Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 234 You've already come knocking on my door, do you think you can get away?
Let's go back a bit.

"What?! The teacher went to see the Emperor?!"

Inside the Wenhua Hall, Crown Prince Zhu Biao was greatly alarmed upon hearing this news.

This is exactly what I feared!
Ever since this incident happened, he had been worried that his teacher would take charge of the matter.

And I've already mentally prepared myself for my teacher to come see me next.

As a result, after waiting and waiting, his teacher did not come to see him, but instead went directly to see his father, the emperor!

How could Zhu Biao remain indifferent to this?

He knew that this matter had caused a great stir, and that his father would absolutely not back down on issues such as the Industrial University.

Both his father and he himself had already made preparations to kill people.

Now, my own teacher has gotten involved in this mess!
He couldn't help but sigh at the fact that his teacher had bypassed him and gone directly to see his father.

I know this is because of my change in attitude, and the fact that I failed to complete the tasks my teacher asked me to do several times before, which may have created some distance between me and my teacher.

Of course, it's also possible that the teacher didn't want to put himself in a difficult position between him and his second father, so he bypassed him and went directly to see his father.

But no matter what, this is not good news for him.

This immediately made Zhu Biao restless.

This is a very big deal, and my teacher is a renowned scholar of our time, so he is the one everyone looks to.

In matters like these, he also appears stubborn.

Going to see the Emperor now would likely cause a major problem!

He immediately got up and hurried towards the Wuying Hall to mediate.

To avoid causing too much conflict between his teacher and his father.

He definitely didn't want things to get out of control.

He hurried to the Wuying Hall, only to find his teacher walking outside, seemingly without missing any limbs.

His emotions seemed somewhat abnormal.

Zhu Biao breathed a sigh of relief and hurried forward to see Song Lian.

He addressed Song Lian as "teacher" and treated him with the respect due to a disciple.

"Your subject greets Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Song Lian also bowed to Zhu Biao.

Seeing Zhu Biao here warmed his heart.

It's obvious that this is his disciple. He rushed over as soon as he received the news, afraid that his teacher would suffer.

The reason I chose to bypass His Highness the Crown Prince and go directly to His Majesty to say these things was because this matter was too difficult to handle.

I don't want His Highness the Crown Prince, his disciple, to be caught in the middle and feel uncomfortable.

For His Highness the Crown Prince, the Emperor is his biological father on one side, and himself is his teacher on the other.

He's caught in the middle, it's really not a good position for him.

"Teacher, what's wrong with you...?"

Zhu Biao looked at Song Lian and asked, his voice filled with concern.

"Your Highness, I am going out to tell those students not to cause any more trouble."

Don't be misled by those with ulterior motives.

"Your Majesty's production of toilet paper and establishment of industrial universities are beneficial to the country and its people, and demonstrate your concern for the common folk."

Upon hearing Song Lian's words, Zhu Biao was immediately dumbfounded.

For a moment, I even wondered if there was something seriously wrong with my ears.

No... what did I hear?
These are things my teacher would say. Would my teacher really say these things?

When did my teacher become like this?

No matter how you look at it, it seems impossible.

Is there something wrong with my ears, or did my teacher say something wrong?
What exactly happened in that short period of time that I don't know about?

"Your Highness, I thank you for your concern. I have troubled you again."

Song Lian bowed to Zhu Biao with great respect and gratitude.

His Highness the Crown Prince is truly respectful and caring towards his teacher.

There was absolutely no fabrication.

In one's life, to be able to teach such a disciple is truly one's good fortune.

"Your Highness, the situation outside is urgent, I shall not linger any longer."

"I will go and speak with those people, appealing to their emotions and reasoning with them, to make them understand that they have done wrong this time and have completely misunderstood Your Majesty's good intentions."

Zhu Biao wanted to say something, but he didn't know how to say it.

He could only nod somewhat stiffly, letting his teacher leave.

Looking at his old teacher's hurried figure, Zhu Biao still seemed incredulous.

No, what's going on here?
How did things develop to this point?

Is this...is this really my teacher? Is this something my teacher would say?

Senseless!

Completely confused!

Even though Zhu Biao has always been quick-witted and very intelligent.

But at this moment, they were also taken aback by this completely unexpected situation.

Seeing his father in a rage, or witnessing his teacher's leg being broken by his father, or even seeing his teacher's house being confiscated and him being exiled, would have been more acceptable to him than what he is seeing now.

After standing there stunned for a while, Zhu Biao immediately turned around and headed towards the Wuying Hall at an even faster speed.

He wanted to ask his father about this matter thoroughly, to find out exactly what had happened.

How did things suddenly develop to such an unexpected point?

"I have come to see my father and wish him well."

Zhu Biao bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Haha, Biao'er's here?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was not surprised at all when he saw his son Biao.

It would be rather strange if Biao'er didn't come over at this time.

"Did you see your teacher?"

