Chapter 263: Stripped of Rank

In the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Youjian was flipping through a new personal memorial submitted by Chief Grand Secretary Wen Tiren, the content of which was the abolition of the household registration and debased-status systems that had been in force since the founding emperor established the dynasty.

Of course, Grand Secretary Wen's memorial was written at Zhu Youjian's behest. As the emperor's most trusted Chief Grand Secretary, Grand Secretary Wen had always treated any instruction from Zhu Youjian as the golden rule. Although the outside world heaped scorn on him for currying favor with the emperor, and some censors denounced him as utterly lacking in principles, Wen Tiren acted as if he had not heard and remained his old self. In his heart, as a minister, having no principles before the emperor should be the most important principle to uphold.

The reason Zhu Youjian wanted to abolish the Ming's current household registration system was related to his familiarity with both the official histories and unofficial histories of the Ming. Having learned much of the inside story, Zhu Youjian, who came from a later age, loathed the Ming's debased-status system with every fiber of his being. Under this perverse household registration system, how many good people had died with grievances, and how many innocents had suffered utterly miserable fates — this was something Zhu Youjian, who revered universal values, could not tolerate, especially when it came to the so-called debased statuses.

The debased statuses, also known as debased commoners, did not belong to any of the four classes of scholars, farmers, artisans, or merchants. Debased commoners could not intermarry with the four classes, could not study or sit for the imperial examinations, and whenever local corvée labor or levies were needed, they had to be selected first from among the debased statuses.

Although the debased statuses were not a Ming invention, their perversity reached its peak during the reigns of the Founding Emperor and Emperor Taizong.

Emperor Taizong had seized his nephew's realm under the pretext of the Jingnan campaign, and after taking the throne he harbored an undying hatred for the loyal supporters of the Jianwen Emperor. To punish these so-called ministers and generals who did not know which way the wind blew, Zhu Di either cast their female relatives into the Court of Ceremonial Instruction or consigned them to the army as camp prostitutes.

Zhu Youjian had once read a portion of the surviving documents related to this matter. Though the content was terse, when one pondered it quietly, the scenes it described were indeed enough to rouse righteous fury.

For example, the relevant office's memorial at the time read: "On the twelfth day of the twelfth month of the second year of Yongle, the Court of Ceremonial Instruction submitted: Zhuo Jing's daughter Yang Nu and Niu Jingxian's wife Lady Liu, should they, following the precedent of Xie Sheng's wife Lady Han, be sent to the Duke of Qi's (Commissioner-in-Chief of the Central Military Commission) office to be turned over for camp fornication and lodging. On the eleventh day of the first month of the eleventh year of Yongle, the Court's Right Director of Dance Deng Cheng and others reported at the mouth of the Right Obedience Gate: The wicked Qi Tai's elder sister, along with two of his nephews' wives, and also Huang Zicheng's younger sister — four women in all — are watched over by twenty men day and night. The young ones are all pregnant; any sons born are to be made little turtle boys. There is also the Shi family, and a little girl of the Tie Xuan family, already three years old — we beg the imperial decree."

Zhu Di's edict in reply: "Let them be, handle according to past practice. Do not wait until they grow up — they are but lewd and base creatures."

Another memorial: "Previously Huang Zicheng's wife gave birth to a little boy, now ten years of age."

Imperial edict: "Let them all be" (according to the old rule, i. e., made little turtle boys). "Tie Xuan's wife Lady Yang, aged thirty-five, and Mao Dafang's wife Lady Zhang, aged fifty-six, are both to be sent to the Court of Ceremonial Instruction."

Another memorial: "Lady Zhang has died of illness; the Court of Ceremonial Instruction reported this at the Gate of Respectful Heaven."

Zhu Di's edict: "Instruct Shangyuan County to carry the body out the gate and let the dogs eat it. Respect this."

Huang Cheng, Niu Jingxian, Qi Tai, Tie Xuan, Mao Dafang — these important ministers of the Jianwen era — ended up with their own deaths, their relatives and children condemned to eternal prostitution and slavery, abused and humiliated, and even after death devoured by wild dogs. This was utterly the destruction of humanity. What was lamentable was that under such vile circumstances, their descendants proved tenacious and survived to this day. The music-house households of the two provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi are the descendants of these people.

Another example: the idle beggars of Shaoxing Prefecture in Zhejiang. Because their ancestors had once supported Fang Guozhen, who contended with the Founding Emperor for territory, the Founding Emperor degraded them to debased commoner status, making them beggars for generations.

Toward such practices of humiliating women and children and visiting calamity upon descendants, Zhu Youjian felt revulsion to the utmost. That was why, when he had earlier dealt with the Shanxi merchants and Zhu Chunchen and the others, aside from executing the chief culprits, he had not cast their female relatives into the Court of Ceremonial Instruction as slaves, but had instead adopted the method of exile.

These misanthropic evil policies had to be entirely eradicated — especially such a cesspool as the Court of Ceremonial Instruction, which had to be abolished outright.

The hereditary military household and hereditary artisan household systems were also included in this abolition. Henceforth, no matter how far the Ming's territory extended, anyone who abided by Ming law would be regarded as a Ming subject and enjoy the same rights and obligations as everyone else.

Food, clothing, and equality — these are humanity's most basic rights. To speak of human rights while setting these two aside is as absurd as a crowd of eunuchs discussing sex.

Of course, the equality spoken of here was not that unconstrained sort of liberalism, but rather the rights that should be enjoyed by those special groups who had been artificially distinguished from ordinary people — groups that would not exist in later ages. Moreover, given the current situation, in a Ming where the illiteracy rate was above ninety percent, the vast majority of common people had no concept of freedom or equality, nor any demand to pursue such rights, so no uncontrollable phenomena would arise from this.

