Di Ming

Chapter 136 Instant Friendship

Facing the young Zhu Yin, Xu Wei surprisingly felt a sense of kinship, as if they had known each other for a long time. This feeling was quite mysterious, and he couldn't help but say:
"Young friend, we meet by chance, yet it seems we've known each other for a long time. I wonder why. Could it be that you are the reincarnation of an old friend from the Stone of Three Incarnations?"

"No," Zhu Yin shook his head and said seriously, "It's just that we're like old friends, even though we've only known each other for a short time. If we're destined to meet, why should we need to have known each other before?"

"I have long admired Mr. Qing Teng, but I regret that I was too young to meet him in the past. Today I am fortunate to have met him and to see his demeanor. He is indeed a man of great talent and elegance."

Xu Wei was somewhat surprised upon hearing this, wondering why Zhu Yin would treat him with such courtesy.

Although he has been famous for a long time, he himself knows that he does not have a good reputation in the eyes of the world.

Unrestrained, arrogant, cynical, and living life as a game...

Murdering his wife, going to jail, marrying into the family, being a womanizer, being an alcoholic, being arrogant, going insane, committing suicide...

A person with a tarnished reputation and bad luck cannot tolerate a scoundrel from the literati.

People with a certain level of respect would keep their distance from him as if he were a snake or scorpion.
People only know how to seek profit and avoid harm, and have long since stopped taking him, this impoverished, destitute, and hopeless old madman, seriously.

It's been a long time since I've received such a courteous welcome.

At this moment, Xu Wei was actually a little moved.

It seems that this young friend of the Zhu family is not a worldly person, and is quite different from the other young men.

He sat down and said with a sigh, "Indeed, white hair as fresh as new, meeting for the first time feels like meeting an old friend. Why must we have known each other before?"

"Unexpectedly, today, a young friend still knows me, brewing tea in my thatched cottage and giving me half a day of leisure. The young friend is young and fresh, while Xu Wei is old and frail. It can be said that we are friends despite the age difference."

"Haha, I was a child prodigy in my youth. The child prodigy of yesteryear and the child prodigy of today are a connection in my life."

Xu Wei was naturally unrestrained, unconventional, and disregarded the strict hierarchy of age. Regardless of his age or youth, he treated Zhu Yin as an equal, regardless of their age difference.

Zhu Yin also sat down, poured tea for Xu Wei, and said with a smile:
"My name is Zhihu. It is Zhu Yin’s good fortune to be able to form a friendship with Mr. Qing Teng despite the age difference."

"But in front of you, sir, I dare not claim to be a child prodigy. You are exceptionally talented and brilliant, while I am merely precocious."

Zhu Yin was self-aware; he was by no means a genius, his intelligence was merely excellent, an advantage that came with being a time traveler.

Xu Wenchang was the real genius.

A person can achieve great success in a particular field through hard work and diligence. However, if someone excels in many areas, diligence alone is insufficient.

That must mean they have extremely high talent, or what is known as high intelligence.

Xu Wei was a man of high intelligence.

Who else but Xu Wei could be considered the greatest scholar of the Ming Dynasty? Xie Jin and Yang Shen are simply no match for him.

Zhu Yin understood better than any ancient person today just how remarkable Xu Wei was.

He had a photographic memory from reading as a child, and could write long articles by the age of ten.

By the time one reaches middle age, one has become a master in many fields, including poetry, prose, music, calligraphy and painting, history, military strategy, drama, astronomy and geography.

The light shone so brightly in the middle of the night that it startled even ghosts and gods.

He discussed military strategy, devised plans to capture Xu Hai and lure Wang Zhi, advised on military matters, and decisively defeated the Japanese pirates. He also traveled beyond the Great Wall to persuade the Mongol Third Lady to teach Li Rusong military tactics and guide him to become a famous general.

His talent was vast and profound, surpassing that of his contemporaries for centuries to come and those to come.

The renowned Yuan Hongdao praised him, saying, "His vision transcends the ages, and he stands alone in his time. He is the only one like him in the Ming Dynasty."

at this time.

Xu Wei's deep, unfathomable eyes gazed at Zhu Yin, his blue eyes fixed on him, and he smiled kindly:
“Young Tiger, please don’t be modest. I have wasted more than sixty years of my life, and a child as gifted, precocious, and exceptional as you is truly one of a kind.”

"I am staying in Nanjing and have the pleasure of meeting a young friend. It makes my trip worthwhile."

His tone showed great favor to Zhu Yin, and he even referred to himself as "this old man" rather than "this old man."

