Jiajing Chengming

After Zhu Houcong said this, Yan Song and Xu Jie had to think seriously.

Yan Song took a deep breath.

He seemed to have suddenly understood the emperor's intention, and his eyes were full of approval and admiration when he looked at Zhu Houcong.

But Xu Jie frowned inadvertently.

"You don't have to rush to answer me. Go back and discuss it first."

Zhu Houcong did not urge the two to give an answer at this time.

The two of them bowed and said yes, then left the imperial study.

However, Yan Song and Xu Jie did not discuss it together first.

Because the two of them don't actually have similar interests.

So, the two of them are actually not in harmony with each other.

Yan Song only discussed the matter with his brother-in-law Ouyang Bijin and the then Minister of Personnel Xiong Jia.

"Only Your Majesty could think of such a grand plan!"

Xiong Jia couldn't help but sigh.

Then, he looked at the two of them and said, "If we really do this, we can make Luzon, Japan, Jiaozhi and other places inferior to the mainland, and even make them rely on the imperial court to maintain their peace."

"That's true! But this still forces the people who stay in the native land not to indulge their desires no matter how rich they are, and it is even more difficult for them to become slaves of the Han people. This is naturally not comfortable enough for many people."

"It is not as comfortable to use the Han people as slaves as the barbarians!"

Ouyang Bijin said at this time and looked at Yan Song: "What do you think, brother-in-law?"

"As for me, I naturally think that your majesty is making a big move, and it is a move for the future."

"Besides, the reason why the imperial court is becoming more and more prosperous now is that we, the Han people, are the most outstanding people in the world. This allows us to continue to make huge profits without killing people in Luzon and Jiaozhi."

"But in the past, all these huge profits were in the hands of the gentry and wealthy families."

"Now, a lot of these huge profits have gone to the court. If the court doesn't use this money to continue to improve the overall knowledge of our Han people, how can it maintain these huge profits?"

"Therefore, we still have to support your majesty in doing this. If you want to work hard for the country and the people, stay in your homeland, truly practice the way of sages, restrain yourself and return to propriety;"

"If you don't want to work for the country and the people, and just want to be kind and respectful on the surface but secretly want to live a comfortable life, then you can go to these places and use Confucianism in appearance and Legalism in reality to fool the local people and make them poor."

"There will always be distinctions between the noble and the humble in this world!"

"Your Majesty, for the sake of China's standing in the world, the Han people have always been superior to other ethnic groups. At the same time, for the sake of imperial power, you cannot oppress the local people too harshly, so that the local scholars cannot be checked and balanced. Otherwise, the overseas people will only become inferior characters."

"But our Ming Dynasty leads the world in the best and most knowledge, so even if the overseas people are inferior to our local people, they are still better than the barbarians who came to our Ming Dynasty. Naturally, they can experience the happiness of being superior from this hierarchy, and they can be content with such a ritual order."

After Yan Song said this with a smile, Xiong Jia and Ouyang Bijin both nodded.

But Xiong Jia asked thoughtfully: "But we Han people are attached to our land, and for the gentry and the rich who are used to calling the shots and living a carefree life in their hometowns, isn't it a death sentence for them to watch the Han people in their hometowns become knowledgeable and have their own opinions, and not be fooled and driven by them, and even rebel against them, and even gather the people and the government to fight against them, and even use the teachings of sages to fight against them?"

"It is difficult to have the best of both worlds. We cannot expect the people to be patriotic and fearless only when foreign invaders invade."

"As a scholar-official, you can either dig up your ancestors' ashes, sell off your ancestral land and property, and then go overseas to become an expatriate in a vassal state, or you can only be a true virtuous Confucian businessman and not betray justice for your own benefit."

Yan Song smiled and asked, "You don't want to start a rebellion just to be the boss in your hometown, do you?"

……

……

"I really want to rebel!"

Sun Chengen, who was appointed Minister of Rites on the recommendation of Xu Jie, could not help but whisper this in front of Xu Jie after Xu Jie told him that the emperor was going to transfer some industries that were contrary to ethics and morality abroad.

"Be careful!"

Xu Jie glared at Sun Chengen.

Sun Chengen stood up at this time, spread his arms and said to Xu Jie: "Lord, I know that starting a rebellion is a fantasy, but if it really realizes that every Han Chinese is treated like a scholar, even if they don't like Confucianism, they can become a scholar-official by specializing in other things. Then the etiquette of the world will completely lose its foundation. There is no need to even talk about it. All loyalty, filial piety, chastity and righteousness should be thrown away. Let's be clear, if you don't follow our will, you are a thief to the world!"

"Why bother talking about these impossible things."

Xu Jie smiled awkwardly.

"Something that has been read for thousands of years, even if it is a lie, if more people listen to it, there will be many people who really believe it!"

