Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 129 Zhu Yuanzhang: Fourth Brother, what do you think of the Hongwu Encyclopedia we compiled?
"We've already thought of a name: the Hongwu Grand Ceremony!"

Inside the Wuying Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke to Song Lian and Song Ne about the compilation of the Hongwu Grand Ceremony.

He paused slightly, especially when mentioning the name "Hongwu Grand Ceremony".

Some strange emotions arose in my heart.

I have to say, copying my own son's homework is actually quite satisfying.

When the fourth prince was in power, he did a very good job, excelling in both civil administration and military affairs.

Otherwise, his temple name and posthumous title would not be Emperor Taizong Wen.

As for Emperor Chengzu, this refers to a filial descendant he later encountered, whom Hai Rui slapped across the face.

It was changed so that his biological father could be carried in.

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered that if the fourth son of Zhu Yuanzhang had known that he would have such a filial descendant after his success in the Jingnan Campaign and his ascension to the throne, he would have been more interested in him.

That would definitely make them so angry they'd curse their mothers.

After all, throughout his life, the fourth brother was trying to prove one thing.

That means he didn't get his throne through rebellion.

It was inherited legitimately.

To prove this, he even directly canceled the fourth year of Zhu Yunwen's reign (the Jianwen era).

It was added to my account.

He turned his own Hongwu 31st year into Hongwu 35th year.

In other words, he manually extended his own life by four years.

I have to say, he's really damn filial.

As a result, when it came to the Jiajing Emperor, he directly changed his title from Emperor Taizong to Emperor Chengzu.

This is clearly stating that his throne was not inherited, but seized through rebellion.
Given the fourth brother's temperament and how seriously he takes this matter.

It would be strange if they didn't jump around yelling and cursing.

The fourth prince was able to obtain the title of Emperor Wen, which greatly benefited him from the Yongle Encyclopedia.

The Yongle Encyclopedia can be considered the first encyclopedia in Chinese history, encompassing a wide range of topics.

The idea of ​​the fourth prince revising the Yongle Encyclopedia was really good, but now it's his own!
As his father, it's not unreasonable for him to take some things from him.

After all, this guy rebelled later, and all I did was give him a beating.

I didn't do anything else.

Not only that, they are now paving the way for the fourth son.

And they have already begun to delegate some power to the fourth son.

Give the fourth son more training so that he can go further in the future.

Ideally, we could establish a new Ming Dynasty overseas, allowing it to flourish and spread Chinese culture.

Since I've already done this, there's nothing wrong with me changing the Yongle Encyclopedia to the Hongwu Encyclopedia.

Besides, according to his own plans for this lifetime, the fourth son would not have the opportunity to compile the Yongle Encyclopedia.

I'll just have to reluctantly do it myself, as the father.

As Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it, he felt his idea was brilliant.

She also decided that once her fourth brother finished dealing with things over there and returned, she would definitely ask him properly if her idea of ​​revising the Hongwu Grand Ceremony was good or not.

Does the fourth brother agree or disagree?

In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang had been considering the idea of ​​compiling the Hongwu Grand Ceremony for quite some time.

In modern times, when he saw the record of the fourth prince's compilation of the Yongle Encyclopedia, he was immediately struck by the idea and thought it was particularly brilliant.

Why didn't you think of this when you were emperor?

Now that we have a second chance, we certainly can't miss the Hongwu Grand Ceremony.

Besides that, there was another important reason: he was furious when he saw the Manchus compiling the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries).

Those people are really damn good at persecuting people with their words.

They revised their own Ming Dynasty history, and it took them over a hundred years to do so, not to mention that.

It's even more infuriating to compile the Siku Quanshu according to the fourth brother's idea.

Is that a book being repaired?

That is, under the guise of compiling the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries), they carefully organized the classics and then burned books, manuscripts, and many other things on a large scale.

Anything that was detrimental to them was burned to ashes by them, based on mere rumors.

The compilation of the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) was hailed as a great cultural event, but it was more accurately described as another great catastrophe in cultural history.

I wonder how many good things were burned.

