My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 120 Why Did Qin Standardize Weights and Measures?

Accountants must be able to read ledgers and keep accounts.

In fact, Zhu Biao himself had studied bookkeeping, so he naturally had no objection to Ma Yu's suggestion:
"The Imperial College's mathematics class has ready-made accounting textbooks. We can organize them and use them as teaching materials for the new college."

Ma Yu shook his head and said, "The current accounting method is too simple, has too many loopholes, and is easy to cheat."

"What I mean is, we need to improve the accounting system to a completely new way, fix the loopholes, and increase the cost of cheating."

Zhu Biao immediately understood and said happily, "I knew you must have something new. Tell me quickly what the new accounting method is like."

In fact, Ma Yu doesn't really understand accounting knowledge, but she does know some basic things.

So he explained the double-entry bookkeeping method.

Simply put, the imperial court stipulated the format of the accounting books.

All bookkeeping must be done in a prescribed format to facilitate auditing.

A transaction involves both an outflow and an inflow, with each party keeping their own records.

"...because both parties, A and B, are keeping accounts simultaneously, one recording the outgoing entries and the other recording the incoming ones."

"If the accounting books are altered unilaterally, the tax official can tell the difference by comparing the accounting books of both parties."

"To cheat, both parties must cooperate, which increases the cost of cheating."

"The same goes for taxes. Shops must record how much tax they pay in their own books."

"When the government asks who collected how much tax and where the tax money went, it must be clearly recorded so that the censors can supervise the process."

Zhu Biao learned a lot about economics from Ma Yu and also studied accounting officials.

The advantages of double-entry bookkeeping are naturally evident, and they praised it:

"This simple change in the accounting method not only makes the accounts clearer, but also increases the difficulty of making corrections."

"Good, good, good, my cousin is really smart."

Having heard so many compliments, Ma Yu was somewhat immune to them, and continued:

"There are also some details, such as the requirement that accounting entries must be recorded using three different numbers simultaneously to prevent anyone from erasing or altering them."

The so-called three numbers include '1234' which Ma Yu obtained.

Another type is the 'one, two, three, four' system, which has been passed down since ancient times.

The third type is the uppercase numerals '壹贰叁肆'.

According to unearthed artifacts, the number 'one, two, three, four' already existed as early as the pre-Qin period.

Uppercase numerals appeared relatively late; archaeological evidence currently traces them back to the Northern and Southern Dynasties period.

The purpose was to use complex fonts to prevent anyone from altering the accounts.

It began to be widely used in writing accounts during the Tang Dynasty, and was also commonly used in the Song Dynasty for bookkeeping.

But those who understood the Yuan Dynasty knew that the system of accounting using capital numbers was abolished.

Historically, it wasn't until the Guo Huan case broke out that Zhu Yuanzhang ordered that accounts must be kept in capital letters.

Ma Yu has stolen Zhu Yuanzhang's credit ahead of time.

As for the ledgers, no alterations are allowed. If a word is written incorrectly, a new ledger must be used and the entries rewritten.

These are all standard requirements.

Zhu Biao naturally adopted all of them: "After hearing what you said, cousin, I realized that the current bookkeeping methods do indeed have many loopholes."

"No wonder those people dared to embezzle the country's money and grain without restraint."

Ma Yu shook his head and said, "Their embezzlement of state funds has nothing to do with the accounting method. The new accounting method cannot prevent them from embezzling and accepting bribes."

Zhu Biao nodded and said, "I know that corruption and bribery are driven by greed."

"However, the new accounting method is indeed more standardized, making it easier to audit accounts and collect taxes."

"Still very impressive."

Ma Yu did not refute this, after all, double-entry bookkeeping was the standard system in economic activities before he transmigrated.

This demonstrates just how practical it is.

The two then began to discuss what format the new ledger should use.

Ma Yu had seen account books in her previous life. Although she had forgotten the details, she still remembered the general layout.

Based on his past life experience, he quickly came up with several account book formats.

