The Ming Dynasty’s Prodigal Son - Chapter 1581

[1581. Chapter 1502 Love the people like a son Fang Jifan]

Li Dongyang felt that Fang Jifan was targeting him.

Even though Emperor Hongzhi’s face was calm, his heart was slightly thumped.

Why do you sound like you are mocking me?

Fang Jifan looked very serious.

The word “Ignorance of the People” was his greatest feeling towards the monarchs and ministers in the DPRK.

Which of these people is not extremely smart?

However, people always have limitations. How can a person who grew up in a palace or a big house understand what a commoner in a remote place with no place to stand is thinking?

Fang Jifan said: “Your Majesty is certainly a sage, but among the many Confucian scholars in this temple, how many of them know what these illiterate common people are like? Not to mention that these people are aloof, living in the capital, isolated from the people. Even among the gentry and scholars in this place, I am afraid that few of them really care about what these common people are thinking.”

Fang Jifan sighed: “My disciple Wang Shouren has been emphasizing empathy. How many people. I learned this word from books, but in fact I still don’t have the slightest idea of it. Some people have proposed to publish more newspapers so that the world can know the benefits of His Majesty’s inspection.”

“But the problem is. The reason is that many people forget that more than 90% of the people in this world are illiterate and cannot read the newspaper, nor are they interested in reading it, just because they are too far away from the temple. , It’s like being in the sky. A group of people like this hope to use Di Bao to enlighten them and let them know the quality of Jingcha. Isn’t this just asking for fish in a tree?”

Emperor Hongzhi couldn’t help but glance at Li Dongyang when he heard this.

Li Dongyang looked ashamed.

Li Dongyang is such a smart person, but he is a human being after all, and he will have blind spots in his thinking. In fact, this is not a question of IQ, but because of his status and situation, he simply cannot think of this.

There were countless wise men in ancient times. The articles they wrote and their methods were once so dazzling in this splendid history, so that people in later generations feel ashamed.

But as long as we are human, we will have limitations. With limitations, our perspective on problems will be biased.

Li Dongyang is not a narrow-minded person. He nodded calmly at this time and said: “Yes, this method is indeed superb. Qi Guogong’s practice of this method is admirable. But…is the Di Bao useless?”

“The Di Bao is useful. “Fang Jifan said with a smile: “But… the Di newspaper is still official after all, and it must be meticulous. This… is meant for officials all over the world to read. Officials can find it in the cautious and serious words. The emperor’s wishes are useless to the vast majority of the people. “

“The problem to be solved now is that officials and scholars can understand the imperial court’s national policy and the emperor’s wishes through the imperial report. But other than them, No one understands it anymore. Therefore, how to interpret the national policy and the sacred heart has become a matter for officials and scholars.” When

Fang Jifan said this, he smiled with deep meaning: “In the long run, there will be only one problem for the emperor. No matter how compassionate the Sacred Heart is to the people, the people responsible for implementation and execution, the people responsible for explaining the national policy and the Sacred Heart to the people of the world, are always like this, even if it is the interpretation version of the Four Books and Five Classics. , there are countless others. During the Warring States Period, there were eight schools of Confucianism. They all interpreted the same Analects, but they were completely different. What’s more, it was His Majesty’s will.”

Emperor Hongzhi couldn’t help but feel stunned. Suddenly, he realized that Fang Jifan had mentioned a fatal question.

He looked at Fang Jifan with a sullen face and said: “Keep talking, keep talking.”

Fang Jifan then said: “So, a terrible thing has happened in these years. As long as the decree of the imperial court is harmful to the scholars, These things cannot be done. Not only can they not be done, they will also be criticized. The scholars regard it as tyranny. There are many officials who oppose it in the temple, and there are many local officials who distort the will, and some of these are clearly for profit. However, under the clamor of these people, in the eyes of ordinary people, it has become a bad government.”

“But if it is a will that is beneficial to scholars, everyone will praise it, even these things .

Beneficial decrees are actually harmful to ordinary people, but ordinary people have been taught all kinds of things and enjoyed them. In the past hundred and fifty years of our country, since Emperor Taizu Gao and Emperor Wen, has your Majesty ever thought that it is because of this? In this way, no one followed the will of caring for the people, or was opposed by others, but the will of treating the scholars well was carried out thoroughly. The imperial court dug out its heart and gave them preferential treatment so that they did not have to pay taxes. The local area is rich and powerful. Over the years, with so many conveniences, the annexation of land has reached such an extent, and it has caused so many refugees, but it is still not enough. The preferential treatment given to the scholars in the past cannot be less, and It’s still not enough, they want…more!”

Emperor Hongzhi listened very seriously. Fang Jifan’s words gave him a great warning and made him tremble with excitement.

