The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 267 Discussion
Inside the Hall of Literary Glory.

All the palace servants who attended to Zhu Zhanji went out to the outer room, leaving only Li Xianmu and Zhu Zhanji in the hall.

"Does the teacher have something to say to the students?"

"Now that the late emperor has finished all his affairs, and Your Majesty is gradually becoming familiar with the duties of being emperor, I am here today to ask Your Majesty what kind of ruler you wish to be, and what your vision is for your future reign?"

Zhu Zhanji was somewhat puzzled upon hearing this, "Naturally, one should be a wise ruler."

There are many wise rulers, each with their own characteristics.

Does Your Majesty wish to be a wise ruler like Emperor Wen of Han or Emperor Taizong of Tang?
Was he a wise ruler like Emperor Taizong of our dynasty, or a wise ruler like the late emperor?

Li Xianmu asked with a smile, "Does Your Majesty wish to expand the territory, or focus on cultural governance and the people's livelihood?"

The question is whether to maintain the existing systems of the Ming Dynasty or to reform them to leave behind unique systems for future generations of the Ming Dynasty.

Is the goal to make grand, sweeping contributions, like simply responding to any challenge, or to do something concrete that will be remembered for centuries to come, like Emperor Taizong moving the capital to Beiping, or Emperor Taizu rebuilding the Great Wall?

Li Xianmu spoke very casually, but Zhu Zhanji's expression had already turned serious; this was something no one had ever mentioned before.

Every emperor is taught to be a wise ruler, but no one has ever said what exactly constitutes a wise ruler. It seems that the wise rulers of the past were all different.

"Which one do you think is better, teacher? Please advise me."

Li Xianmu shifted his body slightly to loosen his muscles and bones, and then said calmly, "In my opinion, it depends on the main contradictions of the dynasty at that time. A wise ruler is the one who can resolve these contradictions."

The transition from Qin to Han and from Sui to Tang was a period in which the country had been in ruins after a long period of war. People longed for stability, the national treasury was empty, and the country was exhausted. Naturally, the country needed to recuperate and rebuild. Emperor Wen of Han was the best candidate for this.

When the national treasury is full, the people are at peace for a long time, and there is an external threat, then we should take the initiative to strike and defeat the external threat in order to protect the regime. In the early period of Emperor Wu of Han, after the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, the treasury was full, but the threat from the Xiongnu was growing stronger, so he decisively attacked the Xiongnu.

During the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang, the country was in chaos due to the actions of Emperor Yang of Sui, and the population plummeted from 50 million to 10 million. Vast tracts of fertile land were left uncultivated, and the country was exhausted. Therefore, the most urgent task was to restore production and the population.

Therefore, Emperor Taizong of Tang focused on civil administration and tried to be cautious and minimize warfare.

At the same time, the Tang Dynasty faced great external threats in its early years. Emperor Taizong seized a very small window of opportunity to resolve the external troubles in one fell swoop. However, he was very clear-headed and knew that the wars against foreign countries were to create a stable environment for domestic development and recovery. Therefore, Emperor Taizong, who was extremely powerful in military affairs, did not end up in a state of exhausting the country with endless wars and conquests.

On the other hand, the later years of Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, despite the shift in the main domestic contradictions, still followed the old path, which led to their downfall and destruction.

Therefore, one cannot act blindly or rigidly; each era has its own contradictions, and the emperor and his ministers have different responsibilities.

The principal contradiction!

These four words, once uttered, resonated deeply. The idea that resolving the primary contradictions would bring about great order to the world was a theory that Zhu Zhanji applied to make a few calculations and found that many historical events could be explained.

He could barely contain his excitement, and could only manage to ask in a low voice, "Teacher, what do you think is the main contradiction facing the Ming Dynasty right now?"

Li Xianmu sat up straight and said solemnly, "Thanks to the rule of Emperor Taizong and the previous emperor, the Ming Dynasty does not currently face any major threats that require the full strength of the nation to defend. What does Your Majesty think?"

"That's it."

"Thanks to the rule of Emperor Taizong and the previous emperor, the Ming Dynasty can be described as a well-governed and prosperous era. The national treasury is not empty, and the national strength is not declining, but rather rising. What does Your Majesty think?"

"Yes."

"Therefore, the Ming Dynasty is not facing a life-or-death crisis, but this is precisely the most dangerous situation, because the crisis is lurking beneath prosperity and its peak, making people unconsciously ignore it. You must know that before the An Lushan Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty, it was the Kaiyuan Era of Prosperity!"

"Please teach me, teacher!"

Zhu Zhanji looked solemnly at Li Xianmu and said earnestly, "Nowadays, only you, my teacher, have such profound insight."

"Your subject has received the great favor of four emperors of the Ming Dynasty, and will do his utmost to fulfill it."

"The reigns of Emperor Zhenzong and Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty were considered the most peaceful period in the Song Dynasty. Emperor Renzong was also considered a wise ruler. The main theme throughout Emperor Renzong's reign was reform, such as the Qingli New Deal. This continued until the reigns of Emperor Shenzong and Emperor Zhezong, when the old and new factions constantly debated how to reform."

Why is this? Because by the time of Emperor Renzong, the system established at the founding of the dynasty was no longer suitable for the Song Dynasty and had dragged down the nation.

