Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 185 Zhu Yuanzhang has confused his ministers.

"Father, are you going to become the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy?"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao appeared extremely surprised.

This was something he had never thought of before, and his father had never mentioned it either.

Why is he suddenly saying he's going to become the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy?

When the Emperor was appointed as the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, those who were selected to be assistant instructors at the Imperial Academy naturally had no objections.

Just as the Emperor said, if even he, the Emperor, has gone to become the Grand Master of the Imperial Academy, then what can the rest of us say?
No matter how high one's position, can it be higher than that of the Emperor?

Are you really going to wrong them?
That makes sense, but... something just doesn't feel quite right about this.

How could his own father, an emperor, become the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy?
"Yes, Biao'er, it's very suitable for us to be the chief priest here."

In the past, weren't all the successful candidates in the imperial examinations the emperor's disciples?
"If we were to become the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, then all the students there would be disciples of the Emperor."

Is it great to be a school principal?

Of course it's awesome!

Especially when it comes to being the principal of a prestigious university.

Especially nowadays, with the emphasis on the traditional Chinese values ​​of Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, and Teacher, it is even better to be a principal, especially one at a prestigious academy like the Imperial Academy, which is dedicated to development and talent selection for the nation.

It's even more enjoyable now.

After all, this can be considered the wisdom of later generations.

A team leader in charge of transportation had a lot to say about this.

Since it is the wisdom of later generations, Zhu Yuanzhang can naturally use it now.

He's definitely going to become the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy.

For him, serving as the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy was undoubtedly a great benefit.

Besides further strengthening the relationship between the students of the Imperial Academy and the emperor, and ensuring that these students would be more loyal to the emperor in the future,

He can also exert his influence more effectively through contact with students.

This will help these students develop in the direction they desire.

These thousands of students are no ordinary people.

In the future, most of them will go to various parts of the country to take up official positions.

These are the outstanding young people of the Ming Dynasty, the backbone of the Ming Dynasty in the future.

Governing a country is about governing its officials; governing a country is about governing its bureaucrats.

If officials are well-trained, they will achieve twice the results with half the effort in many things in the future.

At this point, Zhu Yuanzhang had grown extremely disgusted with the many officials who had come from the Yuan Dynasty.

I no longer have high hopes for them.

His current idea is to use harsh punishments to deter them.

Let them do as little trouble as possible, and refrain from engaging in corrupt practices that harm the people.

Let's make do with what we have for now and let them help us stabilize the situation temporarily.

Later, through the Imperial Academy, a large number of qualified officials were trained to fill the vacancies.

Replace the old with the new.

We will gradually make the Ming Dynasty's administration clean and efficient, and bring it to a vibrant and progressive state.

Those officials who came from the Yuan Dynasty had gone through countless trials and tribulations in the bureaucracy of that era.

It had already been marinated and infused with flavor.

It's difficult to make many of the people in it different.

It would be better to gradually replace the dregs inside in the future.

This force is crucial and affects the overall situation.

It concerns the future of the Ming Dynasty.

It would be better to let the emperor himself be exposed to this influence.

Originally, Zhu Yuanzhang intended for his third son to gain experience before becoming the Grand Master of the Imperial Academy.

However, after careful consideration and weighing of the options, he felt that it would be best for him, as the emperor, to personally serve as the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy.

Zhu Biao blinked after hearing his father's words.

He could understand what his father was saying.

However, the fact that the emperor became the Grand Master of the Imperial Academy was ultimately quite unexpected.

This is practically setting a precedent.

However, thinking back to his own father, it seems he has already set quite a few precedents.

So now, it's not impossible to do something like this again.

"Then... what should Chief Minister Song do next?"
What position does Father Emperor plan to place him in? Will he be transferred from the Imperial Academy?

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head: "Song Neren is not bad."

Although he is too rigid and strict, sometimes it is precisely people like him who are needed to set the tone for a positive social atmosphere.

In times of chaos, harsh measures must be used; to correct a wrong, one must go to extremes.

Song Ne's methods are quite effective.

