Who killed the Ming Dynasty?

Chen Zisheng slammed his pen holder on the table with a "thud." Staring at Zhang Youyu's handwriting, he exclaimed in disbelief:

"Brother Zhang's brushwork... could it be that you copied Wen Zhengming's 'Li Sao' calligraphy?"

Seven or eight scholars immediately crowded around the desk, and an old man, stroking his goatee, exclaimed in amazement:

"I heard that Wen Zhengming's 'Li Sao' calligraphy was lost in Nanjing during the Jia Shen Incident..."

Before he finished speaking, the river breeze from outside the window swept through the hall, gently stirring the Xuan paper on the table.

Huang Zongxi slammed the iron awl-shaped pen handle heavily against the abacus beam, his eyes crinkling with a smile as his gaze swept past Zhang Youyu's ear:

"Last year during an audit in Qiantang, I heard that a certain 'commoner from Nanjing' always kept his wolf-hair brush firmly tucked behind his ear when he was using an abacus."

As soon as Huang Zongxi uttered his words, the room fell silent for a moment, then burst into good-natured laughter.

Even the old man stroking his goatee couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head and smiling, instantly easing the tense atmosphere considerably.

Zhang Youyu cooperated fully and immediately tucked the wolf-hair brush behind his ear with precision.

"Mr. Taichong has a great memory!"

"But having a pen behind your ear while auditing is better than some people carrying iron awls on their belts—"

He suddenly narrowed his eyes and chuckled.

Those who know the story say it's about practicing calligraphy with an iron awl, while those who don't might think you're trying to dig out a ten-foot spear from your inkstone.

The room erupted in laughter again, and the atmosphere of the poetry gathering became even more lively.

Amidst the laughter and clamor, Chen Zisheng, a scholar from Lingnan, suddenly picked up his brush in indignation and wrote:

"The ruler's boat and the people's waters will eventually capsize; better to cut down the old boat and replace it with a new one."

Zhu Cilang shuddered, and half a cup of tea spilled onto his sleeve.

The words "cutting down the wood to make a new boat" pierced his eyes like steel needles, giving him a jolt.

Huang Zongxi, however, remained calm and composed, picking up his brush, dipping it in ink, and letting it glide across the Xuan paper.

In no time, a picture of farming and reading appeared on the paper:

Farmers plow the fields, while scholars sit on the edge of the fields with books in their hands.

The postscript reads:

"The plow turns the soil to feed ten thousand mouths, the pen dips in ink to question the common people—you ask where to find the new boat? Just look at the plow tip and the pen tip."

Chen Zisheng immediately bent down to examine the painting closely, his hair falling onto the scroll:

"Mr. Taichong, why is there mud on the hem of the scholar's robe in this painting?"

Huang Zongxi put down his pen and rubbed his wrist:

"This is my true account of farming and studying—last month my wife punished me by making me work in the fields, and I realized that the plow is as heavy as a writing brush."

Amidst the laughter and chatter of the crowd, Zhu Cilang caught a glimpse of the words "Equal Field Distribution" hidden in the ridges of the fields in the painting.

A gust of wind swept across the desk, causing the white silk hanging from the beam to flutter and brush against Zhang Youyu's fingers.

He suddenly reached out and pressed his hand on the still-damp "Farming and Reading Picture":

"The 'Farming and Reading Picture' painted by the gentleman is like the peaceful dream painted by Hai Rui of the previous dynasty."

"Without a wise ruler, how can farmers with plows avoid war, and how can scholars with books withstand oppressive government?"

Huang Zongxi did not respond immediately upon hearing this, but instead slowly stepped forward and solemnly said:

"Mr. Zhang, have you ever heard the saying, 'When will this day end? I will die with you'?"

"When will the sun (referring to King Jie of Xia) perish? I am willing to perish with you!"

"When the one on the dragon throne forgets that 'the world is the master and the emperor is the guest,' the hand that once held the plow will transform into a sharp weapon for cutting wood into weapons."

His gaze swept over Zhu Cilang, and he suddenly raised his voice.

"The fundamental purpose of establishing a ruler is to 'make the world benefit from it' and 'make the world relieved of its harm'."

[To benefit all people and eliminate harm for all people!]

"The responsibility of a monarch is to suppress private interests and promote public interests."

Upon hearing this, a collective gasp filled the room.

An elderly scholar with white hair stroked his cane and pondered deeply, his voice booming like a bell:

"Huang Taichong! Isn't this Mencius's point that 'the people are more important than the ruler'? If so, wouldn't the world be like a group of dragons without a leader?"

