Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 904 Sun Chengzong's Caution
The teaching hall has one day off every ten days, so this arrangement can be considered a combination of work and rest. It has to be said that Zhu Shencui not only cares about the prince's studies, but also makes proper arrangements.

So when the bell rang in the teaching hall outside, it meant that the morning classes had come to an end. Sun Chengzong came to his senses and told the Crown Prince and King Song that today's class was over. He asked the two to go back and learn more about the history of the late Han Dynasty. They should practice the homework he assigned in the next few days. In the second half of the month, that is, a week later, they should each write an article, making a detailed judgment on all aspects of the late Han Dynasty according to their own understanding and ideas. There is no limit to the number of words in this article, they can write whatever they want, and he will give them the final judgment later.

The Crown Prince and Prince Song agreed, stood up, bowed respectfully to Sun Chengzong, and then left the classroom.

After the Crown Prince and Prince Song left, Sun Chengzong picked up the tea in front of him and took a sip to moisten his throat, then stood up and prepared to go home to eat and rest.

Just as Sun Chengzong was about to leave, Lu Jiude, the eunuch in charge of the Qianqing Palace, arrived.

"Sir Sun, the emperor invites you." Lu Jiude said respectfully to Sun Chengzong.

"Your Majesty summons this old minister?" Sun Chengzong was stunned.

Lu Jiude nodded slightly and said yes with a smile, and said that the emperor knew that Lord Sun had finished his get out of class, so he arranged a lunch break in the Qianqing Palace and asked Sun Chengzong to go to the Qianqing Palace to have lunch first. The emperor would want to see Sun Chengzong later.

Sun Chengzong nodded without comment, and followed Lu Jiude to the Qianqing Palace. When he arrived at the side hall of the Qianqing Palace, he did not see Zhu Shenzhui, but a simple meal was set on the table. Lu Jiude said that the emperor had temporarily gone to the harem to talk to the queen about something, and he had already told Sun Chengzong to eat first and come back soon.

After hearing this, Sun Chengzong said he understood. He sat down generously, picked up the bowl and chopsticks and started eating. Although the meal was not rich, just four dishes and one soup, the meals in the palace were certainly not bad. Sun Chengzong had a good appetite and ate two bowls of rice in a short while, and ate most of the dishes on the table. After finishing eating, he put down the bowl and chopsticks. Lu Jiude handed Sun Chengzong a towel to wipe it. Sun Chengzong wiped it and sat down to the side to wait. After Lu Jiude took a few eunuchs to clean up the leftovers, he did not stay aside and went to wait at the door.

I sat there with my eyes closed and rested. After about an incense stick of time, I heard footsteps outside.

Sun Chengzong opened his eyes and looked towards the door. As expected, Zhu Shenzui walked into the side hall.

"Sir, are you ready for lunch? I was planning to have lunch with you, but the Queen had some urgent business and asked me to go there. So I had my meal at the Queen's place. I kept you waiting for a long time, which was really neglectful to you." Zhu Shenzhui explained to Sun Chengzong with a smile after he came in.

Sun Chengzong first bowed to the emperor, and then said that it was okay. As a minister, it was a great honor to have a meal given by the emperor. How could he have such thoughts? He was too late to express his gratitude.

The two men exchanged a few pleasantries, and Zhu Shenzui walked over to sit next to Sun Chengzong, asking Sun Chengzong to sit down as well. At this time, Lu Jiude came in and brought two cups of tea, and took away the slightly cold tea that Sun Chengzong had already put out.

In fact, Sun Chengzong did not blame Zhu Shenzhui for his negligence as he said. This was not because of the emperor and his ministers, but because he had guessed the real reason why Zhu Shenzhui was not there when the meal was given. The reason was simple. Although Sun Chengzong and Zhu Shenzhui had not known each other for a long time, Sun Chengzong understood what kind of person Zhu Shenzhui was after dealing with him several times.

