My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 134 Retro
Zhu Biao pondered for a long time but still couldn't make a decision.

Ma Yu's logic sounds sound reasonable, and it's a conclusion drawn from historical facts.

However, no one can foresee the consequences of opening up wisdom to all people.

Perhaps, as Ma Yu said, it is possible to unite all people into one.

But the most worrying thing is whether this rope will get out of control.

Ma Yu could naturally guess what he was worried about.

Throughout history, rulers have advocated keeping the people ignorant and weak.

Although Zhu Biao was deeply influenced by himself, he was, after all, Song Lian's student and had received more than ten years of traditional education.

It's normal to have these concerns.

On the contrary, his hesitation instead of immediately agreeing to the proposal, revealing a political acumen that is even more admirable.

Many people are unaware of the immense impact of enlightening the public.

To put it simply, the impact of enlightening the people was even stronger than the overthrow of Confucianism.

Zhu Biao was able to detect the risks immediately, which shows he truly lives up to his nickname, Brother Biao.

Ma Yu did not forcefully persuade him, because this was the influence of ingrained thinking, which could not be changed by words alone.

He has to figure it out for himself, and we also need to see his courage.

However, Ma Yu did not do nothing; instead, she said:

"When you get back, you can study the production process for a while; you should be able to gain some insights."

Zichan? Zhu Biao was somewhat surprised.

This is a celebrity.

The reason he became famous is quite simple: a powerful figure helped him gain recognition.

Confucius said: Zichan possessed four qualities of a gentleman: he was respectful in his conduct, reverent in serving his superiors, benevolent in caring for the people, and righteous in employing them.

The higher Confucius's status, the wider the spread of the Analects, and the greater Zichan's fame.

However, few people know about Zichan's own background.

Zhu Biao was the same; he only knew that Zichan was a person, but he didn't know what he had actually done.

Hearing Ma Yu mention it specifically, he couldn't help but feel curious:

"What happened to Zichan?"

Ma Yu, however, kept it a secret: "You'll find out when you go see for yourself."

Zhu Biao's curiosity grew, but he didn't press further. Instead, he continued the previous topic and asked:
"Any further suggestions regarding clans?"

Ma Yu hesitated for a moment before saying, "Actually, there's something I've wanted to say for a while, but it concerns..."

Zhu Biao interrupted him, saying, "You even dare to curse my father, what else wouldn't you dare to say? Speak up."

Ma Yu paused for a moment, then said somewhat awkwardly, "Ahem, let's get down to business, let's get down to business."

Do you think the four characters "Amitabha Buddha" have had an impact on the spread of Buddhism?

Zhu Biao thought for a moment and replied, "Yes, even people who don't understand Buddhist scriptures can express their inner feelings simply by silently reciting Amitabha Buddha."

"It has been of great help in spreading the word among the general public."

Ma Yu said, "Therefore, I think that we can enhance people's understanding of their ethnic groups by modifying the calendar and the system of reckoning."

Zhu Biao asked, puzzled, "How can this be enhanced?"

Ma Yu did not answer directly, but said, "The current system uses reign titles for dating, which is too inconvenient."

Zhu Biao was completely bewildered and said, "That's how it's always been in every dynasty, how is it inconvenient?"

Calendars are important matters, and so are dating systems.

Traditionally, the dating system is considered to be related to divine will.

Ma Yu said, "Do you know whose reign title Qianfeng was? Do you know how many years were between it and Shangyuan?"

Zhu Biao shook his head and said, "We need to look up the annual law table first."

Ma Yu said, "Even those who specialize in studying history find it difficult to accurately grasp historical timelines without referring to historical records, let alone ordinary people?"

The reign title system is a calendar system that calculates years based on the reign title of the emperor.

For example, the first year of Hongwu's reign and the second year of Hongwu's reign.

However, reign titles change too much and there is no discernible pattern to them.

It's understandable that some emperors only used one reign title throughout their lives, but some emperors changed reign titles more frequently than they changed clothes.

Using his reign title to calculate the calendar would be exhausting.

Therefore, the traditional Chinese calendar uses the sexagenary cycle, which consists of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, with each cycle lasting sixty years.

But the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches are also troublesome; it's difficult for ordinary people to distinguish which comes first, Wu Yin or Wu Xu.

Even someone who is well-versed in the order of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches needs to think for a while before they can calculate the time accurately.

However, regardless of the circumstances, the sexagenary cycle can indeed meet the needs of daily life.

Because a person's life can span at most two cycles of sixty years, which means they are over sixty years old.

However, the sexagenary cycle is not useful when studying history.

It can be said that the current dating system is very cumbersome and inconvenient.