Zhu Biao nodded: "I saw him."

Were you surprised?

Zhu Biao nodded vigorously again.

"Father, how did you do this? How could you have turned your teacher into this state?"
Zhu Biao asked, his shock undisguised.

He didn't trust his teacher. He came to see his father to show his loyalty and resolve to stand against those people and follow in his father's footsteps.

This must have been his father, who used some methods to persuade his teacher in a short period of time.

Could it be... that the teacher, or even the teacher's family, is being threatened?

After having this thought, Zhu Biao rejected it again.

It certainly wouldn't be like that. It's not that my father wouldn't do it, but rather that, given my teacher's temperament, such a threat wouldn't really work on him.

It will only have the opposite effect.

But besides this threat, what other threats can be used that would be more effective?

There probably isn't one.
Seeing his son Biao in this state, Zhu Yuanzhang felt incredibly happy.

I knew my son would be shocked by this.

Now it seems that it is indeed the case.

"Hahaha, Biao'er, are you thinking of threatening your teacher with our lives?"

"Hehe, Father, no, no, how could I think that way?"

My father is definitely not that kind of person.

"Haha, I don't believe you for a second."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and pointed at Zhu Biao.

"However, we really didn't use such a method to deal with your teacher."

Putting everything else aside, just the fact that he's your teacher, Biao'er, means we can't use this method.

Zhu Biao was both touched and surprised.

"Father, how did you convince my teacher?"
"Mr. Song isn't someone who's so easy to talk to, is he?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "I didn't really persuade them much. The matter is quite simple. I just told them a lot of things."

"what's up?"

"They said we had someone conduct an experiment, and that decaying grass turned into fireflies."

It turned out that the idea that decaying grass turns into fireflies was completely wrong.

Fireflies are bred from firefly eggs.

Rotten grass can't possibly turn into fireflies.

what?
Zhu Biao was taken aback at first, but then he immediately understood why his teacher had reacted so strongly.

The words spoken by one's own father to one's teacher had an extremely strong impact on the teacher.

It's much more effective than threatening to kill his whole family!
It has to be my own father, the emperor!
No wonder Father Emperor was so fearless this time; it turns out he had secretly prepared this deadly move all along!
For his own teacher, this was a sure-fire blow!

It's the kind of thing that leaves the teacher with no room for resistance.

Zhu Biao felt a pang of sympathy for his teacher.

In terms of overall skills, even a learned man like his own teacher is completely outmatched by his father, the Emperor.

But this is for the best. In this way, from now on, my teachers will likely only be able to stand with my father. They won't be as conflicted as they are now, and they won't have to worry so much anymore.

Just like Li Shanchang before him.

"Father, how did you come up with the idea of ​​verifying that rotten grass can turn into fireflies?"

Zhu Biao was very curious.

He naturally knew about the fireflies turning into decaying grass, and he was also curious about it.

When I first learned this part, I had a sudden realization.

It turns out that fireflies are actually transformed from decaying grass.

I have also read some poems about fireflies, such as "Silver candles cast a cold light on the painted screen in autumn, a light silk fan flutters to catch fireflies."

But I never expected that it could be verified in this way.

"We're also curious. All along, cows have been born from cows, dogs from dogs, and everything else has been born from its mother."

Why is firefly an exception? It wasn't born of a mother; it turned out to be grass.
So we had someone conduct an experiment on this matter to see where the problem was, whether it was rotten grass turning into fireflies.

After a series of experiments, it was discovered that decaying grass cannot be transformed into fireflies at all.

The firefly's eggs hatched into fireflies.

Fireflies are born of a mother; they are not transformed from rotten grass.

"Biao'er, what lesson do you think this teaches us?"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Biao and asked.

Zhu Biao said, "That's for sure. You can't be too superstitious about anything and believe everything others say."

When necessary, you need to verify it yourself.

Even a saint cannot be without making mistakes.

Zhu Biao seemed to have some difficulty saying these words, but he still managed to say them.

Upon hearing Zhu Biao's words, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately smiled and was very pleased.

"Biao'er, you're absolutely right. That's exactly how things are, and the logic is exactly as you've said."

Even sages are human beings; they cannot be infallible or always right.

These should all be carefully examined; what is right is right, and what is wrong is wrong.

Don't listen to only one side of the story, or you'll run into big problems.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao nodded vigorously, indicating that he had remembered it.

But the tremor in my heart did not disappear.

For someone who received Confucian education from a young age, saying such things at this moment would naturally have a significant impact on his inner self.

At the same time, I am also worried about what kind of situation my teacher will face next.

What will teachers be like in the future?

If I reacted this way, one can only imagine how my teacher, a great Confucian scholar of our time, is revered by countless people.

Zhu Yuanzhang could probably guess what his son, Biao, was thinking at this moment.

He didn't say much about it.

I have a pretty good opinion of Song Lian.

