Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 147 The Problems of the Ming Dynasty Today (End) (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader, Buddhist Horse!)

"Luo Yangxing, it's your turn now."

The emperor's words reignited the atmosphere in the entire hall.

An uneasy unease, like an undercurrent, quietly spread through the crowd.

Luo Yangxing stepped forward and looked around the hall.

He was neither wearing armor nor wielding a hammer today, but simply dressed in an ordinary red padded military uniform. Among the court officials and nobles, he seemed out of place, like a rough, stubborn rock.

The emperor's words still seemed to echo in my ears.

"Luo Yangxing, you will be the last one, the rearguard."

"Whether this lecture will truly purify people's hearts or remain superficial depends entirely on your final strike."

He took a deep breath, and a fighting spirit he had never felt before ignited in his chest.

In the emperor's words...

He came not only to reason with people, but also to examine their hearts!

"My lords," Luo Yangxing began, his voice booming with the distinctive strength of a warrior, "besides the population growth rate in the capital, we also conducted another survey."

"This survey is a hypothesis about the relationship between maternal age and child survival."

As he spoke, the eunuchs on both sides stepped forward and turned the screen to the next page.

A more complex table, densely filled with numbers, was presented to everyone.

Luo Yangxing tried his best to keep his tone steady, but his voice still trembled slightly involuntarily, as if he was shocked by the truth he was about to reveal.

"In this survey, we exhausted all our manpower and recorded a total of 38,111 birth data in the capital and surrounding areas. Of these, the data for first births accounted for about one-third."

"We will organize these first-time birth data, record the mother's age, and the corresponding data on dystocia, premature birth, premature death, and health, totaling four data points."

"After analysis, it is presented in the table below."

He wanted to continue speaking, but a storm even more violent than before had already erupted in the main hall.

Its intensity and excitement were even more exaggerated than the figure of 193.54 million that I had just seen.

The problem of population and land scarcity is indeed terrifying, but it still has nearly a century to go.

Even if what Sun Chuanting said is indeed the right argument, there are still fifty years to go, right?

If the ruler and his ministers are of one mind and make sincere efforts, the problem may still be solved.

Even if it can't be resolved, that's decades from now. Most of them are already over forty and don't feel the crisis that strongly.

Moreover, judging from the way this new emperor has been proceeding step by step since his ascension to the throne, it is clear that he had planned this all along.

Being with a wise ruler is certainly like being surrounded by wolves and tigers, but it also inevitably gives people more confidence.

But how can this conclusion be the same?!

Among all the high-ranking officials, which family hasn't lost a few children, or even grandchildren, in infancy?
If the population figure of 190 million is a mountain weighing on one's heart, making it hard to breathe, yet also feeling distant.

Then this table in front of you is like a series of steel needles piercing your heart!
The most deadly pain is the pain that comes from personal experience!
“My…my daughter…” An official, well past fifty, stared at the words “survival rate only 30%” following the “fourteen years old” field on the form. He trembled, tears streaming down his face. “She was fourteen when she had her first difficult childbirth.”

A colleague beside him was struck dumb, muttering to himself, "No wonder...no wonder! I always thought that women in noble families were delicate and therefore prone to difficult childbirths. So that's why...so that's the root of the problem! It's age! It's age!"

An old scholar, without thinking, immediately rebuked, "Absurd! Utterly absurd! How can such...such women's affairs be discussed in the Hall of Supreme Harmony!"

Before he could finish speaking, he couldn't help but crane his neck, squint his old eyes, and try desperately to see every number on the form, muttering to himself, "Is it really so? Is it really so?"

The noise almost lifted the roof off the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Which of these nobles has not had a child die young? Which of these families has not had a grandchild who is bedridden with illness?
These cold numbers evoked the deepest pain and regret in their hearts.

Finally, several Jinyiwei captains who were standing by suddenly stepped forward, drew their whips from their waists, and lashed them hard at the gold brick ground in the air!

