Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 296 Perfect Response
Outside the Wenhua Hall.

Huang Jin stood still.

There was no smile on his chubby face.

A hint of worry occasionally flashed across his brow.

On the eve of his departure for Hetao, Lu Bing met with Huang Jin and mentioned something to him.

He had countless friends throughout his life, and many people rushed to befriend him, but the one he felt was the most selfless and for whom he owed a great debt of gratitude was Haiyue.

When I was about to embark on a long journey, the person I couldn't let go of the most was this close friend.

Therefore, if there is any danger in the palace, especially towards Haiyue, Lu Bing hopes that Huang Jin can do his best to help her.

Huang Jin was somewhat puzzled at the time.

I always felt that Lu Bing's words had a hidden meaning.

His journey to the Hetao region was not purely for military achievements; there were other reasons.

But he remembered this incident.

Just now, he realized that things were not going well.

Huang Jin couldn't see through the politics of the court, nor did he understand the intricate relationships between them;

But he was familiar with the Jiajing Emperor.

After all, he was the master he had served since childhood. Even if the master was expressionless, he could tell at a glance whether the master was happy, angry, resentful, or hateful.

My master is very agitated and angry today.

Especially before entering the Wenhua Hall, he gave Hai Hanlin a cold glance.

It was aimed at the other party.

Thinking of Lu Bing's help, Huang Jin originally intended to give him a reminder, but he just couldn't find the opportunity.

Therefore, he was anxious and restless while away from home, worried that he would let down his friend's trust.

All we can do is wait patiently.

I hope that after today's lecture, I can observe the emperor's expressions and figure out why he suddenly became angry, and then inform Haiyue so that he can find a way to make amends.

I don't know if it's just psychological.

This sermon lasted an exceptionally long time.

Just as Huang Jindu couldn't help but peek inside, it finally ended.

"Mingwei truly deserves to be called my right-hand man; everything he says is for the sake of the nation!"

Zhu Houcong emerged from the echoing sound, a smile on his face: "Bring Zhongcheng into the palace in the future; his grandmother is worried about him!"

Haiyue followed closely behind, whispering something in agreement.

Huang Jin blinked and quickly stepped forward.

Catching a glimpse of the unusual relaxation in Zhu Houcong's brows, he was secretly surprised—

The master's feelings...

It seems to have suddenly become quite good?
Huang Jin was not familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics and did not know what was said in the hall, but he felt relieved.

Hai Hanlin is a good person; it would be wonderful if he could dispel misunderstandings through preaching.

Not daring to presume to ask, Huang Jin silently followed, just as usual.

When they returned to the Qianqing Palace, they were surprised to find that the emperor had not gone back into the palace, but had come to the east side of the Qianqing Gate, looking around at the surrounding buildings with a thoughtful expression.

Only then did Huang Jin whisper, "Your Majesty?"

Zhu Houcong said, "Haiqing gave me an idea: to set up a study here to uniformly educate the princes. What do you think?"

Huang Jin quickly shrank back: "This is a big deal, this servant dares not say a word..."

Zhu Houcong chuckled: "It's just a school, isn't it? Look how scared you are! You're such a coward. Have you forgotten that we used to go to school in the Prince's mansion?"

It was indeed just a school, but its significance was different.

Throughout history, different dynasties have placed different emphasis on the education of princes. However, during the Ming Dynasty, the princes' studies were generally scattered across the Dabentang and Wenhua Hall, lacking unified management.

Of course, we didn't need it before.

Several emperors either had only one son or no children at all.

With such a small population, why would there be a need to set up a special study for the prince?
It is precisely the current emperor who needs to consider this.

Zhu Houcong was pleased to hear this.

Did the Zhengde Emperor have this problem?

No!

In other words, he had many children, which brought him good fortune and allowed the main branch of the Zhu family to flourish!
Of course, there were also specific considerations in establishing the Imperial Academy.

