Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 152 Half of the Analects can govern the world, half an acre of spinach can save the world

Wang Tiqian pulled his python robe tighter around himself, feeling that the weather was getting colder and colder.

He walked out of the Eastern Depot and turned into the Donghua Gate, but instead of heading to the Qianqing Palace, he walked along the palace wall and turned towards the Western Garden.

A few days ago, His Majesty suddenly moved to the Showa Hall in the West Garden, saying that he wanted a change of environment and some peace and quiet.

However, this tranquility has remained so until now, and they have not moved back to the Qianqing Palace.

Wang Tiqian hurried along the base of the wall and soon passed through the West Garden Gate, with the Zhaohe Hall in the distance.

Speaking of Showa-den, there's a rather amusing anecdote.

His Majesty stayed for only two days before saying that the name "Showa" was out of step with the current predicament of the Ming Dynasty, both internally and externally, and that he wanted to change the name.

But they kept it a secret from them, not letting them know what name they had changed to.

When Wang Tiqian arrived at the palace, he saw that the plaque had been replaced with a new one, but the three large characters on it made his eye twitch slightly.

—The Hall of Seriousness?

Is this serious?

Is this meant to allude to the conversation with Lu Xiang-sheng that day? Isn't that a bit too blatant?

Wang Tiqian muttered to himself, but his feet didn't stop, and he quickly walked to the front of the hall.

The young eunuch at the palace gate saw him and quickly bowed, saying, "Eunuch Wang."

"Is His Majesty in the palace?" Wang Tiqian asked.

The young eunuch shook his head and replied respectfully:
"Your Excellency, His Majesty's schedule has changed today, and he is not in the palace at the moment."

"If you are in a hurry, you can go to Rabbit Mountain in the west to find him. If you are not in a hurry, you can wait here for a while."

Wang Tiqian was slightly taken aback.

This multiple-choice question isn't difficult to answer.

He nodded to the young eunuch, then turned and continued walking westward.

The West Garden was quite large, and Wang Tiqian walked for a while before finally seeing Rabbit Mountain, which wasn't very high.

He stopped, calmed his breathing, and carefully straightened his clothes before walking over.

Before he even got close, a scene he would never forget came into his view.

At the foot of Rabbit Mountain, a field of about half an acre has been cultivated at some unknown time.

A young man dressed in ordinary brown cloth clothes was working in the field, his back bent over.

Not far from the field, Gao Shiming, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression solemn.

Further away, a dozen or so guards and eunuchs stood at a distance, waiting by.

Who is that young man in the field if not the most esteemed emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Yongchang, Zhu Youjian?
Wang Tiqian's pupils suddenly contracted.

He instinctively quickened his pace, ignoring the mud and dirt on the edge of the field, and knelt down directly.

"This servant kowtows to Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

His voice trembled slightly from the shock he felt.

Upon hearing the sound, the young man who was engrossed in his work slowly straightened up and turned his head.

Sweat streamed down his young face, but he wore a slight smile: "Wang Banban is here."

He stretched out his hands, tucked his shoulders in, wiped the sweat with his clothes, and said, "Rise, please. Wait a moment while I finish sowing this row of land."

After saying that, he bent down again and continued working.

Wang Tiqian remained kneeling on the spot, stunned, until Gao Shiming came over and helped him up.

"Eunuch Wang, please rise. His Majesty has asked you to rise."

Wang Tiqian stood up and stood side by side with Gao Shiming at the edge of the field, but his eyes were fixed on the figure in the field, and the turmoil in his heart could not be calmed for a long time.

The more he looked, the more apprehensive and uneasy he felt.

This is an exaggeration.

This scene is simply outrageous!
The emperor of the Ming Dynasty actually went down to the fields to do work himself?

He couldn't help but lower his voice, almost whispering in Gao Shiming's ear, "Eunuch Gao, why isn't anyone going down to help? Are they just going to watch?"

Gao Shiming glanced at him with a complicated expression and slowly shook his head.

"His Majesty said that everyone should do their job and fulfill their duties, which is the way to save the Ming Dynasty now."

He sighed and said:

"His Majesty also said, 'If one does not know the difficulty, one will take the task lightly; if one does not know the hardship, one will abuse one's power.'"

