Xu Guangqi raised his head and looked at the young man sitting opposite him with a solemn face. This young man with a young face, his lips were still clean, and compared to his youngest grandson, the two were about the same age.

But it's different from the grandson who is submissive in front of him and doesn't dare to come out. The eyes of the young man in front of him were very firm and confident, as if nothing could be difficult for him.

Originally, he thought that this reform plan was just a dismissal from a minister with rich experience to Chongzhen. Because this reform plan looks very detailed, almost every aspect has been taken into account. The young scholars of the Ming Dynasty would not have written down such detailed and complex operating procedures and envisioned in advance the reactions that would need to be made in the event of an accident.

But the longer he talked to Chongzhen, the more he doubted his guesses. If it was a reform plan drawn up by someone else for Chongzhen, how could His Majesty know the content of the plan so well. The various questions he raised from time to time were based on the reality of the Ming society, and some unreasonable points in the plan were corrected, but after Chongzhen listened to it, he was able to quickly adjust or explain.

This is something that can only be done by carving out the whole plan in your mind and thinking carefully about it. In general, it is difficult for anyone other than the author of the plan to respond so quickly.

Regarding Chongzhen's ability to solve the problems he raised, Xu Guangqi felt for the first time in his life that there were really so-called geniuses in this world.

Zhu Youzhen thought about it for a long time, and finally shook his head and said to Xu Guangqi: "The implementation of the compulsory education law should be sooner rather than later. However, today, can I, the Ming Dynasty, still be regarded as the suzerainty of the Celestial Empire above the peoples of East Asia?

Just a Dongyu has already stirred up the Ming Dynasty, and if there is another extravagant rebellion, my Ming Dynasty will already be clumsy. In the past ten years, disasters have been rampant, and the court is about to be unable to even take out the silver for disaster relief. How can such a poor Ming Dynasty be called China, and why can it be called the Heavenly Empire?

When I call friends and drink friends in the Ming Dynasty, I can spend a lot of money on a cricket, and I have to eat a meal to the property of a family. However, if they were asked to pay a small commercial tax, they would be able to buy the shameless literati in Shilin and attack the tax collectors of the imperial court.

The disadvantage of my Ming today is that the merchants are unwilling to pay taxes, the soldiers are unwilling to fight, and the officials are unwilling to manage the government, and all the burdens are on the peasants. Obviously, the farmers in the Ming Dynasty are the most bitter, but they rarely hear the voices of the farmers.

I want to implement this compulsory education method, not only for the country to reserve talents, but most importantly, to let the voice of the peasants also have a place in my Ming Dynasty.

Since it is impossible to invest 9 million taels of silver at once, it will take 10 years to start from the north and south and the southeast with financial prosperity. ”

"Your Majesty has the heart to have mercy on the people, which is of course a blessing to me. However, as the folk saying goes, you can't eat hot tofu in a hurry, even if it is 900,000 taels a year, it is not a small amount, almost half of Taicang? If this money is spent, it will not be effective in a short period of time. However, if this money is used to cast cannons, it may be able to slightly dampen the arrogance of the Eastern Prisoners, and then the military and people of Liaodong will be safe.

Since ancient times, China has not had a national literacy education program, and such a benevolent government cannot be done in a prosperous era. Today, we are in a difficult situation at home and abroad, and this is really not the time to implement this policy. Rather than giving up halfway, it is better to delay for a few years, wait for the national situation to recover a little, and then implement this compulsory education law, so that this can be done in one fell swoop, isn't it? ”

Xu Guangqi still feels that this hugely expensive compulsory education plan is too unrealistic. Throughout the ages, no Holy Emperor has dared to think that all the people under his rule should be educated. Chongzhen's heart is certainly good, but it is inevitably a little ambitious.

Zhu Youzhen seemed to have figured it out just now, he shook his head and replied quickly: "Sir, I have just ascended the throne now. The subjects of the world are thinking, looking forward to, wanting to know what kind of person I am.

And the implementation of the compulsory education law is what I want to say to my Ming subjects. I want to do something, I want to do something practical for the people of Daming. However, with my own strength, I may not even be able to change within the Imperial City.

If I want to change the status quo of the Ming Dynasty, it is not enough to rely on my efforts, but I need the support of thousands of people in the Ming Dynasty, and only let the people of the Ming Dynasty support me. Those officials who deceived their superiors and subordinates, the gentry who colluded with businessmen to embezzle state taxes, and the officers who raised thieves with self-respect would have nothing to hide in front of the people of the Ming Dynasty.

Turbidity and purity, clarifying the rule of officials. Then the policies of the imperial court can be uploaded and issued, and the people can begin to trust my Ming court again. The Compulsory Education Law is not only the basic national policy of the Ming Dynasty that I want to implement, but also my political declaration. ”

Zhu Youzhen was a little excited, and finally couldn't help but stand up and paced back and forth in front of Xu Guangqi. In the end, he concluded: "Also, I still have the courage to propose this compulsory education law.

