When Emperor Chongzhen heard Wen Tiren's explanation, he was a little surprised. This kind of medicinal material seems to be relatively common. Is it because it can avoid obstruction qi? By the way, it must be for this reason. In barbarian overseas lands, it is inevitable to have obstruction qi.
But he thought wrongly, and saw Zhong Jinwei shaking his head, and said to Wen Tiren: "Mr. Wen, tobacco is a medicinal material, but more importantly, it has a nerve-stimulating effect. In other words, it can
Refreshing."
When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he laughed and interjected: "Master Zhong, isn't this great? I sometimes get a little sleepy late at night and can't finish reviewing the memorials. I will try to use this tobacco to refresh myself the next day."
When Zhong Jinwei heard this, he quickly stretched out his hand and shook it wildly. He said to Emperor Chongzhen in a slightly anxious tone: "Your Majesty, you must not do it. I haven't finished speaking yet. This thing is harmful to your health. Don't try it."
When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he immediately stopped smiling. It turned out that tobacco is harmful to the body. He quickly asked: "Master Zhong, what harm does tobacco do to the body?"
Wen Tiren felt strange after hearing this. He seemed to have never heard that tobacco was harmful to the body. When he saw those who smoked tobacco, they seemed to be as healthy as ordinary people.
Zhong Jinwei's face was serious and he said solemnly: "Your Majesty, tobacco contains something called nicotine, which is highly poisonous. However, if a person smokes the smoke by burning tobacco, he will only inhale a small part, so on the surface it seems
It does not harm the body, but it will leave toxins in the body and damage people's lungs. If you smoke too much, the lungs will become pathologically pathological, leading to death from various diseases."
After hearing this, Wen Tiren frowned and said, "Marquis Zhongxing, do you think this tobacco is a chronic poison?"
"Yes, it is actually a chronic poison that takes a very long time to show its harm." Zhong Jinwei turned to Wen Tiren and answered seriously.
"What Master Zhong means is that those who grow tobacco are confused by the appearance of tobacco and do not know the harm of tobacco. In this case, I will directly express its harm and ban it." Emperor Chongzhen said naturally.
.
Zhong Jinwei also had this idea at the beginning, which was to directly order a ban on planting. But later he thought that even if the Ming Dynasty did not plant it, other countries in the world would still plant it, and it would eventually become popular. Therefore, it is better to block it than to open it up.
So, when he heard what Emperor Chongzhen said, he still shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, the most terrifying thing about tobacco is not that it is a chronic poison that is not discovered by others."
Emperor Chongzhen heard that Zhong Jinwei was very concerned about this tobacco. The more he described it, the more powerful it seemed, so he listened carefully to his explanation.
"Chen just said that smoking tobacco can excite people's nerves. In other words, it can make people feel happy. There is a saying in Chen's hometown that a cigarette after a meal is better than a living god. This shows the attraction of cigarettes to people.
How powerful it is. In my hometown, although everyone knows that smoking is harmful to health, they still smoke when they should, and few people can make up their minds to quit."
Zhong Jinwei's words made both Emperor Chongzhen and Wen Tiren feel incredible. They knew clearly that it was harmful to the body, but they still dared to smoke it. How powerful is this tobacco?
So Emperor Chongzhen asked this question and asked Zhong Jinwei to explain.
"Your Majesty, don't underestimate tobacco. It excites people and relieves stress. After you smoke too much, you will feel unspeakably uncomfortable if you don't smoke for a day. If you don't want to stop smoking, you need a lot of perseverance. Similar to
This kind of thing is called a drug in Chen's hometown. In other words, tobacco is a kind of drug, but it is the lowest-level drug."
Zhong Jinwei classified tobacco as a drug without hesitation, which was related to the fact that he did not smoke.
"Master Zhong, are you saying there are other more powerful drugs?" Emperor Chongzhen asked with concern after hearing this.
