My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 122 He deserves to be punished
It took Zhu Biao more than an hour to explain clearly the reconstruction of the six schools of the Imperial Academy, the compilation of teaching materials for accounting officials, and the reformulation of weights and measures.

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a long time before saying, "Compiling a textbook for accounting officials is something I expected."

"Xi Juncai and Deng Botong have been studying under Ma Yu for so long, they should have learned some real skills by now. Let them take the lead in writing this."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "If Gao Qi is unwilling to become the Vice Minister of Revenue, then let him help compile accounting records."

Zhu Biao frowned and said, "This man considers himself superior and wouldn't even accept the position of Vice Minister of Revenue. Would he really come to help?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "You still don't know how to judge people."

"Gao Qi was a pure scholar. Such people consider themselves superior and take pride in being arrogant towards high-ranking officials and kings."

"They only like to study academic subjects and regard mundane affairs as monstrous floods."

"Only fame can motivate them."

"Therefore, he was willing to serve as an official to compile the History of Yuan, but unwilling to become the powerful Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

“Writing the Accounting Records would make him famous, so he would definitely join.”

Zhu Biao looked like he had learned something, but then he raised a new question:
"But he comes from a Confucian background, can he really compile accounting records properly?"

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "How many scholars these days are not Confucian scholars? Besides, why do you think we appointed him as the Vice Minister of Revenue?"

Zhu Biao asked with some surprise, "You mean he knows mathematics?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said with dissatisfaction, "You don't even know the situation of the main officials of the court. How did you become the crown prince?"

"After you go down there, find out the information about all the officials of the fifth rank and above."

Zhu Biao said with shame, "Yes, I've disappointed you."

Zhu Yuanzhang simply nodded and continued, "Gao Qi lost both his parents at a young age, and his family fell into poverty. He has suffered hardships."

“This kind of person is usually quite pragmatic, and he and Yao Yunxin (Daoyan) are also close friends.”

Zhu Biao said in surprise, "Yao Yunxin appears humble, but in reality, she is arrogant and conceited."

"Gao Qi is indeed no ordinary person, to be able to catch his eye."

Zhu Yuanzhang said with some regret, "But precisely because he had suffered so much and experienced so much, he was not enthusiastic about serving in the government."

Zhu Biao suddenly realized and said, "I understand now. No wonder he refused to serve as the Vice Minister of Revenue. Not only were you not angry, but you also gave him a lot of money."

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression froze, and he angrily said, "What do you mean? Are you accusing me of being narrow-minded and intolerant?"

Zhu Biao quickly said, "No, no, Father, you misunderstood. I was just praising your magnanimity."

Zhu Yuanzhang: ? ? ?

Although I knew my eldest son didn't mean anything sarcastic, in this situation, his words sounded like mockery.

Zhu Yuanzhang felt a surge of anger rush to his head, and he grabbed a memorial and threw it at the messenger.

"We'll beat you to death, you unfilial son."

Zhu Biao subconsciously reached out to catch it: "Father, please calm down... cough, I'll go and inform Gao Qi in a bit and have him compile the accounting records."

"Is there anything else you need?"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly and said, "Let the accounting records remain as they are. Start rewriting them as soon as possible."

He then added, "The Six Schools of the Imperial Academy is indeed a good idea. We can start implementing it after the ceremony of conferring titles upon meritorious officials."

"We will soon select a group of suitable scholars to serve as teachers."

"I'll leave mathematics to you, and the other five disciplines to Li Shanchang."

Zhu Biao frowned and said, "You still intend to use him?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "It is better to make good use of mistakes than to work hard. Precisely because he has just committed a serious error, he needs to perform meritorious service to atone for his crime."

"If we entrust this matter to him, he will do his best to handle it well."

"Moreover, he considers himself a disciple of Legalism and would not favor Neo-Confucianism."

"He knows a lot of talented people from various schools of thought, which allows him to better integrate talent into those five academies."

Zhu Biao finally understood that the idea that hard work is not as good as using others ultimately stemmed from a habitual reliance on Li Shanchang.

At this moment, he understood more and more why Ma Yu had advised him to show goodwill towards Li Shanchang and the others.

For my father, they were comrades-in-arms who had walked hand in hand through the early days of poverty, a friendship that lasted for more than a decade.

This feeling isn't something that can be easily worn away, at least not yet.

Having figured all this out, he immediately changed his story:
"Indeed, although Prime Minister Li made a mistake this time, his ability is beyond doubt, and his loyalty to you, Father, has not wavered."

"He should indeed be given a chance to redeem himself through good deeds."

Zhu Yuanzhang said with satisfaction, "It's good that you think this way."

