"When will anyone who resists the Holy Edict be pitied?"
“What sin does he commit if he follows the edict?”
These two sentences immediately determined the nature of the incident, and Shaoxing and Xiaoshan had to follow suit.
The inspectors and governors of Zhejiang were reprimanded, "Treat the people harshly, protect the evil gentry, and never understand the emperor's love for the people!"
Who can bear this pot?
Therefore, Qin Heng and others who smashed their homes and broke their contracts were exempted from sin because they obeyed the imperial edict.
As for the Tian family, which was the source of the disaster, they not only demanded compensation for their injuries, but also had to be forced to stay out of office for three generations and take part in the imperial examination.
For a family, if there is no fame in two generations, it will be considered as withered, and in three generations, it will be lost to everyone.
The communiqué even took this incident as an example and published an article "Descendants No More Mourning", describing the cruelty of the evil gentry. It even caused a fire in the world because of the sentence: The evil gentry is fiercer than a tiger, and then went to Dong Qichang's funeral.
This type of editorial article is straightforward, well-founded, and cites scriptures. When you hear it suddenly, you don't know how serious it is.
Many ordinary tenant farmers in the south of the Yangtze River were literate. As soon as this article was published, it was simple and easy to understand. It also added an explanation of the double reduction policy and caused thousands of waves.
For the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River, they were simply frightened and uneasy.
It turned out that this incident reminded them of the slave rebellion that had lasted for twenty or thirty years since the end of Wanli.
As early as before the Ming Dynasty, there was a group of people with a lower status than common people in society. Before the Tang Dynasty, they were called Zang Huo, during the Yuan Dynasty, they were called Hukou, and during the Ming Dynasty, they were called untouchables.
Most of this group of people come from prisoners of war, civilians, and family members of criminals plundered during the war. Their descendants have been slaves for generations and are subordinate to their masters.
Scholars, peasants, industrialists, and merchants could all take part in the imperial examinations, but untouchables like this could not, and had to work in prostitution and other despicable occupations for generations.
The Ming Code clearly stipulates that the slave system is recognized and protected, but it does not allow the purchase and sale of good people as slaves. Slaves are restricted to officials and nobles. Ordinary people who own slaves will be fined and confiscated as slaves.
Unfortunately, later on, especially during the Jiajing period, the Ming law was almost reduced to useless paper.
Therefore, after the middle and late Ming Dynasty, it would be an exaggeration to say that the Ming Dynasty at that time was the largest purchasing country of black slaves in Asia.
The black slaves here refer to the dwarf black people in Southeast Asia.
Due to the Portuguese colonization of Southeast Asia and the commercial trade with the Ming Empire, a large number of dwarf black people from the indigenous Southeast Asian regions were captured by the Portuguese and eventually sold in large quantities as commodities to the Ming Dynasty.
The wealthy gentry bought black slaves mainly to guard their homes and courtyards. Of course, many generals also liked to buy a large number of black slaves as servants to intimidate their enemies.
For example, Peng Xingu, a Ming general who fought in the Korean War, was recorded in Korean history books as having black slave soldiers in his army who dived into the water to build ships.
In the late Jiajing period, a large number of farmers in the Jiangnan area went bankrupt and were forced to sell themselves into slavery. As a result, the Jiangnan gentry had thousands of servants and luxury became common.
In addition, the laws of the imperial court were abolished, many talented people ignored the laws, and were exempted from taxes unlimitedly. Therefore, the trend of donation became popular, and everyone would rather be a slave than become a citizen and suffer exploitation.
So much so that every scholar's home has several families of servants.
In other words, it is a feudal society, and slaves have no human rights.
The law of the Tang Dynasty stipulates: "The law of a slave and a bitch is better than that of an animal."
According to the Song Dynasty, anyone who kills without guilt will be sentenced to one year in prison.
According to the law of the Ming Dynasty, if a slave is killed for no reason, he will fight for seventy years and only last for one and a half years.
Qing Law and Ming Law are the same.
The slaves were simply allowed to be beaten and killed.
Wherever there is oppression, there is resistance. In places such as Yongxin, Jiangxi, slaves tied up their masters to "fight Sochi", asking "Why do you call me a slave?"
And make peace!" slogan.
The famous Xu Xiake family also encountered an unprecedented disaster. Xu Xiake's eldest son Xu Qi and more than 20 people were killed by slaves. His wife Miao and her two sons Xu Jianji and Xu Jianshu escaped by chance.
The famous Dong Qichang, who had amassed many years of wealth, was burned down due to the slave rebellion and was forced to live on a sandbank.
The Lai family in Dream of Red Mansions is actually a true portrayal of the Jiangnan slaves who subvert the master's family by kicking their noses and faces.
After all, men are officials outside, and the people in charge are women and children. Isn’t it easy for a slave to bully his master?
During the Shunzhi and Kangxi years of the early Qing Dynasty, as soon as the war subsided, the slave rebellion intensified. In order to quell the public resentment, Yongzheng had to exempt most of the untouchables.
