Ming Dynasty: Is a mere unruly commoner rebelling against heaven?

Wang Shu hurriedly ran down the steps and knelt before Zhu You樘.

“Your humble servant, Wang Shu, is late in arriving to the capital, please forgive me, Your Majesty.”

Wang Shu had only arrived in the capital this morning.

Several days ago, after receiving Zhu You樘's imperial decree in Southern Zhili, Wang Shu began preparing to enter the capital.

However, Wang Shu was old, eighty-two years old this year.

In addition, he had a large family, so his speed of entering the capital was not fast, and he only arrived this morning.

Hearing that today was a court assembly day, Wang Shu didn't even return to his residence in the capital. He changed into his official uniform in the carriage and rushed to the palace.

He happened to witness the scene where Zhu You樘 ordered the execution of one hundred and eighty-one officials.

Wang Shu had been an official for more than forty years, and except for the Tianshun reign, when Emperor Yingzong purged the court officials and border generals who colluded internally and externally during the Tumubao Incident,

he had never seen a situation where nearly two hundred officials were executed at once.

Wang Shu was afraid of causing a panic-driven retirement wave among officials, so he spoke out to dissuade him.

He didn't know that the panic-driven retirement wave of officials had already passed.

The remaining officials wouldn't dare to clamor for retirement in front of Zhu You樘, even if they were given a hundred times the courage.

Zhu You樘 looked at Wang Shu indifferently, his tone calm.

“Rise.”

“It is not easy for Minister Wang to rush to court immediately after arriving in the capital. I specially grant you innocence.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Wang Shu kowtowed again before slowly rising to his feet.

“Your Majesty, those who govern the country must have a heart of benevolence and act with justice in order to pacify the world and secure the people.”

“Even if officials are at fault, they must be transferred to the Three Law Divisions for joint trial, the Dali Temple for sentencing, and the Ministry of Justice for execution.”

“Each official must be carefully interrogated and cautiously sentenced. How can nearly two hundred officials be executed at once?”

“If Your Majesty acts arbitrarily and executes officials at will, I am afraid it will damage the foundation of the country.”

Wang Shu deserved to have been floating in the officialdom for more than forty years. He opened his mouth and used a set of great principles to put pressure on Zhu You樘, which made the officials in the court secretly excited.

Liu Jian breathed a sigh of relief. He was right about Wang Shu.

This old Minister Wang was indeed very skilled in speaking. He used reason to suppress His Majesty as soon as he came.

With him sitting in the cabinet, the cabinet finally had the ability to wrestle with Zhu You樘.

Zhu You樘 didn't listen to Wang Shu's great principles at all, and only asked in reply: “Minister Wang, do you know what these people have done?”

Wang Shu didn't know the inside story. When asked at this time, he had to lower his head and bow his hands: “I… I don't know.”

“A good 'I don't know'. You dare to plead for them when you don't know anything?”

“Your Majesty, I am only proceeding from the penal system of the Ming Dynasty, from the way of governing the country…”

“Stop talking to me about the way of governing the country!”

Zhu You樘 waved his hand to interrupt Wang Shu: “Wang Zhi, read to Minister Wang what they have done!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Wang Zhi nodded, took out the West Factory's account book from his arms, and read aloud.

“Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet, Chief Grand Secretary Wan An, a total of 196,000 taels of silver, 8,500 mu of land deeds, and 94 boxes of other properties were seized from his home.”

“Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet, Liu Xu, a total of 75,000 taels of silver, 1,900 mu of land deeds, and 26 boxes of other properties were seized from his home.”

“Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet, Liu Ji, a total of 48,000 taels of silver, 1,600 mu of land deeds, and 20 boxes of other properties were seized from his home.”

“Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Ye Qi, a total of 134,000 taels of silver, 6,200 mu of land deeds, and 53 boxes of other properties were seized from his home.”

“……”

Zhu You樘 raised his hand, and Wang Zhi immediately stopped.

Zhu You樘 stared at Wang Shu, his tone sharp: “Speak! Why can I seize so much silver and so many land deeds from their homes?!”

“This is just their property in the capital. I haven't had time to investigate their hometowns yet!”

“This…” Wang Shu was dripping with cold sweat.

He didn't know that Zhu You樘's actions were so fast. He seized their homes before questioning them.

Wasn't this putting the cart before the horse, reversing cause and effect?

But this kind of method was the most effective!

In the face of real silver and land deeds, no matter how eloquent Wang Shu was, he couldn't say why.

According to the salary stipulated by Emperor Taizu, a second-rank minister's annual salary was 732 shi of rice, which was about 500 taels of silver.

A fifth-rank Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet's annual salary was only 192 shi of rice, which was about 120 taels of silver.

Even after the Three Yangs period, when Yang Shiqi, the then Chief Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet, secretly increased the salaries of the officials,

the silver taels received by a second-rank minister each year would not be higher than 600 taels.

The silver taels received by a fifth-rank Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet each year would not be higher than 150 taels.

It is said that the salary in the Ming Dynasty was low, but it was not actually low.

Some people like to use one tael of silver to compare the purchasing power of grain at that time with the price of modern grain, and get how much one tael of silver is worth.

Converted, one tael of silver is about eight hundred yuan.

But this is completely nonsense!

Is ancient grain comparable to modern grain?

Modern grain has been researched and improved by Yuan Guoshi and other scientists. Hybrid rice can reach 2,400 jin per mu!

And ancient rice produced less than 500 jin per mu.

Moreover, the arable area is completely incomparable.

Modern China can produce 1,390.8 billion jin of grain every year, while the Ming Dynasty could produce about 150 billion jin of grain every year.

In addition, China also imports a large amount of foreign grain every year. The difference is more than ten times.

Eating was a big problem for the people of the Ming Dynasty. Grain could be used as a general equivalent, which is completely incomparable to modern grain.

Comprehensively considering various prices in the Ming Dynasty, a simple and crude conversion.

The purchasing power of one tael of silver is actually equivalent to about 10,000 yuan now.

Six million a year for a second-rank official is really not low.

The officials in the early Ming Dynasty were poor because Emperor Hongwu did not pay enough salary in rice.

About 40% of the salary rice could be obtained, and the rest was converted into treasure notes, cloth, or salt and tea.

But by the time of Emperor Yingzong, officials could receive discounted silver in addition to salary rice.

The officials in the middle and late Ming Dynasty received their full salaries in real terms.

Moreover, the salary was not low, so high that the later Emperor Shizong and Emperor Shenzong wanted to cut the salaries of officials.

Based on the salaries of these officials, even if they worked in the Ming Dynasty for a hundred years, they would not receive so much silver!

What's more, there were thousands of mu of fertile land!

Zhu You樘 stared at Wang Shu, his tone unkind: “Speak, Minister Wang, are you mute?”

Wang Shu secretly wiped the sweat from his forehead: “If that's the case, according to the ancestral system, it should also…”

“According to the ancestral system?” Zhu You樘 sneered.

“According to the ancestral system, according to the Ming Law, officials who accept wealth and pervert the law will be beaten seventy times for one string of cash, and strangled for eighty strings.”

“Is there a problem with me sentencing them to death?!”

Wang Shu lowered his head and muttered: “No… no problem, but…”

“There is no 'but'!”

Zhu You樘 stared at Wang Shu, giving him one last chance.

“Minister Wang, go back to your position.”

Wang Shu moved his mouth, and finally sighed.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

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