Aztec Immortal Chapter One Thousand Four Hundred and Twenty-Nine: Our Ming Dynasty is based on agriculture and mulberry, and sea trade is the source of trouble for the world!
Chapter One Thousand Four Hundred and Twenty-Nine: Our Ming Dynasty is based on agriculture and mulberry, and sea trade is the source of trouble for the world!
"Ah! Fan Tai's words come from the heart of benevolence and righteousness, and are in line with the way of a gentleman... After the students heard it, it was like hearing the morning bells and evening drums of the Buddhist temple, and they suddenly became cheerful... The students must obey the teachings carefully and follow them at all times in the future!..."
Faced with the sudden inquiry from the Chief Envoy Wang Zhe, Shi Wende immediately responded sincerely and expressed his heartfelt admiration. Then, he stood in the courtyard and gave a solemn scholar's salute to Wang Zhe in the study room in the courtyard.
He first stood with his hands clasped, bowed deeply, then raised his hands, pushed his hands from top to bottom, and finally stood up slowly.
"Well!... My mind is quite calm... Sicheng, please come and sit down!..."
The chief envoy Wang Zhe smiled lightly. After receiving this solemn salute, he pointed to the small chair in front of the desk and asked Shi Wende to come and sit down. For him, being in charge of the superiors and subordinates was nothing more than a combination of kindness and power.
Shi Wende first waited for two hours, and then stood for another hour, which was just the most common way of showing power.
With more than thirty years of experience as Chief Minister Wang Zhe, it never takes too long to see a person. With a simple test like this, it is easy to see Shi Wende's character. Those subtle expressions and movements can tell
It reflects whether the other party is in awe, respectful and grateful.
As for the employment logic of the scholar-bureaucrat class, from the perspective of officials at the level of the Chief Envoy Wang Zhe, whether they are Jinshi or Juren, they are officials, not officials. To be an "official" in the Ming Dynasty, most of the official position, ability
In fact, whether you are strong or not is never the first consideration, it is not even important at all!
There are many capable staff in Jiangnan, and they can naturally help officials get things done. Too capable staff members do too much, and sometimes they are a disaster. The first priority for scholar-bureaucrats in selecting officials is to look at "character of mind"
and character", followed by "dealing with people and articles", and finally "experience and experience"...
"Sicheng, I remember that you were the successful candidate in the provincial examination in Renzike, Zhejiang two years ago, right?"
"Yes! Lord Fantai. Two years ago, Master Liu Gong presided over the Zhejiang Provincial Examination. By luck, the student was selected based on his essay and was named Juren..."
"Hmm... Not bad! The Shi family of Chongming is quite famous in the countryside. After three generations of farming and studying, you finally became the first person to be elected. You can be considered as embarking on the right path!..."
"Ah!...Yes...Yes!..."
Hearing these fluttering words from the chief envoy Wang Zhe, Shi Wende was horrified and sweat ran down his back. Being praised as "quite famous" in the Ming Dynasty was not as happy as it was in the Han, Sui and Tang Dynasties.
You must know that the Ming Dynasty was the Ming Dynasty of scholar-bureaucrats and noble families, but it was never a "powerful" Ming Dynasty! For local powerful people who have no protection of fame and no connection with the court, even if they confiscate their homes and wipe out their families, it is just a post from the prefect.
As for a senior official at the level of the Chief Envoy, as long as he says a word today, the Chongming Shi family will not survive tomorrow!
Even if the Shi family in Chongming secretly owns ten large sea trade ships and supports two to three hundred sea merchants. Even if the Shi family is proud of the sea outside Zhejiang, it can make all the famous people in the Western Kingdom admire and make friends, and it can win over the sea masters.
Together, we can rival the navies of small European countries...
They are still just Zhejiang Chief Envoys, snails that can be trampled to death with just one kick! The reason why they are not being stepped on now may be because they are not paying attention, maybe because it is too laborious to lift their feet, maybe because their hands and feet are dirty, and
Or...there is still value in using them!
"Yes...yes! Master Fantai, I, Shi Shi, have always studied the heirlooms and admired the righteous path of the saints... Those rumors in the countryside are all rumors spread by the villagers... I, Shi Shi, will definitely follow the right path from now on and serve the saints' enlightenment.
Contribute!"