Otherwise, the Imperial Academy wouldn't have become so successful so quickly after he took over.

Of course, there are also some mistakes and flaws in the details.

This could lead to being taken advantage of, etc.

We can't let someone like him leave the Imperial Academy.

The Imperial Academy still needs an incorruptible person like Song Ne to keep things in order.

Our position as libationer is merely nominal.

It's impossible to stay at the Imperial Academy every day; we can only provide guidance on general directions and other matters.

He would occasionally take some time to visit the Imperial Academy and connect with the students.

"The specific details will have to be handled by Song Ne over there."

It was impossible to get Song Ne out of the Imperial Academy.

Whether in this life or the previous life, Song Ne has already proven his abilities with facts.

In his previous life, the Imperial Academy was destroyed because Song Ne couldn't find a suitable successor after his death.

Left with no other choice, they had to reopen the imperial examination system.

This sparked a frenzy among those people.

Those people, while they still had the energy, and having learned their lesson from the fact that they had stopped the imperial examinations and ceased recruiting officials, behaved themselves and did not dare to cause any trouble.

However, when he got older and his health declined, he immediately began to test the waters.

He orchestrated the North-South Ranking Case to test the sharpness of his weapon.

As they wished, even though they were old, they could still wield the knife.

A batch was cut.

However, the North-South Examination Case also foreshadowed the rampant behavior of these people after his death.

Of course, if we simply use the North and South Examination Cases as an overview...

This is somewhat unfair to many provinces in the south.

To be precise, it was a particularly serious case of cheating in the imperial examinations, with Jiangxi as the representative and Zhejiang and Fujian as accomplices.

Broadly speaking, the cases can be categorized as the North-South rankings, leaving the remaining southern provinces with unspeakable suffering.

He did nothing wrong, yet he took on a lot of blame and was scolded a lot.

"Let Song Ne be appointed as the Director of the Imperial Academy."

The third son will also serve as the school administrator for now.

Do your best inside.

If things are handled well, after Song Ne passes away, let the third son take over as the Director of Studies and help us keep an eye on the Imperial Academy.”

Zhu Yuanzhang then explained his plans.

Upon hearing his father's words, Zhu Biao understood his father's good intentions.

After such a thorough and radical overhaul, many of the corrupt elements within the Imperial Academy were eliminated.

Immediately afterwards, the emperor himself took on the role of Chancellor, and the third prince, who had revealed his identity as the Prince of Jin, continued to serve as the Vice Chancellor of the Imperial Academy.

Then select teaching assistants and other suitable candidates to replace those scoundrels.

After taking such measures, things should be much calmer at the Imperial Academy.

With fewer unhealthy trends and people with ulterior motives, we can enable more students to study with peace of mind, acquire skills, and contribute to the country.

Is doing this somewhat unfriendly to Song Ne?

Song Ne was already seventy years old, and according to his father's words, it seemed that he would be kept in the position of Director of Studies in the country until his death.

For a moment, I didn't know whether to be happy for Song Ne or feel a little sad for her.

However, Zhu Biao also secretly learned another trick from his father, the emperor.

That means if you encounter a useful person, you can't let them go easily; you have to use them to the fullest.

Empress Ma stood to the side, saying very little.

Looking at her beloved Chongba, her eyes were filled with gentle light.

I greatly admire and respect him.

This is her Chongba!

I was right about him back then.

Compared to Guo Tianxu, who relied on his father's connections, Chongba was the true hero and the most trustworthy person to entrust with his duties.

But at the same time, some feelings in my heart are becoming stronger and stronger.

It was almost impossible to contain.

So, how did my own Chongba know so much?

She knew very well that Chongba was outstanding.

However, the changes in Chongba over the past year or so have been quite significant.

It's even better than before.

Moreover, it covers many things such as finance, arithmetic, firearms and artillery, and physics.

Chongba had no idea about this before.

Or perhaps they don't know much about it.

Having spent so much time together, she knew very well how capable Chongba was, especially how much knowledge he had acquired.

