In the Ming Dynasty, the one who can definitely call the shots is the "True Dragon Emperor".
Zhu Houcong's excuse made Yan Song tremble, and he only felt at ease after being given a meal alone by the emperor.
How will the people below suffer from this storm?
But Zhu Houcong was not very concerned about this.
All he wants is this process.
This process must be carried out so that the powerful officials and merchants of the Ming Dynasty can remember that the emperor has set rules and know that the emperor values those rules.
Now Zhu Houcong pays more attention to his thoughts.
Whether it's internal or external.
By establishing the new school as an official school, Zhu Houcong could pay more attention to the development of science covered by physics, but even if he was originally from a liberal arts background, it would be difficult for him to make any achievements in the understanding of "human science".
Military, civilian, merchant and craftsman...many nationalities have been changed from the system. The national flag is established and the country is emphasized, but the emperor of the family is still there, which is a big problem that will never be bypassed for the small family.
The years of the Ming Dynasty were stitched together by the emperor with constant new interests.
The benefits of expansion and improved benefits after the implementation of the new law; the benefits of relaxing business restrictions after requiring officials and gentry to pay taxes; the benefits of new solid land and border trade after the opening of border areas with arms.
Internal problems have always existed, they have just been delayed.
Ordinary people think about surviving so that their descendants will be able to stand out; wealthy families think about how to seize opportunities and continue to be prosperous; important ministers think about how to get promoted, receive divine grace, and bless their descendants.
The emperor was thinking about the entire Ming Dynasty a hundred years from now.
No one has ever been able to truly comprehend and understand his ideas.
Because the Ming Dynasty is good enough now. The emperor is diligent, does things in a disciplined and orderly manner, and also pays attention to people's livelihood.
The Ming Dynasty had no external worries, so besides internal troubles, what other motivation did it have?
When it comes to internal affairs, there is no need to consider the needs of the country, so isn’t that just considering the needs of the small family?
Family must be put before country, and Zhu Houcong also understood this.
But Zhu Houcong still understands the fragility of this "prosperous age".
Of course we can believe in the wisdom of future generations, but they are more likely to be stupid and short-sighted.
The thoughts and lofty goals that truly unite the officials and people of the Ming Dynasty have not yet emerged. Without values and goals that are heartily recognized, it is difficult for the Ming Dynasty, which is already in the leading position, to truly break through. It will only continue to sink in the cyclical laws of the dynasty.
The world at this moment and the situation inside and outside the Ming Dynasty did not make other Ming Dynasty people except Zhu Houcong feel that it was necessary to continue to make reforms.
Outside Fengtian Gate, officials working in Wenhua Hall, Wuying Hall, Wenlou, and Wulou noticed that the emperor had arrived at the Meridian Gate.
The emperor ascended the Hall of Heroes.
The chief inspector is in front. Now that the emperor has arrived at the Hall of Heroes, what will he think when he looks at the portraits of those famous ministers?
Do you want to lament that this year is the worst one?
In the Hall of Heroes, in front of Zhu Houcong, everyone from the important civil and military ministers who founded the Ming Dynasty to Zhang Fujing, who was recently enshrined here, looked at him calmly in the portrait.
Their gazes did not fall on Zhu Houcong, but were either gentle or serious, staring at something without focus.
At that time, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and others were either following Zhu Yuanzhang to save the Han people from disaster, Yu Qian was perhaps trying to save the building from collapse, and Zhang Fujing was perhaps trying to revive the Ming Dynasty.
Generations of famous ministers are surrounded by generations of emperors.
The ultimate goal is nothing more than what it is now: the country is in peace and the people are safe, and all nations come to Korea.
Going deeper, what standard of life should the people live? Are the surrendered foreigners really free from any trouble?
Families, that is so difficult.
Just like there are thousands of ministers in a dynasty, only a handful can get here.
If we are making further progress, why should the emperor take the lead in unwinding the book?
Zhu Houcong, who leads the team, has been thinking about it on and off for more than 20 years, but he has never been able to make a breakthrough on these issues.
Otherwise, why is it said that it is easy to conquer a country but difficult to defend it?
