Chapter 239 Your Majesty, you are right, I want to resign
Wang Hua, the chief minister of the cabinet, never expected that nearly two hundred years after the death of the great ancestor Zhu Yuanzhang, the torture of peeling off skin and making grass would appear again to punish corruption.
But this time it happened because of the pressure of public opinion.
No one could point out that this was due to the emperor's cruel behavior.
"Now His Majesty the Emperor still cares about us common people. Even though the officials of the Ministry of Punishment wanted to protect a corrupt official like Lu Zhaoji, after we common people demanded that this corrupt official be severely punished according to law, our Emperor still complied with it. The wishes of our people!”
"Yes, the current emperor is indeed a good emperor. He has made us common people literate, allowed our children to read, and reduced taxes and royal rents. We really have to pray for him!"
……
When Wang Hua paid a private visit in disguise, he could only shake his head and smile bitterly after hearing these comments. He knew that if he told these people at this time that the emperor was a cruel king and a cruel king, even because of Lu Zhao Ji said that the emperor is unknown The empress was unkind and took advantage of the people and public opinion. Lu Zhaoji was forced to the point where she was skinned and stripped. These people would definitely not believe it, and would even beat herself up, angrily cursing that she was a relative of a corrupt official, and that she had complaints against His Majesty the Emperor. That's why he slanders His Majesty the Emperor like this.
Wang Hua had to admit that his civil servant group had failed to turn the emperor into a sage emperor who complied with Confucian ethics, not because his civil servants were not smart enough, but because the emperor seemed to know more than he, the civil servants, especially In terms of governing the country, today's emperor seems to have many practical and mature governing theories.
Wang Hua knew that the emperor was able to use the people to build momentum and successfully use public opinion to force the civil service group to severely crack down on disloyal ministers. This was because His Majesty the Emperor began to implement universal education and improve the literacy rate of the people a few years ago, which resulted in most civilians becoming A scholar.
Because of this, more and more people began to pay attention to the rise and fall of the world, especially the more and more poor scholars. It is obvious that the Zhongjun Society is getting bigger and bigger, and even the organization is very strict. This time it can The reason why the court was forced to skin Lu Zhaoji was because Tang Bohu used the Zhongjun Society to organize a strong demonstration team.
Wang Hua did not expect that the "National Education" and "Literacy Campaign" implemented by His Majesty the Emperor a few years ago would lead to the phenomenon that it would be difficult to manage the people, it would be difficult to serve as an official, and it would be even more difficult for the emperor to dissuade them.
"At the beginning, I only thought that studying science was good governance. Letting people in the world practice literature and martial arts would benefit the family and the country. It was the right way!
Therefore, I support His Majesty in doing this, and even send a congratulatory letter to praise it, saying that it is Your Majesty's virtuous policy!
But after all, I never thought that this would make it more difficult to control the people of the world. The people can control it but not know it. Could it be that the original intention of the saint is actually that the people can control it but cannot know it?
Could it be that the sage really believes that ignorant people are the foundation of governing a country? But if so, how can scholarship be good governance? ”
Wang Hua feels that he is increasingly confused about what the fundamental Confucian philosophy of governing the country he has learned is. He is very unwilling to admit that the Confucian ethics he has followed for many years is a policy of obscuring the people, and he is also unwilling to believe that the saint is real. He wanted to make the people stupid, but he had to admit that it seemed that it would be easier to govern if the people were dumber. Similarly, it seemed that if the emperor was too wise, he would not be very comfortable as a court official.
Wang Hua angrily slapped the "Analects of Confucius" in his hand on the table: "Why, the ancient saints' books are not read without adding a sentence! How can people in this world interpret it! If you misread it, wouldn't it really cause endless harm to the world? After all, you are stupid people. Goodness still enlightens people to be wise and kind!”
