan", but he has a higher starting point.

The phrase "There is no better benevolent government than the one in the current dynasty" summarizes his father's most accurate attitude towards the current situation: just follow His Majesty.

Chen Zizhuang looked at the court report with a burning gaze: "Comparatively, I am more impressed by this sentence: 'The people's will has given me the throne, and the sacred tools are for sacrifice and war. Sacrificing to heaven and earth and ancestors, all I ask for is the well-being and prosperity of all people and their descendants. I also use my sons and daughters as generals and soldiers, and pay taxes to support the army and prepare food and wages, all I ask for is to resist foreign enemies and quell internal strife. The emperor holds the weight of the sacred tools, so he comforts the people and punishes the criminals. The subjects respect the power of the sacred tools, and should put public interests first and private interests second. If the sacred tools are used for private purposes, the people's hearts will not exist, and the country will always perish.' What do you think this sentence means?"

"…From the perspective of the theory of the pursuit of knowledge through investigation of things, the Holy Emperor has abandoned his own destiny and is using his mortal mind to compete with the gentry of the world. The connection between heaven and man… huh!"

If it were not for the fact that it is now the 20th year of Taichang and they have not been approved by the emperor, they would never dare to say such words.

There is no doubt that the emperor is unique in history. Although the Heaven-Man Induction restricts and plans the emperor by using the people's will to influence the way of heaven and report disasters to the emperor, it also gives the emperor a sacred veil and a stable source of legality - most importantly, as long as you play this game, there will be countless great scholars to help you chant scriptures.

But now the emperor has changed all four words of "奉天承运" to be more direct. Instead of letting the people influence the heaven first and then warn the emperor, the people will directly authorize the emperor. What the emperor obeys and supports is the justice condensed from the private interests of all the people. For this reason, the most violent military power is granted to the emperor to "punish the criminals and comfort the people."

However, if the sacred artifact is used as a private object, whether the emperor uses it for his own enjoyment or the ministers who assist the emperor use it for personal gain, it will harm the justice of all the people.

It's just a matter of stating clearly that if the emperor uses the sacred artifacts for personal gain, he will lose his legal authority.

This is naturally to remove the sacred veil of the divine right of kings and instead regard upholding justice as the emperor's duty.

The problem is that there is no emperor who does not want to continue to be an emperor. Following this logic, if someone prevents the emperor from continuing to obtain the authority of this legal system, wouldn’t that be equivalent to treason?

Therefore, this person said that the emperor wanted to take into account the nature of ordinary people and the gentry of the world - judging from the situation in the past few years alone, the emperor simply believed that many officials and gentry were turning sacred objects into private objects, using power or preferential treatment to pursue personal gain, and "reducing the deficiency and making up for the surplus."

"The people of the world must remember that the essence of a country is to stop war with war and bring order with violence. The court should govern with morality, use laws and regulations to warn the people, and use killing to protect the people. In this way, the order will be in order, and the people will not have to worry about being insignificant in the chaotic world. Only then can they reproduce and prosper, and gradually move towards a world of great harmony and order. I believe that there is one key to a world of great harmony and order, that is, the emperor is guilty of breaking the law! In this way, the emperor, his subjects, and the people will all be cautious and awe-inspiring, and we can protect the middle and achieve the best!"

The young scholars' hearts were pounding.

Confucianism on the outside and law on the inside have always been self-evident. However, from the beginning to the end, the most that can be said is that "the prince is guilty of the same crime as the common people if he breaks the law." The monarch is always transcendent. The law is the monarch's law, and Confucianism is also the Confucianism of loyalty to the monarch. Now this monarch who "governs the country with the people" says that he wants to achieve a great harmony goal of "the emperor is also guilty of breaking the law."

Indeed, isn’t this enough?

If the emperor breaks the law, he should be punished. Now that the court is on the road to governing for the great harmony, who else cannot be punished?

In Teng County, Shandong, after Lu Xiangsheng finished reading this sentence, he looked at the prince with a complicated expression.

Zhu Youjian's young face was full of bitter smiles, and he suddenly said, "Jiandou, the crown is so heavy!"

Lu Xiangsheng could only bow and say, "Your Majesty's far-sightedness is a blessing to all the people. Your Highness will surely be a wise ruler and live up to Your Majesty's expectations."

"This will give us a glimpse of the future constitution." Zhu Youjian shook his head and sighed, "How can admonishing the emperor be as convenient as having the constitution clearly written? This is more powerful than appointing a prime minister or a chancellor. After many years, who will be the minister who will accomplish such a feat?"

He looked at Lu Xiangsheng, and Lu Xiangsheng thought about it and straightened his back a little, and said calmly: "Your Majesty has a broad mind and a strong character. Why worry about the loss of talents in the wild in the future? There are gains and losses, and Your Highness must understand your Majesty's painstaking efforts."

"What am I not clear about?" Zhu Youjian was in a trance. "My father also said that there may be a change in the order of power. If the descendants are not virtuous, appointing virtuous people can keep the people's hearts; if the descendants are wise, they will be respected by the officials and add more achievements. But this change... is difficult."

