Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

Chapter 1960 1429: The Ming Dynasty Values Agriculture and Sericulture; Sea Trade Is the Source of Chaos!

"Ah! The words of the governor, stemming from a heart of benevolence and justice, adhere to the path of a gentleman... Upon listening, a student feels as if hearing the morning bell and evening drum of a Buddhist temple, suddenly enlightened... A student shall certainly heed the teachings and practice them in the future!"Facing the sudden inquiry from Governor Wang Zhe, Shi Wende immediately responded sincerely, displaying genuine admiration. Then, standing in the courtyard, he respectfully performed a scholar's salutation to Wang Zhe in the study. He began by clasping his hands, bowing deeply, then raising his arms to gently push downwards, finally slowly rising.

"Hmm!... The temperament is quite stable... Si Cheng, come over and sit!"

Governor Wang Zhe smiled faintly, and after receiving the solemn salutation, pointed to a small chair by the desk, inviting Shi Wende to sit. To him, ruling over others was nothing but a balance of grace and power. Having Shi Wende wait for two hours, then stand for an hour, was merely the most common display of authority.

With over thirty years of experience navigating the officialdom, Governor Wang Zhe never took long to assess a person. In such simple tests, he could easily discern Shi Wende's temperament. Those subtle expressions and movements revealed whether the person harbored reverence or if they were humble and grateful.

And the logic of employing within the scholar-officials, to an official like Governor Wang Zhe, whether Advanced Scholar or Scholar, is about being an official, not a mere functionary. In the Ming, being an "official," the majority of positions in the bureaucracy never prioritize capability first; sometimes it wasn't important at all!

In Jiangnan, capable aides are plentiful and naturally assist officials in accomplishing tasks well. Overly capable advisors, doing too much, sometimes end up causing trouble. The priority in appointing officials among scholar-officials remains "temperament and conduct," followed by "manners and writings," and lastly "experience and training."

"Si Cheng, I recall you became a Scholar in the Zhejiang Renzi rural examination two years ago, correct?"

"Yes! Governor. Two years ago, my instructor Mr. Liu presided over the Zhejiang rural examination. Fortunately, my writings were selected, and I was recorded as a Scholar..."

"Hmm... Not bad! The Chongming Shi, renowned in the countryside. Three generations of farming and studying, and finally produced you, the first Scholar, indeed on the right path!"

"Ah!... Yes... Yes!"

Listening to Governor Wang Zhe's fleeting remark, Shi Wende felt a great fear, sweat trickling down his back. Receiving a critique of "well-known" in the Ming was not like the praise it was in the Han.

One must understand, the Ming is the Ming of the scholar-officials, the Ming of the aristocratic families, never the Ming of the "local tyrants"! For local tyrants without titles or court connections, even the destruction of the family is merely a matter of the magistrate issuing a note. And for an official at the governor's level, one word today, and the Chongming Shi won't survive till tomorrow!

Even if, secretly, the Chongming Shi possesses ten large sea trade ships, harboring two to three hundred sea mercenaries. Even if the Shi claims dominance over the Outer Sea of Zhejiang, earning respect and alliances from the dignitaries of Japan and Western Country, and assembling a sea lord coalition rivaling the navy of small European countries...

They are still merely snails beneath the foot of the Zhejiang Governor's Office, easily crushed. And the reason they aren't crushed now might be due to being unnoticed, or because lifting the foot seems burdensome, or because dirtying hands and feet isn't worth it, or perhaps... there is some remaining value in them!

"Yes... Yes! Governor, my Shi clan always passes down farming and studying, longing for the righteous path of the Saints... Those rumors in the countryside are just the gossip spread by the locals... My Shi clan will certainly pursue the righteous path in the future, contributing to the education of the Saints!"

"Hmm..."

Governor Wang Zhe nodded slightly. Balancing grace and power, enough power had been displayed for now to exhibit some kindness. He smoothed over "Li Wenxi's Collection" on the table, shifting the topic again.