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

Three crisp, piercing cracks of the whip, accompanied by the official's desperate shouts of "Silence!", gradually quieted the bustling hall.

However, everyone's breathing became extremely heavy.

Luo Yangxing waited until everyone's attention was focused on him before continuing to speak, his voice slightly hoarse.

"I think everyone has already understood."

"Our investigation found that the older the mother is, the lower the rate of dystocia, premature birth, and infant mortality."

"Of babies born at the age of fourteen, only about 30% survive."

"If a child is born at eighteen, there is a 50% chance of survival!"

"And by the age of twenty-one, the success rate can exceed 60%!"

"And if we calculate the average survival rate of the babies of all the first-time mothers recorded, it is less than 50%!"

There was a dead silence in the hall.

Luo Yangxing took a deep breath and suddenly raised his voice.

"However, if that were all, this report would never have appeared in the Hall of Supreme Harmony!"

"Gentlemen!" His tone suddenly became urgent, "If this method were widely publicized, and all the people of the world knew this principle, delaying childbirth by one year would save countless lives!"

"If all women in the world could delay childbirth by a few years, the infant survival rate could be increased from less than 50% to 60%."

"How many more lives will be saved for the millions of people of the Ming Dynasty each year? How much more merit would this saving of lives be than building a seven-story pagoda?!"

His gaze was intense, sweeping over the crowd like a blade.

Excitement and elation were already evident in the eyes of some officials.

This is an immense act of merit!
However, Luo Yangxing's next words were like a bucket of ice water, completely extinguishing everyone's enthusiasm.

He waved his hand forcefully and shouted sharply, "However!"

"If that's the case, how will the population growth rate of the Ming Dynasty change?"

"How much time is left for my Great Ming Dynasty?!"

Before anyone could react, he suddenly waved his hand and gave the final order to the eunuch in front of the screen.

"tear!"

The eunuchs worked together to tear the data sheet off.

The last page, hidden at the very back, and the very last page of this entire "masterpiece of statecraft," was finally revealed to everyone!
Those were two red curves that took completely different directions.

However, the intersection in the middle, representing the limit of population and land carrying capacity, was nailed to everyone's eyes by a bloody number.

The lifeline for 230 million people is only 44 years away!

Luo Yangxing turned around, facing the distraught officials, and said, word by word:

"Gentlemen, our Great Ming Dynasty will not last ninety years."

"Only forty-four years remain!"

"Gentlemen! The destruction of our nation is imminent!"

Having said that, he looked away from everyone, bowed deeply towards the throne, and then retreated into the group of his four companions.

……

Inside the main hall, you could hear a pin drop.

The words "forty-four years" were like an invisible hammer, striking everyone's hearts hard and shattering all their luck and composure.

This is hardly forty-four years; adding Sun Chuanting's statement, it's probably ten years? Twenty years?
The collapse of the world is imminent!
The civil and military officials wanted to refute this, but they didn't know where to begin.

Even seasoned officials like Bi Ziyan and Guo Yunhou, who were experts in household registration, were secretly alarmed by this.

After a brief silence, an uncontrollable commotion, like magma from the earth, began to surge through the crowd.

No one spoke loudly, no one whispered, but a sound, seemingly from nowhere, gradually gathered and formed a chilling buzz.

The atmosphere in the entire hall was oppressive and chaotic, yet it also carried an eerie silence reminiscent of the impending apocalypse.

Amidst this oppressive clamor, Zhu Youjian rose from his throne.

The assembled officials immediately fell silent.

He didn't speak, but simply took steps, one by one, down the steps.

He walked slowly and steadily.

As the emperor stepped down, Huang Liji, who was standing in front of the throne, was the first to stand up.

Immediately afterwards, Shi Fenglai, Zhang Weixian, Li Guopu... one after another, nobles and ministers stood up from their seats, not daring to remain seated.

All those dressed in crimson and purple robes were focused on him.

Watch as this new emperor, only seventeen years old, confronts the bloody and desperate predicament he himself has uncovered.