If things are not handled properly, many good things that have been passed down since ancient times will be lost or wasted.

Zhu Yuanzhang was furious.

So when he reached this point, he naturally needed to take a good rest and prepare the Hongwu Grand Ceremony ahead of schedule.

It must be made even better than the Yongle Encyclopedia by the fourth prince.

Moreover, after the Hongwu Grand Ceremony was completed.

On their own side, they also had to have it engraved and printed.

Then they produced a thousand or eight hundred sets.

It is collected in various places.

Ideally, large libraries should be built in the provincial capitals of various regions.

Some important schools also built libraries.

Every library acquired a complete set of the Hongwu Encyclopedia, treating it as its most prized possession.

At the same time, several sets of these treasures should be made for places such as the imperial palace.

To prevent a situation like the Yongle Encyclopedia, which was revised by the fourth emperor, from being too small and resulting in the loss of a large number of copies due to various reasons.

Only about eight hundred volumes have been passed down to later generations.

It's regrettable to think about it.

Zhu Yuanzhang naturally knew why the Yongle Encyclopedia, compiled by his fourth son, was so rare.

Because the Yongle Encyclopedia contains too much information.

It contains a total of seven or eight thousand books, totaling 3.7 million words.

If woodblock printing were used, the cost would be unimaginable.

Even if we were to manually copy it down and create a complete set, it would still take an unknown amount of manpower and resources.

That's why such a grand compilation is so rare.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that revising the Hongwu Encyclopedia and printing it in the future to produce a thousand or eight hundred copies of the Hongwu Encyclopedia was not a problem.

The Ming Dynasty may be short of money now, but it will never lack money in the future.

At least while I'm here, I won't be short of money later.

There is a lot of wealth overseas.

Besides setting up a maritime trade office and conducting normal business,

In the future, I can also take control of the Iwami Silver Mine in Japan and start mining it.

With so much funding to support it, the Hongwu Grand Ceremony must be arranged again.

If we don't make arrangements, we'll be letting down the good example that the fourth brother set for us, and all the silver mines on Xiao Rizi's side.

It would also be a disservice to the many talented people in China who have produced various articles and classics.

Originally, Zhu Yuanzhang had not planned to say it today.

I plan to wait until I'm close to being able to do this before I announce it.

However, after seeing Song Lian's attitude towards Pinyin and simplified characters.

Zhu Yuanzhang felt it was better to let the word out first.

Song Lian does not represent just him.

Rather, it represented a large portion of the literati.

His attitude was also the attitude of many scholars on these two matters.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Zhu Yuanzhang felt it was necessary to reveal the details of the Hongwu Grand Ceremony beforehand.

Tell Song Lian, and the many people behind him.

As an emperor, he still cared a lot about cultural development.

Compiling such a grand encyclopedia as the Hongwu Encyclopedia would be an unprecedented feat!
Its importance, and the fame it can bring, will far exceed the dictionary he intends to revise.

Those who participate in it will surely be remembered in history.

The key point is that there are many people who need this.

For many cultural figures, being able to participate in this matter is a great honor.

I was overjoyed.

There is an unprecedented grand event for scholars, hanging in the air ahead.

Because of this matter, the promotion of simplified characters and Pinyin can be greatly reduced.

It silenced many people.

This forces many people, even those who are dissatisfied or have opinions about it, to keep their mouths shut and refrain from making irresponsible remarks.

After all, he had only revealed such a large project.

However, the specific person in charge and the number of people to be recruited are all decisions that must be made by themselves.

Those literati who want to nitpick about simplified characters, Hongwu Zhengyun, and so on.

You should weigh the consequences of your whining.

There are too many people who are resistant to these things, complaining about them openly and secretly.

On my side, I can completely exclude it from compiling dictionaries and the Hongwu Encyclopedia.

When people have something they want, they often develop a weakness.

Those numerous literati were also human beings, and as human beings, they had things they cared about.

When you have something you care about, you also have a weakness.

If the right medicine is prescribed, many of them are easier to control than many military generals.

