The Ming Dynasty: Starting with Emperor Chongzhen's crackdown on factionalism

The following day at dawn, Chen Zhiyuan had just sent his memorial to the Office of Transmission and had not yet returned to the Hanlin Academy when he was hastily intercepted by a eunuch.

"Chen Xiuzhuan, His Majesty summons you. Please come with me to the Qianqing Palace immediately."

Chen Zhiyuan was startled.

So fast?

He followed the eunuch through the many palace gates, without saying a word the whole way.

The stone steps in front of the Qianqing Palace gleamed with a cold, hard luster in the morning light. He walked up them step by step, the hem of his blue official robe swaying slightly.

Inside the palace, Zhu Youjian sat behind his desk, with Chen Zhiyuan's memorial spread out in front of him.

The emperor did not look up, but simply tapped the table with his fingers.

Chen Zhiyuan knelt down to pay his respects.

"Your subject, Chen Zhiyuan, Compiler of the Hanlin Academy, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Zhu Youjian did not wake him up.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice not loud, but every word carried a heavy sense of pressure.

"I told you to study history properly, so why did you submit such a memorial?"

Chen Zhiyuan lay prone on the ground.

"It is precisely because I have been inspired by reading history that I dare to risk my life to submit this memorial."

"Thoughts on reading history?" Zhu Youjian sneered and finally raised his head.

"Is what you wrote in this memorial something from historical records? Productive forces, relations of production, means of production—I have searched through the Zizhi Tongjian and the Wenxian Tongkao, and I have never seen such terms!"

Chen Zhiyuan remained kneeling.

"Although the words are new, the principles are ancient. Guanzi said, 'When the granaries are full, people know etiquette,' which means that productivity is the foundation of governing a country."

"Shang Jun's reforms abolished the well-field system and opened up the fields, which was a way of adjusting the relations of production."

"Emperor Wu of Han established state monopolies on salt and iron, which was a redefinition of the means of production."

"I am merely using new language to explain ancient principles."

Zhu Youjian stared at him, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

He read this memorial until the wee hours of the morning last night.

Those words and those analyses were like a key, unlocking many of the confusions in his heart.

Why are there more and more bandits in Shaanxi despite the efforts to suppress them?

Why is it that despite the wealth of Jiangnan, taxes cannot be collected?

Why are border troops always short of pay?

Chen Zhiyuan provided the answer—from a perspective he had never considered before.

But that answer is too dangerous.

It shakes the very foundation.

Moreover, it did not align with Zhu Youjian's aspirations.

After becoming emperor, Zhu Youjian's goal was to revitalize the Ming Dynasty.

What constitutes the revitalization of the Ming Dynasty?

The goal is to return to the state of the early Ming Dynasty.

This was Zhu Youjian's true goal in revitalizing the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Youjian remained silent for a moment, then his tone became even colder.

"Is that so? Then let me ask you, you want me to 'liberate the productive forces' and 'adjust the relations of production,' what do you call that? That's called reform."

He stood up, walked to the imperial desk, and looked down at Chen Zhiyuan, who was kneeling on the ground.

"What I want to revive is the ancestral law. The founding emperor Taizu established the country and the Chengzu Emperor established the dynasty. The laws and regulations left by our ancestors are the foundation of the Ming Dynasty's revival."

Chen Zhiyuan did not look up. He could sense the struggle in the emperor's words—Zhu Youjian had been persuaded, but he dared not admit it, much less admit it.

"You say you study history, but haven't you read about Wang Anshi's reforms in the Northern Song Dynasty?"

Zhu Youjian's voice suddenly rose.

"'Changes in the heavens are nothing to fear, ancestral laws are nothing to follow blindly, and public opinion is nothing to heed'—what arrogance!"

"And the result? The new laws disrupted the people, factional strife erupted, and the Northern Song Dynasty never recovered!"

He walked back to the throne and sat down heavily.

"If I were to follow Wang Anshi's example, I would truly be destroying my own Great Wall."

Chen Zhiyuan knew that this was the most crucial moment.

Zhu Youjian was afraid.

He was afraid of change, afraid of undermining ancestral rules, and afraid of becoming a second Emperor Shenzong of Song.

But deep down, he longed to find a way out—a way that could both revitalize the Ming Dynasty and not violate the laws of his ancestors.

"Your Majesty," Chen Zhiyuan slowly raised his head, his gaze calm.