Zhu Houcong stayed in the Hall of Heroes for nearly an hour, not only walking around to relax, but also continuing to think about Yan Song's reaction until now.
The existence of the emperor greatly affected the upper and lower limits of the country.
In the second half of his life, Zhu Houcong had to solve this problem: let everyone in the Ming Dynasty believe in some concepts, and let the monarchs and ministers of the Ming Dynasty always have a clear goal.
It is not easy to propose these and convince them.
"Xuan Louis."
Zhu Houcong walked slowly to the afternoon gate and opened his mouth to give instructions.
Try chatting with Westerners who have completely different ideas. If you have exchanges and comparisons, you may be able to get some inspiration.
…
Louis has been in Beijing for nearly half a month, and it is already midsummer. He is wearing the kind of flowing robes that the gentry of the Ming Dynasty also loved.
It's just a style, just a feeling.
During these ten days, Louis often observed the decent people in the capital of the Eastern Empire.
Wearing such elegant clothes, they naturally have a sense of confidence and calmness in their body, and at the same time they also show a sense of detachment from some worldly desires.
Aren't the so-called immortals the kind of beings whose immortal power can make everything go smoothly, and whose immortal bodies will last forever and never cause any serious troubles?
Lewis couldn't feel the pressure brought by Da Cha.
Due to the important task entrusted to him by his brother, Louis has been learning about the East for a long time.
In Portugal, he was already Alfonso's best friend. Over the years, he collected European books and presented them to the Eastern emperor, and also read history books and classics bought back from the East.
Louis believes that at this moment in Europe, there must be no one who understands the East better than him.
Neither can Alfonso. He is a little clever, but during the long period of Ming Dynasty, survival dominated him at first, and later his desire for power blinded him, so that he could never really understand the Orientals.
Now, the Eastern Emperor summoned him.
Louis put on the python robe given by the emperor and entered the Eastern Palace again.
This time, at first glance, there is no difference from before, but if you look closely, you can find some renovations.
The most eye-catching thing is naturally the towering iron pillar inside Fengtian Gate, with the Three-Chen Flag of the Ming Dynasty flying at the top.
Even if Louis was just passing by from the side, he could still see it over the towering palace eaves.
The cornices of the three main halls of State Council, State Affairs, and National Policy, Wenhua Hall, Wuying Hall, Wenlou and Wulou, including the Qianqing Palace and Kunning Palace that you see after walking to the entrance of Yangxin Palace, are also decorated with some flags.
Louis didn't know why there were these changes. He didn't dare to ask. Naturally, no one told him that those were the lightning poles that His Majesty had ordered to prevent lightning strikes and fires. The flags were hung just to make them less obtrusive.
When they arrived at the Yangxin Hall, what surprised Louis was that the emperor was not meeting him in the imperial study room today.
Huang Jin led him to the atrium between the imperial study room and the backyard of Yangxin Hall, where the emperor was sitting in a small pavilion.
"The special envoy of João Manuel, King of Portugal and the Kingdom of the Algarve, Duke Luis Beja, comes to see His Majesty the Great Emperor of the East. Long live His Majesty! Long live! Long live! Meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
Although he didn't know who the young man sitting next to the emperor was, Louis was able to identify him from the pattern of his robe.
The prince's clothes are different from those of other princes.
As soon as Louis came up, he made Zhu Houcong smile and raised his hand: "Get up. You are so proactive this time. As the saying goes, you must ask for something when you are polite to others. Sit down and speak slowly."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
After Louis got up, he sat in front of Zhu Houcong and saw tea and cakes on the table in front of him.
Zhu Zaiyi sat and looked at Louis curiously, while Zhang Juzheng stood.
This reminded Zhu Zaiyi of the time when his father met with the second son of the North Korean leader and asked him to listen. Later, he had a long-term mission to pay attention to the dispute between North Korean crown princes.
What about this time?
"As soon as the foreign minister arrived in Guangzhou, he heard the news of the death of the Queen, and he also mourned for twenty-seven days in formal attire. Please express your condolences, Your Majesty, and His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince."
"You are interested." Zhu Houcong was stunned for a moment after hearing his opening remarks, and then said calmly.
