Chapter 22: Judging Sin

Tie Xuan’s eyes bulged, his mouth agape. He wanted to retort, but with less than twenty years of life experience, his vocabulary was severely lacking; he looked just like a rooster being throttled by the neck.

"Stop with the gibberish," Zhu Shuang said, pacing with his hands clasped behind his back.

"How dare you slander the sage Zhu Xi? Master Zhu said that 'preserving heavenly principles and extinguishing human desires' is the primary remedy for a Confucian scholar to cultivate his character. You claim the Cheng-Zhu school is wrong, yet doesn't the Ming Dynasty still rely on the 'eight-legged essay' to select its officials?"

If Tie Xuan could be easily bamboozled in a few words, he wouldn't be the iron-willed, unyielding Tie Xuan known to history.

"First, 'preserving heavenly principles and extinguishing human desires' was proposed by the Cheng brothers, but it was Zhu Xi who summarized it as: 'Food and drink are heavenly principles; delicacies are human desires. Husband and wife are heavenly principles; having multiple concubines is a human desire.' While Zhu Xi advocated for the eradication of desire, he privately took a nun as a concubine, not to mention the scandalous mystery of his illicit affair with his daughter-in-law. Does such a hypocrite deserve to be called a sage? If I were the sovereign, I would remove him from the Confucian Temple."

"Second, the use of the Cheng-Zhu school for imperial examinations was established by Emperor Renzong of the Yuan Dynasty during the Yanyou era, making it the official orthodoxy. Since scholars worldwide have studied Cheng-Zhu for nearly half a century, the Ming Dynasty, in its infancy, had to rely on it to recruit talent. If I were the sovereign, I would abolish Cheng-Zhu as official doctrine and return Confucianism to its roots."

"This is heresy! This is absolutely rebellious!"

Tie Xuan had thought his own seventeen or eighteen-year-old self was audacious enough, but he hadn't expected the man before him to want to destroy the Cheng-Zhu school. This wasn't just rebellion; he was declaring war against the entire gentry class. He was mad, completely mad. Even his father, Zhu Yuanzhang, wouldn't dare say such things. Who did he think he was?

Zhu Shuang smiled and pointed at himself. "Heresy? I am setting things right. The Cheng-Zhu school doesn't cultivate capable ministers or efficient officials; it produces pedantic scholars who spend their days chanting 'zhi-hu-zhe-ye' and insisting that the laws of the ancestors cannot be changed. Such stagnant doctrines are as worthless as discarded shoes to me."

Throughout the two hundred years of the Ming Dynasty, only half a sage—the philosopher Wang Yangmin—would emerge, and by the time thinkers like Wang Fuzhi, Gu Yanwu, and Huang Zongxi appeared, the Ming Dynasty would already be in its twilight.

"But the Cheng-Zhu school is the anchor of the world. If you abolish it so easily, won't the world fall into chaos?"

"The core of Cheng-Zhu is just two words: 'ritual propriety.' There was no Cheng-Zhu before the Song Dynasty; did the glorious Han and Tang dynasties fall into chaos? The Yuan Dynasty gave half its lifespan to Cheng-Zhu after the Song; is the world not in chaos now? Dynastic shifts appear to be caused by natural disasters or human misfortune, but they are fundamentally caused by land annexation. Can the teachings of Cheng-Zhu change the objective reality of royal clans, officials, and the gentry annexing the land of the poor?"

Zhu Shuang toyed with a short flintlock pistol, newly crafted by a Central Asian artisan, and continued, "Neo-Confucianism is like binding the feet of a daughter in a wealthy household; it binds the minds of scholars, imposing rules that are supposedly 'unchangeable for ten thousand generations.' Does everyone following these rules mean peace? I tell you, Tie Xuan, what brings peace to the world is not this load of nonsense, but science."

"Science? What is this 'science'? Is it the study of the imperial examinations?"

"Science encompasses the truths of all things in the world. The *Qimin Yaoshu*, the *Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art*, and the *Commentary on the Water Classic*—these practical classics are all part of science. Why does the sun rise? Why do apples fall from trees? Why does it rain? Why are there four seasons? Why do people get sick? Why does spreading human and animal waste on barren fields make crops grow better? Neo-Confucianism cannot tell you these things, but science can. How to ensure the people have enough to eat? Neo-Confucianism cannot do it, but science can."

"Like this flintlock in my hand—it takes only one breath from loading to firing."

