My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 311 "Memorial Requesting the Establishment of the Preparatory Course at the Imperial Academy"

What Su Ze handed to Luo Wanhua was the syllabus he had written for the preparatory course at the Imperial Academy.

The path Su Ze found was still the "debate between righteousness and profit".

After reading the beginning, Luo Wanhua frowned and said:
"Isn't this the opinion expressed in the *New Yuefu Daily*?"

Luo Wanhua recalled that this was an article published in the "New Yuefu Daily" analyzing the saying "A gentleman understands righteousness, while a petty person understands profit."

The *Xin Yuefu Bao* interprets this phrase as referring to "gentlemen" (君子) as "those who labor with their minds," or those who "eat meat" (食肉). Conversely, "petty men" (小人) are "those who labor with their bodies," or commoners and slaves.

Moral requirements should be set for scholars and made to abide by them, while practical benefits should be offered to ordinary people to guide them to survive.

When dealing with the people, we must prioritize their interests over righteousness. We should first guide them onto the right path with benefits, and then make demands of righteousness on them.

This article sparked discussion in the capital at the time, but the analysis was quite rigorous and insightful, and it won the approval of many scholars.

Does Su Zilin also agree with this interpretation?

Luo Wanhua continued reading.

Having established this premise, Su Ze began to interpret "the Doctrine of the Mean".

Su Ze proposed the so-called "Doctrine of the Mean," which is the result of weighing the two things: profit and righteousness.

The article argues that "righteousness" and "profit" are both universally present in all things.

The concepts of "gentleman" and "petty person" are constantly changing.

A perfect "gentleman" does not exist. A gentleman is the ideal state of a scholar, which is the "sage" in Yangming's philosophy of mind.

Therefore, among scholars, there are also scoundrels who have read the classics. Even among scholars who have made great contributions in history, there are shortcomings in their private morality.

"The petty person" refers to an ordinary citizen, but that doesn't mean that ordinary people are without loyalty and righteousness. There are countless examples of this throughout history, and countless people have stepped forward to help the country in times of crisis.

Therefore, Su Ze also pointed out that the so-called "gentleman" and "petty person" are relative, not static states.

Even a "gentleman" may make the mistakes of a "petty person," and a "petty person" may also have moments of "righteousness" that would make a gentleman ashamed.

Then Su Ze continued to argue that "gentleman" refers to the moral component of a thing, while "petty person" refers to the self-interest component of a thing.

When analyzing a situation, both aspects must be considered.

We cannot simply engage in moral criticism without considering the issue of interests.

We cannot act solely based on self-interest while ignoring moral considerations.

In order to achieve the so-called "Doctrine of the Mean," it is necessary to conduct argumentation from both perspectives.

Morality and interests are two sides of the same coin; they are universally present, sometimes contradictory and sometimes complementary.

Therefore, when encountering problems, the first step is to analyze the main issues and resolve the primary contradictions.

After reading it, Luo Wanhua was stunned.

Shen Yiguan took Su Ze's article and was stunned after reading it.

"What do you two gentlemen think?"

Luo Wanhua suddenly said:
"Brother Zilin, you came up with this solution to the problem of the *Yuefu Xinbao* newspaper, right?"

Su Ze nodded and said:

"Yes."

He explained:
"The problem with the Yuefu Xinbao is actually the contradiction between readers' desire for newer and more interesting articles and the fact that official newspapers can only publish serious reports."

"The main issue is 'profit,' which means meeting the actual needs of readers."

"The secondary contradiction lies in 'righteousness,' and the official gazette must assume the function of moral education."

"So the solution I came up with was to increase the interesting content in the newspapers while balancing 'righteousness' and transforming dry government orders into more in-depth reports, thus solving Brother Yifu's problem."

After listening, Luo Wanhua bowed and said:

"What Brother Zilin said is close to the truth!"

Shen Yiguan immediately said:

"Brother Zilin, are you about to start your own sect?"

Su Ze shook his head and said:

"You flatter me by saying it's the founding of a new school of thought. This is just the curriculum outline for the preparatory course at the Imperial Academy."

However, Shen Yiguan said:

“Brother Zilin, this is the way of the sages, so of course it’s a matter of establishing a school of thought!”

Luo Wanhua nodded repeatedly and said:

"Through this path, true learning has its roots!"
-
Su Ze never expected that his theory of contradictions would receive such high praise from Luo Wanhua and Shen Yiguan.

When he handed the article to Gao Gong, Gao Gong was so excited that his beard bristled.

"Zilin! The prosperity of practical learning is thanks to you!"

Immediately afterwards, Gao Gong summoned his disciples and students, and had Su Ze explain his "theory of the contradiction between righteousness and profit." Then he took out Su Ze's previous memorial requesting the establishment of the Imperial Academy's preparatory course and asked everyone to do their utmost to promote this matter.

On the 25th day of the first lunar month, good news came from Gao Gong's side.

Zhang Juzheng and the Ministry of Revenue supported the establishment of the Imperial College's preparatory course. The Ministry of Revenue was willing to allocate funds to the Imperial College to renovate the school buildings and to cover the stipends and tuition fees for the preparatory students.

