My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 74 Literature and Virtuous People

A few days later, at a morning court session, Zhu Yuanzhang announced the cancellation of the imperial examination scheduled for the following year, citing the fact that many Confucian scholars were not knowledgeable in practical matters.

The civil service examinations will continue until Confucian scholars solve this problem.

This decision did not cause an uproar in the court.

The nobles remained calm and composed, as if nothing concerned them.

The only ones who truly and vehemently opposed it were the Confucian scholars, led by Song Lian.

The officials from the gentry and clan families of the southeast, who should have stood with them, merely followed behind them and said a few indifferent words.

After Zhu Yuanzhang indicated that there was no need for further discussion, they leisurely retreated back into the crowd, showing no sign of urgency.

Zhu Biao watched all this silently, feeling even more amazed that his cousin had been right all along.

Although the gentry were also Confucian scholars, they were no longer the same as ordinary Confucian scholars after they integrated with their clans.

This should be utilized, and it would be best to divide the two sides so that they cannot unite to oppose the imperial power.

This is a great opportunity.

In the blink of an eye, he had a general idea.

So he stepped forward and said, "Many ministers have suggested that Confucian scholars should first gain experience in government offices before participating in the imperial selection process."

"Let's discuss whether it's better to let scholars participate directly in the imperial examinations."

"It would be better to go to the government office first to gain experience and learn how to govern before participating in the imperial examinations."

"After the court session, everyone should write a memorial and submit it. His Majesty will review it and make a decision."

Although Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't fathom his son's thoughts, he knew what his son was probably plotting, so he said:
"Have you all heard what the Crown Prince said? Go back and write your memorials properly, lest you accuse us of being autocratic."

The courtiers had no other idea; they simply assumed that the Crown Prince wanted to reinstate the imperial examination system.

However, not wanting to disobey his father's orders, he could only resort to this compromise.

This can be seen as leaving a glimmer of hope for the eventual resumption of the imperial examination system.

Song Lian was the most gratified; the Crown Prince had not been taught in vain.

Afterwards, the ministers discussed other matters, mainly how to govern the newly conquered lands and the progress of the war.

There's not much to say about the newly acquired land; rent and taxes are waived for a year, and high-ranking officials are dispatched to the area to pacify the people.

The war progressed very smoothly, and it can be said that the advance was unstoppable. Now no one can stop the advance of the Ming army.

The southern provinces have been largely pacified. Only some local people still occupy the mountains and act as warlords, refusing to submit to the emperor's rule, but they can no longer affect the overall situation.

According to the plan, the south has been pacified, and the army should be ordered to return to the capital.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang only withdrew two-thirds of his army.

The remaining third were stationed in the southeast under the pretext of defending against Japanese pirates and barbarians.

This reason was so compelling that it aroused no suspicion from anyone.

The most intense fighting took place in the north.

In August, the Yuan Dynasty launched a counterattack on Datong. Li Wenzhong, who had just taken over Chang Yuchun's troops, changed his battle plan without orders.

He led his troops to change course to Datong, shattering the Northern Yuan's ambition to make a comeback.

Moreover, Xu Da and Li Wenzhong had a perfect teamwork session here.

Xu Da led his troops to attack Shaanxi, besieged Zhang Liangchen, the Yuan general defending the region, and prepared to completely annihilate him.

Wang Baobao led three armies to the rescue, while Xu Da ordered his men to resist step by step and intensified his attack on Zhang Liangchen.

However, the Yuan army was a desperate force, and they displayed extremely strong fighting power.

In addition, Wang Baobao was also a famous general, and the Ming army's defenses were breached one after another.

Seeing that Xu Da was surrounded by enemies, Li Wenzhong quickly sent troops to help him block one of the enemy lines after defeating the Yuan army in Datong.

Xu Da was able to concentrate his forces to eliminate Zhang Liangchen, and then, before the other two Yuan armies could react, he sent troops to defeat them all.

Shaanxi and Shanxi were completely captured by the Ming army, including the previous capture of Beiping and the expeditions of Chang Yuchun and Li Wenzhong beyond the Great Wall.

The northern Han lands, traditionally speaking, except for Liaodong, had all fallen into the hands of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Xu Da and Tang He to return to the capital, and appointed Feng Sheng as the general commander of the northern military.

It can be said that at this point, the Ming Dynasty's rule was secure.

Those who had initially harbored some reservations now wholeheartedly devoted themselves to the construction of the new dynasty.

The various systems of etiquette and law of the Ming Dynasty were also being rapidly formulated and implemented.

There is only one thing directly related to Ma Yu: Zhu Yuanzhang conferred the title of Prince of Xu upon Ma Taigong.

As the successor of his lineage, Ma Yu was naturally qualified to inherit his title.

Forget about becoming a king, but you'll definitely get a duke after being downgraded.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang did not mention letting him inherit the title, and naturally, his ministers did not bring it up either.

