Zhu Yuanzhang sat in silence for a long time after reading the entire letter.
He felt no deep resonance with the final perspective of "Confucianism as the foundation, Guanzi and Xunzi as the application." As an emperor who rose from the grassroots, he was indifferent toward the various schools of thought and their masters. To him, anything that could effectively govern the country was good. He was particularly averse to the philosophies of Mencius, and naturally, he held little affection for those who championed them.
Compared to that specific viewpoint, he favored Ma Yu's assessment of Guanzi and Confucius. Guanzi was a statesman, a pragmatist; for him, everything was a tool for the singular purpose of governing the state. Confucius and his disciples were scholars, idealists who regarded high-minded principles as everything, believing that if the "Great Way" were upheld, the world would naturally be well-governed. Zhu Yuanzhang thought this evaluation hit the nail on the head regarding the essence of Confucianism.
However...
Zhu Yuanzhang mused to himself, the Confucian virtues of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness were necessary for governance; he still needed to employ Confucianism. Many had already proposed the restoration of the imperial examination system. An examination system required a standardized reference, and he had initially intended to make Zhu Xi’s *Collected Commentaries on the Four Books* the sole standard. It seemed now that this consideration was shortsighted. How could a country be well-governed by a group of pedantic scholars who knew nothing but empty jargon? He needed to introduce a few more practical classics. As for whether to adopt the ideas of Guanzi and Xunzi, that remained to be discussed.
From all this, it was clear that this Ma Yu was not merely a bookworm; he possessed genuine talent. No wonder Empress Ma had written this letter. It would be a true pity to execute such a great talent. Moreover, if his learning was already this profound, how sophisticated must his mentors be? It was unthinkable. If he were to offend such mentors, that would be a true loss.
Thinking back to what Empress Ma wrote—that Ma Yu had been wrongly imprisoned and placed on death row the moment he arrived in Yingtian—Zhu Yuanzhang realized Ma Yu must have deep-seated prejudices against the Ming. Although these had been somewhat mitigated by Zhu Biao’s persuasion, he was still resentful. At this thought, a chilling, murderous intent flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang’s eyes. To have nearly caused the Great Ming to lose a great statesman—he deserved to die!
Zhao Erhu, the guard stationed at the door, couldn't help but shiver. *Trouble,* he thought, *His Majesty is angry.*
Zhu Yuanzhang had no time to spare for his captain of the guard; his mind was occupied with how to handle corrupt officials. They must be punished severely. When he returned, he would have them all flayed and stuffed with straw. He wanted to see whether their hides were thick enough to defy death, or if his blade was sharper. With this in mind, he pulled out the draft regarding the *Great Ming Code* and added a few clauses. Any official found guilty of corruption exceeding sixty taels would be executed, regardless of status or rank. Depending on the amount of corruption and other circumstances, he also implemented punishments such as beating to death, beheading, waist-chopping, slow slicing, and flaying. As for confiscating property, banishment, and the execution of three generations—those were standard packages; none would be spared.
Only after writing all this down in one breath did he feel some relief. In the past, it was officials who used the law to persecute the people; today, he would do the opposite. Different laws would apply to the commoners and the officials. As long as the commoners did not rebel, their punishments would follow the Confucian principle of "careful execution." As for the officials, Zhu Yuanzhang bared his white teeth. All those abolished corporal punishments would be brought back for them. Let’s see if they still dared to practice graft and violate the law.
The more he thought about it, the more satisfied Zhu Yuanzhang felt, and a smile crept onto his face. But to Zhao Erhu, this smile was so terrifying and insidious that his legs went weak with fear.
After placing the twice-revised draft into a secret box, Zhu Yuanzhang picked up Empress Ma’s letter again. As a husband, he understood her too well; since she had written this, her stance was clear: she hoped to pardon Ma Yu and make great use of him. Zhu Yuanzhang agreed with her opinion, but he felt that releasing him just like that would be too reckless. First, Ma Yu held resentment toward the Ming; who knew if he would be willing to serve if released now? Second, he needed to verify Ma Yu’s true caliber to determine what kind of position to offer him. Third, he needed a suitable excuse and a fitting opportunity to release him. After all, this was the first case of impersonating royalty since the founding of the Ming, and the whole world was watching. If he started with a thunderous roar but ended with a light tap, where would the dignity of the royal house be?
With this thought, he wrote a reply to Empress Ma. He didn't mention Ma Yu at first, instead detailing the situation in Kaifeng in meticulous, exhaustive detail. He also urged Empress Ma not to overwork herself and to get plenty of rest. Not a single word mentioned missing her, yet every line revealed a single meaning: *I miss you.*
Only at the very end of the letter did he briefly mention Ma Yu. He instructed her to keep him under strict control so that no news would leak out. "Test his bottom line thoroughly, verify his level of scholarship, and try to find out his true identity. As for pardoning him, we will discuss that when I return."