Before Tie Xuan’s astonished gaze, Zhu Shuang shoved a paper cartridge into the barrel. With a *bang* and a flash of fire, a large hole was blown through the center of the triple-layered iron armor hanging in the tent.

Zhu Shuang blew the lingering smoke from the barrel and postured, "This is science."

Tie Xuan stood as if paralyzed by a binding spell. After a long while, he finally recovered, muttering, "No need for a fuse, usable even in the rain, and triple-layered armor is like paper... If one had hundreds or thousands of these flintlocks, what part of the world could not be conquered?"

***

Touching the flintlock, Tie Xuan muttered in a trance, "The way of science is truly terrifying."

In truth, Zhu Shuang was quite dissatisfied. The steel of the barrel didn't meet the requirements; it would burst after two more shots. He had to speed up the improvements. It was a pity that the literacy rate among ancient craftsmen was too low to complete assembly-line work; this single gun had taken three months to make.

"Scholar Tie."

"What are your orders, My Lord?"

"I am telling you now: I am no longer a prince of the Ming."

"Uh... I suddenly remembered that my eighty-year-old mother is about to give birth. Great Commander, please choose someone more virtuous."

As he spoke, Tie Xuan began inching toward the tent flap.

Unfortunately, before he could step out, Zhu Shuang grabbed him.

"Scholar Tie, I know you are in a hurry, but don't panic. In two days, I'll give you a big surprise."

Tie Xuan’s vision went dark. He had intended to bet on the Ming, but he had ended up on a pirate ship instead.

Two days later, in the militia camp, Tie Xuan saw his long-lost parents, wife, and young daughter in his tent. Overcome with emotion, he couldn't help but cry out:

"Zhu Shuang, you little wretch! You lawless tyrant, no better than Jie or Zhou! When will your days end? I shall perish with you!"

Seeing this, Qiu Fu drew his sword and said indignantly, "My Lord, let me cut down this miserable pedant with one blow."

"Come back. Why are you angry when I’m not? You’re a colonel now; what kind of conduct is this, being so hot-headed?"

"But this wretch’s insults are too much to bear. I just wanted to vent your anger for you."

"Does being cursed make me lose a piece of meat? Besides, I am not yet the sovereign. I’ll take it that this scholar is blessing me with an early ascension to the throne."

"Let's go. We have guests at the main headquarters."

Over two hundred wealthy merchants, landowners, and gentry from Kaifeng City had been warmly invited by Zhu Shuang to tour the military camp.

Upon seeing Zhu Shuang, the pot-bellied, well-fed gentlemen hurriedly stood up to greet him.

"This lowly one, Wu Xing, pays respects to the Great Commander."

"This commoner, Jiang He, pays respects to the Great Commander."

"This merchant from Arabia, Ahmed, pays respects to the Great Commander."

Zhu Shuang sat in the seat of honor and greeted them warmly, "My wealthy friends, please sit."

The group took their seats.

"You are all well-informed individuals; you must have already inquired about my true identity. I summoned you here to make friends. I, for one, love being friends with the wealthy."

Wu Xing, the largest grain merchant in Kaifeng, hurriedly said he wouldn't dare, "Your Lordship is a precious scion of the Zhu-Ming dynasty; this is overwhelming for a lowly person like me."

"I have just received news that the Ming army crossed the Yellow River at Liyang Ferry in Jun County two days ago and is heading straight for Jinan. How close is Jinan to the capital? I believe you all know better than I. I invited you here to tell you that it is time to place your bets."

Wu Xing, however, said dismissively, "We are all law-abiding merchants. Whether it is the Great Yuan or the Great Ming, we are not without our backers. If the Great King is short of rice, I am willing to sponsor a few dozen *shi*, but I cannot offer more."

He was treating him like a beggar. Zhu Shuang narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Escort the families of Wu Xing and Huang Tiangui to the vegetable market execution ground. I will supervise the execution myself."

Held by the soldiers, Wu Xing was terrified. "Your Lordship, you cannot kill me! I have ties with Li Cunyi, the younger brother of the Left Chancellor of the Ming Secretariat, the Duke of Korea. Your Lordship, you cannot kill me!"

A cold glint flashed in Zhu Shuang’s eyes. Knowing the younger brother of Li Shanchang—that was perfect.

"Escort the entire families of Wu Xing and Huang Tiangui to the execution ground."

The soldiers acknowledged the order.

"Gentlemen, I have lost the mood for further discussion today. Please move to the vegetable market to watch the execution."