Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 31 The Past and Future of the New Policies

But let's talk about the new policies?

Zhang Yunxiu had already prepared his answer in his mind and spoke without batting an eye.

"Father, please let me explain in detail."

Zhang Juzheng narrowed his eyes: "If it is still 'skilled in governing the country but inept at self-preservation,' then there is no need to talk about that."

There's really no point in repeating these things.

Zhang Yunxiu patted his chest and said, "Father, please rest assured, this is a proper understanding of the current new policies."

Zhang Juzheng frowned, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

So Zhang Yunxiu cleared some space on the table by removing the clutter and threw away the wolf-hair brush, which was really unsuitable for his hand.

If it weren't for wanting to show off in front of Zhang Juzheng, he would have preferred to use his own fountain pen.

There's no need for that now. Zhang Yunxiu immediately took out his copper fountain pen, pulled out a piece of paper, and started writing and drawing for Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Juzheng frowned as he looked at the pen, which had a distinctly Western style, and couldn't help but feel curious.

"What is this?"

"It's a type of pen used by the Portuguese, and I find it very useful."

Zhang Juzheng hesitated, but ultimately said nothing, focusing intently on watching Zhang Yunxiu write and draw on the paper.

The handwriting was truly appalling, but Zhang Juzheng could read the content very clearly because Zhang Yunxiu had used a strange symbol to divide his argument into several parts.

As a PowerPoint master of later generations, explaining this kind of thing was not a difficult task for Zhang Yunxiu.

Moreover, it's knowledge that's already naturally in their heads.

He neatly listed three points and explained them.

"In my opinion, Father's new policies are good, but they still have three major drawbacks!"

"Firstly, it is superficial and detached from reality; secondly, it is too big to be controlled and deeply entrenched; and thirdly, it relies on rule by man and lacks extension!"

Zhang Yunxiu's use of subheadings was quite novel. Although it was somewhat colloquial, Zhang Juzheng could understand it.

Zhang Juzheng found this method quite novel and nodded, saying, "Go on."

After taking a sip of tea, Zhang Yunxiu adopted the same enthusiasm he had when chatting with an old man on the roadside about international politics, and began to speak eloquently, drawing on some research papers.

"The saying goes, 'The key to good governance lies in ensuring the well-being of the people, and the way to ensure the well-being of the people lies in understanding their hardships.' I believe the new policies had good intentions, but in practice, they lacked some insight into the situation of the people."

Zhang Juzheng frowned, clearly disagreeing with this view, and shook his head repeatedly.

"otherwise."

Before Zhang Juzheng could finish speaking, Zhang Yunxiu interrupted, saying, "Father, there's no need to argue with me. I'll ask you a question: 'Taxing silver based on land area' aims to reduce the burden on the people, but where do the farmers who pay taxes get the silver?"

"To obtain silver?" Zhang Juzheng said matter-of-factly. "Naturally, after exchanging it for rice."

After he finished speaking, he suddenly opened his eyes wide and realized something.

“Yes.” Zhang Yunxiu slammed his hand on the desk and said. “This is what I meant by the first point: superficial and detached from reality! The silver tax rate is certainly good, but in practice, farmers have to exchange grain for copper coins first, and then exchange copper coins for silver.”

Shouldn't the merchants be allowed to freely exploit the price difference?
The exchange rate between money, silver, and grain fluctuates constantly. Whether grain is expensive and money is cheap, or vice versa, it is always the poor who are ultimately exploited!

Zhang Juzheng's expression grew increasingly grave.

Zhang Yunxiu was right; the relationship between ordinary people, merchants, and gentry is an unsolvable problem!

It was precisely because it was so accurate that it made him feel anxious.

This made him realize that there was a major loophole in the new policy.

However, Zhang Juzheng countered, "That's not entirely true. The situation you described exists, but as long as the supply of silver from the West is sufficient and the price of silver is stable, all problems can be easily solved."

Later generations have always thought that people in ancient times did not understand economics. But how could Zhang Juzheng, who was able to promote tax reform, be an idiot when it comes to economics?

One important reason why Zhang Juzheng was able to implement the new policies was that since the opening of the sea during the Longqing era, the Ming Dynasty had frequent maritime trade with the Western Ocean, Southeast Asia, and Japan.

They continuously acquired silver through highly competitive products such as silk fabrics, porcelain, and tea.

Zhang Yunxiu shook his head and said, "Father, you have entrusted the economic lifeline of the country to others. If the West and Japan stop providing silver to the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty, without silver and copper, will fall into a huge crisis!"

"Absolutely impossible!"

Zhang Juzheng blurted out the answer instinctively, but he knew in his heart that Zhang Yunxiu's words made sense. Historically, after the mid-16th century, Spanish colonists' silver mines in the Americas gradually declined.

Also in the 16th century, the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan implemented the "National Isolation Edict" to restrict the export of silver.

The ensuing "silver crisis" for the Ming Dynasty also accelerated its demise to some extent.

Zhang Yunxiu wouldn't tell Zhang Juzheng directly, but it would be enough to plant a seed in Zhang Juzheng's heart.