For example, the format of the outgoing ledger, the format of the incoming ledger, the format of the tax ledger, etc.

Of course, these are just the most basic things; more complex things can only be left to professionals.

Overall, however, what Ma Yu presented did indeed standardize the foundation of the accounting industry in the Ming Dynasty.

A solid foundation facilitates subsequent economic activities.

Zhu Biao was very happy; this trip had not been in vain.

My cousin never disappoints.

They might say they don't understand, but they always manage to come up with a lot of constructive ideas.

I think I understand now. If my cousin says he doesn't understand, then he knows a little bit.

He said he knew a little bit about it, which meant he had done some research.

When he says he understands, he means he's an expert.

That's so modest.

Ma Yu had no idea what Zhu Biao was thinking; he was contemplating something else entirely.

The accounting industry needs basic regulations, but don't other industries need them too?

For example, weights and measures.

The current system of weights and measures is extremely inconvenient.

For example, one jin is sixteen liang, and one li is one hundred and eighty zhang, which is very complicated to calculate.

There seem to be no problems at present, but as industry and commerce develop in the future, it will bring many inconveniences.

If we wait until then to make changes, it will cause a lot of delays. It's better to standardize these things from the beginning.

Thinking of this, Ma Yu shared her thoughts with Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao exclaimed in surprise, "Modifying weights and measures? Isn't that a huge undertaking?"

"The people are already used to the current standards, and forcibly changing them would cause great inconvenience."

Ma Yu understood his thoughts and explained:
"The country must standardize weights and measures; you know how important that is without me saying it."

"Because of the inaction of the Yuan Dynasty, the system of weights and measures among the people had actually become chaotic."

"You can look it up; a foot now is longer than a foot in the Song Dynasty."

"The key is that every industry has its own standards."

"As far as I know, there are woodworking rulers, construction rulers, land measuring rulers, and tailoring rulers..."

The standards and criteria vary from industry to industry.

In fact, the system of weights and measures was already quite chaotic in the Ming Dynasty.

They did not have a unified unit of length until their extinction.

In a unified Chinese dynasty, each industry and trade operated independently, using its own standards of measurement.

It must be said that some of them are indeed quite bizarre.

Zhu Biao's scalp tingled with disbelief as he listened, and he said:

"It's gotten this chaotic? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Ma Yu sighed, "This kind of 'trivial matter' is not worth mentioning in the eyes of many people."

"But if we want to develop manufacturing and increase productivity, a unified system of weights and measures is imperative."

"It can be said that without a nationally unified standard of weights and measures, it would be impossible to develop the manufacturing industry."

Although Zhu Biao knew the importance of standardizing weights and measures, he hadn't expected Ma Yu to attach such importance to it, and asked curiously:

"why?"

Ma Yu countered, "Are you familiar with assembly line production?"

Zhu Biao looked puzzled: "Assembly line production method, what is that?"

Ma Yu did not answer directly, but instead asked another question:
"As we mentioned before, the Western Zhou Dynasty established a system of rites and laws."

"From then on, all the states adopted the Zhou rites, laying the cultural foundation for the unification of China."

"But why didn't they standardize weights and measures?"

Why did the Qin Dynasty people place such importance on weights and measures? And why did they specifically legislate to standardize them?

Zhu Biao pondered for a moment and replied, "During the Western Zhou Dynasty, there was relatively little communication between the various states."

“Differences in weights and measures have little impact, so they don’t pay much attention to them.”

"During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, exchanges between the various states became more frequent."

"The inconvenience caused by the differences in weights and measures becomes apparent."

"Therefore, after the Qin Dynasty was established, it specifically enacted laws to unify weights and measures."

Ma Yu praised, "My cousin really understands the book; he can apply what he's learned to other situations."

Seeing that he had guessed correctly, Zhu Biao was very happy, but said modestly:
"Thanks to my cousin's class."

Ma Yu didn't respond to that, but instead continued with the previous topic:
"The Qin people valued weights and measures, and besides the reason you just mentioned, there is another reason that has been buried by history."

