Chapter 270

Ma Ma Ziqiang demanded reforms in official administration, beginning with officials, then clerks—all must be tested in arithmetic; those selected thus may not be paragons of loyalty to the throne and state, but at least they possess more deference than base Confucians.

Sun Sun Piyang's lottery system for appointments aimed solely at pleasing no one; regarding appointments of Ming Jinshi, everyone wanted a share of this meat, and no matter how you divided it, it was uneven—so they simply drew lots: if you drew a fertile land and filled your coffers, that was fate; if you drew a barren land and suffered daily harassment by unruly commoners until your scalp ached, that too was fate.

This muddy compromise method began under Sun Sun Piyang's tenure as Minister of Personnel and persisted until the end of the Qing dynasty.

Muddying the waters was a common corrupt practice in officialdom: it blurred standards, allowing everyone to fish in troubled waters, exploiting power for private gain—for instance, in selecting clerks, even when the court imposed extremely strict examination standards that couldn't be cheated, they simply changed the criteria to let their own dogs eat imperial grain—like introducing oral interviews: no matter how well you performed, what good did it do? In this world, connections truly mattered.

This was the advantage of obfuscation: enabling private gain.

During During Kangxi and Yongzheng's reigns, both emperors repeatedly sought to establish a Maritime Customs Office in Songjiang Prefecture to curb rampant smuggling and collect tariffs according to the Great Ming's Maritime Customs Office system; During Kangxi fought thrice, Yongzheng twice, yet none succeeded—until During Kangxi could only lament: "The gentry of Suzhou and Songjiang, eager to trade, fear that establishing a customs post would harm their interests; they seek to monopolize state revenue while exploiting the people, and adamantly refuse to set up a customs office—enough, enough."

In the end, it was merely "enough"—the Songjiang Maritime Customs Office was never established.

Ma Ma Ziqiang's examination method, especially the arithmetic test with a hundred-point scale requiring ninety to qualify for office, was an outright invitation to hatred—a move guaranteed to make people grit their teeth, for mathematics never lies: if you can't do it, you simply can't; using arithmetic to dismantle this ambiguity and looseness was a continuation of Zhang Zhang Juzheng's Examination of Performance spirit.

If the requirement that officials be evaluated by arithmetic was the first promise, then the second promise was to trace back to the source and purify the system.

Ma Ma Ziqiang meant that to cleanse officialdom, one must start at the root: continue advancing Zhang Zhang Juzheng's reform agenda; before evaluating the provincial education commissioners, one must first select them—and the selection method was also examination, but this time including Contradiction Theory and arithmetic, again on a hundred-point scale, requiring ninety to pass; only those who passed arithmetic could oversee regional education.

Ma Ma Ziqiang's reasoning was clever: if provincial education commissioners were driven to distraction by Contradiction Theory and arithmetic, then students across the land would likewise be driven to distraction; since I got soaked in the rain, there's no reason you should still hold up an umbrella to stay dry.

Ma Ma Ziqiang's second initiative was also part of the educational reform; Zhu Zhu Yijun, after reading it, felt profound emotion: in history books, the reputation of Ming's eminent officials might become even more foul than the clay-faced Three Grand Secretaries and paper-hung Six Ministers of the During Chenghua era; Ma Ma Ziqiang's legacy as a villain was already sealed.

Zhu Zhu Yijun annotated Ma Ma Ziqiang's memorial with words of encouragement.

Ma Ma Ziqiang refused to kneel while serving as an eminent official.

"Your Majesty, what should we do with Liu Liu Qiuniang?" Feng Bao was uncertain; today His Majesty summoned Liu Liu Qiuniang—could it be that His Majesty, ignoring the countless beauties in the harem, intends to seek amusement elsewhere?

Liu Liu Qiuniang was indeed beautiful, with an excellent figure, but if she became pregnant, the eldest son of the Great Ming emperor born to a courtesan would inevitably become a black mark on the emperor—even if she were merely a palace maid.