Haiyue uses the Spring and Autumn Annals as a starting point, seemingly discussing the relationship between ruler and subject, but actually extending the discussion from the three commentaries to the principle of kinship.

After a round of familiar platitudes about brotherly love and respect, a solution was proposed.

"An Imperial Study was set up next to the Qianqing Palace."

“Select learned scholars to teach the classics and history on a daily basis.”

"It is close to the Emperor, so that it may be inspected."

Zhu Houcong initially found it novel.

The more I think about it, the more I approve.

In fact, Haiyue simply adapted and adopted the Qing Dynasty's methods for raising princes.

It must be admitted that the Qing Dynasty's requirements for successors were far more standardized than those of other dynasties.

After all, the Qing Dynasty was a minority of Manchus ruling over a large number of Han Chinese. They hoped to weaken the cultural superiority of Han Chinese scholar-officials and strengthen their rule by improving the cultural literacy of the heirs to the throne.

At the same time, strict education was used to maintain the traditional characteristics of the Manchus and prevent excessive Sinicization. The addition of horsemanship and archery also made many Qing princes both literate and martial, and indeed there were many talented individuals.

In contrast, Zhu Yuanzhang restored China from the Mongol Yuan dynasty, and with the change of dynasties, he did not need to worry about the struggle for legitimacy. However, the abilities of the Ming emperors varied greatly, and by the standards of all dynasties, they were quite incompetent.

Even so, Zhu Houcong was not concerned about the quality of his sons' studies.

Rather, it is the irreparable rift between "establishing an heir early" and "traditional rites and ancestral systems".

The core significance of the idea of ​​establishing an heir apparent lies in maintaining political stability through rites, laws, and ancestral systems.

A clearly identified successor can prevent turmoil caused by a power vacuum.

At the same time, rites, laws, and ancestral systems can also restrain imperial power and reduce arbitrariness caused by the monarch's subjective opinions.

Of course, there are instances where overemphasizing titles and status has led to rigidity, but overall, the positive aspects far outweigh the drawbacks.

However, Jiajing was both power-hungry and suspicious. Although he was worried that his son would seize power from him, he would push all the blame onto his ministers.

At times like this, saying anything is wrong; it's better to introduce a system.

The Imperial Study was located on the east side inside the Qianqing Gate, near the Qianqing Palace.

When a prince reaches the age of six, he is sent to the study to study.

Three scholars were selected to serve as chief instructors of the Imperial Study, all of whom were highly respected Confucian scholars.

Several teachers were selected, chosen from among reliable officials skilled in teaching and nurturing students.

They took turns attending court and meeting with the princes and grandsons, only offering a hand gesture as a greeting.

I arrive at the study at 3 AM every day for morning reading, classes begin at 5 AM and end at noon.

There is a one-day holiday for major festivals, and classes are held for half the summer vacation.

These are Haiyue's initial suggestions.

There are still many areas that need improvement.

But Zhu Houcong was already quite tempted.

Empress Dowager Jiang was worried that when these imperial grandsons grew up, they would fight for the vacant position of crown prince, causing brothers to quarrel and commit all sorts of cruel acts.

Now that the Imperial Study has been established, has this problem been solved?
Obviously not.

But Jiajing felt that this was a good opportunity to comfort his mother, so that she wouldn't overthink things and could focus on recovering.

This was quite remarkable. More importantly, the unified teaching also prevented ministers from vying to bet on the princes, thus silencing any dissent.

The ministers were urging him to quickly establish an heir, citing rites and ancestral rules. Now, by setting up the Imperial Study and inviting learned scholars, the eldest son's education can be ensured, and brotherly affection and respect can be maintained, thus preventing a recurrence of the rebellions of the Prince of Han and the Prince of Ning, and nipping problems in the bud.

in this way.

If Empress Zhang has no sons in the future, even if the eldest son of the emperor is born out of wedlock, as long as he is talented and virtuous and respected by the people, it is not unreasonable for him to inherit the throne.