Wang Hua was very confused. He felt that his life had been in vain for decades. He regarded the Four Books and Five Classics annotated by Zhu Xi as the only truth for self-cultivation and governing the country. Only now did he realize that the Confucian doctrines annotated by Zhu Xi had not been understood clearly from the beginning. What is the true meaning of a saint! Otherwise, civil servants like myself would not be forced by His Majesty to learn arithmetic and learn Mohism.
In any case, Wang Hua is now more and more in awe of Zhu Houzhao. He doesn't know what his majesty has learned. Why did he know the way of money law ten years ago, set up the Royal Bank, and insist on destroying his own Wang family and several other families? They were tied together and forced the Wang family and several other families to find ways to increase revenue for the national treasury.
And the purpose is not always so noble. Wang Hua doesn't think that Jiao Fang, Liu Jin and other eunuchs really think about the Ming Dynasty. He knows that they are trying their best to increase revenue for the treasury because only by increasing treasury revenue can the Royal Bank make profits. Only by rising prices can your family gain more macro profits.
But it was precisely this purpose that made these internal and external officials wholeheartedly follow His Majesty's reforms. They first passed the legal examination and then cleared the land, and even regained the Hetao to open up border trade between Guangdong and Guangxi. Even though they themselves agreed to abolish the road guide system and immigration Real policy.
What Wang Hua admired more about Emperor Zhu Houzhao was his ability to establish a more reasonable system, and even invented many new words, such as the word system. Wang Hua didn't know when he was no longer surprised when he thought of this word, and even There are concepts such as economy, country, and civilization.
"No wonder my son would say that His Majesty the Emperor is the most holy king in ancient and modern times. However, Wang Yun does seem to be much smarter than his father, the first minister of the imperial examination. He just realized that His Majesty is an extraordinary person many years ago and donated all his money. The family property financed His Majesty, which brought great wealth and power to the Wang family. He even figured out his own ideas and started his own sect! "
As Wang Hua thought about it, he thought of his son Wang Shouren who was far away in Jiangxi. He couldn't help but have a look of pride on his face, thinking that maybe his son knew His Majesty better than he did.
Although Wang Hua admitted that Emperor Zhu Houzhao was not a simple emperor, he did not like Emperor Zhu Houzhao. He always felt that His Majesty the Emperor was not like a normal emperor, but like a man who had just transformed from a commoner. The emperor who became the emperor seems to have a natural hostility towards officials like himself, and a natural sympathy for the common people. He doesn't even care about whether the Zhu family can be passed on forever. He only thinks about whether the Chinese civilization can be Continue to prosper.
Wang Hua clearly remembered that when His Majesty the Emperor was forced to say that the worst possible outcome would be for me to return to the people and occupy the mountain as king and rebel again.
"Your Majesty, the Taizu is really the reincarnation!" Wang Hua thought in his heart. At this moment, he saw Zhu Houzhao appearing in the cabinet and the supervising room of the ceremonial supervisor. He hurriedly put away the Analects and stood up to salute: "I have seen your Majesty. ! ”
Seeing this, Zhu Houzhao couldn't help laughing: "Shou Kui still has the leisure to read the Analects. Do you want to learn from Zhao Pu and use half of the Analects to rule the world for me?"
"Your Majesty said it with a smile. I am just confused about my recent studies. I don't know what the saint's words are and what is the truth. I am thinking hard about it," Wang Hua replied.
"The truth is not told by saints, but discovered by oneself. You have to drink it to know whether tea is bitter. What do you think, Shou Kui?"
Zhu Houzhao replied that he knew that he had recently instructed the imperial literati in the Hanlin Academy and his attendant's room to re-evaluate and supervise the civil servants and scholars in the world, which made the civil servants panic and uneasy. They were all afraid of making the slightest mistake, and they all behaved themselves, including their leaders. Assistant Wang Hua had nothing to do but read books and newspapers, and stopped making comments easily.