"Um…"
The chief envoy Wang Zhe nodded slightly. He showed kindness and power at the same time. Only when the power was enough, could he show a little kindness. He brushed the "Le Van Xi Gongji" on the table and turned the topic back again.
Communication between scholar-officials still requires "context" to speak implicitly and decently. This is especially true for scholars with insufficient connections. If the other party cannot understand, it proves that the background is not enough, or the family education is not enough, and further
Communication doesn’t mean much either…
"Sincerity is the way of heaven; sincerity is the way of man. 'Loyalty' is 'sincerity', which is a kind of 'good virtue'... Sicheng, you have a very good word for it! Who did it for you?"
The word you gave me?…”
"Master Fantai, the name student was given by Ma Tingxuan, the prefect of Ningbo ten years ago..."
"Oh! It's him, Ma Qin and Ma Tingxuan! The top three Jinshis in Bingxu Section in the second year of Chenghua... The Ma family is a prominent family in Chengdu. Ma Qin and his brother Ma Lun were two Jinshis in one subject. They were also the same in the examination hall at that time.
Nice talk!…”
The chief envoy Wang Zhe recalled briefly and roughly connected the relationships between the characters. Ma Qin was a Jinshi from Sichuan and served as the prefect of Ningbo. His local network in Zhejiang should be relatively weak and he needs the help of local local snakes.
In addition, the expenses in Jiangnan have always been relatively high, and he may still lack some etiquette, and it is not easy to intervene in other aspects. This is why he gave a title to a powerful son, and conveniently entrusted the other party's family background...
"Ma Tingxuan is diligent and conscientious. During the few years he served in Ningbo, he also taught farmers and cultivated mulberry trees. He did nothing wrong... Only then can he be promoted and leave... Sicheng, don't let down Ma Tingxuan's expectations and live up to "Sicheng"
Such a good word!…”
Having said this, the chief envoy Wang Zhe looked gentle, picked up the "Le Wen Xi Public Collection" on the table, let Shi Wende, who only sat half of the chair, look at it, and asked in a deep voice.
"Sicheng, do you know the relationship between Duke Li Wenxi and your master, Duke Liu Shiyong?..."
"Students heard that Liu Gong mentioned...that he once studied in Longfeng Academy and served Duke Li as a disciple..."
"That's right! Li Gong and Liu Gong were from the same hometown, and they also studied in the same academy. Although Liu Gong claimed to be his disciple, they were close friends. As for his scientific background, Li Gong was a descendant of Ding Chou Ke in the first year of Tianshun (1457).
Number one scholar, I was a Jinshi in the Gengchen Section in the fourth year of Tianshun, and Mr. Liu was a Jinshi in the Jiashen Section in the Eighth Year of Tianshun... There were only three scientific examinations in the Tianshun year, which can be said to be half the same year!..."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Then, Liu Gong first served as the chief envoy to the left of Zhejiang, and then he was promoted to the right deputy censor, and went to control the water in the Yellow River... I joined politics as the chief envoy of Shaanxi,
Promoted to Zhejiang Right Chief Minister... Liu Gong and I took charge of Zhejiang one after another, and we can be said to be close colleagues!..."
The chief envoy Wang Zhe calmly talked about the connection, and once again, Shi Wende, who was born in a maritime merchant family, revealed a gap in the upper echelons of the officialdom.
It's a pity that Shi Wende was at a loss. He didn't know what these relationships meant, let alone why Wang Zhe told him these old things. He also didn't have the acumen of a political creature to use Liu Daxia's "disciple" in name.
" relationship, using a method approved by the scholar-bureaucrat class, tightly connected to the "cobweb" of the chief envoy Wang Zhe.
"Li Gong was honest throughout his life, and he kept to others. He never advocated vulgarity, nor did he practice any luxury. The way of benevolence and righteousness he taught his master not only made Liu Gong admire him as a disciple, but also became the teacher of today's saints. The year before last, Li Gong passed away.
, there are hundreds of disciples and disciples paying their condolences, most of them are pure and honest gentlemen..."
"And Liu Gong Qingjie is as loyal and upright as Li Gong. He is more daring and capable, which is really admirable and embarrassing! At present, Liu Gong is working tirelessly and not afraid of hardships to go to Henan to dredge and regulate the Yellow River.
If the flood problem can be successfully solved...it will be a model for a generation of famous ministers!..."