"If he is the ruler of the world, and does not know the hardship of farming, then he does not know the hardship of the people."

“Our duties may be administrative, military, or supervisory; we should simply do our part. The hardships of farming, however, must be borne by Your Majesty personally and cannot be done by others.”

Wang Tiqian fell completely silent.

If one does not know the difficulty, one will take the task lightly; if one does not know the hardship, one will abuse one's power...

His mind involuntarily conjured up various rituals of "sage rulers caring for farmers" from the past.

Paying attention to agriculture was, of course, the responsibility of the Ming emperors.

But in the past, it was just a performance of threshing rice and a demonstration of the ritual of three pushes and three returns to the field.

The so-called "rice harvesting play" refers to the annual autumn harvest season, in which the Bell and Drum Bureau, dressed as farmers, women, and officials, perform acts such as collecting rent, paying taxes, and handling lawsuits.

The ceremony of personally plowing the fields was to be performed by His Majesty at the Altar of the God of Agriculture every spring, when he would go there to worship and perform the ceremony with his civil and military officials.

During the process, the ministers would plow back and forth nine times, while the emperor would plow back and forth three times.

However, this ritual was abolished during the reign of King Sejong.

Neither Emperor Shenzong nor Emperor Suzong performed this ceremony again.

Apart from the founding emperor, Taizu, what other emperor in the Ming Dynasty would roll up his sleeves and personally turn the soil and sow seeds, making himself look like a real old farmer?
and so……

Is this the sage king described in history books?
Why did it have to come to this...? Why did it have to come to this!
Even with Wang Tiqian's cunning mind, he couldn't help but feel a tremor in his heart at this moment.

Wang Tiqian remained silent for a long time. As he watched the emperor's figure recede into the distance between the fields, he finally couldn't help but speak again: "Should this matter... be disseminated throughout the capital so that all the people may know?"

There's no need for two eunuchs to be so subtle when they're talking; it's more straightforward to be direct.

Gao Shiming finally turned around and looked at him seriously.

"His Majesty said that we should not publicize the matter until it is accomplished. We should wait until something grows in this land before discussing anything else."

Wang Tiqian's heart skipped a beat again.

In that instant, he suddenly felt a pang of envy for Tian Ergeng, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

His Majesty once said that he wanted to restore the reputation of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

At the time, it seemed like a complete fantasy.

The reputation of being the emperor's henchmen has a long history, and it's not so easy to whitewash it.

But now it seems that as long as Tian Ergeng can seize this opportunity, the so-called restoration of his innocence may not be impossible.

But what about the Eastern Depot? How could the Eastern Depot possibly go down that path?

Was His Majesty's use of the word "comrade" on that day genuine with Lu Xiang-sheng? Or with Gao Shi-ming?
So, is it really true for me, Wang Tiqian?

……

Zhu Youjian felt like he was about to collapse from exhaustion.

The thin muscle on my back was twitching, and my neck was incredibly sore.

Although the young body was full of strength, it was really struggling to keep up after turning over half an acre of land and now being bent over.

He gritted his teeth, bent over, and carefully scooped up a handful of spinach seeds in his hand. Following the method he had learned, he scattered the seeds two or three at a time down the shallow furrows he had prepared.

The fatigue from farming and the fatigue from drawing a bow are truly not the same thing.

Seeing that the seeding in this row was finally finished, he breathed a sigh of relief, straightened up, picked up the bamboo rake next to him, and clumsily turned up the soil on both sides to cover the seeds thinly.

After each section of raking, following a method I had heard, I turned the rake over and compacted the soil more.

He grew spinach. At that time, some people also called him spinach.

As for why he inexplicably planted spinach here, we have to talk about the practical issues.

After several gusts of northerly wind, and the fluctuating temperatures in Beijing, winter has finally arrived.

These days, if you get up early, you can even see tiny icicles under the eaves.

In this awkward season, traditional crops such as wheat, soybeans, and cotton cannot be grown.

The sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn he longed for were not suitable for planting at this time of year.

I asked some veterans in the Yongwei Camp who had farmed before, and they told me that at this hour, they could only plant some cold-resistant spinach.