If he doesn't do this, the Jiangnan region, which is a heavily taxed area, will definitely not be stable.
Therefore, the first thing Zhu Yixi did when he ascended the throne was to exempt untouchables and change the household registrations of military, craftsman, slave, prostitute, etc., regardless of high or low, to civilian registration.
In other words, the slaves are among them.
People who sold themselves into slavery could also take part in the imperial examination and have their own surname and property.
This greatly quelled public dissatisfaction.
But this did not fundamentally solve the problem of slavery in the Jiangnan area.
The imperial court gave slaves household registration, but did not let them get rid of their status as slaves.
And if the imperial court directly exempts all slaves, it will offend nearly 90% of the rich people in the world.
After all, anyone who has some money will buy a slave to serve them, and those who are hired cannot be trusted.
Moreover, these freed slaves are like the black slaves after the Civil War. Most of them have no jobs, money, or skills. They are impoverished after they come out, and their lives are not as good as those of slaves.
On the contrary, the imperial court was no longer human inside and out.
"I regard all people as one. Although my slaves are humble, they are still my subjects. How can I not save them?"
The emperor was quite angry.
He admitted that the cabinet's explanation made sense, but he still felt a little uncomfortable.
As a time traveler, although it is impossible for everyone to be equal, Zhu Yixi wants to make the entire Ming Dynasty equal to everyone below me.
In a sense, isn't this also the case that everyone is equal?
Hey, how is this the same as the Qing Dynasty's slavery?
As long as all subjects are slaves, there will be no slaves in the world.
No, I don’t want slaves, I just want the world to be civilians.
"Your Majesty, as long as those who are slaves are either coveting small profits and surrendering, or they are dying of poverty and become slaves, there will never be anyone who lives a happy life and is willing to be a slave."
Lu Daqi's temper was as straight as ever: "Since they voluntarily become slaves, why should the court interfere?"
These words choked the emperor speechless. He couldn't just blurt out that everyone is equal, right?
"If Your Majesty shows mercy, you may redeem me." Zhang Shenyan said softly.
"It can be redeemed in the first place, why do you want the court to say it again?" Zhu Yixi was speechless.
"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue does not have much money." Zhao Shu saw that the emperor's eyes were wrong and said quickly: "The budget for the new year has been set, but we cannot allocate any more."
"Besides, there are tens of millions of slaves in the world, and the Ministry of Household Affairs doesn't have that much money."
"In my humble opinion, we only need to abide by the laws of the Ming Dynasty." Yan Chongxin bowed and said, "Those who are not officials, have high honors and keep slaves will be confiscated and become slaves."
Zhu Yixi rolled her eyes directly.
If you do this, it will be impossible to execute at all.
Almost all wealthy people would object.
The famous fake time traveler Wang Mang made his son pay for his life because he beat a slave to death. His reputation for selflessness shocked the world.
But you want him to spread it throughout the world?
He simply can't last for ten years, and he can be finished in one year.
"What can be done?"
The emperor sighed.
As long as the gap between rich and poor remains, there will be slaves in this world.
Just like land annexation, nothing can be done to stop it.
As for turning all private land into public land, this is like turning all commercial housing in the 21st century into public housing. Anyone with some assets is willing to fight for others?
He worked hard for most of his life, working for the imperial court?
Like this, Zhu Yixi shuddered, it was so terrifying.
Seeing the emperor's appearance like this, Yan Chongxin thought he was discouraged and couldn't bear it. He said: "Although slave ownership cannot be stopped, it can hinder one or two things."
"oh?"
At this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on him.
Yan Chongxin puffed up his chest, with a bit of pride in his heart. He raised his head and said: "You are willing to own slaves and I am willing, but slaves are also civilians. Killing, beating, bullying, etc. for no reason should be treated like civilians."
"Those who kill will die, those who hit others will be injured——" Lu Daqi couldn't help but screamed in shock.
"That's right." Yan Chongxin immediately became happy when he saw a smile on the emperor's face.
The whole person felt quite energetic.
Winning the emperor's favor was what he mainly did during this period.
Who made the second assistant Zhang Shenyan old?
Although Zhang Shenyan is getting older and stronger, he cannot withstand the ravages of age. He is now in his seventies.
Although the emperor was extremely reluctant to part with him, he had only been in office for a few months.
Once Zhang Shenyan leaves, there is a great possibility that he will take over.
But at the same time, Lu Daqi on the side may also climb up.
Due to checks and balances, the emperor is more likely to promote one of the eight ministries and surpass him to become the second assistant, which makes him eager to perform.
"The law of the Ming Dynasty stipulated that the crime of killing a slave without reason should not last more than one and a half years, and the rod would be seventy, but often the master would find an excuse to give some gold and silver to the Yamen to avoid punishment."
Yan Chongxin said loudly: "As long as murderers are punished with death, I don't think many people will be willing to keep slaves anymore."