Although it was an honor to be given a meal by the emperor, it was also a torture. Eating with the emperor was not a pleasure. It was just like ordinary people in later generations eating with big leaders. Not only did you have to be careful at the dinner table, but you also had to tremble with fear for saying the wrong thing or doing something wrong. You couldn't feel full at all after eating this meal, and you felt very tired.

Zhu Shenzhu asked Lu Jiude to call Sun Chengzong, but he went to the Queen's place, which was clearly a deliberate avoidance. In this way, Sun Chengzong did not have to consider the Emperor's presence when he was eating, and could just relax and enjoy his meal. So Zhu Shenzhu's behavior was not only not a neglect, but a good intention. How could Sun Chengzong not guess it with his intelligence?

Although Zhu Shenzhui's arrangement was insignificant, it was not something an ordinary emperor would think of, which made Sun Chengzong feel more touched.

Then, Zhu Shenzhui asked about the academic situation of the Crown Prince and Prince Song. Sun Chengzong responded by telling Zhu Shenzhui that the Crown Prince and Prince Song were both very smart and had a solid foundation in learning. The Queen had taught them well. As the chief tutor, he not only saved a lot of effort, but was also very happy to have such two good students.

Regarding the specific learning situation, Sun Chengzong neither exaggerated nor belittled, but told the truth. Listening carefully to Sun Chengzong's answer, Zhu Shenzhui nodded slightly from time to time, and also interrupted to ask a few questions. Sun Chengzong answered accordingly. After Sun Chengzong finished speaking, Zhu Shenzhui was very happy. "Sir, you are very talented! I am completely relieved to have a teacher like you to teach the Crown Prince and Prince Song. In fact, I also know in my heart that your talent is far more than that. It is an injustice to let you be the chief teacher. Please don't blame me."

"Your Majesty, what are you talking about? I, an old minister, have this opportunity. How many people would wish for it? Moreover, I am very happy with the Crown Prince and King Song in terms of their personalities and character. It is a blessing for the country to have such a crown prince, and it is also a blessing for the people of the Ming Dynasty."

"Haha, no, no, this is all thanks to the teacher." Zhu Shenzhui couldn't help laughing. As a father, how could he not be happy when he heard others, especially the teacher, praising his son?

After chatting about the studies of the prince and the King of Song, Sun Chengzong could not help but talk about what the prince said today and his answer to the situation at the end of the Han Dynasty. Zhu Shenzhu asked a few more questions with great interest, and Sun Chengzong did not hide what the prince said at the time. After he finished speaking, Sun Chengzong also sighed a few times, saying that the prince had such vision and analytical ability, not to mention that ordinary students could not compare with him, even many officials might not be able to see as clearly as the prince, which was really not easy.

Zhu Shenzhui nodded and said with a smile: "The Crown Prince is still young, as is the King of Song. They are clever, but lack experience. What they learn from books is always shallow. They still need more teaching from you, sir. Don't let them become too proud and self-righteous."

"Your Majesty, although what you said is a bit excessive, it also reflects your deep love for your son. I naturally understand that. Please rest assured, Your Majesty." Sun Chengzong replied solemnly.

"Oh, sir, the teaching hall is now gradually becoming more formal. You are the only teacher of literature. I have been planning to find a few more teachers to share some of your responsibilities, but I don't have any good candidates. I wonder if you can recommend someone suitable to me?"

"This..." Sun Chengzong didn't expect Zhu Shenzhui to suddenly mention this matter. It has indeed been delayed for some time to talk about this matter. When he was appointed as the chief master, it was said that the teaching hall would be divided into civil and military courses. Sun Chengzong was in charge of the overall situation, which was divided into civil and military courses. Sun Chengzong did not interfere in the martial arts course at all. Basically, all the people were arranged by Zhu Shenzhui, but Sun Chengzong was in charge of it in name only.

