The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 458 Taking the bait
Chen Jingke clearly told Fang Xiaoru that the target this time was actually Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism.

As for Confucianism, they were simply suppressed and forced to reform themselves.

This made Fang Xiaoru completely put his worries to rest.

Although he rebelled against Confucianism and established his own school, he still had deep feelings for Confucianism in his heart.

Second, Confucianism inherited the thoughts of Zhou Gong, ruled China for two thousand years, and has become one with China.

If it is completely ruined, will China still be China?
So he did not want Confucianism to be completely abolished.

As for the Confucian School and Neo-Confucianism...

As a person who admires Zhou rituals and once demanded their full restoration, I would like to ask what the hell are these two things.

After getting Chen Jingke's guarantee, he no longer had any worries and joined the plan.

The reason why he joined was not complicated.

It was neither an attack on the Confucian family nor targeting Neo-Confucianism.

Rather, sitting in this position helps promote his doctrines.

Second, for the sake of a harmonious world.

He felt that such ideas should be promoted throughout the country and replace conservative Neo-Confucianism.

Moreover, it is true that this book was written by Chen Jingke, but he also participated in the subsequent repairs throughout the process and put forward many suggestions.

Chen Jingke also wrote his name alongside the author column in some articles to which he made significant contributions.

Therefore, both publicly and privately, he hopes that the world of great harmony will be realized.

After Zhu Yuanzhang got the news, he immediately issued an edict to promote him to the position of Bachelor of the Hanlin Academy and Chief Editor of the Daming Weekly.

As expected, this appointment was opposed by scholars, led by Neo-Confucianists.

They criticized Fang Xiaoru for his knowledge, character and so on, and always called him a "traitor to Confucianism".

Fang Xiaoru quarreled with others every day and had heard all kinds of nasty things, so he simply ignored their comments.

He immediately handed Zhu a list of names, all of whom were the backbone of the Hanlin Academy and the Ming Weekly School of Principle.

Requested that all these people be replaced.

The reason is very simple: they lack the ability to do the job.

Old Zhu approved it without saying a word.

Immediately afterwards, Fang Xiaoru submitted a list, hoping to fill the vacancies with these people.

Half of the people on the list were from the Materialists, the rest were from the Legalists, and some were from the Accounting Bureau.

This can be said to be a blatant use of people for personal gain.

However, Mr. Zhu directly approved it.

However, Lao Zhu also sent some people to take up important positions in the Daming Daily.

The focus is on the audit department.

Although they used computational physics this time, the fact that the article appeared in the newspaper revealed many problems.

How could Lao Zhu not plug this loophole?

The editorial department is more complicated and difficult to control, but the review department is simpler.

After the newspaper is finalized, it must be reviewed by them and only after approval can it be printed and distributed.

As long as we keep this department under control, we don't have to worry about problems with the newspaper.

Including the officials who were kicked out when Xie Jin left office, there are now almost no people from the Neo-Confucian school in the Ming Weekly.

The Hanlin Academy is home to many talented people from various factions. Although the Neo-Confucian school is powerful, it is far from being able to dominate everything.

Now that we have lost a large number of core members, we are gradually losing control of this department.

This is a long story, but it all happened in just a few days.

Zhu Yuanzhang only issued a few decrees to change the appearance of the Hanlin Academy.

Once again, he proved to the world that the Hongwu Emperor was still the ruler of the Ming Dynasty.

By the time these things were done, it was just the New Year.

This New Year was a little quiet, even the court did not celebrate it in a big way.

There was no celebration other than the routine rewards.

The ministers naturally knew the reason and would not take the initiative to cause trouble. They kept a low profile during the festival.

In this way, the disastrous fifth year of Jianzhang came to an end, and all the ministers were full of expectations, hoping that the sixth year of Jianzhang would be more successful.

However, as if something was against them, bad news came just after the Lantern Festival.

Duke Mu Ying of Xining died of illness, and Mu Chun and Prince Zhu Su of Zhou were transporting the coffin back to the capital.

Even though it had been expected, when the exact news came, everyone in the court lamented.

Old Zhu also had tears in his eyes, and he ordered the prefectures and counties along the way to provide all facilities for the funeral procession.

What everyone was more worried about was whether Empress Ma and Zhu Biao could withstand such a blow.

At first, everyone was wondering if they could keep it a secret from them.

But after considering it, I gave up the idea.

It can't be hidden at all.

The coffin will arrive in Luoyang sooner or later, and we have to let them know when the time comes.

Finally, Lao Zhu told them the news personally.

Fortunately, both of them were mentally prepared.

Although I was very sad, I didn't have an emotional breakdown like last time.

This made everyone sigh in relief.

However, with such a big thing happening, the ministers also knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was in a sensitive state and they could not easily offend him.

This made the court a lot quieter.

Even the number of memorials impeaching Fang Xiaoru decreased significantly.