Zhu Youjian stood before a screen, stretched out his hand, and gently stroked the bright red curve that represented the Ming Dynasty's fate with his fingertips, remaining silent for a long time.

The main hall was eerily quiet, with only the occasional rustling of jade pendants.

Finally, the emperor spoke. His voice was soft, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"Gentlemen, the situation may not be as bad as we have predicted."

Zhu Youjian turned around and looked at everyone calmly.

“The circumstances surrounding childbirth in the common people are complex. Not everyone knows this method and will wait until they are eighteen or twenty years old to have a child. The claim of 60% is ultimately just the most extreme case.”

"Of the land in the country, there are 700 million registered fields, but the number of unregistered fields is also countless. In Beizhili and Henan, there is still a lot of wasteland that can be cultivated."

“In Fujian, Jiangxi and other places, infanticide has existed since the Song Dynasty.”

"Although the common people do not understand the grand principles of the high hall, they do understand that if they cannot support their own people, they can only end their own lives."

"In a sense, this is also a kind of natural cycle."

He glanced at the faces before him and asked softly, "Am I right?"

None of the ministers answered. Some nodded subconsciously, but most slowly shook their heads.

The Confucian concept of benevolence is a belief ingrained in our very being.

Even if there is corruption, even if there is political malpractice, even if there is pursuit of personal gain, when faced with this ultimate test on the moral high ground, no one would think that indulging and spoiling infants is the real solution.

Zhu Youjian seemed to have anticipated their reaction, and he changed the subject, his tone becoming somber.

"However, the situation may be even worse than predicted."

"As Sun Qing said, a popular uprising in one corner of the country can devastate several provinces."

"And the local tax collectors, the war on the border, and the natural disasters, no one knows when the last straw will break the camel's back."

At this point, a meaningful smile suddenly appeared on his lips: "My dear ministers, you don't really believe that the calamities that befall us are caused by the ruler's lack of virtue, do you?"

Lai Zongdao, the Minister of Rites, who was standing at the front, moved his lips and his face turned red, but in the end he dared not say a word.

Zhu Youjian stood with his hands behind his back, slowly pacing in front of the screen.

"What else?"

"At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, a plague raged, which led to the creation of the Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases, saving countless lives."

"In our Great Ming Dynasty, the mere mention of smallpox evokes fear. If a great physician were to develop a new prescription in addition to the existing methods for treating smallpox, the world could be free from the worry of smallpox. Should we promote this method or not?"

"If another great physician were to emerge, enabling women to give birth and increasing the survival rate by another 10%, should we spread this method throughout the world, or should we shelve it and keep it on a shelf?"

"It was promoted and the people benefited, but the Ming Dynasty's reign was shortened as a result."

"When the dynasty ends, the world will be overthrown. With continuous wars, the population will inevitably be halved, and the people will ultimately be unable to escape the suffering of devastation."

“In the Four Books, every word speaks of benevolence and every sentence expounds on righteousness. Although I have no famous teacher to guide me, the words benevolence and righteousness have long been engraved in my bones.”

"But now, the left hand is unkind, and the right hand is unjust. How can this dilemma be resolved?"

His voice echoed in the hall, questioning the soul of everyone present.

What solution?

What's the explanation?!
The ministers were silent.

Several people moved their lips, but then closed them again in despair.

This question has no unsolvable problem!
The way of heaven is unkind and regards all things as stupid dogs.

This is beyond human capability; this question has remained unanswered since ancient times.

It's just that people today are only now realizing this question!
Zhu Youjian stopped in his tracks. He looked at each person's face, meeting each pair of eyes that were filled with fear, sadness, confusion, evasion, or even a hint of pleading.

Huang Lijie, Cheng Jiming, and Han Kuang, all in their sixties...

Yang Jingchen, Xue Guoguan, Huo Weihua, and others who are over forty years old...

Lu Xiang-sheng, Sun Chuanting, and Ni Yuan-lu, all just over thirty...

