Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 280 It has always been farmers who rebel, never merchants!
Zhang Yunxiu had been standing at the door of the study for a while.

I was curious why my father was staring at that "Civet Cat and Immortal" painting, but to my surprise, the old man kept taking the painting down and then hanging it up again.

As he watched, Zhang Yunxiu almost thought he had fallen into some kind of time loop.

Unable to resist shouting, I saw my father's swaying body and realized that the timeline was still normal.

It was indeed his father, Zhang Juzheng, who had some problems.

"You unfilial son! How dare you speak to an old man like that? Do you want to kill me?!"

Zhang Juzheng nearly fell off his chair, barely managing to steady himself on the table beside him. Had he been slightly careless, this old man might have actually lost his life.

Zhang Yunxiu stopped running forward, pretending to be indifferent, and then said with a smile.

"Father, is there some deeper meaning behind your changing thoughts?"

He strolled into the study with a relaxed expression and immediately noticed the two geomantic maps standing in the center of the room.

One depicts various places in Jiangnan, while the other shows the waterway between Yuegang in Fujian and Luzon Island.

Looking at the desk again, there was an open letter under the paperweight, and the red clay seal next to it looked quite fresh.

Even a fool could guess that Dad was troubled by the matter in Jiangnan.

But Zhang Juzheng pretended to be nonchalant, put his hands behind his back and looked back at the "Civet Cat Immortal Painting", and said in a nonchalant tone.

"No, that's not true. Your raccoon cat painting has been hanging in your study for some time now."

Although the painting skills are quite good, it's ultimately a bit unconventional, and this can't go on forever. I'm thinking of taking it down and replacing it with another one to add a fresh look to the study."

“A new look?” Zhang Yunxiu asked with a hint of inquiry. “Father has been reading, writing, and reviewing memorials in this study for months without ever finding anything amiss. Why the sudden change of heart today?”

Zhang Juzheng, with keen insight, replied, "Only by being meticulous and focused, and by adhering to the mean, can one achieve true mastery."

Damn it, they're starting to use fancy language again!

Zhang Yunxiu was internally complaining.

Scholars have this problem, especially the ministers in the court, who are all graduates of the imperial examinations and are the best among scholars.

When discussing politics, people usually like to quote sentences from the Four Books and Five Classics, which requires a bit of a detour to understand.

Fortunately, Zhang Yunxiu was able to understand. After a little thought, he realized that the sentence came from the "Great Yu's Counsel" in the Book of Documents.

The most straightforward meaning is "If the foundation is not stable, the overall situation will not be secure," which also emphasizes the doctrine of the mean.

Zhang Juzheng claimed he had no ulterior motives, but Zhang Yunxiu was far from naive enough to believe he was actually referring to a "Tanuki Immortal Painting."

Clearly, the old man was still of sound mind and wouldn't do anything for no reason.

The way this "Civet Cat and Immortal" painting is treated seems to reflect his attitude towards himself and the policies of Jiangnan.

He was a little scared.

This was the first thought that popped into Zhang Yunxiu's head, and he couldn't help but feel somewhat dissatisfied when he thought of it.

You dog! I was ready to fight the enemy to the death, and you old man are trying to back down now?

There are no doors!

He racked his brains and immediately came up with a solution, smiling as he offered his advice.

"Father only thought of this sentence, but forgot that there is a second half to it."

Zhang Juzheng frowned: "What do you mean?"

"The human heart is perilous, the heart of the Way is subtle." Zhang Yunxiu said, explaining to himself, "The human heart is often fickle, easily swayed by external influences, while the true path is also profound and difficult to understand."

"Looking at these four sentences together, isn't upholding one's original intention the most important thing compared to the doctrine of the mean?"

Zhang Yunxiu looked up at his father.

"Father, have you forgotten why you granted me permission to implement these policies in Jiangnan?"

"wrong."

He slapped his forehead and immediately changed his mind.

"Father, have you forgotten why you left this picture of a raccoon cat here? Wasn't it to remind us, your sons, of this?"
You previously mentioned that this picture of a raccoon dog is quite endearing, and looking at it often can relieve one's worries.

Zhang Juzheng's lips twitched. He hadn't expected his youngest son to be so adept at this kind of scholarly pursuit.

But he clearly wouldn't give up so easily. He paced back and forth in the study with his hands behind his back, and after thinking for a long time, he turned around and said.

"The so-called 'centrality' is the great foundation of the world; 'harmony' is the universal path of the world. When centrality and harmony are achieved, heaven and earth are in their proper places, and all things flourish."

"This fox spirit has been hanging here for some time now. At first glance, it did seem to bring a new atmosphere, but now I think that's not the case."

The fox spirit is here to disturb people's minds and disrupt the normal order of my study.

The mortise and tenon joints at the top are loose, posing a risk of them falling and injuring someone.

This painting, however, has not been carefully framed and may yellow and attract insects over time.

Now that I have seen this problem, I am determined to change it.

