Chapter 525: The God Who Controls the Great Ming Calendar

Lin Fucheng analyzed the issue of distinguishing Jinshi enrollment by background from two angles: the angle of absolute freedom and the angle of limited freedom.

Standing from the angle of absolute freedom to view this issue, of course, it should be supported, as it facilitates the annexation of power.

Because of the absolute top-down oppression of the class system, claiming poverty and misattributing one's identity would become a universal phenomenon. The definition of the two words "humble origins" would soon be thoroughly alienated under absolute freedom, ultimately completing the blockade of the humble's path to advancement. The most intuitive manifestation of this was the fundamental destruction of the Ming's administrative power by the "Master-Disciple" system.

Standing from the angle of limited freedom to view this issue, of course, it should be opposed, and firmly opposed, because in the current situation where rites and teachings are strict, the examination is already the only relatively fair path to promotion, which can realize class leap and become one of the top-level buildings of the official-selected officialdom from a poor family.

This is the two angles from which Lin Fucheng views this issue, which is why he said Zhang Xigao is a swindler who steals fame, and the interrogation is to make Zhang Xigao fall into the dead end of this debate.

To admit the universality of misattributing identity is to negate one's own viewpoint; to deny the universal existence of misattributing identity is to deny one's own life, thus becoming a "base scholar."

The standard for lowly Confucian scholars in the Great Ming has the "Memorial on the Common Diseases of Scholars" set by Zhang Juzheng. This memorial lists many characteristics of lowly Confucian scholars, but the most important of them is the word "empty." Discussing problems based on practical implementation, consistency, and honesty is not a lowly Confucian scholar. Not based on honesty is a lowly Confucian scholar.

This is a very clear boundary, so Lin Fucheng was able to successfully win the victory of this debate.

"Why is Master Lin's 'Gaoyang Travelogue' no longer updated?" Zhu Yijun asked about the update of "Gaoyang Travelogue." It was fine, but suddenly he stopped writing travelogues and started writing his own theory of freedom again, which made Zhu Yijun very strange.

"Can't write anymore. If he continues to write, he can't protect himself. He wants to write about officials forcing the people to rebel." Wang Qian explained in a low voice why he didn't write it. It was really not easy to write.

Zhu Yijun nodded sincerely when he heard this: "Then it can't be written. He is not convenient to discuss this issue."

The topic of "officials forcing the people to rebel" is actually "rebellion is justified," which is an important content in Zhang Juzheng's four natural deductions. Even the second volume of the extremely bold class theory, which discusses distribution and systematically demonstrates that rebellion is justified, Zhang Juzheng didn't write down this conclusion. Those who understand it won't promote it everywhere. Even Zhang Juzheng is taboo about this topic, let alone Lin Fucheng.

If he goes deeper, Lin Fucheng will really be arranged. Whether it is inviting him to drink tea or physically sealing his throat, it is a situation that Zhu Yijun does not want to see.

"Young Master Huang, in the future, it is better not to talk about things like the Grand General's Mansion giving and receiving privately in such occasions. It is not good for the Grand General's reputation." After Lin Fucheng won, he came to the private room of Zhu Yijun and Wang Qian. Lin Fucheng hesitated again and again before saying his thoughts.

The Grand General's reputation was ruined by Young Master Huang. How could he say directly, if it's broken, get another one!

Isn't this equivalent to splashing dirty water on the Grand General's Mansion? Doing bad things is quiet and secret. Doing it so publicly is inappropriate, although it was indeed the Grand General's Mansion that got him the official status.

Wang Qian explained: "This is the Grand General's intention. You don't understand the affairs of the court, so you don't need to say more."

Lin Fucheng is a mountain man after all, and he still doesn't understand the calculations of the high temple. The Grand General's self-defilement is to serve the Great Ming for a longer time.

"I really don't understand these." Lin Fucheng nodded and admitted his inadequacy.

