Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 184 A Bright New World Emerges!

Inside the Wuying Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Biao and said with a smile.

They didn't care about the bad reputation at all.

Whether he does it or not, his reputation will suffer, and he doesn't care about his posthumous reputation.

Anyway, fleas don't bite, and debts don't bother you.

It would be best if we killed even more, and carved out a bright and clear world.

Of course, if the Han people prove themselves and prevent barbarians from entering China and seizing its lands, their reputation might be even better.

Zhu Yuanzhang was extremely satisfied with his son Biao'er's reaction this time.

My own son, Biao'er, is truly a good child and a qualified heir.

I didn't let myself down.

They can distinguish right from wrong on major issues.

We will not turn a blind eye or give lenient treatment to those people just because of their status when they actually commit a crime.

But they are actually capable of doing it.
now it's right!

Confucianism can be used, but it should not be blindly followed.

These top scholars, or any other people with great fame, can all be used.

However, we cannot let them go to heaven, nor can we spoil them.

If someone makes a mistake, they should be punished accordingly; if they should be dismissed from office, they should be dismissed; if they should be executed, they should be executed.

This is the best solution.

He wasn't really against Confucianism; many things in Confucianism are actually quite good.

Instead, they oppose those who use Confucianism and the name of Confucius to do inhumane things.

True Confucian scholars are quite good.

Unfortunately, far too many people have misinterpreted Confucianism these days.

Later on, it no longer conformed to the development of the times.

It hindered the progress of the times.

In this situation, those who act under these banners must accept his iron fist and be crushed by him, the one who leads the trend of the times and acts as a pioneer.

The Ming Dynasty had no shortage of people, and it also had no shortage of people to serve as officials.

There is no shortage of people who are eager to learn.

If he continues to promote these new fields of knowledge, they can become stepping stones to progress.

These subjects can enable people to improve their status, position, wealth, and other aspects of life by learning them.

Ideally, it should be linked to the imperial examinations and becoming an official to some extent.

Then these new fields of knowledge will surely be carried forward and developed!
The more corrupt people are killed, the more beneficial it is to the development of new knowledge.

Less smog and pollution.

In the future, as long as education is done well, more and more talented people will emerge.

Confucianism has also been developing continuously.

From Confucius, to Mencius, to Xunzi, and then to the ideas developed by Dong Zhongshu and others.

Then came the debate between the classical and modern Chinese texts, and the subsequent changes and reforms made by Han Yu and others.

The Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism, which emerged during the Song Dynasty, has continued to develop to this day.

Many aspects of Confucianism were no longer suitable for the development of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang knew that after Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism came Yangming's philosophy of mind.

Wang Yangming attained enlightenment in Longchang, achieving great success in his philosophy of mind and becoming a grandmaster of his generation.

This shows that the saying "adversity makes one stronger" is quite true.

Now I will also put these people through some hardships, and perhaps one of them will be able to attain enlightenment.

To understand the path that the Ming Dynasty needed.

Now, he has already expressed his preferences and told the world how the Ming Dynasty should proceed.

What are my own dreams?

They also ruthlessly eliminated these stubborn and conservative forces.

It remains to be seen whether contemporary Confucian scholars and other learned individuals can bring about any new developments under these circumstances.

Is Wang Yangming's philosophy of mind any good?
Zhu Yuanzhang naturally agreed.

Unfortunately, there are very few people with such high awareness and real ability as Wang Yangming.

Later followers of Yangming's philosophy also misinterpreted the teachings.

Many people who go against Wang Yangming's original intentions, under the guise of his philosophy of mind, usually act recklessly and dissolutely.

Take Xu Jie's philosophy of mind, for example. After forming what he considered to be profound insights in his own mind, he was able to put them into practice.

Then he embezzled and accepted bribes, accumulating vast tracts of land, doing these things with a clear conscience and a sense of righteous indignation.

This is just a microcosm.

After Wang Yangming, the philosophy of mind deviated from the state he desired.

Is the study of mind (心学) good or bad?
Of course it's good.