"You can't have your cake and eat it too. You should discuss with your family whether to go to sea or to completely change your ways. You should make a decision as soon as possible!"

After Xu Jie said this, Sun Chengen asked Xu Jie unwillingly:

"Lord, is there no other way?"

"It seems that there is none at the moment. After all, the current emperor is a Han emperor. It would be better if he was an emperor of a foreign race like the Mongols!"

Xu Jie smiled awkwardly, then sighed helplessly.

Xu Jie really couldn't think of any solution, but he did not like the current Ming Dynasty just like Sun Chengen.

even if……

Xu Jie has now made the Xu family the largest landlord in Songjiang Prefecture, and has transformed his family from the largest cotton producer in Songjiang into a large grain producer.

However, as the Han people's intelligence and status gradually improved, it became difficult for big landlords like the Xu family to do as they pleased like the big landlords in the past. This made the Xu family's experience as big landlords far less than before.

Therefore, Xu Jie rationally already had plans to move overseas in the future.

After all, he had been overseas and served as an envoy to Japan.

He knows how "free" he can be overseas and how fulfilling the experience of being a superior person can be.

Because of this, he would persuade those conservatives who were dissatisfied with the status quo to move out, respond to the court's call, and continue to enjoy the privileges of being treated by officials and gentry.

But Xu Jie didn't want to leave emotionally.

Because he was so fascinated by this familiar land that carried many of his memories.

However, Yan Song did not have these conflicted mentalities.

His personal self-esteem is not that strong.

Otherwise, his wife wouldn't have become such a shrew.

But his desire for power was greater than Xu Jie's.

Therefore, he can adjust his moral bottom line at any time in order to gain a higher position of power.

If the emperor needed him to be a wise minister who loved the people like his own children, he would love the people more than Zhang Cong.

If the emperor needs him to be a treacherous minister who regards the people as thieves, he will be more vicious than those eunuchs who do not care about the people.

Therefore, the next day, when Yan Song met Xu Jie in the cabinet, he took the initiative to say to Xu Jie: "Lord Xu, I thought about it last night and felt that the strategy your majesty is thinking of is indeed a grand plan to bring eternal peace to the world. What do you think?"

"Your Majesty is naturally wise, and the Prime Minister is also wise." "Doing this will benefit future generations!"

Xu Jie answered with a smile.

Yan Song laughed after hearing this: "Very good, very good. Since our cabinet has reached a consensus, we will follow the emperor's order and invite the court officials to discuss it. This matter should be decided as soon as possible. Your Majesty is still waiting for our reply."

"What the Prime Minister said is that everything will be in accordance with the Prime Minister's arrangements."

Xu Jie continued to reply with a smile.

Therefore, court officials such as the Minister of Personnel Xiong Jia and the Minister of Rites Sun Chengen were invited to the cabinet.

Yan Song and Xu Jie also conveyed the emperor's will to these people.

The court officials, on the other hand, had no objections and all praised His Majesty for his wisdom. They didn't even show any surprise.

Because they all already knew about it.

Indeed, no one dared to openly oppose Zhu Houcong's proposal now.

He ordered the cabinet ministers to discuss the matter, but in many cases it was just a formality.

When Zhu Houcong learned from Yan Song and Xu Jie that they and the court officials had no objections, he clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Very good, then let's prepare and do it this way."

Yan Song and Xu Jie both bowed and agreed.

So, not long after this, the Minister of Rites Sun Chengen submitted two memorials in succession.

The first memorial requested a ban on prostitution and gambling throughout the country on the grounds that prostitution and gambling undermine the moral order of the world. However, considering that most of the places outside the two capitals and the thirteen provincial governments were not thoroughly educated, if prostitution and gambling were forcibly stopped, it might cause resentment among the foreigners and be detrimental to peace, so the ban could be temporarily waived.

The second memorial was to request the promotion of education, the establishment of a normal school, the increase of school officials, and the extension of the three-year compulsory education originally implemented for military personnel to the thirteen provincial governments in the two capitals, so that the country would not lack talents for governing and educating people due to the expansion of its territory.

Although Sun Cheng'en did not want the emperor to treat Han people too much as human beings and allow them to have too easy access to education, he still fulfilled his responsibilities as a Minister of Rites against his will because he was afraid of the emperor's majesty.

Because managing social customs and education is the responsibility of the Ministry of Rites, the Minister of Rites also has the responsibility to criticize and correct the rituals of the world.

The cabinet naturally voted to approve Sun Chengen's memorial, and in accordance with the emperor's will, it clearly stated that the Jiaofangsi would be changed to the Liyuesi, and a Lifansi would be added to be responsible for the affairs of the vassal states of the current dynasty. A normal school would be set up in each of the two capitals and thirteen provincial governments, and a Ministry of Education would be added to manage schools and academic officials throughout the country.