Su Ze didn't know what political exchange Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng had made, but with financial support, the matter was half settled.

Then came more good news.

The Ministry of War agreed to support Su Ze's memorial, provided that Su Ze added a clause stipulating that students graduating from the Imperial Academy's preparatory course must pass a special examination administered by the Ministry of War before they could join the Military Academy.

The Ministry of Works held a similar opinion, requiring students to pass an examination administered by the Ministry of Works before being admitted to the Society for Research in Chinese Architecture.

Su Ze naturally had no objection to this. Assessment was necessary. As long as there was assessment, someone would be promoted, it was just a matter of degree.

The Ministry of Rites was the strongest opponent.

There was no other way. Su Ze wanted to establish a preparatory school for practical learning, and it would be affiliated with the Imperial Academy. If Minister of Rites Yin Shidan agreed, wouldn't he be condemned to death by fellow believers in the School of Mind?

Zhao Zhenji's attitude was rather ambiguous, but the fact that he didn't explicitly object was already out of consideration for Su Ze.

At this point, the resistance to the Imperial College preparatory course has been greatly reduced.

Su Ze handed the revised memorial to the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works, and then stuffed the memorial into the "Handheld Ming Dynasty Court".

——[Simulation Start]——

The memorial requesting the establishment of the Imperial Academy's preparatory course was sent to the cabinet. Except for Zhao Zhenji, who gave up the draft, the other cabinet ministers agreed to your memorial in principle.

Gao Gong drafted a special opinion supporting the establishment of the Imperial College Preparatory School.

The Ministry of Rites strongly opposed it. Minister of Rites Yin Shidan refuted your memorial point by point, opposing the introduction of the Practical Learning Preparatory Course at the Imperial Academy, believing that this was your way of indirectly establishing Practical Learning as the official ideology.

With strong opposition from officials of the Ministry of Rites, the Censorate also opposed the move, believing it would affect the future of scholars across the land and create chaos.

Because the controversy was too great, the emperor kept your memorial.

——[Simulation End]——

[Remaining Prestige: 1490.]

[To fully approve your memorial, you need to pay 1000 prestige points. Do you wish to pay?]

1000 Prestige Points! That's a huge cost!

However, from then on, practical learning had a foothold, and the capital city had a base specifically for cultivating practical talents. Those 1000 prestige points were well spent. Moreover, these 1000 prestige points were the result of numerous transactions and compromises made by Gao Gong; if he had paid for them all himself, it would have been an astronomical figure.

Su Ze selected "Yes," and now it was up to the system.

[Prestige points have been deducted, remaining prestige points: 490. Please complete the petition in real life as soon as possible.]
-
The 26th day of the first lunar month.

Su Ze's memorial caused an uproar in the court and among the public, and the Ministry of Rites piled up petitions against it on the desk of the Office of Transmission.

Xu Shuli, an official in the Office of Transmission, was leisurely organizing these memorials when he heard another official from the Ministry of Rites inquire when a memorial would be submitted to the Grand Secretariat. Xu Shuli slowly walked to the Office of Transmission and, following Yang Sizhong's instructions, addressed the officials from the Ministry of Rites gathered there:
"Delivering memorials is an internal matter of the Office of General Affairs and Postal Service. If you want to know the progress, please apply to be transferred to the Office of General Affairs."

After Xu Shuli finished speaking, the officials in charge of rites immediately erupted in uproar!

They were so enraged that they almost stormed into the Ministry of Justice. When the officials below reported the situation to Yang Sizhong, he was so angry that he nearly fainted.

He summoned Xu Shuli and asked sternly:

"The Ministry of Rites has submitted a petition, why don't you immediately send your memorial to me?"

Xu Shuli said, feeling wronged:

"There are too many memorials to be submitted today, and I haven't had time to sort them out yet."

Yang Sizhong felt utterly exhausted. He thought that Xu Shuli's predecessor would never have done such a thing.

He then asked sternly:

"Even so, why say that to officials outside the Ministry of Personnel?"

Xu Shuli said, feeling wronged, "Wasn't this what Da Yintai taught me?"

"?"

Xu Shuli said earnestly:
"On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, I came to ask the Grand Secretary, and that's what he told me, wasn't it?"

Yang Sizhong was almost driven mad by Xu Shuli, but there was no point in lashing out at Xu Shuli at this point, so he had no choice but to send him away.

If this dragged on any longer, even the Ministry of Justice would be implicated. Yang Sizhong ordered someone to carry the memorial to the cabinet in a hurry.

When the Longqing Emperor saw the mountain of opposing memorials, he also began to have a headache.

Yin Shidan was also a trusted minister of the emperor, who summoned him to the palace to give lectures on several occasions, making him a kind of teacher to the Longqing Emperor.

If the emperor were to forcibly support the Ministry of Rites despite its strong opposition, he would inevitably incur the resentment of the Ministry of Rites officials.

Unlike his father, the Longqing Emperor was not one to cause trouble.

Being targeted by these ministers is like being swarmed by flies; they'll seize any opportunity to jump out and contradict you.