Plant them before winter fully sets in, and once they sprout and survive the winter, you can harvest them in the spring.

This is the agricultural season.

This is why ancient wars had such a significant impact on agriculture.

If you miss ten days or half a month, the entire season's harvest will be lost.

Even though he is a modern person with knowledge that is ahead of his time, he still has to bow down in the face of this irrefutable fact.

Finally, the last seed was covered by the soil.

Zhu Youjian threw down the rake, unable to hold on any longer, and collapsed onto the edge of the field, panting heavily.

But he felt incredibly happy.

This is farming, haha! Besides the founding emperor, which other emperor of the Ming Dynasty ever personally farmed?
When I harvest my spinach in the spring, I'll give it to everyone I meet!
Zhu Youjian savored this pleasant feeling for a moment before turning to Gao Shiming and the other man and waving:
"Come, tell me about today's memorials and public opinion in the capital. I'll take a break."

"The slaves obey the order."

Gao Shiming and Wang Tiqian bowed in unison.

Gao Shiming spoke first: "Your Majesty, the Cabinet has sent 294 memorials today, 13 of which are specifically marked 'New Policies.' The number of those specifically marked 'Questions of the Times'... is higher than yesterday, with a total of 85 today..."

Zhu Youjian laughed and waved his hand, saying, "Let's forward all the memorials concerning the questions of the times to the Secretariat for processing as usual."

The so-called secretariat has no salary, no rank, and no affiliation; it is merely a temporary organization.

Currently, they are specifically responsible for handling a particular type of memorial to the emperor:
The documents submitted by the civil officials, nobles, scholars, and military officers in the capital concerned the practical matters of the "conflict between people and land".

In addition to the five people, including Wu Kongjia, who had risen to prominence last time, the secretariat members also included two civil officials, Sun Chuanting and Bi Ziyan.

Then, Cao Huachun and Liu Ruoyu, who had performed well in the reorganization of the inner palace, were also brought in.

There are nine people in total.

We will gradually add more people depending on the situation, aiming to expand to twenty people this year and one hundred people next year, turning the informal organization into a formal one.

They turned the handling of state affairs into the handling of new policies, and then into the handling of world affairs, effectively sidelining the cabinet!
of course……

These nine people aren't that awesome yet.

These days, they spend most of their time immersed in this sea of ​​official documents, trying to salvage something from nothing.

Only official documents that have been approved by five or more of them will be reviewed by the group of Xue Guoguan, Gao Shiming, Huang Lijie, Li Guopu, Yang Jingchen, and Cheng Jiming.

Only if at least three people agree will they come before him.

Are most new policy documents just garbage?
Whatever, produce whatever you want, it won't stick to me at all!

Gao Shiming nodded and continued, "In addition, among the regular memorials, there were none of the first-class level today, seven of the second-class level, and the third-class level..."

As Zhu Youjian listened, he subconsciously rubbed his aching shoulders.

Seeing this, Wang Tiqian quickly stepped forward, knelt behind Zhu Youjian, and cautiously extended his hand: "Your Majesty, this servant dares to give you a shoulder massage."

Zhu Youjian wanted to say no, but as soon as Wang Tiqian's fingers touched his shoulder, a just-right force came through, making him so comfortable that he almost groaned out loud.

The words that were on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back, turning into tacit silence.

—In theory, an old farmer in the field also has a wife and children to help him massage his back, so he is not cheating.

Seeing that the emperor did not speak, Wang Tiqian tightened his grip even more.

For a time, a bizarre scene appeared on this field ridge in Xiyuan.

The emperor of the Ming Dynasty sat slumped on the edge of a field, covered in mud.

The eunuch of the Eastern Depot, who could stop a child from crying at night, knelt on the ground and massaged his shoulders and back.

Beside him, the Grand Chancellor of the Ming Dynasty, the Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, was meticulously reporting on national affairs.

"...Zhang Zibing, the Vice Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, reported that as the weather gets colder, refugees have gathered in the vicinity of the capital. There are currently 713 registered refugees. As mentioned in the previous official document, they have been assigned to various places to work in conjunction with the road construction, and are receiving daily rations as a form of work relief."

