Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 579 Fishing with a Line!

Zhu Yunwen paused briefly, then added a crucial order:

"Secondly, the newborn people are the future of the nation."

"By imperial decree, all midwives in the land must register with the local government and obtain a certificate."

"Whenever a baby is born, the family and the midwife must report to the authorities within seven days and register the baby in the register of newborns."

“Each county government office must compile the number of newborn boys and girls in the locality every quarter, report it up the chain of command, and finally the Ministry of Revenue will oversee the whole country.”

"I want to know how many new people are born on every inch of my Great Ming land, every year, every season."

"This measure serves two purposes: first, to check the male-to-female ratio and to see if yin and yang are in harmony."

"Secondly, to demonstrate the court's compassion for the people and to let the world know that every newborn baby is a pillar of the future of our Great Ming Dynasty, and all are under my protection!"

Although the Ming Dynasty had conducted population statistics in the past, Zhu Yunwen knew that there were many omissions in the past population statistics and they could not be fully trusted.

Now is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the household registration check to conduct another large-scale census of the entire nation and get a clear picture of the Ming Dynasty's resources.

Besides that, he also had some worries.

He himself vigorously promoted reforms, implementing the "land tax reform" and abolishing the "population tax" that had been in place for thousands of years.

This tax was levied only on males, not females. Although it was a corrupt policy, it also curbed the practice of female infanticide by increasing the cost of raising and bearing children for males.

Now that the incentive of exorbitant dowries is gone, and the constraint of the poll tax has also been removed, with both measures in place, Wang Shoulian's concerns about the danger of imbalance are by no means unfounded.

Therefore, it is even more urgent to check the population size and gender ratio in real time so that the court can have an accurate understanding of the situation and make policy adjustments.

The emperor's several edicts, sent to the capital Nanjing by telegram, were like a boulder thrown into a lake, instantly creating huge waves and shaking the court and the public.

The Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Rites dared not delay and held a meeting overnight. They quickly drafted detailed regulations for the betrothal gifts, using five taels of silver from the imperial family as the highest standard.

For princes and nobles, the dowry could not exceed five taels; for officials in the court, the dowry was divided into three grades according to rank, ranging from three taels to one tael; as for ordinary people, the dowry could not exceed one tael.

As soon as the decree was issued, the nobles and wealthy merchants in the capital who were getting married immediately began to stir.

Several families had already prepared thousands of taels of betrothal money and tens of thousands of strings of cash for their weddings, hoping to outdo others at the wedding banquet. Upon hearing the Emperor's decree, they quickly reduced their processions to show that they were following the Emperor's lead and practicing frugality.

The betrothal gifts were all voluntarily reduced to two taels or one tael.

Zhu Yunwen originally thought that once this decree was issued, it would surely be met with insincere compliance from those powerful and influential families.

After all, they were the ones who started the trend of extravagant weddings and high dowries, and ordinary people just followed suit.

How could these people willingly give up their bragging rights?

Zhu Yunwen even sent a encrypted telegram to the government affairs office, instructing them to prepare to arrest a few typical cases and severely punish them, in order to make an example of them and use swift and decisive measures to correct the bad practices.

To his surprise, the decree was implemented without any obstacles; not only did no one object, but everyone praised it.

The reason for this is actually quite simple.

This increasingly rampant trend of extravagance has already become an unbearable burden for everyone.

While ordinary people complained bitterly, even princes and wealthy merchants had their own unspeakable grievances.

The Jia family in "Dream of the Red Chamber" was so powerful that even they felt their finances were strained when their daughters got married, which is clear evidence of this.

They are rich, but the competition among them is even greater than that among ordinary people. If you spend a thousand taels today, I will spend ten thousand taels tomorrow, otherwise I will lose face and be ridiculed.

Once this trend takes hold, it's like riding a tiger and finding it hard to get off; everyone is swept up in it. Even though they know it's a waste of time and effort, no one dares to back down first, for fear of being looked down upon.

They could only complain verbally, saying that the expenses were too high and that it was really unnecessary to do it.

But when it comes to actually getting things done, you feel like, "Zhang San's family is like this, Li Si's family is like this, Wang Wu's family is like this, so why can't my family keep up?"
Do my family have to make ourselves look so "shabby" and "shabby" to make ourselves seem so poor?

After much deliberation, I finally gritted my teeth and kept up.

Even if it's extremely difficult!

But that's just human nature.

At first, maybe only one or two people wanted to show off, but most people didn't have that thought.