"It is difficult." Lu Xiangsheng did not evade the question, but comforted him solemnly, "Your Majesty always says that power struggles are inevitable, and this has been the case in every dynasty. It is better for the country and the people to have rules for external governance and bottom lines for internal struggles. Your Majesty ordered Your Highness to learn first and then gain experience, hoping that Your Highness can master the essentials. Your Highness should not be afraid of difficulties."

Zhu Youjian nodded repeatedly: "I understand. It's nothing more than one sentence. What needs to be obeyed by the ministers is the person on the throne, not the throne itself. It's difficult! Just look at the officials of Teng County. If I were not the prince, how many rounds could I fight with them? In the future, those who fight to the core in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty, hiss..."

Seeing his posture, Lu Xiangsheng couldn't help but laugh.

Then he bowed earnestly and said: "Your Highness has such insights, and you will surely win the hearts of the ministers in the future. His Majesty often says that people today are not necessarily inferior to those in the past. He must also hope that Your Highness will surpass his predecessors."

"...Are you convinced by me now?"

Zhu Youjian was of course half joking and half surprised by his sudden behavior, but Lu Xiangsheng replied with an inexplicable smile: "I am a little bit submissive at first. Hasn't Your Highness won the hearts of the people of Teng County?"

"Three points..." Zhu Youjian was amused by him, "Why? You are my father's disciple, and you want to be my brother-in-law, you are so arrogant."

"I privately think that His Majesty ordered me to constantly remind Your Highness of the heavy responsibility you will bear in the future."

"…I envy my second brother."

"Your Highness, don't be lazy!" Lu Xiangsheng said solemnly, "Your Majesty often told me that if the late emperor hadn't been lazy, he would have had a much easier time. Now Your Majesty is working day and night just to make it easier for Your Highness in the future."

"What about you? What do you do?"

"I will be your mentor first." Lu Xiangsheng said as a matter of course, "Dong Weng, if your majesty thinks that I have not learned anything, you will inevitably expel me from your sect in the future. Let's do the things at hand first."

"...Yes, let's do the things in front of us first." Zhu Youjian thought of his father's seemingly endless energy and healthy body, "I also fought from the magistrate to the central government, so I have some skills."

"Your Highness, you don't have to fight just for the sake of fighting. Who would fight with you? You should always accomplish more things, weigh the needs of all parties, and apply what you have learned to practice. This is the key."

"...You are right. Having something to do is better than anything else. Only when you can accomplish something can you convince others."

In fact, he was thinking that it would be good to be like this for such a long time as the crown prince in the future. At least he was not in front of his father in the capital, and he could do things based on his own thoughts and judgment.

In the past, being “regent” was nothing more than teaching classes.

I don’t know how long this “Prince’s promotion story” will take before my father will allow him to truly supervise the country.

A country where "the people grant the emperor the power" is a country that "governs by violence". This saying is still spreading further and further, as if to explain why so many people were killed in the 19th year of Taichang.

The dead cannot be resurrected, and the living have to look to the future.

Anyway, the implication is clear: the current governance is to implement a new currency and new policies. If this fails, the violence will continue.

From then on, the tyrant was confirmed.

He began to recount the considerations, gains and losses of the foreign conquests and the many new policies implemented internally during the 20 years of his reign. On the one hand, the officials and gentry were fed up and unwilling to take action against the preferential treatment, but on the other hand, they had to admit that the people's hearts were indeed much more stable.

Otherwise, why did the Ming Dynasty seem to have stopped its movements after this massacre?
Those who want to oppose it can only muster up the courage to provoke it and hope that others will take the lead.

When they were hit back with a stick, they scattered like birds and beasts.

The development of this sensational rebellion was quite ironic, but it seemed to be a proof of the emperor's statement.

I originally thought that such a major event, which touched the interests of all officials and countless other people, would involve countless political battles. However, political battles are about seeking power and gaining power through seeking power.

But isn’t it just a hard big stick?

The scepter, the scepter, means when we are in the wilderness, I have a big stick and you don’t, so you have to obey me.

The most sophisticated political schemes often only require the simplest methods, such as holding meetings.

If the meeting doesn't produce any results, we'll have to add some ingredients.

For example, if someone calls you to a meeting, you may break a cup; or if someone calls you to dinner to discuss something, you may break a cup.

Executioners are violent, sneak attacks are violent, and pretending to be a grandson before launching a sneak attack is also violent.

Besides, why would you need to pretend to be a grandson nowadays? If you can just push it away, why bother?
As long as you have the ability to execute, you can deal with the aftermath.

Now Ye Xianggao and others say that what we have now is very good, and if you want us to do it this way, we will do it.

Now Zhu Changluo is dealing with the aftermath of his twenty years of reign: Come, all heroes and good men, come and establish a constitution to bind me, and enter a new era together.

(End of this chapter)