If you think about it carefully, isn’t it so?

The gentry gradually evolved from the heirloom of poems and books to the larger and larger gentry. They could sit on equal footing with local officials and control public opinion. The court exempted them from taxes. Others farmed the land and needed to pay money and grain and be responsible for corvee labor. In a disaster year, you can’t even have food to eat. However, because there was no cost, the scholars relied on their large savings to continuously purchase large amounts of land at low prices during disaster years.

Now, aren’t these trends that will last forever?

But… so what?

The emperor and the scholar-bureaucrats rule the world. Can he, the Emperor Hongzhi, do without these people? Without these people, how to stabilize people’s hearts and ensure local stability…

This is actually a very tangled question, and Emperor Hongzhi’s eyes flickered.

Wu Jiawang, who was standing behind Emperor Hongzhi, was shocked and looked at Fang Jifan in surprise.

Fang Jifan naturally felt Wu Jiawang’s gaze. He didn’t care about this piece of shit at all. It sounds scary, right? He just wants to scare you to death.

“Since…that’s the case, why not let the suffering people in the world truly understand the holy will in this way? This troupe is both educational and entertaining. Any measures your Majesty has to love the people can be incorporated into it. Operas are ordered to be sung by opera troupes everywhere, so that the common people know what is right and what is wrong. The so-called enlightenment can be done by your Majesty yourself… Why do you need to go through others? “

However, Emperor Hongzhi thought of a detailed issue and frowned: “Do you need a lot of money?”

Fang Jifan smiled and said: “Actually, it doesn’t need much. Let the Jiaofang Division recruit some musicians and set up a troupe in each county. There are only a few dozen people, and the imperial court will allocate money and food to them. From then on, whenever His Majesty has any big plans, he will ask someone from the Jiaofang Department to draft and write a script. The script is very simple, as long as it is easy to understand, and then… again Invite people to compose music and send it to various troupes to perform. The troupe’s performances can be free, in the county, or in the countryside, even if it is a place for drying grains. In addition, some people who are good at this can be hired to perform on the stage. The people are appointed as ministers and asked to inspect the theater troupes in various provinces, prefectures and counties. They can not only provide some simple training to the troupes, but also allow them to rehearse the new version of “What is Your Majesty thinking about”. What Your Majesty wants to do and why Your Majesty wants to do these things, then… the people of this world can understand it clearly after watching the play.”

After a pause, Fang Jifan continued: “In addition, the troupe also needs to have other people. For educational purposes, we can compile some scripts about loyalty and filial piety and order them to be performed in local theaters. The lives of ordinary people are already difficult, so it is a dream to see a play. I am grateful for His Majesty’s kindness. During the process of watching, I probably know in my heart How does your majesty love the people, and knows the benefits of this national policy, and uses this method to deliver government orders to the most remote places, even… even…”

Fang Jifan said, glancing at Zhao’s mother not far away: “Even if it’s …

Even in remote villages, old country women can make them understand what Jingcha is, so… if someone tells them how Jingcha harms people, they won’t believe it.”

Emperor Hongzhi’s eyes also followed. Fang Jifan’s eyes fell on Zhao’s mother.

Mother Zhao was still cheerful at this time, still muttering something to Zhao Er, and most likely, she was still absorbed in the content of the play just now.

Emperor Hongzhi subconsciously looked around, and almost everyone did the same.

Just such a scene really doesn’t cost much.

But thousands of people were attracted and talked about it all at once, and the impact was far-reaching.

Emperor Hongzhi couldn’t help but smile and said: “This is very good, so it should be like this. Yes, I don’t know the people. I just know a little bit about it now. Successor, you usually don’t go out or take two steps, but why? Can you come up with these weird things?”

Fang Jifan said righteously: “Your Majesty, I have the same sympathy. Deep down in my heart, what I care about most is the people.”

Liu Jian .

Hearing this, Li Dongyang and Li Dongyang’s expressions were a little weird, and they always felt that these words sounded strange.

Hanlin Wu Jiawang’s face was even more uncertain. He wanted to say something at this time, but he didn’t dare to say it. In the end, he kept holding it back.

Emperor Hongzhi was in a better mood and couldn’t help but smile and said: “Everyone says they love the people, but around me, I am the only one who knows the people well. Those who openly claim to love the people are like crucian carp crossing the river, but those who really love the people don’t know the people.” Isn’t it ridiculous for a man who knows the people to talk extravagantly about loving the people without knowing why? This is a good idea. If a theater troupe is to be built, the money will come from internal funds… The Jiaofang Secretary is responsible for this matter and recruits musicians. The money is spent. I have nothing to be reluctant to do. Just by showing people the benefits of Beijing Cha, for me, it’s worth a thousand dollars.”

(End of this chapter)