"This Hongwu Encyclopedia is no ordinary book."

Throughout history, China has produced countless articles and numerous works by sages.

But they were all disorganized.

The Hongwu Encyclopedia we are preparing to compile will include all the classics and articles from ancient times to the present in China.

They were categorized, organized, and compiled into a book.

This makes it convenient for people to view the texts and also serves as a form of protection for many cultural classics.

Throughout history, many precious books have become unique copies or even disappeared, which is truly regrettable…

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Song Lian and spoke to Song Ne.

Give them a more specific explanation of what the Hongwu Grand Ceremony was.

When Song Lian and Song Ne first heard the emperor say that he wanted to compile a Hongwu Grand Code, they didn't think much of it.

It is highly likely that this was just a whim of the emperor.

But after hearing the emperor's explanation, they realized they had misunderstood.

Only then did I realize just how grand this sudden impulse of the emperor truly was!

It can only be described as the first time in history!
All the classics and treasured works from ancient times to the present have been categorized and compiled into books, encompassing them all.

This... how big of a deal is this?

What a grand vision and what a powerful presence!
Song Lian, who had just looked rather unpleasant because of the emperor's insistence on promoting simplified characters, was now flushed with excitement.

Song Ne, who usually had a stern face and spoke little, also looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with eyes full of eagerness and excitement.

I unconsciously rubbed my hands together.

Zhu Yuanzhang knew he had chosen the right medicine as soon as he saw the reactions of the two old men surnamed Song.

"The Hongwu Encyclopedia will be revised from now on, and we plan to have Mr. Song and Mr. Song as chief editors."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Song Lian and Song Ne and spoke.

Upon hearing the emperor's words, Song Lian and Song Ne immediately bowed in respect.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness. I will do my utmost to ensure that this grand event is handled properly."

There will be absolutely no mistakes!

Song Ne also said in a strong and resounding voice: "Your Majesty, although I am old, I am determined to finish this matter before I die, even if it means my death!"

I will certainly live up to Your Majesty's trust.

Such a prosperous era must have its ministers!

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, quite satisfied with their reactions.

"This is a huge project. We think we need at least two thousand people to participate in the compilation and revision."

The Hongwu Grand Ceremony was the most important cultural event since the founding of our Ming Dynasty. It must be taken seriously.

Those who participated in compiling and revising the Hongwu Encyclopedia not only had to be academically competent, but also had to be of good character and conduct.

We will conduct a thorough investigation in the future to determine who will be able to participate in this cultural event.

Those who lack knowledge, character, and competence should be excluded.

We must not allow these people to tarnish this glorious era.

"It's natural.

For such a grand event, those involved in the revision must pass rigorous tests in terms of both knowledge and character.

We must not allow such a prosperous era to be tainted!

Song Lian nodded solemnly, agreeing with Zhu Yuanzhang's statement.

Song Ne also agreed that the emperor was right.

The emperor suddenly unveiled the Hongwu Grand Ceremony, something they had never considered before.

This immediately ignited the passion of the two old men, Song.

Let them feel that they are not old yet and can still accomplish great things.

They even had the idea of ​​borrowing another five hundred years from heaven.

Zhu Yuanzhang took note of both men's reactions.

Then he said, "These are not the only grand events in our Great Ming Dynasty."

"In addition to these, we also plan to build a library in Yingtian in the future."

It includes many books from the collection.

This includes the completed Hongwu Grand Ceremony.

The library's collection can be borrowed for free by presenting the corresponding credentials.

Return by a specified date.

After they borrow it, they can either read it or copy it.

As long as you don't damage the books and return them on time, it's fine.

Moreover, all of these are completely free.

Not only in Yingtian, but we think that in the future, a library can be built in the place where the provincial administration offices are located.

Operate under the same system.

Most of the library's books were purchased with funds allocated by the imperial court.

Some of the donations also come from caring people from all walks of life.

The library is not for profit; it is solely for the dissemination of culture and for the promotion and development of Chinese culture.

Knowledge should not be kept on a high shelf; it should be made available to more people.

