Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Inside the Wuying Hall, after Hu Weiyong and others were executed.

Zhu Yuanzhang quickly made another decision.

After thinking it over carefully in my mind.

He summoned Crown Prince Zhu Biao.

He told Crown Prince Zhu Biao about his decision.

"Biao'er, we want to do something here, which is to establish a bookstore."

Establish a bookstore?

Zhu Biao was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting that his father had summoned him to say this.

Setting up a bookstore isn't a big deal, so why make such a fuss about it?
Isn't this something you can just do whenever you want?

However, after such a thought appeared in his mind for a moment, Zhu Biao dismissed it.

You must stop thinking that way.

Based on his understanding of his father, the emperor, he knew that his father had spoken so earnestly about this matter.

Then it must be something serious.

If it were a trivial matter, the Emperor wouldn't have summoned me specifically to give instructions.

The bookstore that the Emperor wanted to establish was definitely not an ordinary bookstore.

"What kind of bookstore does Father Emperor plan to establish?"

Zhu Biao inquired.

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "One headquarters should be set up in the capital, and each provincial administration, prefecture, county, and even township should have at least one bookstore."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao was not surprised at all when he heard his father say these words.

As expected of my father, the emperor, he really knows how to do things big.

I knew he was saying that setting up a bookstore wouldn't be that simple.

Now it seems that it is indeed the case.

Moreover, the Emperor's gesture far exceeded his expectations.

"Father, what use is a bookstore like this?"

Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and asked.

He naturally knew something about the purpose of the bookstore.

The most basic thing is definitely selling books.

However, what he can think of now are mostly just some ordinary functions.

There are more, more profound aspects that I can't think of yet.

And he was also certain that his father, the emperor, was making such a grand gesture.

Besides its usual function, it must have some other deeper meaning and purpose.

He needs to ask some questions about this.

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Bookstores have a great use."

Once this bookstore system, covering all provincial governors and even down to the smallest towns and villages, is established, the Great Ming Daily will be able to distribute its publications throughout the country via these bookstores, ensuring nationwide coverage.

Furthermore, imperial edicts and other documents could also be promoted and distributed through bookstores.

In addition, our Great Ming Dynasty will greatly promote education in the future.

And these teaching materials should also be planned in a unified manner.

These textbooks, along with related materials and books, can then be transported to all parts of the country through this bookstore for unified distribution.

In addition, we can create other journals and similar publications in the future to promote our Great Ming Dynasty.

Inform everyone what kind of Ming Dynasty we want to build.

What kind of things do people need to do in this process?

Tell the world what the main task of the Ming Dynasty is.

He then outlined to them the future blueprint for the Ming Dynasty.

They selected useful books, printed them, and shipped them to all parts of the country.

Let people learn and transform their thinking by reading good books and learning about exemplary deeds.

Let them understand that the rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every citizen.

Let the world understand that their fate is closely linked to that of the nation.

As long as the main river has water, the tributaries will not dry up.

Only when the country is strong and prosperous can the lives of ordinary people improve as a whole.

We need to instill a sense of ownership in them.

Zhu Yuanzhang explained his intentions regarding this matter to Zhu Biao.

"Moreover, bookstores in various places have another function besides selling books."

That means that regardless of social status, anyone can read any book, newspaper, or other items in the bookstore for free.

This is everyone's right.

Of course, it must not be damaged or taken away.

Why did our own Ming Dynasty end up in such a miserable state, rife with chaos?

Why do so many writers behave so inhumanly?

Why did the Ming Dynasty eventually become so poor?

Aside from various systems and matters such as the vassal kings, what Zhu Yuanzhang considered very important was not, as many people say, placing all the blame for the Ming Dynasty on himself, the founding emperor.

Some even say that the Ming Dynasty was destroyed by Zhu Yuanzhang.

He found this claim utterly absurd.

It's purely for the sake of criticizing.

Did the Ming Dynasty fall because of Zhu Yuanzhang?
Why not go back even further and say that they perished at the hands of Pangu and Nuwa?

If Pangu had not created the world and Nuwa had not created humans, then there would be no humans, no Ming Dynasty, and therefore the Ming Dynasty would not have perished.

Who can guarantee that the system they set up will be followed by future generations?

Historically, he himself, the founding emperor, had only just breathed his last.

The good grandson he had personally chosen, along with those literati, had begun to wield their hoes with all their might to dig up everything he had set up, leaving it unrecognizable.

These people stopped listening to him immediately after he died.

Not to mention those people decades, hundreds, or even two hundred years from now.

They completely ignored the actions of later emperors, officials, and numerous corrupt officials, placing all the blame on themselves, the founding emperor.

He criticizes himself in various ways.

Zhu Yuanzhang felt it was unfair.

He believed that the most fundamental reason for the fall of the Ming Dynasty was, of course, the annexation of land.

Besides historical patterns, there is another major reason for this.

That's what he said before: in the later stages, the civil service group that seized power fell ill.

Very sick.

Overall, it was selfish and self-serving.

They used various methods to seize control of the state's power and functions.

However, there was not a trace of protagonist consciousness.

They're still just thinking about how to leech off the Ming Dynasty.

They only thought about enriching themselves at the expense of the public, without considering the interests of the Ming Dynasty at all.

This is an extremely serious reason.

If these people have a sense of ownership, it's not required that everyone is like that, but as a whole they can consider the country's interests.

And indeed, the majority of people are capable of taking corresponding actions.

That would greatly alleviate land annexation and other issues.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang felt it necessary to start from this point.

Especially in the later stages, after the opening of the seas, many people broadened their horizons and were able to acquire a large amount of wealth from overseas, which led to even greater changes in people's thinking and other aspects.

In addition, there were many literati who disliked him.

