Chapter 157 The real reform is coming
He Xi said: "Your Majesty, this incident shocked the world. Please think twice."
The prince said: "Father, if He Xi says this now, please think again."
Obviously, the prince had already persuaded him before.
But Zhu Yuanzhang didn't listen.
Zhu Yuanzhang said calmly: "Counting now, I don't have a few years left. There are even fewer things that can be done. Legal reform is not just an order. It also takes time. It doesn't matter when it is done. , will encounter resistance. If I don’t do it now, Biao’er, can you do it?”
The prince was silent.
First, he didn't want to do something so extreme.
Because the prince's acceptance of new things was not as good as Zhu Yuanzhang's. Because the foundation of Zhu Yuanzhang's worldview has never been Confucianism, but the cruelty of a cruel life, distrust of people, and compassion for the lower class people that he has cultivated since his youth. Wait for the extremely complicated background.
Confucianism, Taoism, or the theories brought by He Xi now are just tools to Zhu Yuanzhang. Since it is a tool, use whatever is easy to use. Moreover, some theories of later generations are also consistent with some of Zhu Yuanzhang's characters.
But Zhu Biao is different. He has read the books of sages since he was a child, and he really believes in this. He can't say that he is a great Confucian, but he is definitely a child of Confucianism.
Secondly, he was afraid of this storm.
He was really afraid. He knew what would happen if Zhu Yuanzhang did this. He even believed that with Zhu Yuanzhang's ability, no matter what kind of storms there were, with Zhu Yuanzhang at the helm, he could not capsize the ship.
But Zhu Yuanzhang is old, and he can't think about what happened after Zhu Yuanzhang's death.
If Zhu Yuanzhang's previous practice of converging with Confucianism was followed, Zhu Biao would be the king of defense without having to do anything. But things are different now. Zhu Biao understands very well that Zhu Yuanzhang is starting a war. This war will not end because of Zhu Yuanzhang's death. But because of Zhu Yuanzhang's death, the second round will come.
Zhu Biao didn't know if he could completely implement this matter.
And in his opinion, there is no need to be so anxious about many things, just do it step by step. Why do you do this, lest the world not be in chaos?
After hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, He Xi already understood something in his heart. The reason why Zhu Yuanzhang is so anxious is not because of anything else, but because of the prince.
How could Zhu Yuanzhang not know the prince's thoughts?
But after much thought, Zhu Yuanzhang rejected the idea of deposing the crown prince, because Zhu Yuanzhang felt that no matter who took the throne except the crown prince, there would be a big chaos. He felt sorry for the Ming Dynasty that he had worked hard to build.
If you want to depose the prince who has been in power for more than 20 years, there must be a major case bigger than the four major Hongwu cases in history as a political purge.
Even Zhu Yuanzhang would have to think twice about this price.
Since Zhu Biao's position is irreplaceable, many of Zhu Biao's own ideas are not firm. What Zhu Yuanzhang had to do was to do what he could do in advance and not let Zhu Biao do it.
He Xi's idea was correct, but there was one thing he hadn't considered, and that was Zhu Yuanzhang's body.
After all, Zhu Yuanzhang is getting old. After the age of sixty, the human body will go through a period of rapid aging. At this time, one year will age faster than the previous ten years. This feeling is clearly reflected in Zhu Yuanzhang. Even though he is the emperor, he is still a human being, not a god.
Because of this, Zhu Yuanzhang was really afraid that if he could do it now, he would be unable to do anything for a few more years.
Moreover, Zhu Yuanzhang himself was also very anxious deep down. Especially after knowing how long he could live, Zhu Yuanzhang always wanted to see some results before he died. This kind of thinking is also reflected in Zhu Yuanzhang's urging to use the steam engine first.
Or in He Xi's view, a few more years of research is nothing. But Zhu Yuanzhang has only a few years left.
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the two silent people and said: "I have made up my mind. Just do it. No matter what happens, I will take care of it. What you want to think about is how to do it, not anything else."
