Chapter 247

Suicide is a smooth, flexible way of handling things; it allows everyone a path of retreat, preventing conflicts from escalating to an irreconcilable point.

The reason Zhang Juzheng emphasized this so strongly was that he had witnessed the Emperor's sophistication in handling problems. In political activity, the most important things are political responsibility and political capability; only then can one remain calm and make swift decisions when facing various challenges and difficulties in a complex and ever-changing environment.

In Zhang Juzheng's view, the young Emperor already possessed extremely high political responsibility and capability. This was the starting point for his willingness—and insistence—to return power to the throne.

Wang Xijue represented the Restorationist faction, which was completely different from the forces represented by Zhang Siwei.

What Zhang Siwei represented were the local feudal lords who overstepped their bounds; this was a common contradiction between the central government and local regions. Zhang Siwei chose to excessively intensify this contradiction, ultimately inviting a thunderous strike from imperial power and Zhang Juzheng, who was protecting the young Emperor.

The Restorationist faction represented by Wang Xijue and the Reformist faction led by Zhang Juzheng formed a pair of contradictions whose complexity far exceeded the central-local contradiction of feudal overreach; it was a universal contradiction touching every corner of the Great Ming.

According to the basic arguments of the contradiction theory proposed by Zhang Juzheng, this society is spiraling and repeatedly ascending. The unity of knowledge and action to reach conscience, and the successive resolution of contradictions to reach all principles, are the main tenets of the contradiction theory.

This argument struck directly at the core theory of the Restorationists—the "Three Dynasties and Above." The Restorationists believed that all current social contradictions were the result of failing to follow the Three Dynasties and Above; only by completely restoring the Three Dynasties and Above could the world achieve Great Harmony.

Therefore, the Reformist faction was a life-or-death crisis for the Restorationist faction.

Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng were master and disciple. In a sense, Zhang Juzheng was Zhu Yijun's father, responsible for educating the Emperor to adulthood. Over these six years, Zhang Juzheng had personally witnessed Zhu Yijun's growth, step by step, to where he was today—a day where he could serve as the master of the monarch and the state.

After finishing dinner, Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng did not discuss official business first, but instead chatted about life.

Zhu Yijun's private life was extremely dry and dull, just like a machine.

Every morning, after the court session, he would tutor Zhu Yiliu and review memorials. In the afternoon, he would go to the Northern Great Camp to drill troops and horses—this was perhaps the happiest time of Zhu Yijun's day, because in the Northern Great Camp, he could enjoy freedom. Before dusk, he would return to the Baoqi Office, and at night, he would study agriculture and mathematics.

Zhang Juzheng was much more relaxed. After breakfast, he would go to observe mourning; mourning also involved reading, annotating, and researching agriculture and mathematics. Every volume of the *Great Ming Collected Statutes* that was completed, Zhang Juzheng would proofread, and at night, he would gaze at the stars.

The private lives of the two were extremely boring.

The Western envoy Li Yashi always felt that the Great Ming Emperor lived the life of a fanatic or an ascetic. Li Yashi could never understand how the Emperor could endure never being arrogant, luxurious, or licentious—this was extremely rare for someone born into nobility.

"Transcendence, or rather, a detachment of self-cognition from reality, is to a large extent caused by the extreme abundance of material wealth leading to an excessive pursuit of emotional value," Zhu Yijun said, sharing his recent insights.

Based on his observations of Prince Lu, Zhu Yijun, he discovered that this sense of transcendence in those born into nobility was not spontaneous; behind this phenomenon lay the extreme abundance of material wealth.

When a person is hungry, they have only one worry: hunger. When a person is full, they have many more worries.

This was also one of the core tenets of the house-raiding methods of the Southern Yamen Inspector Luo Bingliang.

Zhang Juzheng pondered for a moment, looked at the starry sky, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty once asked me a question that left a deep impression: 'To beat someone costs ten coins, to beat someone to death costs two taels of silver.' The process by which the powerful and wealthy of the Great Ming alienate themselves seems to be 'I am different from the commoners,' but in reality, it is 'I am different from the commoners.' This process of alienation is subtle, long-term, and one does not feel the sickness."