Zhu Yijun looked at Lin Fucheng and said seriously: "Regarding the word 'freedom,' there has never been a clear and detailed definition. And now the Great Ming urgently needs a definition. Even the supporters of freedom, because the definition is not clear, have led to confusion in cognition. Although the words are the same, the content referred to is completely different. What is freedom?"

Lin Fucheng discussed freedom without giving a clear definition of freedom, which made freedom a bit chaotic. The extreme absolute freedom faction, the conservative limited freedom faction, and the lowly Confucian scholars who falsely use the name of freedom to seek private interests, all the chaos of the freedom faction stems from the confusion of the definition of freedom.

Now, it is time to clarify the meaning of freedom.

Lin Fucheng pondered for a long time and said: "Freedom, from the individual's point of view, is not being absolutely dominated by others' will. This is the most primitive definition of freedom. This definition is simple, even a bit vulgar, but considering that many times, it is often confused by trying to make it elegant, I think it is better to take its primitive definition as the standard."

"When Mencius discussed division of labor with agriculture, he already explained that people cannot exist without others, because a person cannot complete survival without having contact with others. Take salt as an example. People cannot not eat salt, and people living in the hinterland need salt-boiling households to boil salt, and also need merchants to sell it everywhere."

"The definition of freedom cannot be completely limited to the individual. Freedom is a relationship between people and people."

"Therefore, the complete definition of freedom is: when not infringing on others' interests, an individual has a private world unique to himself, within which others cannot interfere. And when it involves the interests between people and people, not harming others to benefit oneself, and not being harmed by others, is freedom."

From the two angles of individual and collective, that is, public and private, Lin Fucheng completed the definition of freedom.

Compared with the previous boundary of freedom: complying with the Great Ming law and the Great Ming's public order and good customs; the current boundary of freedom has become: not harming others' interests to benefit oneself, and not being harmed by others' interests.

You cannot shout the name of freedom to harm others' interests. This is exploitation, it is swindling, it is not freedom.

"Of course, this is only for the Great Ming. The freedom I discuss is only the freedom of the Great Ming people." Lin Fucheng made the greatest restriction on his definition, that is, all freedom belongs to the Great Ming people, and freedom only belongs to the Great Ming people.

Except for the Great Ming, the barbarians are not a problem for his freedom to discuss.

Lin Fucheng grew up in the distinction between Hu and Yi, and his theory of freedom has a very small scope, limited to the Great Ming.

The Ming had its own hands full; there was no time to care about others. A single major event like the abolition of the base slave status had already caused a mess involving the Oirats. Lin Fucheng had no time to worry about whether the foreigners lived or died, or whether they were free.

"Are the barbarians not people?" Zhu Yijun asked with a smile.

Lin Fucheng said as a matter of course: "The barbarians are of course people. Except for being short, the Japanese dissected by the Dissection Institute have no difference in characteristics. But the barbarians have their own collective. The freedom of the collective should be fought for and guarded by their own collective, not by the Great Ming's pity. The freedom of the Great Ming's pity is not freedom."

"Whoever discusses the interests and freedom of the barbarians and speaks for the barbarians is probably using this name to seek his own private interests, or rather, he himself is already a barbarian, not a Great Ming person."

The Great Ming freedom faction admits that barbarians are people, which is too progressive compared to the West, which was still arguing that Indians were monkeys and not people in the 19th century.

Lin Fucheng's theory of freedom based on public and private arguments believes that the freedom of the Great Ming collective is guarded by the Great Ming, so the collective interests and freedom of the barbarians are guarded by the barbarians themselves.

This is a point of view based on public and private arguments.

The Great Ming's pity can only provide limited help. Interests need to be guarded by oneself. For example, the Ma Liujia Kingdom was destroyed by the Red-Haired Barbarians. The Great Ming could only send envoys to order the Red-Haired Barbarians to return it. Even if they fight back to the Strait of Ma Liujia now, that is the Great Ming's Strait of Ma Liujia.

Lin Fucheng further said: "The antonym of freedom is naturally compulsion, and compulsion cannot be completely avoided, because classes are universal. Class is downward exploitation. If exploitation exists, compulsion exists."