Amidst the chaos and disorder, people's minds will inevitably become greatly confused.

A fortified castle, difficult to breach from the outside. But its interior is easily broken.

If your mind is sick, then you're really sick.

Even if he still appears exceptionally powerful and possesses immense strength, there will still be significant problems.

He had to take into account the lessons learned from others.

And take some precautions in advance.

Establishing such a bookstore system and granting it such power is one of his solutions.

The influence on thought is subtle and gradual, and it is a crucial matter that requires long-term and sustained effort.

In many cases, the effects of this cannot be seen in a short period of time.

But we can't not do it...

After listening to his father's words, Zhu Biao understood the deeper meaning behind them.

It was truly breathtaking.

My father's considerations were truly far-sighted.

Being prepared for danger even in times of peace allows one to see things that far ahead and take corresponding precautions in advance.

This bookstore is definitely worth establishing.

Father's considerations are absolutely correct.

This matter is indeed of utmost importance.

If people focus their thoughts and efforts in one direction, then many things will no longer be problems.

The key is that it's very difficult to get people to think in the same direction.

Ordinary people are better off, especially those who are educated.

Because they have read a lot of books, they want to see more and think more, making it more difficult to get them to think in the same direction.

But the Emperor could come up with such a method.

At first, I thought that my father's founding of the Da Ming Daily was already a stroke of genius and a brilliant achievement.

Who would have thought that Father Emperor could come up with such a brilliant idea as a bookstore?

With the Daming Bookstore, the Daming Daily, and the Emperor's personal oversight, the textbooks were named by the Emperor as patriotic education materials.

This will be implemented in classrooms in the future.

After employing all these methods, we will surely be able to bring about a very significant change to our Ming Dynasty.

In the words of his father, he should strive to imbue his Ming Dynasty with an iron will.

We must not only strengthen our bodies, but also arm ourselves mentally.

Furthermore, the government must control the power of public opinion and education.

It was taken from those scholars and officials.

We must establish a mainstream ideology that belongs to our own Ming Dynasty.

The patriotic education materials that my father used before were only for students and were only taught in the classroom.

That's a bookstore, so it goes beyond the classroom and can influence more people.

It can not only cover the whole country, but also complement classroom education.

More importantly, the Emperor's initiative to allow anyone to read any book in the bookstore for free was a stroke of genius.

Books have always been a very precious thing.

Otherwise, why would there be a saying that "farming and reading are passed down through generations"?
Otherwise, why would my teacher, Mr. Song, have gone through so much hardship when he wanted to study in his youth?

If Mr. Song had had bookstores where people could read for free back then, he would have suffered much less in his studies.

Even their achievements will surpass their current ones.

If this matter can be handled well, countless people like Mr. Song will benefit from it.

"Father, this is good, this is good!"
Father Emperor is truly a genius, a stroke of genius, his skill is truly superb!

You even remembered that!

Zhu Biao lavished praise on his father, the emperor, his admiration overflowing.

"Hahaha……"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled upon hearing this, clearly pleased.

"Biao'er, you don't need to praise us like that. We're just copying what others have said."

Zhu Biao was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

Picking up scraps from others?

Whose words did the Emperor pick up?
Based on what he knows, there's no such thing at all, right?
Father, this is clearly the first of its kind.

This must be his own father's humble way of putting it.

Father is far too modest.

"Please, Father, give this bookstore a name."

Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and spoke.

It won't do without a name.

"We've already come up with a name."

As Zhu Yuanzhang spoke, he got up and took a piece of paper from the bookshelf behind him, and gave it to Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao opened it and saw four large characters written on it: Xinhua Bookstore.

Upon seeing the name, Zhu Biao was slightly taken aback.

Originally, he thought the bookstore should be named Daming Bookstore or Hongwu Bookstore.

After all, the Emperor had previously established the Ming Daily and named the dictionary, which was already more than half-compiled, the Hongwu Dictionary.

Nowadays, it's perfectly normal for such an important bookstore, which covers the whole country, to be named Daming Bookstore or Hongwu Bookstore.

But the result was a name that I never expected.

After a moment of stunned silence, he realized that his father's intentions were far-reaching.

This "Hua" refers to the Huaxia (Chinese civilization), far surpassing the Ming Dynasty and the Zhu family.

And what the Emperor did can indeed be considered on a higher level.

Indeed, it surpassed its own Ming Dynasty and the Zhu family.

What does this "new" mean?
His brow furrowed slightly, then relaxed a moment later.

It was clearly Zhu Biao who had figured out the reasoning behind this.

The things my father, the emperor, did were truly unprecedented.

Looking at what my father did, many of his actions were unprecedented and set a precedent in history.

Zhu Biao also believed that through his father's efforts, the future Ming Dynasty would be completely different from the past.

This China is not the China of the past.

Therefore, naming this bookstore "Xinhua" is perfectly appropriate.

This better reflects the lofty aspirations and grand ambitions of the father emperor.

"Xinhua Bookstore, what a great name!"

Zhu Biao exclaimed in admiration.

A smile appeared on Zhu Yuanzhang's face.
How could this name be bad?

Many memories welled up in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart.

Having witnessed the most prosperous era myself, I have gained a deeper understanding of the history of arduous struggle and development in later generations.

Many aspects were deeply shocked.

I also kept many things in my heart.

Productive forces determine production relations, and the economic base determines the superstructure.

Now that I have returned, I naturally cannot simply copy everything.

It is unacceptable to blindly apply a series of methods without considering the specific circumstances.

It will only plunge our Ming Dynasty into chaos.

However, there are many good things that can be learned from and implemented in the Ming Dynasty.

Just watch how much of a storm this giant butterfly can stir up! (End of Chapter)