Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 528 The Emperor's Dilemma: Loyalty and Treachery!
In later psychology, there is a famous scientific law called Dunbar's number, also known as the 150 rule.

That is, the maximum number of people a person can maintain a stable social network is approximately 148, which is within the limits of human intelligence.

Rounded up, that's 150 people!
To put it simply, a person's energy and time are limited.

Being able to maintain long-term, stable social relationships with 150 people is already the limit of a person's social skills.

Emperors are human too, and naturally no exception; they are also subject to this law.

Moreover, besides the civil and military officials who handle government affairs, the emperor also needs his own private life.

There are imperial relatives who need to maintain kinship, beauties in the harem who need to be favored and cared for, maids and eunuchs who serve closely, and loyal imperial guards who need to be won over, and so on.

These people may account for half of the emperor's social network.

The remaining half was reserved for the court officials.

In other words, the number of officials that the emperor truly knew and understood was at most seventy or eighty.

Although the governor and the imperial inspector were high-ranking officials in charge of a region, they were merely one of the two hundred core officials of the empire.

The emperor, however, may not have been very familiar with them; he may have only met them once or twice and had a vague impression of them.

Zheng Hongjian and Zhao Qingzhi were examples of this.

They were not Zhu Yunwen's long-term confidants, but ministers who were recommended and promoted according to the court system.

Only then did Zhu Yunwen truly take a serious look at the two people kneeling below.

Zheng Hongjian and Zhao Qingzhi were both in their forties or fifties, with upright faces and dignified appearances, and their every move exuded the demeanor and bearing of officials.

"Rise," Zhu Yunwen waved his hand gently, signaling them to stand up.

However, the two did not get up immediately.

Zheng Hongjian raised his head, looked at Zhu Yunwen, his face solemn and his tone stern, and said, "Your subject is guilty!"

"The Yellow River breached its banks, causing millions of people to be displaced and their homes to be shattered."

"I should have personally gone to the front line of flood relief and disaster relief, taken command, and worked with the disaster victims to overcome the difficulties."

"Upon hearing the news that the Emperor's entourage was about to arrive, I dared not be negligent in the slightest. Therefore, I traveled day and night from the front line of flood relief and disaster relief to come and receive the Emperor, in order to fulfill my duty as a subject."

"I believe that this is the duty of a subject. No matter how important the matter, we should give way to Your Majesty and make way for welcoming Your Majesty."

"But I was wrong!"

Zheng Hongjian's voice suddenly rose a few decibels, filled with deep self-reproach and regret: "What Your Majesty cares about is the millions of ordinary people, the stability of the Ming Dynasty and its people."

"Ensuring that the people have enough to eat and wear, and live in peace and contentment, is the truly most important matter and the foundation of governing a country!"

"His Majesty's northern tour is precisely for the sake of the people of the Central Plains."

“If I could truly understand Your Majesty’s heart, I would clearly understand what is important and what is the big picture.”

"I was momentarily confused and, in order to welcome Your Majesty, I actually left the front line of flood relief and disaster relief. This is truly a dereliction of duty!"

At this point, Zheng Hongjian's voice was filled with heart-wrenching regret, and he even choked up a little. He bowed his head and kowtowed, saying, "Your subject deserves to die!"

"Your Majesty, please punish me for my dereliction of duty!"

These words were spoken with sincerity and conviction.

After saying that, he kowtowed heavily again, his forehead hitting the ground with a clear, muffled thud.

Zhu Yunwen was also moved by what he heard, and was quite surprised by Zheng Hongjian's performance.

It must be admitted that this attitude of admitting mistakes is indeed very good.

Beside him, Zhao Qingzhi spoke up immediately, his tone equally heavy and self-reproachful: "Your subject is guilty!"

"As an imperial inspector, I am a high-ranking official in charge of overseeing and reporting on the officials of a province."

"In the face of this great disaster, it is my duty to monitor the illegal activities of officials day and night, and to guard against them with utmost vigilance."

"Your Majesty, I should carefully investigate whether any officials have been shirking their duties or being perfunctory in the flood relief efforts, and whether they have been wholeheartedly serving the court and the people. I will not tolerate any dereliction of duty or negligence."

"I should urge them to do a good job in flood control and disaster relief, so that Your Majesty can rest assured and the people can feel at ease."

"It is my duty to minimize the losses caused by the floods to the people!"

