Chapter 55 Section 8 Zhu Yuanzhang's View on Happiness

Of course, Zhu Yuanzhang would never agree with these Westerners' views.He never thinks that his image is so horrible and ugly.On the contrary, in the oriental bronze mirror in his hand, he saw that he was majestic and benevolent, like a wise old man. From the perspective of modern people, it is undoubtedly barbaric, absurd and unreasonable for Zhu Yuanzhang to restrict and deprive other members of society of their freedom so forcefully.What right does he have to lock people up like livestock?What power can restrict the free movement of ordinary people in their own country? Zhu Yuanzhang thought it was only natural for him to do so.Because, everything that the people of the world possesses is bestowed by him.He is the reborn parent of the common people, so he has the right to do anything to them.

In the early years of Hongwu, because of the lack of cadres, Zhu Yuanzhang recruited scholars everywhere to become officials.The uncle and nephew Xia Boqi, a scholar in Guixi County, were also recruited.These two people missed their homeland and did not want to be officials in the new dynasty, so they cut off their left thumbs to show their unwillingness to become officials.Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang was furious, ordered them to be tied up to the capital, and personally explained to them in the palace why it was extremely wrong not to serve him. Zhu Yuanzhang's speech is recorded in detail in "Dagao Three Parts: Scholars Chopped Fingers Tenth".Let's share the wonderful article and see Zhu Yuanzhang's logic:

Two uncles and nephews, Xia Boqi, a Confucian scholar in Guixi County, Guangxin Prefecture, had their left thumbs amputated.I ordered someone to go to the capital to interrogate him personally, and asked him, "Where did you live in the past when the world was in chaos?" "During the Red Turban Rebellion, I took refuge between Fujian and Jiangxi." Said: "Did you flee with your family?" , Going up high mountains and steep mountains, down deep ravines and steep streams. Do you still support it with your hands?" Said; " Said: "What about later?" Said: "Teaching has been a living until now."

Through heuristic questioning, Zhu Yuanzhang asked Xia Boqi to compare his misery of running around in Yuan Dynasty with his current life in peace and contentment.Then, he fiddled with the book bag, and told the truth about the truth that he has learned from the world: I knew that Bo Qi was angry, and thought that it was wrong for me to take the world, so I said to Bo Qi specially: "In ancient times, from Fuxi to Huangdi, Shaohao to Zhuanxu and Gaoxin, there is no text to study. Those who know the general, Yao Chan and Shun , Shun Zen Yu, Yu's heir, Tang Fang Jie, Wu Wang defeated Zhou. Since then, Qin, Han, Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, the operator of Tianchang is not one emperor. The emperors take turns to do it. A family with one surname cannot last for thousands of years. Why? Because their descendants cannot always serve the heaven and work hard for the people, so they are not called Tianxin."

After explaining this truth, he asked Xia Boqi what are reborn parents?Before Xia Boqi could answer, he explained in plain language: Moreover, in the birth of a person, the parents can only give birth to the body, and the preservation of life depends entirely on the ruler. What are re-parents?When a person is about to die in a catastrophe, he is rescued by others, and the people who save him, regardless of gender, age or age, are his reborn parents. What is a catastrophe?Or meet robbers on the road, or sit at home and encounter unexpected disasters, or enemies and thugs come to attack, or meet tigers and wolves on the road, and fall into fire and water.At this time, someone saves you, which is called reborn parents.why would you say so?Because the fate is basically extinct at this time, and the resurrection from then on is like a new birth, so Chang Yun regenerates his parents.

Using syllogistic reasoning, Zhu Yuanzhang told Xia Boqi that he was Xia Boqi's reborn parents, because he saved Xia Boqi from the war and lived a stable life: "The sky has changed through the ages, and the sages have been handed down. How can this be done by human power? Now you two uncles and nephews can't follow the example of Boyi and Shuqi, go to eat chestnuts, teach for a living, live in peace, don't worry about bullying, and the family property Not afraid of being snatched away, what do you rely on?" Bo Qi bowed his head in silence.Alas!I called Bo Qi and said: "The reason why you don't worry about bullying and your wealth is not robbed is because of the monarch! It is the monarch who provides you with social security! The monarch is your reborn parents! It is not for my use to point it out now. They are people who are different from their teachings, not what I have transformed."

Zhu Yuanzhang himself said that Xia Boqi was convinced by what he said, so that he had no complaints when he was sentenced to death, but felt the happiness of "morning and death can be done at night".I said to Bo Qi: "Now I sentence you to death. I will confiscate your property and steal your property. I will never follow the example of crazy and foolish people!" After hearing these words, Bo Qi had no choice but to die quietly... Although dead, silent but without hatred. In Zhu Yuanzhang's view, the people of the world depend on his sunshine and rain to survive, so he has the right to kill and seize the world.In order to let everyone in the world understand this truth, he repeatedly preached it from both positive and negative aspects. In another chapter of "Da Gao", he refuted those who disagreed with his point of view:

"Some people say: 'The emperor feeds and clothes are provided by the people. How can it be said that the emperor feeds the people? It should be said that the people feed the emperor.' Foolish people, you don't know that the reason why the emperor feeds you is because he educates you. , set up discipline for you, otherwise you young people will not listen to your old ones, and the rich will bully the poor, and no one will be able to live in peace." Therefore, he was quite dissatisfied with the people's lack of gratitude to him, and said angrily in "Dagao: The People Know Their Blessings Are Not Rewarded": "You eat and drink from me, but some people don't know how to repay me, and enjoy the blessings peacefully." , with absolutely no gratitude."

