My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 105 Acting on Behalf of Heaven
Ma Yu had long anticipated Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude.

If we were to name the enemies that Zhu Yuanzhang cared about most, there would be three.

Chen Youliang, Zhang Shicheng, and Wang Baobao.

Moreover, his attitude towards the three was completely different; he wanted to eliminate the first two as soon as possible.

He both valued Wang Baobao and wanted to eliminate him, yet he also cherished his talent and tried to recruit him.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have thought of having Zhu Shuang marry Guanyin Nu.

It must be mentioned that Wang Baobao was a Sinicized Mongol, and his roots were in the Han lands of the north.

He had no power on the Mongolian steppe.

With the fall of the Yuan Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty's recapture of the north, Wang Baobao gradually lost his foothold.

The army he now commands is his last remaining asset.

Once the Ming Dynasty has wiped out most of his army, he will truly be all alone.

This isn't Ma Yu making things up; history has already proven this.

Originally, in the fifth year of the Hongwu reign, Wang Baobao defeated the main force of the Ming army in the Battle of Lingbei.

But he won a Pyrrhic victory, his strength was exhausted, and he withdrew from the stage of history.

The reason is simple: having lost his base of operations, he could no longer recruit an army.

From that time on, Zhu Yuanzhang never mentioned recruiting him again.

In this life, with Ma Yu's existence, Chang Yuchun did not die.

Although the stroke has left some aftereffects, judging from his current recovery, he should be able to participate in the Battle of Lingbei in the fifth year of the Hongwu reign.

When Xu and Chang join forces, Wang Baobao won't be able to cause any trouble.

Perhaps he will become worthless before the Battle of Lingbei is even needed.

With Aruwen's death, Zhao Min truly became an orphan.

By then, Zhu Yuanzhang would be too lazy to make a fuss about her.

Therefore, even though Ma Yuming knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was making excuses to avoid it, he was not worried at all.

In two years, it will be no problem for him to marry Zhao Min.

So this time he didn't insist, but said:
"We can discuss this when she comes of age, but in the meantime you can't stop me from contacting her."

Zhu Yuanzhang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Zhu Yuanzhang had given in so easily.

He was genuinely afraid that Ma Yu, consumed by lust, would self-destruct on the spot.

Therefore, they did not obstruct Ma Yu's request, but only issued a warning:
"It's okay to see her, but there are some things I absolutely cannot tell her."

"If she finds out anything she shouldn't know, don't blame us for being ruthless."

With the matter resolved smoothly, Empress Ma and Zhu Biao breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhu Shuang was overjoyed and finally declined the offer.

However, it's still not foolproof; we need to prepare for both possibilities.

On one hand, he had to facilitate the marriage between Old Ma and that fat Mongolian woman, and on the other hand, he also had to resolve his own major life event.

Once I find a wife, no one can force me to marry that fat woman.

Next, Zhu Biao took the initiative to steer the conversation back to his conversation with Yao Yunxin the day before.

Zhu Yuanzhang learned about the content of the conversation from both the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Zhu Biao.

However, there are still many things I don't understand, which I will address one by one now.

Ma Yu provided detailed answers and expanded upon them, also connecting them to some previously taught lessons.

I tried to make him understand more thoroughly what was said yesterday, and also outlined a blueprint for new ideas for him.

Of course, the main purpose was to inform Zhu Yuanzhang.

My ideas were not created out of thin air, but deduced from the laws of historical development; they are an inevitable trend.

Going against the tide of history will backfire.

Judging from Zhu Yuanzhang's expression, he was quite receptive to this new set of ideas.

Ma Yu secretly rejoiced, as the lectures she had given over the past year had yielded significant results.

At least Zhu Yuanzhang accepted the notion that this was the trend of historical development.

Once he starts trying to use historical patterns to predict the future, he will naturally and proactively pursue 'change'.

Reform thus became imperative.

At this point, Zhu Yuanzhang asked another question:
"What if someone uses the name of natural human rights to oppose the court's rites and laws?"

My rights are a gift from God, by what right do you have to take them away?
This situation was bound to happen.

But Ma Yu knew what Zhu Yuanzhang really wanted to ask.

imperial power.

Since human rights are a gift from heaven, what gives you, the emperor, the right to be high above us and to control us?

To put it bluntly, the real core of this issue is how new ideas can ensure imperial power.

Having anticipated this, Ma Yu calmly replied:
"The emperor acts on behalf of Heaven."

Zhu Yuanzhang pressed further, asking, "What do you mean?"

Ma Yu explained, "Heaven cannot manage all living beings on its own, so it needs someone to act on its behalf to uphold the Way of Heaven."

"And so came the monarch, and this is the natural right of the monarch."

"Therefore, the monarch's power to govern all living beings comes from Heaven."

"To govern all living beings, it is natural to establish a system of rites and laws."

