Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 445: Man can conquer nature, let alone the emperor?
Everyone knows that the emperor does not regard Confucius as a saint, but only as a sage and the "most benevolent teacher."

But now he asked them how the Master became a saint.

So what we are talking about is not the present moment, but the past thousand years.

Starting from "abolishing all schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone", the first time Confucius truly became a saint was the work of Li Shimin.

Before that, his title was just Nifu, and then Wang Mang gave him the honorific title of "Baocheng Xuan Nigong". After that, his title was lowered to "Baozun Hou", "Wenxuan Nifu", "Xianshi Nifu"...

Li Shimin made him the "First Sage" for ten years, and later "demoted" him to "Xuan Fu"; his son Li Zhi was only posthumously named "Grand Master". After his daughter-in-law ascended the throne, she honored the Master because the country was named Zhou, and posthumously named him "Duke Longdao".

Li Longji first conferred the title of "King Wenxuan" on him. During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, he was first named "Xuansheng King Wenxuan", then "Zhisheng King Wenxuan". During the reign of Emperor Chengzong of Yuan, he was further named "Dacheng Zhisheng King Wenxuan".

Although he was downgraded to "Most Holy Teacher" during the Jiajing period, the word "Most Holy" was at least not removed.

So strictly speaking, the Master became a saint from the Tang Dynasty to the present day.

Although there are political factors involved in the needs of imperial power, it basically overlaps with the gradual rise of the imperial examination system, the grand strategy of controlling the military with civil power, and the emergence of such schools of thought as the School of Qi, the School of Principle, and the School of Mind.

Everyone vaguely grasped the emperor's true intention of this question: What is the purpose of respecting the Master as a saint, so that the power structure as a whole will tend to be stable?

The pursuit of knowledge requires looking beyond phenomena to see the essence. Zhu Guozuo tentatively spoke: "The Master is a saint, so the ruler and his subjects should not go against each other. Confucian scholars are knowledgeable and well-mannered, and they should always cherish their reputation for loyalty, righteousness, benevolence and filial piety."

Zhu Changluo did not comment and just looked at the others.

Naturally, everyone expressed their opinions one by one, and their meanings were roughly the same.

Knowing that the emperor is not a person who shy away from talking about personal gain, what they are discussing now is how to restrain the army over a longer period of time. The emperor has just said that the key lies in civil affairs and the people's hearts.

In fact, it’s nothing. Of course, we understand that respecting Confucius as a saint guides the ideals and aspirations of scholars all over the world and serves as a moral restraint.

Over the past thousands of years, many wise rulers and virtuous ministers with ideals and ambitions have indeed emerged.

The emperors of all dynasties can also be seen as coming from Confucian schools. Faced with a very sensitive and violent army, the emperor and the civil officials were naturally on the same side on this issue of "right and wrong", and using civil officials to control military power was indeed an unchangeable national policy.

The new situation that the Ming Dynasty is facing now is that its territory may expand rapidly. If there is no better way, those more distant virtual territories will easily suffer backlash.

Zhu Changluo waited until they finished speaking before he spoke: "You are all right. Respecting the Master as a saint, children are taught to distinguish right from wrong at the beginning, and the imperial examinations are not discontinued, so they can apply what they have learned. In general, the power struggles in the court are fought but not broken. But if we only focus on this, we have lost the fundamentals."

Everyone looked at him, wanting to hear what he had to say.

Zhu Changluo only said: "Master's etiquette is to hope that the world will be orderly within the human power of the time. Everyone should do his job and be content with his place. Respect ghosts and gods but keep them at a distance. A benevolent person should love others. Its greatest significance is to know what people need and what they can do. In the final analysis, a stable etiquette system will lead to orderly production in all industries, and the prosperity of all industries can support the etiquette system and the world will be united. Etiquette is not an empty etiquette, but a real etiquette that promotes production, maintains stability, and meets the needs of the world."

After a pause, he said to the crowd meaningfully: "For thousands of years, I am afraid that there are too many people who talk about benevolence, righteousness and morality in vain, but forget this. For example, despising all kinds of industries and miscellaneous studies, is it helpful to promote output?"

Xiong Tingbi seemed to be thinking: "Your Majesty attaches great importance to the study of nature and the skills of various craftsmen. Is this what you are focusing on?"

"That's right." Zhu Changluo nodded. "I respect you, but I don't regard you as the most holy. That's why. You were a wise man in ancient times. There were many unjust wars at that time, and agriculture was the main output of the world. You hoped that the world would be stable, because people need to have enough food and clothing, and not be exiled due to human disasters. But generation after generation, natural disasters and man-made disasters are inevitable. In addition to the shortage of wealth, there is also the inequality. In the end, it's nothing more than profit. Where does the profit come from, how to distribute the profit, how to avoid the shortage of wealth and ensure extreme inequality, these are not things that can be solved by etiquette and morality."

