Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 595 A Game of Chess Between Ruler and Minister, Proclaiming it to the World!
As soon as he finished speaking, an official stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, they are, after all, descendants of a sage. If we punish them too severely, it may damage the sage's reputation."

"Could a minor punishment serve as a warning to others?"

Before the official could finish speaking, another official, who had been pre-arranged, immediately retorted: "Your Majesty! A descendant of a sage who breaks the law deserves a heavier punishment, because he has tarnished the sage's reputation!"

"To treat a sage lightly would be the greatest disrespect to him!"

"Moreover, 'If a prince breaks the law, he shall be punished the same as a commoner.'"

"If a saint were to be reborn, he would never want to see his descendants protected by the law."

"However, I believe that while punishment is necessary, we should give them a chance to atone for their sins."

He declared eloquently: "Our Great Ming Dynasty is eager to spread the teachings of the Sage overseas, so that all foreign lands may be bathed in the grace of Heaven."

"When the sage was alive, he traveled to various states and spread Confucianism, which led to the prosperity of Confucianism in later generations."

"As descendants of sages, they should follow in the footsteps of their predecessors and continue to promote Confucianism and Taoism overseas!"

"Why not let them follow the example of their predecessors, send them overseas to spread the teachings of the sages, and educate the barbarians?"

"Using the desolate land as paper and their own asceticism as ink, they will write their chapters of atonement!"

"This is the only way to live up to the name of the descendants of the sage, to offer the best consolation to the sage, and to atone for their sins."

These words were spoken in a grand and dignified manner, and in line with national policy, making them irrefutable.

Zhu Yunwen remained noncommittal, simply picking up his teacup and gently blowing away the foam.

The room fell silent; all eyes were fixed on Kong Ne's bloodless face.

After a long while, Zhu Yunwen finally put down his teacup and asked softly:

"Duke Yansheng, what is your opinion?"

Kong Ne looked up in astonishment, only to be met with the Emperor's calm and unwavering eyes.

Beneath that calm surface, he discerned a meaning he had never considered before.

In an instant, the thousand-year history of the Kong family flashed through his mind like lightning.

The Song Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty... Dynasties changed, and the country changed hands. How was it that the Kong family was able to stand firm for a thousand years and become the number one powerful family in China for thousands of years?

What they relied on was never some unyielding spirit, but rather being the first to... prostrate themselves in submission before the iron hooves of each new master arrived!
Every dynasty, in order to maintain its rule, needs to uphold the banner of a sage, and the Confucius family still has value to be used.

As long as they are willing to submit, the new ruler will continue to grant the Kong family a prestigious status!

However, the methods of today's emperor far surpass those of emperors throughout history!

He doesn't destroy the Confucius Temple or diminish the sage's reputation; on the contrary, he wants to elevate the Confucius family to an even higher level, but he's trying to undermine their foundation!
We must uproot the entire Confucius family from Qufu, their very home!

Kong Ne's heart sank.

All his honors stemmed from his status as a direct descendant of the sage, from Qufu, and from the fact that he was the chief priest of the sage's hometown.

Aside from grand sacrifices when the emperor personally attends, it is only natural that daily sacrifices to the sages be presided over by direct descendants!

As the high priest, he also held a transcendent position.

But the Temple of Confucius will always remain in Qufu; it will not be moved, and it will never be moved.

Without this ancestral land and without the right to preside over the sacrifices, what kind of Duke Yansheng is he?

The Confucius family, what makes them the number one family in the world?!

However, since Zhu Yunwen came to power, even members of the imperial family have been sent overseas.

No matter how powerful the Kong family is, can it be more powerful than the Zhu family, the imperial family?

To resist? That would be suicide.

Meeting Zhu Yunwen's seemingly gentle but actually heavy gaze, Kong Ne quickly weighed the options in his mind and made a decision in an instant.

He quickly suppressed all his shock and resentment, kowtowed deeply, and his voice became impassioned and righteous:

"Your Majesty, I believe this proposal is excellent!"

“In the past, our ancestors traveled to various countries to preach the Great Way, and had three thousand disciples, teaching without discrimination.”

"As descendants of Confucius, how dare we enjoy honor and forget the aspirations of our ancestors?!"

"Today, the overseas territories of the Great Ming Dynasty are the same as the states outside the former State of Lu!"

"If we can spread Confucianism to all nations, educate even barbarians, and win the hearts of people all over the world, this achievement will be enough to glorify the ages and comfort our ancestors!"

"This is truly worthy of being a descendant of Confucius!"

He exclaimed, “Let alone these few sinners, they should go overseas to spread the Confucian way and atone for their sins through asceticism.”

"I, and all members of the Kong clan, should share this aspiration!"