Among scholar-officials, interaction must be through "literary lineage," to speak considerately and elegantly. Especially for scholars with inadequate connections, even more so. If the other cannot understand, it just proves insufficient upbringing or family tradition, making further exchange not very significant...

"Sincerity is the way of heaven; thinking sincerely is the way of man. 'Loyalty and trust' is 'sincerity,' a 'virtuous deed'... Si Cheng, your character name is well chosen! Who bestowed it upon you?"

"Governor, my character name was chosen by Ningbo Prefect Ma Tingxuan ten years ago..."

"Oh! Him, Ma Qin Ma Tingxuan! An Advanced Scholar of the third rank in the Chenghua Second Year Bingxu Examination... The Ma Family is a noble family of Chengdu Prefecture. Ma Qin and his brother Ma Lun, two Scholars in one examination year, were a celebrated talk in the exams!"

Governor Wang Zhe reminisced briefly, roughly connecting the relationships. Ma Qin, an Advanced Scholar from Sichuan, served a term as Ningbo Prefect. His network in Zhejiang was relatively weak, needing local powerhouses for assistance. Additionally, Jiangnan often incurs significant expenses, and he might need more present offerings, unlikely to interfere in other matters. Thus, he casually bestowed a character name upon a local tyrant's son, incidentally supporting their family's standing...

"Ma Tingxuan diligently urged farming during his years as Ningbo Prefect, with no major faults... This allowed his promotion and transfer… Si Cheng, don't disappoint Ma Tingxuan's expectations and betray the fine character name of 'Si Cheng'!"

Speaking of this, Governor Wang Zhe's face softened, he picked up the "Li Wenxi's Collection" on the table, let Shi Wende, who was only sitting on half of the chair, take a look, and asked in a deep voice.

"Si Cheng, do you know Mr. Li Wenxi and his relationship with your mentor Mr. Liu Shiyong?"

"Student heard Mr. Liu mention... having studied at Dragon Peak Academy and served Mr. Li as a disciple..."

"That's right! Mr. Li and Mr. Liu are fellow townsmen, also studied at the same academy. Although Mr. Liu calls himself a disciple, they can be considered true friends. Speaking of their academic origins, Mr. Li was the top scholar of the Tianshun Year Ding Chou Examination (1457), I was an advanced scholar of the Tianshun Fourth Year Gengchen Examination, Mr. Liu was an advanced scholar of the Tianshun Eighth Year Jia Shen Examination... Tianshun Period only held three examinations in total, so we are almost contemporaries!"

"Afterwards, Mr. Liu first served as Zhejiang Left Governor, later promoted to Right Deputy Imperial Censor, and went to the Yellow River for water management... I, from Assistant Governor in Shanxi, was promoted to Zhejiang Right Governor... Mr. Liu and I governed Zhe, and can be said to be close colleagues!"

Governor Wang Zhe spoke leisurely, slowly narrating the connections, once again revealing an upper seam of the officialdom to Shi Wende, born from a sea merchant family.

Unfortunately, Shi Wende looked confused, not knowing what these relationships meant, nor understanding why Wang Zhe mentioned these old stories to him. He had no political acumen to leverage the nominal connection of being Liu Daxia's "disciple", using a way recognized by the scholar-official class, to quickly link to Governor Wang Zhe's "web".

"Mr. Li lived an honest life, rarely associating with others, never admiring vulgarity, nor did he indulge in any extravagance. He taught the sage's principles of benevolence and righteousness, earning Mr. Liu's respect as a disciple, and was even the teacher of today's Holy Emperor. The year before last, upon Mr. Li's passing, hundreds of disciples, peers, and friends mourned him, mostly genuine gentlemen..."

"Mr. Liu is also honest and upright, like Mr. Li, daring to act, able and capable, worthy of respect yet causing self-shame! Currently, Mr. Liu, tirelessly and without fear of hardship, heads to Shandong to remedy the Yellow River flood, if he succeeds... he will surely be a model minister!"

Governor Wang Zhe spoke for a while, seeing Shi Wende bewildered, secretly shook his head. After all, he is just a sea merchant's son, without guidance, unlikely to go far in officialdom. He no longer beat around the bush, closed the gap left for Shi Wende, and directly addressed the main topic.

