Chapter 588: The Iron Law of Public Opinion: Speculation is Fact

There are many ways to remonstrate.

There are those who carry coffins to remonstrate; Hai Rui scolded the Daoist Master, "Jiajing, Jiajing, every family is clean";

There are those who directly bump into it, such as in the second year of Longqing, when the late Emperor wanted 300,000 taels of silver, Zhang Juzheng just wouldn't give it;

There are those who take a detour, coaxing the Emperor to be happy, and then revealing the truth, such as Master Lin's model of the three mountains;

There are those who compete in acting, seemingly arguing, but actually reasoning.

These methods, in fact, all have one purpose: to blame Chen Shan and remonstrate with the Emperor.

This is not the first time Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu have acted in front of the Emperor. The reason why they competed in acting was to let the Emperor listen to them, and that increasing or reducing taxes was not appropriate.

If it were the beginning of the dynasty, setting ten tax five, and maximizing tax increase, it could indeed prevent annexation. Now that it has been annexed to the point where it cannot be annexed, increasing taxes is deliberately creating civil unrest; reducing taxes, or simply not collecting them, is abandoning the most people in the Great Ming.

The two Song Dynasties did not set up a field system and allowed annexation by the people, which was abandoning the people and choosing to share the world with the scholar-officials. The scholar-officials came from the local gentry and the powerful and wealthy class.

The interesting thing is also here. Whether it is increasing taxes or reducing taxes, it can present a high degree of similarity in the final result. They are all the same, making the people homeless and unable to get a night's sleep.

The only middle way is for someone to bear the infamy and be the villain.

"I was wondering when I read the 'Imperial Ming Ancestral Instructions' why the founding Emperor was so keen on strict laws. Today, I know that sometimes, it has to be done." Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu and said: "Since you want to do it, do it thoroughly. Since you have made a promise, you must fulfill it."

"The Single Whip Law is piloted in Songjiang Prefecture. Taking the population survey in the eleventh year of Wanli as an example, the population will be born and will never increase taxes, the field service will be equalized, silver will be collected by mu, and no increase in subjects is allowed. If there is any violation, it will not be forgiven, and the crime will be increased by three degrees."

Zhu Yijun gave a promise, which was divided into three parts.

The population will be born and will never increase taxes, which means that the land tax will not increase. According to the population in the eleventh year of Wanli, the head tax will be spread into the field. This is to encourage having children. The Great Ming has already implemented it in Gansu, and now there is one more pilot in Songjiang Prefecture;

The second part is the equalization of field service. This part of labor is incorporated into the field, which actually includes the gentlemen who were tax-exempt before. Various gentlemen with fame must also pay taxes, but it is an increase in land tax;

The third part is that no increase in subjects is allowed. Violators will be punished by increasing the crime by three degrees. This is already a very severe punishment. Originally, it was just dismissal. If you made a mistake in this matter, you would be exiled to Java; originally, it was a crime of exile to the border, and increasing the crime by three degrees would be beheading. If you committed a crime of beheading, it would be the extermination of the clan.

Strict laws, increasing the crime by three degrees, is the promise given by Zhu Yijun. Now Zhu Yijun's credibility is as firm as a rock.

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu stopped arguing and stopped being red-faced. The two bowed their heads and sang praises together.

It is not that Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu want the Emperor to bear the infamy, but that this matter can only be done by the Emperor. They can't do it, because they are part of the bureaucracy.

Increasing the crime by three degrees, if they do it, it will become a tool for party strife, and it will also be regarded as a tool for party strife.

They are both party leaders, the leaders of the Zhang Party and the Industrial Party.

Zhang Juzheng's "Examination Law," when it was first implemented, was also a tool for party strife, until the names were pasted and the bottom books were filled in, and the bottom books of the officials were put into the small box of the Wenhua Hall's official screen, which completed the institutional construction of the Examination Law.

And the key to the small box is in the Emperor's hands, which achieved relative fairness.

The Examination Law can get universal support, also because of the reason of pasting names. After the examination is publicized, it is filled in under the eyes of everyone.