"Feng Bao! I made myself perfectly clear: I merely inquired about her livelihood, concerned for the lives of the workers at the Yongding and Yongsheng woolen mills; she is a worker, which is why I summoned her—no action is needed." Zhu Zhu Yijun understood Feng Bao's concern: Emperor Yingzong Zhu Zhu Qizhen had once broken his word, releasing the daughter of a battalion commander from Miyun Garrison to live with relatives; she married another, yet Yingzong later tried to bring her into the harem, causing chaos—Feng Bao naturally must be cautious.

Zhu Zhu Yijun paused, then explained in detail: "Do you know why I specifically summoned her? Because she was originally a courtesan at Yanxing Tower. Haven't you noticed? As people's livelihoods grow harder, the number of courtesans in Dongsi Dongsi Hutong increases; the worse the livelihood, the more prosperous the brothels become."

"Ah, ah, ah! Indeed it is! Your Majesty sees through things as clearly as daylight!" Feng Bao was stunned—he had never noticed this; His Majesty always had strange yet perfectly reasonable quantitative standards, like this link between livelihood and brothel prosperity.

This was easy to understand: when livelihoods are hard, people struggle to survive, yet they must survive—so becoming a courtesan in Dongsi Dongsi Hutong, or finding a madam to become a foster mother and work in various brothels, becomes a way to live.

When livelihoods are hard, it is also the time for powerful elites and wealthy merchants to hoard wealth, seizing land and production assets during famines, then indulging in luxury—of course, the brothels become busy.

"Indeed, how did I never think of this?" Feng Bao finally understood why His Majesty summoned Liu Liu Qiuniang—to observe the state of Great Ming's livelihood through a sample; since His Majesty had no romantic intentions, Feng Bao could now handle Liu Liu Qiuniang's case with ease.

Feng Bao said earnestly: "Your Majesty, I still remember the Western City's courtesan Meiniang, who went to great lengths to please Uncle Zhao to buy her freedom, but Uncle Zhao, dissatisfied with her service, threw her into freezing snow and nearly killed her."

"Managing the imperial estates, I visit Yanxing Tower every month and find the so-called fairies have all changed; turnover is enormous—these fairies either earn enough, or a wealthy patron wants to keep them as a concubine, or they're killed by patrons, or die of illness, or miscarry from unknown pregnancies and don't survive."

Brothel turnover is immense; people come and go for countless reasons—for instance, if a patron kills a courtesan, brothel owners and madams all tacitly accept it to avoid disrupting business.

If you regularly visit brothels and return a month later, familiar faces are all replaced by new ones—this is a defining feature of the trade.

"Recently, there haven't been many new faces in the brothels," Feng Bao smiled. "The Textile Bureau and woolen factories—other than that, at least we know whether women entering this lowly trade are reduced to low status or still treated as human beings."

Downward mobility is not freedom.

Becoming a courtesan in Dongsi Dongsi Hutong or working in brothels reduces one to low status, and low status is essentially slavery: when the court investigates cases, if a person of low status accuses a commoner, the low-status person must first receive fifty strokes of the "intimidation stick."

Low-status people are not human; the Qing dynasty's benevolent policies included abolishing low status, yet in practice, low status persisted—those who were freed from low status remained despised; even if they accused commoners, they still received beatings.

Zhu Zhu Yijun had once considered abolishing low status but ultimately did not proceed—not because of resistance, but because it was unnecessary; Contradiction Theory had taught Zhu Zhu Yijun that contradiction is universal, dual-faced, opposing yet unified—that is the fundamental principle of all things.

For instance, earlier, Wan Shihé and Ma Ma Ziqiang petitioned for chastity arches; low status—these are indeed dross, yet they serve a positive role in regulating social contradictions.