"The sickness of the common people is that they do too much work and get too little money, while the sickness of the powerful and wealthy is that they do too little work and get too much money."

"This is a problem of distribution; it is true for the country, and it is true for every household."

Zhang Juzheng's attainments in philosophy were extremely profound. There were many things Zhu Yijun could only discuss with Zhang Juzheng. Now, the only person in the court who could talk about these things was Wang Chonggu.

But Wang Chonggu was a person Zhu Yijun found very annoying. He clearly understood everything, yet he always kept his mouth shut about these unorthodox things. Wang Chonggu was too good at self-preservation, which was completely different from Zhang Juzheng, who was clumsy at cultivating himself.

Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng were discussing the process of human alienation, and it was treasonous.

"Some things, if you are born with them, you have them; if you are born without them, you don't. Under the same starry sky, everyone has one nose and two eyes, yet the gap is so huge. A young lady from a wealthy family who never steps out of her gate is simply fairer in complexion than a girl who faces the yellow earth and turns her back to the sky," Zhu Yijun said, leaning back in the ergonomic armchair contributed by the Imperial Hospital, looking at the stars.

What girl doesn't love beauty? But girls who work in the fields will be tanned by long-term labor, their skin will become rough, and their figures will be deformed. Women in commoner families have to go down to the fields to work on the third day after giving birth.

Many things are like the throne: if you are born with it, you have it; if you don't, you don't.

This is the treasonous part, and also one of the core obstacles for the Reformist faction throughout history: reform will inevitably damage the Emperor's authority. This is inevitable. If one wants to change this world where "if you are born with it, you have it, and if you don't, you don't," the hereditary imperial power will inevitably be impacted.

You, a ten-year-old child, by what right do you become the Emperor, the master of the empire?

When everyone is born, their nature is the same; they are all children waiting to be fed. But as time passes, the degree of material abundance directly affects a child's growth, eventually leading them to become two completely different people, living in two completely different worlds.

Zhu Yijun shook his sleeves, took out an article, and handed it over, asking the Master to take a look.

Zhang Juzheng finished reading this essay, frowned at the Emperor, and asked suspiciously, "May I ask Your Majesty, where is this Zhou Shuren?"

"It was submitted by someone from the streets; I do not know who he is," Zhu Yijun said. The article he took out was called *Hometown*, in which there was a boy named Runtu, and it even came with an illustration of a boy spearing a badger.

The summary of the content was exactly the same as Lu Xun's *Hometown*, only slightly polished and modified.

It was like catching a badger stealing melons with a steel fork under the bright moonlight in their youth, only to find their circumstances completely different when they grew up.

Changing from the lively, kind, and sincere young Runtu to the impoverished, numb, humble, and dull middle-aged Runtu is the process of human alienation. In this process, material wealth is the biggest variable.

Wang Shizhen and Zhang Juzheng were from the same examination cohort. Wang Shizhen was from a prominent family, a family of officials. Therefore, Wang Shizhen was full of jealousy, prejudice, and contempt for Zhang Juzheng: "You, a Zhang Juzheng whose legs are still covered in mud, by what right do you stand above everyone else, acting like a tyrant?"

"Looking at the artistic conception of the article, it seems to be the same as the uprightness of Inspector Hai. It is likely that only Inspector Hai could write such an article, but it is not written by Inspector Hai," Zhang Juzheng said after reading *Hometown*. At first glance, he thought it was written by Hence Hai Rui under the pseudonym Zhou Shuren, but after finishing it, he was very convinced that it was not.

"Mr. Hai?" Zhu Yijun smiled. Hence Hai Rui and Lu Xun were indeed similar.

Hence Hai Rui was a person who couldn't hide things in his heart; he was an upright person. This was truly very similar to Lu Xun. Both were made of backbone and righteousness; there wasn't a single soft spot on their bodies. However, Hence Hai Rui's writing style was completely different from Lu Xun's.

Hence Hai Rui's writing style never used metaphors; it was direct. If he wanted to say the Emperor had a problem, he never wore a mask; he would directly carry a coffin and scold the Jiajing Emperor to the point of saying, "Every family is clean."