Some of these views have already been elaborated by Zhu Changluo in On the Inquiry of Things and the Extension of Knowledge.

Now, most of them have come to their senses.

Zhu Changluo wanted them to first accept from the bottom of their hearts that the so-called court and the so-called system were not castles in the air. Without the underlying economic foundation, collapse was inevitable. This understanding could not be replaced by talking about benevolence, righteousness, and etiquette.

That requires the "Confucians" to truly give up certain interests and take action.

"Take its essence, discard its dross, and clarify its purpose." Zhu Changluo concluded, "National policy and national affairs should be jointly implemented by the monarch and his subjects, and all parties and industries should participate in the discussion. I am not afraid of forming a party. If there is a party, it should be a party where the monarch and his subjects are one! Its purpose should be to serve the well-being of all people in the world, to achieve universal peace, and to serve the fundamental interests of producers; its essence is to study knowledge and innovate, to act according to production needs, to increase new interests rather than to argue for old interests; its key is to ensure the minimum limit of fairness and advocate justice, to discipline oneself according to the purpose, and to rule according to the law!"

His voice was the only one in the Huangji Palace: "Following this purpose, we must also establish the constitution of the country, and the monarch and his subjects must abide by it! The soldiers are loyal to this, which means they are loyal to the country and the emperor. Good ministers and generals do not know right from wrong and ethics because they are Confucian scholars, but they enter the government because they follow this purpose, understand this essence, and know this key point, and restrain themselves and abide by the law. In this way, the court officials will not have bad policies when they exercise power, and the people will not worry about the shortage of people or the inequality of the people. Since the Ming Dynasty has a stable people's heart and has spread virtue everywhere, it will always be stronger. Ambitious people will weigh the pros and cons and think twice before acting."

Ye Xianggao stared at him blankly: "The Constitution of the Country?"

What the subjects are defending is nothing new.

But in theory, the emperor can do whatever he wants. What constitution should the monarch abide by?
"That's right!" Zhu Changluo said with certainty, "A hundred years after me, the emperor must also abide by this national constitution. If the Zhu family loses their morals and forgets why the country was founded, what should be done in the future, future generations will understand what can be done. But no matter what is done, the party's will cannot be changed, and the world can no longer tolerate a single family ruling alone. The army is originally loyal to the emperor only when the emperor is wise and the royal family is not immoral, so why should we hide it? But from now on, military generals and brave soldiers must also abide by the constitution and laws. The army must be loyal to the country and to the court that serves the people!"

A huge wave of emotion surged in everyone's heart.

The emperor appointed prime ministers and delegated power to them, and they thought that was the limit.

Unexpectedly, the emperor even hinted that he would not be in power in the future, at least the emperor and the ministers would share power. What is the wisdom of future generations... To put it bluntly, since no one family can make the final decision, then a group has the final say. The size of this group is debatable, but since the emperor has said that the emperor must also abide by the national constitution, isn't that just elevating the status of the ministers?

At this time, Zhu Changluo said to them meaningfully: "I have already told the prince about these considerations."

"…Your Majesty is a wise ruler throughout history. Your broad-mindedness is something we all admire deeply…"

Ye Xianggao took the lead in paying homage, but Zhu Changluo said, "If we can get to that point, we won't have to kneel three times and kowtow nine times in the future. Since the monarch and his subjects are all dedicated to the people, there is no need to emphasize hierarchy."

Everyone was at a loss for words.

Zhu Changluo said: "If a national constitution is established, I and you can be said to be of the same mind and have the same aspirations, with only a slight difference in status, but not too much distinction between superiors and subordinates. Then what about the officials and the people?"

They didn't react for a moment.

Zhu Changluo reminded them: "What is worrying is not the lack of wealth, but the inequality. Try to see the essence of everything. If most officials and gentry have the same aspirations in the future, how can they fundamentally convince the people that the court is implementing benevolent policies and that the people's hearts are stable?"

Xiong Tingbi reacted the fastest and asked, "...exemption?"

Ye Xianggao and others were shocked and stared at the emperor with wide eyes. Zhu Changluo smiled and said, "That's right. I hope that the officials and gentry of the world share the same aspirations as me, and what we seek is justice, for the sake of world peace. The preferential treatment and exemption rules are for real personal gain. Nowadays, there are many officials, and the salaries and public expenses have increased. If the officials and gentry still enjoy preferential treatment and exemption, but say that they are of the same mind as me and serve the people, isn't it self-contradictory and laughed at by the world? Only by giving up this benefit can we show public spirit. This is the beginning of the national constitution gaining the trust of the world."

Everyone thought the emperor's map was too long.

Who would have thought that this would be the final destination?
The preferential treatment for officials and gentry was originally established by the imperial power in order to win over scholars.

