Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 155: Conflict with Lao Zhu! I talk about "science" in Daming!
The teacher stood there in a daze, and many students were also shocked.

Once this couplet comes out, the direction of the entire Imperial College will probably change drastically.

Previously, His Majesty did not allow students of the Imperial Academy to discuss state affairs, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did the exact opposite.

"Hang this couplet on both sides of the gate of the Imperial College so that every student who enters the college will remember it firmly."

Zhu Yunxun ordered.

Allowing students of the Imperial Academy to discuss state affairs may seem like a trivial matter at first glance, but in fact, Zhu Yunhuan was well aware that this was a major event with far-reaching implications.

The Imperial Academy was the highest institution of learning in the Ming Dynasty.

The change in the direction of the Imperial College affected not only the thousands of students studying there, but all the schools in the entire Ming Dynasty.

Since the founding of the Hongwu Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang has been stubborn and has enforced the popularization of official education throughout the country.

Provincial schools, county schools, and even rural schools deep in the countryside emerged like mushrooms after a rain.

The Imperial College is a weather vane.

Whichever direction the Imperial College moves in, all the schools across the country will follow.

Zhu Yunhuan also thought about this matter for a long time.

Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict allowing officials, wise men in the opposition, ambitious men, simple farmers, merchants and craftsmen to offer suggestions to the court, but he did not allow students to discuss politics or offer suggestions to the court. This had its own internal logic and reason.

To put it simply, students are most likely to form cliques and cause trouble.

The sound of wind and rain and the sound of reading are in my ears, and I care about everything in the world, including family affairs, national affairs, and everything in the world.

This is the motto of the Donglin Party.

The Donglin Party, with Donglin Academy as its center, turned the political arena of the late Ming Dynasty into a mess.

The eventual demise of the Ming Dynasty was largely due to the Donglin Party.

From this point of view, Zhu's strict order to restrict students' political discussion and debate can be said to be foresighted.

If future generations had been able to strictly implement it, there would not have been the Donglin Party Rebellion in the late Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yunhuan knew all of this very well.

But he still had other ideas in mind.

Everything in the world has its pros and cons.

Suppressing the speech of the academy is certainly beneficial to the stability of the rule.

But from another perspective, what about promoting social change?
He had already planted the seed of Fang Xiaoru, but it was far from enough.

To promote social change as a whole, we must start with a change in thinking.

If we want to change the thinking of the entire society, we must start with school education.

The lesser of two evils.

Zhu Yunhuan was confident that he could stabilize the Ming Dynasty and was not afraid of causing unrest.

It was for this reason that he ordered the Imperial College to subscribe to the "Da Ming Daily" for its students so that they could discuss politics.

The Da Ming Daily was an opinion platform he created. If even the students of the Imperial College did not read the Da Ming Daily, it would be impossible to mobilize the students and promote ideological change.

You know, no matter which era, there are always the largest number of idealists among students.

After all, students' minds are in the process of formation and are most easily guided.

This could be a guide for the good or the bad.

The relationship between classmates is extraordinary, which means it is easy for students to form groups and build powerful political forces.

From all these, it can be said that students are a special and extremely powerful political force in any era.

The Donglin Party came from Donglin College, and the vigorous May Fourth Movement started with a student movement.

What’s more, the students of the Imperial College are not ordinary students, but the future officials of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yunhuan came to the Imperial College because he wanted to guide and master this power for his own use.

It is by no means easy to get the older generation to accept scientific and technological civilization.

Except for a very few open-minded people, most people are naturally resistant.

But students are different.

Students are driven by a strong curiosity and are more willing to accept new things.

The students of the Imperial College will all become officials in the future.

Once a foundation is laid among them, they will bring it to the entire Ming Dynasty.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince's teachings will be remembered in our hearts."

The students saluted together.

Especially the twenty or so students who were about to be punished were extremely excited.

I thought I would be severely punished, but unexpectedly, I was rescued by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince himself.

