ps: Please do not subscribe to this chapter for now; the placeholder chapters have been revised to chapter five hundred and eleven.
Facing the Emperor Zhu's lament, Zeng Cheng did not know how to comfort him.
Should he agree with Emperor Zhu that the scholars were too stupid?
Yes, those scholars indeed lacked brains, and their actions were particularly foolish. However, while Emperor Zhu could say this, Zeng Cheng, as the Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty's Grand Secretariat, could not.
If Zeng Cheng were to say this, would it not prove that the entire education system of the Ming Dynasty, from the Ministry of Rites to the Imperial Academy, to the prefectural, county, and communal schools, had failed?
To advise Emperor Zhu to be more open-minded? Given the foolish things those idiots had done, what emperor could be more open-minded?
Just as Zeng Cheng was feeling helpless, Old Man Cui, sitting next to Emperor Zhu, grinned and said, "Your Majesty, the common saying goes that a forest is vast, and there are all sorts of birds. Our Ming Dynasty is so large, and we are experiencing a prosperous era where food and clothing are not a concern. It's inevitable that there will be some brainless fools. It won't do for you to get angry because of this."
Another old man nearby chimed in to persuade him, "Your Majesty, the scholars in our Ming Dynasty cannot all be like this, can they? If all our Ming scholars were such brainless idiots, it would be one thing. But there must be some who are not stupid, right? You cannot be angry solely because of these few brainless ones; you must also think of those who are not stupid."
The other old men also chimed in one after another, "Exactly, exactly. Even the five fingers are not all the same length, let alone tens of millions of people? The saying goes that the same grain feeds a hundred kinds of people, isn't this exactly what we see before our eyes?"
"The saying goes that to cure an illness, one must get to the root. Since these scholars have acted foolishly, it means the root of the problem lies somewhere. If the books are wrong, replace them. If the teachers teach incorrectly, find their teachers. Once the root is found, the problem can be solved."
"These fools do not remember your kindness, but the hundreds of millions of common people in the realm remember your kindness. Otherwise, why would people have rebelled against the Qing and sought to restore the Ming during the Qing Dynasty, but no one now shouts about rebelling against the Ming and restoring the Qing?"
"..."
The comfort from the few old farmers was quite effective. Emperor Zhu's troubled heart eased considerably. He couldn't help but chuckle and then asked the old farmers, "Old Man Cui just said that we are now in a prosperous era where food and clothing are not a concern. I dare not acknowledge this, for there was also the prosperous era of Kangxi and Qianlong during the Great Qing."
It is well known that the Great Qing had prosperous eras, and they were the famous Kangxi-Qianlong prosperous eras.
However, few people know how the term "prosperous era" actually originated.
The term "prosperous era" was first used to praise legendary ancient times. For example, Cui Zhuan of the late Western Han Dynasty wrote in his "Wei Zhi Fu": "How heaven's path is in a prosperous era, surpassing a thousand years and leaving achievements." The "prosperous era" here refers to the reigns of Cheng Tang and Wu Ding of the Shang Dynasty.
The common phrases in historical records such as "the prosperous era of Yao and Shun" (Book of the Later Han Dynasty) and "ancient prosperous eras" (Book of Jin) are used similarly.
In the eyes of the people of the Han Dynasties, "prosperous era" was a longing for an ideal rather than praise for reality. For example, at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Hong, in his advice to Sun Quan before his death, stated in the first sentence: "Since ancient times, those who have states and families have all wished to cultivate virtuous governance to emulate prosperous eras, but in their administration, it has rarely been fragrant."
This means that creating a "prosperous era" was the ideal of rulers throughout the ages, but their governance was incompetent, and few were able to achieve this goal.
During the Wei and Jin periods, some began to use "prosperous era" to praise the current dynasty. For example, Pan An of the Western Jin Dynasty wrote in his "Xi Zheng Fu": "In a prosperous era of enlightenment, I entrust my humble and insignificant appearance." This means: I, such a crude person, am so fortunate to live in such a beautiful era.
After the Tang and Song dynasties, this usage became more common. For example, Yang Shi'e of the Tang Dynasty said in a poem, "A prosperous era should promote salvation"; Shao Yong of the Song Dynasty said in a poem, "Fortunate to be a scholar living in a prosperous era, and even more so to reside in the capital"; Xu Youren of the Yuan Dynasty said in a play, "Born in a prosperous era, meeting this year"; Tang Shi Sheng of the Ming Dynasty directly stated, "Fortunate to encounter a glorious prosperous era, wandering leisurely."
In short, they were all lamenting, "I am truly fortunate to witness a prosperous era."
In addition to literati, emperors of this period also began to like to praise the current dynasty as a "prosperous era" in their poems and writings. For example, the famous Zhao Guangyi, the "Chariot God of Gaoliang River," had sentences in his lyrics such as "Peaceful times like this should be difficult to compare, the joy and pursuits of a prosperous era are favored" and "Those who base themselves on fundamentals and all spirits transform naturally, enjoying freedom in peaceful prosperous eras," which were all self-praise. The general meaning was nothing more than "My prosperous era brings joy and freedom, truly extraordinary."
