Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 137 I Desire to Make the Sun and Moon Shine Again (A Must-Read Chapter, Please Vote!)

"I have no more questions. Do you have any questions for me?"

As soon as he said this, Zhu Youjian thought to himself, "Damn it!" and immediately realized that he had said the wrong thing.

In a moment of relaxation, he inadvertently brought over his interview habits from later generations.

As expected, the hall fell silent instantly.

Gao Shiming and Wang Tiqian both turned their gazes to Lu Xiangsheng, their eyes filled with astonishment.

A subject asks the ruler?!
What an honor! What exceptional favor!
Throughout history, every instance of a subject asking the emperor a question has become a legendary tale.
How could His Majesty treat Lu Xiang-sheng with such special regard!

Lu Xiang-sheng was clearly taken aback by this unusual "final question," and stood there in a daze for a long time.

He opened his mouth several times, then closed it again, countless questions swirling in his mind.

Questions about the new policies? Questions about the world? Questions about the current situation?

Both seem to make sense, but they also seem to fall short in some ways.

Suddenly, a seemingly unrelated remark from the old farmer when he entered Beijing flashed into his mind.

"I don't know either. Anyway, the village chief came to tell us that every household has to hand in a bundle of grass."

Therefore, we must reform all the abuses in the world.

What happens after the reforms? Will that old farmer still have to pay a bundle of grass?
A vague thought flashed through his mind, but Lu Xiang-sheng no longer hesitated and spoke directly:
"Your Majesty wishes to reform the corrupt practices of the world, then... in Your Majesty's mind, what will the world be like after these reforms?"

wonderful!

Upon hearing this question, Wang Tiqian couldn't help but secretly praise him.

This question is both specific and grand, and at its core it points to the heart, asking about an emperor's ultimate ideal.

This is both curiosity and... the ultimate question that followers ask their leaders.

Gao Shiming held his breath.

His Majesty only told him to "turn the tide and save the collapsing edifice!"

But he didn't really understand why the storm had ended, or what the building would look like after it was restored. He was just blindly and wholeheartedly doing everything His Majesty required him to do.

After asking this question, Lu Xiang-sheng had no other thoughts in his mind and simply looked intently at the emperor on the throne.

All eyes in the hall were focused on one point, awaiting the young emperor's answer.

Zhu Youjian hesitated for a moment.

It's not that I don't know how to answer.

In later generations, he, who had made so many promises to his team, could be said to be able to recite poetry even if he couldn't compose it.

He was a master of making empty promises; in 1627, no one was better at it than him!
But what kind of "pie" should we draw?

Common prosperity? That's too far ahead of its time; no one can understand it.

The rule of three dynasties? It's an old cliché, ultimately meaningless.

We need to draw a "pie" that not only conforms to the understanding of this era, but also transcends it slightly.

More importantly, the purpose of making empty promises is not merely to make empty promises.

Rather, it is to use this opportunity to express one's aspirations and find like-minded people.

……

Time passed in a short while, yet it felt like an eternity.

Zhu Youjian finally spoke slowly.

"Lord Lu, do you know that a person will die three times in their life?"

He paused, and before Lu Xiang-sheng could answer, he continued speaking on his own.

"The first death is the simplest. Fate is fixed; one may suffer calamity or reach the end of one's natural lifespan. The body decays, and the soul returns to heaven and earth. This can be called 'physical death'."

"The second death takes a hundred years. After death, relatives and friends remain in one's heart. However, as time goes by, those known may be forgotten or pass away. When all those known in the world have died, the ties of human relationships, grudges and affections, and old friends all vanish like smoke. This can be called 'death of love'."

Zhu Youjian looked around at everyone, his tone slightly somber.

"But the third death, we shall ask history to know. A hundred years of life passes in the blink of an eye. If one has not made any contribution or established any school of thought in this world, and his reputation is unknown and his deeds are few, then history will not record him. A thousand years later, who will know that this person has ever been in this world? This can be called 'death in name only'."

After Zhu Youjian finished speaking, the hall fell completely silent.

Gao Shiming, Wang Tiqian, and Lu Xiangsheng were all pondering these words carefully.

These remarks were unconventional, yet they resonated deeply with people.

Confucianism has a saying, "Death is inevitable for everyone, but its weight can be heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather," and it also has the theory of the "Three Immortalities": "The highest is to establish virtue, the next is to establish merit, and the next is to establish words." Both of these are discussions about life and death.

However, His Majesty's claim of "three deaths" includes an additional layer of death due to love, which is both novel and progressive.

It vividly portrays the immense terror between life and death.

Therefore, it is all the more necessary to leave a lasting mark on history.

only……

If a person dies in three ways, then... what about a country?
They are all intelligent people, and this brilliant argument is merely an introduction; what a splendid answer it will be!

The three people in the hall couldn't help but hold their breath, waiting for His Majesty to say something next.

As expected, Zhu Youjian paused for a moment before continuing.

"And the nation, too, dies three times!"

He abruptly stood up, descended the imperial steps, and declared in a resounding voice, "The last death of a nation is the death of its name!"

