Chapter 61 Chapter 6: Why do you need to care about dressing and wearing a hat?

Today's readers will feel ridiculous and puzzled when they see Zhu Yuanzhang so focused on people's clothes and hats.There is a proverb among the Chinese people: "Control the sky and the earth, but not shit and fart." But Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to want to challenge this sentence.Like a strict and serious middle school principal, he really deprived the common people of their freedom to the extent that only "shit and fart" is left. In Zhu Yuanzhang's view, this is an extremely serious issue related to the rise and fall of the empire. What Zhu Yuanzhang took over from the Mongols was a vast and dilapidated empire.At the beginning of the war, there was devastation everywhere, "ten houses and nine empty houses, and the people are exhausted".However, these are not enough to worry Zhu Yuanzhang.The so-called "where there are lands and there are people, there are people who have money", as long as the politics is stable, there is no need to worry about the rapid recovery of the economy.What worries him the most is the ideological confusion of the people all over the world. This is the largest bad asset he inherited from the Mongols.

The Mongols conquered from the grasslands failed to accurately grasp the exquisite and profound mind-healing techniques accumulated by the Han people for thousands of years. "Hu Yuan was lenient and lost", "the ninety-three years of rule, the Huafeng fell, and the Yi Dao collapsed."In Zhu Yuanzhang's view, in the society of the early Ming Dynasty, the ideological confusion was prominently manifested in the strange costumes, that is, "the former king's clothes, propriety and righteousness were mixed up with barbarians, and the ups and downs were decadent and popular."

He summed up the history and said: "The customs of modern times have been inherited, and they are in luxury. The people in the house, the food and the residence are the same as the public officials, there is no distinction between high and low, and the arrogance of etiquette is the reason why this Yuan lost power." Those great emperors in the past To govern the world, one must first establish a system of etiquette, which is used to distinguish high and low, to clarify the country's prestige, and to let people know who is big or small.Since the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the customs have been inherited and become extravagant, and the food, clothing, housing and transportation of the wealthy people are no different from those of the princes, which is not bad!There is no difference between high and low, the reason why this yuan failed!

Banning fancy dress is a tradition of the Han regime in China.Zhou Lizhong stipulates that the state should "regularize its clothes and prohibit its strange evils" when dressing the common people, and even "those who make obscene sounds, different clothes, and strange skills and weapons to doubt the public will be killed."That is to say, pleading guilty in a strange costume can lead to death.This isn't just for scaring people.During the Spring and Autumn Period, Zheng Guoren's son Zang was killed for "wearing different clothes". "Zuo Zhuan" also commented on this: "If you don't suit well, you will suffer a disaster." Therefore, a set of taboos about clothing has been formed in China through the ages.For example, bright yellow is the special color of the emperor, which was established in the Tang Dynasty.Tang Gaozu said that "the emperor often wears yellow robes, and the common people are not allowed to wear them, and the yellow robes have been banned since then."

However, the regulations on clothing in the past dynasties reached their peak in Zhu Yuanzhang, and they were so detailed that they could not be added. The trousers are made smaller, and the leather boots are embroidered with patterns. At first glance, this is just a matter of personal preference, but when you think about it carefully, it is not.Because through clothes, leather boots, etc., you can also see the fierce struggle between the two ideological tendencies of "obedient people" and "disorderly people".Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang regards letting people understand their identities as a major matter related to the survival of the country.Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Etiquette is clear, and the distinction between top and bottom is determined. Only in this way can the world be stable." Care about your hairstyle, the length of your sleeves, and whether you can wear warm ears in cold weather. Start small and get used to succumbing to unreasonable realities.

"Zuo Zhuan" says: There are ten days in the sky, and there are ten classes in people. The lower ones are superior in matters, and the upper ones are in harmony with God.Therefore, kings and ministers, ministers and officials, officials and officials of officials, scholars and ministers, officials and officials, officials and ministers, officials and officials, officials and ministers, servants and officials. Autocratic rule requires the annihilation of people's sense of self-esteem, independence, and equality, making people unable to recognize their own independent value.As an important means of autocratic rule, the biggest role of the hierarchical system is to bring the people of the whole country into a subordinate relationship, so that every member of society is attached to a power structure, emphasizing the inequality of people, strengthening everyone's sense of identity, and making Submission, obedience, and servility have become the prominent characters of the ruled, giving people of every class ample opportunities to cultivate servility.Just as Zhu Yuanzhang said in the "Sequel to Yuzhi Dahao": "Heaven is respected and the earth is humble, and the power of reason is inevitable. The rich and the poor are the lessons of the gods... So officials have grades, people have riches and honors, and the most humble people can't get it." Easy to use."

Only in this way can social order be fully guaranteed.Hierarchy is a constant reminder to the people that nothing is above political power.In particular, economic power must be absolutely subordinated to political power.Even if you are wealthy, if you have no rank or political status, you can only live in three small houses, and you are not allowed to wear silk or gauze.If the merchant class wants to gain people's respect, he must spend money to buy an official, or at least buy an idle job, such as "Deng Shilang".Only in this way can "the rich be prosperous, the middle be safe, and the low be safe" and realize the "government by etiquette and law" of the Ming Dynasty.

Don't laugh at Zhu Yuanzhang.Today, which brand of car does which level of official rides, what size of house is assigned to what level, and the protracted struggle between family members and work units for the "qualification" of the memorial service... These phenomena are common to everyone. Therefore, for those who don't understand etiquette, Zhu Yuanzhang's rudeness is beyond people's imagination. Empress Ma has big feet, so someone with good deeds drew a caricature of a woman with big feet hugging a watermelon on the wall, which means "Lady Huaixi has big feet".Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't find the perpetrator, so he killed all the residents on a street.

For those who know etiquette, Zhu Yuanzhang did not hesitate to reward.There is a hairdresser named Du beside the emperor.Once Zhu Yuanzhang saw that he had wrapped all the cut nails in paper, so he asked him what he was doing. Du replied that it was a part of the saint's body, how could it be thrown away casually?I wrapped it up and took it home, and collected it respectfully.Zhu Yuanzhang didn't believe it, so he left Du in the palace and ordered the guards to search Du's house.The Du family took out a vermilion box from the Buddhist pavilion, which contained Zhu Yuanzhang's nails.Zhu Yuanzhang was very happy after hearing the guard's report, praised Du for his understanding of "rituals", and was immediately promoted to "Taichangqing" (one of the nine ministers, the official in charge of etiquette).