When Wang Daoqun first assumed the post of Provincial Governor of Songjiang and began organizing the Maritime Customs Office, he was immediately smeared with accusations of spending nights in respectable homes; Wang Daoqun could only resolve it by taking a concubine, ending the matter hastily. If courtesan low status were abolished, such accusations of adultery would become impossible to clarify, and judicial obstacles would arise: if a courtesan went to the Southern Yamen to accuse someone of rape, how would the county magistrate interrogate her?

Feng Bao understood the brothel industry well: once full of guests, now brothels were filled with familiar faces—often ugly, unskilled in singing, playing, or dancing, and with terrible tempers.

The reasons for this phenomenon were complex: first, fewer workers; second, declining business—few were like the oil peddler Qin Cheng, who saved for years to visit brothels; powerful elites were too busy making money.

Silver blockage caused localized devaluation, forcing powerful elites to find ways to increase their wealth.

Powerful elites hated change—whether good or bad; for them, change was the worst thing.

Zhu Zhu Yijun began his busy New Year: the Grand Secretariat came first to pay New Year greetings, then court ministers, then imperial officials; each submitted a New Year memorial, praising the emperor's reign for favorable weather and submitting memorials on the dangers of corruption to the state.

The inner palace was also busy: Empress Dowager Li and Empress Dowager Chen, accompanied by the newly selected Empress and concubines, received the wives of officials; Wang Yao's conduct was extremely proper, with no transgressions; Empress Dowager Li and Empress Dowager Chen highly approved of this daughter-in-law.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhu Yijun felt something odd—just as when he first arrived in Great Ming, he had been cautious, avoiding any transgression; now Wang Yao's most urgent matter was her wedding; after becoming Empress, could Wang Yao remain so docile?

With thirty-six beauties remaining in the harem, Wang Yao agreed to come observe—she was clearly no ordinary woman.

On the first day of the New Year, Zhu Zhu Yijun led court officials to sacrifice at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, where he, with Zhu Zhu Yilou, offered incense and replaced offerings to the ancestors of Great Ming.

"General Qi achieved a great victory in Daining Garrison, driving Tumeng Khan out of Liaodong; thus Liaodong's contradictions became simple: for the Eastern Yi and Northern Barbarians to merge, they must first breach the Great Xianbei Pass; with the Eastern Yi's Nurhachi's strength, facing Great Ming's steady advance, they have no capacity to resist."

"The establishment of the Nagasaki Governor's Office and the stability of the Luzon Governor's Office are the best news of this year's sea opening; King Shang Jiu of Ryukyu refuses to accept my terms; I shall see how he copes with Japanese pirates next year—if he fully aligns with them, this non-conquered state must be conquered—this is the foundation of Great Ming's maritime power."

"The Kong family in Yanzhou lacks deference; I detest them. I hope Ling Ling Yunyi's land survey proceeds smoothly; I've given them face once, twice—I won't give it a third time. If they refuse to be dignified, I will help them be dignified."

"The Western Mountain assassination attempt targeted the Master as the primary goal; sowing discord between me and the Master was secondary. This move was masterful; my response was adequate—had I faltered even slightly, the reform might have ended abruptly; if the reform turned into factional strife, it would cease. Fortunately, I still possess some talent."

"The Master is in mourning; I have built the Yicheng Marquis's mansion outside the Western Mountain Imperial Tombs; this venerable ancestor, stationed at Western Mountain to suppress the qi, benefits Great Ming. Some ministers claim the Master plans to usurp the throne and twist my head like a ball—if such a day comes, and the Master and General Qi join forces to twist my head, let them twist it; I accept defeat."

"I suppose the Master is reluctant to leave."

Before the portraits of Great Ming's emperors, Zhu Zhu Yijun recounted the events of Emperor Wanli Year Five—an annual performance review, reporting to the Zhu family emperors what he had done; from a cabinet in the side hall of Zhao Wenhua Hall, he took out several books—these were this year's reforms.

Historians calculate the late Ming period as beginning in Emperor Wanli Year Thirteen.