Fang Xiaoru took this opportunity to firmly control the Hanlin Academy and the Ming Weekly in his own hands.

Half a month later, Mu Ying's coffin was brought to Beijing.

Zhu Xiongying put on mourning clothes and led all civil and military officials out of the city thirty miles to welcome him.

Next is Mu Ying’s funeral, there is not much to say.

He was posthumously named King of Qianning, given the posthumous title of Zhaojing, and buried in the imperial mausoleum.

During the funeral, Zhu Yuanzhang, Empress Ma and Zhu Biao came to see him for the last time.

Mu Ying was later buried in Zhu Yuanzhang's mausoleum.

The site of Zhu Yuanzhang's imperial mausoleum was originally chosen to be Yingtian, but construction was stopped when it was confirmed that the capital would be moved.

After the capital was moved to Luoyang, the feng shui was re-surveyed and the mausoleum was eventually located near Phoenix Mountain in the Mangshan Mountains.

A large piece of land was also designated as the location for the royal burials.

As long as it is not turned into a mausoleum like the Qin Emperor's Mausoleum, this piece of land is enough to bury thirty or fifty emperors.

This was actually what Empress Ma meant. She was afraid that future generations would cause trouble and harm the people, so she made plans in advance.

This is not in vain.

For the Chinese, funerals have always been a big deal. If the deceased cannot be buried in the ancestral tomb, he will die with regret.

No matter how evil the emperor was, he would not bury himself outside the family tomb.

This ensures that no matter how future emperors tinker with their own mausoleums, they can only do so within this small circle.

Can effectively reduce the damage to the country.

Zhu Yuanzhang's mausoleum was built in the second year after the capital was moved and has been completed long ago.

Zhu Biao's mausoleum began to be built in the third year of his reign and is now basically completed.

But no one expected that Mu Ying would be buried before the owner of the tomb moved in.

According to the rules, the mourning period should be three years.

But how could Old Zhu let Mu Chun really observe the three-year mourning period, so he deprived her of her love and reinstated her.

Mu Chun only observed mourning for 49 days before setting out for Yunnan.

Zhu Yuanzhang let him inherit the title of Duke of Xining, and took over all the positions that Mu Ying had held during his lifetime, and continued to guard Yunnan for the court.

This can be said to be a unique grace.

Naturally, Chen Jingke also participated in Mu Ying's funeral throughout the whole process, and he could not help feeling sad about the departure of this loyal and righteous man.

As for Muchun, they had had many contacts before and knew each other quite well.

He is just like the second Mu Ying.

It is just like the saying goes, like father, like son.

Letting him guard Yunnan is a reassuring choice.

Moreover, in history, the Mu family had been stationed in Yunnan for generations, transforming this place from a vassal state into mature territory, which was a great contribution to the Ming Dynasty and China. Chen Jingke would naturally not meddle in other matters and make any changes.

Even if we want to change, we have to wait until Yunnan is completely stabilized.

In addition to Mu Chun, there is another person in the Mu family who Chen Jingke likes very much, and that is the second son Mu Sheng.

He is a stern and serious person with a calm and measured temperament and he likes reading.

He also inherited his father's bravery and was very proficient in military tactics.

When Mu Chun regained his throne, he, the second son, had no such opportunity and had to stay in Luoyang to observe mourning for three years.

Chen Jingke decided to have more dealings with him in the future.

When Mu Chun took up his post, the matter of Mu Ying came to an end.

There was no problem with the health of Empress Ma and Zhu Biao, which was one of the few things that made everyone happy.

However, the court did not stop functioning during these nearly two months.

Things are going on as usual every day.

For example, the second phase of the national plan was promulgated.

It is many times simpler and more detailed than the first issue.

This made all the ministers feel relieved.

At least it's not confusing anymore.

The disaster in the southeast has long passed, and reconstruction work has been carried out vigorously.

For this purpose, the imperial court allocated countless money, grain and supplies.

In addition, more than 200,000 households were relocated from densely populated areas and settled in 15 vassal states in Southeast Asia.

Of course, none of this work can be accomplished overnight, and the court plans to complete it within half a year.

At the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang also transferred troops from Jiaozhi, Liaodong, grassland, Hexi and other places to defend the city in the name of rotation.

This was indeed a routine rotation and did not arouse suspicion among the ministers.

Moreover, as Mu Ying's affairs came to an end and the court returned to normal, the Neo-Confucian school began to stir again.

However, this time they did not dare to touch Zhu Yuanzhang's tiger's beard, but instead targeted Fang Xiaoru.

This traitor must be suppressed and control of the Hanlin Academy and Ming Weekly must be regained.

But before they could take action, Fang Xiaoru took action first.

He published an article in the newspaper, "Moving a Tree to Establish Trust."

The content first tells the story of Wu Qi and Shang Yang moving trees to establish trust, to point out the main theme and explain how important integrity is.

