The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 99 Your Freedom is Worth One Hundred Dollars
Paine listened to Zhu Jianxuan's words with a complicated mood and expression:
“I agree with most of your Highness’s views that freedom should indeed be relative freedom within a good moral framework.

"But I remain resolutely opposed to monarchy, which is the root of all social evils."

Zhu Jianxuan laughed when he heard this. Since he could accept other people's opinions, it showed that this guy could still be discussed, which meant he could be persuaded.

This time, Zhu Jianxuan did not respond directly to Paine, but suddenly turned to the crowd around him.

Learn Trump's tone and words, and speak out loudly using the simplest English words possible:

"The monarch is the source of all evil?

"You haven't seen what true evil is.

“Private property is sacred and inviolable. There should be many people who support this concept, right?
“But have you ever thought about what this means?

"I own a property worth one million silver dollars, which is inviolable. You own a property worth one hundred silver dollars, which is inviolable.

“So my holiness is worth a million dollars, and your holiness is only worth a hundred dollars.

“I damaged all your property, so I only need to pay you a hundred dollars and apologize at most, or I can pay you twice as much without an apology.

“When you violate one tenth of my property, which is 100,000 silver dollars, you may be thrown into prison and work as a contract slave for life to pay off your debt.

“If you destroy all my property, which is one million yuan, you may be sentenced to death.

"In this situation, your freedom and your life are all clearly priced and become tradable commodities.

"Do you think this situation is reasonable? Which is worse, this system or the monarchy?"

In 1782, most American civilians were self-employed farmers and were very conservative in their thinking.

Zhu Jianxuan used a simple and easy-to-understand way to help them understand complex social issues, complex issues under the capitalist system.

They soon accepted Zhu Jianxuan's words. Although they didn't have much, that was all they had.

Even if their most important things were destroyed by the rich businessmen, the other party would only need to nonchalantly throw a few gold coins as compensation.

If you accidentally destroy a rich person's carriage, pet, or manor, you might be thrown into prison.

This made them very uncomfortable, but they never understood why.

Zhu Jianxuan now explained the truth to them.

The ideas promoted by the so-called Enlightenment thinkers and businessmen are the direct cause of this phenomenon.

What the hell is progress, conservatives are better.

So after Zhu Jianxuan said this, the crowd around him immediately became noisy.

Someone simplified Zhu Jianxuan's words and passed them on:

"The inviolability of private property is a lie. It is to sell our lives to merchants as indentured servants at a fixed price. Your Majesty the King opposes this practice!"

There is such a thing as "indentured servants" in American society, which is somewhat similar in nature to the "contracted laborers" in Zhu Jianxuan's previous life in the Republic of China.

Most of the indentured servants were white people from Europe. They usually did not have the money to pay for the ship fare to North America, so they used their own slave labor in the next few years to pay for the passage.

The living conditions of indentured servants were often worse than those of black slaves.

Because what they sell is only the labor of the next few years, they themselves are not the private property of the master, and they will regain their freedom in the next few years.

As a result, during the contract period, they were often tortured to death by their indentured slave owners.

More than 60% of European immigrants to North America initially came to North America as indentured servants, and the experience of being indentured servants is the most painful memory for most people.

Although Zhu Jianxuan did not mention indentured servants in his speech, their understanding of losing freedom and putting a price on freedom is to become indentured servants.

This simplistic and crude understanding of Zhu Jianxuan's speech soon reached the ears of more and more people.

Then, some impulsive people started to shout:

"Long live His Majesty the King of Wu!"

"We don't want to be indentured servants!"

"Long live His Majesty the King!"

As Zhu Jianxuan's words spread, more and more people started shouting:
"Long live His Majesty the King."

At the beginning, people outside didn’t know what Zhu Jianxuan said, they only heard the people in front shouting "Long live the king".

So many people thought that Zhu Jianxuan had already been declared the king of the United States, so they followed suit and shouted "Long live the king" without much concern.

By the time Zhu Jianxuan's words spread to the outside world, they had been simplified to just "His Majesty the King will not allow merchants to turn us into indentured servants."

Many people thought that Zhu Jianxuan announced this view immediately after he became king.

The farmers in the periphery all felt that what His Majesty the King said was absolutely right.

Then more people followed suit and shouted:

"Long live His Majesty the King!"

The entire dock inside and outside soon became a complete chaos.

Pan En was also a little stunned at this time. He inexplicably felt that the prince's ideas coincided with his own. He subconsciously echoed loudly:

“That is why I am against private ownership and I do not fully agree with the view that private property is sacred and inviolable.