To mobilize the talents of the world to achieve immortal feats—this is the responsibility of an emperor.

Zhu Youjian's gaze finally fell on Grand Secretary Huang Liji.

"Prime Minister, you are fifty-nine years old this year."

Huang Liji's heart skipped a beat, and he bowed, saying, "Your subject...yes."

Zhu Youjian paused for a moment, then uttered a sentence that shocked everyone.

"To put it bluntly, even if the Ming Dynasty were to fall twenty years from now, it would probably be none of your business."

"Then, are you still willing to join me in turning this tide and breaking the cycle of order and chaos that has plagued China for two thousand years?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Liji suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with overwhelming excitement.

He looked at the young emperor before him, into his sincere eyes.

The emperor wasn't asking about his abilities or his loyalty; he was asking about his principles.

It was asking him whether, at the age of sixty, he was still willing to dedicate everything to a great cause that might not have a visible outcome, but would be enough to leave his name in history and benefit future generations.

Huang Lijie remained silent for a moment, then carefully straightened his robes.

Then he bowed deeply to Zhu Youjian.

When he looked up again, the old man, who had spent his life navigating the ups and downs of officialdom, had slightly red eyes.

His voice choked with emotion, yet every word he uttered was powerful and resounding!
"Though I am dull-witted, I am fortunate to have encountered a sage in this world. How could I not be willing to give my life and die for him?!"

Zhu Youjian smiled and shook his head.

"I am not a saint of this world."

He looked at the assembled officials and spoke slowly.

"I have said it before: to become a sage of our time, one must answer the questions of our time."

"How can you call someone a saint when you're merely clarifying this question?"

He sighed and said
"More than anyone else, I hope a sage will descend to earth and solve this problem..."

—For example, Zhang Juzheng, Wang Anshi, Shang Yang, Yue Fei… but this era simply doesn’t have any!

He raised his hand, as if he wanted to call on a few more people to answer.

All eyes followed his finger, and everyone's chest heaved with anticipation.

Several young officials were already in tears and overwhelmed with emotion even before their names were called.

But Zhu Youjian's finger stopped in mid-air.

He suddenly shook his head and smiled.

"Forget it, checking them one by one is too troublesome."

He lowered his hand, looked around at everyone, and said loudly:
"Those who wish to join me in reversing this stalemate and defying this destiny..."

"Raise your right arms together!"

It was only a brief moment of silence.

"Shh!"

Huang Lijie, standing at the very front, was the first to raise his aged arm.

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"

Following closely behind were Han Kuang, Cheng Jiming, Sun Chuanting, Ni Yuanlu, and Yang Jingchen…

One after another!
Arms, some old and some young, stood tall in the Hall of Supreme Harmony!

……

Xiyuan, Diaoyutai.

Inside the pavilion in the middle of the lake, a fishing rod extends diagonally.

Beneath the surface of the water, a goldfish cautiously approaches.

It gently touched the sweet bait, and after several attempts, it finally couldn't resist the temptation and swallowed the bait in one gulp!

The deathly silence was shattered in an instant! The fishing line suddenly tightened, and the fishing rod was pulled into a full bow.

The creatures underwater seemed to finally understand their predicament, unleashing all their strength as they charged left and right, struggling desperately and stirring up the still water.

With a sharp "snap," the fishing rod was dragged away and plunged into the depths of the lake, leaving only a trail of rapidly receding ripples on the surface.

A moment later, a few streaks of crimson blood slowly emerged from where the fishing rod had disappeared, leaving a faint trail in the blue waves.

However, this ripple and bloodshed were merely a fleeting spectacle.

Soon, the lake returned to its deathly calm, as if nothing had ever happened.

All around was completely silent.

Only a few clear bird calls occasionally pierced the sky, intertwining with the rustling sound of the wind brushing against the willow branches.

A blood-red sunset slowly sank behind the towering palace walls in the distance, casting its last rays upon the deep palace.

(End of this chapter)