First Minister of Ming Dynasty

Mrs. Ma sneered, "What's wrong? When you divide the fields, women also get a share...I heard that in many places in recent years, women have gone to the fields to farm, and they are almost the same as men. Women With Tian Mu, I also want to study, I want to make progress, and I also want to test for fame! Don’t steal, grab or rely on charity, rely on your own ability, and get the fame through the test. Aspiration, don't you want to recreate China? Don't you want to rule the world and surpass the Ming emperors of all dynasties? Don't you want to be the emperor of men, not the emperor of women?"

Lao Zhu was dumbfounded by Ma Shi's question. When it comes to sharp words, he is really not as good as Ma Shi.

Seeing that her husband was questioned, Ma Shi took advantage of the victory to pursue her again. She turned around and brought two large pancakes, which she placed in front of Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Try it, what's the difference between these two cakes?"

Old Zhu smiled wryly, "Sister, these are all the same food, what difference can there be?"

"Why not? This one was sent by the male food chief, and the other was sent by the female food chief!" Mashi said bluntly: "Tell me, if you can't make sense, then ask Let women take the test!"

Facing Mrs. Ma's questioning, Lao Zhu suddenly felt a little stunned, he was shaken... That's right, Madam's words are so reasonable!

If a woman is really capable and can do things well, and I want to recruit talents from all over the world, no one says that there are no talents among women!

At least his wife is the leader of the female middle school!

The more Lao Zhu thought about it, the more reasonable it became, and he actually figured it out by himself.

Only then did the academy order that Jiang Nan be required to take the imperial examination.

With the end of the exam, Jiang Nan was the first to hand in the paper, and her exam paper was sealed and sent directly to Lao Zhu...Zhu Yuanzhang, Mrs. Ma, including Zhang Ximeng and Li Shanchang, were all called to review the paper. A paper.

After unfolding, the eyes were full of delicate handwriting, Ma Shi couldn't help nodding, "Okay!"

The others just looked solemnly, and browsed the paper from the beginning. After reading it, everyone stopped talking, and Li Shanchang even sighed secretly.

Jiang Nan's answer to this paper is quite good... Needless to say, the famous poems in the first part, the calculations in the middle are all correct, and the last article is about how to store food. She also wrote a detailed analysis and a clear point of view .

After seeing it, Mrs. Ma was overjoyed. Who said women are inferior to men?The test paper is here, let's see what you say?

"Zhang Xiang, here, this exam, why is there no classics and meanings?" Li Shanchang held back for a long time, finally found the question, and asked impatiently.

Many people may think that the Ming Dynasty is the beginning of stereotyped writing, and even think that stereotyped writing is a heinous crime... But in fact, stereotyped writing appeared in the Yuan Dynasty.

At first, the questions of the imperial examination were only limited to the four books, requiring honesty and elucidation of the scriptures, and then the style and format were limited.The so-called stereotyped essay is nothing more than eight neat parallel sentences.

Li Shanchang questioned Zhang Ximeng about this matter.

"Li Xiang, this is an exam for grain chiefs, not an ordinary imperial examination... the content of the assessment is limited to practical affairs and policy theory, which is reasonable. If you test some classics and righteous articles, it will make things difficult for these grain chiefs. Does Li Xiang think so? ?”

Li Shanchang rolled his eyes angrily, of course he knew that the scriptures were inappropriate, but the problem was that a woman got mixed up in this exam, no matter what, he had to keep her out of the officialdom.

The first reason was resolved by Zhang Ximeng.

Zhu Yuanzhang even said directly: "Don't get entangled in the Confucian classics and righteousness. Mr. Zhang discussed with you earlier. After the fall of the Song Dynasty, the way for Confucian scholars and bureaucrats has died. Four Letters? Mr. Li, you are making things difficult on purpose, it is very inappropriate!"

Li Shanchang had no choice but to plead guilty.

But his mind turned quickly, thinking of a way to deal with it.

Old Zhu seemed to think of something, "Mr. Li, I remember you said that if you want to give a big reward to the head of grain, at least the rank of servant, I remember right?"