The laws of the Ming Dynasty were very strict on murder cases. If the person died, he would be beheaded. If he injured the person but did not die, he would be hanged. If the person did not commit the crime, he would be sentenced to three years and a hundred rods.
Moreover, in the Ming Dynasty, "cussing" was also prohibited and was called the crime of "cursing".
The crime of "cursing" belongs to the "Criminal Code", which has eight articles. The lighter case is to pay money or be punished with a cane, and the more serious case is to be sentenced to hanging.
One of the privileges of scholars is that they are exempted from "swearing" and can criticize others at will.
To be more extreme, a scholar can scold you, but you cannot scold a scholar.
Therefore, compared to the Ming Dynasty's laws, the imperial staff of the Ming Dynasty was a misdemeanor, and the emperor was considered merciful enough.
In the Qin and Han Dynasties, scolding the emperor meant "death" and "abandoning the market." In the Tang Dynasty, scolding the emperor was called criticizing the public, which was a heinous crime and a serious crime.
If slaves are regarded as citizens, according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, if you buy a slave, you cannot beat him or scold him, and you may become a defendant if you are not careful.
It would be bad luck if you met a serious official.
A slave cannot be beaten or scolded, nor can he be killed. Does that mean he has bought an ancestor?
Zhao Shu, Zhang Shenyan, and Lu Daqi cursed loudly in their hearts, but they didn't show any of it on their faces.
Zhu Yixi became interested. When she heard the scolding, she even clapped her hands and applauded: "Very good, very good, very good."
As he spoke, he sighed: "If all the officials in the world follow the laws of the Ming Dynasty, how can there be anything like Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong?"
"Your Majesty, your Majesty -" Yan Chongxin cupped his hands and said: "Since the Jiajing period, the imperial decrees have been abolished, slaves wear bright clothes and angry horses, merchants are covered with robes, and the laws of the Ming Dynasty are regarded as nothing."
"As a result, the world's moral standards are declining, people's hearts are not as old as they used to be, morality is corrupted, and people forget their righteousness when they see profit. The people do not respect those with high moral standards, but respect those with the best wealth."
"Okay, okay, okay--"
Seeing Yan Chongxin getting excited, Zhu Yixi quickly stopped him.
Some parts of the Ming Dynasty Law are very good, but some parts are inappropriate. He doesn't want to completely restore it to the Hongwu period.
This is unrealistic and impossible.
However, it is time for the Ming Dynasty Law to change.
Times have changed and things cannot change.
If the country were completely governed by law, every rich person in the world would be imprisoned.
After all, I heard that in Jiangnan, some people even wore yellow and purple clothes. This shows how far the law has been neglected.
"Your Majesty, I believe that laws alone are not enough."
Lu Daqi was dissatisfied, and he bit the bullet and said: "Slaveholders should pay more money. Only in this way can we truly put an end to slaveholding and make it prohibitive."
"Okay, let's do it like this! Two things at the same time."
Zhu Yixi said with admiration: "The cabinet drafts the edict and decides a day to issue it to the world."
Yan Chongxin glanced at Lu Daqi with disdain in his heart. Are you still fighting with me? It's too late.
Seeing the emperor smiling, Yan Chong felt more confident.
In the next few days, Yan Chongxin acted independently and changed from his usual routine of agreeing with Zhao Shu. He also criticized and rebutted from time to time, which could be said to have swept away the calm in the cabinet.
Now, even the most careless person understands that something is going to happen in the cabinet.
Some politically sensitive people have long understood that Yan Chongxin fought for the position of second assistant.
As a result, people with connections and connections began to place bets.
Some people go to the Yan Mansion, and some go to the Prince's Mansion.
The palace of the prince is Wang Yingxiong, the Minister of Household Affairs.
Wang Yingxiong took refuge with the then emperor in Sichuan and transported a large amount of money, food, troops and horses, which can be said to be a great achievement for his hard work.
At that time, it was nominally the first position among civil servants.
Now he has been transferred from the official department to the household department, and his age has gradually reached sixty-five years old.
Obviously, many people have high hopes for it.
After all, in terms of qualifications, he is on par with Yan Chongxin, and in some sense, even higher than him.
In response, Zhao Shu remained silent and watched the two people's performance.
On this day, Yan Chongxin came to visit Zhu Mou, Minister of Industry.
Among the eight ministries in the cabinet, Zhu Mou had the most seniority, and he was from a clan. He had always been subordinate to other ministries before, just because of his age.
When the emperor ascended the throne, he was only thirty-five years old, and now, he is only forty-two years old.
Therefore, the cabinet has not yet had its turn.
And this is why Yan Chongxin came to ask for help.
"You and I have always been close." Yan Chongxin looked at Zhu Mou who was fishing and couldn't help but said: "The relationship is not shallow."
"Brother Xian, do you think I can go up?"
"You?" When Zhu Mou heard this, he shook his head and sighed: "It's too urgent."