"To cling to our hometown and enjoy the legacy of our ancestors without being able to benefit the common people is a disgrace to the Confucius family!"

At this point, he suddenly kowtowed again, his voice echoing throughout the hall:
"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you grant my entire Kong clan permission to follow the system of the imperial clan and establish a fleet to travel overseas and spread the teachings of our ancestors throughout the world!"

Zhu Yunwen clapped his hands and laughed, looking at Kong Ne lying on the ground with eyes full of approval.

This Duke Yansheng is indeed a very insightful and intelligent man!
He not only understood Zhu Yunwen's intentions, but also took the initiative to elevate them, turning a "punishment" against the Kong family into a "petition for orders".

"Good! Good! Good!" Zhu Yunwen exclaimed three times, "Truly worthy of being a descendant of a sage, truly worthy of being the Duke Yansheng of this era!"

"Only with such a mindset can one live up to the name of our ancestors!"

"Since the descendants of Confucius have such a grand ambition, how can I possibly obstruct it and thwart your filial piety in venerating your ancestors?"

"I grant your permission!"

He looked at the tearful Kong Ne, his smile unwavering, his tone gentle:
"However, what the sage taught was the way of benevolence and righteousness, not matters of war."

"You are supposed to be role models of education, so how can you personally charge into battle and fight against barbarians?"

"In my opinion, the Kong family need not form another naval force."

"Among the various fleets of the Ming Dynasty that sail out to sea, there is a great need for you, the descendants of the sage, to take on the role of education."

“You may disperse and follow along, entering the various fleets to focus on education and spreading the holy name, in order to pursue the will of our ancestors. Wouldn’t that be the best of both worlds?”

What Zhu Yunwen wanted was never the "fighting power" of the Kong clan, but their prestigious reputation as "descendants of a sage".

He wanted to place these walking "Confucian archways," like Western missionaries, into every fleet on a long voyage.

In this way, the fleets of Ming dynasty nobles and gentry who pursued profits across the seas gained an additional layer of sacred aura, spreading the teachings of the sage.

The economic expansion was thus given an impeccable moral veneer.

Upon hearing this, Kong Ne felt a great weight lifted from his heart, and even felt a surge of joy.

How could he not know the dangers of assembling a fleet for distant voyages? That vast ocean was a bottomless maw that swallowed lives.

When noble families assemble fleets and send their clansmen out to sea, they only allow a small number of clansmen to serve as commanders, leading the fleets while hiring low-level laborers to do the work and risk their lives.

In this way, even if something unexpected happens, only a limited number of clansmen will be lost.

Surely the Kong family couldn't possibly use the flesh and blood of their own descendants to fill the unknown abyss overseas?
As for property loss, nowadays, with Daming Insurance Company, as long as you pay for insurance, the insurance company will pay out accordingly.

But if a member of the clan dies, then they are dead.

Insurance companies can only compensate with money, not with lives.

As the Duke Yansheng of the time and the patriarch of the Kong clan, Kong Ne was naturally unwilling to see a large number of his clansmen die.

However, he was powerless to defy the imperial decree.

His Majesty's decree not only greatly reduced the risks for the Kong family going to sea, but also left them with a way to survive, like a "cunning rabbit with three burrows"!

Qufu is certainly an important place, but if the branches of the Confucius family can be spread to all corners of the world, even if one branch withers, it can be reborn elsewhere!

This is the true, unshakeable foundation!
Having understood this, Kong Ne felt greatly relieved and, with even greater gratitude, kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your boundless grace!"

Zhu Yunwen accepted the bow with a smile, but his mind was completely clear.

"A cunning rabbit has three burrows? What I want is precisely for you to flourish until you can no longer recognize where your roots are."

This is a replica of Emperor Wu of Han's "Decree of Grace".

What appears to be a blessing is actually the gentlest of knives. A deeply rooted and highly cohesive Kong clan will be divided into countless independent "small Kong families."

A hundred years from now, apart from sharing a common surname, how will they be different from strangers?
Aren't all Chinese surnames like this?

Does having the same surname really mean you're from the same family?
If that were truly the case, the families of those with prominent surnames would make up one-tenth to one-twelfth of the entire population of the Ming Dynasty, leaving no place for those with other surnames to survive.

In fact, everyone lives their own life and belongs to their own sect.

They don't form an alliance and advance and retreat together just because they share the same surname.

Conversely, those who are not of the same clan and live together treat other people of the same surname as strangers most of the time.

What Zhu Yunwen wanted was to make the descendants of the sages, who were once high and mighty, just another ordinary surname among the Hundred Family Surnames.

After all, if we're really talking about "ancestors," then who in the entire Chinese nation isn't a descendant of Yan and Huang?
The two, ruler and minister, had different thoughts, yet at this moment, they reached a tacit understanding.