"The country has lost great trust, and people's hearts are suspicious. This is a sentence that the Master often mentioned during the lecture. And Minister Wan wrote a memorial, specifically discussing how to prevent people's hearts from being suspicious." Zhu Yijun flipped through a thick notebook in his hand. Rather than a memorial, it was a professional book similar to "The Four Secrets of Wang Qian's Fortune."

The content of Wan Shihe's book is a lot. If it really needs to be summarized in one sentence, it is: face the questioning head-on. Covering the mouth is the most stupid way, because when things ferment to the point where they must be covered, they are already widely known.

This kind of behavior of covering the mouth is to confirm the authenticity of the event, and covering the mouth will make people who pay attention to this matter easily infer various possibilities through the process of covering the mouth. At this step, the matter is impossible to control.

Because the audience who pay attention to this matter, the various answers in their hearts, may be inferences based on clues, or may be fantasies without any basis, and the most likely is to put hats on according to their position, and the last possibility is very large.

The truth of the event and the event itself, at the moment of covering the mouth, have become unimportant.

Covering the mouth will definitely become a seed of suspicion, and then quickly take root and sprout, blossom and bear fruit, bringing more and greater disputes, and brewing more evil consequences.

This is the iron law of public opinion: speculation is fact.

As long as the thing of covering the mouth happens, then the possibility is established. In people's hearts, the fantasy without any basis is the fact.

Responding head-on is the only way to deal with it.

"The two of you, since you are here, don't go back empty-handed. One copy each, Minister Wan is also intentional." Zhu Yijun asked people to take two books written by Wan Shihe and let Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu take them back to read.

"Thank Your Majesty for the grace." Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu took the books back. Apart from pointing to the Wenyuan Pavilion, Wang Vice Minister never went to the Wenyuan Pavilion to sit in the class. Today, there was not much to do, so he took the book and sat in the Wenyuan Pavilion for half a day.

"Minister Wan, when did you become so powerful?" Wang Chonggu looked at Wan Shihe in surprise after reading a part.

"All rely on the holy teaching." Wan Shihe clearly answered this question. He was never powerful. What was powerful was the Emperor.

Wang Chonggu held his forehead and said helplessly: "What is the difference between you and that group of believers in the West, who talk about God's grace? I don't know what to say about you."

"Maybe it's because I read more books. If you read a book a hundred times, its meaning will be seen by itself." Wan Shihe gave another answer. He added: "Reading is also what the Emperor asked me to read."

As an imperial party, Wan Shihe attributed his personal struggle to the Emperor's teaching.

"Minister Wan, this makes people shut up. Since there are so many harms, and such things have happened again and again throughout the dynasties, why did they choose this method again and again?" Wang Chonggu

"Because of arrogance."

Wan Shihe drank a cup of tea and said calmly: "Whenever one chooses this method to make people shut up, it is actually a kind of arrogant indifference."

"Indifferent to what the silenced people have to say, indifferent to the thoughts of those whose interests are damaged, indifferent to the judgments of history—what if it brews even worse consequences? Even if it stirs up monstrous waves, it cannot damage him in the slightest."

"Because there is no need to be held accountable, therefore there is arrogance."

Since Wan Shihe wanted to offer advice to the Emperor, he naturally perfected his theory. Wang Chonggu hadn't seen the latter part yet, which was why he was confused; he had written it very clearly in the book.

No need to be held accountable, therefore indifferent, therefore arrogant.

"Speaking dryly is a bit too dry." Wan Shihe said with a smile: "Let's take an example, the previous case of banning mules in Emei County."

"The Emei County magistrate Zhao Wenchang did not care about the life or death of the porters, nor did he need to worry about their livelihood, because no matter how much the porters complained, they could only grumble, because they still had to live. So they could only choose to kill the mules and pick up their carrying poles to continue carrying loads up the mountain. So Zhao Wenchang was very arrogant, because the porters could not hurt him in the slightest."

"But those 'living Yama' were different. Those idle Yama who liked to point fingers everywhere could really hurt Zhao Wenchang, because if the demands of these 'living Yama' could not be met, Zhao Wenchang would have no way to get bribes from the powerful and wealthy. This was truly a matter of how much he could take."