Hence Hai Rui charged at the supreme Emperor of the Great Ming like this, and the final result was that after the Daoist Emperor passed away, he received a promotion, because Hence Hai Rui was right to scold him. The last twenty-five years of the Daoist Emperor were twenty-five years of practicing Daoism, and also twenty-five years of shame. The Daoist Emperor also knew his own shame.

If Hence Hai Rui hadn't been right to scold him, the Daoist Emperor would have beheaded Hence Hai Rui long ago.

However, Zhou Shuren changed countless masks throughout his life, turning around and around, fearing being caught.

No matter how bad the Great Ming was, it could still tolerate Hence Hai Rui living under his real name. Such a feudal imperial country is the Great Ming.

"Mr. Hai." Zhang Juzheng nodded and revealed a smile. Zhu Yijun laughed, soon laughing until he was bent over. Zhang Juzheng was also full of smiles. A scholar's cultivation did not allow him to lose his composure in front of the Emperor. The laughter lingered on the mountain path, continuous and unending.

Feng Bao and Zhang Hong were truly looking at each other in dismay. Where exactly was the punchline in the three words "Mr. Hai"?!

Feng Bao and Zhang Hong could naturally tell that the Emperor's laughter came from genuine happiness; it was that kind of extremely natural and relaxed smile. This was a rare smile where the Emperor dropped his disguise. Even the accompanying Wang Yaozhuo had only seen such a smile a few times.

Because Hence Hai Rui was alive and could return to the court, this in itself was a matter worth being happy about. This represented the health of the Great Ming's national system.

Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng would drop their disguises when chatting. In the minds of most people in the Great Ming, Zhang Juzheng could awe his superiors, so the relationship between the Emperor and the powerful minister must be extremely tense. But Feng Bao and Zhang Hong knew very well that there were no fundamental differences or conflicts of interest between the two.

Zhu Yijun restrained his smile and said, "The army will set out for the Daning Guard next month. The matter of the campaign against the Quanning Guard is already like an arrow on the bowstring, fully prepared. Does the Master have anything to instruct?"

"No." Zhang Juzheng shook his head. Letting go meant letting go. If the Emperor broke in to ask, he would still give this answer: there was nothing to instruct.

Not being in that position and not seeking to govern from it is the most basic political quality. Cultivating the young Emperor to become the master of the state was the fundamental plan of Zhang Juzheng's first five years in power.

Zhu Yijun continued to ask, "Regarding Antonio hiring the Great Ming naval battalion, they will likely station troops in the Nanyang region first. Our Great Ming is so poor that we have to be hired thugs for the Westerners. Does the Master have anything to instruct?"

"Antonio may or may not lose money, but the Great Ming will definitely profit." Zhang Juzheng had nothing to instruct; he supported the Emperor's decision.

Getting a bargain and still acting innocent—this plan to hire the battalion was merely to probe enemy intelligence and train troops. Just as Philip II said, peace is merely a fig leaf for not having an absolute advantage. Philip II knew it, the Emperor knew it, and Zhang Juzheng understood it very well.

Based on the institutional design of the imperial system, resorting to force to proclaim martial prestige is the basic mission and law of the empire.

The great affairs of the state lie in warfare and sacrifice.

"The Southern Yamen has the 'Qimin Yaoshu' case." Zhu Yijun spoke of the Southern Yamen's Qimin Yaoshu, which was that *Memorial Impeaching Zhang Juzheng* written under Hence Hai Rui's name. This wave of public opinion was being dealt with by the Southern Yamen Inspector, who was raiding homes everywhere to fulfill the Emperor's promise: "Those who speak of the Master's faults shall be beheaded."

Zhu Yijun asked, "Does the Master have anything to instruct?"

"No." Zhang Juzheng shook his head again. The Emperor's handling of the matter showed his determination to continue the New Policies. He wanted to use killing to raise a flag; deaths were inevitable. The bird that sticks its head out gets shot—this has been true since ancient times.

If Zhang Juzheng were in court, he would definitely pin everything on the student Wu Shiqi and handle this matter quietly. But the Emperor had the Emperor's way of handling things, and Zhang Juzheng really did not intend to interfere.