Tang Rong and Zhuang Shu never expected that Xu Wei, a man in his sixties, would be "praising each other" with Zhu Yin, a ten-year-old child.

Where did his madness go?
Xu Wei's arrogance actually subsided considerably, even when facing the child Zhu Yin.

Zhu Yin, though a person from a later generation, knew that Xu Wei's seemingly unruly behavior was not true arrogance.

His eccentricity stemmed from his disdain for the corrupt world, his contempt for vulgarity, and his condescension towards snobbery and shallowness, much like Ji Kang's disdain for others.

But once he meets someone like him, he immediately becomes normal again.

For example, Zhu Yin at this moment is a like-minded friend in his eyes, which is why he just said that Zhu Yin is also a little madman.

Zhu Yin was still a child when he read the Book of Han and knew about the "deposit the chariot and keep the guest" strategy he devised. He was obviously not the kind of bookworm who only studied books to pass the imperial examinations.

Zhu Yin's tone towards Xu Wei had become much more normal, which further confirmed a certain speculation in later generations.

Sure enough, Xu Wei's eccentricities and madness were mostly an act, depending on who he was acting towards.

This is both a deception and a form of protection.

So, the so-called nine suicide attempts were probably mostly staged.

Otherwise, how could he have lived to seventy-three? With the medical level of ancient times, living to seventy-three was not easy; it wasn't just about having longevity genes.

Xu Wei offended many powerful figures in his time, especially during the years when he was Hu Zongxian's chief advisor. He spoke freely about the world and looked down on kings and nobles, which really made people take notice and created many enemies.

This is a man of great talent who is good at planning but inept at self-preservation.

Zhu Yin said sincerely, "Since you have invited me to stay, sir, you must have something to teach me. Please speak freely, sir, I am all ears."

Xu Wei deserves sufficient and due respect.

Xu Wei revealed an expression of appreciation, his arrogance completely gone. "Does Young Tiger pity these farmhands and tenants? Is he intending to bestow a favor?"

"Indeed." Zhu Yin was even more impressed. "I am not a gentleman, but I dare not forget benevolence. That is exactly what I was thinking. Therefore, I ordered them to register a roster so that preferential treatment could be given."

Xu Wei took a sip of tea and said, "In the Wu Kingdom (Southern Zhili) today, there are many tenant farmers, eight out of ten are tenants. The rent per mu (unit of land area) ranges from seven or eight dou to one shi and three dou..."

Zhu Yin frowned upon hearing this. He knew that the Ming Dynasty implemented a fixed-quota rent system.

Little did he know that in present-day Southern Zhili, tenant farmers accounted for 80% of the farmers, far exceeding his expectations.

The situation worsened in the late Ming Dynasty. Gu Yanwu described the peasants in Jiangnan at the end of the Ming Dynasty as follows: "Nine out of ten farmers were tenants."

But that was at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Now it's only the fifteenth year of the Wanli reign, and there are already eight out of ten farmers living as tenants? Land consolidation is too rampant.

Moreover, according to Xu Wei, the landlords' land rent actually accounted for half of the total harvest!
Tenant farmers renting land from landlords also need to pay for seeds, manure, and other costs, and the costs of farming also have to be borne by the tenant farmers.

In this way, the landlord actually took away not half, but 60% of the net income!
Tenant farmers toil in the fields from dawn till dusk, only to receive 40% of the net income!
But Xu Wei said, "Chihu is young and comes from a wealthy family, so he probably doesn't care much about land taxes."

"Tenant farmers are actually divided into two categories. One type rents land but does not register it. They are still considered registered citizens even though their names are on the yellow register. These tenant farmers are more free, and their rent is generally no more than 30%, but they still have to pay taxes and cannot be exempted from labor service. They are often extorted by government officials."

"The second category consists of tenant farmers who are registered under the household registration system. They are actually private citizens of large households, not registered in the Yellow Register, and are no longer registered citizens. These tenant farmers do not have the freedom of the first category, and their land rent is heavier. However, they do not pay taxes, do not have to perform labor service, and are rarely extorted by government officials."

Zhu Yin said, "The tenants in this Nanzhuang are the second type of tenant farmers."

Xu Wei nodded: "That's right. The guests of Nanzhuang were previously private subjects of the Wang family. They were called farmers, but in reality, they were slaves. They had to pay 1.3 shi per mu. Regardless of whether the harvest was good or bad, the rule was 1.3 shi per mu."

"If you can't pay, you'll have to pay interest on the rent you owe. In the end, you'll have no choice but to become a slave."

"Alas, the people suffer greatly. Small farmers are miserable, but tenant farmers are even more miserable."