But now, it seems that Chongba suddenly understood and grasped many things.

It wasn't that she was unhappy because Chongba had become more outstanding. She was happier than anyone else.

But the doubts in my heart continued to deepen.

Over the past year, there have been many methods that were not used by Chongba in the past.

Having gone through so much, this question had been lingering in her mind for a long time.

She hadn't thought to ask before.

But now, I can't help but want to ask Chongba what exactly happened.

However, Empress Ma swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

I didn't choose to ask at this time.

It's not that she couldn't say certain things because her son was present.

Rather, it was because at this time, the Imperial Academy had just experienced such a major incident.

Chongba is currently busy dealing with matters concerning the Imperial Academy.

Then she shouldn't say anything more at this time, lest she distract Chongba.
Asking about these things at this time seems somewhat inappropriate.

Empress Ma had to consider her husband's feelings.

She's not the kind of person who only cares about herself.

However, she had already made up her mind that once this matter was over, she would ask Chongba about these things as soon as possible.

Empress Ma felt that after asking Chongba about these matters...

I might very well get an answer that I never expected...

……

Three days later, the charges against these people were determined and announced.

Wu Bozong, the top scholar, was cut in half at the waist.

Yu Xi, Minister of Personnel; Wei Chao, former Director of the Imperial Academy; Jin Wenzheng, Assistant Instructor; Feng Yong; Yang Shou, Doctor of Classics at the Imperial Academy (also known as the white-bearded Mr. Jingshan); and five or six so-called reclusive scholars who were dug up behind the scenes, all of whom were highly respected in the literati.

There are more than thirty in total.

He was sentenced to be skinned alive and stuffed with straw.

The remaining teaching assistants involved were dealt with according to the severity of their crimes.

Some were sentenced to beheading, while others were hanged.

The lightest punishment was fifty strokes of the cane and exile three thousand li away.

Not only that, Zhu Yuanzhang also ordered that the skin of Yu Xi, the Minister of Personnel, be hung at the main gate of the Ministry of Personnel.

Jin Wenzheng, Wei Chao, and others had their bodies stuffed with straw and hung outside the Imperial Academy as a warning to others.

It must be suspended for a full sixty days before it can be taken down.

This tactic is indeed very much in line with Zhu Yuanzhang's style.

As he said before, since many of these people are stubborn and inflexible.

They couldn't feel anything about national righteousness or family matters.

Let them be consumed by fear!

Generally speaking, death row inmates are executed in the autumn.

Under Zhu Yuanzhang, ordinary death row inmates could be spared until autumn.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang would not let death row inmates convicted of such serious and important cases live even a day longer; they would be killed after the trial.

Generally speaking, most of those who are exiled are sent to the army.

This tactic was particularly effective during the Song Dynasty.

This is why, during the Song Dynasty, having soldiers was considered a crime and a form of conscription.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang would not do such a thing.

Exile is exile; we can't send them to the army.

The army of the Ming Dynasty was quite different from the armies of the Song Dynasty.

The army of the Ming Dynasty was an invincible force that he single-handedly built during his conquest of the empire.

Many of the soldiers were extremely capable fighters.

They are disciplined and elite among elites.

In this situation, what kind of logic is it to send criminals to serve in the army?

Wouldn't this greatly lower the military's prestige, hurt the soldiers' feelings, and deeply damage the sense of honor that the army has worked so hard to build?
This is a losing proposition!
A sense of honor is not easy to cultivate.

However, once it starts to go bad, it can easily go bad.

If we can cultivate the social consensus that "one person serving in the military brings honor to the whole family," we can achieve great things.

Then the country's military force will be exceptionally strong.

Their combat strength will definitely not be low.

An army cannot be neglected; only a strong military can lead to a strong nation.

Without a strong army as a backing, many things are just illusions, fleeting bubbles that shatter at the slightest touch.

Therefore, he needs to do his best to maintain a strong military.

We must maintain the strong army that we fought in the founding war.

