Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 111: Among the suffering people, Confucianism is the most valuable!
Starting from Emperor Taizong.

Or it started from Emperor Jianwen.

During the Ming Dynasty, there were either droughts or locust plagues, and the people had to beg for food everywhere.

When Emperor Taizong was suppressing the rebellion, he accused Emperor Jianwen of occupying the throne illegitimately, and was condemned by Heaven.

Then, after Emperor Taizong succeeded in his campaign of pacifying the rebellion, an embarrassing thing happened: the drought and locust plague in the two capitals and thirteen provinces not only showed no signs of stopping, but instead showed signs of getting worse.

Rumors gradually spread among the people that Emperor Taizong's throne was illegitimate and was punished by heaven.

An "arrow" shot by Emperor Taizong hit Emperor Taizong right between the eyebrows just a few years later.

In addition, for more than a hundred years, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty after Emperor Taizong had never had a truly bumper grain harvest, and there were always several provinces suffering from disasters.

After the grain was transported from the northeast to the southwest, the people there were exhausted.

The rumor among the people then turned into that this was a curse from Emperor Jianwen on the emperors of Emperor Taizong's lineage.

Zhang Juzheng’s cabinet did not want to judge whether it was true or false, but such a great harvest came during the Jiajing period, and the so-called curse was self-defeating.

Recently, the emperor has become diligent in his work and loves his people. In the eyes of Zhang Juzheng, Gao Gong and Li Chunfang, this is what a peaceful and prosperous era looks like.

But before they could be happy, Chen Yiqin's words, "low grain prices will hurt farmers", hit Zhang, Gao and Li in the face, and their smiles gradually froze.

Gao Gong was dissatisfied with Chen Yiqin's joy, but Chen Yiqin poured cold water on him and retorted: "How can low grain prices hurt farmers?"

The grain harvest is good and the price is low, which is a normal change in commodity prices.

When grain prices are low, it will be cheaper for people all over the world to buy food, and everyone will be able to have enough food to eat. Isn't this a great thing?
Moreover, this is also a good thing for the imperial court. The court's salaries, the food wages for the border towns, and the food and rations for the soldiers and horses have put a lot of pressure on the imperial court in the past.

Now that there is more food, the pressure on the court naturally disappears, and the cabinet and the six ministries can also breathe a sigh of relief.

The most important thing is that the people in the Central Plains are very gentle. As long as they can have food to eat and are not starving to death, no one will think of rebelling.

The absence of traitors is a matter worth recording in history in any dynasty.

Seeing that his peers did not understand the reason why low grain prices hurt farmers, Chen Yiqin sighed and, after seeing the severity of the disasters in the two capitals and 13 provinces of the Ming Dynasty over the past 100 years, explained: "In the second year of Emperor Zhenzong of Song's Xianping reign, grain was abundant, and the number of poor people increased greatly.

In the third year of the Qingli reign of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty, there was an abundant grain harvest and there were countless beggars on the streets of Bianjing.

The fifth year of Xining during the reign of Emperor Shenzong of Song, the fourth year of Yuanyou during the reign of Emperor Zhezong of Song, the eighteenth year of Shaoxing during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Song, the first year of Qiandao during the reign of Emperor Xiaozong of Song, and the second year of Chunxi during the reign of Emperor Xiaozong of Song.

The examples listed by Chen Yiqin all occurred during the prosperous times of the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty. However, the bumper grain harvests did not bring happiness to the farmers of the Song Dynasty, but instead brought a lot of disasters.

The bumper harvests year after year were shaking the already fragile foundation of the Song Dynasty.

All of these can be verified by historical records. If they cannot be found in Wenyuan Pavilion or other places where the court stored the classics, Chen Yiqin is willing to write to Sichuan and retrieve the books or letters from his home.

Among them, there are many records written by Neo-Confucian sages, including some written by Zhu Xi himself.

The Chen family's background is extraordinary.

Gao Gong was still a little puzzled and asked, "Why is this happening?"

Chen Yiqin patiently broke it open and crushed it, saying, "Take this year's bumper harvest in the Ming Dynasty as an example. At this time last year, a dou of rice cost ten coins, but this year, it is only worth three coins, so a dou of rice is seven coins less.

