GBP Chapter 191 Do you think we are bad at writing?
Chapter 191 Do you think we are bad at writing?
Wang Qiong stared blankly at Magistrate Yang, muttering repeatedly, "This...this..."
As the saying goes, "Sing the song that suits the mountain you're on."
Yang Shaofeng, the magistrate, is currently an official. What does it matter to Magistrate Yang whether scholars can enjoy special privileges or be exempt from corvée labor?
Or to put it more realistically, what do the interests of the officials have to do with Magistrate Yang?
Even disregarding Magistrate Yang's identity as a time traveler, his hidden arrogance and playful, farming mentality, and his inherent dislike for Ming Dynasty scholars, simply considering his status as Zhu Yuanzhang's son-in-law, he simply couldn't possibly align himself with the majority of scholars.
Since we're destined to be on different paths, let's not bother with all that nice talk about being nice to each other. That's too fake. It's better to just tear off the mask and be more direct.
Abandoning personal integrity and indulging in a life of immorality.
Therefore, Magistrate Yang immediately targeted the scholars' weak point.
What were the weaknesses of these scholars in the early Ming Dynasty?
It's not that we lost the opportunity to oppress the people through tax farming, because the very nature of the tax farming system and the number of scholars meant that not everyone had this opportunity.
What truly breaks a scholar is the loss of their scholarly status, the status they are so proud of, the status they consider superior, causing them to fall from grace and pay taxes like ordinary people, making them truly experience the loss of their interests.
Wang Qiong naturally saw through this as well, and knew that Magistrate Yang's tactics were indeed ruthless and vicious. One punch could stun those scholars who were unwilling to serve as officials. But it was precisely because of this that Wang Qiong dared not directly agree to Magistrate Yang's proposal.
If things were to proceed as Magistrate Yang suggested, wouldn't Emperor Zhu offend those scholars who were unwilling to serve as officials?
Not only that, but because this move was so ruthless and vicious that it directly implicated all the scholars in the world.
Would scholars in the world willingly accept defeat?
Certainly not.
They would portray Emperor Zhu as the most tyrannical emperor in history, and as the most mistreated scholar-official emperor in history.
Does Emperor Zhu have no shame at all?
In particular, Emperor Zhu would offend the scholars in the north because of this—the scholars in the north did not treat Emperor Zhu as one of their own, and now you want to exempt scholars from all kinds of preferential treatment and privileges? Do you think we are not good at writing?
However, Magistrate Yang Shaofeng didn't care about this at all. Instead, he chuckled and said, "Brother Wang, are you worried that His Majesty will lose the support of the scholars because of this? Are you worried that the scholars in the north will become even more hostile to the Ming Dynasty?"
Wang Qiong nodded awkwardly.
Magistrate Yang laughed again and said, "In that case, Brother Wang might as well go to Shanxi and ask Chang Pingzhang for a few scholars who are unwilling to serve as officials. Then bring them to Ningyang County and let them tell the people how cruel His Majesty is."
"If they can't speak, I can make up some for them, like the three thousand palace maids being skinned alive, the extermination of ten clans of people, or the constant threat of skinning people alive. I'll make up as many of these kinds of lies as they want, and then you can have them tell them to the people of Ningyang County."
"As long as these people can leave Ningyang County unharmed after they finish speaking, I will never mention canceling the preferential treatment for scholars again, how about that?"
Wang Qiong was immediately caught in a mental struggle.
Emotionally speaking, Wang Qiong believed that Magistrate Yang was right. All that talk about the support of scholars was bullshit; what mattered was whether the common people supported him.
Putting aside everything else, just consider the Yuan Dynasty that these scholars cherish so dearly—what else can they do besides reminiscing about it verbally?
But the common people are different. Last time I came to Ningyang County, I was fooled by an old woman. Later, in front of the young and strong men of Ningyang County, I cursed Magistrate Yang a few times. As a result, I was beaten up badly. Wang Qiong even vaguely heard a young man say that he was going to dig a hole and bury himself there!
Thinking of this, Wang Qiong unconsciously reached out and touched her cheek again.
It still seems to hurt a little.
However, rationally speaking, Wang Qiong believes that Magistrate Yang's theory is somewhat unreliable.
Even if His Majesty the Emperor has no shame, can you, Magistrate Yang, guarantee that all the common people will support the Ming Dynasty just like the people of Ningyang County?
Don't forget, the people of Ningyang County support the Ming Dynasty because of you, Magistrate Yang; because the imperial court did indeed allocate grain to Ningyang County when it suffered from drought; and because His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince bestowed upon them a large number of cattle, horses, ducks, chickens, and other livestock, as well as a large number of seeds and farming tools. The people of Ningyang County are grateful for the kindness of His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince, which is why they support the Ming Dynasty.
But what about the other counties?
Some of them did not suffer from drought or locust plagues, so the court did not allocate grain to them, nor did His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince reward them with various poultry, livestock, seeds, and farming tools. How strong could their sense of belonging to the Ming Dynasty be?
Especially the people of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, many of them no longer consider the Han people of Jiangnan as their own people. How can you expect them to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty?
However, to Wang Qiong's surprise, after hearing Wang Qiong's concerns, Magistrate Yang actually chuckled and said, "Since ancient times, people have been more concerned about inequality than scarcity—if His Majesty and the court treat scholars too well, the people will easily become dissatisfied."
"Moreover, scholars in the north are not as good at studying as those in the south, and the number of them who can pass the imperial examinations is inevitably less than that of scholars in the south. Under such circumstances, can preferential treatment still be considered preferential treatment in the eyes of scholars in the north?"
"If Your Majesty and the court continue to treat the scholars from the north with special favor, how can the scholars from the south not have any grievances?"
After listening to Magistrate Yang's long speech, Wang Qiong began to feel that her brain was not up to the task.
It seems that nothing is acceptable, and no matter what is done, it is easy to arouse dissatisfaction among scholars and common people.
Seeing Wang Qiong's conflicted expression, Magistrate Yang smiled again and said, "Brother Wang, I will compile today's words into a memorial, or you can write another one, and His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince will decide what to do."
Wang Qiong's eyes lit up immediately, as if she had suddenly realized something.
Yes, this is something His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince should be concerned with. Why should I, a mere ninth-rank interpreter, meddle in so much?
Thinking of this, Wang Qiong directly bowed to Magistrate Yang and thanked him, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Brother Yang."
Yang Shaofeng chuckled and said, "Actually, I also have something I'd like to ask Wang Qiong for help with."
Wang Qiong was slightly taken aback, then pointed to his own nose and asked, "Brother Yang, do you actually need my help?"
I, Wang Qiong, am but a lowly ninth-rank interpreter. You're asking me for a favor?
Why don't you just ask His Highness the Crown Prince directly?