Emperor Zhengde

Chapter 234 Restricting the Freedom of the Scholars to Enjoy Pleasure
Lun Wenxu's sudden death was undoubtedly the loss of a general for the conservatives.

For a time, the movement to promote vernacular Chinese gradually became mainstream.

But this does not mean that after Lun Wenxu, the conservative ideology advocating restoration and worship of the past will disappear.

Yan Hong still held on to the banner of Neo-Confucianism and tried his best to encourage more scholars and officials to participate in activities to maintain the orthodox status of Confucian Neo-Confucianism.

However, Tang Bohu and others also followed Zhu Houzhao's will and tried their best to stop these literati from maintaining the orthodox status of Neo-Confucianism.

Yan Hong found Huang Fang, the former editor of the Hanlin Academy who had been demoted to a commoner, and persuaded him to continue to maintain the operation of "Rulin Zhengdao" with him. However, Huang Fang refused Yan Hong's proposal because Wen Zhengming offered him a high salary of 100 taels of silver per month to let him participate in the Hundred Schools Lectures hosted by him. Yan Hong could only persuade Huang Fang with righteousness, but could not give him a generous salary.

Yan Hong had no choice but to manage "The Scholars" himself, but because "The Scholars" was unable to make a profit, in order to maintain the operating funds, he had no choice but to take private work from Chunloumengshe.

Finally, Yan Hong also opened a monthly magazine called "Yulou Xiangmeng" of the same nature as "Chunlou Mengshe". He used "Yulou Xiangmeng" to spread bad content to make profits, and used these profits to maintain the operation of "Rulin Zhengdao".

"Your Majesty, since the tenth year of Zhengde, there have been more and more newspapers and magazines on the market that write about sex and incest. Do you think we need to take care of this?"

Ma Yongcheng of the East Factory could not help but report the matter to Zhu Houzhao. After all, his East Factory also had the power to monitor the development of all industries in the Ming Dynasty, which was equivalent to Zhu Houzhao's eyes among the people.

Zhu Houzhao just nodded at first. Food, sex and nature are all part of human nature. Vulgar content is always liked and accepted by the public in any era. It is naturally harmful, but Zhu Houzhao also knows that it is difficult to ban such things. Even in later generations, it cannot be done, let alone the current Ming Dynasty.

But Zhu Houzhao was not sure whether to ignore it or not. He still had to consider which was more meaningful, caring or ignoring it.

What Zhu Houzhao was most concerned about was whether the civil servants who resigned from office posed a threat to his ideal of reforming the Ming Dynasty in public opinion.

then.

Zhu Houzhao continued to ask: "How many newspapers and periodicals are there that slander the imperial court, say that the people should not compete for profits, demand the rectification of Confucianism and the promotion of Neo-Confucianism, and follow the ancestral system? Are there too many or too few?"

"There are many! Several more have appeared in the capital recently. Even the recently resigned Minister of Justice Gu Lin was persuaded by Yan Hong and his people to come out of retirement. He also said that he would set up the Confucian Society and proposed that the country should be governed by respecting Confucianism and advocating reason."

When Ma Yongcheng said this, Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but tense up. He thought that this was the possibility of establishing a political party. This was no longer as simple as a simple academic group. He asked again:
"Where did they get the funds? Could it be that these people, like Lun Wenxu, were willing to sell off their property just to run The Confucianists?"

"Not really. Many of them are secretly writing some vulgar books to make a profit. Their newspapers and periodicals are not selling as well as those of the attendant's office, and they don't have a sponsor like your Majesty to provide funding, so they can only rely on these profits to maintain their newspapers and periodicals. Although I am an eunuch, I am also very ashamed of their behavior. On the one hand, they loudly say that they want to correct the original source, but on the other hand, they secretly write about kicking widows' doors and stealing other people's wives."

Ma Yongcheng replied.

"I understand," Zhu Houzhao nodded and asked Ma Yongcheng to call the chief minister of the cabinet, Wang Hua.

As soon as Wang Hua arrived, Zhu Houzhao asked Ma Yongcheng to tell him about the rampant vulgar newspapers and periodicals in the market that the East Factory had investigated, and said:

"My Lord, this is no small matter. Although the people are free to express their opinions, we cannot ignore it. If these vulgar contents spread and are seen by the children of our Ming Dynasty, it will harm their physical and mental health! As the Prime Minister, you should take care of it!"

Wang Hua did not expect that Emperor Zhu Houzhao suddenly became concerned about the physical and mental health of children all over the world, but he had no reason to object. After all, as an upright scholar, Wang Hua himself could not accept the appearance of too many vulgar newspapers and magazines in the market.

"I understand. Your Majesty, please give your instructions!" Wang Hua replied.

"I will order the Imperial Academy to compile the Ming Dynasty Children Protection Ordinance!
Children are the hope for the long-term stability of the Ming Dynasty, and they are related to the future of our Ming Dynasty. However, I have repeatedly heard that there are still high-ranking officials who keep male prostitutes and take young girls as concubines. Now there are even publications openly promoting this! How can I ignore it? !
In addition, there is an proliferation of vulgar publications. There will be more and more literate children in our Ming Dynasty. If the children in our Ming Dynasty see these vulgar contents, wouldn't it corrupt the future customs of our Ming Dynasty? There will be no wise monarch, and no wise minister!

Therefore, I must make laws in this regard!
In addition, the Ministry of Rites should first issue an order to prohibit the dissemination of vulgar publications. The distribution of vulgar publications is prohibited. In serious cases, the scholars who publish publications can be stripped of their official titles and fined a huge sum of money! If the Ministry of Rites cannot manage it well, I will let the East Factory do it! "

Zhu Houzhao said in a somewhat stern tone.