"Later, His Majesty learned of this and immediately issued a decree to handle it strictly and restore the practice of raising mules. This was because His Majesty cared; His Majesty had to be responsible for the people of the world. Otherwise, if the people of the world really used their feet to make a choice, our Great Ming would be finished."

"From now on, all the officials will also know who is the real Yama in this territory of the Great Ming."

Wang Chonggu was stunned and said: "Yama? Are those scholars Yama?"

"If they aren't Yama, what are they? They went to Mount Emei for a tour, and all the donkeys and mules on Mount Emei became useless. They were a waste to keep, so they could only be slaughtered for meat." Wan Shihe said with great emotion: "If they aren't 'living Yama', what are they?"

"That makes sense." Wang Chonggu acknowledged this title. These scholars who did not engage in production and could not distinguish the five grains were indeed 'living Yama', but the Great Ming still had a real Yama.

The small-scale peasant economy is extremely closed and self-sufficient. The final fate of these donkeys and mules specifically used for climbing Mount Emei could only be to end up in a hot pot with chili peppers.

"But the attacks of these court officials on the Dissection Institute do not fit the situation you described. You must know that the great physicians of the Dissection Institute hold scalpels in their hands, and they don't even need to do anything; if they don't see them, they just have to wait for death." Wang Chonggu raised another phenomenon.

In the Emei County mule ban case, the poor porters really had no way to deal with Zhao Wenchang, which was why Zhao Wenchang was so unscrupulous. The theory that "arrogance due to no accountability" holds true.

But the Dissection Institute is different. The Dissection Institute really holds knives. If the great physicians want to make things difficult for people, they don't even need to use any means; a simple "closed to visitors" can make people wait for death.

"This is another reason. Sigh, they chatter endlessly and speak in riddles. When seeing patients, the great physicians have never refused to treat them. In the eyes of the court officials, this is being easy to bully. If they are easy to bully, then why not bully them to the fullest?" Wan Shihe sighed and said: "A gentleman can be bullied by his own principles."

"These court officials are also stupid. They entrust their lives to the morality of the great physicians."

Wan Shihe also explained that it was not that the theory had loopholes, but that there were times when the theory was not applicable. This kind of behavior of "biting the hand that feeds you" is a problem of human nature.

Wang Chonggu nodded in agreement. The lowly scholars of the Great Ming feared the sharp blades in the hands of strong soldiers, but they did not fear the sharp scalpels in the hands of the great physicians, because in their eyes, if they scold, they scold. Would these physicians dare not treat these masters who are "above others"?

In his view, this was not entirely a problem of human nature, but also a problem of class.

Wang Chonggu saw that it was getting late, took his book, and swayed his way home.

"Grand Secretary, Vice Minister Wang hasn't even reached the time, and he's leaving just like that? It's not easy for him to come here once, and he doesn't even finish his shift? Grand Secretary, aren't you going to manage him? He's leaving early!" Wan Shihe looked at the early-leaving Wang Chonggu and said with great surprise.

No matter how little he does, he should at least stay in his position, drink tea, and wait until the time to get off work, right?! Leaving early like this, how will his colleagues view him?

"Why doesn't Minister Wan manage him?" Zhang Juzheng asked with a smile.

Wan Shihe spread his hands and said: "I can't manage him."

"I can't manage him either. I've asked him to come to the Cabinet to work several times; have you seen him pay any attention to me? He's just looking for a place to read today; otherwise, he would have left even earlier." Zhang Juzheng shook his head happily and continued to process various official documents.

That Wang Chonggu could cooperate with Zhang Juzheng to perform this act was already something to be thankful for. The two of them were indeed political enemies who wanted each other dead, but they were not completely severed; they often cooperated, and this was not partisan strife.

Zhang Juzheng was an authoritarian Grand Secretary, the kind of person who said one thing and meant it. He hated partisan strife because it was all a waste. Zhang Juzheng also had a clear definition of partisan strife: fighting for the sake of fighting, without any boundary between right and wrong, that is partisan strife.