Unlike Liu Bowen, Song Lian was more stubborn and too deeply influenced by Confucianism.

If we can try to make him change and exert some influence on him, that would be good.

Given Song Lian's influence, if he were to speak out this time, he would surely be able to persuade some people.

Make some people listen to Song Lian and obediently go back.

In this way, it will be much easier to deal with the remaining stubborn people when we take action.

Of course, more importantly, at this stage, it is impossible for him to completely abandon Confucianism.

Firstly, it's impossible; there simply aren't the conditions or the right environment for it.

If he insists on doing it, it will only backfire and cause chaos in the world.

There are so many things that I can't do.

All he can do now is make some changes from the top down and consciously guide the development of Confucianism.

It was developed into a form of Confucianism suitable for the needs of the Ming Dynasty at that time.

We must not allow Confucianism to become an obstacle to the development of the Ming Dynasty.

In this process, relying solely on Liu Bowen is not enough.

If Song Lian, a scholar with extensive knowledge of Confucianism, were to join, it would be even better to build upon this foundation and bring about some innovations.

This will allow us to adapt to today's development better and faster, and no longer become an obstacle.

This is a difficult matter, but we have to do it even if it's difficult.

Compared to reforming Confucianism to adapt to modern social development, it is truly too difficult to overthrow and rebuild Confucianism.

Without the corresponding social infrastructure, it is impossible.

He originally intended for Song Lian to do these things and contribute significantly to this matter.

But they couldn't find a good reason.

Now that Song Lian has deliberately walked into us, how can we let him escape?
We must act decisively and get things done. If we succeed in this matter, it will definitely allow Song Lian to sever ties with many Confucian scholars.

This made him a lackey in the eyes of many so-called Confucian disciples.

Only after receiving such a strong stimulus can one work hard and do a good job in this matter, and only then can one achieve results.

King Wen was in distress and thus developed the Book of Changes; Su Dongpo encountered the Wutai Poetry Case and was thus able to write the Ode to the Red Cliff.

If we don't put some pressure on Song Lian and strengthen his confidence, how can he be motivated to work hard?

She was doing this purely out of kindness for Song Lian. Otherwise, if Song Lian had become the leader of those people and kept opposing the Industrial University, even if he had a great reputation and was Biao'er's teacher, she wouldn't have stood idly by.

They will definitely find a way to get rid of him.

By then, his consequences and fate will only be worse.

By now, Song Lian should have already met with those people and given them a surprise, right?

……

"Mr. Song."

"Mr. Jinglian!"

"Master Song!"

Just as Zhu Yuanzhang had predicted, after Song Lian appeared, a large crowd gathered around him.

They rushed to speak to Song Lian.

With Mr. Song's arrival, they finally had someone to rely on!

With Mr. Song here, things are much more stable! And many things will be much easier to handle.

They all hoped that Mr. Song would bring them some really good news!

We will absolutely not let them down!
Song Lian nodded to the crowd without saying a word, and simply walked forward slowly.

The people who had gathered around made way for Song Lian and followed him forward automatically.

After walking for a while, they came to a wide-open space.

With the help of those around him, Song Lian stepped onto a slightly higher step.

Seeing this, everyone understood that Mr. Song definitely had something to say.

So they all waited with great anticipation.

But Song Lian did not speak immediately. Instead, he sat there, lowering his eyes to rest.

Even those who were anxious dared not urge the others to do so.

Seeing Mr. Song's demeanor, many people already knew that Mr. Song was waiting for more people to come before making any further moves.

To avoid wasting more breath later.

At the same time, many people admire Mr. Song's composure.

Encountering such a sudden event, countless people were thrown into a panic.

Only Mr. Song was able to remain calm and composed.

This skill in cultivating inner strength is something that ordinary people cannot possess.

Truly admirable, worthy of being called Mr. Song!
So he sat down cross-legged as well.

Some people closed their eyes to rest, while others took out their books and quietly started reading.

The originally chaotic and disorderly situation was quickly brought under control after Song Lian arrived without uttering a word.

The demeanor of a contemporary great Confucian scholar is clearly on full display.

Those who rushed over after receiving the news slowed down upon seeing this scene and found a place to sit cross-legged.

As more and more people gathered, there were many yamen runners and soldiers nearby maintaining order and preventing a large-scale riot. Some of them were also caught up in the atmosphere...

This continued for almost an hour, after which more and more people gathered and the pace slowed down significantly.

Song Lian, who seemed to be asleep, opened his eyes and stood up.

Upon witnessing this scene, everyone who had been watching the commotion became extremely alert.

They all stood up as well.

It's here! It's here! The thing they've been waiting for most has arrived!

Mr. Jinglian is about to announce some good news!

We must speak up for Confucianism and stand up for it!

Song Lian's gaze slowly swept over everyone.

After a slight pause, Song Lian took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and raised his voice as he looked at the crowd: "..."

(End of this chapter)