After settling everything, he packed the letter into the secret box and had a guard send it back to Yingtian via an eight-hundred-mile emergency express. Following this, he held a banquet for Xu Da and Chang Yuchun and, breaking custom, brought out a jar of wine.
"This is fine wine offered by the pretender Ming Sheng of Daxia. They say it is a local specialty of their region."
"I know you two have suffered in the army and haven't had a drink in months, so I brought a jar specially for you to taste."
When Chang Yuchun saw the wine jar, he couldn't take his eyes off it. "Haha... His Majesty truly understands Old Chang’s tastes best. Today, let’s drink until we drop!"
Xu Da was quite tempted, but he remained rational. "I thank His Majesty for the grace of this reward, but this area has only recently been pacified; it is truly inappropriate for us, as military commanders, to drink."
Chang Yuchun shouted, "Tiande, you are always worrying about nothing! The Yuan army is currently in Shandong, hundreds of miles away. Do you think they can fly here in a single night?"
Xu Da persisted, "His Majesty is here; we cannot afford any negligence."
Seeing him take this stance, Chang Yuchun muttered a few complaints and ceased talking about the wine. Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with satisfaction at Xu Da’s restraint, then laughed. "Borin is stubborn and won't submit to anyone; only you, Tiande, can keep him in check."
That was precisely why he had Xu Da supervise Chang Yuchun, to prevent his recklessness from ruining major plans. It could be said that under Xu Da’s command, Chang Yuchun was the legendary "Chang the Hundred Thousand." Without Xu Da’s control, he swung between being a god on the battlefield and a liability.
"Rest assured, with me here, you may drink in peace. But this is the only time. From now until our triumphal return, not another drop of alcohol shall be touched."
Xu Da no longer insisted and said gratefully, "Thank you, Your Majesty. In that case, I will not be polite."
Chang Yuchun was overjoyed. He quickly took the jar, slapped off the mud seal, and a fragrant aroma of wine immediately wafted into the air. He took a deep breath and shouted, "Good wine! Excellent wine!"
Xu Da’s throat moved. The wine was rich and fragrant with a long aftertaste; his own cravings were piqued.
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and introduced it: "According to the envoy from Daxia, this wine is brewed using the water from a sweet spring in Luzhou, Sichuan. Only that spring can produce such fine wine; using the same brewing method elsewhere, the water wouldn't taste this good."
Chang Yuchun nodded repeatedly, saying, "Brewing is just like that. Even if it's two adjacent springs, the taste of the wine will be different. It’s just that most people can't tell the difference." He looked quite smug as he said this, as he was one of the few who could discern such nuances.
His demeanor made Zhu Yuanzhang and Xu Da burst into laughter. This Borin was straight-talking, sometimes reckless, and occasionally a bit dim-witted; in private, he looked nothing like the legendary "Chang the Hundred Thousand."
Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but recall the story of how they met. At the time, Chang Yuchun was dressed in rags, looking lazy, and said he wanted to join their ranks. Zhu Yuanzhang especially disliked such sluggards and wanted to drive him away. But Chang Yuchun insisted on following him, shamelessly. If they tried to drive him away, he would lie on the ground, and several men couldn't move him. If they hit him, he would kneel and kowtow, saying how pitiful he was and begging to be taken in. At the time, Zhu Yuanzhang was still a young man of spirit; he couldn't bring himself to kill an innocent commoner, let alone one who came to join him. He could only let him follow.
Not long after, Zhu Yuanzhang decided to attack Jiqing Road (Yingtian) and chose Caishiji as the landing site. However, the Yuan army held the riverbank, and the Red Turban Army couldn't take it; failure seemed imminent. Zhu Yuanzhang was extremely anxious. Seeing Chang Yuchun nearby, he said, "You claim to be courageous and peerless; can you help me win?"
It was just an offhand remark, but to his surprise, Chang Yuchun said nothing, immediately demanded a small boat, and charged forward. He jumped onto the bank all alone and fought like a demon, single-handedly carving out a landing space for the waterborne forces. That was how the great victory at Caishiji came to be. This battle saved Zhu Yuanzhang’s army and opened the situation for the subsequent attack on Jiqing Road. Only then did Zhu Yuanzhang realize he had misjudged him, and from then on, he trusted Chang Yuchun deeply. Shortly after that, the two families set a marriage contract: the engagement between the Crown Prince, Zhu Biao, and the future Crown Princess, the Chang daughter.
Years had passed; he was now the Emperor of the Ming, and they were the Great General and the Vice Marshal. Both had achieved success and fame. Recalling those events now, he felt a unique surge of emotions. Zhu Yuanzhang felt quite excited, raised his wine bowl, and said, "Come, brothers, let us drink a bowl to the years of our youth."