"Si Cheng, do you know... your mentor Mr. Liu, in his youth at the Ministry of War, accomplished two stunning feats? Winning the respect and praise of the entire scholarly community, regarded as the backbone and elite of young scholars!"

"Ah! Student...student...doesn't know..."

"Hmm... The first feat was in Tianshun Eighth Year, Mr. Liu newly admitted as an advanced scholar, served as doctor at the Ministry of War... Emperor Yingzong was advised by a eunuch, wishing to recreate the old event of Sanbao Eunuch, to dispatch Treasure Ships to the Western Ocean again... Consequently, eunuch under imperial order went to the Ministry to retrieve Sanbao Eunuch's Western Ocean routes and sea charts... And Mr. Liu acted first, concealing the maps, endured three days of beating without speaking. Later even destroyed them, completely extinguishing Emperor Yingzong's thoughts of Western Ocean expedition!"

"During Yongle Xuande period, Sanbao Eunuch went to the Western Ocean seven times, spending tens of thousands of money and grains, countless soldiers and civilians died! This was clearly the primary malpractices of Xuande period! The Ministry of War and Ministry of Works suffered huge deficits, craftsmen and civilians irritated. Once the grand Treasure fleet is formed, maintaining it yearly, often costs thousands of silver!"

"Not to mention, once Treasure Ships set sail, soldiers and civilians traverse the ocean, contracting diseases and dying, buried in barbaric lands... Greatly violates the sage's principle of benevolence, making one's heartache upon hearing!"

"Yet, what do Treasure Ships bring back? Only treasure, spice agate, perhaps even gold and silver... The former corrupts scholar's ethos with luxury, entices the Emperor into indulgence, straying from sage's teachings... The latter flows into Inner Treasury, supporting Emperor's extravagant quests, even mobilizing troops to borders and overseas..."

Speaking of this section, the entire scholar-official community of the Great Ming had long established their condemnation of the "Zheng He's Western Ocean expeditions" malpractices, Governor Wang Zhe could not help but feel emotional!

The first six expeditions to Western Ocean were done by Ming Taizong Zhu Di, the "Evil King" who usurped his nephew's throne, violating Confucian benevolence and virtue. Scholar-officials resisted, many suffered clan exterminations, eventually yielding helplessly. However, Zheng He's seventh expedition, during Xuande period, unbelievably lacked righteous gentlemen to stand up and oppose, resulting in malpractices reemergence, truly lamentable!

Fortunately, during Xuanzong's reign, the heavily deficit Nurgan Metropolitan Authority was dissolved. And Sanbao Eunuch died on Tianzhu Coast during Xuande Eighth Year. By the time after Xuande's Tenth Year, Emperor Xuanzong passed away, these laborious and futile endeavors ceased under scholar-official's persuasion!

While the eunuch power, once flourishing a time, who orchestrated seven Western Ocean voyages, established Nurgan Metropolitan Authority, and sent troops to An Nan, was thus suppressed by the civil service system, unable to influence the court's major policy formulation from then on. In this civil officials versus eunuchs struggle, ending in civil system's victory, completely covering the unseen bloody conflict behind...

"Si Cheng, do you know, why Mr. Liu hid and destroyed Western Ocean maps? And why the entire scholarly society praised Mr. Liu's character, admired Mr. Liu's benevolence?"

"Ah! This...student doesn't know, please enlighten, Governor!"

Shi Wende sweated again, already hearing the implicit meaning of Governor's words. For the purpose of this visit, he suddenly felt uncertain... But Governor Wang Zhe didn't give him time to ponder. With a righteous stance, voice like a bell, staring at Shi Wende's face, loudly stated word by word.

"That is because... Our Ming Dynasty holds a vast population, a sprawling nation! To maintain such a great nation, to sustain a peaceful realm, it must be rooted in farming and mulberry, prioritized on settling military affairs! Whereas sea trade, is the source of turmoil in the realm!"