Li Shanchang's forehead was sweating, "Indeed, I did say so."

This is called shooting one's own foot with a stone, digging a hole and burying one's own... Li Shanchang wanted to expand his power, but such a woman came out and disrupted everything.

When a woman is an official, it affects all aspects of things, from home to country, and there will be violent conflicts. No matter what, Li Shanchang is unwilling to see drastic changes.

Must block!

But the problem is that I have said it before, even if I want to break my promise and get fat, Zhu Yuanzhang will not agree.He thought over and over again, and suddenly came up with an idea, and he was sure of it all at once.

"Mr. Li, let's appoint a maidservant now, what do you think?"

"The minister agrees with the arrangement of the superior."

"Agreed?" Old Zhu was taken aback. Could it be that he heard it wrong?

"Mr. Li, are you really willing to serve as a courtier with women like you?" Old Zhu asked again.

"Yes!" Li Shanchang agreed more simply.

Old Zhu paused, then simply said: "Since that's the case, is there a vacancy in the sixth department? Let this Jiang Nan go to the official department?"

Li Shanchang immediately said: "Superior, the Ministry of Officials is in charge of the appointment and dismissal of officials. Jiang Nan is not only a female generation, but also too young, and doesn't understand all kinds of situations. I am afraid that he will not be able to know who is good and who is good, and get what he deserves."

Lao Zhu nodded subconsciously, "Well, how about the Ministry of Rites?"

"Impossible." Li Shan said: "The superior, the Ministry of Rituals is in charge of the important matters of sacrifice, and women are not even allowed to participate in the worship of ancestors at home. How can they be the great uncle and manage the major matters of rituals and laws in a country?"

Lao Zhu frowned slightly, "Then, where is the Ministry of War?"

"That's even worse. The Ministry of War is in charge of military affairs. How can a woman be involved?"

"Department of punishment?"

Li Shanchang still shook his head, "Superior, the Ministry of Punishment has to deal with all kinds of villains, and the law must be strictly enforced, beheaded and exiled at every turn, and it would be unreasonable for women to be responsible."

Lao Zhu frowned more and more, "How about the Ministry of Industry?"

Li Shanchang shook his head even more, "Superior, the Ministry of Industry is in charge of major projects, not just sitting in the yamen, but also going to the local area to investigate, which is very hard. Otherwise, you can ask Mrs. Jia, can the generation of women take it?"

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed angrily, "Then the household department is left!"

Li Shanchang pondered for a while, but still shook his head, "Superior, the household department is in charge of a country's money, grain and household registration. It is the most important responsibility, and it is also responsible for military supplies, food and grass, and it cannot be sloppy. Women are immature and not thoughtful. Let them manage the household department. I'm afraid it will miss the opportunity."

A total of six volumes were rejected.

Zhu Yuanzhang also seemed to have noticed Li Shanchang's intentions, he chuckled and said, "So, the Metropolitan Procuratorate is the only choice?"

Li Shanchang hesitated for a moment, then shook his head again, "Superior, the supervisory officials of the Metropolitan Procuratorate need to be thoughtful and unselfish...More of!"

With the six ministries and the Metropolitan Procuratorate, all the doors are closed.

"Mr. Li, you said that you would give high positions to those who passed the exam to inspire people. That's what you said. Did you forget?"

Li Shanchang wondered: "Superior, this, this Sun Nan is a woman!"

Mrs. Ma suddenly said quietly: "Woman? Isn't a woman's heart important?"

Li Shanchang gritted his teeth, and could only bite the bullet and said: "Women are really not suitable to be officials, no government office will let them in...the superiors, it is unavoidable that people's hearts are fluctuating, I dare to beg the superiors, take it back!"

Zhu Yuanzhang kept a dark face and said nothing. He had an intuition that he was right. Giving a talented woman a chance would surely reap a lot.But let Li Shanchang say that there is no place for a woman, it is really strange.

Old Zhu is also helpless...

2 Thirty Chapters Beat Lao Li

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhang Ximeng habitually, but he found that Zhang Ximeng lowered his head and seemed to have no intention of speaking.Lao Zhu is also a little depressed, is it possible that we are really going to break our promise?

