Bringing the Railway to Daming

"I've heard a few traveling merchants say what Master Huang said, but the village schoolteacher said there's no such thing as a free lunch and it's mostly just a hoax. Could it really be true?"

The old farmer initially expressed doubt about Zhu Yuanzhang's words.

This surprised Zhu Yuanzhang, but he also felt it was reasonable.

Clearly, the "schoolteacher" mentioned by the old farmer was mostly from the Confucius family. He not only provided unreasonable "ideological education" to the tenant farmers, but also deliberately isolated them from some outside information.

In fact, with the increasing construction of railways and official roads, although telegraph machines have not yet been supplied to the public, the transmission of information is already much faster than before due to the prosperity of commerce and newspapers.

It was quite strange that the old farmer didn't know what Zhu Yuanzhang had just said.

As for the fact that the Qufu County government, as a local government, seemed to have failed to play its due role in propaganda and education, Zhu Yuanzhang quickly figured this out.

At this time, the Ming Dynasty followed the Yuan Dynasty's practice of appointing a magistrate for Qufu, choosing a member of a branch of the Kong family. Furthermore, given the large size of the Kong clan, the direct line of the Kong family, as the head of the clan, had the right to enforce patriarchal laws over its members.

In Shandong, the Kong family was practically equivalent to a "Tusi" (chieftain) with semi-autonomous power!
Zhu Yuanzhang wasn't unaware of these things before, but he thought that no matter what the descendants of Confucius were like, as long as they weren't too stupid, they wouldn't mistreat the people for a little money in order to maintain the reputation of the descendants of Confucius.

In Zhu Yuanzhang's view, even if the direct descendants of the Kong family indulged in extravagance, as long as they didn't go too far, their wealth was more than enough, and there was no need for them to exploit tenants to earn rent.

In terms of land ownership, he granted the Confucius Mansion 2,000 large qing of sacrificial land in the early years of the Hongwu reign (one large qing in the Ming Dynasty was equal to three market qing, which was equal to one hundred mu, or one hectare). Later, because the Confucius Mansion was in charge of education in Qufu, some more school land was granted to them.

Although the proceeds from the sacrificial fields were used to cover the expenses of worshipping Confucius, they were not required to pay land taxes.

The same applies to Xue Tian.

Not to mention, since the Han Dynasty, successive dynasties have been bestowing land upon the Confucius family. After Emperor Xuanzong of Tang bestowed a thousand hectares of land upon the Confucius family, the practice of emperors bestowing land upon the Confucius family continued.

In addition to land, there were also rewards such as grain and cloth.

For example, during his reign, he would customarily bestow five hundred bolts of silk upon the Confucius Mansion every year—note that this was expensive silk, not cheap brocade.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang did not order the Embroidered Uniform Guard to conduct a specific investigation, he could imagine how wealthy the Kong family must have been with so much property.

The Confucius Mansion, which is so wealthy and acquired its wealth through the reputation of Confucius, should cherish its reputation even more.

However, judging from the living conditions of the tenants in the Confucius Mansion, this was clearly not the case.

With this in mind, Zhu Yuanzhang lost interest in chatting with the old farmer any longer.

He said, "Brother, we're telling the truth. Life will definitely be much better if we move elsewhere."

The old farmer was skeptical, then sighed, "Even if it's true, we can't just move away—if we want to move, we have to go to the government office, and how dare we commoners go to the government office?"

"Besides, if we really move away, the clan elder will remove us from the genealogy—that would be disrespectful to our ancestors. If I did that, my descendants would probably criticize me behind my back."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang realized that the old farmer had been completely fooled by the rhetoric of the Confucius family.

Therefore, it is unlikely that the tenant farmers of the Kong family can help them on their own; the imperial court must step in.

So Zhu Yuanzhang stopped talking to the old farmer and went to a nearby village.

Just as most of the farmers in the fields are thin and have a less healthy complexion than people in other places, most of the houses in this village, apart from a few large courtyards, are made of adobe and thatch, and are mostly dilapidated.

The village's "primary school" is quite well-built, and it's a fairly large brick and tile courtyard.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not go inside. From outside the courtyard, he could hear the faint sound of reading coming from inside. The reading was none other than the Analects of Confucius.

"Is it not pleasant to learn from time to time? Is it not delightful to have friends coming from afar? Is it not the mark of a gentleman to remain unperturbed when others do not understand him?"

This was a large village in the north, estimated to have two or three hundred households. But Zhu Yuanzhang heard that there were at most a dozen or so students studying there, no more than twenty, which was very strange.

However, considering the various problems the old farmer had mentioned about the Confucius Mansion, Zhu Yuanzhang felt it was perfectly normal for the "school" under the Confucius Mansion's jurisdiction to have problems—Chuzhou was practically under the emperor's nose, yet the school education there had a series of problems, let alone the school under the rule of the "Confucian chieftain."

There was an old man guarding the entrance to the "school," but Zhu Yuanzhang did not go in, lest he alert the enemy.

He wasn't in the mood for a meal in the village. He just casually asked a few households and learned that most of the villagers were distant tenant farmers of the Kong family, so he left.

Back in the carriage, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the caravan to continue towards Qufu County, while he remained silent, deep in thought.

Liu Chang'an asked, "Does Grandpa think that the descendants of Confucius are treating farmers badly, which is why he's unhappy?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, "I am somewhat unhappy."

"Is Grandpa going to help that farmer grandpa from earlier?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded solemnly, "Now that we know, of course we should help."

Liu Chang'an was still young and not a genius, just ordinaryly intelligent with more experience than other children. Therefore, he did not glean any deeper insights from Zhu Yuanzhang's visit and did not pursue the matter further.