Once someone starts, others will follow.

As more and more people follow, it will force everyone else to do the same.

Most of the people who followed behind were not trying to show off, but simply wanted to avoid falling too far behind others and to be about the same as everyone else!

This is human nature.

This is what is known as "face".

It's not about striving to be "number one" or showing off to others, but about not falling behind the "majority".

People naturally feel that falling behind the "majority" is a loss of face.

Only one or two families in the village have built luxurious mansions; it's fine if you don't build one.

But if every household in the village builds the same new house, and your family is the only one who doesn't, you'll feel "ashamed"!

Even if you're very open-minded and think I don't care.

But your parents, your wife, your family... they will think the same way and pressure you to follow the other villagers.

Even if it means borrowing money, they will build the new house.

To avoid their family being "looked down upon" by the villagers.

In this environment where everyone is forced to compete and participate in "competition," everyone actually "lose together"!
Zhu Yunwen's imperial edict was like a timely rain, giving everyone a way to end things gracefully.

With His Majesty's golden words already spoken, who would dare to criticize this matter?

Taking the opportunity to cut expenses is not a sign of personal poverty, but rather an act of responding to national policy and loyalty to the emperor.

They are naturally happy to finally find an "excuse" to extricate themselves from this meaningless competition.

From then on, the concepts of marriage and funerals in the Ming Dynasty underwent a major change.

After the betrothal gifts were limited to a very low amount, people gradually felt that it was unnecessary and slowly withdrew.

The custom of demanding exorbitant dowries was quickly reversed and subsequently disappeared.

The marriage customs of the Ming Dynasty ushered in a brand new era.

After people could no longer demand betrothal gifts, the selection of a husband basically shifted to character and morality.

Very few parents now force their daughters to marry "someone" in order to obtain a high dowry, since they gain nothing from doing so.

Shandong.

After meeting with the governor and inspector and conveying several imperial edicts, Zhu Yunwen rested at the post station.

The backyard of this post station was originally a private garden, which, although not large, was decorated with great elegance.

Pavilions, waterside terraces, and rockeries are all nestled among lush ancient trees and babbling turquoise waters.

Zhu Yunwen passed through the moon gate and saw Xu Miaojin standing by the waterside pavilion, holding fish food, which made the koi in the pond thrash about, a very beautiful sight.

As he approached, Xu Miaojin turned around and smiled, gave a graceful bow, and said with a smile, "Brother Tong, you're finally done with your work. I think the post station in Shandong is much more impressive than the one in Henan."

Zhu Yunwen walked to her side, picked up the fish food next to him, and said with a smile: "This garden was originally the private residence of a corrupt official in the area. Several years ago, his house was confiscated and the Shandong government took advantage of the situation to turn it into a post station, which is quite a good use of the property."

"I see." Xu Miaojin nodded in understanding, then sprinkled some more fish food into the water. Watching the koi carp scrambling for food, she couldn't help but smile.

Zhu Yunwen stood beside her, casually feeding her as he said, "It's not just this place; the entire Shandong postal system is quite innovative."

"They divided the post stations into three classes, with a third-class post station set up approximately every thirty li, a second-class post station every hundred li, and a first-class post station every three hundred li."

"Third-class post stations have a dozen or so horses, second-class post stations have thirty horses, and first-class post stations have more than a hundred horses."

"As for food and lodging, the amount will be determined based on the usual passenger flow at each post station, ensuring that there is a slight profit."

"This method is well-organized, ensuring the smooth operation of official post stations without wasting national funds. It is indeed a good method and deserves to be promoted throughout the country."

What he appreciated was the Shandong government's meticulous approach to reform.

When he reformed the post stations across the country, he mainly changed the post station staff from corvée laborers to government employees, subsidized by the imperial treasury, and allowed them to operate food and lodging businesses, bearing their own profits and losses.

This method revitalized the official post stations across the country, and coupled with the Ming Dynasty's openness to commerce and the significant increase in the number of people traveling abroad, it yielded remarkable results.

Shandong's move, with its tiered and graded system tailored to local conditions, undoubtedly represents a significant step forward, making the overall strategy even more dynamic.

Around some large post stations, the flow of people has led to the spontaneous formation of new towns, demonstrating the effectiveness of the program.

Xu Miaojin listened and smiled sweetly: "To receive such praise from Brother Tong, it seems that the officials in Shandong are indeed much more dedicated than those in Henan."

