Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 144 The Problems of the Ming Dynasty Today (Part 1)

Ni Yuanlu's face turned bright red, as if a fire was burning in her chest.

"Please look at the screen, everyone!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the little eunuch tore another piece of paper off the screen, and a new page appeared.

It was a strange picture, made up of many vertical bars of varying lengths.

"During the Cheng Zhou period, the dynasty lasted for eight hundred years!"

"The Western Han and Eastern Han dynasties each lasted for more than two hundred years."

"The Tang Dynasty's golden age lasted for 289 years."

"The combined reign of the two Song dynasties lasted for 319 years."

Ni Yuanlu spoke faster and faster, his voice echoing in the now quiet hall.

"As for our Great Ming Dynasty, from the founding of the dynasty by Hongwu to the present, it has been two hundred and fifty-nine years!"

He paused, his gaze sharp as he swept over the faces filled with surprise and uncertainty.

"Then, have you gentlemen ever considered how long the Ming Dynasty will last?"

The hall was deathly silent.

Everyone looked at him with a mixture of horror, absurdity, and disbelief.

There is no dynasty that lasts forever; this is a truth that everyone understands.

—Perhaps Qin Shi Huang didn't understand, but later emperors probably did.

They may understand, but who would dare to expose this secret in the imperial court, in front of the emperor?
Are you crazy, Ni Yuanlu? Look who's sitting on the throne behind you!

Ni Yuanlu seemed oblivious to the stares of the crowd, absorbed in his own rhythm, and continued speaking:
"To answer this question, we may learn from history."

"The Western Zhou and the Song dynasties perished due to foreign enemies; the Eastern Zhou and the Tang dynasty perished due to the enfeoffment of kings and regional military governors; the Western Han dynasty perished due to powerful ministers; the Eastern Han and the tyrannical Qin dynasty began with the common people."

"Then, if my Great Ming Dynasty is to perish, what would be the reason?"

The ministers in the hall were all terrified. Many of them dared not listen or look anymore, and lowered their heads, looking down at their noses and their hearts, as if in this way they could isolate themselves from this monstrous disaster.

In the midst of this oppressive and suffocating atmosphere, a shout suddenly rang out!

"Be bold!"

Everyone looked up abruptly and saw that Han Kuang had already stood up from his seat!

His hair and beard stood on end, he was trembling with rage, and he was pointing his finger at Ni Yuanlu with uncontrollable fury.

"Your Majesty! I beg you to execute this scoundrel to set things right!"

"The Hall of Supreme Harmony is such a solemn place; how can it tolerate such reckless words that could lead to the downfall of a nation! This is not something a subject should speak of!"

Han Kuang's voice was distorted with anger, yet it was filled with an undeniable resolve.

Everyone fell silent and looked toward the throne.

The eye of the storm has already gathered.

Ni Yuanlu remained calm. He simply turned around, bowed again to Zhu Youjian on the throne, and then stood at attention without saying a word.

The silent action conveyed the clearest attitude: everything I say is in accordance with the emperor's command.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall froze, and everyone's eyes were focused on the young emperor, awaiting his judgment.

Huang Liji, who had remained calm and composed, sighed inwardly.

You idiot, have you gone mad from living in a cemetery? Do you really not understand the current situation?
Today's lecture is not something these five people want to give; it is clearly something the emperor wants to give!
As expected, Zhu Youjian, seated on the throne, slowly spoke:

"Han Qing, do you really believe that there are dynasties that last for ten thousand generations?"

The question was simple, yet it hit the nail on the head.

Han Kuang struggled intensely for a moment, but ultimately could not bring himself to say something against his conscience. He could only bow and reply, "Your Majesty, in this world... there is truly no dynasty that lasts forever."

But then he looked up again and said urgently:
"However, Your Majesty! Such words may be spoken in private or discussed with the cabinet ministers, but they must never be spoken publicly in this hall!"

"Once such remarks are spread, the people's hearts will be in turmoil, and that will be the beginning! At that time, wicked people will take advantage of this to cause trouble, the foundation of the country will be shaken, and it will be too late to regret it!"

Zhu Youjian gently shook his head.

"Han Qing's heart is good."

He first made a statement of affirmation, then changed the subject.

"However, those who conceal their illness and refuse to seek medical treatment are ultimately like Duke Huan of Cai, destined to be buried in the dust of history."

"Although I am not well-educated, I still know the importance of taking precautions."

Han Kuang was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead.

"Your Majesty, it's not that I don't want to mention this matter, but rather that it cannot be mentioned here, cannot be mentioned at this time, cannot...!"

He paused, swallowing back the words, "This cannot be mentioned to the world, otherwise the common people will be ignorant and only listen to half of what I say, and there will be trouble in various places from now on," but the meaning was already clear.

Zhu Youjian nodded, seemingly agreeing.

"What Han Qing said is indeed reasonable."

Just as Han Kuang breathed a slight sigh of relief, Zhu Youjian threw out a groundbreaking hypothesis.

"But... Minister Han, let me ask you a question: suppose it was during the reign of Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han Dynasty."