However, the classics interpret me, and I interpret the classics; Wang Yangming's philosophy of mind could not escape this fate either.

What Zhu Yuanzhang wanted was an ideology that suited the current situation of the Ming Dynasty.

It should help the Ming Dynasty move forward and become more prosperous, rather than hinder its development.

Whether it's Yangming's philosophy of mind or other theories, they cannot be applied rigidly.

This can't be a castle in the air; it needs to be supported by something real.

Empty rhetoric and grandstanding fail to reflect the demands of the people from all walks of life.

Then it can only be a mirage.

I had said something similar to Liu Bowen before.

Liu Bowen has been working hard in these areas all this time.

Hopefully, Old Liu can make a breakthrough in this area and live up to the legendary status bestowed upon him by later generations.

"Father, I am not afraid of being scolded."

If executing such a scoundrel will still draw criticism, then let them criticize.

Getting scolded won't cost you anything.

"If they do something wrong, even if I scold them, I will still punish them as I see fit!"

Zhu Biao spoke with a firm gaze.

This incident at the Imperial Academy had a profound impact on him.

In particular, these people actually resorted to such despicable and shameless means in order to destroy the Imperial Academy and oppose the Emperor!

As teachers, they used students' lives to pave the way for their ulterior motives.

She really angered him.

Such a person is not worthy of being human, nor worthy of living in this world.

This caused his goodwill towards these Confucian scholars to plummet.

"Haha, Biao'er, I'm the only one who gets scolded in our family."

It would be better if you and your mother received fewer scoldings.

At this time, we, as the father, are still alive, and we are still the emperor.

Then we should bear the blame.

One day in the future, when I pass away, you will become the emperor.

By then, even if we wanted to help you take some of the blame, we still couldn't.

At that time, you'll really have to shoulder the burden yourself.

"Now that your father is still alive, it's best if I bear this infamy."

Zhu Biao felt a surge of emotion.

My father, the emperor, has always been incredibly good to me.

Throughout history, there have been very few princes who have been treated this way by their emperor fathers after becoming crown princes.

Or you could say that you are one of a kind!
Think about the Xuanwu Gate succession rules of the Tang Dynasty, think about Yang Yong, the crown prince of the Sui Dynasty, and Fusu, the crown prince of the Qin Dynasty.

Crown Prince Liu Ju and others...

Zhu Biao felt even more fortunate.

I increasingly feel incredibly lucky.

“Alright, then Father, you can do it.”

"Father, you must not let these people off lightly."

Hearing his son say these words, Zhu Yuanzhang felt as if he had drunk the finest wine.

In the past, when he committed murder, Biao'er would often try to dissuade him.

Even without persuasion, deep down there are often times when they are not entirely satisfied.

But things are different now.

Now, Biao'er is actually telling me not to go easy on him.

This change is truly delightful!

It suddenly became clear!

"Don't worry, Biao'er, these people have all been skinned alive!"
They won't get away with this!

However, the execution cannot be carried out at this time.

We'll have to wait a few more days.

The third brother is currently staying with the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

He wanted to see how the Embroidered Uniform Guard interrogated people, and he wanted to do it himself to uncover more people from the interrogations.

These people are only on the surface; there are definitely many more behind the scenes.

We cannot let them get away with it.

Zhu Biao wholeheartedly agreed with his father's words.

To dare to do such a thing right under their noses—Jin Wenzheng, Wei Chao, even the Minister of Personnel, and Wu Bozong, who was by their side.

They are all just people floating on the surface of the water.

Behind them are others, including many "remnants of rural wisdom".

That white-bearded old beast, known as Mr. Jingshan, is more crucial than these people.

Let's see if we can get more useful information out of them.

This matter cannot be left unresolved.

If we don't kill them, who knows how many more of these people will continue to cause trouble in the future.

Killing such people is not killing; it is to save more innocent people from their harm.

"Father, what should we do about the Imperial Academy?"

With so many teaching assistants and others gone at once, the Imperial Academy is bound to experience turmoil, and normal teaching will inevitably be affected. This place is the culmination of my father's hard work.