However, the emperors of the dynasties before the Great Qing still had some sense of shame. Even the famous Zhao Guangyi of the Gaoliang River only engaged in self-praise in his lyrics. His thick skin was far inferior to that of the twelve wise and sage rulers of the Great Qing.
The twelve wise and sage rulers of the Great Qing pushed the usage of "referring to the current dynasty as a prosperous era" to the extreme, with far more occurrences than all previous dynasties combined.
For example, scholars have统计 that the word "prosperous era" appeared 73 times in the "Wan Shou Sheng Dian Chu Ji" (First Collection of the Grand Ceremony for Longevity) in the 56th year of Kangxi, 52 times in the "Shi Zong Xian Huang Di Zhu Pi Yu Zhi" (Emperor Shizong Xian's Approved Edicts) in the 3rd year of Qianlong, 39 times in the "Qian Ding Qian Sou Yan Shi" (Imperial Collection of Poems from the Banquet of a Thousand Elders) in the 50th year of Qianlong, and 62 times in the "Ba Xun Wan Shou Sheng Dian" (Grand Ceremony for the Eightieth Birthday Longevity) in the 57th year of Qianlong.
The most common phrases were clichés like "恭逢盛世" (respectfully encountering a prosperous era) and "盛世丰年" (prosperous era and bountiful harvest). For example, as recorded in "Shi Zong Xian Huang Di Shang Yu Nei Ge" (Emperor Shizong Xian's Edicts to the Grand Secretariat), Yinzhen had the phrase "当此太平盛世" (in this peaceful prosperous era) in his edict in the 6th year of Yongzheng.
Even in the late Qing Dynasty, when the country was plagued by internal and external troubles, the wise and sage rulers of the Great Qing still liked to consider themselves in a "prosperous era."
For example, in the 13th year of Tongzhi, the Qing palace's musical scores for the "Empress Dowager's Fortieth Birthday Longevity" read: "The Emperor is benevolent and filial, and the Empress Dowager's blessings are shared. The people of the prosperous era are joyous, and the scenery of the peaceful times shines brightly." (The Emperor is benevolent and filial, and the Empress Dowager is also excellent. The people under the prosperous era are all overjoyed.)
Another example is in the 15th year of Guangxu, during Emperor Dezong's wedding, the musical score read: "Peaceful governance and cultivation are encountered in a prosperous era, and the central palace is in its position during the time of gathering the phoenix."
Since the emperors referred to their reigns as "prosperous eras," their officials naturally vied to follow suit. Especially after the Jiaqing period, when the Qing people recalled the past "glory" of the dynasty, they greatly praised the prosperous era.
For example, Yao Ying, who obtained his Jinshi degree in the 13th year of Jiajing, stated: "Between the Kangxi and Qianlong reigns of our dynasty, the country was rich and prosperous, and education was widely spread. How could foreign lands compare?"
Wei Yuan, who compiled "Hai Guo Tu Zhi" (Illustrated Treatise on Maritime Kingdoms), also said: "The country reached its peak in the more than sixty years of Qianlong, with its territory and population doubling that of Yongzheng, and its submission from the surrounding states exceeding that of Kangxi."
Taking Hai Rui, the famous upright official of the Ming Dynasty, as an example.
However, the biggest reason why officials were truly crazy about crying poverty was concubinage.
Or rather, even in later generations, most of the investigated officials were found to have multiple concubines and too many expenses.
Therefore, the officials were still not satisfied and wanted to instigate the scholars to cause trouble, shouting that Emperor Zhu and the court were too harsh on them...
Emperor Zhu couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, if it were the founding emperor who was harsh on them, I could understand. But I've been harsh on them too?"
Similarly, one is the lord of a country, but lords of a country are not all the same.
It's just that the feedback Emperor Zhu received left him very confused.
Does the Ming Dynasty have leprosy?
Yes.
However, compared to Japan, where it spread widely in just a few days, the leprosy in the Ming Dynasty was quite perplexing.
But the key issue was that the population mobility in the Ming Dynasty far exceeded that of Japan.
According to the current population mobility in the Ming Dynasty, it was truly miraculous that the highly contagious leprosy had not spread.
Only after cross-referencing the memorials from local governments with information from the Embroidered Uniform Guard did Emperor Zhu finally grasp the crux of the problem.
More importantly, the living conditions of the Ming Dynasty's common people were infinitely better than those of the Great Qing.
The strength in living conditions did not solely refer to grain reserves but encompassed all aspects. Once a situation arose where the common people had good living conditions, and the government was unreasonably stingy, throwing money at doctors and medicine like a "pay-to-win" player, leprosy would not be able to spread quickly.