"Because human value is far more important than assets, life and money cannot be compared."

Hancock and other American businessmen around him did not hear clearly what Paine had just said. However, they heard clearly what Zhu Jianxuan had shouted to the outside world before, and several of them were now a little panicked.

Private property is sacred and inviolable, and social status and value are determined by the amount of assets. This bourgeois legal right is most beneficial to them, and they will of course fully support it.

If Zhu Jianxuan does not protect private property, he cannot be allowed to be king under any circumstances.

How could a traditional king oppose private property? The king must have been influenced by this madman Paine! We must not allow this madman Paine to continue to deceive the king!

However, when everyone's worries just emerged, Zhu Jianxuan had already given up on Paine.

Zhu Jianxuan felt that he had said enough. If he still couldn't attract this troll, then he would just let him do whatever he wanted from now on.

He had to come back to stabilize the actual rulers of North America.

Although the largest population in the United States today is made up of self-employed farmers, it is businessmen who hold the voice and actual political power.

We must take care of the interests of conservative farmers, and also take care of and even encourage the continued development of industry and commerce.

So Zhu Jianxuan raised his hands and pressed them down, signaling everyone to be quiet.

When the noisy voices around him gradually faded away, Zhu Jianxuan began to summarize his compromise views to the American elites:
“Using the value of assets as the basis for judging people is obviously not the most reasonable law.

“But it is also irrational to ignore the value of private assets.

“Ignoring the value of private assets is equivalent to encouraging the poor to destroy the property of the rich, encouraging everyone to become poor.

“So private property really should be sacred.

"My private property, your private property, the king's private property, is sacred and inviolable.

“No one’s property is more sacred than another’s.

“No matter how valuable the property is, it should not be wantonly infringed upon by others.

"Whether it is the king, the farmer, the yeoman, the artisan or the merchant, everyone has the right to defend his property and prohibit the destruction of his property.

“But private property can only be relatively sacred; property should not be equated with life and liberty.

“Of course, compensation should be paid for damaging other people’s private property, but it should not be at the cost of losing personal freedom and life.

“At the same time, since life and property cannot be compared, any crime involving the killing of a free person cannot be offset by property compensation.

"If you kill someone, you must pay with your life. If you owe money, you only need to pay the money.

“This is the most basic principle in the world, and it is also my basic requirement for the future of the United States. Even a free state must abide by it.”

After listening to what Zhu Jianxuan said, Paine seemed to feel suddenly enlightened.

In Paine's view, property should not be equated with life and freedom, so he opposed the private ownership system.

But after hearing the last part, he started frowning again.
He felt that life was more sacred than what Zhu Jianxuan said, so people should not support the death penalty or life penalty.

Paine felt that the king's thoughts and character were not bad, but obviously not completely good either.

Zhu Jianxuan's overall view is actually simple and compromising, and is also in line with the current era.

Pure bourgeois legal rights had not yet been established. Even the Enlightenment thought believed that human beings were more valuable and generally believed that life could not be deprived or traded.

The surrounding farmers also thought that Zhu Jianxuan’s simple views were very good.

Murder pays off lives, debts pay off.

You don’t have to allow others to touch your things, but you shouldn’t touch other people’s things either.

The key point is that it is forbidden to turn people into indentured servants, which is really great!

These are all the truths of the world.

It is really amazing that His Majesty can explain it so clearly.

The final words Zhu Jianxuan said to the elites present were also the final conditions he put forward to the American founding fathers.

As the son of the Emperor of China, I came to North America to be the king of you country bumpkins. Of course, it is impossible for me to completely accept your nonsense. There must be conditions and requirements.

This requirement has also been the basic ethics of China for two thousand years.

If I become the king of the United States in the future and the Europeans from the Free State kill the immigrants from the Ming Dynasty, they must pay with their lives no matter what.

If the Free State refuses to carry out the death penalty, it will let the Royal Guards carry it out.

After Zhu Jianxuan finished speaking, he looked at representatives of the American free states, such as Washington, Jefferson, and Hancock, and waited for their answers.

Franklin was the first to speak out in favor:

"I support your majesty's suggestion that life and liberty cannot be traded and the value of assets cannot be compared to life."

Adams immediately came out in support:

"Your Majesty's request is the basis of social fairness, and we should all recognize it."

Washington, Jefferson and others hesitated for a moment, then began to express their acceptance.

After all, Zhu Jianxuan's request was basically fair. It only prohibited sentencing for property damage, and he did not oppose the protection of private property at all.

The reason is completely reasonable. Life and freedom are priceless, while assets are valuable and should indeed be separated.

(End of this chapter)