"But I was arrogant and thought that as long as the court's various disaster relief measures were in place, there would be no major problems and everything would be fine."

Zhao Qingzhi's tone was full of regret, as if he had already seen his own mistakes.

"I once thought that Your Majesty's personal presence here puts your safety above all else and is of paramount importance."

Zhao Qingzhi's voice was filled with obvious self-reproach, and his words were earnest: "If Your Majesty were to make any mistake, the consequences would be unimaginable, and I would be guilty even if I were to die ten thousand times over."

"After the disaster in Henan, countless people were displaced. Although the security situation is currently good, there is no doubt that some troublemakers may take advantage of the chaos."

"I believe that Your Majesty must lead all the officers and soldiers in the province to make proper arrangements for security along the way before you can feel at ease."

"I believe that Your Majesty should be personally reminded to be vigilant and take precautions in which places and when meeting with whom, so as to ensure the safety of Your Majesty."

When Zhao Qingzhi got to this point, he was filled with regret: "At the time, I was only concerned with these security matters and, without thinking, I made the absurd move of leading all the officials of Henan Province to welcome the emperor."

"This directly led to the officials who should have been on the front lines of flood control and disaster relief, directing disaster relief efforts, all gathering here and leaving their original posts."

Zhao Qingzhi's voice was filled with heartache: "If this leads to any oversight in flood relief efforts, causing the disaster to worsen and the people to suffer, then even a hundred deaths could not atone for my crime!"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you punish me for my dereliction of duty!"

While Zhao Qingzhi was speaking, Zhu Yuntong kept a sharp eye on him, not missing a single expression on his face.

It must be said that this person had excellent control over his facial expressions, his face full of remorse, as if he had truly realized his mistake.

The same was true of Zheng Hongjian, the governor of Henan, who was standing next to him; his expression was sincere and flawless.

This eloquent and heartfelt speech truly moved the listener.

But the more this happened, the more vigilant Zhu Yunwen became.

Can a person really recognize their own mistakes so quickly and so profoundly?

Generally speaking, this is impossible.

Unrepentant and stubborn, this is the norm for most people.

Even when it comes to recognizing a mistake, it often takes a long time, and only through constant setbacks in reality can one gradually change their ingrained perception.

This aligns with the scientific principles governing the human brain.

The reason is quite simple: any cognitive error a person makes is essentially a projection and manifestation of their values. And values, from childhood, are gradually formed and taken root in the heart through years of education, environmental influence, and personal experience.

To completely change a person's long-established values ​​is certainly not something that can be done overnight, let alone in a short period of time.

This is just like debating with someone online in later generations. Even if you have a rigorous logic, present your reasoning, state the facts, and use ironclad evidence to refute the other party until they are speechless, it is still more difficult than climbing to heaven to get that person to admit that they are wrong. It is almost impossible to achieve!

"Stubborn to the end," that's the true nature of humanity!

Of course, there are always exceptions.

Indeed, there are some people who can truly "examine themselves three times a day," quickly recognize their mistakes, and make changes accordingly.

However, this trait exists almost exclusively in young people.

Because a person who can constantly reflect on and correct their own shortcomings will be almost perfect by the time they reach their forties or fifties, and there will be no significant shortcomings that need to be changed!
So, what kind of people were Zheng Hongjian and Zhao Qingzhi?
Are they among the few exceptions, or is this the norm among the masses?
Zhu Yunwen was unaware of this at the time.

As the old saying goes, "No one is perfect; everyone makes mistakes."

Judging a person's character and ability based on just one incident is actually very hasty and one-sided.

Moreover, given the historical context, it was perfectly normal to prioritize the reception of the emperor over anything else when he personally came to inspect the country.

We cannot conclude that they have made a serious mistake based solely on this.

After all, this is the prevailing ideology and code of conduct among most officials in this era.

It is not surprising at all that Zheng Hongjian and Zhao Qingzhi held such views.

Loyal ministers and treacherous ministers have no markings on their faces, so how can one easily distinguish between them?

This is also the real difficulty that emperors faced when governing the country and rectifying official corruption.

This is nothing like the simple and intuitive games we play in later generations.

Each minister's abilities, and even their loyalty, are clearly marked with numerical values, making it easy to understand at a glance.

Everything in the real world is ambiguous and requires emperors to make judgments based on their wisdom and insight.

However, Zhu Yunwen still managed to glean a great deal of hidden information from the two men's words of "apology".