Therefore, we must do our best to resolve the issues concerning the Imperial Academy.

Simply removing these insects is not enough.

In the past, the Imperial Academy lacked teaching assistants and academic officials, but this problem was easily solved.

All we need to do is send some people from the Hanlin Academy to do the work there.

But having just experienced such an event and witnessed the true colors of many scholars...

They naturally didn't trust the people in the Hanlin Academy and harbored a lot of suspicion towards them.

If they continue to send people from the Hanlin Academy, many of them will likely find their stance no different from that of Jin Wenzheng and his ilk.

Sending them over there is no different from dealing with the insects and then personally sending another batch of insects over there.
Of course, this doesn't mean that everyone in the Hanlin Academy was like that.

Rather, it means that if one wants to send teaching assistants from the Hanlin Academy, one naturally needs to put in more effort and conduct thorough screening.

We cannot allow these insects to poison the students of the Imperial Academy and ruin our great cause.

However, they did not select people from the Hanlin Academy for teaching.

Finding enough teachers in a short period of time is really not easy.

This is the most pressing issue that needs to be addressed right now.

Zhu Yuanzhang had already had some ideas about this.

After all, Jin Wenzheng and his group had joined forces to deal with Song Ne in their previous lives.

They wanted to establish the Imperial Academy.

After being discovered, he dealt with Jin Wenzheng, the Minister of Personnel, and others.

But the commotion wasn't as big as it is now.

There wouldn't be that many people implicated or executed.

On the one hand, it was because back then, unlike now, I hadn't managed to get my third son into the Imperial Academy, thus cutting off their resources.

On the other hand, after some further investigation, it was discovered that some people close to their own son, Biao'er, were involved.

Once the matter is exposed, it will naturally affect the reputation of one's own family.

Biao'er's views on Confucianism and these people were different from those of today.

I'm a little afraid that this will affect the relationship between my father and son.

So let's leave it at that.

Another aspect is that in my past life, I was also disgusted by these people.
However, there isn't a good way to actually replace these people after solving their problems.

There are simply too many of these people, and the scope is too broad.

But it's different now.

He has already made some arrangements and given it some thought.

There are still some solutions.

"Just like before, we will set up test questions and conduct exams for students."

They were selected from among the top performers and appointed as teaching assistants, despite not meeting the usual requirements.

This exceptional promotion considers not only overall performance but also individual subject scores.

If someone is exceptionally talented in a particular subject, they can also be promoted despite not meeting the usual requirements.

At the same time, we should also examine their attitudes toward physics, arithmetic, agronomy, and the unification of the North and South.

If that's not feasible, even if they have good grades, they shouldn't be chosen as teaching assistants.

When recruiting new teaching assistants for the Imperial Academy, Zhu Yuanzhang prioritized candidates already employed there.

After all, the students at the Imperial Academy had already undergone some kind of education.

Overall, it's much better than what comes from outside.

Staying on to teach at the university is nothing new.

After all, in his later life, he stayed on to teach at the university.

In his later years, he was able to become an associate professor in the history department of a prestigious university at a young age.

It's not that he did a lot of research on history or put in a lot of effort.

Rather, it was because he was born at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and later led troops to conquer the country.

He eventually became emperor.

Reigning for thirty-one years, according to historical understanding of the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, was an overwhelming period for him.

For people more than 600 years from now, this is history.

However, for me, it was a real experience.

Moreover, I am in a high position and have seen much more.

In addition, the Qing Dynasty destroyed a lot of things when it compiled the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries).

Then some people with ulterior motives compiled and altered it, etc.

When future generations look back at this history, they will always have a sense of seeing things through a fog.

And as someone who could climb up from the very bottom and fight his way up to become emperor.

When it comes to interpersonal skills, if I really wanted to, I'm not bad at it.

Jianghu is not about fighting and killing; Jianghu is about human relations.

If he only knew how to fight and kill, he wouldn't have been able to climb so high, conquer the country, or maintain his rule.