"Take taxation as an example. As we have said before, the essence of taxation is the redistribution of wealth."

"But here's the problem: on what grounds does the imperial court levy taxes?"

As Lao Tzu said: "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."

"Everyone has selfish desires, and everyone's talents are different, so wealth will inevitably flow into the hands of a few."

"One day, the wealth in the hands of a few will exceed the wealth in the hands of the majority."

"Those without wealth will starve to death."

"But how could Heaven allow its people to starve to death? So it granted the public the power to redistribute wealth."

“To take from the surplus means to levy taxes on the wealthy.”

"To make up for deficiencies is to use taxes to relieve the poor."

"This is what I was just saying, acting on behalf of Heaven."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang was both surprised and delighted.

He never expected that Ma Yu would interpret Lao Tzu's "Way of Heaven" from this perspective.

He's a genius!

The key point is that Lao Tzu is a universally recognized sage.

Even during the era when Confucianism was dominant, his status remained unaffected, and his ideas were still recognized.

It can be said that Ma Yu directly used Lao Tzu's ideas to endorse imperial power and the rites and laws.

This is easier to gain recognition from the public than original ideas.

He even forgot the distance between them and laughed loudly:
"Great, great, this interpretation is fantastic, I love it!"

Empress Ma and Zhu Biao were overjoyed; this explanation was unexpected yet perfectly reasonable.

Zhu Biao added, "My cousin once said that public power and civil rights develop in tandem and promote each other."

"The new ideas not only guaranteed public power, but also further developed civil rights."

"This is a huge step forward."

Empress Ma nodded and said, "Yes, acting on behalf of Heaven, taking from the surplus and giving to the deficient."

"Only the emperor can establish laws and regulations to protect the interests of the people."

"Only by supporting the monarch can the people protect their own interests."

"Yu'er's new ideas have brought the two together even further, which is just perfect."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded repeatedly, for this was exactly what he had in mind.

Ma Yu smiled but remained silent.

Public power and civil rights develop in tandem and promote each other.

At present, imperial power does represent public power, but imperial power is not the only power that can represent public power.

This is the foreshadowing that Ma Yu laid.

There is another, even more fatal foreshadowing element: natural rights.

Once human rights awareness awakens, some things will get out of control.

In the original world, with the Ming Dynasty reversing the course of history, the idea of ​​a figurehead emperor had already developed by the end of the Ming Dynasty.

With his intervention in this life, the concept of natural human rights was introduced ahead of schedule.

While we cannot predict what will happen in the future, we can make some reasonable guesses.

The idea of ​​a figurehead monarch will inevitably emerge, and may even go further. Even if the monarchy is still maintained at that time, the monarch will certainly be different from the current emperor.

These are the two foreshadowing elements left by Ma Yu within the new ideological system.

However, this foreshadowing will not materialize anytime soon.

After all, things don't happen overnight, and the development of ideas takes time to take shape.

Furthermore, material support is also required; otherwise, any ideas are just castles in the air.

Current productivity is clearly insufficient to support overly advanced ideas.

According to Ma Yu's estimation, if the Ming Dynasty starts developing its productive forces now, then within one or two hundred years, its material resources should be sufficient to support more advanced ideas.

But by then his bones were cold, and he could no longer see.

But it doesn't matter, the seed has been sown, the future...

Trust in future generations.

Then Ma Yu went on to explain the doctrines of Mohism, Confucianism, and other schools of thought regarding the idea of ​​divine right of kings, and said that these things would be incorporated into the new ideas.

"New ideas are not separated from the ideas of the sages; rather, they are developed on the basis of inheriting their ideas."

"Even the strengths of the School of Mind and the School of Principle will be absorbed."

"It can be said that the new ideas were less a transformation of Confucianism."

"It is more accurate to describe it as a compilation, sorting out, and innovation of the thoughts of the various schools of thought in ancient China."

Zhu Yuanzhang praised you repeatedly, saying, "No wonder you dare to boast that you can overwhelm Neo-Confucianism and the School of Mind. We now have the same confidence in you."

While Neo-Confucianism and the School of Mind naturally also contained ideas about the right to rule by nature, did they demonstrate such meticulousness and depth as Ma Yu did?
No.

For no other reason than this "acting on behalf of Heaven," Zhu Yuanzhang felt he had to support Ma Yu's ideas.

Empress Ma and Zhu Biao need not be mentioned.

In fact, they had already decided to support it when Ma Yu proposed the concept of 'acting on behalf of Heaven'.

However, at this moment, Ma Yu changed the subject and said:

"Your Majesty, please don't be happy yet. I'm about to say something you might not like to hear."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "I knew you would be all talk and no action. If you have anything you don't like to hear, just say it."

"Let me show you what the mind of an emperor really means."

Ma Yu had made all the preparations and considered all aspects.

Zhu Yuanzhang was the same; after more than a year of communication, he knew what Ma Yu was thinking.