After that, the old order was completely shattered, and the new order still brewing; the emperor lost his sacred legitimacy from legal authority, and subjects no longer universally recognized or supported Great Ming—that is late Ming: after Emperor Wanli Year Thirteen, neither emperor nor ministers possessed the power or belief to save the world, nor any political authority figure; the court entered the era of factional strife, with no remaining strength to reverse societal decay.

This is late Ming.

Late Ming did not begin with Zhang Zhang Juzheng's death in Emperor Wanli Year Ten, but with Emperor Wanli Emperor's purge of Zhang Zhang Juzheng in Emperor Wanli Year Twelve, abolishing all reforms; that year, another event occurred: Emperor Wanli Emperor began constructing his own imperial tomb, with projected costs exceeding eight million taels; without Zhang Zhang Juzheng's restraint, Emperor Wanli Emperor grew complacent, court deliberations ceased, memorials became perfunctory, and state affairs decayed.

Zhu Zhu Yijun smiled brightly before the portraits of Great Ming's emperors; he still had confidence to lead Great Ming forward—at least he wouldn't fare worse than the historical Emperor Wanli era.

Behind him, Zhu Zhu Yilou silently listened to all this; whether it was easy to be a foolish emperor who merely ate and waited to die, he didn't know—but being a wise emperor was truly exhausting.

"Brother, isn't it easier to be a foolish emperor?" Zhu Zhu Yilou spoke freely, asked questions directly—after all, the emperor himself now taught him.

"No, not at all easy," Zhu Zhu Yijun waved his hand repeatedly. "Look at Grandfather: for the first twenty years, he was the Great Sage Equal to Heaven; for the next twenty-five, he endured immense hardship—the court was bankrupt, the emperor lived in Wang Xiyuan, Guanghan Palace was dilapidated, state affairs trembled like a leaf; the Altan Khan invaded the northwest, Japanese pirates plagued the southeast—everywhere he was humiliated. As a wise emperor, at least you can still act; as a foolish emperor, whatever you do, people spit in your face."

"Look—Hai Rui scolded Grandfather; didn't Grandfather have a single retort?"

"That's true," Zhu Zhu Yilou pondered carefully, then nodded. "It's more satisfying to be the Great Sage Equal to Heaven; being the Victorious Fighting Buddha is like living as a stone."

"Exactly—being a foolish emperor, your thoughts are blocked," Zhu Zhu Yijun patted Zhu Zhu Yilou's small head, smiling broadly.

Actually, being a prince was most enjoyable—the emperor is my brother; as long as I don't overstep, isn't it all free rein? Zhu Zhu Yilou didn't voice this thought—he was now the de facto crown prince; if the emperor had no heir, he would have to shoulder the empire; he didn't want to disappoint his brother by appearing to lack ambition.

People are lazy; why strive desperately if one can live aimlessly and eat in peace?

Zhu Zhu Yijun left the Imperial Ancestral Temple and received a courier report: Qi Qi Jiguang, Ma Fang, Li Li Rusong, Liu Liu Yingjie, and Liang Liang Menglong, returning from the campaign in Huining Garrison, sent New Year greetings and thanked the emperor for rewarding the troops—the reward was potatoes and beef, giving rise to the dish: potato stewed with beef.

The beef totaled only three thousand catties; the rest was potato stewed with pork; whether beef or pork, it was the emperor's heartfelt gesture—a Weiwen to frontline soldiers.

Due to the victories at Huining and Song Yingchang, Zhu Zhu Yijun decreed that the Aoshan Lantern Festival be moved up three days; the Wumen gate became lively on the third day of the New Year; the Aoshan Lantern Festival merged with the Lantern Festival—rarely seen grandeur in Great Ming—but Zhu Zhu Yijun, to avoid rewarding artisans, still chose to appear briefly and leave.

This year's Aoshan Lantern Festival was even livelier, for a giant sky-observing telescope stood outside Wumen; anyone could apply to view the comet crossing the sky.