He also felt the difficulty of this matter. The opposition to letting a woman be an official was too great. Behind Li Shanchang, almost all the civil and military officials stood. How can such a precedent be set?

If it is replaced with a weaker one, it is estimated that it will be given up.

But unfortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang is not this kind of person.

He desperately needs a female officer to set an example for the world.

In Zhu Jiajun's case, the people have been reduced to ordinary people. Whether they are Han people, Mongols, or Miao people, they are all ordinary people and should be treated equally.

This kind of ideal can be easily deduced one step forward. It is the same regardless of men and women. In this way, women who account for half of the population will also support Zhu Jiajun.

Men farming and women weaving, a family, men think Zhu Jiajun's policies are very good, women think it doesn't matter, it has been like this from ancient times to the present, is this reasonable?

"You go to discuss again, we have to see the proper way!"

After Lao Zhu finished speaking, he let everyone go down. Madam Ma was so angry that he shook his sleeves and left before Zhu Yuanzhang.You set the rules, people delivered the food early according to the rules, and passed the exam smoothly, but the result was so good that they swallowed back what they said. .

What is this?

Mrs. Ma was really angry. That night, Lao Zhu couldn't enter the door in a daze.

Here Li Shanchang also felt that Mount Tai was overwhelmed. If he insisted on going down, it would be difficult for his wife to explain, and Zhu Yuanzhang would also vent his anger on him, and the consequences would be disastrous.

After thinking about it for a long time, Li Shan came to Zhang Ximeng's room.

He found that Zhang Ximeng was sorting out official documents, and Lao Li took the initiative to come over with a smile on his face, "Mr. Zhang, the superior asked us to discuss a proper solution. Look, I've come up with an idea. Let's take a look at it?"

Zhang Ximeng laughed quickly and said, "President Li, you're being polite, I'm all ears."

Li Shanchang pondered for a while, and then said: "I thought about it, Jiang Nan is delivering food on behalf of his brother. He is filial at home and loyal to the country. She can be called a strange woman in the world. Hua Mulan is reborn. She should be rewarded heavily and ordered to build a memorial archway in her hometown. , set up a stele to set up a biography, and then there is a reward crown, and if you want to go to the place, treat it as a servant... In this way, it will not be considered a breach of trust by the superior, how about Zhang Xiangyi?"

After listening to Li Shanchang's words, Zhang Ximeng smiled slightly, "Li Xiang is really clever and considerate. Logically speaking, I can't object. But I also have a little situation here. I also ask Li Xiang for advice."

Li Shanchang frowned slightly, and said: "Please tell me, Mr. Zhang!"

Zhang Ximeng took out two lists at random, "These are statistics from the Ministry of Household Affairs. There are more than 33 households in Yingtian Mansion, more than 29 households, and more than [-] women who got land. On average, each household is almost There are seven people, more than forty-five percent are land-owning women."

After Zhang Ximeng finished speaking, he picked up another official document, "This was handed over to me by Sun Yan. According to his interviews with the people below, more than half of the farm work in the countryside is done by women. In some places in Huaixi, This ratio is even higher!"

Li Shanchang frowned, took the two official documents in his hand, looked at them again and again, "Zhang Xiang, is this result true? Men farm and women weave. It has always been men who farm outside and women who take care of the housework. How can it become a burden for women now?" Most of the farm work? Could it be a mistake?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled faintly, "Li Xiang, men farming and women weaving have existed since ancient times, but there is another sentence that Li Xiang must not know."

"What?"

"Intensive farming!" Zhang Ximeng said with a smile. In fact, after careful study of farming in the countryside, in addition to driving cattle and horses to plow the fields, women are involved in all the work, whether it is sowing, transplanting, weeding, harvesting, and finally threshing and returning to the warehouse. Do better than men.

It is true that there is a difference in physical strength between men and women, but it is by no means insurmountable.

Some healthy women can even drive cattle and horses, and work in the fields.

Men farming and women weaving does not mean that women don't have to take care of farm work, but just concentrate on weaving.