"Wouldn't it be better to take it down and replace it with the old painting, settle things down first, and wait until the painting of the raccoon cat is fully framed, everything is prepared, or perhaps until all the literati and artists in the world approve of it, before hanging it up again?"

You better be talking about Tanuki-sen!
Zhang Yunxiu was internally ranting, but he also understood Zhang Juzheng's unspoken meaning.

For this ambitious and enterprising prime minister, the initiatives promoted by the Jiangnan Textile Bureau and the Xishan Money Exchange were still too radical.

Most importantly, in Zhang Juzheng's view, the time was not yet ripe.

He did not want to see a situation where a forceful and rash implementation of the policy would cause unrest in Jiangnan.

Reform is necessary, but stability is also of paramount importance.

How to maintain relative stability during reform is a problem that has been difficult to solve throughout history.

In the past, Zhang Yunxiu would probably have compromised, but now he has "grown up" and is no longer the young man who just talks big, but has truly joined this massive reform.

Zhang Yunxiu, too lazy to engage in any more veiled banter, narrowed his eyes and said bluntly, "A thorn in the side, if not removed now, when will it ever be?"

"This is a principle you taught your father," Zhang Juzheng said, narrowing his eyes. "If a person on the verge of death is given strong medicine, he may die instantly."

“My Great Ming Dynasty is still saved; it is not on the verge of collapse,” Zhang Yunxiu retorted.

"You!" Zhang Juzheng waved his sleeve, "Sharp-tongued!"

Zhang Yunxiu shook his head and said, "Father just sees the gentry in Jiangnan making a fuss and thinks the people of Jiangnan are really suffering."

The people won't cry out. If they really can't survive, they'll just rise up in rebellion and turn against the devil!
Nowadays, there seems to be a lot of discontent in Jiangnan, but what are the voices of the people?

In my opinion, the more pitiful the cries from Jiangnan, the more it proves that we are right. It is precisely because these gentry are in pain that they can cry out.

"If the common people are in pain, can they report their grievances to the capital?"

"What logic is that? It's nothing but conjecture!"

Zhang Juzheng glared angrily and slapped the letter on the table; it was clearly sent by Yin Zhengmao.

Zhang Yunxiu said with great certainty, "It's not just speculation. Father only knows one side of the story and not the other."

Prices in Jiangnan have risen, making life difficult for many people, but our policies remain beneficial.

He went up to the geomantic map and pointed to the location of Nanjing.

“Jiangnan has been a land of fish and rice since ancient times. It not only produces silk and cotton, but also produces nearly 30% of the grain of our Great Ming. If this place does not encounter years of disaster and drought, how can it lack food and cotton?”

Zhang Yunxiu was not acting blindly, nor did he begin to implement reforms in Jiangnan based solely on conjecture.

He sent Zhao Rui and his third brother Zhang Jianxiu to Jiangnan, not only to promote the "loan law," but also to collect and compile data.

With the help of the intelligence network that the Embroidered Uniform Guard already possessed, collecting statistical data from various places was not a difficult task.

Therefore, he was not afraid to debate these things with Zhang Juzheng at all.

"The fact is, since we implemented the 'Loan Law,' more than 10,000 households in the Nanjing area alone have participated," Zhang Yunxiu explained in detail.

"If we only consider a family of five, that covers more than 50,000 people."

It was precisely because of the encouragement and support from the gentry of Jiangnan that the common people who participated in the 'loan law' were all destitute people from all over Jiangnan who could not survive!

He emphasized the last four words.

"Prices have indeed risen, but the income of these small, scattered households has also increased. The aristocratic families can block large-scale commodity transactions, but they cannot suppress the secret transactions of small households."

In the end, ordinary people actually gained a livelihood.

Zhang Juzheng frowned deeply, staring at the markings on the map, his mind seemingly still processing the information Zhang Yunxiu had presented.

Suddenly, Zhang Yunxiu changed the subject and asked a question in return.

"May I ask, Father, what is the purpose of our implementation of these new policies?"

Zhang Juzheng was taken aback, unsure of what he meant, but still answered as usual.

"For national stability, for clean governance, for the well-being of the people, and for the common people to have a place to stand."

"wrong!"

Zhang Yunxiu said with absolute certainty.

"This is simply to tell the world that since ancient times, dynastic reforms have always been for one purpose only."

He paused, then stared into his father's eyes.

"Let the people not rebel, and let the emperor, nobles, and ministers sit more securely in their positions!"

"absurd!"

Zhang Juzheng angrily rebuked him, but he couldn't help taking two steps back, as if his ears were ringing.

His expression shifted from anger to sorrow, then to a hint of melancholy, before finally letting out a sigh.

"What you say exists, and it also exists for the people of the world."

This statement seems to be the last act of defiance from a Confucian.

Zhang Yunxiu did not refute, but said: "The truth is written in the history books, but ordinary people just can't see it."