"Then the only way to prevent excessive compulsion is forced deterrence, forced deterrence from the power of the State, and provisions of the law, to draw boundaries for the personal world that completely belongs to the individual, and to guarantee the limited freedom of the majority of the Great Ming people through the law."

Lin Fucheng's ideal country of freedom is a world of material abundance where everyone is free. Material abundance allows classes to disintegrate, and people do not need to exploit each other, because material abundance makes exploitation meaningless. If exploitation loses its meaning, then classes will disappear, and the ideal country of complete freedom will descend.

But Lin Fucheng knows that it is illusory, because his set of freedom theory is based on the material angle. From the perspective of complete material, the logic is self-consistent, but it lacks the most essential thing, people, or human nature.

Material abundance means complete freedom, which is human freedom. But this ideal country ignores human nature.

Look at Zhang Xigao. These powerful and wealthy local gentry even want to snatch the good name of enduring hardship!

It is not just the matter of impersonating the poor families. Countless local gentry and powerful and wealthy people always tell others how hard they are, how diligent they are, how they don't spare day and night, and how they endure hardship, never mentioning where their money comes from. They talk about their wealth myths, all relying on their own efforts!

The evil nature of human nature makes Lin Fucheng very clear that his ideal country of freedom is just an ideal country, and it is fundamentally impossible to appear in reality.

But the banner of this ideal country must still be held high. Then, in practical implementation, Lin Fucheng chose to surrender to authority, letting the power of the State that is above everything else guarantee the freedom between people, or rather, not such cruel, bone-knocking exploitation.

This is the only way he can think of to practice freedom.

"Placing hope in authority will face the cycle of 'when the person dies, the government ceases.' This is an irrational approach." Zhu Yijun agrees with Lin Fucheng's limited freedom theory, but he still reminds Lin Fucheng of the limitations of this limited freedom theory relying on authority.

Authority is human authority. When a person dies, all political decrees will be reversed. This is a point of view proven time and time again by countless historical cycles.

Zhu Yijun can only guarantee that "when Zhang Juzheng dies, the government will not cease," but who can guarantee that the results of the Wanli Reform can always be insisted upon? It requires great power, more social consensus, and more vested interest holders to maintain this result.

"But it is also the most suitable method so far. Didn't Your Majesty say? There is no best political decree, only a suitable political decree that adapts to the situation." Lin Fucheng quoted the Emperor's speech in the court gazette to support his point of view.

Zhu Yijun was a bit embarrassed. His words were quoted to his face, and he couldn't tear off his vest directly. It felt a bit like being hit by his own boomerang. The Great Ming is really full of boomerangs everywhere.

After chatting with Lin Fucheng for a long time, he asked about some details of the "Officials Forcing the People to Rebel" chapter, and determined that it was not suitable for Lin Fucheng to write this chapter, because Lin Fucheng's point of view was too radical. Some people in Baoding Prefecture who couldn't live were gathering in the mountains and forests and became wild people. When the government didn't persuade or recruit them, but went to suppress them as mountain bandits, the last link of "officials forcing the people to rebel" was completed, and the common people had to rise up.

If he really wants to write it, he must start from "The time is lost, both you and I will die." This length is not suitable for Lin Fucheng to start the discussion. Zhang Juzheng didn't dare to start this head, which shows that it really hit the fundamental problem of the county-prefecture imperial system, the universal existence of classes.

Zhu Yijun left the Taibai Building. This trip watched the fun, saw the embarrassment of the lowly Confucian scholar Zhang Xigao, saw Lin Fucheng's fierce attack, clarified the harm of the lowly Confucian scholars supporting distinguishing Jinshi enrollment by background, a political decree that looked beautiful but would be very bad if executed, and clarified the definition of freedom with Lin Fucheng. The Great Ming Emperor, who had gained a lot, returned to the Imperial Study of the Tonghe Palace with satisfaction.

As soon as he sat down, Zhang Hong walked in and bowed his head: "Your Majesty, His Highness the Prince of De is seeking an audience outside the hall."

"Summon."