Yes, moving trees to establish trust was not Shang Yang’s patent. It was first done by Wu Qi and later learned by Shang Yang.

But if you think this is an article about honesty, you are wrong.

Through this story, he first explained that the court must be honest and trustworthy, otherwise it would not be able to win the trust of the people.

A court that cannot gain the trust of the people cannot maintain long-term stability.

Then he raised a question: how can we win the trust of the people and how can we maintain integrity?

Then he changed the topic and turned to etiquette.

Rites and laws are related to the survival of a country. If rites and laws collapse, the country will cease to exist.

Therefore, the imperial court should attach importance to etiquette and laws, especially to prevent the powerful from violating them.

If the creators of the laws and etiquette do not abide by them, how can others abide by them?

If everyone does not observe the rules of propriety, the country will no longer be a country.

The rules of propriety have collapsed, and the so-called integrity is nothing but a joke.

In the end, he came to the conclusion that if he wanted to win the trust of the people and maintain integrity, he must strictly enforce the law.

In particular, severe crackdowns should be placed on high-ranking officials who trample on etiquette and laws.

At the end of the article, he used a sentence: If a prince breaks the law, he should be punished the same as the common people, let alone the ministers.

On the surface, this sentence means that if a prince breaks the law, he will be severely punished, let alone a minister.

However, thinking about the previous incident of praising Mencius, everyone understands that the focus of this sentence lies in the first half.

When a prince breaks the law, he is as guilty as the common people.

To put it more bluntly, Fang Xiaoru was still advocating that "the world belongs to everyone in the world."

At this time, everyone belatedly remembered something: it was Xie Jin and Fang Xiaoru who first proposed this view.

Xie Jin was exiled to Southeast Asia because of his work mistakes, but Fang Xiaoru was still there.

He was not scared off and continued to advocate for a fair world and test the bottom line of the court.

At this point, everyone admired his fearlessness, but also felt that he was a little out of touch with the times.

However, what literati value most is integrity, and most people still admire him.

Now it's the turn of science to be embarrassed.

Continue to attack Fang Xiaoru? It will be unpopular.

What's more, compared with driving Fang Xiaoru out of office, everyone still felt that promoting "public power" was more important.

After all, once the concept of "public world" is accepted by the public again.

They, the scholar-official class, will once again hold power in the world.

How tempting it is to rule the world together with the emperor.

From this perspective, their interests are consistent with Fang Xiaoru's.

But they were still a little unwilling to let the traitor Fang Xiaoru go.

At this time, someone said: "Have you forgotten why Li Jinshen was exiled?"

"Newspapers are indeed important, but they are also a furnace. If you are not careful, you will burn yourself."

"It's just right for Fang Xiaoru to take the lead and attract the court's wrath for everyone."

Everyone's eyes lit up. It was indeed true.

Fang Xiaoru also advocated the idea of ​​a public world, which is consistent with ours.

If we write something to promote the idea of ​​a public society, he will definitely not refuse to publish it.

If an article was really written in an excessive way, Fang Xiaoru would be the first one to suffer.

"Fang Xiaoru is the knife in our hands. Why do you want to embarrass him at this time?"

"It won't be too late to deal with him when the big thing is done in the future."

So the person who impeached Fang Xiaoru soon disappeared.

Articles aimed at "winning the trust of the people" began to appear frequently in newspapers.

There are also some stories about 'strong orders' that are published on it.

The implicit meaning of his words is that you, the emperor, cannot do whatever you want. There are some rules that must be followed.

As for what the rules were, they didn't say.

Even if the imperial power is restricted, we still have the final say on the rules.

Because of these articles, Zhu Yuanzhang reprimanded Fang Xiaoru several times and even issued warnings several times.

Now the officials of the Neo-Confucian school were even happier, because just as they had expected, Fang Xiaoru became the scapegoat.

Then, a very strange scene appeared.

Those who had originally impeached Fang Xiaoru stood up to defend him this time.

Old Zhu didn't seem to have expected that so many people would defend him, and he chose to keep quiet.

Of course, it is also possible that those articles did not touch his bottom line.

In short, some people felt that their efforts had paid off and couldn't help but celebrate.

In fact, what they didn’t know was that many of those articles were written anonymously by Chen Jingke and others.

They have been led unknowingly to the platform called the moral high ground.

If you only publish a few articles, the effect will be limited.

Those who advocate a public world are no longer satisfied with just writing articles.

They desperately want something to happen that will allow them to perform well.

As luck would have it, at this moment they really had evidence in their hands.

When Dai Wang Zhu Gui went out for an outing, he rode his horse and trampled on farmland, and even whipped the people who tried to try to stop him.

When the news came out, the civil officials were excited.

They are all ready to write a good article.

Memorials impeaching Zhu Gui have been flying into the palace like snowflakes.

(End of this chapter)