Elder, Deputy Prime Minister, Zishi, for you, no matter how high or low the grain price is, it doesn't matter. After all, your family has countless good fields, and there are only so many people in the family. You can't eat all the food, and you don't even need to buy grain. You have the best salary in the world, and you get rewards from the emperor from time to time. Maybe you look down on this little wealth, but even if you have nothing, you can always have enough food and clothing with your salary and rewards.

Therefore, in the eyes of you, and of hundreds of thousands of imperial officials and clerks, the lower the grain price is, the better. You also believe that in this way, there will be no chaos in the Ming Dynasty and the people will be obedient.

In ancient times, there were four classes of people: scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, but Confucianism was the most respected

Officials can be classified as Confucianists, and scholars can also be classified as Confucianists. Officials, scholars, and Confucianists all wish for low food prices.

Workers and craftsmen who make a living from their skills also wish for low food prices.

Merchants who have no capital or who only seek profit from capital are more willing to have low grain prices.

But farmers can't do that.

All year round, farmers rely on the food produced from the fields to make a living. They wait for the harvest to be over, keep a portion, and sell the rest to exchange for diesel, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea.

If one dou of rice is less than seven cents, it means the farmer has less money. With less income, how can he have money to buy diesel, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea?
"Lord, Vice Prime Minister, Zishi, you only eat steamed buns and white rice? Don't you add anything else to it?"

People live in the world.

It is true that we need food to survive, but we also need other things to eat.

In a year of bumper harvest, farmers will not only not benefit from it, but will become unable to make a living due to the drop in food prices and will have to beg on the streets.

Zhang Juzheng, Gao Gong, and Li Chunfang gradually understood the truth that low grain prices hurt farmers. However, Gao Gong discovered another problem. "Yifu, it is true that low grain prices hurt farmers, but if grain prices are high, won't it hurt scholars, workers, and merchants?"

For the sake of one person, one harms three other people. What guilt have the three other people committed?
"Since the early years of Hongwu, Emperor Taizu Gao has been advocating agriculture and sericulture. In the early years of Jianwen, he also encouraged agriculture and sericulture. In the early years of Yongle, Emperor Taizong again encouraged agriculture and sericulture. All the eleven emperors of our Ming Dynasty encouraged agriculture and sericulture, saying that farmers and sericulture are the parents who provide food and clothing for the country. Prime Minister, after you entered the cabinet and became a prime minister, you still knew to repay the kindness of your parents. How come, when it comes to your own interests, you don't know how to repay the farmers?" Chen Yiqin looked at Gao Gong with a smile.

He said this not only to Gao Gong, but also to Zhang Juzheng and Li Chunfang.

These words.

It was almost as if he had openly accused several of them of being unfilial.

"Yifu, the court has just slowed down, and the people are at peace. We can wait a little longer to support the farmers, or we can..."

Zhang Juzheng saw Gao Gong's face darken, so he took over the conversation to smooth things over, but before he could finish, he was interrupted by Chen Yiqin, "Can you make the people suffer a little more?"

As soon as this sentence came out.

Zhang, Gao and Li's faces changed drastically.

It is enough to know these words in your heart, but if you say them out loud, it will be a big difference.

Chen Yiqin did not want to remain silent, so he looked at Zhang Juzheng and Li Chunfang, "Lord, Zishi, you are all students of the master of the School of Mind. Have you ever asked yourself whether your heart is red or black?"

Then he looked at Gao Gong and said, "My ancestral home is in Langzhong, Sichuan. My ancestors once led the clan to move to Xinzheng, and later moved back to Sichuan. Second Prime Minister, why do you think that is?"

Gao Gong's eyes became a little angry.

Chen Yiqin didn't care. "The whole province is full of farmers. They suffer from good harvests and disasters. The people on both sides of the Yellow River have suffered for hundreds and thousands of years. The Ergao family has lived on the banks of the Yellow River for generations. Don't you know the suffering of the farmers? Or is it that the rich and powerful don't see the farmers?"

Thanks to reader "Taylor1986" for the reward of 2019 yuan, thanks to reader "Purple Maple Green Glaze" for the reward of yuan, thanks to readers "xx" and "Deep Autumn Inlaid Jade" for the reward of yuan, I am humbled and extremely grateful!

Killing a dragon in the river
August 2024.8.25,
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(End of this chapter)