When Juzheng died, partisan strife arose.

In the eyes of most people, Zhang Juzheng was the last authoritarian figure of the Great Ming. During Zhang Juzheng's time, struggles unfolded around whether to continue the new policies. After Zhang Juzheng was completely overthrown, partisan strife inevitably occurred, with one side singing and the other taking the stage.

But in Zhu Yijun's view, the rise of partisan strife and the brewing of the disaster of partisan strife were essentially the problem of rites and laws that Wan Shihe had studied—that is, the state lost its great trust, and people's hearts became suspicious.

Most people—everyone from the inside out, ministers, court officials, local officials, powerful gentry, and the common people—no longer trusted any government decree. The court's credibility had completely gone bankrupt, and its public trust was almost equal to zero. Without credibility, people's hearts became restless, and suspicion became inevitable.

In a society widely lacking public trust, the only outcome is a single rope on Coal Hill.

With Lin Fucheng and Li Zhi not in the capital, there was much less fun. The gatherings in the capital did not attract the Emperor to disguise himself as "Young Master Huang" to watch. The ice and snow on the grasslands would not completely melt until March, and the study tour plan, which was originally only for half a year, had to be extended to a year.

And at the end of the first month, the sea breeze in Bohai Bay was still biting, but the ice on the sea had begun to melt, ships began to pass, and cargo transport became busy.

The imperial edict of the Great Ming Emperor headed towards Songjiang Prefecture. His Majesty's credibility was very firm; since he had made a promise, he would never just scratch the surface or give a light punishment, but would increase the punishment by three degrees.

"Since we chose neither to increase taxes nor to decrease taxes, this is the best news for Songjiang Prefecture." After receiving the decree, Shen Shixing said sincerely to the eunuch Zhang Cheng, the Provincial Military Commander of the Songjiang Navy.

The Emperor had already borne the infamy; if this matter still couldn't be done well, Shen Shixing could only carry the label of incompetence and get out.

The two core problems of the Single Whip Law were the two problems raised by Sun Kehong—the administration of officials and the communication from the bottom to the top. And strict laws and harsh punishments could indeed alleviate these problems.

"I have been in Songjiang Prefecture for a long time. Recently, I heard that Felipe of the West does not intend to send large galleons for ocean trade? That's just right. The Great Ming's global trade fleet will set sail in March, so let's prepare more goods. If he doesn't earn this silver, we will." Zhang Cheng didn't care whether Shen Shixing could implement the Single Whip Law well.

In Zhang Cheng's eyes, there were only three things: not a single cent of silver belonging to the palace should be missing; the Songjiang Navy must be loyal to His Majesty—this was Zhang Cheng's responsibility; Songjiang Prefecture must not be in chaos—this was His Majesty's purse.

Zhang Cheng saw the silver. Recently, there had been all kinds of rumors in Songjiang Prefecture that the large galleons of the "Red-Haired Barbarians" were not coming. If they didn't come, that was just right; the Great Ming would go itself.

"Just right, the Songjiang Navy plans to let the 'Youlong' accompany them, just to verify ocean navigation." Zhang Cheng said with some excitement.

If the "Youlong" were to be dispatched and conduct a global maritime survey, Zhang Cheng would be the most suitable supervising eunuch. Leaving his name in history was already beckoning to Zhang Cheng.

For the affairs of Songjiang Prefecture, the palace could send another eunuch. His Majesty had ten sparring partners in total. If His Majesty was not at ease with Songjiang Prefecture, he could send Li Yougong; if he was at ease, he could just send one of his trusted sparring partners.

"It's just a pretext for merchants to take the opportunity to lower prices." Shen Shixing shook his head and said: "All signs indicate that Felipe II does not intend to break with the Great Ming. This is not a question of courage. If he doesn't come, the Great Ming will naturally go."

"The Great Ming's passage through the four seas does not rely on the licenses given by Felipe II, but on strong ships and sharp cannons."

