"Although I need the scholar-bureaucrats to be obedient, it doesn't mean that I really want them to be silent, because I just don't let them talk nonsense. Their knowledge must serve the long-term peace and prosperity of the empire, rather than personal selfish desires. Self-interested services for certain groups;
Although the Ming Dynasty is the emperor's arbitrary decision, it does not mean that civil affairs are not prosperous. I am the emperor, and I need both martial arts and civil administration! "
As Zhu Youxiao spoke, he hurriedly asked: "Have I asked Chongwen Temple to select ten privately written works of the year that can be commended and established? Let them do it as soon as possible! I don't believe in the literati of the Ming Dynasty. The scholar-bureaucrats usually love to write and write so much, but in the end they really didn’t even have a single poem or article that could be remembered for generations to come! As long as there are, I will not refuse to reward or grant officials!"
Zhu Youxiao continued to express his purpose of controlling the world's civil affairs.
From the beginning, he had no intention of constricting thoughts like the Manchus did.
Zhu Youxiao's intention was just to let the literati follow his instructions and speak, so as to achieve the purpose of controlling cultural context and promoting the prosperity of cultural undertakings. However, since it was to govern cultural undertakings, he did not choose to fight directly with force, but with literary fighting. By selecting excellent books, he activated a group of obedient imperial literati, rewarded them generously with money and silk, and reused them with official titles. Finally, he attracted a group of literati whose stance was consistent with his own, and allowed the literati and officials to make their own choices. If they wanted to live a good life, If you want to be nourished, if you want to make a statement, if you want to have more fame, a higher status, and more power, you have to obey the emperor's will.
Otherwise, I will just farm the land honestly and live a poor life, and the articles I write will only be used for burning fire in the end.
After all, the power and technology of printing and publishing, as well as capital, were controlled by the emperor.
"Chongwen Temple is currently selecting, but there are too many outstanding writers in the Ming Dynasty, and it is very difficult to choose the ten best ones!"
Fang Congzhe replied, he had to admit that His Majesty the Emperor's idea was very vicious, and it was simply a conspiracy that the literati could not resist.
What scholar-bureaucrats care most about is meritorious service, reputation, and virtue. One of the three is enough to be famous for generations to come.
Among them, establishing meritorious service and virtue are the most difficult, while establishing reputation is the easiest for literati.
Therefore, literati all want the books they write to be affirmed and recognized, and even to be famous throughout the ages with the help of the court.
What Fang Congzhe didn't tell Zhu Youxiao was that because Chongwen Temple wanted to select books to be admitted to the academy in order to reward him for his contribution to his speech, the literati who came to bribe his son, ranging from high-ranking officials to private scholars, had almost crossed the threshold of his family. .
A few days later, Zhu Youxiao received the list of outstanding works that Fang Congzhe had sent to Chongwen Temple to screen and recommend.
The entire list consists of one hundred privately written books and articles, and Emperor Zhu Youxiao needs to select ten from them for reward and promotion.
And because Zhu Youxiao had requested for promotion, the content of the books and articles was not limited to Confucian Neo-Confucianism.
"The "Elements of Geometry" co-translated by Xu Aiqing and others has to be selected, and Xu Aiqing's "Agricultural Policy Complete Book" is also selected. This Xu Aiqin has a lot of works!
In addition, in terms of legends, Feng Menglong's "Laughs in Ancient and Modern Times" was selected; in terms of personal collections, "Dongpo Zen Xiji" by Ling Shuchu, "Youju Shilu" by Yuan Zhongdao, and "Xiao Xi Chuang Ji" by Chen Jiru were selected. superior. "
At this time, Zhu Youxiao also personally selected ten books that had a relatively high status in literary history and whose authors are still alive.
In addition, Zhu Youxiao also asked Chongwen Temple to select ten books that needed funding to expand the printing volume and recommended them to be read by scholars all over the world to promote the prosperity of Ming Dynasty culture.
Among these books, the first one Zhu Youxiao chose was "Da Gao".
However, Zhu Youxue's selection was purely disgusting for the rentier class in the world, because the purpose of Zhu Yuanzhang's compilation of this book was to restrict the powerful gentry from doing anything wrong and let the common people fight for their own rights.
In addition, there are the "Da Ming Rules" and the "Huang Ming Holy Instructions" compiled by Zhu Youxiao himself by the Hanlin Academy.
"Huang Ming Hadith" was compiled by Zhu Youxiao and used by the Hanlin Academy to educate officials all over the world, so that these officials could learn and know their intention to rule.