Zhu Biao even made a personal trip to explain the reason:
"The nobles have not yet been officially appointed. If you were to inherit their titles now, it would likely incur their jealousy."

“My father has decided to bestow great honors upon meritorious officials next year, and then you will inherit your maternal grandfather’s title.”

What else can Ma Yu say besides expressing her gratitude?

This title didn't belong to him in the first place; it was practically a freebie. What more could he want?

The two then began to discuss recent events in the imperial court.

Ma Yu asked, "You had someone submit a memorial discussing the training of Confucian scholars. What are your plans?"

Zhu Biao then explained his thoughts:
“On the surface, the gentry emulate the Confucian scholars, but their interests and demands are completely different from those of the Confucian scholars.”

"It's just that it wasn't apparent before, and the Confucian scholars weren't aware of the problem either."

"This training of Confucian scholars and the imperial examination involve the fundamental interests of both parties, which will certainly be reflected in the content of the memorials."

"At that time, I will select some of the gentry's memorials and leak their contents to see if I can cause the two sides to drift apart."

Ma Yu shook his head and said, "It won't be very effective, but we can give it a try."

"And... have you read the Treatise on Salt and Iron?"

Zhu Biao was puzzled as to why he would suddenly ask such an unrelated question, but he still nodded and said:

"I've read a bit of it, and it's very impressive. Many of the things I've learned are still useful today."

Ma Yu asked, "Then do you know how many factions participated in the Salt and Iron Conference?"

Zhu Biao thought for a moment and replied, "There are two parties directly involved: the virtuous and learned scholars and the literati led by Sang Hongyang."

"However, this meeting was initiated by Huo Guang, who was essentially a hidden third party."

Ma Yu shook his head and said, "You're looking at it too superficially. It is indeed a three-party relationship, but not the three-party relationship you described."

Zhu Biao, thinking he was about to give another lecture, asked excitedly, "Oh? Which three parties?"

Ma Yu said, "Scholars, literature, and virtuous officials."

Zhu Biao exclaimed in surprise, "Ah? Aren't literary talent and virtuous character one and the same?"

Ma Yu said, "If you look closely, although literature and virtuous scholars are both on the opposite side of the scholar-officials, their interests and demands are actually different."

"The appeal of literature is the hope that the court will implement benevolent policies and restore the rule of the Three Dynasties."

"The key point of the virtuous and capable ministers' appeal was to persuade the Han Dynasty to abandon the policy of equalizing and stabilizing transportation, abandon the monopoly on salt and iron, and relinquish its control over the interests of mountains, rivers, lakes, and lakes."

"Of course, literature also has this kind of demand."

"But the reason why literature demands that the court give up these interests is that court officials are using the guise of monopoly to harm the people."

"The virtuous and capable, on the other hand, believed that the court was competing with the people for profit."

Zhu Biao was even more confused: "What's the difference?"

The imperial court monopolizes these profits and harms the people; isn't that competing with the people for profit?

Ma Yu explained, "The difference is huge. The starting point of the literature is that Han Dynasty officials used these policies to harm the people."

"This is real; it's not something they made up."

"If the imperial court were to slightly modify its policies and harm the people less, they would no longer object."

"At least there won't be such fierce opposition anymore."

"Their focus is on people's livelihood." "But the virtuous and capable are different; their starting point is to compete with the people for profit."

Even if the court changes its policies to reduce the harm to the people, they will still oppose it.

"Their focus is on profit."

Zhu Biao was still puzzled. "Is there such a difference? Why didn't I see it?"
Upon hearing this, Ma Yu countered, "If the imperial court relinquishes control over these interests, who is qualified to operate these industries? Are the common people capable of doing so?"

Zhu Biao suddenly realized: "I understand. Only aristocratic families are qualified to operate these industries."

"Their so-called 'competing with the people for profit' is nothing more than using the guise of serving the people to pursue their own interests, isn't it?"

Ma Yu smiled and nodded, saying, "This young man is teachable."

"Literature is actually equivalent to the Confucian scholars of today, while the virtuous and capable are the gentry and clan power."

"The writers were truly concerned for the people and corrected the policy flaws of the imperial court."

"While the virtuous and wise hide behind the writers, inciting them to fight on their behalf."

Zhu Biao finally understood why he had suddenly brought up the "Discourse on Salt and Iron"—this moment was just like that moment back then.

"If it weren't for your reminder, cousin, I'm afraid I would never have figured this out in my entire life."

Ma Yu said smugly, "I'm afraid neither the writers who participated in the meeting nor Fan Kuan, the recorder of the meeting, noticed the trickery involved."

"The good thing is that Fan Kuan recorded everyone's words."

“It has been marked which ones were said by scholars, which ones by literary figures, and which ones by virtuous and learned men.”

"Only then can we glean insights into the schemes of all parties."

Zhu Biao nodded and praised, "But only someone as clear-headed as you, cousin, can glimpse the secrets within."

