I founded a heavy industry group in the late Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 172 Never fall into the self-proving trap

Chapter 171: The "Investigation of Things and Extension of Knowledge" column in the *Da Ming Bao* newspaper was like a sharp knife, piercing deep into the heart of the civil service. Chen Boying's article, "The Way of Heaven is Constant," completely uprooted the foundation of the "interaction between Heaven and Man." The civil officials were first angered, then fearful, and finally descended into a near-mad hysteria.

Impeachment was no longer effective. The Tianqi Emperor withdrew all impeachment memorials, neither approving nor returning them, simply suppressing them. Wei Zhongxian was fanning the flames behind the scenes, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard was gathering intelligence everywhere; whoever was most vocal was likely to be "invited" for tea. The civil officials realized that the court's rules were no longer sufficient to deal with Chen Boying. They had to find a different approach—to completely discredit him morally.

As a result, the war of words in the newspapers escalated.

Several other newspapers in Beijing, founded by the Donglin Party and the civil service, such as the *Jingbao* and *Chaowenlu*, began publishing a barrage of articles attacking Chen Boying. These articles no longer delved into profound topics like astronomy and physics, but instead turned to simpler, more direct, and more likely to stir up public sentiment through morality.

"Chen Boying is an unfilial son!"

An article signed "Jinling Yela" (Old Man of Jinling) begins with a fierce tone. The article lists what Chen Boying calls "three major acts of filial impiety": First, Chen Boying had a conflict with his uncle Chen Youfu in his early years and publicly contradicted his elder, which is disrespectful; second, after Chen Boying became wealthy, he never returned to his hometown to worship his ancestors, which is ingratitude; third, Chen Boying took more than a hundred concubines but neglected his wife, which is unjust.

The article is written with vivid detail and emotion, as if the author witnessed it firsthand. The details of the conflict between Chen Boying and his uncle Chen Youfu are particularly evocative: "Chen Boying was poor in his youth and survived only thanks to his uncle Youfu's help. However, after achieving success, he not only showed no gratitude but also argued with his uncle over trivial matters, their words vehemently heard by passersby. How can such an ungrateful person stand between heaven and earth?"

Another article, signed "Master of Zhongyi Hall," targeted Chen Ying's "private morality." It accused him of a life of extravagance, keeping hundreds of courtesans in his household; of greed and plunder; and of cruelty and inhumanity, readily committing murder. The article concluded: "Chen Boying is a beast in human form, a hypocrite. Such a despicable person is unfit to be an official of the court!"

Each of these articles is written with righteous indignation, each one seemingly acting on behalf of Heaven. But anyone with discerning eyes can see that they are full of dubious accusations, exaggerated descriptions, and blatant personal attacks.

However, the problem is that the people have discerning eyes. At first, they watched with great interest, but as they watched, they began to feel that something was amiss.

"Sir, you say Lord Chen is unfilial, but he built schools, houses, and paid wages for the craftsmen of Shahewei, and even takes care of those elderly people living alone. Isn't that more practical than going back to his hometown to worship his ancestors?"

"You say Lord Chen is greedy, but the bank he runs offers high interest rates on deposits and low interest rates on loans. It's the common people who benefit, not him."

"You say Lord Chen is a ruthless killer, but he killed the Jurchens, the Tartars. If it weren't for him, Liaodong would have been lost long ago, and we wouldn't have this peaceful life."

Inside the teahouse, several elderly scholars were engaged in a heated debate, vehemently denouncing Chen Ying's "ten major crimes." After listening for a while, a blacksmith among the other patrons couldn't help but interject, "Gentlemen, do you have any evidence for what you're saying?"

The old scholar was taken aback: "Evidence? Isn't what's written in black and white in the newspaper evidence?"

The blacksmith laughed: "Just because it's in the newspaper doesn't mean it's true! Lord Chen's newspaper even said the rain was just water vapor, not from the Dragon King. Do you believe that?"

The old scholar blushed: "That—that's spreading heresy and misleading the public!"

The blacksmith shook his head and said no more.

Chen Ying sat in his study, a thick stack of newspapers piled in front of him. He flipped through them one by one, his expression shifting between helplessness, sneer, and thoughtful contemplation.

"Godfather," Chen Yongren said angrily, standing to the side, "These civil officials have gone too far! They were the ones who colluded with thugs to beat up our people first, and now they're turning around and accusing you of being unfilial, disrespectful to your elders, and morally corrupt. Should we also retaliate by publishing our accusations in the newspapers?"

Chen Ying put down the newspaper and shook his head: "Call them back? Wouldn't that make us just like them?"

"But they—"

"Yongren, remember this," Chen Ying interrupted him, "When you try to reason with someone, you need evidence. They accuse me of being unfilial. If I try to prove it myself, I'll fall into their trap, playing right into their scheme. Godfather, are you really going to swallow this insult?"