Zheng Hongjian's attitude leaned more towards admitting his mistake, simply acknowledging that he should have been on the front lines of flood control, rather than coming to greet the emperor.

Zhao Qingzhi went a step further, saying that his main reason for coming to greet the emperor was out of concern for the emperor's safety.

In other words, while admitting his mistake, he also cleverly defended himself and tried to exonerate himself.

However, his explanation was very clever and watertight.

At the same time, he also pointed out calmly that all disaster relief measures had been arranged in strict accordance with the imperial court's plan.

The implication is that the disaster is under control and there is no major problem.

This could be interpreted as Zhao Qingzhi being more cunning and adept at officialdom.

This can also be interpreted as his outstanding ability to handle affairs, knowing what the emperor truly cares about, and being able to immediately point out the key issues and strike at the heart of the emperor's mind.

"Alright, it's good that you've all realized your dereliction of duty. Get up," Zhu Yunwen's voice softened, his tone no longer so sharp. "I'm not blaming you for coming to greet me; it's simply the proper etiquette of a subject."

"But right now the Yellow River has breached its banks, the disaster is severe, and it is a critical time."

Zhu Yunwen's gaze swept over the two men, and he said, "For something as simple as receiving the emperor, either of you is enough."

"Even if both of you have to come together, it's not a big mistake."

"But what's the purpose of gathering all the officials from the province here?"

Zhu Yunwen's voice suddenly rose, clearly showing anger: "Are you not going to deal with local affairs anymore?"

What should be done about the disaster victims?

"Why did the officials collectively leave their jurisdiction without authorization?"

"This is nonsense!"

After Zhu Yunwen reprimanded them again, Zheng Hongjian and Zhao Qingzhi hurriedly prostrated themselves on the ground to admit their mistakes, their attitude extremely sincere.

Zhu Yunwen then softened his tone and said, "Alright, now tell me in detail about the specific situation of the disaster in Henan, and what specific disaster relief measures you have taken."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Hongjian and Zhao Qingzhi immediately began to give a clear and organized report.

It must be said that these two are quite capable in governing, and are not incompetent fools.

At the very least, they had a clear understanding of key information such as where the disaster occurred, how many people were affected, what relief measures the government had taken, and how much relief supplies, money, and grain had been allocated. All their reports were supported by specific data.

The two recounted the entire situation clearly and meticulously, leaving no detail unexplained.

After listening to their report, Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly, looking thoughtful.

Judging from their verbal reports, the disaster relief efforts seemed to be carried out in an orderly and well-organized manner, with no obvious oversights.

Of course, this is only one side of the story from the two individuals. To find out the truth, we need to go to the scene and see for ourselves.

Zhu Yunwen then spoke, calmly instructing, "You two may leave now. Let the Prefect of Guide Prefecture come to see me."

Upon hearing this, both Zheng Hongjian and Zhao Qingzhi were taken aback.

Zhao Qingzhi hurriedly reported, "Your Majesty, Chen Zheng, the prefect of Guide Prefecture, has not come to greet you."

"Oh?" Zhu Yuntong raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

Almost all the officials from Henan Province have come, so why is it that the prefect of Guide Prefecture, who is the main official in this area, has not come?
This is quite unusual.

Zhao Qingzhi quickly explained, "After the Yellow River dike collapsed, Li Jichuan, the former prefect of Guide Prefecture, was imprisoned and is awaiting the court's judgment and punishment."

"Governor Zheng and his ministers jointly recommended a new prefect to temporarily take over his post, but after the report was submitted, the government affairs office was not satisfied and instead appointed Chen Zheng to temporarily manage the affairs of Guide Prefecture and act as the prefect."

"This person was originally an official of the River Management Office. He did have some achievements in managing the river, but he had no experience in governing a region."

"However, being promoted to prefect and in charge of the administration of a prefecture inevitably left him feeling somewhat at a loss and unable to cope."

"It is said that he has been on the Yellow River dike for the past few days, leading the people to carry soil and repair the dike, and has temporarily put aside the government affairs that need to be handled in Guide Prefecture."

"When Your Majesty made your northern tour, I also sent someone to inform him to come and welcome you."

"But Chen Zheng replied that the most important thing right now is to manage the river. Millions of disaster victims are starving and need food. When His Majesty arrives, he will definitely come to inspect the Yellow River dike. It will not be too late for him to come and greet him then. There is no need to make a special trip."

……

(End of this chapter)