I am also in this state – not enough sleep, sweating profusely, my brain not working enough, even typing on the keyboard makes my head feel dizzy and my fingers hurt. Is this just a common cold???
Also, new variants are coming soon. Everyone should try to prepare some anti-diarrhea medicine, or at least some plastic bags...
Tokugawa Ienari's face immediately turned dark.
What could the shogunate do if the good citizens and commoners of Japan were now hiding around the Ming merchants?
If those Ming merchants were provoked and drew their swords to resist the shogunate, the shogunate would be the one to suffer! xxs
The more he thought about it, the more conflicted he became. Tokugawa Ienari simply furrowed his brow and asked, "Have you negotiated with those Ming merchants? Aren't they afraid of contracting leprosy?"
Tokugawa Ienari asked with a bewildered look, "Don't they know how contagious leprosy is? Or do they have a way to deal with leprosy?"
Tokugawa Ienari was completely numb – caring yet not taking it seriously, what kind of attitude was this?
Seeing Tokugawa Ienari completely lost in thought, Watanabe Uemon tentatively asked again, "Your Excellency the General, do we still need to prepare some medicine for those Ming merchants?"
Tokugawa Ienari couldn't help but furrow his brow, his face full of conflict.
As he spoke, Tokugawa Ienari suddenly sighed again, "Our Japan, after all, still has to rely on the Ming. Japan still has to do business with the Ming."
Watanabe Uemon also fell into silence.
Watanabe Uemon suddenly recalled a delicacy he had eaten before.
Garrison Stew.
In a Japan so humble, ignoring its own good citizens and commoners, and spending some effort to prepare medicine for the Ming merchants, wasn't that a reasonable thing?
...
As a Ming merchant, Qi Feng had been cultivating the Japanese pharmaceutical market for nearly ten years.
During these ten years, Qi Feng's thoughts gradually shifted from initially wanting to make money to now enjoying life.
In later generations, when patients with rolling infections were rampant, the dog sons nurtured by the foolish Eagle always brought up "This country why, it's a matter of framing the question."
The problem was that Emperor Zhu himself was caught in the doubt of "framing the question."
Change it to the so-called separation of powers and freedom of Europe?
In fact, such an idea could only be imagined. If this kind of gameplay were implemented in the Central Plains, it would be a death wish.
Analyzing the specific reasons in depth would be too complex, but ultimately, it all came down to the word "interest."
In fact, this was also the reason why Europeans and the foolish Eagle's barbarians were generally bold.
Because Europe never had a truly unified dynasty, and the barbarians were accustomed to the mentality of small states and small populations, and also accustomed to the system of small courts.
The Russian Bear was similar – were the Bolsheviks good? Yes! The key was that human beings have desires!
This kind of gameplay was certainly not a problem in normal times, as even the common people in the Central Plains seemed to be the same, and there appeared to be no difference.
However, once disasters became frequent, such as during the Little Ice Age, or when the common people were truly unable to survive, the difference between large and small courts would emerge.
The foolish Eagle was not much better than Europe, otherwise, classmate Bai Zhenhua would not have ascended the throne, nor would the absurd joke of the foolish Eagle's internal conflict starting with the Little Ones have occurred.
However, even the Bolsheviks, who were also a large court system, might not be able to be directly transplanted and used.
Directly copying the Bolshevik system had a huge hidden danger, which was that the Ming Dynasty did not currently have the environment for that theory to survive.
How many years has it been since the Great Qing collapsed?
Of course, it cannot be said that this theory is wrong, because all countries in the world propagate it.
Is it not much better to gain merit by "following the dragon and destroying the bandits" than to wholeheartedly serve those commoners?
At that time, the Central Plains had not yet experienced the pain of impending complete national extinction.
Especially when the emperor gradually delegated power, the Grand Secretariat could even directly replace the role of the emperor.
Because Emperor Zhu directly clarified the "江湖地位" (social status/prestige) of the Grand Secretariat.
However, although they held power, the Grand Secretaries who could actually lead the Six Ministries did not have high ranks. The so-called leadership of the Six Ministries was also not legitimate, and they were also constrained by the Directorate of Ceremonial.
There was nothing to say about the Censorate; their main responsibility was to criticize. The emperor and all civil and military officials were targets they had to monitor.
And the final interpretation of the Ming Law rested with the Ministry of Justice.
In short, there were all sorts of messy departments, and their responsibilities were clear. They had to support each other and also restrain each other.
Want to regain power by changing the Prime Minister?
However, Emperor Zhu knew in his heart that such perfection was basically nonsense.
Even the system of the Rabbit was not flawless!
Whether it was the act of shedding tears and beheading two Ma Su, or later becoming rich first but being unwilling to help the less fortunate and even wanting to extend their reach to the court, these were objective realities!
Thinking of this, Emperor Zhu couldn't help but smile self-deprecatingly.
No matter what, he was not a god, so how could he solve ancient problems?