My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 82 Acting vigorously and resolutely
For the next few days, Ma Yu stayed home, pondering how to design a system for the Ming Dynasty.

The most important thing before that was to establish a foothold and gain Zhu Yuanzhang's trust.

Then comes the study, since we can't rely solely on the knowledge from our past lives.

Moreover, if you want to change an era, you must understand it to know where to start and how to change it.

He has now gained trust and has been granted permission to participate directly in policy-making.

Naturally, they began to work on this aspect.

Over the course of more than a year, he read through the Four Books and Five Classics, as well as some Buddhist, Taoist, and Mohist texts.

Of course, it was just a superficial reading without any in-depth understanding, but even so, the gains were enormous.

Previously, he only knew that ancient China was ahead of the world for thousands of years, and he took it for granted.

But it's not very clear why they're in the lead.

Of course, he also knew that it was due to cultural superiority, but where exactly is our culture superior?

Can't tell.

I only understood the reason after reading the works of the sages.

It was precisely because I read through the works of the ancient sages that I was able to reflect on the history of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

He then realized even more how great the harm the Manchu Qing dynasty had caused to Chinese civilization.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty did not know how to govern the country and created a bunch of abstract concepts.

Furthermore, the religious transformation of Confucianism has also brought about a series of problems.

However, the strength of Chinese civilization lies in its unparalleled inclusiveness and adaptability.

Although the Ming Dynasty imperial family and Confucianism were abstract, they at least did not stifle new ideas; at most, they simply did not adopt or pay attention to them.

Therefore, the Ming Dynasty still produced many truly great scholars.

Based on the realities of the situation, they deduced many advanced theories.

Especially in the late Ming Dynasty, Huang Zongxi, Gu Yanwu and others put forward the idea of ​​a figurehead monarch.

Unfortunately, all of this was interrupted by the Manchu Qing dynasty.

If even the breeze is illiterate, it cannot be tolerated, let alone progress in thought.

Eliminate them all.

The more Ma Yu understands the thoughts of the ancient sages and the more he understands the excellence of Chinese civilization, the stronger his sense of mission becomes.

Of course, this was just his wild imagination.

There are many ways to solve the problem, and enfeoffment is just one of them.

There are many more solutions.

The simplest solution is to increase productivity.

If I could start industrialization in my lifetime, that would be even better.

However, these are all things for the future. Right now, the most important thing is not to pursue technological advancements, but to straighten out the ideological, cultural, and institutional aspects.

These are the foundations of everything.

Without a solid foundation, it's impossible to build skyscrapers.

There's a saying that goes, "If your thinking is wrong, the harder you try, the more reactionary you become."

He not only wanted to help China avoid some detours, but also wanted to make life a little better for the people.

These two objectives must be pursued simultaneously.

If in the end, ordinary people become cogs in an assembly line, then what's the point of all this?
As a classical empire, there are two core issues.

First, the land and population system.

Secondly, taxes.

In fact, local government offices in ancient times only had two tasks.

First, to bring peace and stability to the people.

Secondly, taxes are levied.

Therefore, Ma Yu also started from these two points to design national policies for the Ming Dynasty.

He also expanded upon the functions of ancient bureaucrats.

We can no longer just collect taxes and govern the people; we also need to be responsible for things related to industry, commerce, and infrastructure.

You should at least have some understanding of these two aspects; you can't be someone who knows nothing.

This also lays the groundwork for revitalizing industry and commerce in the future.

Otherwise, if we only start training talent and assigning new functions to officials when things are about to happen, they won't be able to handle the tasks.

Then, regarding education, Ma Yu also had some thoughts.

We must wrest the right to education back from the Confucian school, and at the same time, we must incorporate mathematics into elementary education.

All students must learn arithmetic.

Future officials must be able to understand mathematics.

Otherwise, there is no way to digitize the country, and without digitization, industrialization will be a detour.

While Ma Yu was busy at home, things were still going on outside.

Zhu Yuanzhang finally began to implement sweeping reforms.

First, under the guise of revising the calendar, they sent Liu Bowen to collect information on climate change throughout history.

The officials found this order rather strange, as this should normally be handled by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

Wu Bingrang of the Imperial Observatory was an expert in astronomy and astrology. What kind of task was it to put Liu Bowen in charge of this?
Zhu Yuanzhang was naturally aware of this, and moreover, the Ming Dynasty did indeed need to reformulate its own calendar.

So, incidentally, Wu Bingrang and his team joined Liu Bowen's team.

The only difference is that the two of them are responsible for different tasks.