Zhu Houcong naturally approved this.

Once this decree was announced, it was like a bolt from the blue to the wealthy people in the world.

It was like a bolt from the blue for those who only wanted to make money through sex.

"If we can't even enjoy ourselves, is it true that in this great land of China, we can only read books written by sages, do things done by sages, and be sages?!"

"It was fine that monks were not allowed to be romantic before, but now even scholars and common people are not allowed to be romantic. Are the people in power so pedantic or are they so inhumane as eunuchs that they don't allow people to be romantic?!"

Cheng Wenliang, a scholar who was nostalgic for brothels, protested against this and kept fanning himself with a folding fan, which made his face even paler.

"Master, please take me as your concubine!"

"The Ministry of Rites has sent a decree that Han women cannot entertain people in the two capitals and thirteen provincial governments. I don't want to go to sea, and I don't want to marry those vulgar men. I would rather be a concubine of a talented man. Please accept me as we have experienced the world!"

There was also a prostitute named Jinse, who came to the scholar, knelt down and cried bitterly.

But the scholar Cheng Wenliang did not agree. Instead, he reprimanded Jinse: "How dare you destroy my reputation? When have I ever been with you through thick and thin? Why don't you get off now?"

Jinse looked at Cheng Wenliang in great surprise.

Cheng Wenliang left the brothel in disappointment and returned home.

When Cheng Wenliang came back, he saw his brother Cheng Wende, who was then the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, had been waiting for him at home for a long time.

"Brother, what do you want from me?"

Cheng Wenliang therefore took the initiative to ask Cheng Wende.

Cheng Wende put his hands behind his back and said, "Go home and sell all your ancestral property. Choose a date to invite the spirits of your ancestors, and then bring the spirits of your ancestors and your entire family to move to Jiaozhi!"

Cheng Wenliang was shocked when he heard this: "Brother, why do you want to move?"

"Why do you still ask when you already know the answer? The situation has come to this point. Can I still stay in my hometown?"

Cheng Wende asked with a cold smile, and then asked Cheng Wenliang again: "Do you really want to see that all the tenants in your family are well-educated in the future? At that time, would you have the heart to collect rent from them, or would you give them land to show respect for the scholars?"

Cheng Wenliang couldn't help but frown after hearing this: "That would be really embarrassing."

"That's right. The imperial court is promoting education for the common people. The Ministry of Personnel will soon change the rules for performance evaluation to focus on increasing the population size and also on assessing the literacy rate of the population."

When Cheng Wende said this, he looked up at the sky and said, "This land will no longer be fertile ground for scholars and officials! They can only migrate to the sea!"

"Yan Fenyi and Xu Huating, how could they be even more hateful than Zhang Yongjia!"

Cheng Wenliang couldn't help but ask through gritted teeth.

Cheng Wende smiled bitterly and said, "They are more hateful than Zhang Yongjia."

"Well, it's useless to denounce these two people now. The world is in such a state that it is beyond human control."

"We can only move out first. Once we move out, the imperial court will become a force we can rely on to fight against the local lords, just like us big families rely on external forces to fight against the imperial court."

Cheng Wende patted Cheng Wenliang on the shoulder.

Cheng Wenliang nodded solemnly.

So, Cheng Wenliang left the capital and began to prepare for the relocation of his Cheng family to Jiaozhi.

The prostitute Jinse also chose to go to sea.

Because she really couldn't accept marrying a commoner man and spending her days dealing with the daily necessities of life.

Therefore, she would rather go overseas to continue her old career.

As a result, she saw Cheng Wenliang again on the road.

This made her burst into tears.

Many wealthy gentry and famous prostitutes did choose to go to sea.

Zhu Houcong's obsession with reshaping the order of rites and laws made many well-educated and polite people unable to tolerate it and chose to move away.

Although it is too magical, it is reasonable.

After all, those who are well-educated and well-mannered never thought that one day the emperor would use gifts to punish them.

This resulted in the fact that the people who migrated out to sea in large numbers were not civilians, but well-dressed men and women in brocade.

On the contrary, ordinary people have no feelings about the current national policy, and are even less interested in going to sea.

Even if the imperial court opens the sea now, only the people living along the coast will go out to sea to work, and they will only go out to sea to work, and they will not move their homes out.

Of course, there were also many enlightened gentry who were willing to accept this change and chose to stay. Hai Rui from Qiongzhou did not choose to move overseas with his family, but chose to stay in the ancestral home with his widowed mother and decided to go to Beijing to take part in the imperial examination.

Because a large number of gentry children moved away, and the number of students was increased, Hai Rui actually passed the imperial examination in the 33rd year of Jiajing, becoming the 32nd Jinshi in the second class. (End of this chapter)