Zhu Biao's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Assembly line production method?"

Ma Yu nodded and said, "Yes, it's the assembly line production method."

Zhu Biao was even more curious: "What exactly is this thing that can influence the policies of the Qin Dynasty?"

Ma Yu then revealed the answer: "The so-called assembly line production method is to break down an item into different parts."

"Each person is responsible for making one part, and then they are assembled together."

Zhu Biao looked bewildered. What did that mean?
Ma Yu paused for a moment and then explained further:

"Let's take the production of knives as an example."

"Now, it only takes one craftsman to make a knife."

"From the blade to the hilt to the scabbard, he made everything by himself."

"This means that he needs to know carpentry and also some leather processing skills."

"But assembly line production is different; it breaks down the blade into several parts."

"Handle, blade, scabbard, etc."

"Then we found several craftsmen, each of whom was responsible for making only one part."

"Those who make the handles only make the handles; those who make the blades only make the blades."

"Finally, these parts are put together and assembled by a specialist to become a complete knife."

Zhu Biao frowned and said, "What was originally a one-person job is now being done by several people. Isn't that a waste of manpower?"

Ma Yu laughed: "Have you read Ouyang Xiu's 'The Oil Vendor'?"

Zhu Biao nodded; he had indeed read the article.

"Then you should still remember what 'practice makes' means, right?"

"If a person is only responsible for making one part, he will become more and more skilled and more efficient."

"If it takes one person three days to make a knife."

"With assembly line production, three people can make seven or eight or even more in three days."

Zhu Biao was enlightened and said, "So that's how it is. What a wonderful assembly line production method! No wonder Qin was able to destroy the six states."

Ma Yu said, "Yes, Qin improved its production efficiency by improving production relations, while keeping its productivity unchanged."

"It laid the material foundation for the conquest of the six states."

At this point, he changed the subject, saying, "However, for assembly line production to succeed, standardization is essential."

"Imagine if there were no standardized criteria." "The resulting blades would be of varying widths and thicknesses, and the sheaths would be of different sizes, making it impossible to assemble them together."

"Therefore, the people of Qin attached great importance to the standardization of weights and measures."

Zhu Biao was a little dizzy from all the confusion, and it took him a while to figure it out:
"Yes, because they have mastered the assembly line production method, they have realized the importance of standardization."

"Therefore, the people of Qin understood even more the importance of standardizing weights and measures."

"I see. If my cousin hadn't told me, I really wouldn't have known any of this."

Ma Yu continued, "The benefits of standardization don't stop there."

"Take my wheelchair as an example. If any part is damaged, I have to find a professional craftsman to make custom parts to replace it."

"It's very troublesome and costly."

"If there is a unified national standard, if any part is damaged, you can simply go to the store to buy the corresponding model of part and replace it."

"Even if I travel from Yingtian to Lingnan, I can still buy the corresponding parts."

"It is not only convenient, but also saves a lot of manpower and resources."

"Wheelchairs are just small items, and it's easy to find a craftsman to repair them. It's not a big deal if it's a little troublesome."

"You should still remember steam trains, right?"

Zhu Biao nodded. He knew all too well, and even now he was still very shocked.

His father even set up a special organization and selected skilled craftsmen to study large steam engines.

So far, there has been no progress, but instead, several accidents have occurred, injuring many people.

Ma Yu continued, "A practical steam engine is extremely large; one engine can weigh tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of kilograms."

"If a part is damaged, do we have to find a craftsman to make a custom one on the spot?"

"If we were to do that, it would be a disaster."

"If standardization is adopted, each part will have a fixed specification."

"Then we can make a lot of spare parts in advance, and replace them directly when they are damaged."

Zhu Biao's eyes lit up, and he said, "Just like replacing an axle, right?"

Ma Yu nodded and said, "Yes, just like replacing an axle."

"Although the assembly line production method of the Qin Dynasty has been lost, many of the rules they left behind are still in use."