Zhu Yijun was extremely helpless. He was really letting Zhang Juzheng live a retirement life, which really made the Emperor feel a bit exasperated. He continued to ask, "The grain transport by sea has increased to three million *shi* this year, and the canal transport has changed from four months to one month. Does the Master have anything to instruct?"

"No... wait, yes!" Zhang Juzheng subconsciously refused, only then remembering that there really was something that needed to be said.

"Your Majesty, I have discovered something fun." Zhang Juzheng rolled up his sleeves, walked into the Wenchang Pavilion, and then took out several items and placed them on the table.

Zhang Juzheng first took out a carved eagle, the size of a palm, and then picked up a stick with a tray and placed it on the table. He placed the eagle on the stick, and a magical scene appeared: this palm-sized eagle balanced steadily, supported only by its beak.

Zhu Yijun knew what this was; it was a toy called a "balancing eagle" in later generations.

The reason this eagle could float steadily on the wooden stick was that the actual center of gravity of the entire bird was at the tip of its beak.

"This is a clever trick from the hands of artisans; it is nothing rare. In all things, there is a point that does not exist, which is the center of gravity of an object. One only needs to find this center of gravity to allow all things to achieve balance without the interference of external forces," Zhang Juzheng said, speaking of the concept of the center of gravity—a point that does not exist but actually exists, which is the center of gravity.

"I understand." Zhu Yijun had Zhang Hong pick up a wooden stick. He tried several times and found the center of gravity. The wooden stick stopped steadily on his hand. When the wind blew, the wooden stick fell. Zhang Juzheng had said it very clearly: without the interference of external forces. Obviously, wind is an external force.

Zhang Juzheng took out a very fun item. This thing was very common; Zhu Yiliu had loved playing with it for the past two years. It was a tumbler.

"To prevent the grain transport ships from sinking, we used grain transport boxes. Granular cargo can all be loaded using grain transport boxes; they are durable." Zhang Juzheng spoke of the grain transport boxes he had created earlier and continued, "Your Majesty, grain transport ships usually have ballast stones, which lower the center of gravity and facilitate the stability of the ship."

Zhang Juzheng took out a model of a ship, threw it into the water, and gently flicked the mast. The ship began to sway. He then picked up two long iron rods and put them into the ship's hold. He flicked the mast again, and the ship's sway decreased.

"Lowering the center of gravity can effectively prevent ships from rocking or capsizing." Zhang Juzheng had already demonstrated the importance of ballast stones through practice. Then he took out a new model. This model had an iron bottom and a wooden top, spliced together.

"This all-wooden ship and this half-steel, half-wooden ship are the same in weight, but their stability in the water is completely different." Zhang Juzheng explained in detail the design differences between the steel-wood spliced ship and the wooden ship, and placed both in the water to begin demonstrating their stability.

"Adding lead to the bottom saves space while increasing stability." Zhang Juzheng proposed a new design for stabilizing sea-going grain transport ships.

Lead-bottom ballast design.

"When the volume of all things is the same, their weights are different. Taking water as the standard, at the same volume, lead is 11.4 times heavier than water, while the specific gravity of stone is generally between 2.8 and 3." Zhang Juzheng spoke of what he had been doing recently: determining specific gravity.

It was taking water as a reference. At the same volume, the ratio of the weight of all things to the weight of water—the reason for using water as a ratio was entirely because of sea transport. Imperial Uncle Zhu Zaiyu discovered that the buoyancy of an object is mainly related to its displacement.

All research was being pushed forward in an orderly manner under the leadership of the Academy of Sciences. Zhang Juzheng believed that the Imperial Academy of Sciences would become the most shining star on the land of the Great Ming.

"Is the Master planning to pursue the infinite principles of all things and become a hermit outside the world?" Zhu Yijun said helplessly.

A hermit is a capable person who does not serve in the court. They travel everywhere, much like the travelers in the great travels of the West. The biggest problem with hermits is that they are not used by the state. If Zhang Juzheng really became a hermit outside the world, Zhu Yijun would truly lose his Prime Minister.