Putting aside everything else, the two had significant disagreements regarding Mencius alone.

Ma Yu's new ideas must contain content related to this aspect.

Therefore, he had long been mentally prepared for this.

But as I said before, as long as Ma Yu acknowledges the legitimacy of the imperial power, everything else is negotiable.

Now that Ma Yu has satisfied his needs by 'acting on behalf of Heaven,' he naturally doesn't mind hearing some unpleasant words.

Although Ma Yu didn't know what he was thinking, she could tell that he had indeed made mental preparations in this regard.

So he said with peace of mind, "Heaven is impartial and selfless. Since it has given you rights, it will also give you corresponding obligations."

Even a monarch has his own tasks.

"So what task does Heaven entrust to the monarch?"

"National prosperity and peace, a strong and prosperous nation, and diligent and loving governance..."

"The new ideas will also demonstrate this point, so don't get angry then."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed loudly, "Haha, just as I thought."

"It's just a boat on the river, so go ahead and write it."

"We still hold our own views, but we will no longer prohibit it as we did before."

Ma Yu raised an eyebrow and said in surprise, "To be frank, you've grown a lot this year."

you?
All four people present noticed that Ma Yu used honorifics.

This was the first time since they met.

I won't go into how surprised Empress Ma and Zhu Biao were.

Zhu Yuanzhang was more surprised than anything else; he would rather die than let go of his prejudices.

Today, however, we used honorifics because we agreed to let the monarch bear 'responsibility'.

This kid... he can be described as consistent inside and out.

Of course, he was secretly pleased.

No matter how stubborn you are, you'll eventually be won over by our magnanimity.

Ma Yu naturally saw the expressions on the three people's faces and could guess what they were thinking.

but……

The switch to honorifics was something he had planned long ago.

If Zhu Yuanzhang is unwilling to 'take responsibility', he will speak less.

Either wait until Zhu Biao succeeds to the throne, or wait until Zhu Shuang is granted a fiefdom and goes with him.

If Zhu Yuanzhang could accept 'responsibility', then I would make some changes in my attitude.

For example, use honorifics.

We need to make him feel the change in my attitude from the smallest details.

This will give him a sense of accomplishment and increase his receptiveness to new ideas.

To put it bluntly, it's a form of psychological suggestion.

Even if he knew he was doing it on purpose, he would still willingly drink this sweet soup of deception.

Of course, Ma Yu wouldn't offer any arguments about public servants or anything like that.

As I said before, going too far ahead of its time will only lead to nonsense.

The current level of productivity cannot support such advanced ideas.

Once the fundamental problem was solved, the atmosphere changed immediately.

Everyone put aside their concerns and spoke freely.

Zhu Biao started by proposing what he hoped the new ideas would include.

Then Zhu Yuanzhang also shared some of his own understanding.

Ma Yu listened attentively to them, but also made it clear that she might not necessarily adopt their suggestions.

"Scholarship must be pure; if too many political factors are mixed in, it will become a hybrid."

"Of course, academic thought and policies for governing a country are different."

"Ideas only provide a general direction; how to govern a country specifically requires analysis based on the specific circumstances."

"Many of your ideas are suitable for governing a country, but not for academic thought."

In this regard, Zhu Yuanzhang actually understood it more thoroughly than Zhu Biao:

"I'm just sharing my thoughts. As for whether they're applicable or not, you don't need to worry about my opinion."

"However, speaking of governing the country, it is now the third year of Hongwu, and both the north and the south have been pacified."

"It's time to promulgate specific regulations."

"You previously said you had opinions on governing the country, now it's time to voice them."

This time, Ma Yu did not refuse, but she also did not start speaking on the spot. Instead, she said:

"You should clean the house first before considering this matter."

"Otherwise, even the best policies will be turned into harmful policies by those parasites."

Zhu Yuanzhang's face darkened again:

“Those parasites, we’ll settle accounts with them after we’ve distributed rewards to our meritorious officials.”

Zhu Shuang asked doubtfully, "Didn't we say we shouldn't alert them?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "What we must not alarm is the Confucianism. This time, we will only deal with the problem of corruption in finance and taxation."

"However, the Ming Dynasty's fiscal and tax policies, inherited from the Song and Yuan Dynasties, inherently contained significant loopholes."

"Simply cracking down on corrupt officials will not solve the fundamental problem."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Ma Yu.

The meaning is obvious, stop hiding it.

Ma Yu knew that this was a deliberate attempt to force her to reveal something.

Thinking about it, it's indeed time to come up with some concrete policies, otherwise Zhu Yuanzhang would think I'm just bragging.

Thinking of this, he began to speak:
“I do have ideas about the tax system, and I’ve talked about it before.”

"Guided by new ideas, and by following the previous content, it is not difficult to find the answer."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up, and he urged:
"Tell me quickly, what did you deduce?"

(End of this chapter)