釋鑑稽古略續集 2.56

2.56

乙卯洪武八年正月。命中書省。行天下群縣訪窮民無告者。月給以衣糧。無所依者給以屋舍。仍諭之曰。天下一家民猶一體。有不獲其所者。當思所以愛養之。昔吾在民間目擊其苦。鰥寡孤獨饑寒困踣之徒。常自厭生恨不即死。如此者宛轉於溝壑。可坐而待也。吾亂離遇此。心常惻然。故躬提師旅。誓清四海以同吾一家之安。今代天理物已十餘年。若天下之民有流離失所者。非惟昧朕之初志。於代天之工亦不能盡也。爾等為吾輔相當體朕懷。不可使有不獲　三月命選國子生。分教北方諭之曰。致治在乎善俗。善俗在乎教化。教化行雖閭閻。可使為君子。教化廢雖中材或墜為小人（云云）。詔曰。農桑衣食之本。學校道理之原。朕甞設置有司。頒降條章使敦篤教化。務欲使民豐衣足食理道暢焉（云云）　四月誠意伯劉公卒。年六十五。未卒前以天文書授其子璉。進呈於上且戒之曰。勿令後人習也。帝常以老先生稱之。至謂吾子房也　九月詔建大內宮殿。謂廷臣曰。唐虞之時宮室朴素。後世窮極奢麗。習尚華靡。去古遠矣。朕今所作但求安固不事華麗。凡雕飾奇巧一切不用。惟朴素堅壯可傳永久。使吾後世子孫守以為法。至以臺榭苑囿之作。勞民費財以事遊觀之樂。朕決不為之。勅所司知朕之意。

In the yimao year, the eighth year of Hongwu, in the first month, an order was given to the Central Secretariat to send directives to all prefectures and counties across the realm to search for destitute people with none to turn to, and provide them with clothes and grain each month; to those without shelter, provide housing. The Emperor further instructed them, saying: 'All under heaven are one family, and the people are as one body. If any fail to find their proper place, one must consider how to care for and nurture them. Formerly, when I lived among the common folk, I witnessed their suffering with my own eyes. Those who were widowers, widows, orphans, childless, hungry, cold, destitute, and collapsing often despised life and regretted not dying immediately. For such people to end up dead in ditches could be expected while just sitting and waiting. Experiencing this amid turmoil and chaos, my heart was ever filled with compassion. Therefore, I personally led the troops, swearing to cleanse the four seas so that all might share the peace of my single household. Now, governing the realm on Heaven's behalf for more than ten years, if the people under heaven remain wandering and homeless, not only does this obscure my original intent, but I also fail to fulfill the task of acting on Heaven's behalf. You ministers, as my assistants, should identify with my heart and must not allow anyone to fail to find relief.' In the third month, he ordered students from the National University to be selected and assigned to teach in the north, instructing them: 'Achieving good order lies in bettering customs; bettering customs lies in moral education. When moral education is put into practice, even those from humble lanes can be made into gentlemen; when moral education is abandoned, even those of mediocre talent may fall into becoming petty men' (and so on). An imperial decree stated: 'Agriculture and sericulture are the foundation of clothing and food; schools are the source of principle and the Way. I have previously established relevant bureaus and promulgated articles and regulations to make moral education earnest and profound, striving to make the people abundant in food and clothing and to make principle and the Way flourish' (and so on). In the fourth month, Duke Liu, the Earl of Chengyi, passed away at the age of sixty-five. Before his death, he handed an astronomical book to his son Lian, to be presented to the Emperor, and admonished him: 'Do not let descendants study it.' The Emperor had often referred to him as 'the Old Gentleman,' and even called him 'my Zifang.' In the ninth month, an imperial decree ordered the construction of palaces in the Great Interior. He said to the court ministers: 'In the time of Tang and Yu, palace buildings were plain and unadorned. In later generations, people went to the extreme of luxury and splendor, adopting extravagant and lavish customs, far removed from antiquity. What I build now seeks only safety and solidity, not lavish splendor. Carvings, decorations, and ingenious curiosities are not to be used at all. Only plainness, solidity, and strength can endure permanently, allowing my descendants of later generations to maintain them as a standard. As for building terraces, pavilions, parks, and ponds, exhausting the people's labor and squandering wealth for the pleasure of sightseeing, I shall never do it.' He commanded the relevant bureaus to understand his intent.