"With Li Shanchang's abilities, he will definitely be able to run the six schools of the Imperial Academy well, which will save us a lot of trouble."

Then he brought up the matter of weights and measures:

"Re-establishing the system of weights and measures was indeed an oversight on our part."

"However, this matter needs to be postponed for now, and it's best not to let any word of it leak out."

Zhu Biao asked in confusion, "Why?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Re-establishing weights and measures means re-measuring the distances between different places and re-measuring the amount of land in the country."

“The clan gentry who control the land in the south will not agree to this.”

“Any policy needs people to implement it. If the clan gentry unite to oppose it, the land survey cannot proceed.”

Why did he specifically emphasize the South and not mention the North?

Because the combined population of the northern provinces is only seven or eight million.

Moreover, it was the main battlefield for the struggle for supremacy at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, and the chaos that lasted for decades had long destroyed the order here.

There is no force left that can oppose the government's policies.

Correspondingly, the south was less affected, which was also where the power of clans and gentry was most deeply entrenched.

Zhu Biao frowned and said, "Every dynasty would re-survey the land and count the population at the beginning of its founding, and the Ming Dynasty will have to do so sooner or later."

"How can we just ignore it because they oppose it?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Not every dynasty has done this. In the Song Dynasty, due to the resistance of powerful landlords, the over-land system was not truly completed."

"So they chose complete leniency, but also relaxed the personal restrictions on the people, and solved the problem in other ways."

"The power of landlords and gentry in the south today is no less than that of the Song Dynasty, making it very difficult to acquire land."

Zhu Biao then realized he had oversimplified the situation, and his heart sank as he said:

"What should we do then? We can't just leave it like this, can we?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, "Ignore? How could that be?"

"However, we need to weaken their strength first, so that they have no power to resist."

"When the time is right, we can carry out three tasks simultaneously: re-establishing weights and measures, conducting a population census, and surveying land."

Zhu Biao nodded and said, "How do you plan to weaken their power? The tax bill alone probably won't be enough."

Zhu Yuanzhang did not answer, but said:

"Similar things have happened many times in history."

“Go back and look through the books yourself, then write a policy essay for us.”

"Don't ask Ma Yu, you need to learn to think for yourself."

Zhu Biao respectfully replied, "Yes."
-
Then Zhu Yuanzhang summoned Li Shanchang, Song Lian and others to discuss compiling accounting records and rebuilding the six schools of the Imperial Academy.

Accounting records were first compiled during the Tang Dynasty, serving as a supplement to official history and a legitimate part of historical scholarship. Therefore, no one objected, and the matter was passed smoothly.

As for appointing Xi Juncai, Deng Botong, and Gao Qi as editors, no one had any objections.

The first two were accounting officials and also teachers in the mathematics class at the Imperial Academy, so their professions were a perfect match.

Gao Qi was a great scholar who was on par with Song Lian and participated in the compilation of the History of Yuan. No one dared to find fault with his perfect resume.

The Confucian scholars felt that Gao Qi was representing the Confucian school, so there was no need to oppose him.

On the contrary, the six schools of the Imperial Academy sparked considerable discussion.

However, as Ma Yu said, four of the six schools of the Imperial Academy were based on Confucian classics, and the Confucian scholars were practically in agreement.

Their objection was that mathematics should also have its own separate college?

This time, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't even need to refute them; Li Shanchang, who was redeeming himself through meritorious service, took the initiative to step forward and refute them one by one.

In fact, the civil officials also knew that it was no longer possible to suppress mathematics.

Opposition is merely a habitual expression of attitude.

Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang had already decided to rebuild the Six Schools, he readily agreed.

And they quickly came up with the charter.

The six schools of the Imperial Academy were not all located in one place, but were scattered across several major cities.

After discussion, the Imperial Academy was moved to Yingtian, the Imperial University to Fengyang, and the Mathematics Academy to Luoyang.

Zhu Yuanzhang, defying public opinion, placed the Law Academy in Chang'an.

Thanks to the efforts of officials in the south, the Four Gates Academy was located in Yueyang on the shore of Dongting Lake, while the Academy of Calligraphy was located in Hangzhou.

Four days later, the general plan was finalized, and Zhu Yuanzhang announced it at the morning court session.

Unsurprisingly, it caused a sensation in both the government and the public.

The task of compiling accounting records was completely ignored, as everyone's attention was focused on the Six Studies of the Imperial Academy.

Scholars unanimously praised His Majesty's literary and military achievements, believing that he would surely usher in a prosperous dynasty.

The only slightly discordant point was that someone raised objections to Li Shanchang taking charge of this matter.