"The Zhou dynasty enfeoffed eight hundred vassal states, but where are they now? Since the Xia and Shang dynasties, countless states have existed, but how many names can we still remember today?"

Zhu Youjian scanned the room and fixed his gaze on Lu Xiangsheng's face.

"The penultimate death is the death of the nation!"

"Whether the capital falls, the ancestral temples are destroyed, the last person to resist lays down their arms, or the last inch of land falls into enemy hands, a dynasty, a nation, will come to an end!"

Zhu Youjian walked back to Lu Xiangshan, his gaze sharp, and asked in a deep voice:
"Then, when was the first death of the nation?"

The three people present couldn't help but hold their breath.

The country died, and this was only the second time it died?

So what is the first death? The answer is almost obvious.

Gao Shiming opened his mouth, but then closed it, instead turning his gaze to Lu Xiang Sheng.

This may seem like the answer His Majesty gave, but isn't it also another test for Lu Xiang-sheng?
Lu Xiang-sheng felt goosebumps rise all over his body. The emperor's gaze seemed to be burning hot, making his face feel as if it had been scorched by fire.

After a long silence, he answered with difficulty, his voice hoarse:

"Your Majesty, I believe that when the nation's credibility is shattered and the people's hearts are lost, even if the land remains and there are a million armored soldiers, it is nothing more than..."

He gritted his teeth and said, "They're nothing more than... withered bones in a tomb!"

"Indeed!" Zhu Youjian clapped his hands and shouted decisively!

He took another step forward, almost face to face with Lu Xiang-sheng, and pressed him aggressively for answers:
"How much hope do the people of the world still have for our Great Ming Dynasty?"

"When they see clerks and officials, do they regard them as parents or as enemies?"

He paused slightly, each word like a heavy hammer blow striking Lu Xiang-sheng's heart.

"Is our Great Ming Dynasty now dead or alive?"

Lu Xiang-sheng trembled slightly, his lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word.

He wanted to say "not dead," but right under the emperor's nose, in the capital region, the people were already impoverished and the officialdom was so corrupt. What about Hebei? What about Henan? What about the whole country?
He wanted to say "deceased" again, but after ten years of hard study and five years of official service, wasn't everything he learned and did for the country? When he governed Linqing and Daming Prefecture, didn't the people treat him with smiles and regard him as their second father?
Those experiences that flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern now turned into silent interrogation.

Zhu Youjian did not intend to ask him to answer this question.

He suddenly flicked his sleeve, turned around and took two slow steps, finally stopping beside the throne.

The eyes of the three people in the hall followed his figure.

Zhu Youjian took a deep breath before turning around, his gaze sweeping over the three of them, finally settling on Lu Xiang-sheng's excited face.

"In my view, the Ming Dynasty... is already dead!"

"The Ming Dynasty today is nothing more than a centipede, dead but not yet fallen!"

"And among them, eunuchs, nobles, princes, corrupt officials, clerks, and gentry are only gnawing on the corpse of the Ming Dynasty!"

As soon as this statement came out, it was shocking!

Gao Shiming and Wang Tiqian turned pale, while Lu Xiangsheng stood there dumbfounded, as if struck by lightning.

Zhu Youjian sat down on the throne with an air of authority and said, word by word:

"Therefore, Minister Lu asked me, after eliminating the current abuses, what kind of world do I envision?"

"It's actually quite simple."

"It's nothing more than the people trusting their officials and the officials loving their people; nothing more than the law being established above and orders being obeyed below; nothing more than... seeking the resurrection of our Great Ming Dynasty, the restoration of light from the dead!"

"Did you understand my answer, Minister Lu?"

Lu Xiang-sheng stood still, without replying.

After a long while, he took a deep breath, stepped back, straightened his clothes, and then performed an extremely solemn and standard salute to the young emperor on the throne.

When he looked up again, his eyes were red-rimmed, but his gaze was surprisingly bright.

His voice was steady, but he spoke in an extremely serious tone, in a deep voice:
"With such a sage ruler by birth, the Great Ming Dynasty is fortunate, and all its people are fortunate!"

"Your subject, Lu Xiang Sheng..."

"—Dare I not face death!"

Gao Shiming and Wang Tiqian turned from the side of the steps to the front and knelt down together.

"Your servant dares not defy death!"

……

Zhu Youjian, sitting on his throne, watched this scene, his lips pressed tightly together, trying to calm himself down.

However, once the surge of emotion welled up, it was difficult to calm it down.

He leaned back on the throne, closed his eyes, and sighed silently.

—This ambition is still a lie!

Hidden and then revealed?
Was what he truly wanted to restore the Ming Dynasty?

What he truly wanted to restore was the China of later generations, the country he longed for, a land of peace and prosperity.

That country, despite its various flaws, has nurtured him for over thirty years!
But who in this world can understand his ambition?
But how could a mere time traveler like him possibly achieve such an ambition?
In this era, Zhu Youjian was ultimately nothing more than a lonely figure!

(End of this chapter)