Ma Yu simply smiled and continued, "Just as the writers of that time were unaware that they were being used by the virtuous and capable."

"The Confucian scholars of today have not realized that the gentry and clans are not actually of one mind with them."

"As long as you can make the Confucian scholars aware of this, it will still have some effect."

Zhu Biao said, "When I get back, I will study the Treatise on Salt and Iron carefully, hoping to find some experience in it."

He did not return to the palace immediately, but instead went to a tea shop with Ma Yu and listened to the opera with everyone for a while before leaving.

Upon returning to the palace, he immediately sought out Zhu Yuanzhang and relayed Ma Yu's words.

Then the father and son went to the Great Benevolence Hall together and found the Salt and Iron Treatise, reading it word by word.

In the end, it turned out that Ma Yu's prediction was indeed correct.

On the surface, it appears that virtuous scholars and gentlemen are uniting against the scholar-officials led by Sang Hongyang, but a closer look reveals otherwise.

Their priorities are truly different.

With Ma Yu's reminder, the more they looked, the more they realized that the virtuous and capable were nothing but a bunch of parasites.

However, they were good at disguising themselves, putting literature on their head, and using the righteous cause of serving the people to blackmail the imperial court.

Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned ashen at first, then he sighed deeply:
"There's nothing new under the sun. I never imagined that the situation the Ming Dynasty is facing today would have happened during the Western Han Dynasty."
-
While Zhu Yuanzhang and his son were studying the Treatise on Salt and Iron, Ma Yu was not idle either.

He, along with Zhu Shuang and others, created a batch of "Never Forget Our Original Aspiration" waist badges and distributed them to all members of the small group.

Everyone who received one was very excited, and looking at their friends around them, they felt completely different.

In the past, people gathered together simply out of interest; now they're all princelings.

We've become a community of shared interests.

Looking back on what Zhu Biao said earlier, it now carries a special meaning.

This matter couldn't be kept secret from anyone, and besides, they never intended to hide it from anyone.

A group of privileged second-generation nobles openly colluded together, calling themselves the "princelings."

That's absolutely outrageous!

What do you mean by treating the emperor this way?
There is no father or son before imperial power; you are simply courting death.

Many people are waiting to see the joke.

However, there are also some people who genuinely do not want a father-son rift to occur in the Ming Dynasty.

He reminded Zhu Biao in various ways not to do this, as the crown prince should be more discreet.

Zhu Biao wrote down the names of all these people and sent them to Zhu Yuanzhang.

Before long, these people were all promoted to more important positions.

Of course, some people also want to take this opportunity to cause trouble.

They dared not directly attack Zhu Biao, so they impeached the small group for forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices, hoping the court would punish them severely.

Zhu Yuanzhang rebuked these people, saying that the fathers and grandfathers of the members of this small group were loyal to him and followed him to conquer the world.

They are loyal to our son and will assist our son in the future; this is called inheritance.

Anyone who mentions this matter again will be dismissed from their post.

This reply shocked everyone.

This is tantamount to the emperor personally acknowledging the existence of the small organization and endorsing it.

The emperor actually supports the crown prince in gathering a large following? Isn't he afraid of a repeat of the Xuanwu Gate Incident?
Many people naturally didn't believe it, thinking that the emperor was only doing this for the sake of face and would definitely find an opportunity to disband the small organization afterward.

However, they soon discovered that things were completely different from what they had imagined.

Instead of cracking down on the clique, the emperor allowed the crown prince to leave the palace every few days to participate in its activities.

Moreover, the fathers and grandfathers of the small group members were not implicated in this matter at all.

Many of them were even promoted.

The courtiers were now bewildered.

Does the emperor really trust the crown prince that much? What happened to the rule that imperial power transcends father-son relationships?

However, many people believe that the emperor was too naive to believe the crown prince.

Just wait, Emperor Gaozu of Tang will soon have companions.

But among the nobles, it was a completely different story.

They used to think, "It's a stupid little organization, we wouldn't bother getting involved."

However, now he regrets it to the core.

If we had known the emperor would be like this, we would have involved our own children long ago.

However, it's not too late to get involved now.

They all instructed their children to find a way to join the small organization.

As a result, the tea and snack shop was immediately overcrowded and unable to serve customers normally.

The original members of the small group were naturally the most excited.

In fact, they were also afraid, fearing that the emperor would punish them.

They're just young people; they often act without considering the consequences.

Everyone else has joined, how can I leave?

I reluctantly asked for the waist tag.

Now it's all turned into honor.

When you go out, hang the sign on your waist, and everyone will look at you with respect.

Her status within her own family has also visibly improved.

The envious glances from other noble sons made them stand tall and proud.

As the saying goes, in the first thirty years, people observe how the father respects the son; in the next thirty years, they observe how the son respects the father.

The status of the sons of noble families was related to their fathers' official positions.

However, they have now broken this pattern to some extent.

Regardless of their parents' status, those with waist badges were considered superior.

(End of this chapter)