Although the late emperor reigned for only one year, he abolished many policies of the Taizu and Taizong emperors. This is one of the reasons why, after sixty years of the Ming Dynasty, many of the policies established by the Taizu emperor were no longer suitable for the Ming Dynasty at that time.

"I am the grandson of Emperor Taizu. I was raised by Emperor Taizu for several years when I was young. I once asked Emperor Taizu why he formulated policies, so I am most clear about the problems that needed to be solved at that time." This statement was very convincing. You must know that even Zhu Zhanji had never met Zhu Yuanzhang, let alone been personally raised by Zhu Yuanzhang for several years. In the world today, only Li Xianmu has such an experience.

Li Xianmu spoke with a sense of conviction, his eyes fixed on Zhu Zhanji, "What the Ming Dynasty needs now is a visionary ruler who can establish a system that can sustain future rulers for another fifty years. Your Majesty, you are exceptionally talented, and it is only at this time that you have ascended the throne. This is a blessing from heaven, allowing you to achieve great things."

Moved by Li Xianmu's encouragement, Zhu Zhanji uttered the third time in this conversation: "Please teach me, teacher!"

"Your Majesty, I have some insights to share."

Li Xianmu pondered and said, "Firstly, we should inherit the strategy of the late emperor and abolish those policies that are clearly incompatible with the present situation."

Secondly, some policies that have gradually fallen into disuse need to be revived. For example, the tax exemption granted by the imperial court to successful candidates in the provincial and metropolitan examinations and officials should be considered for strengthening.

Zhu Zhanji suddenly interrupted, "Teacher, actually I've always had an idea based on the previous 'anti-corruption allowance.' The reason Emperor Taizu granted tax exemptions to scholars was because their salaries were insufficient."

Since we can just give out money now, why not give out more and then cancel the tax-free allowance?

I know that many scholars in the countryside deliberately evade taxes. Wasn't that exactly what Teacher (the teacher) did when he went to the south of the Yangtze River?

“Cancelling tax-free land is acceptable, but replacing it with more money is not. Your Majesty, there is a principle in governing the country called ‘no expenditure unless necessary.’ If it is not absolutely necessary to spend money, then don’t spend it.”

Li Xianmu solemnly said, "If this subsidy is to be given to officials and scholars, it will inevitably greatly increase the financial burden on the court. Then there is a problem: can the court really collect the land tax it wants to exchange?"

If the taxes cannot be collected, the imperial court will suffer losses from both land taxes and this subsidy—a double loss.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhanji realized that he had oversimplified the matter. Collecting taxes was not that simple, and he knew that it was impossible to collect the full amount of taxes. He shuddered, looked at Li Xianmu, and shook his head, saying, "I have been too naive. Teacher, please continue with your thoughts."

"Thirdly, and most importantly, is reform."

Li Xianmu's expression became completely solemn. "Your Majesty, I know that many ministers today are afraid of reform."

But things cannot remain unchanged; in fact, they must be changed constantly. If you change frequently, you can gradually make progress. But if you never change, when it is time to change, you will experience excruciating pain.

This means that when the lesion is in its infancy, it can be cured with just one dose of herbal medicine or a period of rest.

However, if left untreated, the lesions will become more and more serious. At that point, without strong medicine, there will be no way to save the patient. Even if strong medicine is used, it will only prolong the death.

It's useless now!

Now that the Ming Dynasty has reached this point, Your Majesty's mission is to establish a comprehensive system that will ensure the well-being of future emperors.

"Teacher, you probably already have an idea in mind, so please just say it."

After a long series of build-up, we have finally arrived at the current situation. All of Zhu Zhanji's curiosity and anxiety have been aroused by Li Xianmu.

"For a dynasty to enjoy long-term stability, the most important thing is its tax system. Since Japanese silver entered the Ming Dynasty, our dynasty's tax system has gradually shifted from a tax in kind during the reign of Emperor Taizu to a tax in silver. Your Majesty must be very clear about the benefits of this reform!"

Zhu Zhanji nodded calmly. The benefits of the silver tax were obvious to everyone, saving countless losses and wastes every year.

"But this is not the end. The silver tax law is not suitable for all regions. At least I know that the western provinces such as Henan, Gansu, and Shaanxi bear a heavier burden than the coastal areas of Jiangnan because of the silver tax law."

Because of the strong commercial atmosphere in the coastal areas of Jiangnan, a large amount of silver was concentrated there, so the same tael of silver was worth less in the coastal areas of Jiangnan.

However, the same amount of silver was collected, resulting in a heavier tax burden for the people in the interior. Wouldn't this lead to disaster in the long run?

Zhu Zhanji exclaimed in shock, "Is this really true?"

Zhu Zhanji was very intelligent. After a little thought, he knew that what Li Xianmu said was true. He immediately said in a deep voice, "It seems that the tax law should be adapted to local conditions."

Li Xianmu nodded and said, "That's right. I suggest that the local governor listen to the voices of the people more often, and the court should also send more people to see what the people's pain points are. Only by knowing the problems can we solve them."

"I understand."

Although Zhu Zhanji's expression was very solemn, his eyes revealed excitement. Today's conversation was truly valuable.

Why does he enjoy communicating with Li Xianmu?
Because Li Xianmu never speaks of classical Chinese or sages, but always gets straight to the heart of the matter!
(End of this chapter)