明代“幸乱之民”的治理困境

The Dilemma of the Governance of Four Kinds of“Troublesome People”in Ming Dynasty

曾经在地方及朝廷为官20多年的吕坤,在上万历帝的《忧危疏》中提到社会存在无聊、无行、邪说、不轨等四种“幸乱之民”,其是国家治理所必须面对的问题。作为治理国家的朝廷与官府首务就是安民,重民生而使家给人足,恤茕独以安养鳏寡孤独,劝学艺以期穷民得以为生,建仓储谷以备水旱蝗灾,行保甲以除盗贼,立乡约以去淫邪,禁奢靡而崇节俭,这是安民之道。欲使民安其生,乐享太平,治理国家的朝廷与官府必须要正视“幸乱之民”的存在,想方设法予以控制。明王朝扶植乾坤正气,打击歪风邪气,奖善除恶,使“幸乱之民”不能危害社会秩序。“幸乱之民”是客观存在的,朝廷方针政策的变化,以及各级官府所采取的策略,不仅关系到对“幸乱之民”的管控,而且关系到对社会的治理。

Lv Kun(吕坤),who had been an official both in the local government and the imperial court for more than 20 years,mentioned in You Wei Shu(忧危疏)submitted to Emperor Wanli(万历)that there existed four kinds of“troublesome people”that were respectively boring,unemployed,heretic and badly conducted.This is a problem that must be faced by national governance.For the royal court and the feudal official governing the country,the priority was to ensure the well-being of the people,attaching importance to people’s livelihood to enrich families,comforting those with loneliness,looking after the orphans,widows and widowers,persuading the learning of arts so that those poor could earn their livings,building granaries to reserve crops in case of drought and locust plague,executing the regime of Baojia(保甲)to wipe out the thieves,making countryside conventions to eliminate obscenity,and banning extravagance to praise thriftiness.For these purposes,the royal court and the governments must face up to the existence of“troublesome people”and managed to control them.In addition to the effective control exercised by the governments at all levels,the fundamental policies were also implemented by the imperial court to foster the upright atmosphere,strike unhealthy tendencies and evil influences,award the virtuous and eliminate the evil,preventing“troublesome people”from doing harm to the social order.The change of the policy of the imperial court and the tactics adopted by the government at all levels are not only related to the control of“the people in chaos”,but also related to the social governance.