White-robed Minister

Chapter 163 0161 [Suppress the Way of Humanity and Act on the Way of Heaven]

Xu Lai still doesn't know that he once corresponded with Zhao Xu.

At this moment, he was somewhat puzzled by Zhao Xu's enthusiasm, not understanding why the emperor favored him so much.

Zhao Xu, however, continued speaking to himself: "When I was the Prince of Ying, I read Xu Qing's poems and also studied 'Mathematics' and 'Geometry'."

It turned out to be the case.

Xu Lai suddenly realized that he had encountered a fan.

Zhao Xu then said, "I am also aware of Xu Qing's administration in Yingtian Prefecture; he is a model of a capable minister."

"Your Majesty flatters me," Xu Lai said modestly.

During this period, when Zhao Xu met with his ministers, he would often ask about the reforms.

The reason he suddenly valued Zhang Fangping was because Zhang Fangping had unique insights into the reform and was also a financial expert who advocated the rule of law.

Facing Xu Lai at this moment, Zhao Xu asked the same question, just as he had asked Zhang Fangping when they first met: "What are your insights on reform, Minister Xu? How can we enrich the country and strengthen its military?"

Xu Lai did not answer directly, but said, "I have recently been studying the Tao Te Ching, and two sentences have particularly resonated with me: The way of Heaven is to take from those who have more than enough and give to those who have less than enough; the way of man is to take from those who have less than enough and give to those who have more than enough."

"Um?

'

Zhao Xu frowned. He disliked Taoism; he preferred Legalism. Xu Lai's answer completely surprised him.

Shao Bi, who was writing the daily records next to Xu Lai, also looked at Xu Lai curiously.

Xu Lai said, "In the present Song Dynasty, human nature is rampant and cannot be governed; isn't it simply a matter of taking from the poor to give to the rich?"

Zhao Xu patiently said, "Minister Xu, please explain in detail."

Xu Lai said, "Let's talk about scholars first. The families of high-ranking officials and powerful people have vast collections of books, and their children can freely browse them when studying. Whether it's through imperial favor or special examinations, it's much easier for them to become officials. If they want to be promoted, they can easily gather all the recommendation letters."

"What about impoverished scholars? They can't afford books, and copying a single classic text can take months, or even two or three years. Even if they manage to pass the provincial examination, they can't get a quota for the provincial examination. Even if they do get a quota, they don't know the preferences of the examiners. And even if they become officials, promotion is extremely difficult."

In order to obtain a recommendation letter, one had no choice but to curry favor with the powerful and influential.

"If this continues, the rich will become richer and the poor will become poorer. Families of great power and wealth for generations will have countless protégés and former officials who will control the court and local governments, depriving poor scholars of their path to advancement. Is this not taking from the poor to benefit the rich?"

Zhao Xu nodded subconsciously.

Shao Bi also put down his brush and listened attentively from the side.

A month ago, the emperor questioned Zhang Fangping, and Shao Bi listened attentively throughout. At that time, Zhang Fangping listed various malpractices and then offered solutions to each one, providing a very insightful answer.

Zhang Fangping was discussing "techniques," while Xu Lai seemed to be discussing "principles" with the emperor.

Xu Lai continued, "We just talked about scholars; now I'll talk about farmers."

"What is the countryside like now? The rich own vast tracts of land, yet they still hide their wealth and evade taxes and corvée labor. The poor have no place to stand, yet they have to bear heavy taxes and corvée labor."

"Especially after concealing land, when the government wanted to collect taxes, the burden often fell on the poor. Unable to bear the tax burden, the poor had no choice but to borrow from the wealthy. With interest compounding, the debt grew larger and larger, eventually leading to the use of land to pay off the debt, or even the sale of children."

"If this continues, the rich will grow richer and the poor will grow poorer. The government will be unable to collect enough taxes or labor service, and all the wealth in the land will be controlled by the rich. Is this not taking from the poor to give to the rich?"

Zhao Xu finally revealed a serious expression, realizing that "taking from the insufficient to give to the abundant" should be understood in this way.

Xu Lai continued, "I will now speak about the work."

"The government bullies people with its power, using the guise of hiring and conscription to carry out forced conscription. They say they are paying, but in reality they deduct from the pay. Craftsmen are required to serve according to their registered households, and when they serve the government, they often work for years on end, leaving their families behind. Government-run workshops also exploit them excessively, forcing craftsmen to enter the workshop at dawn and leave at dusk. Craftsmen are easily punished and have nowhere to seek justice."

"Those large workshop owners recruited many skilled craftsmen and monopolized local products. Their wealth was comparable to that of the state government. They made a fortune every day but were still not satisfied. They used false pretenses to hold households hostage to evade taxes. They also colluded with the government to shift the burden of taxation and levies, making life even more difficult for small craftsmen."