The court officials in the capital who didn't have to be responsible for specific affairs and were responsible for pointing fingers could, of course, attribute the Great Ming's passage through the four seas to the Great Ming's virtue, using diplomatic relations to exchange for licenses. But those who actually did the work had to have a clear understanding of what they were relying on to pass through the four seas.

On this land of Songjiang Prefecture, which was polluted by silver, the longer Shen Shixing stayed, the less he believed in morality.

Felipe II's license was very similar to the tally trade licenses of the Great Ming. In theory, without a license, there was no power to enter the colonies or the ports of the Governor's office, but in reality, it was just a piece of paper. At sea, one could only rely on strong ships and sharp cannons.

The exchange of news between the Great Ming and the West was not only through the large galleons arriving at port or the exact news brought back by global trade. Countless ships were passing at sea, and all kinds of plausible news were also circulating.

There was no doubt that Felipe not preparing to send large galleons to the Great Ming was false news, just a reason for merchants to lower prices.

Felipe II had no intention of continuing to attack Portugal. This was the reason why Shen Shixing judged it so.

After a tentative attack, Antonio paid the price of the Free Fleet composed of ten five-masted ocean-going ships to intercept Felipe II's attack.

Portugal's escape from the fate of being annexed was, of course, the result of the struggle of the Portuguese people themselves, represented by Antonio, but it also had the influence of the great Eastern power, the Great Ming.

The Free Fleet at Cape of Freedom, with its ten five-masted ocean-going ships, launched a surprise attack on the Mediterranean like burning jade and stone, and was sunk.

Antonio had exhausted all his resources—no money, no prospects, no future, his future was bleak and dim, and his regime was extremely unstable. The desperate Antonio, relying solely on his face, obtained a war loan worth 2.5 million silver from His Majesty, redeemed with ten five-masted ocean-going ships.

After that, Felipe II sent the God of War of Spain to Lisbon to negotiate, resulting in the leasing of a port and the recognition of Antonio's status as King.

Whether Felipe would continue to attack was a very clear barometer.

Because Felipe discovered that the Great Ming truly treated Antonio as a friend, or rather as one of their own, and not as toilet paper to be discarded after use.

Only when treated as one of their own would they try every possible means through diplomatic channels to keep their own people from being in a state of war, because during the war, production and life would be destroyed, most people would be displaced, and hundreds of thousands or even millions of civilians would die in the war.

The Great Ming did not threaten Felipe, but actively provided help and support, and even when things were in a mess, in inappropriate circumstances, still chose to let Lisbon, Portugal, become the distribution center for the goods of the Great Ming's global trade fleet.

This was treating him as one of their own, not as toilet paper.

So Felipe stopped attacking Portugal.

The reason why the Great Ming treated Antonio as a person and as one of their own, besides the enfeoffment, was also the seeds Antonio brought, which injected new vitality into the Great Ming's agriculture. This was one of the reasons why the Great Ming Emperor favored Antonio.

Of course, between countries, interest is still the main driver. Supporting Antonio at this time was conducive to expanding the Great Ming's influence in the West, conducive to the Great Ming's ocean-going trade fleet, conducive to the grand plan of opening the seas, and conducive to the inflow of silver, which was why they made such a choice.

Shen Shixing knew very well that behind these absurd rumors, there was a lack of sufficient support, which was the cornerstone of Felipe's attack on Portugal. If Felipe launched another attack on Portugal, that would be the time when they completely tore off their masks.

"Perhaps." Zhang Cheng pondered for a moment, shook his head, and said: "The implementation of the Single Whip Law is a holy decree. If there is any place where the navy is needed, say so in advance; don't just hold on."

"Good." Shen Shixing would not care about face and suffer. When he needed the support of the Great Ming soldiers, he would absolutely not have any hesitation.

Since they wanted strict laws and harsh punishments, it was naturally unavoidable that rivers of blood would flow.

As the Provincial Governor of Songjiang, Shen Shixing posted the imperial edict. At the same time, Shen Shixing ordered the mobilization of all the yamen runners in Huating County, where the Songjiang Prefecture government was located, preparing to go out in full force to make rivers of blood flow in a physical sense.