This made him look forward to today's exchange. Louis seemed to be a wise man and should have some thoughts and experiences of his own.
"I have read João's credentials. I am bringing the prince to chat with you today because I want to hear what you have to say first." Zhu Houcong went directly to the topic, "The trade between Ming Dynasty and Portugal has been very smooth. João wants to You are stationed in Beijing not just for trade cooperation, right?"
"Your Majesty has a clear vision." This common phrase was already spoken by Louis. "After signing the peace treaty with Ming Dynasty, the foreign minister's brother also learned more and more about Ming Dynasty. With the beginning of friendship, we should continue to become a true A good friend of you. He admires your great achievements in governing the huge empire. There are many things in Ming Dynasty that he wants to learn from, so he appointed a foreign minister here, hoping to get your majesty's permission and let the foreign minister serve as a trustworthy messenger. "
After Zhu Houcong heard what he said, he asked: "There are so many differences between Europe and the Ming Dynasty. In your opinion, what are the Ming Dynasty lessons that you can learn from? And what do you think you can apply in Portugal after learning them?"
"
Luis said honestly: "Portugal has a small territory. In the past few hundred years, it has become a powerful force in Europe by focusing on commerce and trade. But since Duke Alfonso arrived in Portugal, he has brought many European merchants with him.
The extremely amazing, standardized and advanced joint-stock company system. From the organizational form to the financial management, it is eye-opening. The foreign minister heard from someone that the Ming Dynasty accounting method that Alfonso knew was the one pioneered and adopted by His Majesty.
The foreign minister has brought a book this time. Your Majesty, please read it."
He also followed the example of the Ming Dynasty and took out a book from the sleeve pocket of his robe.
Zhu Zaicheng and Zhang Juzheng both looked over curiously, but they didn't recognize the words on the cover.
But the emperor read it out slowly: ""The Practicality of Arithmetic, Geometry, Proportion, and Proportional Comparison to Merchants and Bankers"?"
Louis was amazed: "Your Majesty has completely mastered Latin. Yes, this book was written by the Italian businessman and mathematician Luca Pacioli. I heard it appeared more than 40 years ago. The bookkeeping in it
The method is somewhat similar to that pioneered by His Majesty, but His Majesty's method is obviously more advanced."
Zhu Houcong was able to read it out loud not only because he had studied it from European books over the years, but also because he was an accountant himself.
This is a work known as one of the milestones in accounting. Zhu Houcong did not expect to see the version circulated in this era this time.
Double-entry accounting...
Zhu Houcong put the book aside and looked at him with a smile: "Of course Alfonso only knows the basics, and the people he brought back are not experts in this field. Could it be that you just want to stay in the Ming Dynasty to learn this?"
"There are so many things that the foreign minister wants to learn." Louis lowered his head, "I hope your majesty will let your great wisdom benefit more people."
"...You wanted to go to the library as soon as you arrived in Beijing. It seems that this time you expressed Joao's purpose very honestly." Zhu Houcong paused and asked, "It seems that Joao is a person who upholds practical and rational purposes.
, in your mind, what is the most worthy thing for you to learn from Ming Dynasty?"
"The land system and the bureaucracy, Your Majesty," Louis said sincerely.
Zhu Houcong was surprised: "Land system?"
"As you know, in Portugal, and even in the whole of Europe, land belongs to lords big and small. The kings of various kingdoms grant land to them. Except for marriage and inheritance, it cannot actually be traded. Before learning about the Ming Dynasty, we never thought about it
Land can be traded freely and managed well, allowing the monarch to gain greater power from it. In Europe, if there is no military and financial support from small and medium-sized lords, the monarch is in name only."
Zhu Houcong was a little surprised. After he sorted things out, he said meaningfully: "Joao's ambition is not small."
"There is no need to hide this from you, His Majesty the Great Emperor." Louis said honestly, "If it weren't for this common ambition, the foreign minister's brother and Duke Alfonso would not be able to cooperate closely."
"You can actually see through this." Zhu Houcong felt that this was probably not Joao's idea. The only person who could understand the East so deeply was Louis, who had already been to the Ming Dynasty, and even his words and deeds had changed like he is now.