She subtly changed the subject, a hint of concern flashing in her bright eyes: "Speaking of dedication, what about Xi Zhaoxue, who stopped the emperor that day to plead her case? Has there been any response regarding her brother Xi Yunlang's case?"

When Xi Zhaoxue cried out for justice, Xu Miaojin was also present. The young girl, who was always bursting with a sense of justice, naturally paid close attention to the matter.

Zhu Yunwen calmly shook his head: "The Shandong governor and the imperial inspector did not mention this case at all in their memorials."

"The men I sent to secretly protect the siblings have reported back that there was nothing amiss."

Xu Miaojin frowned slightly and said, "That's strange."

"The case was personally inquired about by the Emperor himself. Although there was no official edict or decree issued to the local government, the news should have spread throughout Shandong by the time, given the large number of onlookers."

"Their memorials are lengthy and detailed, so why did they deliberately omit this case that His Majesty is so concerned about?"

Zhu Yunwen's gaze fell on the koi carp competing for food in the water, and he said in a calm tone: "It's hard to say how deep this pool is right now."

"The case of Xi Yunlang was not complicated in itself, but the problem was that too many officials were involved."

"From the county government to the prefectural government, and even to the provincial judicial commissioner's office, the seals were signed at every level, and it was already a matter of shared loss and shared prosperity."

"To overturn the verdict would mean that all officials involved in this entire process would be held accountable."

Do you think they would want the verdict overturned?

Even if they know that I am aware of this matter, they may not actually investigate it thoroughly.

"Even if something is found out, they may not help to overturn the case; instead, they will try to cover it up."

"Firstly, since I have not issued a clear decree, they can pretend to be deaf and dumb, betting that I am busy with many affairs of state and may not remember this matter, and may have already forgotten about this trivial case."

"Secondly, and even more insidiously, officials will take this opportunity to gather more 'evidence,' fabricate charges, and solidify the case into an ironclad one, leaving no possibility of reversal."

Zhu Yunwen was fully aware of this.

Officials protecting each other has led to a long-standing problem.

Even if he had not yet issued an imperial edict, would those people obediently follow the order to investigate and clear the names of the wronged?

not necessarily!

After all, this means that all the officials who previously handled the case are guilty.

In order to exonerate themselves, they fabricate evidence and intimidate witnesses, making it more likely that a wrongful conviction will be turned into an "ironclad case."

Such events are numerous in historical records.

The famous case of "Yang Naiwu and Xiaobaicai" in the Qing Dynasty was appealed to higher levels and shocked the court and the public. Even when Empress Dowager Cixi personally ordered a retrial, the officials below still protected each other, and the original verdict was upheld several times. The court ordered a retrial several more times.

If it hadn't ultimately involved factional struggles within the court, and if Empress Dowager Cixi hadn't used the case to suppress the power of the Xiang Army, that enormous injustice would likely have been lost forever, with no day of redress.

Such is human nature, and it remains true throughout history.

Zhu Yunwen was not at all surprised by what the officials in Shandong would do.

Instead of issuing a direct order to intervene, he let Xi Zhaoxue continue to file her complaint, while secretly sending people to protect her.

This was an opportunity Zhu Yunwen gave to Shandong officials, and also a test of the entire Shandong officialdom.

He wanted to see for himself just how many demons and monsters were lurking beneath the surface of the water.

Will these people ever "come to their senses and turn back from their wrong path"?
Zhu Yunwen sighed softly and said, "I do hope that behind the Xi Yunlang case, there is a big corrupt official who committed the crime, rather than the corruption and depravity of the officialdom. It is a very small case that has been distorted because of the mistakes made by the officials at the beginning. In order to cover up the mistakes, one mistake after another has been made, with everyone in cahoots and no one is allowed to seek justice or overturn the case for the people."

His tone was quite emotional.

Xu Miaojin was also affected, her expression complicated. She silently fed the koi, and after a long while she said, "Your Majesty's reforms have enabled the people of our Great Ming to have enough to eat and wear, but nothing is without its drawbacks. The current trend of pursuing money is far greater than before."

"But compared to the people's abundance of food and clothing, this change in social atmosphere is nothing."

Zhu Yunwen said, "To prevent problems before they arise, we still need to vigorously rectify the atmosphere in officialdom."

"Previously in Henan, I punished a large number of Henan officials and launched a nationwide anti-corruption campaign, but it will take time for these measures to be implemented."

"I will also take this opportunity to observe the specific implementation of the measures I have formulated."

……

(End of this chapter)