"See Your Majesty. Is Your Majesty's holy body peaceful?" Zhu Zaiyu bowed his head and asked for peace.

The man who came in with Zhu Zaiyu was a man in his thirties. He looked extremely thin. Because he was tall and had a large frame, and was not very fat, he looked very thin. His eyes were shining with light, carrying a bit of firmness. He entered the door and kowtowed five times and bowed three times, and said respectfully: "This subject kowtows to see Your Majesty. Long live, long live, long live Your Majesty."

"I am peaceful. Excuse the salute. Sit down and talk." Zhu Yijun asked suspiciously: "This is..."

"Xing Yunlu, a Jinshi of the eighth year of Wanli, who was admitted to the Royal Academy of Things." Zhu Zaiyu introduced Xing Yunlu's background. A Jinshi of the Great Ming, who didn't want to be an official and ran to be a Five Classics Doctor, was no different from becoming a monk. Zhu Zaiyu thought for a moment and said: "Especially good at astronomy."

"Xing Yunlu, I have noted it down. Sit, sit, don't be restrained." Zhu Yijun nodded. He didn't know every Five Classics Doctor either.

"Xing Yunlu? Are you Xing Yunlu?"

Zhu Yijun repeated this name twice, and the more he heard it, the more familiar he felt. He had really heard of this name.

He immediately remembered who this person was. A local astronomer of the Great Ming, who refined the length of the tropical year to 365. days, which is 2.1 seconds different from the theoretical average length of the tropical year in later generations. In short, the god who controls the Great Ming calendar.

Guo Shoujing of the Yuan Dynasty was already a god-like figure. The calendar Guo Shoujing repaired was used for four hundred years and only differed by one day. The "Confucian Law Calendar" of the West deleted 10 days when it was revised in the tenth year of Wanli. Guo Shoujing was already very strong, and Xing Yunlu could correct the errors of Guo the God Guo Shoujing by using extremely primitive tools and observing for years as one day under the wave of the Great Ming banning the study of astronomy. It can be seen that his achievements in astronomy are.

"From Ansu, Baoding Prefecture, Northern Zhili?" Zhu Yijun looked at Xing Yunlu to confirm his native place, to see if it was the same name.

Xing Yunlu thought that the diligent Emperor was very familiar with the resume of the Five Classics Doctor, and hurriedly bowed his head: "Ansu, Baoding Prefecture."

That's it. There was only one person named Xing Yunlu among the Jinshi in the eighth year of Wanli.

"Hmm, good. What is the purpose of the Imperial Uncle's visit this time?" Zhu Yijun asked about Zhu Zaiyu's intention.

"We have discovered four errors in Guo Shoujing's Datong Calendar. Your Majesty, first of all, it must be explained that our calculations are not accurate either, and can only be said to be approaching the correct value." Zhu Zaiyu has always been extremely rigorous. Things are infinitely approaching one, but they are always on the road of precision.

Zhu Yijun took a deep breath, sat up straight, and said: "Imperial Uncle, you can start."

Zhu Zaiyu said: "The first error of these four errors is from ancient times. Before, we generally believed that the change of the shadow length of the sundial around the winter solstice was symmetrical, but after our extremely precise measurement, we found that the change of the shadow length around the winter solstice is not symmetrical. This error has existed since ancient times."

"The second error is that we previously believed that the change of shadow length within a day was uniform, but after detailed measurement, we found that this was not the case, which produced a new error."

"The third is Guo Shoujing's Four Seas Mapping, which did not consider the longitude difference, causing the difference in shadow length. At that time, there was only latitude, no longitude."

"The fourth error is the change in the length of each tropical year over three hundred years. Previously, it was generally believed that the time of each year was the same, but in fact, it has changed."

"Based on the correction of the above four errors, we obtained the length of the tropical year as 365.2422 days, which is 365 days, 24 ke, 22 fen, 51 miao, 13 hu, 30 si."

Zhu Zaiyu had tried his best to make his lecture easy to understand. He omitted the specific calculations of these four errors and the specific measurement algorithms, and gave the results directly.