"According to your meaning," Zhang Juzheng finally understood, "your implementation of this 'loan law' has given the poorest people a means of livelihood, while the slightly wealthier ones have indeed been affected, but that can be disregarded?"

Zhang Yunxiu took a step forward, his eyes seemingly shining.

“Father, soldiers who are starving will rise up in rebellion, and princes and ministers who harbor ambitions will plot rebellion. Since ancient times, has there ever been a case where gentry and merchants were the first to rebel?”

These words were like a muffled thunderclap, completely pulling Zhang Juzheng back to his senses.

For someone as well-read as him, there are many principles he couldn't possibly be unaware of; he simply chooses not to mention them.

He looked down at the land of Nanjing and said in a slightly hoarse voice.

"Is your so-called data accurate, or is it falsified?"

Zhang Yunxiu said with a smile, "The Jiangnan Textile Bureau has registered all the farmers and cotton farmers who have joined. Every once in a while, a copy of the Yellow Register will be sent to the capital. It cannot be faked."

“When peasants rebel, there is no reason for gentry and merchants to be the first to rebel.”

Zhang Juzheng kept repeating these words, as if they had struck a chord with him.

All along, his implementation of the Wanli New Deal was ultimately aimed at giving ordinary people a chance to breathe.
This is a very simple truth.

If the people all have enough to eat, who would risk their lives and follow others in rebellion?

Even if the gentry and merchants wanted to incite public opinion to fight against the imperial court, how many people would respond when they had a livelihood to make?

Without a single call to arms, any rebel army is nothing more than a bunch of worthless idiots.

For a moment, Zhang Juzheng looked at his youngest son, who was already as tall as him, and in a daze, he seemed to see a reflection of his own youth.

However, this shadow is more adept at manipulating people's hearts and more adept at adapting to changing circumstances than he was before.

Does this seem like it might actually work?

Throughout history, very few dynasties have succeeded in their transformations; it seems that this young man might be an exception.

Although he had this thought in mind, Zhang Juzheng still reminded him in person.

"Don't be too happy yet. The common people have indeed benefited, but once the Jiangnan gentry cut off your sales channels, the common people can still secretly go out to sell their goods. Where can your Jiangnan Textile Bureau and Xishan Money Shop sell their goods?"

If this continues, the money you've swindled and cheated in the capital will still be a drop in the ocean!

Scammers and con artists?

Zhang Yunxiu was very dissatisfied with this term. How could money earned through one's own abilities be called fraud?
But he was too lazy to argue with his father, so he just smiled and shook his head.

"Without Zhang the Butcher, we can't eat pork anymore?"

Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but chuckle. He couldn't recall the origin of the proverb, and thought that this brat was making fun of him again.

As I thought about it, my hands started to itch.

"What do you mean by this?"

There are two ways.

Zhang Yunxiu didn't give his father a chance to lash out and continued to explain.

"The first approach is inward. The reason I set up the futures market is for this reason. By breaking down the price information gap through the futures market and spreading it widely through newspapers, according to the theory of the invisible hand of economics, countless merchants will naturally pursue profits and transport a continuous stream of goods to the Jiangnan region."

“But…” Zhang Juzheng clearly disagreed. Did the court really need to rely on those profit-driven merchants to solve problems?

Merchants are not a monolithic group, but they are birds of a feather. If merchants from other places are allowed to participate in the affairs of Jiangnan, it is hard to say whether it will be a blessing or a curse.

Zhang Yunxiu interrupted forcefully, saying, "The second and most important part is to broaden the sea routes. Portuguese merchants really like our silk, and Southeast Asia is also an important window for maritime trade. There is another place that is even more convenient. The Japanese have always been short of cotton cloth and raw silk."

"Japanese country?"

Zhang Juzheng looked suspicious as he spoke.

"So His Majesty wants to send Qi Yuanjing to Southeast Asia to deal with the Japanese pirates?"

He was clearly aware of the plan to send Qi Jiguang to sea, but he wasn't particularly supportive of it.

He said this with a rather solemn expression.

"Although Your Majesty has agreed, I have said before that Japan is a barren land and the Japanese are poor and lowly people. They have never been honest or ethical. If you want to do business with them, you will definitely suffer losses."

In the eyes of many scholars and officials in the Ming Dynasty, the Japanese were definitely barbarians, even inferior to the Tatars in the north.

These people were short in stature, bloodthirsty, and had no moral compass.

What kind of business can a tiny country like this do?
Most importantly, these people are unruly and difficult to control.

In Zhang Juzheng's view, it was fine to have some trade with the Japanese occasionally.

But if you want to do business with them seriously? That's like trying to reason with a bunch of mad dogs—does that even work?

Zhang Yunxiu was in no hurry to explain, and asked with a smile.

"Does Father know someone?"

"People from Japan?" Zhang Juzheng looked quite disgusted.

"He's considered quite a figure in Japan."

Zhang Yunxiu let out a sigh.

"His name is Oda Nobunaga."

(End of this chapter)