As for when to establish an heir...

Then it would be entirely up to the emperor to decide.

Zhu Houcong was extremely satisfied with the transformation of the troublesome process of recruiting tutors for the princes into the establishment of a system, and immediately declared: "Haiqing, I can rest assured that the princes will be taught by you!"

"I am frightened!"

However, Haiyue vehemently declined, saying, "I am not yet thirty years old, how dare I presume to assume the position of Imperial Tutor? My advice is entirely without any selfish motives, and I beg Your Majesty to rescind your decree!"

"Hmm! Fine then!"

When Zhu Houcong said this, he was genuinely kind and gentle, showing a rare display of understanding and consideration for others: "I can't possibly roast you over a fire. It won't be too late for you to preach when the princes establish their own residences!"

That's ten years from now.

Given Haiyue's prestige, it would be beneath her dignity to simply lecture at the prince's residence.

With the matter settled, they returned to the Qianqing Palace, dismissed Huang Jin, and the short, thin eunuch from before silently came up behind them.

Zhu Houcong suppressed his smile, took out the secret scroll from before, and threw it directly to the ground: "How could the adopted daughter recognized by the Empress Dowager be so frivolous? She dares to sow discord and try to make me harm loyal officials. Her heart deserves to be punished!"

He didn't bother to investigate at all, his words revealing a strong sense of vigilance and anger: "Those who participated in this slander, all of them shall be beaten to death, and you shall personally supervise the execution!"

……

'Old Deng is getting more and more selfish and suspicious!'

Back at her desk in the Hanlin Academy, Haiyue shook her head, showing no surprise.

When it comes to the crown prince, few emperors throughout history have acted like human beings.

Even a great emperor like Li Shimin could not escape the common fate; Li Chengqian can be considered the true stain on his life, let alone others.

Haiyue knew early on that in the Jiajing era, getting close to any prince was a recipe for disaster, and could even ruin one's career.

Historically, Yan Song and his son made things difficult for Prince Yu, even cutting off supplies to the prince's residence. On one hand, this was to curry favor with Prince Jing, hoping that this second son would inherit the throne and continue the Yan family's wealth and power. On the other hand, it was also to show Jiajing Emperor what was going on.

Xu Jie only truly showed goodwill to Prince Yu after Yan Song was overthrown, when Jiajing's decrees had begun to lose their effectiveness and Prince Jing had died. Only then did he dare to extend favors to the next emperor.

This is also why Emperor Longqing was only close to Gao Gong. Gao Gong truly accompanied him through hardships in the Prince's Mansion, offering help in times of need and sharing weal and woe. Xu Jie, at best, was merely adding flowers to brocade.

Nowadays, things aren't as intense; under normal circumstances, serving as a lecturer doesn't matter much.

However, the situation in the imperial court was not quite right, and it seemed that someone was stirring up trouble and exacerbating the conflict;
It was not easy for either of them to teach their young sons. Zhu Houcong's first two sons did not inherit his intelligence. If they wanted to help them succeed, being strict was not good, nor was being lenient. If they were slightly displeased, they would become enemies in the future.

Therefore, Haiyue has no intention of grooming the next prince, nor is she prepared to establish a so-called teacher-student relationship and follow Zhang Juzheng's old path.

Rather than hoping to cultivate a personal relationship with the new ruler and nurture a wise and obedient monarch, he placed more faith in tangible progress.

For example, the strategic preparations for taking over the Hetao region;

For example, the specific positions held by members of the Yixin Society in various departments of the capital and in the fourteen provinces of the two capitals.

So at this moment, he took out two letters, his eyes showing a strange expression.

A letter from Hai Rui.

For members who are focused on being away from home, communicate with them more, and then report back to them on the situation in various places.

It has become a common practice.

The other letter came from Yan Shifan.

(End of this chapter)