Before the words were finished, a young scholar rose from his seat and bowed:

"I apologize for my presumption—if Your Majesty did not regard the people as worthless, why would we need to discuss such extraordinary matters?"

In the silence, Huang Zongxi continued in a deep voice:

"Looking back at history and observing the present, the world is the foundation of all people. As the saying goes, 'The world is the master, and the ruler is the guest.' If a ruler cannot devote himself to the well-being of the people, how can he be a ruler?"

Zhang Youyu stepped forward and pressed on, asking:

"Master Taichong repeatedly said, 'The guest is the master.' What if the guest forcibly takes over the host's position?"

Huang Zongxi's eyes sharpened, and he suddenly threw the iron awl pen at the white silk hanging from the beam.

The pen tip pierced through the two characters "壮行" (a solemn farewell), driving them deep into the beam:

"If anyone attempts to use their status as a guest to overpower the host and subvert the righteous path of the world, they should be pierced by this awl to shatter their false reputation!"

He strode forward and grabbed the pen.

"But even a bright lamp needs a lampshade to protect it from the wind, and governing a country and ensuring its stability also requires laws as its guiding principles."

"Only when the rule of law is upheld can people's hearts be restrained, and the light be kept forever, so as not to turn into a prairie fire."

Having said that, he flicked his black sleeve and walked a few steps to the window sill:

"Gentlemen, please look—,"

Everyone hurriedly crowded closer to the window, and saw merchant ships coming and going on the Yangtze River, their sails like a forest.

"I ask you, on the Yangtze River, without boatmen at the helm, porters pulling the boats, and merchants coordinating operations, could a single ship owner navigate smoothly?"

The sound of the river waves crashing against the shore entered through the window, and the twenty-odd scholars nodded in agreement.

"Brilliant! Taichong's analogy perfectly captures the essence of the saying in the *Discourses on Salt and Iron*: 'Governing a country is like cooking a small fish!'"

A scholar from Wuchang, excitedly slamming his fist on the table, stood up.

"An emperor is merely a boatman steering the ship on behalf of Heaven; how can he monopolize the entire vessel?"

"If the helmsman mistreats the oarsmen—his wheelhouse should be overturned!"

"This perfectly aligns with the principles of the Lüshi Chunqiu!"

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, Huang Zongxi had already turned back to his desk.

He picked up his iron-tipped pen and swiftly drew three ink cauldrons on the plain paper:

"The way to govern a country should also be the same."

"Gentlemen, please look at the Three Powers Tripod among these ritual vessels—"

"The emperor holds military power, the Minister of Works governs the people's livelihood, and the Minister of Justice is in charge of the judiciary."

"But now the Forbidden City has turned these three clear springs into a stagnant pool in the hands of a tyrant."

Zhu Cilang, with a solemn expression, stepped forward and lowered his head to examine the tripod in the picture closely:

"Does the gentleman intend to divide the tripod into three?"

"Exactly!"

He tapped the three legs of the tripod with the pen handle.

"We should emulate Yu the Great in controlling the floods, dredging the nine rivers to prevent disasters. Similarly, governing a country requires decentralizing power to avoid stagnation."

"The emperor only holds the mandate of heaven and the power of the army; criminal matters are handled by the Court of Judicial Review; and finances are entrusted to the Ministry of Revenue."

Chen Zisheng suddenly stood up and slammed his right palm on the table.

However, due to excessive force, the hair tie suddenly snapped, and the scholar's cap slid askew towards his ear.

He raised his hand to steady the swaying crown, a few strands of loose hair slipping through his fingers:

"If you can't even dress properly, how can you talk about governing the world?"

Having said that, he gave a self-deprecating laugh and tied a knot in the base of the crown with the broken silk ribbon:

"So, does this mean that although the monarch holds great political power, he cannot unilaterally exercise judicial and administrative authority?"

"good!"

Huang Zongxi met his gaze and answered decisively:

"If judicial power is in the hands of the monarch, wrongful convictions will inevitably occur; if executive power is too concentrated, corruption will inevitably follow."

"Only by allowing judges to adjudicate cases independently, free from interference by the monarch's orders, and by ensuring that administrative agencies perform their respective duties and act in accordance with regulations, can a system of checks and balances be formed."

A sudden gust of river wind swept through the hall, carrying with it the fragrance of ink from the paper.

Huang Zongxi raised his sleeve and caught a falling red tallow tree leaf.

Chen Zisheng laughed:

"Excellent! In this way, the emperor's power is limited, and all the people benefit. This is the true remedy for governing a country!"