Zhu Houzhao could also guess that these literati and officials must have a new understanding of public opinion, and they must gradually realize the power of the people and some of the existing contradictions between themselves as officials, rulers, and the people because of these recent events.
In order to prevent these scholar-bureaucrats, especially the civil servants in the government, from becoming more selfish, they only know that enlightening the people's wisdom will make the people difficult to govern, but they do not know that enlightening the people's wisdom will make the country progress and the nation progress. Therefore, he will now find the right opportunity to enlighten himself. Some civil servants around me.
"You have to discover the truth by yourself?"
Zhu Houzhao's seemingly unintentional words caused Wang Hua's heart to stir. He felt that Zhu Houzhao's words had the effect of enlightenment, making him suddenly realize that he had always forgotten that the foundation of studying and governing a country is not learning but thinking. So, he hurriedly bowed deeply to Zhu Houzhao:
"Thank you for your advice. Mencius said that it is better to have no books than to believe in books. Now that I think about it, it is for this reason that I have decided to resign and study again. Please give me your permission!"
Zhu Houzhao was a little stunned, thinking that the purpose of what he said casually just now was to let civil servants like Wang Hua know that they should think proactively and not be constrained by Cheng Zhu Neo-Confucianism, but he did not expect that it would make Wang Hua directly think of resigning. .
"This is quite sudden. Tell me your reasons," Zhu Houzhao said.
"What your Majesty just said makes me realize that what I have learned is all other people's words. After all, I am still not as good as a dog, and I have not been able to find what I think is the truth of the world. Therefore, I cannot be a master in studying, I cannot be a capable minister in governing a country, and I I thought His Majesty needed it more He is a capable minister who can deal with complex situations and dares to innovate as his first assistant. Although he is virtuous, he lacks intelligence. Assisting His Majesty for three to five years may ensure peace in the world, but if he stays for a few more years, he will only harm the country. You have misled the world!”
Wang Hua replied.
"You are also a rare person. It doesn't matter. I agree to your request. But since you want to study again, you don't have to go back to your hometown to study again. The Ming Dynasty is at the time of change and there is a shortage of talents. If you are interested in serving the country, can you go to the national administration? Teach in the academy, teach these officials who will become important ministers of the country in the future, teach them how to be ministers, and teach them some of your experience in managing the accounts department and using the Royal Bank to allocate money and food in the world!”
Zhu Houzhao asked.
Naturally, Wang Hua would not refuse. He would work hard and die. This was his belief, so he hurriedly agreed.
However, before Wang Hua resigned as the chief assistant to teach at the National Academy of Administration, he used his power as the chief assistant of the cabinet to preside over the last court meeting with Zhu Houzhao's approval.
During this court meeting, he summoned all the civil servants in the capital. He wanted to give some reasons to the civil servants of the Zhengde Dynasty before resigning.
After all, he did not hope that the civil service group would become more corrupt and degenerate as the imperial court focused on commerce, and the conflicts with the emperor and the common people would become more intense. He also did not hope that the civil service group would become corrupt due to the impact of various current ideas. Splits occurred and even evolved into partisanship.
Comprehensive education and political party development (Zhongjunshe) will definitely make civil servants aware of the rise of the power of the common people. Of course, this is also related to the increase in the number of craftsmen and workers after the industrial development of the Ming Dynasty, making it easier for urban areas, especially places like the capital and Nandu, to With the rise of common people's power, these civil servants will also reflect on themselves, realize the crisis, and have a different understanding of the world. Doubts about knowledge, like Wang Hua in this chapter, but in any case, this is a good phenomenon. The literati and officials of the Ming Dynasty began to take the initiative to reflect and actively doubt that Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism was an opportunity for the transformation of Chinese civilization. In the original history, this era In fact, this phenomenon also occurred among the scholar-bureaucrats of the Ming Dynasty, such as Qi Xue Xin Xue and so on. Maybe it became more obvious in this era after the time traveler Zhu Houzhao appeared.
(End of chapter)