Wanli Emperor Chapter 86 Part 1 (Patreon)

Chapter 86 Part 1: The Turning of the Seasons; a Heavy Burden and a Long Road

Zhu Yijun observed Xu Jie in silence.

As expected, these men understood everything, knew everything, yet consciously chose to sit idle and watch the rise and fall, the flourishing and decay.

Xu Jie comprehended the situation but possessed no will to act.

The Memorial on the Five Great Ills of the Realm he had submitted the day before, demonstrated an understanding of the empire's condition that was as clear as observing fire.

Now, at the precipice of life and death, he spoke with such eloquence, striking at the heart of the era's afflictions. His insight and talent were such that the emperor could hardly resist applauding him.

Was Xu Jie mistaken? Not entirely.

The fundamental workings of the Great Ming Dynasty were no different from those of the central government.

Within the central government, the emperor controlled the grand direction, but the daily administration of political affairs fell to the civil and military officials.

Throughout the Great Ming as a whole, the central government set the overarching policies from on high, while the fundamental operations of the localities were completed jointly by the government offices and the gentry.

The emperor could not bypass the Grand Secretariat and the Six Ministries to personally manage all the great affairs of the realm.

And the central government naturally could not micromanage the affairs of the localities.

This was a matter of human limitation, not deliberate design.

Yet in this arrangement, power and responsibility were aligned. Since the court could not bear the responsibility of governing the counties and villages, that responsibility and power were naturally and swiftly assumed by the official households and the gentry.

This was the fundamental contradiction of the Great Ming today.

The basic functioning of society was controlled by the gentry. Rural security, the enlightenment of young children, planting and harvesting, the care of orphans and widows, and even the most basic stability—all were the accomplishments of the gentry.

One could say that the fundamental governance of the Great Ming was bound to this system of tenant farming and rent collection.

At the same time, these gentry—or more accurately, official households—

These official households, by the court's decree, possessed the special privilege of exemption from taxes, levies, and miscellaneous labor services. Although they still paid the main land tax, it was but a drop in the ocean.

Furthermore, because of their origins in the officialdom, local officials and minor clerks were either in collusion with them or were simply their former students or subordinates.

It was always easy to reach an accommodation with one's own people.

Any difficulties could be resolved with a simple word.

This added a layer of invisible privilege atop their legitimate special rights: the ability to conceal taxable land and population.

While the gentry and official households enjoyed their tranquil lives, the extra burdens naturally fell back upon the common people.

When the common people went bankrupt, they had no choice but to donate their land to the official households, seeking a moment of respite.

Thus, the official households were like a rolling snowball, shirking labor services, paying no miscellaneous taxes, and concealing their land and population.

The means of production had not vanished—they had merely been gathered under the accounts of the official household landlords.

When the central government could not collect sufficient taxes, it would increase the burden again, a weight that fell entirely upon the common people who had not yet donated their land. Their only recourse was to abandon their fields and flee, becoming displaced wanderers.

The gentry grew stronger by the day, while the common people and the central government at either end gradually withered.

Therefore, in the final years of a dynasty, displaced people would rise up everywhere, the central government would be powerless, and local powers would proliferate. This was termed a systemic collapse.

Whose fault was it?

The gentry and official households? Yet from their perspective, as Xu Jie had made abundantly clear, if the central government could not manage affairs, someone must.

As they shouldered the responsibility, it was inevitable that their power would expand.

Could the court be blamed? Yet the fact that imperial power did not extend to the villages—was that because the emperor himself was unwilling?

Geography, transportation, and administrative costs—these were all objective impediments that never bent to imperial will.

The common people? The common people were the most innocent. To shift even a single word of blame onto them would be the act of a heartless beast.

From their respective positions, each party had a defensible justification. And so, the empire, as a matter of course, fell to ruin.

Zhu Yijun regarded Xu Jie and praised him with genuine sincerity. "Xu Qing, you are a man of great talent. You were once a fine gentleman—how did you become a thief?"

Xu Jie hastily rose, saying with urgency, "Your Majesty, your subject is no thief or bandit!"

Zhu Yijun shook his head and began to speak. "In Our leisure, We were reading the Miscellaneous Records of Court and Country Since the Jianyan Era and learned for the first time that during the Xining and Yuanfeng eras of the two Song dynasties, from a mere scrap of land, the annual revenue reached over sixty million taels. Even at the beginning of the Yuanyou era, after the harshest measures were abolished, the annual revenue remained over forty-eight million taels."