According to the teachings of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, there is nothing wrong with them reading the Ming Daily. On the contrary, it is a manifestation of their concern for national and world affairs.

How could this not make them happy and encouraged?

The other students were also filled with excitement.

In fact, with the widespread dissemination of the "Da Ming Daily", few literate people in the society did not read it.

Not to mention those students who have been well-read in poetry and books since childhood.

Even the chief academic officer, dean of the Imperial College, and the instructors, who doesn't read the Da Ming Daily?

It's just that the students are forbidden to watch it.

Now, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince explicitly encourages them to read the Ming Daily, to care about state affairs, and to care about national and world affairs, which is equivalent to a complete lifting of the ban.

The instructor was already stunned, and muttered to himself in a voice that only he could hear: "This is not in line with your Majesty's teachings!"

No one cares about him.

Of course, the instructor would not stand up and contradict His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

But he felt that the matter was of great importance and must be reported to the Lord Chief Priest immediately.

Just as he was thinking about it, Hu Jian, the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, had already arrived with a group of officials from the Imperial College.

"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!" Hu Jian bowed respectfully.

He had just been in the inner hall admiring an ancient painting sent by the parents of a nobleman, but suddenly he heard the news that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was visiting the Imperial College in person, so he hurried over.

Speaking of which, Zhu Yuanzhang's punishment for officials who were corrupt and accepted bribes was very severe. He would often behead them, confiscate their property, and skin them and stuff them with straw.

However, regarding the teachers in the school accepting gifts from students' parents, Lao Zhu believed that parents hope their children will succeed, and they should be polite to their teachers. This is the wisdom of the parents and can better demonstrate the teacher's virtue and ability, so it does not count as accepting stolen property.

Once, a teacher at the Imperial College sued Song Ne, the former chief academic officer of the Imperial College, for accepting gifts from parents of children of dukes and marquises. The accusation was true, but Zhu Yuanzhang ruled that it was a false accusation.

The reason is that students' parents give gifts to teachers, which is a courtesy to teachers and does not count as bribery!

With the emperor's support, officials and teachers at all levels of the Imperial College accepted gifts from students' parents without restraint and it became a common practice.

They would even find ways to embarrass students who did not give them gifts, or even deliberately find excuses to punish them.

As a result, students were tortured to death every month in the Imperial College.

This is also an important reason why students from outside become frightened when they hear that they are going to study in the Imperial Academy.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and looked at Hu Ji'an: "Master Jijiu looks good. It seems that the antique calligraphy and paintings I have collected recently have satisfied you."

How does His Royal Highness know these things?
Hu Jian was struck by lightning and immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your Highness, I appreciate your wisdom. Although I like antiques and calligraphy and paintings, I don't have many in my collection. They were all given to me by my students' parents. I couldn't refuse them and had no choice but to accept them reluctantly."

He dared to confess frankly because His Majesty the Emperor had personally ruled that gifts given by students' parents to their teachers did not count as bribes.

Zhu Yunhuan said coldly: "The Imperial College is an institution of the imperial court. You are not only the teachers of the students, but also the officials of the imperial court."

"As a teacher, it is not wrong to accept some small gifts from students' parents as a token of appreciation."

"But as an official appointed by the imperial court, accepting bribes is a serious crime."

"I have heard that bribery is a common practice among people from the Imperial Academy, from the chief priest down."

"Even worse, students who have no money to give gifts to their teachers are deliberately made difficult, making it difficult for the students to survive in the Imperial College, and forcing the students' parents to give gifts. Is this true?"

Hu Jian was so frightened that his soul left his body and his face turned pale.

He had long heard of the reputation of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

The heads of the officials of all ranks in the Ministry of Public Administration on that day were clear evidence of this.

How can I not be afraid when I hear that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is coming to punish me?
He raised his head and wanted to explain, but suddenly realized something was wrong.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince can say it so casually, which means he must have evidence.