"The foreign minister is deeply impressed." Louis said, "Because of the reforms promoted by His Majesty, the foreign minister spent a long time studying the history of the Eastern Empire, especially the reforms. As you know, Europe is also in the process of change.
The era of Henry VIII, Charles V... they were all thinking and trying. Now, Henry VIII of England has promulgated the Usufructuary Act, and they are already ahead of the curve."
"...please tell me in detail."
Zhu Houcong became interested, and Louis entered a state of real communication.
For two young men, Zhu Zaiyi and Zhang Juzheng, they could understand what this Westerner said, but the content was beyond the scope.
Whether in the East or the West, land has always been the most valuable property for a long time.
Through the feudal system in Europe, lords were allowed to hold land. While defending and supporting the monarch with financial resources and force, they also gained the power to hold these lands for generations.
At present, in Europe, apart from Portugal and Spain, the two maritime trade wonders, the most prosperous economy is still the manorial economy of feudal lords.
However, the power to reward and dispose of land has always been in the hands of the monarch, and the people's desire for land will not diminish. War is a means of distribution, but the people will have more compromises.
Just like the emergence of contributions in the Ming Dynasty, in order to circumvent the assistance money, inheritance money, guardianship rights, marriage rights, restoration rights, confiscation rights, etc. that the monarchs and some big lords received, Europe has not only developed
In the embryonic form of the trust system, there was also the phenomenon of "donating" land to the church with a transcendent status to exempt the secular feudal monarch from taxes and corvee.
To put it bluntly, Britain is now beginning to reform these situations, and both the religious reform and the reform of the land system are underway.
"England has established a special Privy Council, and the king has appointed justices, finance ministers, etc. to assist in governance. You may not know that today in Europe, the main method is to use backward palace officials to assist the monarch in governing. As for the lords, as long as they
It was not a violation of obligations. The king's authority was limited to the kingdom. The foreign minister's brother was deeply shocked by the huge bureaucracy of the Ming Dynasty. The newspaper that Duke Alfonso gave to the king was unimaginable to Joao, so
Think he's bragging."
After Lewis said a lot, he sighed and said: "The foreign minister saw from the history books of the Ming Dynasty that nearly two thousand years ago, the wise king of Qin appointed Shang Yang to carry out reforms. From then on, he abolished the enfeoffed well field system.
, allowing land to be traded. The East has accumulated nearly two thousand years of experience in how to gather the power of the people of the kingdom."
Zhu Houcong was already a little numb when he heard this.
From Louis' perspective, is that so?
Although he was also aware of the view that "feudalism in Chinese history was not real feudalism and was incorrectly expressed", he had not really thought about it before.
What is the biggest problem in Europe today? The kings of each kingdom need the support of the big nobles, such as the domestic lords and lords, and cannot allocate enough strength to do things?
Spain and Portugal were two small places. Relying on maritime trade, the royal family suddenly became powerful and became the earliest great powers?
So later on, the Netherlands, which had a prosperous financial industry, and the United Kingdom, which was the first to carry out religious and land reforms, then jumped up?
To put it bluntly, as long as the feudal system is still implemented and there is also a transcendent church power, so many countries in Europe are always sinking into conquests supported by lords and churches. For many years, apart from the opportunity to fight and win rewards, there is nothing else.
The means by which land is acquired legally.
In comparison, being able to buy and sell freely seems to be more advanced, although it will also bring about merger problems.
But Europe is even less dynamic now.
A serf is a serf and will never have a chance to stand up. A lord is a lord. As long as he does not commit suicide, he can be a mere slave while there are people with land and money.
This kind of true generational aristocracy is the root of the West's emphasis on bloodline, right? Even if the new industrial and commercial bourgeoisie later eliminated the traditional feudal aristocracy.
There's no way, it's already engraved into the DNA.
On the other hand, in the East, many years ago, “Princes, generals, and ministers had the right to be in love with each other.”
etc……
Zhu Houcong fell silent and frowned.
If from Lewis's perspective, the East is no longer feudal after Shang Yang's reform, then what has it been like in the past two thousand years?