"After the mourning period, I will continue to serve Your Majesty loyally." Zhang Juzheng answered this question directly. He would only be a hermit for twenty-seven months; after that, he would continue to serve the Emperor. This was the original agreement. Of course, both the Emperor and Zhang Juzheng had the power to unilaterally break the agreement.

Zhang Juzheng hesitated, sat under the starlight, and after much hesitation, said, "Your Majesty, I have recently seen a strange phenomenon."

"The Yongding Official Factory is not far from where I am. The official factory is fine, but these private workshops are always a bit strange. Originally, the proprietor, shopkeeper, and employees were all hired, but these private workshops have recently begun to change. The proprietor is no longer a proprietor but a father; the shopkeeper is no longer a shopkeeper but a biological son; the employee is no longer an employee but an adopted son."

"It's as if parents gave birth to a son and the son needs to be filial. These adopted sons work in the workshop, and their labor compensation is just a bowl of rice, yet they still have to be grateful."

"This trend seems to have come from the powerful and wealthy adopting sons. The Great Ming forbids slaves, so to avoid being dealt with by the court, they use adopted sons and daughters as substitutes. This bad practice of being family members in name but slaves in reality has spread to the private workshops."

Zhu Yijun listened for a long time and said suspiciously, "Daddy-style private workshops?"

"Your Majesty's summary is concise and clear!" Zhang Juzheng said immediately. The Emperor's summary was too refined. "Daddy-style private workshops" said everything he wanted to say. He shook his head and said, "Clearly it is a production relationship, yet it has turned into a family relationship. Under the name of family relationships, they exploit their labor income. This is the phenomenon I saw while I was at home observing mourning."

"Clearly it is the value created by the artisans' labor, yet it is exploited away."

Zhang Juzheng explained in detail the phenomenon he saw. A fifteen-year-old boy enters a workshop as an apprentice, first worships the proprietor as his father, and then worships the master. Every morning he has to offer a cup of tea, and every night he has to kowtow. Morning and evening greetings are the etiquette. If he does one thing wrong, beatings and kicks are a matter of course.

There was an apprentice in a workshop who broke a dyeing vat. The dyeing vat cost 120 coins, and the dye cost three *qian* of silver. After being beaten and kicked, he committed suicide that night.

This case was sent to the county hall, but it was left unsettled because he was an adopted son, so two *qian* of silver were given for a hasty burial.

The income created by this apprentice was all eaten up by the proprietor and the shopkeeper. The proprietor beat and scolded the apprentice. Zhang Juzheng witnessed a proprietor making people stand in two rows early in the morning, giving each person two slaps, and then everyone knelt down and shouted: "Thank you, Proprietor, for the meal."

"The reason they disguise themselves as father and son is to facilitate exploitation, shaping a kind of atmosphere where being able to work is a favor. This trend has become widespread," Zhang Juzheng said with great concern. "If the court intervenes, these proprietors have a response: they directly release these apprentices. The apprentices have nothing to do and will naturally gather to cause trouble."

If you don't manage these private workshops, they will give you "Daddy-style private workshops." If the court manages them, they will immediately lay off staff to increase efficiency, making people lose their jobs and have no way to survive. If you don't manage, it will be chaotic; if you manage, it will die. This is very similar to the administration of officials.

Zhu Yijun exhaled a turbid breath and said, "The world is vast, where is there no place to eat a meal?"

"I plan to build a city in Rehe. This place is accessible from all directions. If it is connected with the Quanning Guard and the Daning Guard, forming a mutually supportive position, it can cut off the connection between the Northern Tatars and the Eastern Jurchens."

"Building a city in Rehe needs people, repairing roads in the Daning Guard needs people, reclaiming land in Liaodong needs people, and the official factories also need people. Everywhere needs people. If you can't work in this place, just change to another place. The world is vast, there is always a place to eat!"

"What does Your Majesty plan to do?" Zhang Juzheng asked with a smile.

Zhu Yijun pondered for a long time and said, "First, start with the *Great Ming Collected Statutes*. A father is a father, and children are children. As for these adopted sons and daughters, as long as there are biological children, they will no longer be recognized at the legal level. A father is not a father, and a son is not a son—what kind of thing is this?"