What's more, even without evidence, such a thing is difficult to conceal.

As long as you check, the truth will come out immediately.

At that moment, he quickly swallowed the words of defense and confessed his guilt: "I have failed in my duty in governing the Imperial College and have not been strict with my subordinates, which has led to such a scandal in the Imperial College. Please punish me, Your Highness the Crown Prince." "Get up!" Zhu Yunhuan waved his hand.

The matter of the Imperial College had long been a hot topic in Jinling City and was no longer a secret.

The Investigation Department had naturally found out everything clearly long ago.

Compared with the previous chief priest, Hu Ji'an is actually quite good.

The management of the students is much better.

Although he accepted some gifts from dukes and marquises, he would not deliberately make things difficult for poor students who did not give any gifts.

Basically, we can treat everyone equally.

On the contrary, he punished some teachers who did so.

The root cause of the problems in the Imperial College lies with Zhu Yuanzhang, not with this chief academician.

Zhu Yunhuan threatened him with words just to implement his next plan.

"Pass on this palace's order that all gifts from the parents of the students who supervise the school shall be deposited into the public treasury and shall not be accepted privately."

Hu Ji'an said hurriedly, "Yes! I will go and confiscate all the antiques and paintings I have collected and store them in the warehouse."

For him, simply handing over the gifts he had received in the past was already a pleasant surprise.

Otherwise, if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince really charges him with corruption and abuse of power, he will be beheaded and his property will be confiscated.

"Yes!" Zhu Yunhuan nodded and said, "Not just you. All the gifts received from the parents of the students in the Imperial College must be confiscated."

He paused, and then said, "From today on, all officials and teachers of the Imperial College will receive double salaries, but they are not allowed to accept even a penny of gifts in private. Otherwise, they will be severely punished."

Hu Ji'an was stunned for a moment, then he kowtowed with joy and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

The officials and teachers of the Imperial College around them were also moved.

In folk legends, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is different from the harsh Emperor, and he is even privately called "God of Wealth" by some people.

Because whether it was the newspaper editors of the Ming Daily, the employees of the Ming Bank, the craftsmen of the Ming Manufacturing Bureau, or even the newly recruited students of the Ming Military Academy, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince gave very generous rewards.

That was a salary I could never have dreamed of when I worked under Lao Zhu.

But His Royal Highness the Crown Prince gave it to him without hesitation.

Even the salaries of officials in the past, since most of them were in old banknotes that had depreciated severely, made it difficult for many officials from poor backgrounds to make ends meet.

This situation has been completely reversed since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince took over the throne and issued new banknotes.

Although the officials' salaries did not increase, their income actually increased greatly because the money they received was real money.

This also made many poor officials extremely grateful to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

The officials of the Imperial College, who had just been heartbroken over not being able to accept gifts, suddenly felt relieved when they heard that they would receive double salaries.

In this way, at least you will not have to worry about your livelihood in the future and you can still live a good life.

Zhu Yunhu was well aware that the salaries set by Emperor Zhu for officials were indeed too low.

The Ming Dynasty court was short of money in the past, but it is not short of money now.

The Ming Bank, headed by Yang Shiqi, is continuously absorbing countless wealth.

Today, the total deposit amount of Ming Bank has reached an astonishing 100 million taels of silver.

This number is still increasing every day because more branches are being set up in various places to absorb more deposits.

Of course, the money in the bank is private deposits and cannot be used indiscriminately.

But once deposits come in, loans have to be made out so that the bank can operate normally.

The Ming Manufacturing Bureau has borrowed 30 million taels of silver.

Zhu Yunhuan planned to ask the Ming court to borrow 30 million taels of national debt.

The expenses of recruiting students for the Ming Military Academy are paid from this.

The same applies to the double salaries of officials and teachers at all levels of the Imperial College.

These are just a drop in the bucket.

The real big deal is the next major infrastructure project that the court is going to undertake - building cement roads!