"It's not just the Wang family that's like this. Almost all the major families in Wu are in the same boat. The same goes for Yue (Zhejiang). Chu (Hubei and Hunan) is a bit better, but the states with the most generous land rents are Jin and Qin."

“Young friend Zhihu, your compassion for the people is commendable, and your virtue at such a young age is truly rare and precious. I cannot help but admire you. However, extending this favor to the tenant farmers is not so simple.” Zhu Yin pondered and said, “What if we reduce the rent for the farmhands by five dou, collecting only eight dou?”

"Only eight dou?" Xu Wei was taken aback, then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

"Young Tiger, such fertile land, and you only harvest eight bushels, cutting it by five bushels! You truly have the heart of a saint!"

Before his laughter had even subsided, his expression turned serious, a mocking smile appeared on his face, and he shook his head, saying:

"But if you show such favors to those below, you will become the target of everyone's hatred, an enemy of the powerful! Some people will see you as a thorn in their side, a thorn in their flesh, and want to get rid of you as soon as possible!"

“Those hypocritical gentlemen and greedy villains who are well-versed in the classics are called gentry and nobles, but in reality they are treacherous villains who harm the people with false benevolence and righteousness.”

"By then, you will be unable to defy public wrath. Even if you are extremely brave and intelligent, you will not be able to escape verbal attacks and written criticism, open and covert attacks, and the disaster will be unpredictable."

Zhu Yin raised his eyebrows and said, "Sir, I will definitely reduce the burden on tenant farmers! I can't stand seeing land rents being more dangerous than tigers! I refuse to believe that I can't reduce the rent and interest on my own land!"

Xu Wei said, "Just based on your words, you are far superior to those high-ranking officials. Zhihu, instead of reducing rent and interest, you should use the guise of bestowing rewards."

"For example, during festivals, they are rewarded with money and grain, or paid wages under the guise of employment. In this way, they benefit from the benefits and their burden is reduced. Even if rent and interest are reduced, they will not make enemies for no reason."

Zhu Yin nodded and said, "What you say is a perfect solution. In that case, I will follow this path."

Xu Wei's method was indeed appropriate, and Zhu Yin decided to adopt it.

Tang Rong and Zhuang Shu felt a pang of sympathy upon hearing that Zhu Yin had shown kindness to the tenant farmers.

It's as if I took their money.

Seeing that Zhu Yin adopted his suggestion without hesitation, Xu Wei nodded with pleasure.

“Young Tiger is willing to listen to people’s words, well done.”

Zhu Yin asked, "How much land do you own, sir? How much rent do you collect?"

Xu Wei shook his head sharply, "I own no private property, and I have no land. I make a living by writing and selling paintings, barely scraping by. How could I possibly collect any land rent?"

Zhu Yin laughed and said, "He who cannot manage the private property of his own family can manage the public property of the world."

"Hahaha!" Xu Wei laughed loudly. "Young Tiger is good at making witty remarks. I am just a poor scholar, without official position or post, and I am old and frail. Even if I had the talent of a prime minister, how could I govern a county?"

His hair was completely white, and his laughter carried an indescribable sadness.

Zhu Yin shook his head. "Why lament that you were born at the wrong time? Jiang Ziya met King Wen at eighty, Chong'er returned to his country with white hair to succeed to the throne, Baili Xi became the Prime Minister of Qin at seventy, and Liang Jing passed the imperial examination at eighty-two."

"Sir, you possess the talent of a king's advisor, and are born with great potential; you will surely find a use for yourself."

Upon hearing this, Xu Wei stroked his beard and stared intently for a moment before saying:
“Young tiger, young tiger, even before your stripes have fully formed, you already possess the spirit to devour an ox. Young tiger, though you are young, you have lofty ambitions. I have underestimated you.”

Zhu Yin said, "I have heard that you served as a strategist and military advisor in Hu Zhongmao's office. You also assisted Li Chengliang in pacifying Liaodong. Furthermore, you went to Mongolia to persuade the Third Lady."

Xu Wei looked desolate as he gazed at the rising steam from his tea cup, seemingly lost in reminiscence.

After a long while, he shook his head and sighed.

"After all these years, I never imagined that the one who would remember these things is a mere child I met by chance."

"A precious sword lies buried in a wrongful prison, a loyal soul lingers among the white clouds. Hu Zhongmao was wronged. Alas, the rabbit is killed and the hound is cooked; the rabbit is killed and the hound is cooked. It has always been so, always so."

He lowered his head, looking at his pale face reflected in the cup, and in a daze, he saw his past in the army.