Wu Bingrang was the one who actually verified the calendar, while Liu Bowen was only responsible for providing various forms of assistance, such as consulting historical materials.

After gaining power, Liu Bowen immediately issued orders to the Hanlin Academy.

They were instructed to consult all the ancient books in circulation and find all records related to climate change.

He also issued a standard, such as the relationship between the distribution of plants and animals and temperature, and the freezing death of plants in the south.

All such records were copied down.

Although the Hanlin Academy felt he was making a mountain out of a molehill, this was about establishing a calendar, and no one dared to disobey.

Next, Liu Bowen issued orders to the various prefectures and counties.

All records of climate change found in local chronicles, genealogies, and folk books were excerpted and reported to the imperial court.

Not only that, he also posted notices to solicit such information from the public.

His enthusiasm for this matter unsurprisingly aroused the curiosity of the court officials.

After all, everyone knows that Liu Bowen did not want to get involved in court disputes and had always wanted to resign from his official post.

Therefore, they have very low enthusiasm for their work.

This is quite unexpected, as it goes against the norm.

Could it be that he's come to a realization? And wants to earn merit and compete for something?
The Zhejiang faction and the Yuan dynasty's surrendered officials were naturally the happiest, and Liu Bowen was their representative.

If he can cheer up, everyone's lives will be much better.

However, when they contacted Liu Bowen to express their demands, they were refused.

However, this time Liu Bowen did not refuse directly, but said:

"His Majesty is dissatisfied with me because of certain things that happened in the past."

"This revision of the calendar is my best chance to win back the emperor's favor."

"Before the calendar is completed, I should not interfere too much in the court disputes. Please wait until I finish this matter before we talk about it."

Those people had no doubts whatsoever and were easily fooled.

They all said that this was the right thing to do.

How can we let you fight alone? Go back and mobilize your respective resources to help you gather relevant information.

Let the Emperor see our capabilities.

As he watched these people leave, a hint of guilt and reluctance flickered in Liu Bowen's eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

I have done all this for the sake of all the people, and I have a clear conscience. If you are willing to be loyal to the emperor and serve the people in the future, we will be colleagues, and I will make it up to you.

If you are corrupt and lawless, then you are my enemies.

I have even less reason to feel guilty towards people like you.

When Ma Yu heard about this, he was naturally very happy.

Old Liu has finally rediscovered himself.

With him involved, many things become much easier to handle.

In addition to revising the calendar, Zhu Yuanzhang also issued many decrees.

For example, local officials were required to provide detailed reports on the situation in their respective areas.

Population, land, how much wasteland, how much cultivated land.

How much irrigated land is there? How much is in the upper and lower fields? What are the main crops?

In addition, talent was recruited from the general public again.

The criteria for this recruitment were very simple: all one needed was knowledge of mathematics.

This touched a nerve with the Confucian scholars, who submitted memorials in protest.

Their rhetoric is still the same old thing: when employing people, virtue should be the first criterion, and when recruiting talent, moral character should be the primary consideration.

As for how to assess virtue, in addition to the evaluation of local officials, it also depends on the mastery of the teachings of sages.

How can someone who doesn't even understand the teachings of sages be qualified to be an official?
This time, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't indulge them and said directly:
"How can one grasp population and land changes, or understand taxation, without knowledge of mathematics?"

"From now on, newly recruited officials will be given priority in appointment if they are knowledgeable in mathematics."

"Even veteran officials are tested on their mathematical skills. Those who are completely ignorant of mathematics are all dismissed from their posts. They are only reinstated when they have mastered the skills."

This was tantamount to taking their lives, and they all wrote letters of opposition.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang did not give in to them this time.

Confucius advocated the Six Arts, and Zhu Xi also believed that scholars should become gentlemen by learning the Six Arts.

You were poor in the past and didn't have the means to learn the Six Arts.

Now that they're all officials, what's wrong with learning the Six Arts?
Or is it that you don't want to become gentlemen at all, but are just using Confucianism as a stepping stone?
Most of the officials were now too afraid to speak.

However, a small number of people remained unconvinced and kept nagging.

But Zhu Yuanzhang, the number one argumentative man of the Ming Dynasty, was not just a name without substance.

One by one, the arguments were refuted in the imperial court, leaving everyone speechless.

Moreover, he severely punished several stubborn old men to intimidate the court officials.

This tactic worked very well, and no one dared to object anymore.

However, just as those civil officials were worrying about how to get through this, Zhu Yuanzhang changed the subject:
"The Ming Dynasty is newly established and needs to be rebuilt in many ways. We need talent everywhere, so we can't set the standards too high."