Under these circumstances, it's not surprising that I, at such a young age, obtained the position of associate professor of history.

Zhu Biao nodded; he had thought of this method before, as his father, the emperor, had considered it.

However, this method can only provide some relief to the situation.

This cannot completely solve the problem of staff shortage.

"Let Liu Lian also teach at the Imperial Academy."

We've heard that this kid is obsessed with arithmetic and is studying it diligently.

It would be a pity if he didn't teach at the Imperial Academy.

Zhu Yuanzhang appointed Liu Bowen's son as a general.

Looking back now, Liu Bowen was a trustworthy person who could be entrusted with important tasks.

Liu Bowen's son, Liu Lian, is also trustworthy.

This has been tested in a past life.

In his previous life, Liu Lian, as Liu Bowen's eldest son, did not have a good fate.

He died a few years after Liu Bowen.

It was certainly not a natural death.

Instead, when they were clearing obstacles from farmland and establishing the Yellow Register in the local area, they were murdered by some audacious individuals who filled them into wells.

This matter involves people in the local area.

This could also implicate Hu Weiyong.

Liu Lian was murdered by these people because of this incident.

This shows that Liu Lian did a really good job in things like surveying land and establishing the Yellow Register.

I will not associate with those people.

Otherwise, those people wouldn't have resorted to such desperate measures against Liu Lian.

Such a person should naturally be promoted and appointed.

He also knew that Liu Bowen had never wanted his son to get involved in officialdom.

He felt that his son was difficult to deal with, given the backstabbing and intrigue within the officialdom.

Now that I've arranged for Liu Lian to teach at the Imperial Academy, I imagine Liu Bowen would be happy to do so.

"Let Song Zan also teach at the Imperial Academy."

"Just filling in temporarily."

Song Zan was the son of Song Lian, and his mastery of classical Chinese literature is beyond question.

Zhu Biao was taken aback upon hearing his father's words.

Clearly, he hadn't expected his father to mention Song Zan's name at this moment.

After all, Song Zan was Song Shi's son.

Based on the evidence available so far, Song Lian has not been implicated this time.

However, Song Lian, his teacher, was a great Confucian scholar of the time and a man from the south.

Naturally, those people are the ones who gather, and the object of their attention is a banner.

It's hard to say what kind of stance it takes.

Especially at such a sensitive time.

It was quite unexpected that Emperor Song Zan, the father of the emperor, would enter the Imperial Academy as an assistant instructor.

"Biao'er, there's a saying: make as many friends as possible and as few enemies as possible."

Sometimes you have to be assertive, and sometimes you have to use some tactics.

Song Lian, I think he's been doing quite well lately.

It's time to do something appropriate with him.

Let's see how Song Lian behaves in the future.

They gradually came to their senses and gradually understood our good intentions.

If they continue to stick to the old ways, there's no hope for them.

Old Man Song is a decent man; if we can get his help, we should try our best.

"Your son thanks Your Majesty."

How could Zhu Biao not understand his father's good intentions?
One of the reasons the Emperor made this decision was because Mr. Jinglian was his teacher.

This time, he personally ordered the elimination of Wu Bozong.

The Emperor wanted to mitigate the negative impact of this matter by having Song Zan teach at the Imperial Academy, thus saving face for himself as the Crown Prince.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and waved his hand.

"There's no need for such formalities between us, father and son."

Zhu Yuanzhang then mentioned three more people, all of whom held official positions.

One of them had already risen to the rank of a sixth-grade official.

“Father, this… they are only to be appointed as teaching assistants, on equal footing with those teaching assistants who were studying at the Imperial Academy not long ago.”

Deep down, I'm afraid they wouldn't be too happy about it either.

A sixth-rank official suddenly found himself at the Imperial Academy, serving as a teaching assistant without any official rank.

If this happened to them, they would definitely feel uncomfortable.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "What do they have to complain about?"
Our emperor is preparing to take on the role of Chancellor of the Imperial Academy.

"Is it beneath a sixth-rank official to be appointed as an assistant instructor at the Imperial Academy?"

(End of this chapter)