It is not only necessary to maintain this during his Hongwu reign, but it would be best if it could be continued indefinitely.

Through several emperors, and even into the late Ming Dynasty, the military remained strong.

However, if you want your army to become strong, you don't want it to be like in the previous life, where it was completely suppressed and ruined in the mid-to-late stages.

The current methods alone are not enough.

In the future, more measures will inevitably need to be implemented to slow down the decline of the military as much as possible.
We cannot allow intellectuals to grow too powerful and eventually turn the tables completely.

They disrupted the balance between civil and military affairs, and trampled the generals and soldiers underfoot.

When a country's army becomes like this, then that country must be sick.

There will be many problems.

The fall of the kingdom is not far off.

However, it is not easy to curb this situation.

During his Hongwu reign, he was still alive, and he could easily prevent such a thing from happening.

However, it would be extremely difficult to prevent the status of military generals and soldiers from declining too drastically many years after his death.

Zhu Yuanzhang was not entirely certain either.

We can only wait and see how things go in the future, and try our best to achieve this goal.

What happened in the Six Dynasties was just a private plan.

This kind of thing is hard to resist...

……

When the incident at the Imperial Academy came to light, Zhu Yuanzhang's major move immediately astonished countless people!
Especially after witnessing that even Wu Zhuangyuan, the top scholar of the Ming Dynasty, had his people around the Crown Prince cut in half without any courtesy.

The feelings in the hearts of many people become even deeper.

Many people were deeply shaken.

In particular, some people who knew the inside story knew that Crown Prince Zhu Biao knew about this from beginning to end, but he did not show any concern. Not only that, he even personally decided on the punishment of Liu Sanwu being cut in half at the waist.

My heart sank even further.

I was shocked, angry, and terrified.

Zhu Biao, the crown prince whom many of them had placed their hopes on, is now increasingly disappointing!

How could they go so far!
How can one live like this?
Compared to what this incident represents, the lives and deaths of Wu Bozong and others are not as important to many people.

Given that such an incident occurred at the Imperial Academy, coupled with Song Ne's advanced age, it's clear he's getting on in years.

At this point, it's impossible to remain silent.

Therefore, Song Ne took the initiative to submit a memorial requesting to retire.

Zhu Yuanzhang naturally refused.

The courtiers were not surprised by this situation.

The fact that Song Ne held such a high position in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart was best evidenced by the lives of so many people, including Wu Bozong, Jin Wenzheng, and Wei Chao.

However, what happened next was somewhat unexpected for them.

Then it became a pleasant surprise.

"Song Qing is old but vigorous, his sword is still sharp, and he can still charge into battle."

You can't return it.

But he has finally reached the age of seventy and has many important things to do, such as compiling a dictionary.

Taking on the role of Chancellor of the Imperial Academy again is indeed too demanding, and I'm finding it increasingly difficult.

Hearing the emperor on the dragon throne speak these words.

Many of the intellectuals who had given up hope and accepted their complete failure were suddenly shaken.

Then I became full of anticipation.

Zhu Yuanzhang actually wanted to remove Song Ne from his position as the head of the Imperial Academy.

That's wonderful!
Their wish is finally about to come true!
In other words, although Wu Bozong and his group died in this incident...

But it's not that death is without value.

It's like, in a sense, each side is equally at fault.

I knew it! The emperor kept talking about unifying the North and South.

Therefore, one should be fair in dealing with matters.

In this matter, it's impossible to just target the southerners; we'll definitely have to deal with these northerners as well to appease the southerners.

The question is, after Zhu Yuanzhang removed Song Ne, who will become the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy?

It would be best to let these southerners take on these positions.

They would accept someone even if they weren't from the south.

As long as it's not Song Ne, he can continue to sit in the position of chief priest.

Apart from Song Ne, no one else could control the situation.

The Imperial Academy was bound to decline, so they could be considered winners.

As many people were encouraged, Zhu Yuanzhang's voice rang out.

They were informed of the final selection.

"From now on, we will take on the role of Chancellor of the Imperial Academy!"

(End of this chapter)