In terms of governing the country, he was no match for Zhang Juzheng, but as a "prophet," Zhang Yunxiu could provide the other party with the right direction.

Let's put this topic aside for now.

Zhang Yunxiu continued.

"The so-called new policies are essentially aimed at cracking down on official corruption and the abuse of power by the powerful against ordinary people. But has Father ever considered who is the group implementing these new policies?"

Zhang Juzheng frowned and said, "This is the intention behind the implementation of the performance evaluation system."

“The performance evaluation system is excellent!” Zhang Yunxiu nodded and said. “Our Great Ming Dynasty has been established for over two hundred years, but the corruption of the court officials has reached a point where it is difficult to reverse. Does Father really think that a performance evaluation system alone can solve this problem?”

Zhang Juzheng did not answer directly, but instead said, "It cannot be accomplished overnight; we must proceed gradually."

“That’s exactly right!” Zhang Yunxiu exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table.

"The performance evaluation method needs to be implemented over a long period of time to be effective, while the land survey method and the single whip method need to be implemented immediately."

It's not just Father who can't wait, His Majesty can't wait either, and the national treasury can't wait either.

Most importantly, the suffering of the people has reached a point where they can no longer wait!

Did the officials in the court not know about the problems in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty? They knew all too well.

Shen Shixing once mentioned in his later collection of writings: "The reason why the prefectures and counties are not well governed is due to the uneven distribution of taxes and corvée labor, and the fact that powerful and wealthy people cause trouble for the villagers."

Zhang Juzheng himself said: "Within ten miles of the capital, there are groups of hundreds or even tens of bandits. The corrupt practices are rampant, and the people's resentment is growing daily. If a villain were to take advantage of a moment of trouble, the consequences would be unbearable."

The country was plagued by widespread displacement, financial difficulties, an empty treasury, lax military preparedness, and land annexation.
These problems are interconnected, and it's not that the court officials were unaware of them, but rather that they were simply too difficult to solve.

Zhang Juzheng implemented a tax assessment system, adopting a method of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, using surplus to make up for deficits. This was actually the optimal solution for ancient dynasties, alleviating the problem to some extent.

However, the new policies relied too heavily on Zhang Juzheng's influence, to the point that after Zhang Juzheng's death, the new policies collapsed, and the court's deficit grew larger and larger.

Even if the new policies continue, will they truly solve the problem? They will only prolong the Ming Dynasty for a few more decades.

Therefore, Zhang Yunxiu said, "I do not deny the merits of Father's new policies, but Father must also admit that the problems existing in the Ming Dynasty cannot be solved by one or two reforms."

My father was nothing more than a repairman in the Ming Dynasty.

Repairman.
Zhang Juzheng was reluctant to admit it, but the analogy was indeed accurate.

He gave a sarcastic smile and said.

"According to you, whether our Great Ming Dynasty reforms or not, it cannot avoid the consequence of disintegration?"

"This is merely treating the symptoms, not the root cause." Zhang Yunxiu, having finally revealed his true intentions, said, "If we want the dynasty to last longer, if we want the world to be free from calamities, if we want the people to be spared from suffering, there are only four words: 'No destruction, no construction!'"

Seeing Zhang Juzheng's lips twitch as if he was about to slap someone, Zhang Yunxiu quickly explained.

"Father, I will make sure you usurp the throne."

Leaving aside the fact that the Wanli Emperor's reign had not yet reached the point of divine wrath and popular resentment, even if there were a real opportunity to rebel, Zhang Juzheng, as the "Imperial Tutor," would have lost all his former supporters and prestige if he really wanted to rebel.

After the Ming Dynasty, it became virtually impossible for a court official to usurp the throne.

Zhang Yunxiu explained, "What I mean is to solve the problems of the Ming Dynasty at their root."

"Solve it at its root?" Zhang Juzheng looked at Zhang Yunxiu with the same eyes he used when looking at a child, clearly thinking Zhang Yunxiu was naive.

But Zhang Yunxiu narrowed his eyes and said.

"I also have three plans; I wonder if Father would be interested?"

　Note 1: The key to good governance lies in ensuring the well-being of the people, and the way to ensure the well-being of the people lies in understanding their hardships—Zhang Juzheng, "Memorial Requesting the Relief of Accumulated Debts to Ensure the Well-being of the People"

　　Note 2: Volume 38 of the Collected Works of Zhang Juzheng, "A Brief Account of My Late Father, Guanlan Gong".

　　Note 3: The people's livelihood was miserable in the Ming Dynasty. This can also be seen in Volume 545 of the Veritable Records of Emperor Shizong of Ming, under the entry for the Bingxu day of the fourth month of the forty-fourth year of Jiajing: "The powerful officials owned vast tracts of land, and their power was enough to cheat and deceive. The common people were burdened by taxes and levies, and regarded their land as a trap. As a result, the rich reduced their capital and pursued the lower classes, while the poor sold their property and rented labor."

　　
　
(End of this chapter)