To display power and martial force to promote the thorough implementation of government decrees.

Only with benevolence and virtue would the powerful and wealthy have no fear. Only by displaying power and martial force could these people clearly understand what it meant that the holy decree could not be violated.

His Majesty had always done things once and twice, but never a third time. If there were reasonable demands, they could be raised. The two problems raised by Sun Kehong were indeed problems that needed to be clearly resolved.

And this time, Shen Shixing intended to break one of the legs of the powerful and wealthy.

There were four gangs entrenched at the three wharves in Songjiang Prefecture, among which the Hailong Gang was the most fierce. Shen Shixing had been brewing this special crackdown for a long time.

The leader of the Hailong Gang was named Hai Mingyuan. He didn't originally have this name; he was originally called Hai Laosi. His father was a refugee. When Hai Laosi was twelve, his father died on the wharf. Hai Laosi was originally an apprentice to a paper-mounting craftsman on Chenghuangmiao Street in Shanghai County. By chance, he became a yamen runner in Shanghai County.

Because he was quick-witted and decisive, Hai Laosi rose from a runner to a head runner, becoming a famous big boss in Shanghai County. Later, he directly defected to the Xu family of Xu Jie and became a henchman of the Xu family.

The wind of opening the seas of the Great Ming blew to Songjiang Prefecture, and countless poor people went to the wharves to make a living. Hai Laosi heard that Xu Jie had died in the capital, immediately left the yamen, and then changed his name to Hai Mingyuan. On the wharf, he organized a large group of poor people to make a living together.

Before the Hailong Gang entered Shen Shixing's sight, not many people knew that Hai Mingyuan was Hai Laosi.

Previously, these gangs were very honest. Although they occasionally had territorial conflicts with other gangs, they were very restrained. After all, no matter how strong they were, they were not stronger than the Great Ming Navy. With the Great Ming Navy suppressing them, the conflicts on the wharves maintained a very tacit bottom line: no human lives could be lost, otherwise the court's attention would turn to the wharves.

Wang Daokun was promoted to the capital to be the Minister of Works, and Shen Shixing descended from the sky to be the Provincial Governor of Songjiang. At this time, Shen Shixing's attention was mainly focused on completing the "Youlong" and the inflow of silver. On the wharves, things followed the old rules, and these gangs on the wharves gradually became bold.

Bloody incidents occurred one after another. The bribed Police Inspectorate, Shanghai County Yamen, and others all chose to hide the truth and cover it up.

An unmaskable fire-fight broke out on the wharf, delaying the shipment of goods for a full three hours. Sun Kehong, the big proprietor of the Songjiang Ocean Trade Firm, finally couldn't stand these gangs and directly went to Shen Shixing to file a complaint.

After Shen Shixing finished the affairs of the "Youlong", he was surprised to find that some people actually thought he had a good temper! Indeed, his temper was indeed very good, but deceiving superiors and concealing from subordinates was equivalent to stealing power from his hands. It would be strange if he could tolerate this!

Shen Shixing felt that he was at risk of being bypassed. Under his nose, these four major gangs had actually developed to such a scale. He felt that he had been deceived by local officials and immediately found Luo Bingliang, the Commander of the Southern Yamen's Pacification Office, and asked Luo Bingliang to help investigate.

This was also the reason why Zhang Cheng specifically came from the Jin Zeyuan Navy Yamen to the Songjiang Prefecture Yamen. If one's strength was not enough, one should seek help. Seeking help was never a shameful thing, nor would it affect promotion. To care about face and hold on, and then mess up the imperial mission, that was stupidity.

Shen Shixing also obtained the navy's promise before he summoned all the yamen runners to wipe out the gangs on the four major wharves.

Hai Mingyuan understood the logic of the Great Ming officialdom very well, so he had been carefully avoiding risks, maintaining close contact with the yamen runners and head runners of various counties, and even officials such as county magistrates, assistant county magistrates, registrars, and county lieutenants were Hai Mingyuan's good friends.

Shen Shixing wanted to see what choices these yamen runners and local officials would make under the sudden suppression order.