To continue the lost learning of the sages is not just an empty phrase.

We should start with ourselves and take concrete actions.

Zhu Yuanzhang released more information to the two of them.

In Zhu Yuanzhang's view, there were roughly two ways to win over the Confucian masters.

One way is to deepen one's research in Confucianism and become a master of Confucianism.

In terms of knowledge and other aspects, completely overwhelm the opponent and make them admit defeat.

Zhu Yuanzhang definitely wanted to use this method.

After all, in his previous life, he had always felt inferior because of his academic achievements.

If one could master many Confucian principles and crush Confucian masters, the feeling would naturally be incredibly satisfying.

But these are things that can only be thought about in one's mind.

After all, even though he lived in modern times for fifteen years, he was far from having such a deep understanding of Confucianism.

After all, there are so many novel and useful things in modern times.

How could he possibly be wholeheartedly devoted to Confucian studies?

Since this won't work, only one other option remains.

That is to use the emperor's privileges and financial power to undertake major projects that no one else can do except the emperor himself, and which the Confucian scholars cannot refuse, to promote and develop culture.

For example, dictionaries, the Hongwu Encyclopedia, and libraries.

I refuse to believe that Song Lian can hold his ground under my relentless, increasingly powerful attacks.

Upon hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Song Lian and Song Ne, who were already excited, became even more excited.

Song Lian even started to have some shivering!
"Is Your Majesty truly telling the truth?"

Song Lian looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with a serious expression, his eyes slightly red.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded seriously and said, "A ruler's words are not to be taken lightly; they must be taken seriously."

We've always been concerned about the dissemination of culture and the flourishing of scholarship.

We have always valued literary pursuits.

Having received a definite reply from Zhu Yuanzhang, Song Lian could no longer contain himself and knelt down before him.

"On behalf of all scholars in the land, those who aspire to learning, especially the impoverished, I kowtow to express my gratitude for Your Majesty's divine grace!"

Song Lian clasped his hands together, then opened them and stretched his arms forward.

He went from kneeling to lying face down on the ground.

This is a truly awe-inspiring gesture.

Zhu Yuanzhang had never seen Song Lian use it.

"Mr. Song, please rise. There's no need for such a grand gesture."

These are things that we, as the emperor, should do.

Zhu Yuanzhang watched as Song Lian was utterly defeated by his increasingly impressive schemes, and he was secretly pleased.

But on the surface, it's still necessary to help Song Lian get back on his feet as soon as possible.

Song Lian was already in tears.

"Your Majesty, you are worthy of this great ceremony, and I am also willing to perform this great ceremony."

Song Lian looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and said earnestly.

"If only I had been born a few years later, how wonderful that would have been?"
When I was young, I loved learning, but my family was poor and I had no way to obtain books to read.

The only option was to borrow books from various people to copy them.

Sometimes they can run for hundreds of miles.

Even when my hands were cracked from copying books in winter, I never dared to slack off.

During the process of borrowing and copying books, I don't know how many cold shoulders I encountered, or how much I had to humble myself.

"If only...if only there had been a library back then, how wonderful that would have been!"

When Song Lian said this, his voice was full of reminiscence.

Tears streamed down her face.

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard what Song Lian said, he felt a sense of familiarity, and a feeling welled up in his heart.

Some memories were constantly echoing in his mind, bombarding him.

They couldn't help but secretly recite the first few sentences Song Lian spoke.

He had memorized the entire preface to Song Lian's "Sending Ma Sheng of Dongyang".

Seeing Song Lian's appearance, Zhu Yuanzhang knew that his series of moves had been quite effective.

After all this build-up, it's time to finally reveal the truth.

"Mr. Song, we will definitely build the library."

First it was the capital, then the various provincial administration commissions.

There were also official academies, with the Imperial Academy being the most prominent.

These will all be built.

However, things have a sequence, and you have to eat one bite at a time.

Now, we need to first develop and promote the Hongwu Zhengyun, Pinyin, and simplified characters.

Then, based on simplified characters, the Hongwu Dictionary was compiled and revised.