Emperor Longqing lacked the energy to engage in power struggles with his ministers, unlike Emperor Jiajing, who also lacked a chief minister like Yan Song who could take the blame and suppress his ministers. It was far more interesting to engage in verbal battles with officials outside the palace than to do so in the inner palace.
Originally, the matter would have ended there; the emperor would have chosen to let it go and kept Su Ze's memorial unpublished.

However, soon after, Yang Sizhong, the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, urgently sent another batch of memorials.

Taking this opportunity, Yang Sizhong spoke directly to the Longqing Emperor:
"Your Majesty, I request to resign from my post."

The Longqing Emperor was greatly alarmed and quickly ordered someone to help Yang Sizhong up, saying:
"Why do you wish to resign, my dear minister?"

After Yang Sizhong took charge of the Office of Transmission, his achievements were remarkable. Under his guidance, the administrative efficiency of the entire Ming Dynasty improved significantly.

The construction of overseas offices of administration was also very successful, and local offices of administration also brought news from the local areas, allowing the emperor and the court to have a better understanding of the local situation.

Emperor Longqing would never have been willing to let such a minister go.

Yang Sizhong then said:
“Your Majesty, officials from the Ministry of Rites have impeached me for colluding with Su Ze and cutting off channels of communication. I only wish to resign to avoid suspicion and prove my innocence.”

Emperor Longqing then opened the newly arrived batch of memorials, which turned out to be impeachments against Yang Sizhong.

This infuriated the emperor.

To say that Yang Sizhong blocked channels of communication would be a real injustice to him.

These officials from the Ministry of Rites were truly mad dogs. He had to appease Yang Sizhong with kind words before he allowed Yang Sizhong to leave.

"Reject all the memorials impeaching Minister Yang!"

The Longqing Emperor was furious, but he didn't go so far as to directly oppose the Ministry of Rites just because of their arbitrary impeachments.

After all, the memorials from the Ministry of Rites impeaching Su Ze were all based on the facts of the matter.

Just then, the Longqing Emperor looked at Feng Bao, who was tidying up his desk, and asked:

"Feng Bao, what do you think about the matter of the Imperial Academy's preparatory course?"

Feng Bao lowered his head and said:
"Such an important matter, I dare not say more."

"Speak when I tell you to."

Feng Bao then said:

"In my opinion, the outer court is arguing back and forth, but it has forgotten one thing."

"what's up?"

"The Imperial College is a place for nurturing talent."

Feng Bao said:

"Your Majesty, if the Imperial Academy's preparatory course can cultivate talented individuals, then I will support it; if it cannot, then I will oppose it."

Feng Bao's words sounded like nonsense, but the Longqing Emperor took them to heart.

Yes, after all the arguing, Su Ze's memorial clearly stated at the beginning that the purpose of establishing the Imperial Academy's preparatory course was to cultivate talent.

What about Su Ze's educational abilities?

Martial arts supervisor?

Needless to say, the results were completely different in less than a year after the students entered the martial arts academy.

The emperor pondered for a moment, then said to Feng Bao:

"Summon the Crown Prince."

What is Su Zeyu's greatest "achievement"?
Isn't he just the crown prince?

Emperor Longqing then realized that he hadn't tested the Crown Prince's scholarship in a long time.

According to Su Ze's memorial, isn't the preparatory course training scholars at the Crown Prince's current stage?
Since that's the case, let's see how well Su Ze educates the Crown Prince!
-
The Longqing Emperor was overjoyed with the Crown Prince's academic progress!
Zhu Yijun had just begun studying the Four Books, and the Crown Prince could answer all the questions about them accurately. When Emperor Longqing asked him about it, he discovered that Su Ze had adopted a new teaching method.

Instead of teaching in the original order, Su Ze divided the contents of the Four Books into five parts: "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness," explaining them in a cross-cutting manner to strengthen memory.

For a child of the prince's age, this kind of explanation is much easier to understand than simply memorizing the text.

In addition, the Crown Prince had a good grasp of the contents of "Illustrated Explanation of Imperial Admonitions" and was able to understand the gains and losses of emperors throughout history.

Emperor Longqing asked again:
"What clever method did Su Zilin use this time?"

Zhu Yijun said:
"Master Su said that the greatest gains and losses of governance throughout history are nothing more than 'rising by the same means and falling by the same means'."

"Take the Tang Dynasty's system of equal land distribution to soldiers as an example. The Tang Dynasty seized power with this system, but it also declined and perished because of the corruption of this system."

“When any dynasty is first established, its policies, military, and tax system are all established. Those who can be like our father, who are mindful of potential dangers even in times of peace and implement timely reforms, are the wise rulers who can restore a dynasty.”

"Following the rules and regulations, he can be considered a ruler who maintains the status quo."

"A ruler who squanders the nation's resources and indulges in extravagance and debauchery is a foolish and incompetent ruler."

After hearing this, the Longqing Emperor was very pleased and ordered that the officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices be rewarded, and also gave Su Ze a gold reward.

After seeing off the Crown Prince, Feng Bao received an imperial decree to establish the Imperial Academy Preparatory Course!

(End of this chapter)