"What if it is a entrustment? If parents pass away and they are unable to make a living, they can only entrust them to others. How should we deal with that?" Zhang Juzheng asked immediately. He was reminding the Emperor that this method was good, but it was only good; some things treat the symptoms but not the root cause.

"What does the Master think?" Zhu Yijun frowned slightly and began to think. Indeed, the implementation of the decree was full of difficulties. In this day and age, seeking refuge was very common. The birth of these adopted sons and daughters had certain social reasons.

"Your Majesty, think slowly." Zhang Juzheng just wouldn't say what idea he had, letting the Emperor think of a way himself. The care and protection of adults would eventually have to be let go. The Emperor had to learn to face these storms himself and grow strong.

Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment, his eyes lit up, and he said, "Then don't prohibit adopted sons and daughters, but allow adopted sons and daughters to inherit the family business. In this way, the powerful and wealthy cannot be so unscrupulous in adopting sons and daughters."

"On the surface, their adopted sons and daughters are family members, so in terms of interests, they will also become real family members."

"Your Majesty is wise," Zhang Juzheng said very sincerely. This kind of trick was actually a trick used to death in history. For example, the famous "Order of Favor" of the Western Han Dynasty had this core logic. Only by joining the distribution of interests can they become a real family.

The powerful and wealthy can adopt as many as they want, and the court will support the adopted sons in crying out for grievances and dividing the family property.

Being used to death doesn't mean it's not easy to use.

"Hmm, that's not enough." Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Juzheng and said very definitely, "In these manual workshops, artisans lack a kind of power when facing the powerful and wealthy—a power to bargain with the workshop proprietor, a power that makes the workshop proprietor tremble with fear."

"The 'Great Foreman' should organize the artisans to bargain with the proprietor."

The "Great Foreman" is the leader among the artisans. This Great Foreman is almost the same as the Great Chief in the mountain stronghold.

Zhang Juzheng said immediately, "What if the powerful and wealthy bribe the Great Foreman, and the Great Foreman and the powerful and wealthy collude? Wouldn't this Great Foreman be a mere figurehead? Just like when the 'Grain Chief' was established during the Hongwu period, later this Grain Chief and the gentry colluded to bully the common people, and the common people were full of complaints and had no way to deal with it."

Zhu Yijun fell silent. Saying it is easy, but doing it is too difficult. Zhang Juzheng's successive questions made Zhu Yijun ponder.

Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment and said, "There should be a place for artisans to cry out for grievances. This Great Foreman should exist among the people, and the court should also have one. Only then can it be from the bottom up and from the top down. The Tax Inspection Office can only inspect taxes, so we must set up another one."

"It's very difficult, but it still has to be done."

"Your Majesty is wise," Zhang Juzheng bowed and said. The Emperor was finally able to handle state affairs. His ability was completely sufficient. He had responsibility and ability. Even if these institutional designs still had many drawbacks, they all needed to come from practice and then go back to practice.

The night talk between Zhang Juzheng and Zhu Yijun was mainly about the problems Zhang Juzheng had been thinking about all along: distribution, the construction of the distribution system at the national level. Today was just a beginning. Zhang Juzheng would use this mourning period to perfect his ideas.

Zhu Yijun's stay at the Yicheng Earl's Mansion was entirely a temporary idea, a temporary decision. After he fell asleep peacefully, he was suddenly awakened by noise.

"Fire, fire!" Bursts of shouting came from outside. Footsteps, fire-extinguishing sounds, musket sounds, and the sound of metal colliding were endless.

"Your Majesty, someone is assassinating!" Zhang Hong rushed in immediately. In the entire bedroom, there were red-robed eunuchs nearby and red-helmeted guards outside, led by Zhu Yijun's sparring partners Zhao Zhenyuan and Luo Sigong.

Zhu Yijun stood up and said, "Get my armor! I want to see who exactly wants my life."

During the process of putting on the armor, Zhu Yijun kept thinking about a question: Was the main target of this assassination really him, the Emperor?

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(End of chapter)