Without these privileges, how many people would be willing to follow the emperor?
But now the question arises again: the emperor is going to truly give up many of the privileges that belong to the emperor from the perspective of "national constitution", and it is possible that in the future the prime ministers will be considered half emperors.

Is this temptation enough for people to give up this privilege and rush to the government?

Seeing their complicated expressions, Zhu Changluo stopped smiling and said solemnly: "This is the reality of talking about personal desires. However, since I enjoy the honor of the throne and you are in the temple, how can you be like ordinary people? In public and private, preferential treatment and exemption will only encourage inequality and accelerate the annexation of land, which are the chronic diseases of the kingdom. I am willing to abide by the national constitution, not for this transaction, but for the way of the world! The rise and fall of a country cannot be tied to a single man. You have been studying and seeking the truth for most of your lives, are you just doing it for your own benefit, and don't want to really embark on the road of universal peace?"

Moral ideals must be spoken of and made widely known.

The constitution and discipline must be clearly stated.

We must sacrifice personal gain for the sake of justice; this is the threshold.

What follows is long-term and persistent construction.

Now, Zhu Changluo just pushed this issue out.

Whether they are willing to do it and whether they can do it depends on which wise ministers become the first batch of pioneers.

This can be considered a change of dynasty.

The amount of information is too much. Since the emperor has said so, at least the seven ministers in front of him must show that they have not forgotten the teachings of the sages and their ambition to cultivate themselves, manage their families, govern the country and bring peace to the world.

But they knew that if they really wanted to achieve that, they would need to lead by example from now on.

Otherwise, how can we gain recognition from those below us?

From selecting officials, employing people, and evaluating performance, you must be absolutely impartial in public affairs so that people can understand the court's orientation and there is no way to criticize its justice. When it comes to your children, clansmen, relatives and friends, there must not be any stain on their personal morality, otherwise what right do you have to demand of others?
We must also take the lead and set an example by giving up the benefits brought by the preferential exemption rules.

"I know this matter has implications for the whole body, but the specific method is easy to talk about." Zhu Changluo looked at them, "From today on, you must pay attention. What are the wise ministers and gentry in the court and the public? With the greatness of our Ming Dynasty and the prosperity of culture and education, there must be many people who share the same aspirations. I can work with you to get the preparatory work done first, and when the time is right, we can officially start this matter. Later, when the court recruits talents, naturally, people with justice in their hearts will be promoted first. Once the rules are established, everything will come naturally."

The emperor had already made his thoughts clear, so naturally the crowd was speechless.

This only shows that the emperor has indeed been thinking seriously about deciding to do this matter.

From their perspective, being able to give up some of the supreme privileges of imperial power is really a bit inhumane.

If the emperor could do this, why shouldn't they do the same? Wouldn't that make them appear to be morally despicable?

The Ming Dynasty had already begun to brew earth-shaking changes, not just in the court system.

The steam engine, currency system, culture and education have accumulated a lot of quantitative changes.

The Ming Dynasty's military advances were also in Outer Yunnan, Southeast Asia, and East Asia.

After this meeting between the emperor and his ministers in the Huangji Hall, Zhu Changluo suddenly felt emotional and ran to the Fengxian Hall.

Inside, there are portraits and ancestral tablets of the Ming Dynasty's ancestors.

The portraits of Zhu Yuanzhang and others show neither sadness nor joy, only majesty.

The person he was most familiar with was of course Zhu Yijun.

So he said to his father, "If we don't do this, there is still no way to continue the country. There are gains and losses, so leave more possibilities for future generations. The Zhu family bloodline will at least spread to more places, so don't blame us."

Thinking of the underworld chat groups that were like jokes in later generations, he didn't know whether these ancestors were cursing at this moment.

Zhu Changluo was indeed destroying his country and changing the dynasty.

Reopening the country is nothing more than this.

However, the new productive forces represented by the steam engine have begun to appear on the historical stage, and the superstructure will inevitably take a new path.

His ameliorative reforms were certainly not thorough, but he felt that there was no need for future generations to go through the hell of destruction and then rebuild.

This land is never short of powerful people.

He can only do well what is within his vision. At this point in time, his vision is that technology should not lag behind, cultural influence can be deeper, the fence can be built farther, and useful strategic resources and strategic positions in the future can be obtained.

As for this strange-looking "accomplice", he did not force himself to judge his quality.

It is enough for people in the future to know that such an attempt was made.

Zhu Changluo left Fengxian Hall and walked towards the harem with a determined mind.

Although there are few people walking with him on this level now, he believes that there will always be more and more people on this path.

There's a reason this land doesn't believe in some unquestionable god who decides guilt or innocence, but instead believes that man can conquer nature.

If the sky can conquer, then what is the emperor?
He first pointed out the trend and path and then arranged a decent exit.

(End of this chapter)