The next morning, Zhu Mo was at home discussing the next steps of reform with Lü Kun, He Xinyin, and Yan Shan Nong.
Suddenly, an imperial edict arrived—
"By decree:
I, upholding the late Emperor's mandate to cherish the people as my own children, valuing frugality and compassion, did not expect my minister Gao Gong to act perversely, instructing the Jiangnan Circuit Censor Yin Zhengmao, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief Yang Zongqi, and others to slaughter the populace, disrupt governance, and incite officials, leading to widespread unrest and public apprehension. If such crimes are pardoned, would it not be against Heaven's will? It is ordered that Yin Zhengmao, Yang Zongqi, Lu Huang, and others be executed by beheading and their bodies displayed in the marketplace. Considering Gao Gong served the Crown Prince for many years and was known for his diligence and frugality, he is hereby dismissed from office and ordered to return to his hometown.
Upon review, Zhu Mo, Grand Scholar of the Left Spring Pavilion, having quelled baseless rumors and possessing a profound understanding of sage learning, is appointed Grand Scholar of the Wenyuan Pavilion, to participate in state affairs. He is to proceed to Jiangnan immediately to oversee the case of the Hundred Sages Academy, with Xu Shi, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, assisting him.
Furthermore, Jiangnan, a region of significant revenue, cannot be overrun by dissolute officials. Zheng Bichang and five other officials are hereby dismissed from office pending investigation. Zhang Han is appointed Acting Jiangnan Governor, and Liu Yingjie is appointed Acting Jiangnan Circuit Censor. Both are to investigate the Jiangnan academy case accordingly. By Imperial Command."
Hahaha,
Lü Kun, He Xinyin, and Yan Shan Nong exchanged laughter.
Lü Kun sighed, "The wicked finally meet their just deserts. Yin Zhengmao's execution is truly satisfying!"
Hmm, hmm,
He Xinyin smiled, "This time, our Scholar Zhu has already become a Cabinet Grand Scholar. Congratulations!"
The three clapped their hands and laughed together.
It should be known that a Grand Scholar of the Wenyuan Pavilion held only a fifth-rank official position. However, they were indeed part of the Grand Secretariat, ranked fourth. But since the Hongzhi reign, Grand Scholars of the Wenyuan Pavilion were usually not appointed alone but concurrently held positions as Ministers of the Six Ministries. If they were also appointed to the Three Ducal Ministers or Three Great Tutors, they would become first-rank officials, truly becoming imperial ministers and grand councilors.
However, there were a few individuals in the Great Ming who only held the title of Grand Scholar without concurrently serving as Ministers. Such individuals were numerous during the Hongwu and Yongle reigns, and although they became fewer later, they still appeared sporadically.
In Zhu Mo's case, he could not yet be called an imperial minister due to insufficient official rank. However, as a Grand Scholar of the Wenyuan Pavilion, he could participate in state affairs. Referring to him as a Cabinet Grand Scholar was not incorrect.
Moreover, the imperial edict also appointed him as the Imperial Commissioner to oversee the Jiangnan academy case. This position had no official rank, similar to the previous Disaster Relief Envoy; it could be small or large. This made him once again an individual operating both within and outside the system, but this time his status had been significantly elevated.
The three were genuinely pleased, but Zhu Mo, having experienced near-death, had already seen through these matters. He only thought of one thing—
Whatever was most beneficial for the reform, he would do!
He would not concern himself with anything else.
The Emperor granting him the imperial commission to oversee the academy case showed he saw through his intentions. This proved that Jiajing was indeed incredibly shrewd, having already realized that he intended to use the academy case as a precursor this time.
However,
Now that he had personnel and a legitimate title, it was an excellent opportunity to advance the reform again. No matter what Jiajing thought, he was determined to press forward. The moment he thought of advancing the reform, his first thought was of the Wokou pirates. And to eradicate the Wokou pirates in the shortest possible time, another item was needed. He immediately said,
"Shujian, Master He, Master Yan, I will take you to see something today! Let's go!"
...
Zhu Mo took the three in a carriage. Half an hour later, they arrived at the Wanggongchang Gunpowder Bureau.
At this time,
Zhao Shizhen had been promoted to supervisor, and Li Huai, due to his advanced age, had become a registrar.
The armaments of the Great Ming were initially managed by the Ministry of Works and called the Bureau of Military Equipment. During the Yongle reign, the palace's Twelve Agencies' Internal Eunuch Agency intervened, establishing a Gunpowder Bureau, managed jointly by eunuchs from the Right Internal Eunuch Agency and personnel from the Ministry of Works.
For instance, Zhao Shizhen and Li Huai were, in essence, men from the Ministry of Works. The highest-ranking official at the Gunpowder Bureau was the Director of Ceremonies eunuch from the Internal Eunuch Agency, named Ge Jing. Ge Jing was also responsible for the nine gates of the capital, thus rarely paying attention to the Gunpowder Bureau. Routine matters were managed by an undistinguished secretary from the Ministry of Works, who was also very lazy and rarely visited Wanggongchang. This led to the neglect of the Gunpowder Bureau for over twenty years.