The Great Ming has 100 ke in 1 day, 100 fen in 1 ke, and so on. Because the sexagesimal system of hours, minutes, and seconds has not yet been used to repair the new calendar, it has not yet been born.

"Then what caused these errors?" Zhu Yijun asked with great interest.

Zhu Zaiyu said extremely excitedly: "Under normal circumstances, we believe that the angle between the Earth's axis and the ecliptic plane is 66°34′. This was determined by Ulugh Beg, the King of the Timurid Kingdom, during the Yongle period. But in fact, this angle is also changing, changing between about 67°53′ and 66°34′, less than one degree. Moreover, the orbit of the Earth around the Sun, we found, is not a perfect circle, but an ellipse."

"Although I cannot prove it yet, the movements of Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Saturn I observed are all like this."

Zhu Zaiyu picked up a pencil, drew a rectangular coordinate system at will, drew an ellipse, described the origin as the Sun, and described the ellipse as the trajectory of planetary motion.

"The Sun is at the focus of the elliptical orbit, and the Earth moves around the Sun on this ellipse. When it is close to the Sun, the speed increases, and when it leaves, the speed decreases. It is extremely magical." Zhu Zaiyu said with incomparable excitement.

Zhu Yijun asked curiously: "Why is it an ellipse?"

"Uh, I don't know, I haven't thought of it yet." Zhu Zaiyu was stunned, and his excitement became a bit frustrated. This might be the pain of exploring the boundaries of the cognitive world. After breaking through a point, he found that countless problems were waiting for him. This road had no end at all.

"It's okay, just take your time." Zhu Yijun said with unfinished interest.

The content Zhu Zaiyu talked about, Zhu Yijun understood very well. It was the process of Kepler's discovery of the first law. The orbit of the Earth around the Sun is an elliptical orbit, not a perfect circle. Now Kepler should be at home helping his mother take care of the inn. Kepler's grandfather was the mayor of Stuttgart, but Kepler's father went to the Netherlands to participate in the Eighty Years' War of Dutch Independence and died there.

Kepler could only help his mother take care of the inn to maintain his livelihood.

Zhu Yijun asked: "Who discovered it?"

"It was Xing Yunlu. This is why I brought him here." Zhu Zaiyu grandly introduced this Xing Yunlu who turned from a Jinshi to a Five Classics Doctor. It was he who proposed the non-perfect circle but elliptical orbit, and it was also he who discovered the change of the Earth's axis. These two bold assumptions and careful verification made the Great Ming calendar more accurate.

"Then, let's publish it on the front page of the court gazette." Zhu Yijun decided to reward him with the glory he deserved. Usually, the front page headline of the monthly court gazette is the Emperor's imperial decree, and now Zhu Yijun put Xing Yunlu on the front page headline. The last time was the news of the small-scale mass production of 16 steam engines.

In the original historical line, Xing Yunlu's life was fighting for the Great Ming calendar that was no longer accurate.

Since Zhu Zaiyu submitted the memorial on the errors of the calendar in the twelfth year of Wanli, Xing Yunlu and the Imperial Observatory launched a long war lasting thirty-seven years around the calendar. Xing Yunlu relied on rough tools and himself to fight until the last moment of his life, but he still failed. After Xing Yunlu died, Xu Guangqi took over these results and continued to fight.

Until the second year of Chongzhen, Xu Guangqi finally defeated the stubborn Ministry of Rites and the corpse-eating Imperial Observatory, and officially began to repair the new Great Ming calendar book. In the seventh year of Chongzhen, the new calendar was completed. After it was repaired, it was still obstructed by the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Observatory. It was not until the sixteenth year of Chongzhen that it began to be implemented. The following year, the Chongzhen Emperor hanged himself on Coal Hill, and the Great Ming announced its formal demise.

The "Chongzhen Calendar Book" was almost deleted and finally became the "Shixian Calendar" of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, which was promulgated in the fourteenth year of Shunzhi.