But after a while, under the consumption of court affairs, I don't know if I will have the courage I have now.

The ministers in the court, now they don't know me yet, they are cautiously testing my temperament, trying to find out my character and bottom line, and they are not so nervous about political affairs, if they don't take advantage of this time to launch the first step of reforming the Ming Dynasty, I don't think there will be a better time than now in the future. ”

"Are you afraid of losing your courage in the future?" Xu Guangqi was silent, and Chongzhen's words suddenly evoked his memories of his past. Xu Guangqi naturally knows that what it means to lose courage is actually to be worn out by the world's conditions and to wear out the will to resist the stubborn and old-fashioned bureaucracy.

Xu Guangqi finally stopped trying to continue to persuade Chongzhen, for the current Ming Dynasty, a young emperor who has the courage to face maladministration is better than a so-called old man who is in harmony with the mud.

Xu Guangqi stood up suddenly, respectfully saluted Chongzhen and said: "Your Majesty is a young man, although the old minister is old, he is also willing to attach his tail and make a modest contribution to my Ming Dynasty." ”

Zhu Youzhen reacted immediately, he held Xu Guangqi's hands, shook them tightly, and said happily: "With Mr. help, what else do I need to worry about?" ”

Xu Guangqi was about to say something, but found that Wang Chengen and two entourages finally brought hot tea.

Under Wang Chengen's skillful fiddling, two cups of hot tea and a plate of fruit were soon placed on the stone table between the two.

The business has been discussed, and the two of them began to chat. During the casual conversation, Xu Guangqi talked about a book on agriculture that he edited at home and some topics about Western missionaries.

Zhu Youzhen was not only amazed when he heard that Jinnige had brought more than 7,000 European books, including the latest discoveries of natural science in Europe in this era. He couldn't wait to meet the Jesuit missionary and see the catalogue of books he had brought.

However, in the end, he was dissuaded by Xu Guangqi, who thought that Zhu Youzhen's failure to return to the palace at night was already about to cause criticism, and if he met with a Western missionary again, I am afraid that not only Zhu Youzhen's own reputation would be damaged, but even these Western missionaries would be regarded as Fang Shi and the like.

Once Western missionaries are regarded as flattering and pretending to be ghosts, not only will Western missionaries be boycotted by the Great Ming Shilin, but even the Western studies that Chongzhen and Xu Guangqi want to promote may be slandered as a deceptive outsider.

Under Xu Guangqi's persuasion, Zhu Youzhen had no choice but to give up, but he still instructed earnestly: "Please tell this Father Jin when I go back that there is no problem in establishing a large library, the important thing is to sort out the table of contents of these books as soon as possible, and then translate them according to priority." With these books, we have opened universities to cultivate talents, and we have a little more certainty. ”

Xu Guangqi looked at Zhu Youzhen, who was suddenly excited, and couldn't help nodding and smiling and agreed. Zhu Youzhen was talking, and suddenly seemed to remember something, he looked at Xu Guangqi's gaze and said, "I have already read the geometric original that Mr. translated with Matteo Ricci 19 years ago. I was going to use this set of geometry as a university textbook, but why did my husband only translate the first six volumes, and when will he be able to translate the last nine? ”

Chongzhen's sudden question made Xu Guangqi stunned for a moment, and his mood was indeed a little excited.

Xu Guangqi's original purpose in translating this book was to use the rigorous logical reasoning methods of the West to make up for the shortcomings of traditional mathematics. It was also hoped that the emperor would pay attention to Western scholarship, so as to change the Confucian ideology of Confucian governance in the Ming Dynasty.

However, he had only translated the first six volumes, and Matteo Ricci, who had co-translated the books with him, suggested that he see how well the book was received by the Great Master Shilin before moving on to the last nine volumes. Unexpectedly, in this year, Xu Guangqi's father passed away, and he left everything behind and returned to his hometown to guard the system. When he returned to the capital three years later, Matteo Ricci had already died.

Long Huamin, who succeeded Matteo Ricci as president of the Chinese diocese, took the opposite path of missionary path. He forbade missionaries to teach Western natural sciences to the Chinese, wanting to preach exactly the Western way.

Under these circumstances, Xu Guangqi was unable to get the help of Western missionaries who were proficient in mathematics, and he was unable to translate the last few volumes of geometric originals. Soon, Long Huamin's preaching method aroused the anger of Da Ming Shilin, and the Nanjing Teaching Case Incident occurred. Catholicism was expelled from the Ming Dynasty, and Xu Guangqi had no choice but to do so.

However, today, I got it from Chongzhen's mouth, and the affirmation of the original translation of geometry couldn't help but make Xu Guangqi sigh.

After listening to Xu Guangqi's whispered explanation, Zhu Youzhen just frowned, and then said, "Since that's the case, don't worry." After my husband settled down in Beijing, I studied the geometric originals of the last nine volumes with him, and tried to translate all of them. ”