"For example, with axles, you can do some research and you'll find that there are only a few fixed axle specifications available now."

"As long as the car model is the same, the axles can be interchanged. This is the convenience brought by standardization."

Zhu Biao sighed and said, "Hearing your words is better than reading for ten years. I never imagined that a simple system of weights and measures could be so important."

"If the Ming Dynasty wants to develop rapidly, it must standardize measurement."

"Although there may be some inconveniences at the beginning, these are just growing pains of change. Once we get through them, they will benefit all people."

Ma Yu encouraged, "The Ming Dynasty's system of rites and laws has not yet been established, so there will be much less opposition to revising weights and measures."

"Moreover, the world has only just been unified and the people have not yet truly settled down, so the impact of revising weights and measures on them will be much smaller."

"If you miss this window of opportunity and want to make changes later, you'll have to pay a much higher price."

Zhu Biao nodded and said, "Okay, I'll talk to my father about this when I get back, and we'll finalize the new system of weights and measures as soon as possible."

Ma Yu said, "Don't rush, have you thought about how to change it?"

Zhu Biao asked doubtfully, "Isn't there an existing standard? Can't we just establish a new one?"

Ma Yu shook her head and said, "Didn't I just say that the current standards are problematic?"

"One jin is sixteen liang, and one li is one hundred and eighty zhang. The calculation is too troublesome."

Zhu Biao then remembered this and said:

"Hey, you've been going around in circles with me, I've forgotten about this part."

"Just say what you're thinking, stop beating around the bush."

Ma Yu couldn't help but laugh and said, "I didn't want to beat around the bush either, but I'm just trying to convince you."

Then he said seriously, "The unit of weight is relatively easy to change. The total weight of one jin remains the same, but sixteen liang will be changed to ten liang."

"One stone was changed from 120 catties to 100 catties."

"The decimal system is the easiest to calculate, you should understand that."

Zhu Biao nodded in agreement: "Anything else?"

Ma Yu continued, "Let's talk about units of length, which require significant changes."

"I suggest abolishing the previous units of length and inventing a new set of units that are unique to the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Biao asked, puzzled, "Why?"

Ma Yu explained, "The public has become accustomed to the current standards."

Even if the imperial court sets new standards, people will still use the old standards extensively in their daily lives.

"But now there are countless different versions of the length of a ruler in folk usage."

"Even professionals may not be able to figure out how many types there are, let alone ordinary people."

"If the imperial court formulates a new standard and still uses the old name, it will be easy to confuse it with the old standard."

"It will not only fail to serve as a standard, but will also make people more confused."

The old standard was called a ruler, and the new standard is still called a ruler, so the names have become confused.

"The simplest and most effective way is to simply abolish the existing standards and adopt a completely new one."

Moreover, using a completely new name and standard makes it easier to promote.

Tell the people directly that the old standards are obsolete and can no longer be used.

Then tell them what the new standard looks like.

Zhu Biao nodded slightly and said, "That makes sense. What are your thoughts on the new standard?"

Ma Yu said, "The ancients used the diameter of a millet grain as the most basic unit of length. Ten millet grains connected together make one inch."

"We will follow the example of the ancients and use the diameter of millet as the standard."

"The length of a thousand grains of millet strung together is used as the basic unit of length and named the meter."

"If you cut rice into ten parts, you get a decimeter; if you cut a decimeter into ten parts, you get a centimeter; if you cut a centimeter into ten parts, you get a millimeter..."

"The length of a li doesn't need to be changed. I've calculated that one li is exactly about 500 meters."

With the change in the unit of length, the units of area, volume, and so on will naturally have to change as well.

Ma Yu introduced the terms meter, square meter, cubic meter, liter, kiloliter, etc.

He also introduced the concept of standard objects.

"For example, the imperial court would make a special ruler, and all rulers in the country would have to use it as the standard to reduce errors."

"This ruler is kept in the palace, and then more standard rulers are made based on this ruler and distributed to various prefectures and counties."

"Each prefecture and county will then produce more rulers based on the standard ruler and distribute them to the people, gradually popularizing them..."