"Then are you ready to repair the new calendar?" Zhu Yijun asked with full expectation: "What do you need to do, how much silver do you need, Imperial Uncle, don't be polite. In the matter of things, all I have is money."

Zhu Yijun wants to put more energy into government affairs, so the research of the Academy of Things can only be broken through by the Imperial Uncle leading the Great Ming Five Classics Doctors.

But Zhu Yijun has never been short of silver for the Academy of Things, but Zhu Zaiyu doesn't seem to be a person who is very good at spending money. The 1 million silver he asked for in the tenth year of Wanli has not been spent yet.

Zhu Zaiyu bowed his head and said: "The silver is enough, but four seas mapping is needed. The Academy of Things wants to observe in Wamagang, Jilin, Nagasaki, Mindanao, and Java. If conditions permit, mapping in the City of the Sun in the Mexico Viceroyalty, the Tierra del Fuego in Peru, and the City of Freedom in the West."

"To determine the accuracy of the calendar."

The Great Ming's silver still has extremely strong purchasing power at present. It is not that Zhu Zaiyu doesn't want more funds, but that he really can't spend it all.

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said: "Easy to say. I will communicate with Philip II to see what he wants. I will try my best to satisfy him. If he doesn't know what is good for him, I will beat him until he agrees."

The Great Ming is indeed very far from the West, but Philip II is not without enemies. If it really doesn't work, he will collude with England. Colluding with robbers is indeed ridiculous, but doing whatever it takes to achieve the goal is the first truth Zhang Juzheng taught Zhu Yijun. Good people should be good people, and don't be indecisive when in a high position.

Zhu Zaiyu left with the Emperor's promise. Nothing in the Great Ming is as useful as the Emperor's promise. This is the current consensus. Anything promised by the Emperor has never failed to be fulfilled, and the credibility of the Imperial Court has also been restored a lot with the Emperor's credibility.

Zhu Yijun took out the secret box under the table, checked the fire lacquer seal, and opened Governor Ling Yunyi's secret box. Inside was Governor Ling Yunyi's secret memorial.

Governor Ling Yunyi reported a piece of good news and a piece of bad news.

The good news is that the progress of land measurement and population census in Henan is much faster than imagined. On the day the vassal kings left, local powerful and wealthy people found the government office, crying bitterly, saying that the vassal kings had committed evil and forcibly occupied their land. Now that the vassal kings had finally left, their land could also be clarified.

The bad news is that the iron fist carefully prepared by Governor Ling Yunyi could not be thrown out. He had already accumulated full strength, but before he could throw it out, the other side knelt on the ground and surrendered. This continued pursuit seemed too demanding, and not continuing the pursuit meant the preparation was in vain.

The powerful and wealthy in Henan also had something to say. Henan and Shandong are adjacent. What Governor Ling Yunyi did in Guangzhou was all hearsay, but the news from Shandong happened right beside them. After waiting for so long, wasn't it just waiting for the vassal kings to move? If you don't surrender now, are you waiting for you to kill people?

The land measurement and population census in Henan will be completed before June. The abolition of the status of lowly slaves has already begun with the population census. The expansion speed of the engineer corps in Henan is accelerating. In just one month, it has expanded by more than 20,000 people. These people are reclaiming wasteland, mining, smelting iron and steel, and restoring production in Henan.

Cruel annexation destroyed production in Henan. The proportion of abandoned land in Henan exceeded 55%. This was a bad situation that Governor Ling Yunyi never thought of. Farmers in other places were on the verge of bankruptcy, while in Henan, nearly half of the farmers had already gone bankrupt, and countless people were displaced, migrating toward Shaanxi, Huguang, Sichuan, and Southern Yamen.

Zhu Yijun pondered for a long time and approved: 【When necessary, all available means can be used to solve the problem of wasteland.】

This is delegating power. The problem in Henan is much more serious than the Imperial Court imagined and requires more policy support.

When necessary, Governor Ling Yunyi can be given the power to act according to circumstances, allowing him to carry out limited land return in Henan to alleviate the contradiction between people and land, which is already urgent.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 526 =====