Ning Qingchen knew that the older Xu Wei got, the more aloof and cold he became, and the more unrestrained and wild he became. In fact, he was a typical traumatized personality.

This stemmed from both Xu Wei's inherent pride and his mental illness.

However, this mentally ill patient behaved quite normally in front of Zhu Yin today.

What does this mean? It means that Zhu Yin just happens to be his medicine.

Indeed, for someone suffering from mental illness, a particular person can be their medicine, and a very important one at that.

Zhu Yin asked, "Sir, you are knowledgeable and insightful. In your opinion, where do the worries of our Great Ming lie?"

Xu Wei seemed to have considered this question long ago. Without hesitation, he said:
"In my view, the Ming Dynasty faces three major problems. First, the number of people without land to cultivate is increasing, while the wealthy own vast tracts of land. In a few decades, there may be a Yellow Turban Rebellion."

Xu Wei was always outspoken, so these kinds of words were nothing to him.

"Secondly, there is the threat of Japanese pirates. In the past, the Japanese were already in turmoil due to the scourge of Japanese pirates. Now, I hear that the Japanese emperor has unified the country and his strength has increased many times over. I'm afraid he will launch a large-scale invasion. Within ten years, I fear that a powerful enemy will cross the sea to invade."

"Thirdly, there is the threat from the north. The barbarians fear our power but do not cherish our virtue. As long as the Han dynasty declines, the barbarian way will inevitably prosper. If internal troubles arise within a few decades, external troubles will be difficult to control. The peril of the two Song dynasties is a stark warning."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yin thought to himself, "As expected of Xu Wei."

The magnificent land of China boasts countless talented individuals. As long as the court is adept at employing them, how can the nation not prosper?
Unfortunately, those in power are greedy as sheep, ruthless as wolves, and stupid as pigs.

Even a talented person like Xu Wei failed the imperial examinations eight times, becoming a complete failure in the examination system.

Zhu Yin solemnly said, "Sir, I have just arrived in Jiangning and have not yet established myself. I have no one to offer advice or guidance. I wish to become your student and treat you with the respect due to a teacher."

Xu Wei was incredibly intelligent; how could he not understand Zhu Yin's meaning?
This is a way of supporting oneself.

This young man has both great ambition and a kind heart; his future is limitless.

Xu Wei looked south and said, “Young friend Zhihu, I am but an old, down-on-his-luck scholar. What am I waiting for in this desolate place? I return home empty-handed every day. I am nearing the end of my life and do not know when I will die far from home, unable to return to my hometown for burial. I am no longer of any use.”

Zhu Yin knew that was the direction of Shaoxing.

Shaoxing has produced many famous scholars throughout history. Amidst the picturesque scenery of Kuaiji Mountain and Jingshui Lake, Xu Wei shines like a bright moon in the sky, illuminating the ages. Yet, he was overshadowed by the gloom and gloom of the late Ming Dynasty and was not valued by his contemporaries.

Xu Wei was unlike ordinary literati; he possessed a heroic spirit and the demeanor of an ancient scholar. Unfortunately, this hero had lost his way and had nowhere to turn.

Zhu Yin said, "I have a classmate and close friend in Nanyong, who is nearly fifty years old and named Shangyang. He said that he met you, sir, when he was in the staff of Hu Zhongmao. Do you know him?"

Xu Wei's expression shifted. "Shangyang, Shang Zhouming? Is he studying at Nanyong?"

Zhu Yin nodded. "Would you like to see Brother Zhouming, sir?"

Xu Wei sighed, "Alas, it's a pity about Zhou Ming. I never imagined that he would be nearly half-white-haired and still an old student. Back then, we worked together in the government for many years. Although we weren't officially teacher and student, we were in reality teacher and student."

"Very well. Young Tiger, I want to see Zhouming."

Zhu Yin smiled.

"Then please come with me to my humble abode for the time being. Before long, you will see an old friend."

Xu Wei couldn't help but ask curiously, "Who is it?"

Zhu Yin smiled and said, "It's a secret for now, you'll find out later, sir."

Xu Wei laughed heartily, looking very pleased, but he didn't ask any questions.

Zhu Yin's eyes darted around, and he asked, "I've heard that some people speculate that you are Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng. Are you Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng?"

Xu Wei was taken aback, a strange light flashing in his eyes for a fleeting moment, before he said:

"Keep it a secret for now, Zhihu will find out later."

P.S.: This chapter was really difficult to write and not very engaging. But I couldn't skip it. Thankfully, it's finally finished. That's all for today. I'm only keeping going with these subscriptions and monthly tickets from my readers. Sigh. Goodnight everyone.

(End of this chapter)