Only after these tasks are completed can the Hongwu Encyclopedia be compiled.

Only after some of the Hongwu Encyclopedia had been compiled could we begin construction of the Ming Library located in Yingtian Prefecture.

Whether it's the Hongwu Dictionary, the Hongwu Encyclopedia, or the construction of a library.

These are all a huge amount of expenses, all piled up at once, and the imperial court couldn't afford them.

Furthermore, there weren't enough people available to compile both the Hongwu Dictionary and the Hongwu Encyclopedia simultaneously…

Zhu Yuanzhang's meaning was clear: Song Lian, didn't you oppose simplified characters?
Now we'll lay out the terms for you here.

Are the Hongwu Dictionary and the Hongwu Encyclopedia any good? Are libraries any good?

You need to think it's a good thing and want to get it out as quickly as possible.

Then stop arguing with us about simplified Chinese characters and just accept them.

Only in this way can we bring out these good things in the future.

Otherwise, just watch and be envious!
He simply refused to believe that he couldn't control Song Lian!

When Zhu Yuanzhang said this, Song Lian was not in a hurry, but Song Ne, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, was anxious.

"Your Majesty, I believe that what Your Majesty said is the truth."

With the Ming Dynasty newly established, there were countless things to do, making it a very complex and multifaceted undertaking.

Money is needed everywhere, and there is a shortage of money everywhere.

In the midst of such a busy schedule, Your Majesty has not forgotten to promote education and culture, and has proposed the great dream of compiling the Hongwu Dictionary, the Hongwu Encyclopedia, and a library.

Your Majesty is truly moved to tears.

However, these are all large-scale projects that require a lot of money and manpower.

It's impossible to do them all at the same time.

We can only proceed from the easy to the difficult, one step at a time.

Song Ne's words were, on the one hand, an agreement with Zhu Yuanzhang's suggestion.

On the other hand, it was also a reminder to Song Lian not to get hung up on simplified characters.

Just agree already!
Compared to the Hongwu Dictionary, the Hongwu Encyclopedia, and libraries, the matter of simplified Chinese characters is simply insignificant!
After thinking about it, he realized that what he said might not have been direct enough.

He then looked at Song Lian and spoke directly:

Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles. Mr. Jinglian, there is no need to get too hung up on some things.

It's good to be a little carefree in life.

Song Ne was already prepared.

If this southern barbarian persists in his own way and dares to make some unwise moves on this matter, stubbornly clinging to simplified characters...

This led to the emperor subsequently ceasing the revision of the Hongwu Dictionary, the Hongwu Encyclopedia, and the library.

Even if it costs him his life, he will pin this ignorant southern barbarian to the ground and give him a good beating!
Let's beat him into submission and make him wake up.

Anyone who dares to obstruct this golden age of culture and education will be punished, even if the Heavenly King himself came, let alone Song Lian, this southern barbarian.

Song Lian did not speak immediately, and as time slowly passed, the atmosphere gradually became heavy.

Looking at the emperor, who was usually so composed, Song Ne, who was usually so calm, couldn't hold back this time.

He immediately lifted the hem of his clothes and headed towards Song Lian.

Song Lian's voice rang out at this moment.

"Your Majesty, I also think that Your Majesty's consideration is appropriate."

Your Majesty's willingness to dedicate so much to promoting education under such circumstances has deeply moved me.

Your Majesty has already done so much, so naturally I cannot stand idly by.

Otherwise, he would truly become a sinner for all time.

I also believe that simplified characters should be implemented.

As Your Majesty said, let posterity judge right and wrong, merit and demerit!

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled.

"Haha, Mr. Song, please rest assured, as long as we don't simplify the simplified characters too drastically."

So, a hundred years from now, naturally there will be more supporters than critics.

With a series of promises, the matter was finally settled, and even Song Lian had no choice but to bow down!

……

Inside the Wuying Hall, where candles were lit, Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes after hearing Liu Ying's whispered report.

A chilling, icy light burst forth!

That viper, Lady Lü, really did make her move!
(End of this chapter)