"The key point is that the reign title system was only used by the government, while the sexagenary cycle system was used by the general public."

"It's fair to say that the common people don't even know who the emperor is."

"Under these circumstances, let alone a sense of ethnic identity, there is no sense of belonging to the Ming Dynasty either."

Zhu Biao thought about it carefully, and it seemed to be true:
"That makes sense. The current calendar system is extremely inconvenient to use. What do you think should be done to change it?"

Ma Yu said, "I think we can anchor a major historical event as the starting point for the chronology, and then continue from there."

"For example, we can establish the Yellow Emperor's calendar as the base point and then proceed downwards."

"The first year of the Chinese calendar, the second year of the Chinese calendar, all the way up to the thousandth year of the Chinese calendar, the third year of the Chinese calendar..."

"The first year of Hongwu was the 4065th year of the Chinese calendar, and this year is the 4068th year of the Chinese calendar."

"By following this order, everyone can clearly identify any point in history."

"When looking back at history, we no longer need to refer to calendars to calculate how many years have passed."

"Moreover, this calendar system also made things more convenient for ordinary people, allowing them to calculate information such as age more accurately."

The Yellow Emperor Calendar was not invented by Ma Yu, but has existed since ancient times.

The Yellow Emperor Calendar, the Zhuanxu Calendar, the Xia Calendar, the Yin Calendar, the Zhou Calendar, and the Lu Calendar are collectively known as the Six Ancient Calendars.

It was created during the pre-Qin period and is the earliest calendar book in my country.

So Zhu Biao wasn't surprised when he heard him mention the Yellow Emperor's calendar, but his brows furrowed:

"If we adopt the Yellow Emperor's calendar, wouldn't the common people be even more clueless about which dynasty we are in?"

Ma Yu was prepared for this and immediately smiled and said:
"The Yellow Emperor's Calendar can be used only in historical books and when quoting history, making it easier for everyone to read."

"It is also a way to declare the legitimacy of the dynasty."

"The common people used the Ming Dynasty calendar, such as the first year of the Ming Dynasty, the second year of the Ming Dynasty, the third year of the Ming Dynasty, and even the fiftieth year and the hundredth year of the Ming Dynasty."

"In this way, it will not only make people's daily lives more convenient, but also let them know which dynasty it is now."

“When performing rituals such as offering sacrifices to Heaven and ancestors, and when writing official documents such as edicts and official papers, the Ming Dynasty plus its reign title is used for dating.”

"For example, in the second year of the Ming Dynasty, the second year of the Hongwu reign, this happened and that."

"When this method spread to the surrounding barbarian regions, it was also a form of cultural assimilation."

"When they get used to using the Ming Dynasty's calendar, their sense of identity with the Ming Dynasty will become stronger." "Now, the far western countries are already adopting a unified calendar system."

"However, they used the day of the birth of the Christian Son of God as the basis for their calendar, which is called the Common Era."

"And it has already spread to the far western countries."

When the West was at its most powerful, it left an incredibly rich legacy for its descendants.

Putting aside everything else, the Gregorian calendar alone has a global influence.

Even the most anti-Christian people have to use the Gregorian calendar.

In this context, it is extremely difficult to truly eliminate the influence of the West and Christianity.

Now that he had transmigrated, Ma Yu naturally wouldn't let such a thing happen again.

He wanted to create a calendar system belonging to China, and then use its strong national power and cultural influence to turn it into a unified global calendar standard.

As for the previous AD... you far western countries can keep it to yourselves.

To join the system dominated by the Chinese, one must use the Chinese almanac.

Zhu Biao's eyes grew brighter and brighter. Although he didn't know anything about the Gregorian calendar, he could tell the superiority of this plan.

In particular, the Yellow Emperor's calendar, which proclaimed the legitimacy of the dynasty, was a stroke of genius.

The Daming Calendar also has multiple benefits, mainly because this method is convenient and easy to use, and can completely replace the sexagenary cycle.

Once it becomes widespread, it can quickly stabilize the hearts of the people and establish the ruling position of the Ming Dynasty.

This is similar to Amitabha Buddha in Buddhism. Ordinary people may not know the contents of Buddhist scriptures, but they know Amitabha Buddha.

If you recite a few lines whenever you feel like it, you can subtly transform someone into a Buddhist believer.

Similarly, ordinary people may not know what a dynasty is, but they use the Ming Dynasty calendar every day, so they naturally know that it is the Ming Dynasty.

Over time, in their minds, the Ming Dynasty was the legitimate dynasty.

At the same time, it can also popularize another concept: we are all citizens of the Ming Dynasty, which unconsciously forms a sense of cohesion and identity.

