"Report to your Majesty, according to the recent telegram, the fleet has been away from Goa for a month."

Liu Hongxun replied.

After hearing this, Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "The same is true for this dynasty. If you want the leader of the Zong to survive, you must let the Han people in the world be the best in front of others, which is equivalent to bribing them!"

"Governing the country is dominated by interest mechanisms, which is always easier to touch people's hearts and can be implemented better than being dominated by moral mechanisms!"

"And I am now counting on the new trade and colonial expansion brought by voyage to the West, which will bring more benefits to all Han people and even the entire Eastern Confucian civilization to protect my imperial power!"

"What your Majesty said."

Liu Hongxun replied, and said, "Before Bi Gong proposed the concept of governing the country with faith, he advocated governing the country with etiquette and was dominated by moral mechanisms. Therefore, he asked the emperor to respect virtue and benevolence, saying: If he is upright, he will not be ordered!"

"However, looking at the past and present, few people have learned from the wise and thought of the best!"

Liu Hongxun and Bi Ziyan have different focus on governing the world.

Bi Ziyan, who was born in the reform of the money law, paid more attention to resolving domestic conflicts through economic means.

That is, through external expansion, the existing peaceful and prosperous era of the empire was continued.

Liu Hongxun was born in a Hanlin family and was outside the court's practice for a long time. He had the opportunity to observe the social ecology within the entire Ming Dynasty and then developed the habit of paying more attention to internal improvement.

At this moment, Liu Hongxun continued: "Even if a person with shame wants to restrain himself spiritually, he will find it difficult to curb himself in material enjoyment;"

"For this reason, in the past dynasties, although there were kings who restrained themselves and made the country prosperous, it was difficult to avoid the people's lack of poverty and the country was poor, and only enriched the world's powerful people. Now, the court has won the hearts of the people in the world for profit, but instead made the country strong and the people rich."

"But from the perspective of the minister, the education of benevolence and virtue cannot be neglected. Although the interest mechanism can restrain people's hearts more than the moral mechanism, it is necessary to promote some positive moral education; if some morals are advocated for a long time, they will be followed, and then become public order and good customs, and even correct our Han civilization. For example, the spirit of the contract, although the results cannot be seen in the short term, it will be beneficial to our Han civilization forever."

Zhu Youxiao agreed after hearing this and said, "It's reasonable! My dear, please try to do this. In addition to the law, establish some moral rules that do not involve big mistakes, and determine what punishment should be given to those who violate the crime. Because it is just a violation of morality and is not considered a crime, there is no need to be punished for being cut off, beheaded, executed, exile, etc., but only fines, detention, labor reform, and beaten."

"yes!"

Liu Hongxun replied.

Zhu Xieyuan and Wen Tiren couldn't help but feel nervous after hearing this, and glanced at Liu Hongxun.

In the eyes of the two, the emperor asked Liu Hongxun to do this, which undoubtedly added another power to the prime minister, that is, the power to establish some rules in the name of moral construction.

Both of them could guess that in the Ming Dynasty society where Liu Hongxun was the chief assistant, the life of the profiteer would be even more difficult.

I'm afraid it's not just a matter of not being able to be a superior person.

Perhaps some prestigious public figures will be subject to stricter control due to their inconspicuous personal morality, and may not be as free as civilians!

So many profiteering people will have to remain humble because of the constraints of some moral rules and dare not sloppy their promises.

Of course, the behaviors of taking inferior products as good people after the current high development of the commodity economy, slandering historical heroes for profit, and abandoning a wife who is a chaff for profit, are afraid that they will be taken into account.

Instead, as before, the sanctions cannot be imposed because of no crime, so that in this era of great change, while a prosperous economy cannot be curbed.

Of course, there is no doubt that doing so will offend people.

After all, in the past, the literati and officials asked the emperor to set an example, pay attention to his words and deeds, and restrain himself. Now, Liu Hongxun is better, but he actually asked the literati and officials in the world to do the same. Isn’t this difficult?

"I was ordered by the emperor to set the virtues of the world, so I decided to temporarily formulate a few rules, and let the scholars and officials in the world abide by them, and set an example for the four peoples, thereby promoting civilization."

Therefore, Liu Hongxun talked about the moral construction he presided over the next court discussion, and said: "The first article: restrict the gentry from taking concubines to curb the lewd style, and the number of Han people increased. As far as I know, many scholars and officials, even when they are 80 years old, still have a small wife on the left and a small wife on the right. In this way, how can the family style be undefeated and how can the scholar style not be declining?!"

As he said that, Liu Hongxun said: "Duke Bi once proposed to improve the status of Han women. He said that all Han people are noble, both men and women, but now he has not discussed this. What new policies have come out? It is nothing more than strictly implementing the order forbidden foot binding and the order forbidden abandonment of infants that Your Majesty has long established!"

"Now, according to the servant's wishes, the order to restrict the acquisition of concubines must be added, so that more Han girls can be the first couple. Anyone with fame and fortune should keep themselves clean. In the future, no more than three concubines will be allowed. One is the right person, two is the right person, and three is the right person, and six are the right person to dedicate their children, which is enough!"

"In addition, you are not allowed to take concubines after seventy years! Those who have already had this number or even exceeded this number or are older, you are not allowed to take concubines again. If you take concubines after this, you will remember their debauchery at a record time and will be kept in history in the future, and you will not be promoted or promoted to an official; if you are severe, you will be dismissed, or even handed over to the Censorate for review and conviction!"

As soon as I heard this, the civil officials who participated in the court discussion received a great response.

"How can there be such a rule? It is common sense for a man to have a love for a man and a concubine. Why should you even take care of this?! This is simply an abuse of the power given to the emperor!"

Li Jues, Minister of Rites, angrily retorted on the spot.

"That is, it turns out that civilians can take concubines at will, but scholars and officials will be restricted. In this way, where is the nobles of scholars?"

Liu Yuliang, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites, also objected.

"The most important thing for a scholar is to be upright, his virtue is high, and his nature is frugal! It does not mean that there are many good land, many wealth, and many wives and concubines!"

Liu Hongxun replied.

It is difficult for senior civil officials such as Li Jues and Liu Yuliang to accept it.

At this time, Xiang Yuxuan, the young minister of Dali Temple, couldn't help but complain secretly: "The chief minister of our court is really more hateful than the other! He was just ruling strictly before, but now he was better. Even the literati and genius took care of how many concubines he had taken!"

After Xiang Yuxuan thought of this, he couldn't help but sarcastically said, "According to this, Yuan Fu wanted to establish rules forbid scholars to divorce their wives at will? Otherwise, if the number of concubines is not enough, wouldn't he be afraid of the gentry's divorce and then changing his wives, and the rioters' wind?!"

"That's right! The second rule I'm planning to draw is that in the future, the husband will not be allowed to divorce his wife at will. Both men and women will agree to divorce or divorce, and the government will allow it to benefit the population and Elishi style!"

Liu Hongxun replied.

"Yuan Fu, you are corrupting the rules!"

Li Jues couldn't help but slam the table, said loudly to Liu Hongxun, and then scolded Liu Hongxun: "Even if you divorce your wife, you must agree to divorce him. In this way, where is the husband's will?!"
Chapter completed!