PFC Chapter 640 He stood at the beginning of the story and foresaw his own ending.
Chapter 640 He stood at the beginning of the story and foresaw his own ending.
"..."
"Chongzhen, is this what you meant by 'unresolved grievances'?"
"Doesn't that sound like something a traitor would say?"
The more Lao Zhu thought about it, the more something seemed off.
I am not a prime minister, but a governor.
If Hu Weiyong and Li Shanchang dared to say such things in front of him, their entire families would be reunited within half a day.
He single-handedly supported the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty. What does that mean?
Are you the Grand Secretary or the Emperor?
For a moment, Old Zhu felt that this beating might not be so necessary after all.
Even if such a treacherous minister could revive the Ming Dynasty, if everything was done according to his own wishes, would the Ming Dynasty still be the Ming Dynasty in the end?
Just as his anger toward Zhu Di subsided slightly, the writing on the sky changed.
Zhang Juzheng is a highly controversial figure.
Perhaps everyone's assessment of him is correct.
He was a man skilled at governing the country but inept at managing his own life.
From the time the emperor was a child, when he appeared in the court as regent, he appointed his relatives and friends, and within a few short years, he replaced most of the officials in the court with his students or people he trusted.
He taught the emperor to be frugal, but he himself lived a life of extravagance, even requiring thirty-two people to carry his sedan chair.
He knew that officials should be honest and upright, yet he never refused any gifts or money offered by his own people.
However, he also knew that throughout history, no one who implemented reforms had ever had a good ending.
He stood at the beginning of the story and foresaw his own ending, yet he resolutely embarked on this path.
"Those who reform throughout history...indeed."
Ying Zheng thought of Shang Yang.
Shang Yang's reforms did indeed lead the Qin Dynasty onto the path of prosperity.
However, his own fate was quite tragic.
From the King of Qin to the officials and common people, not a single person was grateful to him.
Everyone felt that their interests had been violated.
But what about the facts?
Shang Yang made contributions to the unification of Qin that no one can mention.
Although on the surface he put forward views that burdened and exhausted the people, which aroused the hatred of the people.
At that time, ordinary people had no way to advance in their careers.
If you're a farmer your whole life, then you'll be a farmer for generations to come.
Although Shang Yang made their lives even more difficult, the promotion of the military merit system gave them the possibility of promotion step by step.
As long as you go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, even if you sacrifice yourself, you can ensure that your family and descendants will have enough to eat and wear.
It was through reforms that the Qin Dynasty gradually grew stronger and eventually conquered the other six states!
Was the reform the right thing to do?
Of course!
Is it important?
Naturally, this is also extremely important!
Without Shang Yang's reforms, it's uncertain whether Qin Shi Huang could have unified the six kingdoms.
He is not one to forget his roots, nor is he willing to take all the credit for himself.
Ying Zheng acknowledged Shang Yang's role, but he also had to say something.
Those who advocate reform never have a good ending.
At least at that time, no one thanked them.
"Throughout history, those who dared to reform the laws were invariably people who were willing to sacrifice their lives."
"But I truly never expected that such a powerful minister, the one who said I was not the prime minister but the regent, would be so willing to sacrifice his life!"
Li Er was somewhat curious.
It's truly unbelievable that both of these conditions apply to the same person.
"Or perhaps, he knew all along that no matter how he tried to protect himself, he would not end up in a good way."
"If it were me, I would indeed rather enjoy myself more, since the final result would be the same anyway."
Liu Che, however, said that he could understand Zhang Juzheng.
He even felt that this person was somewhat similar to him.
Just as people criticize him for being a warmonger and avaricious ruler.
His thought was that this battle was bound to be fought eventually, and rather than leaving a cowardly legacy for posterity, he might as well make a name for himself and fight to his heart's content!
In the end, they'll all have to issue an edict of self-reproach anyway.
That's right, he had already thought it through. In the end, someone would have to bear the consequences of this militaristic and reckless behavior.
Since that's the case, why not go all out before then and finish the battles of several lifetimes in one lifetime!
He felt that with Zhang Juzheng's abilities, he couldn't possibly have missed this point.
Therefore, the so-called skill in governing the country but inept at self-preservation may not be his weakness, but rather a persona he deliberately cultivated.
He knew his fate, so he simply chose to satisfy himself as much as possible in other aspects as he moved forward.
Some say he favored relatives and friends in his appointments, and that is indeed true.
However, it was precisely when his students occupied important positions in various departments of the imperial court that the Ming Dynasty was most efficient in its operations.
In addition, some people say that he did not consider the lives of ordinary people when he implemented this reform.
It is said that he only considers how to increase the amount of money in the imperial treasury, rather than seeking benefits for the people.
But they also failed to understand what it means for a country to be prosperous and its people to be strong!
They wouldn't understand how Zhang Juzheng planned to double the amount of silver in the national treasury without increasing the court's taxes.
They would not understand that once this was achieved, the national strength of the Ming Dynasty would increase exponentially.
Zhang Juzheng worked tirelessly to prove that national wealth and the people's strength are not inherently contradictory.
Only when the country is prosperous can money gradually flow into the hands of the people, and only then can the people truly receive tangible benefits.
In fact, he truly made the reforms begin to show results.
The amount of silver in the national treasury increased rapidly, and the lives of the people also improved.
His reforms virtually eliminated the path for those who held positions without performing their duties.
Improving the government's economic situation and people's livelihood also affected the interests of many people.
Perhaps that is why all his hard work ultimately only lasted until his death.
After his death, all reforms were quickly overthrown and the original system was restored.
Even so, some in later generations still believe that Zhang Juzheng's lonely path extended the life of the Ming Dynasty by a century!
Why was he overthrown!?
"If this is truly beneficial to the Ming Dynasty, is the emperor out of his mind? How could he allow the hard work of such an important minister to go up in flames?"
Old Zhu clenched his fists so tightly that he almost tore the belt off his wrist.
The reforms have clearly begun to show results.
The situation of the imperial court and the lives of the people are clearly improving.
Why overthrow it?
It is understandable that those whose interests have been threatened would want to overthrow the reforms.
But for the emperor, the scapegoat for the reforms was already clear: just pin it on Zhang Juzheng.
Even after Zhang Juzheng died, the blame was placed on his successors or his students.
The things that offend people and damage his reputation have already been done for him; he only needs to balance the various forces to reap the final rewards.
Even a person with a sound mind shouldn't treat the path taken by such an important official in this way!
"It is obvious that many dynasties could have continued if there were no emperors of this type in the world."
"Old Zhu, you don't need to be too angry. It is precisely because of mediocre people like this that dynasties rise and fall. This is something that every dynasty can hardly avoid."
"The only pity is that this important minister who was capable of reforming the law had all his life's work was wasted."