"Wang Zhao, the Vice Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, responded..."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian suddenly raised his hand.

Gao Shiming stopped immediately.

Zhu Youjian looked at the field in front of him, which he had turned upside down like a dog had chewed on it, and couldn't help but laugh.

"Send my decree to Zhang Zibing."

He said slowly, "Have him select ten old farmers from among the refugees who are good at farming and have clean backgrounds, and send them to the palace to teach me how to farm."

He sighed: "It's not a good idea for me to keep messing things up like this."

But this kind of aimless tinkering is ultimately not a waste of time.

Knowledge is cursed.

Once you acquire a certain knowledge, you will always assume that others have the same knowledge.

Therefore, he had to go through a lot of trouble in a state of complete ignorance in order to remember it deeply.

Just how stupid can an idiot who can't farm be?

He will apply this understanding to 70% of civil officials and 100% of nobles.

When employing people, it's not enough to just know their strengths; you also need to know their weaknesses.

Gao Shiming bowed and accepted the order, then continued, "Wang Zhaodui, the Vice Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, reported that the investigation by the officials of Shuntian Prefecture has been completed..."

Zhu Youjian replied: "Very good. Order that the confessions of the clerks and all the methods of corruption be compiled and combined into a 'Handbook of Corruption by Clerks'. After the clerks arrested by Lu Xiangshan are sent to the capital, they should be aligned and organized together, and then it can be published as the first version."

Gao Shiming Daily: "The Duke of England submitted a memorial requesting that the sons of meritorious officials be selected through examination and that the virtuous and capable be chosen for appointment..."

Zhu Youjian replied, "Help me out of this. Just say 'right away, right away, definitely next time...'"

Gao Shiming reported: "Tian Ergeng reported that the telegrams to Datong have been sent to Wanquan Commandery with all efforts. Temporary wooden buildings have been erected in various places to protect the area, and they will be replaced and repaired later. In this way, in another ten days or so, we will be able to communicate directly with Ma Shilong."

Zhu Youjian stood up and praised, "Not bad. I trust Lao Tian to do things well. Send him two bolts of silk as a token and tell him that I will reward him handsomely later. Tell him to do his job well."

Gao Shiming reported: "The results of the court's recommendation for the Minister of Rites in Nanjing by the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers have been released. The list includes seven people, including Wang Yongguang, Li..."

Zhu Youjian waved his hand, stopping the conversation: "Ignore the others, just do as we said before, choose Wang Yongguang, let him attend tomorrow's grand court assembly before taking up his post."

He stretched his limbs on the spot, feeling that he had rested enough, then turned around and smiled, "You all wait here for a moment, I'll go buy some oranges!"

Gao Shiming and Wang Tiqian were immediately filled with doubt.

Zhu Youjian was in a great mood today, so he didn't bother to explain. He just laughed and jumped into the field to continue his sowing business.

……

The sun was rising higher, and noon had arrived.

The morning mist had long since dissipated, and the warm sunlight shone down, dispelling the chill of late autumn.

Zhu Youjian perfectly exemplified the meaning of balancing work and rest.

Sometimes he would be in the fields, sowing seeds and turning the soil, at which point his brain would rest while his body worked.

Sometimes he would return to the fields, listen to reports, and give his comments. At this time, his body was resting, but his brain was working.

In the half-acre plot, seeds were gradually sown on the ridges and then covered with soil again.

Xiyuan, the royal garden that witnessed the rise and fall of the Ming Dynasty for two hundred years, has been passed down through thirteen emperors.

Finally, we have the most eccentric emperor in the history of the Ming Dynasty.

The Zhengde Emperor once kept tigers and leopards here and indulged in unrestrained pleasure; the Jiajing Emperor once practiced alchemy and Taoism here, neglecting the common people.

But Emperor Yongchang actually carved out half an acre of rotten land in a corner of the most luxurious garden in the entire land during the 17th century?!
In this rotten field, they're actually growing spinach!
what is this?
Can half of the Analects govern the world, or half an acre of spinach save it?
(See attached image: illustration of spinach planting, which is much simpler than planting wheat.)
(End of this chapter)