As for the reign title system... frankly speaking, reign titles only have significance during rituals such as offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors; people rarely mention them in everyday life.

In daily life, almost no one uses reign titles to mark the years.

It is sufficient to continue using reign titles for dating in activities such as worshipping Heaven and ancestors.

It can be said that Ma Yu's plan takes into account all aspects.

Zhu Biao thought it was perfect.

however……

"The calendar is a matter of great importance to the country, and I cannot make a decision on it myself. I must consult my father."

"However, I personally really like your proposal."

"When we return to the palace, I will specifically consult my father to see what his opinion is."

Ma Yu nodded and said, "Of course, he is the emperor."

The two then chatted about the calendar for a while, and then continued to discuss how to dismantle the clan's power.

Ma Yu offered some additional suggestions, such as:

"We can learn from Emperor Wen of Sui and forcibly separate households for the people. Anyone who gets married must separate their household."

"However, he divided the people into separate households in order to collect more household taxes, which indirectly increased the burden on the people."

"The Ming Dynasty is preparing to abolish the poll tax and implement the policy of merging the poll tax with the land tax. Separating households will not increase the burden on the people; on the contrary, it will bring many benefits."

"After getting married and having children, everyone prioritizes the interests of their own family."

“In the past, households were not divided. The head of the household or the clan leader, as the head of the family, had the right to make decisions on family affairs.”

"This led to the formation of clan power."

"Moreover, when facing clans, ordinary people are powerless to protect their own families."

"Even their professions are determined by the clan's wishes."

For example, whether or not a child needs to be registered in the household registration system is decided by the clan.

Those who are not registered in the household are considered unregistered by the imperial court and belong to their family as private property.

For example, who went to school, who went to farm, and who went to perform corvée labor were all decided by the clan.

Only by separating households can people gain autonomy over their families.

“Once the interests of a family or clan conflict, people will definitely prioritize protecting their own interests.”

“The clan’s constraints on individuals will gradually weaken, and over time, people’s hearts will drift apart.”

"Moreover, history has proven that when people gain more freedom, they can unleash stronger initiative."

"This is often followed by a period of rapid productivity growth."

"If the Ming Dynasty wants to usher in a new era, it must establish entirely new relationships between people."

"But this thing cannot be created out of thin air; it must have historical basis and conform to the laws of historical development."

"During the Xia and Shang dynasties, everything was public property, and the common people had no personal freedom and had very little initiative."

"With the well-field system in the Western Zhou Dynasty, the people owned houses and farm tools, and their initiative exploded."

“During the Warring States period, one of the most crucial aspects of the reforms in various states was the establishment of the family model.”

"Taking the Qin state as an example, it briefly achieved a connection between the government and the family."

"In other words, the government offices at that time could directly manage specific families."

"People are working desperately hard for the benefit of their own small families."

"It can be said that this was the period of the fastest progress in the history of China."

"This situation continued until the early Western Han Dynasty."

"Later, due to limitations such as the selection of officials, imperfect systems, lack of management experience, and low productivity, etc."

"In the mid-to-late Western Han Dynasty, powerful clans emerged, and from then on, families were jointly managed by powerful clans and government offices."

“At the end of the Tang Dynasty, aristocratic families disappeared, and clans arose for similar reasons.”

"Another reason for the emergence of clans is that Emperor Taizong of Tang abolished the township-level administrative unit in order to reduce management costs."

"At that time, with the help of established families to manage the grassroots level, the old system could be maintained with difficulty."

"But after the disappearance of aristocratic families, a power vacuum emerged at the grassroots level, which gave rise to the opportunity for clans."

"Clans are even more domineering than aristocratic families, and their emergence directly destroyed the family model."

"If the Ming Dynasty wanted to dismantle the clan system, it had to re-establish the family model and legislate to protect the interests of the family."

"When conflicts arise between family and clan, the law should protect the family, not the clan."

"At the same time, the township-level administrative units will be rebuilt, further shrinking the living space of clans."

"As long as the Ming Dynasty can ensure the benefits of the family model, it will inevitably usher in a great leap forward."

"This is not something I made up or deduced; it is something that history has already verified."

This is a lesson that was taught before, but with new content extracted.

Zhu Biao couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking how incredibly complex history truly was.

However, he hesitated regarding the proposal to rebuild township-level administrative units.

It wasn't that he doubted Ma Yu's words, but rather...

"Emperor Taizong of Tang abolished the township-level government offices in order to reduce management costs."

"If we were to rebuild, given the financial situation of the Ming Dynasty, I'm afraid it would be difficult to bear this heavy burden."

(End of this chapter)