Since heaven had seen fit to send him across time, he ought to do what was within his power, striving to improve the people's livelihood in every respect, so that the lot of the common folk would gradually improve — only then would this journey across time not have been in vain.

Zhu Youjian summoned the Grand Secretaries, Ministers, and other senior ministers, and had Wen Tiren's memorial transcribed and distributed for discussion. This time, no one raised the argument that ancestral institutions could not be changed to oppose the matter. On the contrary, everyone expressed support for this benevolent policy of the Emperor.

These senior ministers all knew the reasons the debased statuses had come into being in this dynasty. Setting that aside, they had all heard of the extremely pitiable circumstances of the descendants of those civil officials so severely punished in the Jianwen era. Moved by the sentiment that all creatures grieve for their own kind, the civil officials felt deep sympathy for these people's misery. Since the Chief Grand Secretary had suddenly submitted a memorial raising this matter, and the Emperor had summoned everyone to deliberate, it was certainly a policy bound to be implemented — otherwise the Emperor would long since have shelved the memorial.

Since abolition was the course, then all the other debased statuses might as well be abolished together. To establish destiny for the people was also the vow that the worthy sages of old had made on behalf of the literate class — and now was the moment to put it into practice.

Thus, with the unanimous assent of the Grand Secretaries and senior ministers, an edict concerning the abolition of the debased, military, and artisan household registrations, along with the dissolution of the Court of Ceremonial Instruction, was promulgated to the realm in the form of an imperial proclamation, to be executed immediately by the relevant offices and government bodies upon receipt.

Zhu Youjian believed that this measure of his would not only change the fate of many people, but might also fully mobilize the enthusiasm and productive fervor of even more common folk, greatly advancing the development of productive forces and the progress of society.

Just as the edict was being carried out of the capital by officials of the relevant offices for delivery to all parts of the realm, the report of the great victory at Yizhou also arrived at the capital.

Hong Chengchou had this time deliberately adopted the form of an open proclamation to transmit the victory report. His intentions were, first, to vaunt the achievement, and second, to bolster the court's prestige, seizing the opportunity to inspire military morale and steady the hearts of the people.

The victory-reporting procession consisted of several dozen cavalrymen and over a hundred camp soldiers from the baggage camp. Two riders at the front each held aloft a proclamation board. On one side was written in large black characters: "Great Victory at Yizhou — Beheaded in Formation: One Jianzhou Barbarian Janggiya Officer, Numerous Chieftains, and Several Thousand True Barbarians." On the other side was written: "Yongwei Camp Officers and Soldiers Recapture Yizhou, Army's Edge Points Straight at Guangning — Recapture of Liaodong Is Within Sight."

The camp soldiers of the baggage camp drove over a hundred open-topped carts. Piled on the dozen or so carts at the front were several thousand human heads preserved in lime — among them both Jianzhou barbarians and Han Chinese booi bondservants.

On the line of carts behind were stacked various captured weapons, armor, banners, and other military supplies. The long procession, led by officials of the Ministry of War and escorted by runners of Shuntian Prefecture, entered the capital through Desheng Gate.

Along the streets the procession passed, both sides were packed with onlookers — mostly common folk, but also no small number of idlers from noble households who had come upon hearing the news, and even quite a few officials and scholars.

Although there had been the great victory at Changping in the ninth year of Chongzhen, that had been a defensive operation by the regular army, so no Jianzhou barbarian heads had been taken. For the vast majority of people who had never seen the true face of the Jianzhou foe, hearing that this time there were true barbarian heads, and in no small number, they came out of intense curiosity to look. The bolder ones even pressed up to the carts and touched the heads with their hands.

"They all say the Jianzhou barbarians have three heads and six arms and cannot be defeated by force, but I see they're just ordinary-looking, aren't they? Scarcely any different from us Ming folk!"

"Pah! How can such savages be compared to us Ming folk! Look at those big yellow teeth — the sight of them makes one want to vomit!"

"The big yellow teeth are one thing, but look at that tail dragged behind their heads — truly an eyesore! Have you not heard that body, hair, and skin are received from one's parents? Such barbarians are verily no different from beasts!"

"I hear that those Han Chinese who were abducted from the Ming to the northern lands were also forced by the Jianzhou barbarians to shave their hair. In such a state, how could they have the face to meet their ancestors after death? If it were me, I would rather die than submit!"

"The Yongwei Camp is truly a mighty army! Last year they routed them at Changping, and this time they have slaughtered them bitterly at Yizhou! From this it can be seen that the day our dynasty recovers Liaodong is not far off!"

"Brother Ren Xi speaks truly! At this time of national crisis, the Yongwei Camp has burst onto the scene, victorious in battle after battle — truly a first-rate mighty army! Since the Tianqi years, the regular army has suffered repeated defeats in Liaodong, losing troops and territory — how many of our Ming's finest sons have died in foreign lands! How many of our Ming's good families have suffered humiliation! How many innocent common folk have perished at the hands of the slaves! How hateful that we who study letters lack even the strength to truss a chicken, unable to gallop with blade in hand and cleave the enemy chieftain in fury! The thought fills me with grief and rage! Now, fortunately, an enlightened sovereign sits on the throne — first rising to quell the pestilence at the dynasty's very heart, and now raising his sword toward Liaodong with head held high. The thought fills me with boundless refreshment! Brother Ren Xi! Today this younger brother plays host — let us two find a tavern and drink our fill, to toast our August Ming! To toast His Majesty! To toast the officers and soldiers!"