Chen Yongren couldn't help but speak again: "They're saying in the newspapers that you've taken over a hundred concubines, that you've neglected your mother, and they're making it sound so convincing, as if they saw it with their own eyes. If you don't clarify this, the people will really think you're a lecherous man!"

"Clarify? How do I clarify?"

Chen Ying looked at Chen Yongren calmly. "They say I've taken over a hundred concubines, so I'll have all my concubines listed out? They say I've neglected my wife, so I'll have Yan Niang testify? Wouldn't that just lead me into their trap?"

Chen Yongren was taken aback: "A trap?"

"Yes, a trap." Chen Ying put down his teacup, stood up, and walked to the window. "Yongren, think about it, why do they ignore important matters of the court, ignore fighting the Jurchens, ignore rescuing the people, and instead come to criticize my personal morality?"

Chen Yongren thought for a moment: "Because they can't find any evidence against you?"

"No."

Chen Ying turned around and said with a faint smile, "Because they know that matters of private morality are hard to explain. If you say you haven't taken a concubine, they can say you're secretly keeping one outside; if you say you're filial, they can say you're just pretending. The more you defend yourself, the more excited they become, because every defense you make provides them with new material to attack you with. This is called a self-proving trap."

If I were to get entangled in their personal morality, even if I won in the end, I would only end up looking humiliated. Because the people won't remember who was right or wrong; they'll only remember that Chen Boying was vilified in the newspapers.

On a side note, when you are slandered or defamed in life or at work, try not to prove yourself, because you will fall into their trap. Do the opposite.

Chen Yongren suddenly realized: "Then what do we do?"

"What should we do?" Chen Ying laughed. "Don't they like to create hype? I'll give them an even bigger story, so big that they can't handle it, so big that the people won't have time to care about my private morality."

He needs an article, an article that will completely expose the truth.

Chen Ying locked himself in his study for three whole days, not allowing anyone to disturb him. His desk was piled high with documents, including grain prices, salt prices, and cloth prices collected from various places, as well as detailed income and expenditure records of people from all walks of life in the Ming Dynasty that he had compiled.

Su Mei brought out the meal three times, and each time it was served untouched. Chen Yongren paced back and forth outside the door, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, but dared not knock.

On the morning of the fourth day, Chen Ying finally pushed open the door, holding a thick manuscript in his hand. His eyes were bloodshot, and his face was covered in stubble, but he was surprisingly in good spirits.

"Layout and reprinting."

Chen Ying handed the manuscript to Su Mei, "This issue will be published simultaneously throughout the entire Ming Dynasty. It will be printed and distributed at the same time in all places where it can be printed, including the capital, Tianjin, Dengzhou, Lushun, Yongning Port, Nanjing, Suzhou, and Yangzhou."

Su Mei took the manuscript, glanced at the title, and gasped.

On the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month of the fifth year of the Tianqi reign (1626), a supplement to the *Da Ming Bao* newspaper was published. That day, the streets and alleys of Beijing were three times more crowded with green rickshaws than usual. Newspaper vendors, bundled in thick cotton-padded coats, braved the cold wind and shouted their wares.

"Newspapers for sale! Newspapers for sale! Lord Chen has a new article! He asks the people of the land, why are they so hardworking yet still hungry and cold!"

"Newspapers for sale! Newspapers for sale! Who is sucking the blood of the people? Lord Chen will tell you the truth!"

People flocked to the scene; some took out their coins to buy newspapers, some huddled together to read them, and some simply stood by the tricycles and read them in the cold wind.

That article was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, creating waves that were bigger than Chen Boying's gossip, even bigger than the interaction between heaven and man, because the common people didn't care about heaven, they only cared about their food, clothing, shelter and transportation.

The article begins with a question: "The people of the Ming Dynasty toil diligently in the fields, working from sunrise to sunset. They dare not slacken in spring planting and autumn harvest; they dare not delay in paying their taxes. Yet why, year after year, do they labor yet suffer hunger and cold? In years of plenty, they barely have enough to eat; in years of famine, they sell their children. Why can't their hardworking hands support their families?"

The article then uses specific data to compare the annual income and expenditure of an ordinary farmer.

A farming family of five cultivated thirty mu of land. In a year of favorable weather, each mu yielded two shi of wheat, for a total harvest of sixty shi. At the market price, each shi was worth five qian of silver, totaling thirty taels.

What about the expenses? Land tax, poll tax, and corvée labor tax amounted to about ten taels of silver; seeds, farm tools, and livestock feed cost about five taels of silver; land rent varied depending on the location, and if renting land, the rent was fifteen to twenty shi (a unit of dry measure). Even self-cultivating farmers had to bear various additional levies.

"One mu of land produces two shi of grain. Of those two shi, the government takes five dou, the landlord takes five dou, and the remaining eight dou must feed a family of five. How long will eight dou of grain last? Three months. How will they survive the remaining nine months?"