The chief envoy Wang Zhe talked for a moment, and when he saw that Shi Wende was in a daze, he secretly shook his head. After all, he was just a young merchant from the sea. No one would guide him, and he would not be able to go far in the officialdom. He would not go around any more.
He turned around, removed his hand from the book, closed the crack in the door left for Shi Wende, and ran directly to the main topic.
"Sicheng, do you know that... when your advisor Liu Gong was young, he served as the chief of the Ministry of War and did something shocking? The whole scholar community admired him and applauded him, and regarded him as the character and leader of young scholars!
…”
"Ah! Students... students... I don't know..."
"Well... this big event happened in the eighth year of Tianshun. Liu Gong had just been admitted as a Jinshi and was appointed as a doctor in the Ministry of War... Yingzong was slandered by the middle official. He wanted to repeat the old story of the three-bao eunuchs and send treasure ships to the West again... So, there was
The lieutenant-general was ordered to go to the Ministry of War to obtain the Western water courses and nautical charts of the Sanbao eunuchs... but Liu Gong took the lead and hid the charts. He was punished for three days without speaking. Later, he even denounced them, completely annihilating the Yingzong.
The thought of sailing to the West!…”
"During the Yongle and Xuande years, the Sanbao eunuchs made seven voyages to the West, spending hundreds of thousands of money and grain, and tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians died! This can be said to be the first bad government in the Yongle and Xuande years! The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Industry had huge deficits, and the craftsmen and civilians could not bear the disturbance. And the huge
Once the treasure fleet is built, the cost of annual maintenance often costs tens of thousands of taels of silver!"
"Not to mention, once the treasure ship goes to sea, the soldiers and civilians rush to the sea, the dead are killed by epidemics, and the bones of barbarians are buried... It is a big violation of the saint's way of benevolence and righteousness, and it makes people cry!"
"But what can a treasure ship bring back when it goes to sea? But pearls, pearls, spices, agates, and maybe gold and silver... The former poisoned the morals of the scholars with extravagance, leading the emperor to indulge in greed and deviate from the teachings of the Master... The latter
It flowed into the inner treasury to support the emperor's extravagance, and even mobilized troops on the frontier and overseas..."
Speaking of this period, the entire Ming dynasty scholar-bureaucrat class has long been convinced of the bad government evaluation of "Zheng He's voyages to the West", and the chief minister Wang Zhe felt a little emotional!
The first six voyages to the West were carried out by Zhu Di, Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty, an "evil king" who usurped the throne of his nephew and violated Confucian benevolence and morality. The scholar-bureaucrats resisted, and many of them were killed by nine tribes and ten tribes. In the end, they had no choice but to do anything. But
Zheng He's seventh voyage to the West was already in the Xuande period, but there was still no benevolent gentleman who could stand up to dissuade him. It is really a sigh that the "bad government" has reappeared!
Fortunately, during the Xuande period, the Nuergandusi, which suffered huge losses every year, was abolished. And the Sanbao eunuchs also died on the coast of Tianzhu in the eighth year of Xuande. When the tenth year of Xuande passed, Ming Xuanzong died, and all these laborious expeditions were in vain.
All useless measures were stopped under the dissuasion of scholar-bureaucrats!
For a while, the power of the Zhongguan, who had made seven voyages to the West, established the Nuergandusi, and sent troops to conquer Annan, was gradually suppressed by the civil service system, and gradually moved away from the formulation of major political policies.
The struggle ended with the victory of the civil service system, completely covering up the invisible bloody storm behind it...
"Sicheng, do you know why Mr. Liu wanted to hide and destroy the Western Sea Map? And why did the entire Shilin community admire Mr. Liu's character and admire his benevolence?"
"Ah! This...student doesn't know, please give me some advice, Master Fantai!"
Shi Wende sweated on his forehead again, and he had already heard the implication of Fantai's words. He suddenly felt doubtful about the purpose of this visit... But the chief envoy Wang Zhe did not give him a chance to think about it. He was full of righteousness and his voice was like
Hong Zhong looked at Shi Wende's face and shouted word by word.
"That's because... our Ming Dynasty has a population of tens of millions and is a big country with an area of thousands of miles! To maintain such a big country and maintain peace in the world, we must focus on educating farmers and mulberry trees and quelling wars! And sea trade is
