In the history books of the past dynasties, Zhu Yuanzhang is famous for his iron-fisted rule. The regulations he formulated stipulate that if the amount exceeds 60 taels, he will face capital punishment. However, what was the value of these 60 taels at that time equivalent to how much money is it now?
This seemingly simple question involves time, economic and social changes, and makes people think about historical wealth and penal systems in a unique way.
Let's walk in the footsteps of time, through the past and the present, and uncover this historical mystery about money, power, and life and death.
In the era of Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, corruption was rampant, and some ** could accumulate huge wealth in just a few years. However, these greedy people often ignore the stability of the country, and at the same time ignore the hardships and hardships that Zhu Yuanzhang has experienced, as well as his efforts for the well-being of the people.
Zhu Yuanzhang was born in a poor family and witnessed the tragic death of his parents and brother one after another. Life was so difficult that he could not even hold a funeral for himself and his loved ones, and ended up living in a temple.
Zhu Yuanzhang longed to escape such a life, but often encountered more serious bullying and frustration. He knows that the prosperity and stability of a country cannot be achieved by accumulating wealth for a short time, but requires hard work to achieve true prosperity.
As a result, he instituted a strict system of punishment to ensure that the country would never fail.
When there is a lot of predicament, a helping hand is stretched out, this is the most exciting news Zhu Yuanzhang has heard. The flame of hope ignited in his heart, and he fought a decisive battle of life and death, and threw himself into Guo Zixing's rebel army.
Under his leadership, the Ming Dynasty was gradually established, step by step, stepping on the bones of countless enemies. Ming Taizu remembered his origins, and he was only concerned about one thing for the rest of his life: to make the people live a better life.
For this reason, he showed no mercy to any oppressor and used the "family law" to rectify the chaotic officialdom. Those who are insensitive will be put to death, and those who are greedy will face even more cruel punishments.
Zhu Yuanzhang's "** more than 60 taels of silver will be beheaded" stipulates that it is chilling. Although many bureaucrats think that 60 taels is already an astronomical amount, Ming Taizu thinks that compared with the status and salary of **, this bit of silver is simply not worth mentioning.
That's why he made such stringent regulations. But how much purchasing power did 60 taels of silver have at that time? Why do you dare to ignore the lives of bureaucrats? In fact, the purchasing power of 60 taels of silver in the Ming Dynasty was very considerable.
One tael of silver is equal to 1,000 copper coins, and one copper coin can buy 5 large steamed buns. This steamed bun is larger than a fist, the size of an adult man's face.
A pound of rice only costs 2 copper coins, and a pound of pork is 20 copper coins, which shows that 20 Wen was a huge amount of money at that time.
In the ancient agrarian society, 60 taels of silver was equivalent to 120,000 yuan now, which was an unimaginable wealth for ordinary families, and even their life savings.
However, in the eyes of the powerful and oppositional dignitaries, 60 taels of silver were just pocket money, and their greed and materialism had swelled to an unimaginable level, and they would not care about such wealth at all.
Therefore, when Ming Taizu made a request, these people felt that it was too low, which strengthened Zhu Yuanzhang's determination to severely punish **. For those who ignored the emperor's orders and regarded silver money as a mustard, Zhu Yuanzhang asserted that they had no possibility of survival.
Zhu Yuanzhang was convinced that the language of warnings had little effect on punishing those who were wicked. He invented a cruel penal code, which was "skinning and weeding". This kind of criminal law executioner will peel off the whole human skin of the ** filthy official, make a container, and then fill it with thatch.
Such "skinned straw men" were hung in yamen at all levels, which played a great deterrent role in those ** filthy officials. In order to solve the grievances of the people, Zhu Yuanzhang set up a "Dengwen drum" outside the palace gate to encourage the people to beat the drum to redress their grievances.
Despite the frequent vacancies in the court, he did not give up, but set up Taixue to train scholars to fill these vacancies. Although the most corrupt officials are still emerging in an endless stream, Zhu Yuanzhang firmly believes that only through strict discipline can the happiness of the people and the tranquility of the country be ensured.
He used radical means to govern the country, so that the political situation in the early Ming Dynasty was clean and the people lived happily.
Although Zhu Yuanzhang's way of governing was often criticized by later generations, he had a deep understanding of his own ideals and the root of the problem. For rulers, pandering to public opinion can undermine long-term plans, while sticking too much to the royal rule of the world can lead to the country falling into a whirlpool of local interests.
Finding a balance between the two is a difficult problem that every king must face.
Fortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang was not forced to choose between morality and effectiveness, because his first task to gain a foothold in turbulent times was to clear obstacles and let the people live and work in peace and contentment, and ** was his primary goal.
He does not care about the criticism of others, and is willing to pay any price as long as the country and its people are well-being. Although Zhu Yuanzhang was not good at communicating with his courtiers tactfully, which was his natural shortcoming, his hard work made him deeply aware of his strengths and weaknesses.
Therefore, no matter how others oppose it, Zhu Yuanzhang will not change his methods.
Zhu Yuanzhang's resolute and resolute behavior laid the foundation for stable rule in the Ming Dynasty, allowing future generations to avoid internal chaos, which was a valuable asset he left to the Ming Dynasty. But he was also aware of the backlash that radical reforms might bring, so he left room for institutional design.
This strategy of balancing ideals and efficiency allowed the Ming Dynasty to remain strong even after his death. Although Zhu Yuanzhang was not perfect, in his time, he had barely reached a balance between ideals and efficiency, which required great political wisdom.
When we judge historical figures, we should stand in the dimension of history, understand the inevitability of the times, and have both criticism and understanding.
Standing on the cusp of the great changes of the times, Zhu Yuanzhang's life is full of turbulence and challenges. In that era of difficult survival, it was even more difficult to establish a new dynasty.
However, Zhu Yuanzhang's struggle laid the foundation for his later reign, which requires us to understand and evaluate it from a balanced perspective.
In any case, the outstanding achievements of Ming Taizu, the founding emperor, are an indelible mark on our Chinese history.