As for repaying the debt, Zhu Yunhuan was not worried at all.

Even though the Ming Dynasty only collected more than 20 million silver coins in taxes a year, much of it was converted into grain.

But once the Ming Dynasty entered the Age of Discovery and started industrialization, the amount of taxes the court could collect each year would immediately increase rapidly.

By that time, will you still be afraid of not being able to repay this small debt?
Even the current commercial tax reform is estimated to generate a large sum of money quickly.

To put it bluntly, the Ming Dynasty court was not short of money at all.

We didn’t have money before, but we just didn’t tap our potential.

Zhu Yunhuan’s reform plan was to start from the Imperial College.

Naturally, intellectuals in the Imperial College should be given preferential treatment.

However, it is hard to say whether the officials and teachers of the Imperial College in the future will still be the same people as before.

Zhu Yunhuan then said, "I also heard that the food for students at the Imperial College is very poor."

His eyes swept across the students.

Most of these people are pale and thin.

"From today on, the food allowances of the Imperial College will be improved so that all students can eat well."

"Thank you, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!" All the students cheered.

In fact, most of these students came from wealthy families and had been pampered at home without any shortage of food or clothing.

Otherwise, we would not be able to afford their studies.

But since entering the Imperial College, the food he ate was much worse than that of the book boys and maids who used to serve him.

There were even students who starved to death due to long-term malnutrition.

It is not an isolated case for students to starve to death, but it happens from time to time!

While studying at the Imperial College, the students struggled with hunger and endured harsh, cruel and ruthless punishments.

Zhu Yuanzhang's approach to this was that any student who said that the food in the Imperial College was not good would be flogged fifty times for the first offense, one hundred times for the second offense, and beheaded for the third offense!

With the support of His Majesty the Emperor, no resistance was allowed from the students. One can imagine how bad the food in the Imperial College was!
The practice of embezzlement has existed since ancient times.

There was even a rumor in Jinling City that the food in the Ministry of Justice prison was better than that in the Imperial College.

When many students heard that Zhu Yunhuan had ordered to improve the food allowances, they were moved to tears.

After finishing the mundane affairs of the Imperial College, Zhu Yunxun said with a smile: "The main reason I came here today is to talk to you and discuss my philosophy."

Hu Ji'an's heart trembled, and he had some vague guesses. He hurried forward and whispered, "Your Majesty's teachings seem to be a little different from your highness's."

"I know." Zhu Yunhuan was of course very clear about this.

However, he is not worried about this.

When Zhu Biao was alive, he had many conflicts with Zhu Yuanzhang.

So what?
It does not affect Zhu Biao's status at all!
If he followed Zhu's approach completely and had no conflicts with Zhu's policies, Zhu would probably think that he was deliberately fooling him.

This will truly affect his status as the Crown Prince!
in contrast.

The correct approach is to act according to his own ideas, let Zhu Yuanzhang know that this is his true nature, that this is the "new policy" he wants to implement, and prove to Zhu Yuanzhang that his policy is better.

"Grandpa Emperor has entrusted the political affairs to me. I don't need you to remind me how to govern the country."

Hu Jian didn't dare to say anything more.

The school fell silent.

The officials, teachers and former students of the Imperial Academy who rushed over all focused their attention on Zhu Yunhuan.

The officials and teachers were somewhat uneasy.

Just now, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has already written that couplet, which will be hung on the gate of the Imperial College as a warning.

Students should care about family affairs, national affairs and world affairs.

But Your Majesty has repeatedly emphasized that students of the Imperial College are not allowed to discuss the pros and cons of state affairs.

There is a conflict between the Crown Prince and Your Majesty!
They were caught in the middle and were naturally frightened.

The students were very excited.

What would this legendary figure of the Ming Dynasty, the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty, say to them?
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zhu Yunxun cleared his throat and said, "What I want to tell you today can be summed up in two words - science!"

……

(End of this chapter)