"The entire court, and even the common people, foresaw the impending demise of the Han Dynasty."

"So, will the warlords rise up instantly and tear the Han Dynasty to shreds before Dong Zhuo even enters the capital? Or will the people of the land remain vigilant in times of peace, unite as one, and work together to turn the tide and rebuild the Han Dynasty?" The ministers were stunned by this ingenious idea.

Han Kuang was completely stunned.

What... what does this mean?
Knowing that the Han dynasty was about to fall? This...this is simply unheard of!

But this argument... seems to make some sense.

But... for a moment, his mind was a complete mess, and he couldn't make sense of it at all.

Before Han Kuang could figure it out, Zhu Youjian continued.

"Han Qing, please sit down. If the Ming Dynasty is truly doomed, it will perish regardless of whether we talk or not. It's just a matter of time."

"If the people's hearts are in turmoil, the dynasty may perish faster. But if they see through the corrupt government, they may unite as one and make the Ming Dynasty fall more slowly, or even... not fall at all."

"Let's listen to this magnificent article first before making any judgments. My dear ministers, please be patient."

"This policy essay can indeed be called the greatest piece of writing on governance throughout history."

Zhu Youjian's gaze swept across the entire room, finally landing on Ni Yuanlu. He gently gestured for her to continue, then leaned back on his dragon throne and closed his eyes to rest.

Han Kuang hesitated before sitting down.

Although he was the former Grand Secretary, he had only recently been reinstated and did not hold any official positions.

To put it bluntly, even acknowledging someone as a vassal is an act of usurpation...

Ni Yuanlu slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with fanaticism as he looked at the throne!

Yes! What if we could have foreseen the fall of the Ming Dynasty?

This is the path His Majesty pointed out they had paved during these ten days!

Although the five of them were repeatedly so horrified by the extremely shocking truth during the process of verifying the information that they could not sleep at night, and even felt at one point that the problem was unsolvable.

But His Majesty is a born sage ruler. Since he dares to make this question public, he must have a solution!
Ni Yuanlu turned around and faced the assembled officials again. His gaze swept over their faces, which were filled with fear, confusion, or disdain, and his blood was boiling.

All eyes
Let's focus on him again.

Everyone held their breath, eager to hear what earth-shattering things he would say.

Ni Yuanlu's heart beat faster and faster, yet she grew increasingly excited.

"Learn from history, but don't just look at history!"

he shouted.

"Will my Great Ming Dynasty be destroyed by vassal kings like the Zhou Dynasty?"

He looked at the crowd, and many ministers subconsciously shook their heads.

The Zhu family princes rebelling? That's utterly ridiculous.

"Will they perish at the hands of foreign enemies, like the Mongols of the past, or the Jurchens of today?"

Some people fell silent and began to think along Ni Yuanlu's lines of thought.

Although the Jurchens currently only occupy a corner of Liaodong, their military strength is well-known throughout the court and the public. Furthermore, the capital is located near the nine border regions, making it far from a safe haven.

If there were another Tumu Crisis, and the capital were suddenly besieged... This idea, though absurd, is not entirely impossible.

But most people thought about it and ultimately shook their heads.

The reason is simple: the Jurchens were too small, with a population of only a little over 100,000. To say that they could seize this vast empire was less likely than that of the Prince of Xin rebelling.

Seeing this, Ni Yuanlu continued, "Powerful ministers and regional governors are neither a concern internally nor a threat externally for our Great Ming, so these two issues need not be mentioned."

"Then, will they perish at the hands of the common people?"

He finally managed to completely draw most people's thinking into this rhythm.

They couldn't help but wonder, if unrest broke out among the common people, where would it originate?

Is it Henan, by the Yellow River? Shandong, where white lotuses gather? Or Huguang and Yunyang, where refugees abound? Or perhaps Shaanxi, where the land is poor and the people suffer?

But a few people had a hint of disappointment in their eyes.

Today's arguments, though novel and bold, seem to be nothing special.

It only has the title of "daring to speak out," how can it be worthy of His Majesty's praise of "the most magnificent article in history"?

This is clearly just paving the way for the new policies to come; it's really... boring.

At that moment, Ni Yuanlu shook her head.

"When a wise ruler ascends the throne, he desires to implement new policies, eliminate current abuses, and cherish his people. How could he sit idly by while his subjects suffer and war breaks out everywhere?"

"Therefore, we believe that the worries of the common people are not the fundamental reason for the downfall of our Great Ming Dynasty."

He then changed the subject, whetting everyone's appetite.

"So, what exactly is the most fundamental answer that we finally found after searching through countless books and visiting various places?"

Ni Yuanlu sighed inwardly, her eyes filled with reluctance, but she still took a step back and returned to the group of five.

He was only responsible for the initial proposal; the rest of the story was not his to act in.

Of the five, the one at the beginning was the most glamorous, the three in the middle were the most intense, and the one at the end was the most shocking.

He also wanted to try for other positions, but unfortunately, his contributions were insufficient, and he couldn't bring himself to ask.

【Ask for monthly ticket】

(End of this chapter)