The article doesn't shy away from the answer; it gives it directly: relying on wild vegetables, tree bark, high-interest loans, and selling their children.

"The people suffer not from natural disasters, but from man-made calamities."

Chen Ying then analyzed the root causes of the people's poverty.

The first layer consists of middlemen who add layers of markups. Grain leaves the farmers' hands for five qian of silver per shi (a unit of dry measure). It's transported to the city for eight qian per shi. By the time it reaches the common people, it costs eight or even one liang and two qian per shi. Where does the price difference go? It goes to the grain merchants, to the canal transport officials, and to the gentry who control the market.

"The same goes for salt. Salt produced by sun-drying on the coast costs less than five coins per pound. It is transported inland and costs twelve coins per pound. Ordinary people buy it for twenty-five coins per pound. Where does the price difference go? It goes to the salt merchants, to the salt transport officials, and to those powerful people who hold salt permits but do not produce salt."

The second layer is the unfair tax burden. While the land tax in the Ming Dynasty was nominally light, various levies, corvée labor, and exorbitant fees made the actual burden incredibly heavy. Even worse, gentry, officials, successful candidates in the imperial examinations, and scholars enjoyed privileges of exemption from taxes and corvée labor. Unable to collect taxes from them, the court shifted the burden onto ordinary people.

"The Ming Dynasty had hundreds of thousands of scholars, tens of thousands of officials, and tens of thousands of people who had passed the imperial examinations. These people and their families accounted for less than 10% of the population, but owned more than 50% of the land. They did not pay taxes or perform corvée labor. The expenses of the court were entirely borne by the remaining 90% of the people. This is why the poorer the people were, the richer the gentry were; the more the court was short of money, the more the people were exploited."

The third layer is land consolidation. When people encounter famine, they borrow money at exorbitant interest rates to survive. Unable to repay, they have no choice but to sell their land. After selling the land, they become tenants. After paying rent, the tenants have little left. When the next famine strikes, they borrow money at exorbitant interest rates again and sell their land again. This cycle continues, and within three generations, the self-cultivating farmers become vagrants.

"And who are those who buy land? They are gentry, officials, and merchants. They have privileges, they don't have to pay taxes, and the more land they own, the richer they become. Once they are rich, they buy even more land. It's a vicious cycle, and the common people are trapped in this cycle and can never escape poverty."

The fourth and deepest layer is that the imperial treasury was hijacked by interest groups. The Donglin Party opposed the collection of commercial taxes, mining taxes, and customs duties because those engaged in commerce, mining, and maritime trade were all their own people. They shouted "not to compete with the people for profit," but that "people" was not the common people, but themselves.

"If the imperial court can't collect commercial taxes, it can only increase land taxes. The land taxes weigh heavily on the people, and if they can't afford to pay, they have no choice but to sell their land. The land is sold to the gentry, who then refuse to pay taxes, making the imperial court even poorer. It's a bottomless pit, and the people's blood is being sucked dry little by little in this way."

The article concludes without appeal or incitement, simply stating: "The people toil yet suffer hunger and cold, not because of fate or misfortune, but because someone is sucking their blood. This bloodsucker is not a single corrupt official or unscrupulous merchant, but a vast, deeply entrenched interest group. They wear official robes, read Confucian classics, and spout benevolence and morality. Yet every penny they embezzle is stained with the blood of the people."

The article caused a sensation throughout the world.

In the streets and alleys of the capital, people held newspapers, some weeping, some cursing, and some remaining silent. An old farmer stood beside a tricycle, read the entire article, then squatted down, covered his face, and began to weep. He was weeping for his son. Years ago, unable to pay taxes, he had been forced to sell his son, whose fate remained unknown.

"So that's how it is—"

The old farmer choked back tears, saying, "I always thought it was just bad luck, that I didn't know how to manage my life. Turns out, it wasn't; someone was sucking my blood!"

The person next to him handed him a handkerchief and sighed, "Old man, don't cry. Lord Chen has made his point clear; we finally understand."

When the news reached the Donglin Party, Qian Qianyi read the newspaper and his face turned pale, his hands trembling.

This article is not an impeachment, nor an exposé; it is a thorough investigation. It dismantles and lays bare the very foundation upon which the civil service and gentry class depend for their survival, for the world to see.

These things are actually quite obvious. For example, did he discover the flaw in the execution line of prison A?

Actually, no, it's not. This survival logic has existed for a long time, for decades or even centuries, because each class has its own cutoff line.

The problems of the Ming Dynasty are also objective facts. It's just that in the past, civil officials held the power of discourse. Even if some people were sensible, they didn't have the power of discourse and couldn't tell all the people directly and frankly like Chen Boying did.

Huang Daozhou sighed, "Brother Qian, this time, we've really lost."

Qian Qianyi smiled bitterly: "It's not just that we've lost, it's that we're finished. From now on, the people will never trust us again—Chen Boying, you're so ruthless—"

The key question is, how will they break this deadlock?