After the Great Comet appeared, the most popular product from the imperial estates shifted from armchairs and dragon's saliva incense to telescopes: a twenty-power telescope cost three taels of silver; a forty-power telescope cost ten taels; the imperial estates assigned specialists to calibrate and install them.

Forty-power telescopes sold in the thousands; a nationwide movement to observe the Great Comet's passage reached its peak during the New Year; all who gazed at the stars pondered one question: did celestial beings truly dwell in the heavens?

The forty-power telescope clearly revealed the moon's outline and its cratered surface—no Chang'e Palace, no Wu Gang, no jade rabbit; it became easier to accept that the earth was a sphere.

Naturally, under the Royal Academy of Natural Philosophy's guidance, concepts gradually emerged: Earth, Earth's axis, the cause of seasonal changes; a debate even overshadowed the comet's arrival: whether Earth or the Sun was the center of the universe—many argued fiercely, faces flushed!

Zhu Zhu Yijun loved this commotion; he and Wang Yao secretly hid in Zhao Wenhua Tower, the palace's highest point, using telescopes to watch the city's bustle; the Fengwang Palace hosted a grand banquet; after nine cups of ritual wine, Zhu Zhu Yijun departed; in the side hall of Fengwang Palace, the two Empress Dowagers and the ladies conversed; Wang Yao, not yet formally crowned Empress, was unsuitable for constant public exposure; a pair of perfect lovers, hidden on Zhao Wenhua Tower, observed all of the capital.

The Aoshan lantern was a three-zhang-tall giant lantern cart, adorned with colorful palace lanterns; occasionally, fireworks burst from the Aoshan, exploding in the sky, illuminating the faces and smiles of the celebrants.

The east wind at night blooms a thousand trees of flowers; further winds blow them down like rain of stars.

Zhu Zhu Yijun and Wang Yao spoke of matters: he railed against base Confucians' harm to the state—they occupied positions without contributing, and when others worked, they still cursed—utterly unreasonable; Wang Yao spoke of trivial matters at the Academy of Natural Philosophy: Zhang Zhang Juzheng's son Zhang Zhang Siwen and top scholar Jiao Hong quarreled fiercely over an issue, even coming to blows.

"Aren't Zhang Zhang Siwen and Jiao Hong friends? Jiao Hong even held the membership card of the Hubei Association—how could he quarrel with Zhang Zhang Siwen? Even fight?" Zhu Zhu Yijun asked, stunned—he couldn't imagine two refined scholars fighting.

"When arguments grow fierce, they fight; when they can't resolve it, they keep arguing; after fighting, they regret it; if not for the Prince's mediation, they still wouldn't speak," Wang Yao's eyes smiled into crescents; the Academy of Natural Philosophy found the fight fascinating—it was so unusual.

Zhu Zhu Yijun remarked thoughtfully: "They've reconciled, then."

Zhu Zhu Yijun and Wang Yao chatted, while downstairs Zhang Hong and Feng Bao argued: they disagreed on ancestral rules for the palace; Zhang Hong believed palace rules must be strictly enforced—any violator must be punished; Feng Bao believed rules must be followed, but also require flexibility.

Their dispute began when a junior eunuch and a palace maid formed a "duishi" couple; "duishi" was a clever term: the eunuch had no genitals, so no true marriage, yet to relieve loneliness, "duishi" could suffice.

While in "duishi," they accidentally overturned a candlestick, igniting a room in the corridor; according to palace rules, both should be thrown into a well; but Feng Bao's punishment was twenty strokes each, sparing them.

"We guard His Majesty—no slackness allowed; they're not your disciples—why protect them? If the Empress Dowager or His Majesty finds out, you'll be in trouble, hmph," Zhang Hong sneered.

"How do you know the Empress Dowager and His Majesty don't know? This punishment was His Majesty's order; if you tighten the reins too much, the horse dies from strangulation—don't speak nonsense if you don't understand," Feng Bao said smugly; Zhang Hong's ignorance proved Feng Bao, the old ancestor, still held authority.