The two children started talking about some rather childish things, which made Zhu Yuanzhang feel a little more relaxed.

Before long, the convoy arrived in front of Qufu County. To avoid attracting too much attention, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered his plainclothes guards to enter the city in several groups, and the three four-wheeled carriages also separated.

However, just as Zhu Yuanzhang's carriage was about to enter the city, a series of loud shouts suddenly came from inside the city gate.

"Get out of the way, all of you! The Second Young Master is traveling, and those who block his path will suffer the consequences!"

Along with the shouts came the cracking of whips, it was unclear which unlucky soul had been struck on the head.

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately said, "Make our carriages move aside as well."

Li Gui, sitting outside the car, didn't ask why and simply carried out the order.

And so, Zhu Yuanzhang witnessed the procession of his so-called second son.

A large, extravagantly decorated four-wheeled carriage, adorned with gold and jade, and pulled by two white horses, slowly emerged from the city gate.

Eight riders carried bows and arrows, long swords at their waists, and long whips in their hands at the front of the carriage. Behind the carriage were dozens of attendants, some carrying hot water bottles, some holding parasols, some leading dogs, some riding hawks, and many more carrying bamboo and wooden boxes.

The people who were originally going to enter the city on the official road, regardless of their wealth, tactfully moved to the side of the road. Many of them even bowed their backs and lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at the extended four-wheeled carriage.

There was no dramatic incident like in a play where a child suddenly runs into the middle of the road and blocks the way; the second young master's entourage left as everyone made way for them.

"Hmph, apart from having fewer guards, it's far more elaborate than when our children and grandchildren travel." Zhu Yuanzhang snorted as he watched the departing convoy through the carriage window. "Li Gui, send someone to ask whose carriage that was."

"Yes."

Li Gui responded and ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to carry it out.

After Zhu Yuanzhang's carriage paid the city gate tax and entered the city, Li Gui entered the carriage and reported, "Your Majesty, I have confirmed that it is the carriage of the second son of the Duke of Yansheng."

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, "That's not surprising."

Qufu County is quite large, comparable to some prefecture-level cities. As it is the hometown of Confucius and the location of the Confucius Mansion, the streets appear quite prosperous, with many pedestrians and carriages. The four-wheeled carriage that Zhu Yuanzhang rode in was of ordinary appearance and did not stand out.

"Grandpa, I'm hungry," Liu Ruoyue said, rubbing her stomach.

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "It's almost noon, isn't it? It's time for lunch. Li Gui, find a restaurant, get a private room, and we'll have lunch."

"Yes."

Before long, Zhu Yuanzhang's carriage stopped in front of a decent-looking restaurant. Some of the plainclothes guards went in first, pretending to be diners, while Zhu Yuanzhang went in with only his two children, Li Gui, and four guards.

On his first trip to Shandong for a meal, despite having prior business with the Confucius Mansion, Zhu Yuanzhang still enthusiastically ordered several of Qufu's signature dishes, such as the famous Sishui Tofu, Six Arts Soup, Roasted Mandarin Fish in a Basket, and Bringing His Son to Court.

Seeing that he had ordered too much and couldn't finish it, Zhu Yuanzhang called Li Gui, who was serving him, to eat with him. He used to care a lot about etiquette and hierarchy, but now that he had abdicated, he didn't care as much.

When the group had almost finished eating, a loud discussion suddenly came from the next private room.

"It's ridiculous. The Wang family of Jiaozhou only prospered in the last ten years or so because of the imperial court's opening of the sea, yet they dare to call themselves a prestigious family."

"If you ask me, there are only three great families in the world today: the Kong family of Shandong, the Zhang family of Jiangxi, and the Zhu family of Fengyang. All other families are not worth mentioning."

Another, much lower voice immediately chimed in, "Seventh Master, if I understand correctly, the Kong family of Shandong is your esteemed family, right? The Zhang family of Jiangxi is the Zhang family of the Celestial Master's Mansion, and the Zhu family of Fengyang must be from the imperial family. But why is the imperial family listed last?"

Hearing this, Li Gui couldn't help but feel worried for the people in the next private room.

Zhu Yuanzhang and his two children listened attentively.

The loud-voiced Eighth Master laughed and said, "Zhang from Jiangxi has the air of a Taoist priest, but he's a bit too poor and pedantic; Zhu from Fengyang is just a nouveau riche who has gained power overnight, but he's a bit too petty. How can they compare to the thousand-year-old heritage of my Confucius family?"

"Believe it or not, even if the wealth in my Kong family's coffers is not comparable to the Emperor's private treasury, it is definitely much more than the wealth of those princes!"

"Eighth Master, keep your voice down." The straight man, probably timid, couldn't help but offer a word of advice.

Eighth Master said, "What's there to be afraid of? This restaurant belongs to the Kong family, and Qufu also belongs to the Kong family. What can people do if they hear about it?"

"Eighth Prince, please try this 'Bringing the Son to Court' dish. It seems to taste better than usual." Seeing this, the straight man could only change the subject.

Eighth Prince said, "Bringing your son to court, hiding pigeons in ducks—I'm tired of this at home, *burp*."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly felt that the "bringing the son to court" dish, which he hadn't finished eating yet, wasn't as delicious as it had been when he first tasted it.

He put down his chopsticks and asked, "Chang'an, Ruoyue, are you full?"

"We're full." The two little ones nodded contentedly—they weren't allowed to eat and drink like this back in the manor.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and said, "Come on, Grandpa will take you shopping." (End of Chapter)