Ming Dynasty: I risked my life to teach the prince, the emperor begged me not to die

Chapter 13 Father, let me show off

Yang Tinghe was shocked, what about his father?

Zhu Houzhao began to think divergently, and after finishing his lessons, he went to the Yangxin Palace in a swagger.

Zhu Youtang was still busy reviewing memorials. Memorials from all the provincial governments, states, and prefectures across the country would be gathered on his desk.

Through these memorials, he was able to gain a good understanding of the current situation in various parts of the Ming Dynasty.

But there are also a group of upright people who always report all kinds of messy things, such as the prefect of Suzhou who wrote to the emperor, "A chaste woman in Kaifu Village has remained unmarried for 30 years after losing her husband. I am sending her a chastity archway."

Such a person is simply insane.

You cannot criticize what they write in their memorials as rubbish, as that will hurt the feelings of the civil servants, and the Censorate will stubbornly impeach the emperor for inaction.

You approve it, but you feel annoyed and disgusted. Let them send these trivial things up even more.

"Your Majesty, the prince is here."

The old eunuch had been serving Zhu Youtang for some years, and had been following Zhu Youtang since the end of the Chenghua period. He had always been diligent and conscientious. After he finished speaking, he filled the porcelain cup on Emperor Hongzhi's desk with tea.

Emperor Hongzhi uttered an "oh", not knowing what the prince wanted to talk to him about again, so he said, "Let him in."

"Here."

Not long after, Zhu Houzhao strode over, sat down beside Emperor Hongzhi, and drank the tea that the old eunuch had just poured.

The old eunuch smiled slightly, his eyes revealing just the right amount of envy.

I envy the harmonious family of Emperor Hongzhi and the loving father and filial son.

In any era, there are no fools or idiots serving the emperor.

Zhu Youtang waved his hand to let the eunuch leave, and then he said to Zhu Houzhao helplessly: "What do you want from me?"

"Father, do you still remember the letter from Bai Hong, the Southeastern Japanese Pirate Commander, in the ninth year of the Hongzhi reign, about the problem of Japanese pirates along the southeastern coast?"

Emperor Hongzhi recalled for a moment, then nodded slightly and took a sip of the tea that Zhu Houzhao had drunk.

In the ninth year of the Hongzhi reign, Bai Hong wrote a letter to the emperor regarding military affairs in the southeast, saying that small groups of Japanese pirates were harassing villagers along the southeast coast from time to time, and he prayed for troops to be sent to suppress the pirates.

Emperor Hongzhi did not allow it.

The Ming Dynasty's current national defense focus is on the northwest, and it does not pay much attention to the southeast. The small-scale Japanese pirates are like mosquitoes and flies. They are not very harmful, except that they are a bit disgusting.

In the past two years, small groups of Japanese pirates have occasionally invaded the southeast and robbed villages, but they did not harm the people, and the court turned a blind eye to it.

The Command Office for Preparing for Japanese Pirates had also been on guard before, but these Japanese pirates seemed to have an extra eye and were always able to bypass the Ming Dynasty's garrison troops.

Of course, they did not dare to engage in a direct battle with the Ming Dynasty. Not to mention that the Japanese pirates in the southeast were not rampant at the moment, even during the Jiajing period, the Japanese pirates in the southeast were not enough for the Ming army to fight.

From the beginning to the end, they were not on the same dimension as the Ming Dynasty's army.

Zhu Houzhao smiled and said, "I have figured it out!"

Emperor Hongzhi looked at him suspiciously and asked, "What have you figured out?"

Zhu Houzhao said: "The Japanese pirates in the southeast may be Han people in disguise, or there may be traitors among the Han people!"

This is a novel angle. Emperor Hongzhi had never paid much attention to Zhu Houzhao's "lofty talk", but this theory attracted Zhu Youtang. He asked, "Why do you say that?"

Zhu Houzhao changed his sitting posture and vividly explained Chen Ce's theory that the Japanese threat was not from Japan but from Han.