Of course, if the land is tight, the population is multiplying, and men are everywhere, naturally there is no need for women to go to the land.But women can't be idle, but they have to keep weaving and working at home, and take the woven homespun cloth to the market for money to supplement the family.

Some handy women can earn several times as much as their husbands every year!

Since women are so capable and can earn so much, why do men still have the final say?

This involves thousands of years of agricultural tradition, because under natural economic conditions, food is greater than money!Safety is more important than profit!

People in later generations may not be able to understand these words, but just ask Lao Zhu, and he will be clear about it.

How did Zhu Yuanzhang's family go bankrupt?

Natural disasters, plague, lack of food, parents starved to death, elder brother starved to death, the family was ruined, unable to maintain, he and his second brother had to part ways, one became a son-in-law, and the other became a monk.

For ordinary farmers like the Zhu family, money cannot help them resist risks, or when a natural disaster strikes, food is worth more than gold!

Why are the common people unwilling to change rice into mulberry?Why is it a dead move from the beginning!

Putting aside all calculations, you let the common people plant mulberry trees instead, but once natural disasters come, raw silk cannot fill their stomachs, and mulberry trees cannot be exchanged for food.

The imperial court and the common people calculate how much more money they can earn, and the common people have to calculate how to survive.

For thousands of years, the simple and down-to-earth living experience has shaped the common people into the most conservative, stubborn and resistant to change... Are they wrong?

It seems that there is no such thing!

After all, for thousands of years, the common people have almost never had enough to eat...

Men, land, food.

These three constitute the core of the natural economy.

Allocating land according to men, relying on the land to produce food, and food to resist all risks... These three have achieved a perfect closed loop.Then women are the accompanying products attached to it. The so-called three obediences and four virtues come from this.

Again, there is really nothing that is evil from the beginning, it's just a matter of necessity, forced by survival.

To put it bluntly, if Zhang Ximeng was in any peaceful year, he would not think about these things.

reform?

Don't be funny, how capable are you if you want to fight thousands of years of tradition?

Don't look down on people like Wang Anshi and Zhang Juzheng, they are not lacking in IQ, but they are doing something doomed to fail.

You have the ability to modify the Green Crop Law and the One Whip Law properly, don't worry, as long as the order is implemented, it will definitely not come as you imagined.

A strong historical inertia will bring everything back to its original shape... Unless there is a force that completely smashes the historical inertia, then there is a little possibility.

"Li Xiang, in these years of natural disasters and wars, the people have been displaced, the population has dropped sharply, and the arable land has been barren... In order to grow our power as soon as possible and gain the support of the people, we gave land to women when we granted land. This was at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty. It's the same, and this is how the status of women in the Tang Dynasty was improved and the atmosphere was civilized. We did it more thoroughly than the Tang Dynasty, and achieved complete equality on the land."

"Following this, schools were set up everywhere, and women also went to school to increase their knowledge. They are no longer vassals of the family, but also the masters of the family... Following this trend, women will not only come out to be officials, they will also Going to work as a female worker in a workshop, and going back to do business, there will even be many female teachers and educators, this is the general trend, and we can only make the best use of the situation and push the boat forward.”

Zhang Ximeng explained the truth to Li Shanchang through two official documents.

Old Li's expression was serious, his heart was depressed, his hands were thrust together irritably, frustrating aimlessly... Maybe this matter was a mistake from the beginning!

"Zhang Xiang, you, why are you obsessed with this!"

Zhang Ximeng smiled helplessly, "Li Xiang, don't you understand? If the superior wants to compete for supremacy in the world, he can't refuse any way to improve his strength! Especially if women account for half of the population, it's impossible! You are a wife Why do you have to stand up? She is just speaking for women? Not for the great cause of the lord?"

"Li Xiang, this is a major change unseen in a thousand years. Men farm and women weave, three obediences and four virtues, freezing to death is a small matter, and injustice is a big matter... These things should have disappeared with the fall of Zhao Song. What we need is to re-establish the rules and regulations. , laying down the rules for thousands of years to come. Li Xiang, are you still hesitating even now?"