However, this Ge Jing, despite his age, had a sound mind and had always prevented the Yan family from interfering with the Gunpowder Bureau. This allowed people like Zhao Shizhen and Li Huai to spontaneously experiment with things; otherwise, even the previous mechanisms and gunpowder would not have existed.
When Zhu Mo directly intervened in the Gunpowder Bureau last time, he produced new firearms that repelled the arrogant Anda, boosting the morale of the bureau and creating an unprecedentedly good atmosphere. During this period, Zhao Shizhen had developed two or three more firearms, the mechanism casings had become smaller, and the rifling inside the barrel was becoming increasingly sophisticated.
At this moment,
The four arrived at the "Wu Zi Storehouse."
Zhao Shizhen picked up the latest model of the firearm and handed it to Zhu Mo, excitedly saying, "Scholar Zhu, this is what we've recently developed. Please try it!"
Everyone excitedly went to the training ground, and many artisans and servants from the Gunpowder Bureau gathered around.
Zhu Mo picked up the gun and felt that it was longer than the last one, but the barrel was thinner, and the trigger mechanism was smaller, making it much lighter. Zhao Shizhen had also made a set of accessories made of leather, which could hold over a hundred rounds of powder and projectiles. Wearing the full set, one could move quite nimbly.
Zhu Mo aimed at the human-shaped target and fired. The sound was not as explosive as before, and the accuracy was much improved. Upon inspecting the target, it was found to be dead center in the chest.
"Giant of the Great Ming!"
"Giant of the Great Ming!"
The entire venue erupted in cheers again!
Lü Kun, He Xinyin, and Yan Shan Nong, having never seen such firearms, were immediately amazed. Zhu Mo urged the three to each fire a few shots. The three were scholars, and most of their shots missed the target, causing much laughter from the crowd.
Lü Kun looked at the missed targets and murmured, "Zixuan, is it these firearms that forced Anda to retreat?"
Zhu Mo smiled and said, "More than that. This time, we will use them to eliminate the Wokou!"
He then turned to Zhao Shizhen and said, "I think this is good. This gun is already excellent. I am going to Jiangnan again soon, so please expedite the production of a batch. Hmm, a thousand pieces first, and then three thousand. I will advance fifty thousand taels of silver to you. Chang Ji, how long do you think it will take?"
Zhao Shizhen's lifelong pursuit was for every soldier in the Great Ming army to possess a superior firearm. He had prepared for this day for many years, and being from Jiangnan, he had deeply suffered from the Wokou. He stated with conviction,
"Young Master Zhu, at most two months!"
...
The next day,
Zhu Mo went to the Grand Secretariat and formally recommended He Xinyin and Yan Shan Nong to Xu Jie. The pretext was to oversee the academy case, so the two would serve as heads of the Chongzheng Academy in Southern Zhili and the Wansong Academy in Hangzhou, respectively, to clarify heretical doctrines and baseless rumors.
At the same time, he proposed bringing Li Zhi, the current Educational Instructor of Huixian County in Henan, to the capital to serve as a Secretary in the Wenyuan Pavilion alongside Lü Kun, essentially as his assistants. Xu Jie, grateful for Zhu Mo's fairness last time, readily agreed. Thus, a simple staff of advisors was assembled.
The overall situation was settled.
He Xinyin and Yan Shan Nong were enthusiastic about going to Jiangnan to serve as heads of top academies and came to bid farewell that evening.
Zhu Mo, recalling that he owed his salvation from this crisis to the two, felt genuinely reluctant to part. The two also found their lifelong confidants and were deeply moved. The next day, they wanted to escort him to the Southern Suburb Post Station, then drank farewell wine at a pavilion, chatting until the afternoon before setting off again.
Upon parting, Zhu Mo instructed them, "When you two gentlemen go to the academies, you may vigorously promote the learning of the Mind School. Beyond the imperial examinations, you can widely teach the common people, allowing anyone to attend lectures at the academies, just like the Sixth Patriarch Huineng of Buddhism, where everyone can receive instruction. Only then will it be of benefit..."
He Xinyin had been waiting for this day, sighing, "Yes, my lifelong pursuit of teaching is to revitalize the spirit of the people. In this way, the academy will truly be a place of enlightenment, no longer a cage."
The three imagined the future academies with infinite yearning.
Zhu Mo, however, smiled calmly. What was so strange about this? Were not universities always like this?
However, I want you to first reduce the illiteracy rate somewhat. The illiteracy rate in the Great Ming is rather alarming, leading to the rampant spread of baseless teachings.
And after the reform, the academies will not only be universities but will also gradually reduce the curriculum of the Eight-legged essay, shifting to teaching more science and engineering knowledge. Otherwise, it is very uncertain whether the Great Ming dynasty can avoid perishing in this state...