But for the liberal arts, Zhu Shenzhui had not made a direct appointment for various reasons, and he pushed it to Sun Chengzong when many officials asked. Sun Chengzong was not stupid, and he certainly understood the purpose of Zhu Shenzhui's doing so. Zhu Shenzhui's trust in Sun Chengzong did not mean that he would trust others, and he did not want some corrupt scholars to teach the crown prince and the princes astray, so Zhu Shenzhui pushed the matter away by using Sun Chengzong as the chief teacher, which was just an excuse.

As for Sun Chengzong, it was the same. Many people had come to him before, intending to recommend themselves or recommend others to join the teaching hall. But Sun Chengzong also refused any of them and found excuses to turn them down. As time went by, it became the current situation. Sun Chengzong, the chief teacher, actually became the only teacher of literature, which was indeed a bit inappropriate.

"Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance, and it should be handled by Your Majesty..." Sun Chengzong was about to express his opinion, but before he could finish, Zhu Shenzhui interrupted him with a wave of his hand: "Sir, there is no need to be too modest. I trust you. Besides, it is not a good thing for the teaching hall to have a vacant teacher for a long time. It will not be good if it is too long. With your ability to judge people, it is better for you to recommend someone. I trust your people!"

Sun Chengzong smiled bitterly in his heart. What do you mean by "rest assured"? Isn't this putting all the responsibility on himself? Thinking of the situation in the past when all parties were jealous of the selection of the master of the teaching hall, Sun Chengzong knew that Zhu Shenzhui was also under pressure. It might be inappropriate to delay this matter any longer, so he came to discuss it with him.

Now that things had come to this, it was impossible for Sun Chengzong not to recommend. After careful consideration, he mentioned the names of several people. Some of these people worked in the Hanlin Academy, and some were middle and lower-level officials in the court. They were not very old and had good knowledge. What's more important was that these people were not members of any of the Donglin Party, Zhejiang Party, Chu Party, or Qi Party. They were not even members of the recently famous Fushe Society. They were marginal figures among the court officials.

Zhu Shenzhui listened carefully, and nodded slightly after listening to Sun Chengzong's introduction of these people: "Since it is recommended by you, I naturally have no objection. How about this, we will follow the people you recommended, but we don't need so many people at the moment. How about selecting two of them to join the teaching hall first? If they are not suitable, we can select other people to replace them, or add more people later?"

"I will obey your command." Sun Chengzong agreed immediately. At this time, Zhu Shenzhui showed a thoughtful expression again and continued to ask: "Sir, there seems to be no Donglin Party officials among the people you recommended just now? Even the Zhejiang Party and the Chu Party are not there? I know that you are from Donglin, which has always been known for its talents. In terms of literary talent, it can be said to be the best in Ming Dynasty. Why didn't you recommend people from Donglin? Instead, you chose these people? Could it be that you want to avoid suspicion?"

Sun Chengzong cupped his hands and said, "I am not trying to avoid suspicion. It is true that I was born in Donglin, but Donglin is a mixed bag. Although there are talented people, there are also unworthy people. As the head teacher of the teaching hall, I will train the crown prince for the country, so I naturally have to consider the interests of Your Majesty and the Ming Dynasty. The factions in the Ming Dynasty have been fighting for a long time, and many things have gone wrong because of the factions. I have suffered from the factions. The prince is the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, and the King of Song is the prince of the Ming Dynasty. The education of the prince should be cautious. Moreover, the education of the prince should focus on learning, and other things must not be involved. Moreover, the prince and the King of Song are young. Once they are influenced by them, they will lose the right way to be a monarch in the future. This is not what I want, so I thought about it and chose these people. If Your Majesty feels that it is not appropriate, let me go back and think carefully, and then choose the right people for Your Majesty's decision."

Sun Chengzong was frank and straightforward, and he did not beat around the bush in his words. Zhu Shenzhui was extremely satisfied with his attitude, especially since his words spoke directly to his heart. He was even happier and nodded in agreement. He said there was no need to go back and think about it in detail. Since Sun Chengzong had already considered this aspect, he should just follow Sun Chengzong's recommendation.

(End of this chapter)