According to the constitutional outline established by Zhu Houzhao when he summoned his ministers, only His Majesty the Emperor has the power to legislate. However, the Ming Dynasty did not yet have a professional legislative body, nor even specialized legal talents. Therefore, Zhu Houzhao rarely exercised his legislative power.

But now Emperor Zhu Houzhao, in order to crack down on the gentry's publishing of vulgar publications in the name of protecting children and indirectly crack down on Confucian disciples who oppose his political ideas, can only compile laws to protect the children of the Ming Dynasty. Wang Hua did not expect that His Majesty would suddenly be so angry, and it was about the rights of young children. He did not even expect that His Majesty would suddenly care about the physical and mental health of young children in the world. He could not help but wonder, is it because His Majesty has become a father and started to care more about this aspect?
However, Wang Hua also knew that playing with young children and even taking pleasure in it had been a romantic and elegant affair among scholars and officials since ancient times, even regardless of gender, and no one really considered it a sin.

Therefore, if Emperor Zhu Houzhao had not suddenly mentioned it today, Wang Hua would not have realized that he had to take care of this.

But no matter what, since the emperor had issued an order, Wang Hua had no choice but to obey. Moreover, the emperor had already said that if the Ministry of Rites did not take care of it, he would let the East Factory take care of it. In order to prevent the East Factory from interfering in government affairs again, he quickly agreed: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will immediately let the Ministry of Rites set up rules to control these vulgar publications in the world!"

"Well, do it as soon as possible. I don't want more children in my Ming Dynasty to be poisoned by these vulgar contents!"

Zhu Houzhao nodded.

then.

Wang Hua immediately summoned the Minister of Rites Ouyang Dan and relayed Emperor Zhu Houzhao's instructions to him.

"Your Majesty is so kind! This is the first time I have seen a law specifically enacted for the rights of children of the common people. Although the Great Ming Code and other laws also involve relevant provisions for the protection of young children, this is the first time in history that a law has been enacted specifically to protect the world's young children. It can be said that a sage monarch is in power, and all the people in the world are blessed!
Please rest assured, Prime Minister, I will immediately ask the Ministry of Rites to issue an order to ban the publication of vulgar publications, and let local governments crack down on these vulgar publications that are harmful to the physical and mental health of young children in the Ming Dynasty! "

It was normal for the Minister of Rites Ouyang Dan to sigh that Zhu Houzhao was benevolent and wise because of this incident, because few kings would really care about the rights and interests of common people and children.

"Your Majesty has specially enacted a law to protect the world's young children. I am afraid that those scholars and officials who play with young children will be punished! In this way, won't the powerful and gentry in the world be very dissatisfied? Moreover, once Your Majesty establishes this law, it will also restrain yourself," Wang Hua said with a smile.

"That's why I say that Your Majesty is benevolent. Today, our Great Ming is peaceful and prosperous, and the phenomenon of extravagance and debauchery is becoming more and more serious. Your Majesty's control is also a good policy!"

Ouyang Dan asked Wang Hua, "May I ask, Prime Minister, is there any good in this place?"

"I don't have it, but Wang Qiong does. He just bought a 13-year-old girl and brought her into the house, saying that she wanted to learn the ways of the Western Regions and perform some kind of circumcision," said Wang Hua.

……

As soon as Zhu Houzhao issued the decree, the officials of the Hanlin Academy began to get busy. Kang Hai, the Minister of Education and President of the Hanlin Academy, was appointed as the president. They were preparing to formulate laws to protect the young children of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Houzhao's special decree also required that a law be included to prohibit foot binding among Ming women.

"Your Majesty, foot binding for women is a folk custom. Now that the imperial court has issued an order to ban it, will it make the common people unhappy?"

Kang Hai had to ask.

"But at least, the court cannot support foot binding! Just because the scholars have a foot fetish, young girls are forced to suffer the pain of foot binding. You and I both have mothers, sisters and other female relatives. How can we let them suffer such torture! Therefore, this law must be established!"

Kang Hai was unable to refute Emperor Zhu Houzhao, and even felt that the emperor was kind. He also hoped that this bad habit could be eliminated through the emperor's order.

Based on the Ming Dynasty Law, the Hanlin Academy, under the order of Emperor Zhu Houzhao, formulated the "Ming Dynasty Regulations for the Protection of Young Children".

It can be regarded as another pioneering move to liberate human rights during the Zhengde period after the constitutional outline stipulated the prohibition of slavery.

However, the Ming Dynasty was, after all, a society mainly ruled by backward Confucianism, and the laws that protected the interests of the common people were actually contrary to the interests of the powerful gentry.

Although there are sayings in Confucianism such as "Respect the old and the young as your own, and respect the old and the young of others", and although Zhu Yuanzhang also formulated relevant laws to protect the common people and children when formulating the Ming Code, the literati basically did not abide by them. It was a social consensus that officials should not be punished, so no matter how the literati played, they would not be punished. They would only be punished when they were suspected of threatening the imperial power.

But now, Zhu Houzhao really wanted to restrict the freedom of enjoyment of the literati for the rights of the children of the world, not allowing some of them to play with children, and even punishing them for it, and not even allowing them to spread vulgar content. Naturally, he would encounter the dissatisfaction of the literati.

"The Qin Dynasty was destroyed because of the burning of documents and the harsh laws. It used deception and force first and then benevolence and righteousness, and started with tyranny. Now the court also uses harsh laws to control the people of the world. This is really a tyrannical act!"

Yan Hong therefore made such comments on current politics in his book "The Right Way of Confucianism".

(End of this chapter)