The old Daoist was shocked, his mind buzzing.
After returning that day, he had talked with Lü Fang and re-read the Veritable Records of Taizu. He felt that Zhu Mo's words held some truth. Taizu and the officials had indeed been in a constant struggle.
Taizu had implemented strict laws, with each major case involving tens of thousands of people, effectively targeting deeply entrenched official factions. After the three major cases, factionalism no longer existed in the court. Immediately after, Taizu promulgated the four volumes of the Great Edict, which also focused on not harming or oppressing the people and not forming factions. This showed that Zhu Mo was not wrong; Taizu had indeed dealt with factionalism comprehensively, not just targeting individual cliques.
However, Taizu also said that his actions were a matter of "heavy laws for heavy times" and that future generations should not revive such strictness. This suggested that it was merely a temporary measure during a special period. Taizu did not intend for strict laws to be a perpetual system.
He had ascended the throne at fourteen, read all the historical records of the Great Ming, and personally experienced several fierce struggles. He had a deep understanding of Taizu's predicament. Yet, after each struggle, he had his own clear realization: the officials were like a game of whack-a-mole; one disappeared, and another appeared, one wave was suppressed, and another emerged.
At times, he considered reviving strict laws, but he dared not. If he did, lacking Taizu's authority, he might be overthrown. Furthermore, an ancestral admonishment had been passed down through generations, stating that Taizu, on his deathbed, had warned future generations against using strict laws again.
Now, as his life waned and his legacy hung precariously, he regretted not having implemented strict laws in his prime, as Taizu had done to utterly defeat factionalism. Zhu Mo's words had once again struck a raw nerve, plunging him back into the torment of recent years.
What should he do?
Fight on both fronts?
But how could he achieve that? Not only would Yan Song and Yan Shifan fight back with their factions, but Xu Jie and Zhang Juzheng would also resist fiercely. Moreover, with internal and external pressures, a single misstep could lead to downfall.
At this moment, the more he thought, the more he felt like he was standing on a desolate island in an endless swamp. A step forward or backward meant plunging into mud and abyss, and he dared not move at all.
As he pondered, he couldn't help but sigh with melancholy.
This sigh was a lament of being at the end of one's journey and the futility of the world. His spirit seemed to collapse, and in an instant, a sense of weariness and haggardness showed on his face.
Li San had never seen him in such a state and became flustered. "Daoist, Daoist, what's wrong? Shall we… shall we go back first?"
Zhu Mo was also quite surprised. "Old Daoist, what's wrong with you?"
The old Daoist stared at him for a long time, then sighed, "Young Master Zhu, your words do have some sense… but I just remembered something. Taizu also said that future generations should not revive strict laws? I wonder if that's true. What do you think?"
Li San, seeing that the old Daoist was alright, felt relieved and suddenly remembered. "That's right, I heard about that. It seems Young Master Zhu's words aren't entirely correct…"
After speaking, he stared at Zhu Mo, thinking: This time, I've finally silenced you, haven't I?
Unexpectedly,
Zhu Mo suddenly exclaimed, "Ah? You… you don't know this? Alas, you are too easily deceived… Did Taizu really say that? Not at all! Let me tell you, this is a scam. It was the Imperial Grandson who said it. It's not in the Veritable Records of Taizu or the Ancestral Instructions!"
He had seen the research of a great Ming historian, which stated that this was said by Emperor Jianwen, the Imperial Grandson, in the "Treatise on Punishments" of the History of Ming. This grandson claimed that Taizu had advised him, "In times of peace, punishments should naturally be light." Later, this was distorted into the argument that Taizu forbade future generations from using strict laws. Furthermore, Zhu Mo was discussing the rectification of officials, not cruel punishments like flaying and dismemberment. They were entirely different matters.
The two looked at each other in astonishment.
The old Daoist was immensely surprised: Is this true? But… I've never seen it in black and white… Could it be a rumor? That the Imperial Grandson's words were mistaken for Taizu's?
Given his stature, he immediately grasped the truth:
It's false!
It's not surprising that the Imperial Grandson, associating with Confucian scholars, opposed severe laws. What is surprising is who altered it to Taizu's words. Who was it?
In this regard, he was a top-tier expert. With a little thought, he thought of a person: Li Dongyang of the Hongzhi era! This man was the first to restore the position of Chancellor and oversaw the compilation of a batch of archives, bringing out the ideas of Huang Zicheng and others again…?