After listening to this, Emperor Hongzhi, still holding the teacup in his hand, looked at Zhu Houzhao in surprise, and a look of suspicion flashed across his eyes.

Yang Tinghe's coaching ability is really improving day by day!

Prince Xunri has never been interested in learning these things, but now he is actually interested in political affairs?

And his point of view is not without reason.

He didn't care whether Zhu Houzhao could say something earth-shattering or not. As long as the prince could learn and love to learn, he, as a father, would be pleased enough! Yang Tinghe's coaching level was really good... Well, it could also be Jin Gui. Only these two young people could say these to the prince.

Old scholars like Fei Hong and Jiao Fang had already formed their ideology and were stubborn in their Confucianism, so they would not say these things to the prince. Emperor Hongzhi knew these teachers of the prince very well and understood the temperament of each of them.

"Haha, my son has grown up, and his knowledge is becoming more and more outstanding. He will catch up with his father."

Listening to Emperor Hongzhi's indifferent words...why is this different from what I thought?
Why wasn't my father too surprised?

Is this what they call a heart as violent as thunder and a face as calm as a lake?
As expected! My father was able to become the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. His mental quality is really amazing!
I will also learn from my father in the future. I won't get angry and glare at the slightest provocation. This makes me look like a loser.

"Haha, Father, I'm awesome, right? Don't beat me up anymore."

Emperor Hongzhi: "When did I beat you?"

Zhu Houzhao pouted and said, "You beat me up when I peed in front of the old lady's statue that day."

Emperor Hongzhi glared at him fiercely and said, "How dare you say that!"

Zhu Houzhao waved his hand, stood up and said, "Okay, I won't disturb you from reviewing memorials. I'm going to go play."

"study!"

"lesson complete."

"Then you have to keep learning!"

"Play!"

"study!"

"Play! Play! Play!"

Emperor Hongzhi looked miserable, and finally compromised: "Don't play too late."

After Zhu Houzhao left, he smiled helplessly, reflecting on whether he had been too strict with the prince. He seemed to have thought of something and said to the outside world, "Go and call Jin Gui to me."

"Here."

After Jin Gui arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Emperor Hongzhi asked him if he was teaching the Crown Prince about southeastern affairs. Jin Gui shook his head and said that his recent studies were the Four Books and Five Classics.

Emperor Hongzhi nodded and said, "Go and call Yang Tinghe again."

Soon Yang Tinghe arrived at the Yangxin Palace and clasped his fists and said, "Your humble servant pays respect to the emperor."

Emperor Hongzhi smiled slightly and said to Yang Tinghe, "Yang Chunfang, are you teaching the Crown Prince about the Southeast Japanese affairs?"

Yang Tinghe clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, this is the homework I left for the Crown Prince yesterday."

It turned out to be Yang Tinghe, just as I had expected.

It was Yang Tinghe who was teaching the prince these subjects. Emperor Hongzhi smiled amiably and said, "Jiefu, my son is naughty by nature. You must be patient and teach him well for me."

Yang Tinghe was flattered. He was still a young man, but the emperor called him by his given name so affectionately. Yang Tinghe's eyes turned red for a moment. He clasped his fists and bent over, swearing, "I will never disappoint the emperor's expectations, and I will teach the prince everything I know, and I will never keep anything to myself!"

You are indeed a young man, your edges have not been smoothed out yet, and you don't speak tactfully. What do you mean by not being able to keep secrets? If there are other people here, you will be targeted again.

"Good, good, good!"

"Come here, give Yang Chunfang three acres of land and twenty pieces of silk."

Yang Tinghe hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I am ashamed. I will not accept the reward without any merit."

Emperor Hongzhi smiled and said, "Teaching the prince well is your greatest achievement. How can you say you have done nothing?"

Yang Tinghe still felt a little ashamed. He felt that he had not taught the prince many things, and that the prince had figured them out on his own.

However, he still clasped his fists and said, "I thank the emperor with tears in my eyes!"

(End of this chapter)