"What I said was not that Your Majesty should emulate Wang Anshi."

Zhu Youjian narrowed his eyes: "Then whom do you want me to emulate?"

"Follow the example of Emperor Taizu Gao and Emperor Chengzu Wen."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Zhu Youjian's fingers tightened on the armrest.

Explain yourself.

Chen Zhiyuan took a deep breath.

He knew that what he was about to say would determine his future fate—even his life or death.

Therefore, we can only take the ancestral methods as our starting point.

Only if it conforms to the laws of the ancestors can Zhu Youjian's heart accept it.

"Does Your Majesty know how Emperor Taizu replenished the national treasury and improved people's livelihoods at the beginning of the dynasty?"

Zhu Youjian frowned: "We should reduce taxes and levies and allow the people to rest."

"That's one thing," Chen Zhiyuan said. "But Emperor Taizu had another trick up his sleeve—state-run industries."

He paused, observing the emperor's reaction.

Zhu Youjian's eyes flickered, but he did not interrupt.

"During the Hongwu reign, the imperial court established the Bureau of Military Equipment, the Bureau of Textile Manufacturing, the Bureau of Precious Metals, and the Bureau of Tea and Horse Transport."

"The Ordnance Bureau manufactures weapons and armor, the Weaving Bureau produces silk and satin, the Mint casts coins, and the Tea and Horse Bureau monopolizes border trade."

"These government-run workshops and government-run trade contributed millions of taels of silver to the imperial court every year and also controlled the lifeline of military supplies."

Chen Zhiyuan spoke at a steady pace, and every word was based on historical facts.

"Emperor Chengzu followed suit, and the treasure fleet that sailed to the Western Ocean was a major undertaking of government-run overseas trade."

"The porcelain, silk, and tea carried by Zheng He's fleet were exchanged for spices, jewels, and rare woods, generating profits far exceeding tenfold."

"The imperial court used this to amass wealth, filling the imperial treasury, so that it could launch northern expeditions against the Mongols, pacify Annam in the south, move the capital to Beijing, and compile the Yongle Encyclopedia."

Zhu Youjian's breathing became slightly rapid.

He knew about these things.

But he never thought about it from that perspective.

Chen Zhiyuan continued, "However, after the reigns of Emperors Renzong and Xuanzong, government-run businesses gradually declined."

"The quality of weapons and armor manufactured by the Ordnance Bureau has been deteriorating day by day, and the border troops prefer to use privately cast ones."

"The silk produced by the Imperial Textile Bureau is not as exquisite as that produced by ordinary people, and the imperial family mostly purchases from private merchants."

"The Baoquan Bureau cut corners in minting coins, and illegal minting was rampant."

"The Tea Horse Bureau was practically defunct, and border trade fell entirely into the hands of Shanxi merchants."

He raised his head and looked directly at the emperor.

"Your Majesty, why was the court so strong during the reigns of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Chengzu? It was because the state-run industries were strong. The court controlled the capital for production and the profits from trade, so it was able to govern the country and was not dependent on merchants."

"And now? Military supplies are transported by Shanxi merchants, border trade is managed by Shanxi merchants, and even the palace supplies are mostly purchased from private merchants."

"The imperial court has lost the means of production and the productive forces, so it can only increase taxes on farmers, while the source of tax revenue is in the hands of merchants—this is putting the cart before the horse."

Zhu Youjian tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest.

He was thinking.

Yes, these should also be included in the ancestral rules he wants.

Now Chen Zhiyuan told him: The ancestral system originally included a strong state-run economy.

"You mean..." Zhu Youjian slowly began, "to restore the state-run industries of the Hongwu and Yongle eras?"

"Your subject dares not presume to claim that the whole picture has been restored," Chen Zhiyuan said cautiously.

"But at the very least, the lifeline of military supplies should be brought under the control of the imperial court. Profits from border trade should go into the national treasury."

"During the reign of Emperor Taizu, the Tea and Horse Bureau earned hundreds of thousands of taels of silver annually, enough to supply the military expenses of the nine border regions for several months."

"If this system still existed, why would there be additional taxes levied on Liaodong and on suppressing rebellions, forcing the people to revolt?"

Zhu Youjian remained silent.

Chen Zhiyuan knew that Zhu Youjian had been persuaded at this moment.

However, to continue this topic, we still need to return to the partisan struggle.