Therefore, he was so righteous when he committed crimes against the people of the world.Once, during a private visit, he heard an elderly woman talking to someone on the street. When referring to him, she did not call her "Emperor" but "Old Man". Zhu Yuanzhang thought this was a manifestation of his dissatisfaction with his rule. After returning to the palace, he ordered the soldiers and horses of the five cities to kill all the residents in the neighborhood where the old woman lived, and said: "Zhang Shicheng occupies the southeast, and the locals still call him 'King Zhang'. I became the emperor, and the people actually call me an old man, it’s really frustrating.”

Even for the ministers, he lacks the minimum respect for the princes and nobles he canonized.These people are just tools in his hands. If he is not happy, he can order the warriors around him to press any minister on the ground of the palace, pull down his pants, and spank his ass in public.This is the famous "Tingzhang" system in the Ming Dynasty.In his rage, many high-ranking bureaucrats, such as the grandfather and son of Yongjia Hou Zhuliang and Xue Xiang, Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, were beaten to death on the floor of the palace. Contrary to our opinion, Zhu Yuanzhang does not think that he caged the people, which violated the rights of the people and hindered the happiness of the people.On the contrary, he believes that doing so is not only for the benefit of his family, but also to promote the happiness of the people.Therefore, when he secreted spider threads, he didn't feel guilty at all. On the contrary, he was full of pride in working selflessly for the country and the nation.

The reason why his conclusion is so diametrically opposed to ours is because Zhu Yuanzhang started from his own concept of happiness to understand the concept of happiness of the people across the country. Zhu Yuanzhang never believed that "freedom" was necessary in one's life.From the perspective of a poor peasant, he believes that "happiness" means having enough food and clothing, and further, eating meat and wearing silk.In addition, he could not imagine that people have other needs.As for being managed more strictly, he believes that this not only does not hinder happiness, but enhances people's sense of security. Let's take a look at how Zhu Yuanzhang expresses his concept of happiness with himself and words: Chu Qin, commander of the Huai'an Guard, was severely punished by Zhu Yuanzhang for accepting bribes.Zhu said: "It seems that they are being demoted like this today. Why didn't they stick to their duties, keep their duties, sit in a good house, and eat with their salary, but they were not happy! But he insisted on this. I don’t know what’s really going on in their minds?” ("Da Gao Wuchen · Chu Qin and others arbitrarily accepting military service seventh") Guo Cheng of a thousand households released criminals for the sake of greed, "but gave the name of a thousand households If the score is broken, there is such a villain with such little blessings." ("Supervisor Selling Prisons Twenty-six") In "Emperor Ming Zu Xun", he taught his descendants like this: Since ancient times, princes living in the country enjoy more joy than emperors.How do you see it?Crowns and palaces, chariots and horses, and ceremonial guards are inferior to the emperor, but self-decoration is rich, and government affairs are also simple.Le Mo Da Yan. In the view of the poor Zhu Yuanzhang, sitting under a good house, eating food from the national treasury (eating with salary rice), and not having to work, this is the greatest happiness in the world. Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang never thought that his excessive interference in the lives of other members of the empire hindered their happiness. He would never agree that "everyone's free development is the prerequisite for the free development of the whole society." On the contrary, he believed that "everyone's Lack of freedom is the prerequisite for the stability and unity of the whole society."In Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, he is already a very benevolent monarch.How many emperors in history cared about the clothing and food of the people under their rule like him?How many emperors have worked so hard to ensure social security like him?Giving the people the right to subsistence and the right to food and clothing is enough. As for the value of individuality, thought, freedom, and the dignity of human life, he never even thought about it in his farmer's mind. Therefore, in the eyes of the Chinese people in the past, what Zhu Yuanzhang created was not only not a mummy, but even an exquisite work of art.Historians in the Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty praised Zhu as "the misfortune is in chaos, and the defense is exhausted. As for making laws, setting ceremonies, setting up hundreds of officials, setting up ancestral temples, setting up military guards, and building schools, all of them will lose quality and quality. Meibei." "Looking at its official system, ceremonies, laws and regulations, sermons, women's commandments, lying monuments, muduo, ancestral precepts, big words, to the point of Yuyu, the second generation of Yijian, three thousand laws and preparations, all of which run through the same article, Jin Sheng Yu Zhen." (Gu Yingtai's "Ming History Chronicles") After the Ming Dynasty, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty praised Zhu Yuanzhang's political system even more. After Emperor Shunzhi came to power, he often went to the inner court to discuss history with the academicians.Once, he asked Fan Wencheng and others: "Since Han Gao, before the Ming Dynasty, which emperor is the best?" Fan Wencheng and others replied: "Han Gao, Wendi, Guangwu, Tang Taizong, Song Taizu, and Ming Hongwu are all worthy emperors." Emperor Shunzhi said: "I think that the virtuous rulers of all dynasties are better than Hongwu. Why? Counting the virtuous rulers, there are those who are good, and those who are not perfect, and the regulations and regulations formulated by Hongwu are well-planned. That's why I say that the rulers of the past dynasties are not as good as Hongwu." Volume 71) There is a stele in the Xiaoling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty, which is written by Kangxi in four large characters "Zhilong Tang and Song Dynasty", which means that Ming Taizu governed the country better than Tang and Song Dynasties. Because of this, the Qing Dynasty basically inherited Zhu's political system intact, and made this system more complete through minor adjustments such as the establishment of a military aircraft office.From this perspective, Zhu Yuanzhang not only created the foundation of the Ming Dynasty for three hundred years, but even the Qing Dynasty was basically a product of his political thinking. Therefore, although Zhu Yuanzhang died six hundred years ago, the prison system he stipulated kept the Chinese people in prison until the end of the Qing Dynasty.