Of course, in addition to these official books, Zhu Youxiao also selected works that ordinary people like, such as "Journey to the West", "Jin 0 Ping 0 Plum Poems", and "The Romance of the West Chamber", as well as natural sciences such as "The Complete Map of Kunyu and Ten Thousand Kingdoms". In Zhu Youxiao's view, these works can more or less inspire people's hearts, promote the development of Ming culture, and enhance the cultural dominance of the Ming Empire.
Literary men such as Yuan Zhongdao, Li Zhizao, Xu Guangqi, and Yang Tingyun were all given generous rewards of 10,000 taels of silver coins by Zhu Youxiao because their works were selected.
In addition, these people were all awarded Hanlin Academy officials.
Yuan Zhongdao, who was an official by nature, was given the title of Bachelor of the Hanlin Academy. People like Xu Guangqi, who was an official but had a high position, were given the title of Shaofu. Feng Menglong, who did not pass the exam, was awarded the Imperial Academy title. The official position of review.
Zhu Youxiao also specially summoned these people at the Qianqing Palace and said that the imperial court would allocate special funds to vigorously print and disseminate their works.
Scholars like Yuan Zhongdao were naturally very grateful and even more surprised. After all, Zhu Youxiao was now regarded as a tyrant in the eyes of many civil servants and officials.
However, now literati like Yuan Zhongdao have to change their views on the current emperor.
However, Zhu Youxiao's way of holding the judgment of cultural works in his own hands still makes many literati and officials dissatisfied.
Especially those who were not chosen.
"How could the imperial court choose books like this? The legends are just for the common people to read. They are difficult to reach the elegant hall, but they can be enshrined in the high cabinet with dignity? And the "Complete Book of Agricultural Affairs" and "Elements of Geometry" are just miscellaneous books. Even students like him were selected, this must be because Xu Guangqi, a treacherous minister, controlled the imperial court!"
"That's right, not many books that comment on the Four Books and Five Classics were selected. This is simply random!"
"Can miscellaneous books like "Journey to the West" and "The Romance of the West Chamber" be considered representative of the cultural prosperity of the Ming Dynasty? How hilarious! When did our orthodox Confucianism become inferior to these miscellaneous books in terms of representing the cultural prosperity of the Ming Dynasty!"
"And this "Jin 0 Ping 0 Plum Ci Hua" is just circulated among the literati. How can it be recommended to the world? Doesn't it intend to promote the ugliness of the world, especially the powerful families?"
Many civil servants and officials in the Ming Dynasty were quite opposed to this, and there were many discussions. Some civil servants even wrote to ask for a boycott of miscellaneous studies and demanded that the court only respect Neo-Confucianism.
Zhu Youxiao only found this funny, because these scholar-bureaucrats themselves could not "preserve the principles of nature and destroy human desires" and abide by Zhu Xi's teachings, but they asked the court and the people of the world to abide by his ways.
This makes Zhu Youxiao have to admit that in many cases, what impedes the development of Chinese and Han culture is often the orthodox literati themselves who imprison and prevent development.
These people have no idea how many directors, stars and internet writers the "Journey to the West" they despise now will support in future generations.
Although many civil servants and officials objected to promoting and promoting miscellaneous textbooks in an official name, this did not hinder Zhu Youxiao's new policies in the cultural field.
Because the books and works praised by Zhu Youxiao are not to cater to the interests of literati and officials, but to guide literati to create more works that expose the ugly side of the powerful and gentry class, enlighten the people's wisdom, and educate and entertain the common people at the bottom. Purpose.
In other words, it is to guide literati to serve the people and the country.
In terms of serving the country, it is to enhance the cultural influence of the Ming Empire by creating more works with the ability to spread and assimilate.
Zhu Youxiao is very aware of how some countries in later generations used cultural works such as animation, film and television to influence young people in other countries.
Moreover, in Zhu Youxiao's view, many literati were not good at eight-part essays and therefore failed in examinations. These people often became dissatisfied with the imperial court.
Therefore, he believed that he, the emperor, could use this method of asking Chongwen Temple to recommend literati with outstanding works to enter the Hanlin Academy every year to make these frustrated literati less dissatisfied with the imperial court, and at the same time give them hope so that they would not Being so desperate because of the failure of the examination room can achieve the purpose of promoting the long-term peace and stability of the empire. In addition, it can also promote the prosperity of the empire's culture. Why not do it.
Of course, Zhu Youxiao also hoped that some literati in the Ming Dynasty could write another work like "Journey to the West" that would help spread Chinese culture. As long as he could have one, he would not be stingy with titles and gifts.
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