"Is this not taking from the insufficient to give to the excessive?"

"Let's talk about business again—"

Zhao Xu interrupted, saying, "There's no need to say more; someone has already spoken about it."

Zhang Fangping had already spoken to the emperor about his intention to crack down on wealthy merchants and nobles.

Xu Lai concluded, "Why is this? It's human nature. That's why Lao Tzu said it's the way of man. Your Majesty wants to implement reforms, which means you want to follow the way of Heaven. But the way of Heaven goes against human nature."

Zhao Xu pondered earnestly, "Is reform simply following the way of Heaven?"

Xu Lai said, "The way of Heaven goes against human nature, and will inevitably be fraught with difficulties, with resistance everywhere from the court to the common people. Your Majesty should be aware that once the arrow is released, there is no turning back; once reforms are started, they cannot be stopped. In the future, you must not give up halfway due to setbacks!"

At this moment, Zhao Xu was in high spirits and had no idea about difficulties and setbacks.

He was filled with boundless pride, slamming his fist on the table and declaring, "I am the Son of Heaven, and I shall surely act in accordance with Heaven's will. What are a few setbacks? Minister Xu, please tell me how we should implement reforms!"

Xu Lai said, "To uphold the Way of Heaven, one must suppress the Way of Man. How to suppress it? By using rites and laws."

"Etiquette and law?" Zhao Xu was surprised again.

Xu Lai explained, "Ritual and law are morality and institutions. Morality goes without saying, but institutions must be perfected. Only by perfecting the institutions can we rectify official corruption. Only by rectifying official corruption can we implement new laws. Otherwise, no matter how good the new laws are, if official corruption is not addressed, they will become bad laws. Rectifying official corruption is the first priority of reform!"

Zhao Xu suddenly remembered that Zhang Fangping seemed to have mentioned this as well.

Zhang Fangping said that since the Xiangfu era, the legal system had gradually become lax. The imperial examinations, appointments, assessments, and promotions—all the established procedures—had been broken. The appointment of generals and the training of soldiers were also irregular. Officials and the army both needed to be strictly rectified.

Zhao Xu recalled Zhang Fangping's statement about restoring ancestral customs, and asked, "Does this mean restoring ancestral customs?"

"No!"

Xu Lai quoted classical texts, saying, "The Book of Rites states: 'In rites, the times are paramount, followed by order, then form, then suitability, and finally, proper form.' Today's Song Dynasty is different from the one at its founding. Restoring ancestral systems would be out of step with the times. The current reform of rites and laws should be based on the realities of the Song Dynasty. Your Majesty must understand: rites are paramount in terms of the times, not in terms of ancestral traditions."

Confucian rites emphasize adapting to the times, not simply adhering to ancestral rules.

Zhao Xu looked at Shao Bi, who smiled and nodded.

In Shao Bi's view, Xu Lai's words were insightful and far superior to Zhang Fangping's.

Zhao Xu then asked, "How should we reform the system of rites and laws?"

Xu Lai seized the opportunity to voice his long-held thoughts: "First, we need to reform the official system. Currently, the Song Dynasty's official system consists of various ranks such as honorary officials, meritorious officials, and..."

Official titles, nominal posts, and temporary assignments—these were far too numerous and complicated. These systems were a stopgap measure devised by warlords during the Five Dynasties period to deceive the imperial court.

"When Emperor Taizu founded the dynasty, the lingering effects of the Five Dynasties had not been eradicated, so he could only temporarily continue using the old system. But now the world is at peace, and our Great Song Dynasty is a unified empire. How can we still use the official system of warlords from the chaotic era?"

Zhao Xu felt that although the official system was complicated, it did not affect the overall situation, so there was no need to rush to change it.

Perhaps due to preconceived notions, Zhao Xu always felt that Xu Lai had ulterior motives. He couldn't help but wonder: Why did Minister Xu say that the official system should be changed first?

Xu Lai reminded him, "Your Majesty, you can take this opportunity to reform the official system and the promotion, demotion, reward, and punishment systems. If promotion and demotion are unclear..."

Without clear rewards and punishments, good governance will never be achieved!

Zhao Xu found all of this too troublesome and asked, "If we rectify the bureaucracy, how will we then enrich the country and strengthen its military?"

Xu Lai replied, "A prosperous nation needs financial management, and a strong military also needs financial management. With money, everything is easy. Without money, nothing can be done."

"How should I manage my finances?" Zhao Xu pressed.

Xu Lai said, "Financial management is nothing more than increasing revenue and reducing expenditure. Reducing expenditure seems easy to understand; save a little here and a little there. But true cost reduction requires eliminating redundant officials and soldiers."