[TN: (Northern + Southern) Song Dynasty 960 to 1279 CE; Ming Dynasty 1368 to present (1573)]

"Our dynasty's territory is vast, yet our annual revenue is less than half of that."

"The central government's coffers are destitute, and the common people suffer in hardship. Has not all the silver been devoured by the likes of you?"

"You who feed upon the state's profit—can you not be called thieves of the state?"

Zhu Yijun waved a hand, signaling Li Jin to grant Xu Jie a seat.

Li Jin brought over a low stool. Xu Jie, caught between sitting and standing, wished to speak but restrained himself.

Zhu Yijun picked up the Memorial on the Five Great Ills of the Realm from the desk and regarded Xu Jie. "What you just spoke of is one of the ills in your memorial. We have read it and are in deep agreement."

"You say the gentry constitutes the foundation of local rule. We acknowledge it."

"You say that apportioning miscellaneous taxes is a necessary cost for the government to rule the localities. We acknowledge that as well."

"You say the people donate their land to you only to avoid taxes, often voluntarily. We can still acknowledge that."

"But—"

He looked at Xu Jie intently. "The realm will surely fall to ruin because of this. Minister Xu, do you acknowledge this, or not?"

Xu Jie fell silent.

His earlier words had certainly not been mere sophistry.

He had been dissecting the ills of the time for His Majesty, tracing them to their roots.

His Majesty wished to kill a chicken to frighten the monkeys, but he was calmly explaining to the emperor that this was an unavoidable affliction under the entire system of the Great Ming.

The rot was not confined to one or two individuals acting thus.

The entire Great Ming Dynasty was enacting the same drama as he, Xu Jie: annexation and tax evasion.

The root cause was that the central government lacked the capacity to govern the localities.

As long as the central government could not remedy the root of the affliction, the local gentry would continue to act as they did. This was not something that killing a chicken to frighten the monkeys could resolve.

Since that was the case, what harm was there in letting the chicken live?

Yet His Majesty fixated upon the cause of the dynasty's decay, asking only who should be held accountable.

He was just short of declaring that he, Xu Jie, should bear responsibility for the signs of the dynasty's decline.

It truly left one speechless.

If he wished to argue, there was certainly room to maneuver, but he was not here to debate. He was here to plead for his life, so he naturally needed to weigh his words with care.

In his mind, Xu Jie recalled what he had learned yesterday about this emperor's temperament.

If, in the eyes of this sagely ruler, one's words were without substance, dull and stupid, and devoid of conviction, then His Majesty would not grant them a second glance.

Conversely, take Gao Gong, for example. Although he had committed the treasonous act of coercing his sovereign, His Majesty had privately praised his lofty aspirations and tenacious will several times.

Even Li Zaiting, whom court officials now universally regarded as a reborn Yan Song, was not merely a simple sycophant—rather, his sycophancy had carved out its own methodology and rationale.

[TN: Yan Song dominated the government through shameless flattery and manipulation. —> Dossier]

It was for this reason that Xu Jie had dared to speak so righteously from the perspective of the gentry.

This was his approach to serving as an official: cater to the sovereign's preferences, but with substance.

Now, faced with His Majesty's questioning, Xu Jie could not refuse to admit fault. Just as His Majesty could acknowledge his reasoning, facts were always irrefutable. If he were to resort to empty sophistry, his words would become devoid of substance.

Yet, admitting guilt was one thing—he could not lose his integrity in doing so.

Xu Jie immediately devised a strategy and met His Majesty's gaze. "Your Majesty, it is true that dynasties fall because of the annexation by countless men like Xu Jie, but—"

His expression grew spirited. "The turning of the seasons, the ripening of the melon, the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning—all are part of the course of Heaven!"

"Annexation is but one element of the dynasty's cyclical fate. Your subject does not believe it constitutes a crime, and your subject will not submit to such a charge!"

Zhu Yijun regarded Xu Jie with surprise.

He had not anticipated that Xu Jie possessed such integrity. How curious!

Yet he had to admit, this conduct made him hold the man in higher regard.

Zhu Yijun's interest was stirred. He waved his hand for Li Jin and the others to withdraw.

Only when they were alone did he speak. "Continue."

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