Xu Da was moved and, also quite stirred, raised his bowl. "To Your Majesty."
"Haha," Chang Yuchun laughed heartily. "I also toast His Majesty."
The three raised their bowls and drained them, and the atmosphere became even more lively. They reminisced about the past and dreamed of the future. Without realizing it, more than an hour passed, and the five-jin jar of wine was empty. Three and a half jin had gone into Chang Yuchun's belly, and he was already dead drunk. One jin had gone into Zhu Yuanzhang's; his tolerance was average, and he was also tipsy. Xu Da had maintained his restraint, drinking only about half a jin, remaining the most sober.
When the banquet ended, he had Zhao Erhu help Zhu Yuanzhang to his room to rest. After seeing Chang Yuchun properly settled, Xu Da changed his clothes and took his personal guards to inspect the defenses.
What Xu Da didn't know was that shortly after he left, Zhu Yuanzhang, who was lying on the bed, suddenly opened his eyes. There was not a trace of drunkenness. In such a dangerous place, how could he ever let himself be truly drunk? It wasn't that he was guarding against Xu Da or Chang Yuchun—at this point, he didn't doubt them. The only people he truly trusted now were Li Shanchang, Tang He, Xu, and Chang. He was worried because Kaifeng had only just been taken; who knew if any opportunists were lurking in the shadows? Under such circumstances, how could he let himself pass out from intoxication? If he didn't have that level of alertness, he wouldn't have survived until today.
After lying on the bed for a while, he called for Zhao Erhu and asked about the situation with Xu and Chang. Hearing that Chang Yuchun was drunk and Xu Da had gone to patrol the city, he was not surprised at all. That was exactly in line with their characters. Seeing that he had no intention of going back to sleep, Zhao Erhu ordered some hangover soup and served him as he changed his clothes.
Afterward, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered someone to bring him a copy of *Guanzi* to read. Many people assumed that because Zhu Yuanzhang came from a humble background, he hadn't read much. On the contrary, he had read more books than many old scholars and wrote a fine hand. However, he had one weakness: he liked to show off his learning. For example, when he wrote to enemy leaders, he loved to quote classical texts and compare current people to those in history.
Wang Baobao was one of the victims. Zhu Yuanzhang frequently wrote to him, saying pleasant things when he was weak and using various threats when he was strong. Wang Baobao was left fuming with no recourse.
But sometimes, showing off one's learning inappropriately could cause trouble. Originally, there were no major conflicts of interest between him and Zhang Shicheng, and both sides lived in peace. At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang’s main enemy was Chen Youliang. Fearing that the two might attack him from both sides, he wrote a letter to appease Zhang Shicheng, hoping to maintain peace. However, in the letter, he compared Zhang Shicheng to Wei Xiao.
Who was Wei Xiao? A warlord at the end of the Western Han and the beginning of the Eastern Han, who first surrendered to Liu Xiu and later rebelled, only to be wiped out by him. To compare someone to Wei Xiao was a blatant insult. Zhang Shicheng was a salt merchant by origin and the type who always repaid grudges. *You stinking beggar, you dare to insult me? This isn't over.*
Consequently, friction arose between the two. Later, when Zhang Shicheng’s brother, Zhang Shide, was captured by Zhu Yuanzhang, he chose to commit suicide in prison. Zhang Shicheng might have had his faults, but he was truly a devoted brother. From then on, he and Zhu Yuanzhang were locked in a fight to the death. Even when his forces were wiped out, he never bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang. It could be said that the underlying reason for the conflict between the two was the nature of warlord expansion, but the spark was that inappropriately worded letter.
Returning to the topic at hand, Zhu Yuanzhang knew his own deficiencies, which was why he loved reading and always kept a large collection of books with him. Influenced by Li Shanchang, he read many books on Legalism and could even be said to have been deeply influenced by Legalist thought. As the patriarch of the Legalist school, *Guanzi* was naturally among his collection. It was just that he had previously placed more importance on the Qin and Jin schools of Legalism—the school of Shang Yang and Han Feizi—and had not attached much importance to the Qi school of Legalism (Guan Zhong’s school).
Now, influenced by Ma Yu’s phrase, "Confucianism as the foundation, Guanzi and Xunzi as the application," he began to re-examine the thoughts of Guanzi. The more he read, the more he felt it was truly practical. Many of Guanzi’s strategies could be directly applied to the current state of the Ming. This made him value Ma Yu even more.
—
Just as Zhu Yuanzhang was studying *Guanzi*, Zhu Biao had a conflict with Song Lian. It all started with his study of *Guanzi* and *Xunzi*.