"His Majesty knows?" Zhang Hong was stunned—he had assumed Feng Bao acted alone; apparently not.

Feng Bao chuckled: "Why don't you go ask him?"

"Why? Why did His Majesty spare them?" Zhang Hong was baffled.

"Do you understand balance? His Majesty instructed me to balance rigor and leniency; exposing small problems daily prevents major failures; relentless pressure only breeds resentment," Feng Bao cited the emperor's admonition.

What counts as "major"? Anything involving His Majesty is major; anything not involving him shouldn't be overly harsh; continuously exposing small issues ensures greater flexibility in major matters—this echoes the historical lesson of the Emperor Jiajing Twenty-first Year's Palace Coup.

Unrelenting severity breeds only resentment; when resentment accumulates, it explodes.

Moreover, the purpose of being lenient on minor matters is to screen for hidden dangers, finding palace vulnerabilities to prevent major incidents.

Zhang Hong pondered deeply: if daily strictness led a palace maid to poison the emperor's wedding wine—even if His Majesty survived—if Wang Yao died before his eyes, he would become a cold stone; the emperor's misfortune would become the palace's misfortune, the capital's misfortune, the empire's misfortune.

Recently, a palace maid stole wine from the imperial wine house; due to strict palace security, she couldn't sell the imperial liquor, likely drank it privately; Feng Bao didn't punish her severely—didn't throw her into a well—but the leak made him more vigilant about the wine house's management.

Balance—excessive severity leads to the Emperor Jiajing Palace Coup.

Wanting everything leads to nothing; Feng Bao only cared for the safety of the palace's nobles.

"You should learn," Feng Bao chuckled; the second ancestor is still the second ancestor; to become the old ancestor, you have a long way to go.

Firecrackers crackle bidding farewell to the old year; fireworks bloom welcoming the new spring.

The Ministry of Rites again demanded the emperor personally go to the eastern suburbs to welcome the Green Emperor—the Spring Festival; the Spring Festival ceremony was also a sacrifice; Zhu Zhu Yijun dispatched Grand Sacrificer Xu Xu Wenbi to perform it.

After the Spring Festival ceremony, government offices ended their rotating duty and resumed work; the emperor arrived at Zhao Wenhua Hall to resume court hearings.

Lu Lu Diaoyang sat at the far left, opened a memorial, cleared his throat, then solemnly said: "The Ministry of Personnel proposes: abolish the practice of appointing officials by imperial decree and the sale of honorary titles."

"Since the During Zhengtong era, Great Ming established honorary officials; recently, the price for such appointments has been very low—regardless of status, paying forty taels grants a hat and sash, called 'honorary official.' They are assigned duties and exploit opportunities for profit. Thus, servants, slaves, beggars, and ruffians all borrow money to pay. All acts of arrogance and tyranny are their doing; in Changzhou County alone, from During Chenghua Year One to Hongzhi's reform, nearly three hundred paid—truly excessive."

Eradicating old abuses is a vital part of the reform.

The price for becoming a righteous official through payment was Great Ming's system of selling offices and titles, established since the During Zhengtong era, where one could obtain a hat and sash for just forty taels, and even receive an official posting with authority; this practice arose from greed and illicit profit, so many ruffians would take out loans to pay the fee, then, once granted their insignia, overstepped their bounds with arrogance and terrorized the countryside.

No one knows exactly how much was collected, because the money never passed through imperial accounts, and local records were a muddled mess—this was deliberate obfuscation; once official appointments became unclear, a gray zone emerged, and once obscured, anyone trying to clarify it faced a task as impossible as climbing to heaven.

Tightening the entrance for official appointments is this year's core focus in governance, and it is extremely important; the court does not investigate thoroughly because it knows investigation is futile, so it simply abolishes the practice outright to cut off future problems.

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(End of chapter)