"To reduce redundant officials, it is necessary to reform the official system."

"To reduce redundant troops, we need a strong army and to win battles. Once we destroy the Western Xia and Liao dynasties, we won't need to maintain so many soldiers."

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"As for open source, this was the original intention of the reform, as well as its process and result. It simply meant making the powerful, wealthy, and landlords return the money they shouldn't have taken. To take from the surplus and give to the deficiency is the way of Heaven!"

Zhao Xu was a little confused. Why were they talking about the Way of Heaven again?

Zhao Xu grew increasingly agitated: "Minister Xu, please tell me something more specific."

Xu Lai said, "I just explained the principles of humanity, and I gave the examples of scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants."

Zhao Xu was taken aback upon hearing this, but then his mind suddenly became clear and his thoughts became completely lucid.

In the present Song Dynasty, scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants are all in chaos.

The disorder in the scholar-official system was reflected in the official system, the imperial examination system, promotion and demotion, rewards and punishments, and the administration of officials. Therefore, Xu Laicai said that the official system should be reformed and the administration of officials rectified first.

When the moral order among scholars is in chaos, agriculture, industry, and commerce will naturally follow suit.

With agriculture, industry, and commerce in disarray, taxes become difficult to collect, and the imperial court naturally has no money.

If the imperial court wants to have money, it must first rectify official corruption, and then restore the normal order of agriculture, industry and commerce by having officials implement new laws.

Xu Lai summarized this entire reform process as "suppressing human morality and promoting the way of Heaven".

Ultimately, it boils down to "taking from the surplus and giving to the deficiency".

It's about making the powerful, wealthy, and landlords return the money they shouldn't have taken!

As for how to reform, the negative examples cited by Xu Laiju can be corrected one by one after the governance of the bureaucracy is rectified.

Xu Lai then said, "The matter of reform is a complex one, affecting the whole situation. I have been an official for less than two years and only have a superficial understanding of the deep-seated problems of the Song Dynasty. The specific details of the reform must be discussed and agreed upon by all. Even if new laws and regulations are formulated, they cannot be implemented immediately; they should first be tested in a certain place. I will only say four words."

"Which four characters?" Zhao Xu asked hastily.

"Be realistic," Xu said. "No new law is perfect; there will inevitably be oversights and omissions. When problems arise during the implementation of a new law, they should be corrected. Even if some people oppose the reform, as long as they are right, we should humbly accept their opinions."

After listening for a long time, Shao Bi couldn't help but say, "These are the words of a wise and experienced strategist."

Zhao Xu stood up excitedly and paced back and forth in the hall.

Although he had long been determined to reform, he had no idea how to do so. Zhang Fangping pointed out a lot of the bad practices and offered many reform methods, but Zhao Xu was still at a loss about reform.

Xu Lai's words just now elevated Zhao Xu's understanding of the reforms to a whole new level. Previously, it was like the blind men and the elephant; now, he could finally see the big picture.

call!

Xu Lai also breathed a sigh of relief. He tried his best to quote classical texts and explain social issues to the emperor in a way that the ancients could understand.

Zhao Xu asked, "Could you write down what Minister Xu just said? There are some parts that I don't quite understand. If it's written down, I can read it repeatedly."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Xu Lai rose and bowed.

After chatting for a while, it was getting late, so Xu took his leave and left the palace.

Zhao Xu asked Shao Bi, "What do you think about letting Xu Lai enter the Hanlin Academy?"

Shao Bi suppressed the urge to roll his eyes: "Your Majesty, Scholar Xu's qualifications are too shallow. If he is promoted suddenly, the court officials will surely criticize him."

.

Zhao Xu then asked, "He is extremely proficient in mathematics; what do you think of appointing him as a judge in the Three Departments?"

"I'm afraid that's still going too far," Shao Bi objected tactfully.

Zhao Xu was deeply troubled; how could he promote Xu Lai?

He felt that Xu Lai was exceptionally capable, even capable of leading reforms. However, Xu Lai was too inexperienced, making it difficult to even promote him beyond his station, let alone lead reforms.

Shao Bi suggested, "Your Majesty, why don't you wait a little longer? Scholar Xu has been recommended by several ministers, and his political achievements are outstanding. He should be promoted anyway. This time, he can be promoted a little higher. After Scholar Xu submits his reform proposal, use that as a reason to promote him again. Six months later, find another reason to have the ministers recommend him, and he can be promoted again."

Zhao Xu was very satisfied and nodded, saying, "That makes sense."

The local official, who had just returned to the capital, was someone who would be struggling to pull strings while the emperor had already decided to have Xu Lai commit three suicides.

Xu Lai returned to Taiping Xingguo Temple, but was troubled about how to write a letter.

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