He Xi has figured it out now.
From his perspective, the timing wasn't the best. But it's pretty good.
He Xi is self-aware that his prestige in the Ming Dynasty will never reach the level of Zhu Yuanzhang, not now or in the future. If he promotes this matter in the future, it will be extremely difficult and may fail. But if we push it now, it will definitely be passed.
Of course, it is not without its hidden dangers.
After all, who is Zhu Yuanzhang? The founder of the Ming Empire and a tyrant, his prestige has already been proven by the rolling heads. The heads here include those of enemies and those of our own people.
Above the imperial court, no one dared to oppose Zhu Yuanzhang. But the problem is, just because no one in the court dares, it doesn’t mean that no one in the Ming Dynasty dares.
After all, with the transportation and administrative efficiency of the Ming Dynasty, what Zhu Yuanzhang could really directly control was only the vicinity of Nanjing, and even the entire southern Zhili may not be under Zhu Yuanzhang's direct control. Other places must be entrusted to nobles and bureaucratic groups to manage them on their behalf.
This is inevitable.
What will happen when this new law is implemented in local areas? Will there be various problems, or will local officials use chicken feathers as arrows to do bad things intentionally? It's hard to say.
However, this is not a problem. As long as Zhu Yuanzhang uses his strong prestige and legitimacy to endorse the new law, He Xi will have the most powerful weapon in the future, and that is the ancestral law. Yes, the ancestral law set by Zhu Yuanzhang cannot be more authentic.
This will be of infinite help to He Xi in carrying out the reform to the end in the future.
As for the counterattack of those who opposed the legal reform after Zhu Yuanzhang's death. He Xi doesn't care.
He also knew Zhu Yuanzhang's intention in asking him to come over. Since he was involved in this matter, once the generals and the conservative faction counterattack, He Xi's end will not be much better than Shang Yang's.
However, He Xi didn't think anything of it.
Some things, when people take them for granted, do not feel they are precious. But after losing it, you will feel that you are willing to exchange it for anything. He Xi doesn't know what those people who long to travel to ancient times think. But He Xi was determined not to.
He missed everything modern.
I miss many products of modern science and technology, and even more, I miss the modern humanistic environment. Even if he is a master, he is not used to that kind of environment where people are not treated as human beings.
He wants to return to modern times, and if he can't, then make the world a little closer to modern times, a little closer. He would give anything for this.
Isn’t there just no way out? Isn't it just to become the red banner of the reform faction? Link life to the reform. If the reform fails, you will definitely die. If the reform succeeds, you may not survive. But He Xi didn't care. Because of Zhu Yuanzhang's decision, He Xi understood something.
That is, Zhu Yuanzhang at least did not want He Xi to be buried with him.
This is enough.
As for Zhu Yuanzhang's death, He Xi sneered in her heart: "I don't know who killed whom then."
Except for Zhu Yuanzhang, He Xi was not afraid of anyone, including the prince.
He Xi said: "I obey the order."
The prince hesitated for a while and said, "Since my father has said so, all I have to do is obey."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Okay. Then tell me how to start?"
The prince said: "My son is stupid and didn't pay attention for a while. Please give me some time and let my father think carefully."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and looked at He Xi, waiting for He Xi's answer.
He Xi's heart was spinning rapidly and he said: "I didn't pay attention for a moment, but I thought there were two things to do. First, Jie Jin's weight was too light, and his argument with Ding Xian was not enough at all, so this It's going to be a big debate."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "This matter is up to you."
He Xi was not surprised by this. Now that he was determined, He Xi didn't care about charging into battle. Today is different from a few years ago. Although the He Xi faction is still very thin, whether it is upper-level talents or lower-level talents. But no matter what, He Xi is no longer alone.
Only with the support of Zhu Yuanzhang. He Xi naturally dared to take action.
He Xi said: "There is one more thing, and that is to ask Your Majesty to restore the status of Mencius. Even ranking above Confucius."
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned slightly. Said: "Why?"