The topic Zhong Jinwei was talking about now was beyond the knowledge of the erudite Wen Tiren. Therefore, he listened carefully to Zhong Jinwei's explanation and did not interrupt to explain for Zhong Jinwei.
Zhong Jinwei nodded solemnly and said: "Yes, Your Majesty. The harm to the human body can be seen soon after taking other drugs, but they make people more addictive. Although it is banned all over the world, some people still secretly cultivate and sell it. Even in a few years
A hundred years later, Westerners imported one of these drugs to the Manchus to steal money and poison people's bodies."
When Zhong Jinwei said this, he felt that the topic was a bit far-fetched, so he added: "Your Majesty, now that the Ming Dynasty has tobacco, it has advantages and disadvantages. As long as it is managed well, it can still bring benefits."
When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he took back his thoughts that he had just dispersed, looked at Zhong Jinwei and said: "Master Zhong, didn't you say that it was a supplement to the feudal overseas affairs? Is this what you meant?"
Zhong Jinwei nodded and said: "Yes. The imperial court must control this tobacco, and it must be in the hands of the imperial court. The same is true in the minister's hometown. Tobacco is a national monopoly. On the one hand, the scale of tobacco can be controlled; on the other hand, the profits of tobacco are huge.
Compared to salt and iron, it is not inferior at all."
Unexpectedly, Emperor Chongzhen frowned after hearing this and said a bit reproachfully: "Master Zhong, since this tobacco is harmful to the body, why does the imperial court have to monopolize it? Can't it be banned?"
Wen Tiren also nodded and agreed with Emperor Chongzhen's opinion: "Since this thing is harmful, it should be banned."
Zhong Jinwei shook his head and sighed. The great men of later generations all smoked more fiercely than the last. How could this thing be banned?
He first glanced at Wen Tiren, and then said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, I have already said that tobacco is poisonous and difficult to get rid of. Even if the Ming Dynasty made great efforts to ban the cultivation of tobacco in the Ming Dynasty, what about the surrounding countries?
, and what about the Westerners? Can they listen to the Ming Dynasty and ban it together? If not, it will eventually spread, and the huge profits contained in this tobacco will actually benefit others!"
Emperor Chongzhen was a little hesitant after hearing this. He knew clearly that harmful things were not banned, but it would not be harmful to the health of the people of the Ming Dynasty. But what Master Zhong said was not unreasonable. He was not the master of all countries.
Let all countries ban tobacco cultivation.
"Marquis Zhongxing, just tell me how to deal with tobacco." Wen Tiren knew that Zhong Jinwei had an idea, so he directly asked him to tell him.
When Zhong Jinwei heard this, he smiled at Wen Tiren and said, "Master Wen, don't be impatient for now. I'll talk about the dangers and then I can tell you how to deal with it."
When Emperor Chongzhen and Wen Tiren heard that there was still danger, they both looked at Zhong Jinwei and waited for him to explain.
"For example, in Shaanxi, because of the apparent benefits of tobacco and its huge profits, tobacco is widely planted in Hanzhong areas, occupying a large amount of fertile land. So much so that when natural disasters continue, instead of growing food, tobacco is grown, resulting in food shortages.
If there is less, the price will be higher, which will ultimately hurt the people. As far as Shaanxi is concerned, the famine in northern Shaanxi is more or less related to the widespread cultivation of tobacco in central and southern Shaanxi."
When Emperor Chongzhen and Wen Tiren heard what Zhong Jinwei said, they understood what the harm Zhong Jinwei was talking about. For them at this time, they paid more attention to this. Without food, the people had nothing to eat, and they would either starve to death or take risks.
The rule of the dynasty was very unfavorable.
The most important thing is that this kind of tobacco is not a necessity for the people. On the contrary, it is a kind of drug. The court will never allow it to occupy fertile farmland in this way.
Wen Tiren looked at Zhong Jinwei and said, "Marquis Zhongxing, what should we do next?"