Kong Ne's "sensible" behavior pleased Zhu Yunwen greatly, and he decided to give him another reward.

He said gently, "You are a direct descendant of the sage, and also the Duke Yansheng, personally conferred by the imperial court."

"Qufu is the root of the sages, and the Confucian Temple has been worshipped for thousands of years without interruption. There must always be a chief officiant."

"You may stay here; there is no need to go overseas."

These words are nothing short of heavenly music!
Kong Ne felt a warm current spread through his limbs and bones, and his tense heartstrings finally relaxed completely.

In an era without weather satellites or accurate weather forecasts, where voyages were akin to gambling with death, nothing was more important to a pampered nobleman like him than "safety."

He could no longer maintain the demeanor of the Duke of Yansheng, and could only keep kowtowing, his voice even choked with emotion: "Your subject kowtows to thank Your Majesty for your grace! Your Majesty's benevolence is something I can never repay even if I die ten thousand times!"

Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly and added an unshakeable rule: "However, I will set another rule today."

"From now on, any descendant of the Kong family who wishes to inherit the position of Duke Yansheng must first have made contributions by traveling and developing overseas."

Zhu Yunwen said calmly, "In the past, sages traveled to various states, enduring hardships and trials, before they achieved the Great Way."

"How can future generations sit comfortably at home and enjoy the fruits of others' labor?"

"Only those who have personally experienced the storms of the world and have the world in their hearts can shoulder the heavy responsibility of presiding over the Confucian Temple and live up to the name of the descendants of the sage."

Kong Ne felt a chill run down his spine again.

This decree undoubtedly placed a severe shackle on the Confucian family's lineage.

The imperial court is ruthless; the art of rulership truly combines kindness and severity, leaving no room for human will.

But then he thought again, this might not be all bad.

"Jade that is not carved cannot become a vessel." Letting those descendants born into comfort experience the storms of overseas, to see the true vastness of the world, and to select the best successor from among them, is also the right way to ensure the long-term prosperity of the family.

Upon realizing this, he kowtowed again and said respectfully, "Your Majesty is farsighted and wise; I obey your decree and express my gratitude."

With the important matters settled, Zhu Yunwen's stern expression vanished, replaced by a gentle smile.

He stopped talking about national affairs and instead pulled Kong Ne aside to chat about the local customs and traditions of Qufu, asking about the everyday matters of the Kong family. His words were friendly and approachable, as if the emperor who had just been strategizing and making decisive decisions was just an illusion.

This was Zhu Yunwen's way of governing his subordinates.

Having established authority, the next step is to bestow favors, making the subjects feel the boundless grace of the Emperor, thus winning their heartfelt submission.

Simply using intimidation will only result in superficial obedience.

Only by combining kindness and severity can true loyalty be earned.

Just like how parents can't rely solely on their authority to get their children to obey, they also need to use "emotional blackmail."

Otherwise, even if they dare not rebel as children, their family ties will gradually weaken as they grow up.

Superficial compliance and genuine inner surrender are two different things.

After a few casual words, the atmosphere became incredibly harmonious.

Just as Kong Ne's initial tension was beginning to ease, Zhu Yunwen casually posed the question he had been waiting for:
"By the way, Duke Yansheng, what do you think of the 'new learning' that is being discussed so much in the court and among the public?"

Kong Ne felt a chill run down his spine, knowing that the real test had arrived.

He immediately composed himself, sat up straight, and almost without thinking, bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, I believe that the 'new learning' founded by Fang Xiaoru was not created out of thin air, but rather a rectification of the 'benevolence' and 'righteousness' of our ancestors, putting them back to their original source!"

"Its core tenets are in line with the teachings of our ancestors, and it is truly the orthodox tradition of Confucianism in our time!"

Kong Ne was well aware of His Majesty's inclinations; he had already considered these words a thousand times in his mind.

The reason why the Confucius family has stood firm for thousands of years lies in its unwavering alignment with the "orthodoxy" of the reigning dynasty.

His Majesty the Emperor's thoughts are the attitude of the Confucian family.

"Oh?" Zhu Yunwen finally let out the most hearty laugh of the day: "Good! Well said!"

He looked at Kong Ne with eyes full of approval: "In that case, how about you, Duke Yansheng, personally cheer for the orthodoxy of Confucianism?"

Zhu Yunwen smiled faintly and said, "In the name of the Duke of Yansheng, you personally wrote an article detailing the essence of the new learning and clarifying its relationship with the inheritance of the sage's way."

"Once the article is written, it will be immediately telegraphed back to Nanjing and sent to the front page of the *Da Ming Daily* for publication, to be announced to the world!"

……

(End of this chapter)