According to Lao Ma, they are primitive society, slave society, feudal society, capitalist society and communist society.
So if Louis thinks, "Your Majesty, your side has long ceased to be feudal," then could it be that our Ming Dynasty has already entered the capitalist era?
Where is the bourgeoisie?
No, in these nearly two thousand years, hasn’t land been the most important asset? And the so-called cyclical law of capitalism is the basis of the cyclical law of dynasties?
Land annexation, monopoly exploitation, and the rise of the proletariat...
Zhu Houcong suddenly felt excited: Could it be that China has already been in another form, such as the stage of agricultural capitalism?
Just because we have not yet entered the stage of industrial and commercial capitalism, so we are not so anxious about raw materials and markets, so we are always involved in the same land?
Because there was not enough theoretical guidance, each dynasty was leading to internal destruction in advance before it could really make changes.
After two thousand years of patchwork, the monarch became more and more centralized because agricultural capital was too powerful and was always suppressing industrial and commercial capital.
Isn’t it that the new problems that are emerging in the New Ming Dynasty today are also because Zhu Houcong, the largest agricultural capitalist, is somewhat undecided about the barbaric growth of industrial and commercial capital?
Louis only felt that the Eastern Emperor's eyes gradually brightened and his brows relaxed.
He even smiled.
Zhu Houcong said sincerely: "You are right. From a system point of view, from a cultural point of view, the Ming Dynasty is really far ahead. Since you two brothers can see through this, I will agree to João's request. From now on,
You are the Portuguese ambassador to the Ming Dynasty. Whatever you want to learn, I will allow you to do so."
Louis was overjoyed and left his seat to thank him.
Zhu Houcong felt relaxed and couldn't help laughing.
It's like the spring breeze blowing on your face.
Although the queen's funeral has just passed, it seems that the emperor, who has been smiling less and less sincerely in the past few years, and who has been in a bad mood for more than a year, is now so happy with the sound of laughter,
The prince, Zhang Juzheng and Huang Jin all felt very relaxed.
Is the emperor happy because the Ming Dynasty is so much more advanced than that remote barbarian land?
Zhang Juzheng instinctively felt that this was not the case, because just now, His Majesty's feeling of being worried about something big was not fake.
Zhu Houcong happily let Louis drink tea and eat cakes, and then they just chatted about everything.
One is a European who knows the Ming Dynasty best, and the other is an Eastern emperor who knows the West best. The conversation between the two opened the eyes of both young men Zhu Zaiyi and Zhang Juzheng.
The Emperor even left Louis for lunch.
After Louis resigned and left the palace, Zhu Houcong was still in a good mood.
Zhang Juzheng felt that the emperor now had a stronger aura of looking down on the world.
"Let's go and take a look at Long Live Mountain."
The emperor was very interested and took his son and Zhang Juzheng to the Long Live Mountain in the north of the Forbidden City.
The imperial palace and the capital of the Ming Dynasty spread out in front of him, and Zhu Houcong suddenly spoke: "Uncle, do you know why it has been so difficult for Wang Hua to declare it to other vassals throughout the ages?"
Zhang Juzheng was stunned for a moment and hurriedly replied: "You are ignorant, please give me some advice from your majesty."
"Too high, too weak, too advanced." Zhu Houcong's eyes flickered, "Be more realistic. If you want to rule the land, you must be the king's ministers, you must first regard the subjects of the foreign vassal as your own subjects. If you want the foreign vassal to be able to devote yourself to the
Wang Hua, we must let them have a standard that can lead to a better life. If we want the Ming Dynasty not to be dragged down by foreign vassals, this must be a standard that has long-term fundamental benefits for the Ming Dynasty. If you are too impatient to eat hot tofu, do everything step by step.
"
Looking back at the two boys, Zhu Houcong said firmly: "From me to you, Zai Ji, Shu Da, do you know that maybe the history books in the future will say that the true foundation of the great unity of the world started with me and has been realized for a long time?"
Was it made possible by you?"
Zhang Juzheng felt numb all over: "The world is unified?"
How could he, a sixteen-year-old serious Confucian scholar, endure this?