However, their opinions did not garner the support of high-ranking officials in the imperial court.

After all, anyone who isn't stupid knows Li Shanchang's status, not to mention that a large portion of the court officials were recommended by him.

Even Song Lian had been recommended by him, so who would dare to oppose him?

The few officials who wanted to follow suit didn't make any waves at all; they were directly suppressed by Li Shanchang's cronies.

Having witnessed the whole process, Zhu Biao had a different feeling.

Li Shanchang's prestige was indeed high, and his influence in the court was also enormous.

The establishment of the Six Schools of the Imperial Academy should have sparked a struggle between various factions.

Everyone knows this is the best way to promote one's own school of thought, cultivate new forces, and gain control of the discourse.

However, because he was in charge of the matter, all factions behaved very peacefully, seemingly without any other desires.

I underestimated him a bit.

As for Li Shanchang, while he breathed a sigh of relief, he was also somewhat smug.

The emperor still knew who the greatest contributor to the founding of the Ming Dynasty was.

What he didn't know was that at that very moment, Liu Bowen's urgent memorial was delivered to the Qianqing Palace.

Upon seeing the confession, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately transformed into a master of desktop cleanup, sweeping everything off his desk.

The eunuch standing nearby was so frightened that he knelt on the ground, trembling with fear.

“Good, 275,000 strings of cash. In less than a year, they have embezzled a full 275,000 strings of cash.”

"That's what Zhao Yanjun told us back then: I'd be willing to do anything to relieve your worries."

"They also said they would spend every penny wisely, and use the least amount of money to make the Fengyang Imperial City beautiful."

"Is this how he saved the imperial court money and grain?"

At this point, he excitedly waved the memorial in his hand:
"This is all the hard-earned money of the people, how dare they?"

"They have deceived the emperor and are committing treason; we must exterminate their entire clan."

Zhu Biao's face also turned grim. He said to the eunuchs around him, "All of you, step back. If even a single word of what happened today gets out, you will be executed."

The eunuchs, as if granted a general amnesty, hurriedly left the main hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang vented his anger at the air, finally managing to control himself, and threw the memorial at Zhu Biao, saying:

"Look, look..."

“We used to doubt Ma Yu’s claim that the social atmosphere in the world was so corrupt.”

"Now we know it's even more serious than he described."

"Kill them! This time we're going to kill them all and put an end to this evil trend."

Zhu Biao took the memorial and read it through. His face was also very ugly. It was truly lawless.

As he continued scrolling down, he saw who had purchased the materials for the Imperial City, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

After he finished reading, he advised, "Father, please calm down."

“These people certainly deserve to die, but I think this incident has actually given us an opportunity.”

Zhu Yuanzhang glared at him and asked, "What opportunity?"

Zhu Biao turned to the page in the memorial listing the purchases of materials for the imperial city and said:

"Look here, all forty-seven criminals are powerful and wealthy merchants, each with a family fortune of hundreds of thousands of strings of cash."

"Since ancient times, marriage has emphasized matching social status, and those related to them are mostly from prominent and wealthy families."

“This is a heinous crime that could lead to the extermination of three generations of their family. If we include their relatives as well, the number could be roughly increased by two or three times.”

"Not only can it strike at the local powerful clans, but the confiscated wealth will amount to tens of millions of strings of cash, which can effectively alleviate the financial pressure on the imperial court."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang forgot his anger and stared at the list, increasingly convinced that it was a good idea.

"Good, good, Biao'er, your idea is good."

"Not only will the stolen money be recovered a hundredfold, but at least a hundred powerful and wealthy families will also be eliminated."

"We'll eliminate a few dozen today, and a few dozen more tomorrow. In a few years, they won't amount to anything."

He then frowned again: "However, these wealthy families are often connected, so we must prevent them from rebelling."

"There are also some maritime merchant families, and we must prevent them from getting advance notice and fleeing to sea."

"This matter requires the use of the military, and actions must be taken simultaneously in various locations."

Zhu Biao nodded and said, "Why don't we let the Embroidered Uniform Guard investigate first, and then take action?"

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said, "This news can't be kept secret for long. By the time the Embroidered Uniform Guard finds out, those people will have already noticed something amiss."

"Take immediate action, raid homes and arrest people according to the list."

Zhu Biao hesitated for a moment and asked, "What if someone on the list is innocent...?"

Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted him, saying with certainty, "The list is real, and no one has been wronged."

Zhu Biao opened his mouth, but finally nodded and said:

“Father is right. These people have no respect for the law and have insulted the royal family. They deserve to be executed.”

(End of this chapter)