With this thought, his doubts significantly lessened, and his heart surged. He said calmly:
"That makes sense… Young Master Zhu, since you know Taizu so well, allow me to ask one question: If Taizu were reborn today, what would he do?"
Li San also suddenly understood something and looked at Zhu Mo with expectation.
Unexpectedly, Zhu Mo exclaimed, "Aiya, Old Daoist, Old Li, you are truly… I told you, Taizu only did half the job. Even if he were reborn, he could only do half! Because there's a final step he absolutely could not take."
Huh?
The old Daoist and Li San exchanged glances.
Li San murmured, "This is strange… Taizu couldn't do it? This, hehe, perhaps it's an exaggeration?"
Zhu Mo sighed:
"Let me tell you why Taizu only did half the job… To put it this way, he should have taken another step. How? First, the imperial clan cannot be too large. Do you understand this? The Ming imperial clan occupies too much…"
Li San's heart stirred, but he dejectedly dismissed the thought.
Alas, this child's mouth, how many taboo words does he speak?
The old Daoist, however, preferred straightforwardness. He nodded and smiled, "Indeed, take the King of Chu, for example. The land he occupies is larger than three prefectures…"
Mm-hmm,
Zhu Mo continued, "The second step is to establish strict laws for eternity, such as the Great Edict, perhaps with some revisions, and have the Embroidered Uniform Guard implement them, consistently and forever, so that officials would not dare to cross the red line in their hearts… These first two steps, Taizu might have accomplished if he had lived another ten years. But the third step, Taizu absolutely could not have done…"
Lü Fang, who had guessed something, now completely dismissed it and couldn't help but look at Zhu Mo with genuine surprise.
Zhu Mo said leisurely:
"Taizu's method was to return everything to a state of simplicity and purity, working from sunrise to sunset. Under imperial power, officials indeed returned to the role of commoners, becoming mere functionaries, like in the time of the ancient emperors Yao and Shun… But don't forget, this was a forced return to a primitive state. But will the world always remain this simple? Without any change?
If it could always remain this simple, Taizu would have succeeded… But the problem is, the greatest principle in the world is change. Everything changes. Natural disasters are changes, invasions by external enemies are changes, court strategies change, and the hearts and minds of people change… Either for the better or for the worse.
And the greatest, most hidden change comes from the human heart! Who doesn't have desires? Who doesn't want to be better, to eat well and dress well? Under Taizu's strict punishments, officials dared not form factions or use public funds for private gain, but this doesn't mean their desires disappeared. Desires were always simmering, and without legitimate ways to satisfy them, in the long run, Taizu's simplicity and purity would inevitably be unsustainable.
Ultimately, the problem lay with his grandson. Before Emperor Zhu was even buried, he appointed Huang Zicheng, Qi Tai, and Fang Xiaoru as his chief ministers, which essentially restored the position of Chancellor. With a Chancellor, the officials had a head and immediately began to form factions and restore their old ways. The Yongle Emperor was somewhat wary, but from the Hongzhi era to the present, the officials' factions have grown strong. Even if Taizu were reborn, he would have a tough time.
To put it simply, Taizu could take the first step because he was purely a commoner, and the reason he couldn't take the second step is also because of this…
He, perhaps, did not want to see the world become too complex, fearing that the more complex it became, the more the common people would suffer. But in reality, it's the opposite. A peaceful era is achieved through growth. As long as governance capabilities can keep up, the more change, the better, the faster, the better! The more complex the world, the better! More change means greater vitality, and greater growth. The more complex, the more prosperous all sectors are, indicating that the living standards of the common people have risen, and even if officials don't covet or take anything, they still benefit. With rising tides lifting all boats, strict laws and heavy penalties can be maintained.
Therefore, the third step is to continuously improve livelihoods, to let everyone work freely. Only when livelihoods continuously improve can strict laws be maintained, can officials be tamed for a long time, and can we move from a peaceful era to a prosperous and flourishing age, saving future generations from the suffering of cycles of governance and chaos…"
Much of this was Zhu Mo's realization after activating his system. Previously, he had lacked confidence in governance, but this "Imperial Dynasty Civilization System" was like a super-intelligent tool for governance. After just a few days of use, his skills had greatly improved.
After speaking, he felt confident and wrote down these words, asking the old Daoist to pass them to the Blue Immortal to present to Jiajing. Whether Jiajing listened or not was up to him; Zhu Mo had fulfilled his responsibility.
However, he was unaware that these words had stirred up a colossal wave in the old Daoist's heart.