"Platinum is hard enough, corrosion-resistant, and not easily deformed, so I think it is most suitable for making standard objects."

"..."

Zhu Biao saw that he spoke logically and clearly, and knew that he must have thought it through carefully.

Zhu Biao himself felt that this change made it more intuitive.

The progression of units like meters, inches, centimeters, and millimeters is very clear, making them simpler and easier to understand than units like feet, zhang (a unit of length), and li (a unit of distance).

At this point, he was already leaning towards Ma Yu's proposal.

but……

"This is a very important matter. I will discuss it with my father after I return to the palace and see what his opinion is."

"But I think he'll definitely agree."

After all, this can be considered part of his civil administration, adding luster to his record of achievements.

There's no reason to refuse.

The two then revisited the issues they had just discussed.

The main purpose is to help Zhu Biao further understand these contents so that he can operate them more easily.

They also found paper and pen to record the key information.

After all, there was a lot to say today, and many of it was quite complex. It would be difficult to remember it all just by relying on your brain.

Writing it down is undoubtedly the best approach.

It wasn't until the afternoon that Zhu Biao left with a thick stack of papers.

After seeing Zhu Biao off, Ma Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

Re-establishing weights and measures and fully adopting the more convenient decimal system was an idea he had long held.

This time, I finally told Zhu Biao everything.

As for whether Zhu Yuanzhang would adopt his suggestion, he wasn't in a hurry, since he had Biao Ge (Zhu Yuanzhang's courtesy name) with him.

To put it bluntly, even if they couldn't ultimately help Zhu Biao escape that disaster, there were still Zhu Xiong Ying and Zhu Yun Tong.

Given his relationship with Zhu Biao and Consort Chang, becoming the Crown Prince's tutor would be a piece of cake for him in the future.

In short, time is on his side.

However, as the saying goes, if we could persuade Zhu Yuanzhang to make the changes, that would undoubtedly be the best outcome.

After all, his prestige is undeniable; if he truly wants to change things, no amount of opposition will change anything.

Just as he was pondering this, Guanyin Nu returned.

Without even asking, just looking at the smile on her face, you could tell she had a very enjoyable day.

Ma Yu was also pleased with the outcome.

Afterwards, the two chatted in the garden, mainly Guanyin Nu recounting what she had done that day.

Ma Yu acted as a competent listener.

However, he still noticed something amiss: her name.

Guanyin slave is a nickname in Chinese culture, which is inconvenient to use.

So he smiled and said, "How about I give you a name?"

Guanyin Nu blushed and lowered her head, speaking in a low, mosquito-like voice:
"Ah."

Ma Yu was secretly delighted, which meant that she had fully accepted him as her fiancée; otherwise, she wouldn't have asked him to help her choose a name.

But he said in a serious tone, "The character '敏' means intelligent and lively, so let's use that character."

Guanyin Nu murmured, "Min, Wang Min... Okay, from now on I will be called Wang Min."

As she spoke, she raised her head, looked at Ma Yu, and said softly:

"Thank you."

Ma Yu chuckled and said, "I'm very happy that you can accept it."

One sentence made her blush again, and she stood up and said:
"It's getting late, I should go back now. I'll come to see you another day."

Without waiting for Ma Yu's reply, he hurriedly left.

Ma Yu didn't try to stop her; it was indeed getting late, and she should go home.

If we let her stay here overnight, her reputation will probably be completely ruined tomorrow.
-
Now let's talk about Zhu Biao.

After returning to the palace, he did not go directly to Zhu Yuanzhang, but instead went back to the Eastern Palace and sorted through all the information again.

Furthermore, they connected their understanding with relevant knowledge they had learned, which deepened their understanding.

He then sent people to conduct a detailed investigation into the current situation of weights and measures in the Ming Dynasty in order to obtain more detailed data.

It took him another week to sort things out and write a memorial to the throne.

That's when he went to find Zhu Yuanzhang.

(End of this chapter)