Chapter 39: The Brahmin and Sudra of Great Ming

At noon the next day, Zhang Yunxiu climbed out of bed.

Golden, warm sunlight shone through the window, falling onto Zhang Yunxiu's cheeks. He felt a warmth spread through his body, and from head to toe, he felt an indescribable sense of comfort.

Although he hadn't completely convinced old Zhang yesterday, he was certain that old Zhang had been moved by his ideas.

Is Great Ming poor? It is truly not poor.

With the "Longqing Opening of the Seas," silver from all over the world is flowing into China.

It is just a pity that this silver has not been circulating normally, nor has it entered the national treasury; instead, it has gone into private pockets.

Saving money has been a great pleasure for the Chinese people since ancient times.

If I have money, I won't spend it.

Of course, this is influenced by factors such as inconvenient road transportation and the self-sufficient nature of the small-scale peasant economy.

But now, Great Ming faces an unavoidable fact: it is mired in "deflation."

This is even more terrifying than inflation.

Prices are falling, and the production enthusiasm of the common people is declining.

Last night, he and old Zhang discussed two issues: "First, the circulation of money; second, the circulation of people."

The former requires elevating the status of merchants and encouraging the development of merchants and small workshops.

The latter requires reducing the burden on landless or land-poor farmers, allowing them to move about and find their own livelihoods.

Regarding the latter, Zhang Juzheng's "Single Whip Law" already has measures in place with "Measure Land and Calculate Ding."

As for the former, he was extremely unimpressed.

To be honest, how could honestly farming the land be as fast as harvesting leeks?

If you have money and an army, you should just go on a great voyage and seize colonies.

Every cent of capital is stained with blood; the accumulation of primitive capital was always meant to be achieved through plunder to be satisfying.

That bunch of dog pirates from Great Britain, didn't they all get their start by doing exactly that?

Muttering a few words in his heart, Zhang Yunxiu stood up, put on his clothes, and rose.

After washing up, Zhang Fu took a stride inside and asked with concern, "Young Master, were you alright yesterday?"

"What could possibly be wrong with me?" Zhang Yunxiu asked in return.

"Last night, the servants all heard that you and the Master were arguing fiercely," Zhang Fu replied timidly.

"It's nothing," Zhang Yunxiu wiped the water droplets from his hands, walked to the table, and sat down, whispering, "It's just that the old man is getting on in years, a bit stubborn, and can't accept new things."

Zhang Fu dared not respond.

"Hmph!"

A muffled snort arose; Zhang Yunxiu turned his head to look and saw Zhang Juzheng walking in with a dark, gloomy face.

"Master."

"Father."

The two hurriedly bowed.

"You go out first," Zhang Juzheng pointed at Zhang Fu.

Zhang Fu greased his heels and walked out the door in a few strides, not forgetting to close the door for Zhang Juzheng on his way out.

Only a "click" was heard, and the room became dim.

Zhang Juzheng sat down, stared straight at Zhang Yunxiu, and only after a long while did he say, "Last night, the benefits of merchants you spoke of might be fine, but have you ever thought about the drawbacks after elevating the status of merchants?"

"How can there be a perfect solution in this world? If one seeks perfection, then one might as well do nothing at all."

Zhang Yunxiu muttered helplessly.

Admittedly, there is an impact once merchants become powerful. But that bit of harm is insignificant compared to relying on merchants to revitalize the Great Ming market and going abroad to plunder colonies.

"Fine, you have a point there; there is no perfect rule in the world," Zhang Juzheng admitted generously, then added, "Also, at the end of last night, you said you wanted to reform the household registration."

"I would like to hear what there is to reform about this household registration."

"What is our household status?" Zhang Yunxiu asked.

"Military Household." Zhang Juzheng frowned; he did not know why his son would ask such a redundant question.

"Then Father must know that Military Households have become the largest category of runaway households every year."

Old Zhu relied on Military Households to conquer the world, but it is clear that the Military Households have now completely rotted. The Wei Suo Army has low combat effectiveness and serious Empty Quota issues; they are just a bunch of parasites gnawing away at the country.

Except for those hereditary officers who are unwilling, the ordinary Military Households below are desperate to escape their status as soon as possible.

"The drawbacks of the Military Households have already appeared. It would be better to disband the Wei Suo Army. For all hereditary ones, grant them stipends according to their original ranks, and for each generation that inherits, if there is no great merit, lower the hereditary rank by one level," Zhang Yunxiu suggested.

After listening, Zhang Juzheng shook his head: "It involves too much. The two-hundred-year-old Wei Suo System cannot be explained or clarified in a single day."

"That is true," Zhang Yunxiu nodded, then brought up another household registration, "Then let's start with the Artisan Registry."

The Artisan Registry is a truly lowly status; if the Zhu Ming imperial family are the "Brahmin," then the Artisan Registry are the "Sudra."

With low income, once one is in the Artisan Registry, children and grandchildren are all in the Artisan Registry.

Such discrimination has greatly dampened the enthusiasm of these skilled craftsmen.

"Artisan Registry..." Zhang Juzheng asked again with some hesitation, frowning, "If these people change their Artisan Registry status, then in the future, no one will be an artisan anymore. Who will the Weapon Bureau and the various Weaving Bureaus recruit to do the work?"

"They have to eat, after all. And the imperial court wouldn't be giving them their freedom for nothing."

"It would be letting them spend their own money to buy their own freedom," Zhang Yunxiu said at a very fast pace.

In his view, Russia's emancipation of the serfs was an excellent compromise.

Under the condition of letting farmers bear a large amount of debt, they gain freedom and land, balancing the interests of both sides.

These artisans have been artisans for generations; as long as they can get out of the Artisan Registry, they would certainly be willing to pay money to redeem themselves.

No money?

Then they can owe it first and pay it back slowly, year by year.

As long as these people are set in motion, the benefits to the Great Ming will outweigh the drawbacks.

Zhang Juzheng also heard the advantages in this and could not help but ask, "Then tell me, how much silver would be appropriate for one person?"

"One hundred taels per household," Zhang Yunxiu thought for a moment and replied.

"There are over seventy thousand Artisan Households in the whole country, wouldn't that be seven million taels?" Zhang Juzheng was startled inwardly, but he quickly calmed down and reminded him, "One hundred taels—even if you were to scrape the marrow from their bones, these Artisan Households still couldn't produce it."

"It's not as if we're asking them to pay it all at once; we can just collect one percent interest from them annually until it is paid off."

"That is not bad at all." Zhang Juzheng clapped his hands and stood up.

One percent interest on one hundred taels is only one tael a year, which is not much for a single household.

One must know that if an Artisan does not perform service as a Runner, they still have to pay silver every month. In the south, each person pays nine mace per month, and in the north, each person pays six mace of silver per month.

In this way, there is only one drawback—the hearts of the Artisans will become restless, and they will be unwilling to work for the imperial court.

After pondering for a few seconds, Zhang Juzheng raised his head and looked down at his son, stating his own thoughts: "This matter involves a great deal; we should try it out in a certain place before promoting it to the whole country."

"Father is far-sighted; that is exactly how it should be."

Zhang Yunxiu stood up to offer a compliment, and Zhang Juzheng, wasting no words, stepped out of the room.

The household registration system established by the Great Ancestor indeed has some problems; there are too many Military Households, which are difficult to change, but these Artisan Households can certainly be tried.

Thinking of this, Zhang Juzheng felt a surge of warmth in his heart, and his footsteps became increasingly light.

(End of this chapter)