"Five years later, when officials are recruited, they must be tested on mathematics."

"You must also learn mathematics. Five years from now, anyone who does not understand mathematics will be demoted."

The courtiers finally breathed a sigh of relief; five years would have been enough.

But then someone raised another question: what are the evaluation criteria?
If we use the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art as the standard, most people probably wouldn't pass the exam.

The ministers were startled again. Although they had not studied mathematics, they knew that mathematical works such as the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art were very profound.

It's not something you can learn easily.

Zhu Yuanzhang had clearly considered this issue long ago. He turned his gaze to Song Lian and said:
"Song Qing, what do you think of the mathematics book compiled by Ma Yu? Do you think it could become the standard?"

The courtiers were in an uproar over the textbook compiled by Ma Yu.

They naturally knew that Ma Yu was no ordinary man. Song Lian had praised Ma Yu highly in public, and the emperor had even sent his second prince to be taught by him.

Moreover, the mathematics textbooks he compiled are also being updated and studied simultaneously by Dabentang.

Even the Imperial College was spreading the word in private.

Many people who follow him have done their research.

Most people know that he is very knowledgeable in mathematics.

Using his textbooks as a standard for evaluating officials is still too shocking.

After all, how old is he?

Song Lian had naturally studied Ma's mathematics as well.

It's very simple and easy to understand; even ordinary people can learn it.

It is very suitable to use it as teaching material and assessment standard, but he also has doubts.

"Young Master Ma's mathematical interpretations are naturally extremely brilliant, but they are not yet fully compiled."

"If the subsequent steps are too profound, I'm afraid even the ministers will find it difficult to learn them."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "This matter is simple. Go and discuss it with Ma Yu to determine the difficulty."

Song Lian naturally had no objections and took on the task.

He also wanted to take this opportunity to have another conversation with Ma Yu.

It's such a pity that such a talented person went astray.

At this moment, two officials standing at the back of the crowd exchanged a glance and simultaneously stepped forward, saying:
"Your Majesty, I have some knowledge of mathematics and may be of some use. I humbly request to accompany you to visit Young Master Ma."

Seeing these two, Zhu Yuanzhang was both amused and exasperated.

They were all mathematics teachers from the Great Hall, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were the pinnacles of mathematics in the Ming Dynasty.

If they only have a rudimentary understanding, then nobody understands mathematics.

He could naturally guess what the two were thinking, and took the opportunity to see Ma Yu.

Speaking of which, the two people were the most excited after Ma Yu's mathematics textbook was introduced to Dabentang, and they wanted to visit him several times.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang was still investigating Ma Yu's background and did not want him to have too much contact with officials, so he refused.

The two never mentioned it again after that.

But he had been collecting relevant information in private, and when he learned that Ma Yu was teaching mathematics in a small organization...

They immediately sent their own children there.

However, neither of them kept their knowledge to themselves; they secretly passed on the new knowledge they learned to the students in the Imperial Academy's mathematics class.

Why was it sent privately?

Because the textbooks used at the Imperial College were prescribed by the imperial court and could not be changed arbitrarily.

For this reason, some people impeached the two.

However, this was the mathematics textbook used by the Imperial Academy, and since Zhu Yuanzhang turned a blind eye, the matter was considered closed.

The two had never given up on the idea of ​​visiting Ma Yu, and naturally they were unwilling to miss this opportunity.

Moreover, the imperial court's standards for mathematics assessments were indeed inseparable from these two individuals.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang did not refuse this time and approved their request.

The two were overjoyed and kept expressing their gratitude.

Although Ma Yu was in seclusion, he kept abreast of the situation outside through Zhu Shuang.

He learned what had happened in the imperial court that noon.

Even though he had a prejudice against Zhu Yuanzhang, he couldn't help but applaud this move.

The arithmetic problem was solved with ease.

He understood these scholars too well; as long as mathematics was made a compulsory subject, they would study it no matter how difficult it was.

Next, it would be a logical step to include mathematics in the compulsory curriculum for elementary school students.

As for the evaluation criteria for officials, he had actually had ideas for a long time.

It doesn't need to be very advanced; a math level equivalent to the first year of junior high school in your previous life will suffice.

Of course, if one wanted to become a statistician, one had to systematically learn more advanced mathematical knowledge.

You also need to take the math exam.

But let's start with the basics and get the first-year junior high math down first.

Song Lian and his group didn't dawdle and came to visit that very afternoon.

(End of this chapter)