Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 155 The Emperor Also Takes a Half-Day Off Today (Contains 0.5 Daily Sentences)
"Using Wu Kongjia as a starting point, we will understand the pain points of grassroots officials, remove the corresponding obstacles, explore the path for their promotion, and then launch a series of measures to rectify the governance of grassroots officials."

After writing this coded message, Zhu Youjian put down his brush and let out a long sigh of relief.

On the table, the remaining dozen or so booklets had been closed one by one and placed into the specially made sandalwood box.

For the first hour or so, he had been having one-on-one meetings with the core members of the fifteen new policy teams.

Talk about ambition, talk about difficulties, talk about what I can give you, talk about what you want, talk about your family, talk about your aspirations.

Strip away the layers of rhetoric, and the core message boils down to eight words: know what people want and make the best use of their talents.

When a sage governs his subjects, in addition to rewards and punishments, he also focuses on the hearts and minds of his people.

To get a horse to run, you not only need to provide it with enough fodder, but also let it see the most lush grassland in the distance.

What he, as emperor, had to do was point out that unique grassland to everyone.

The skills honed in his previous life now brought a unique kind of pleasure when used on these top elites of the Ming Dynasty.

After placing Wu Kongjia's booklet into the box and locking it, Zhu Youjian stretched contentedly, his bones making a slight cracking sound.

He turned to Gao Banban and asked, "What are the plans for this afternoon?"

Gao Shiming, who had been standing by his side, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, there may or may not be any arrangements for this afternoon."

"Oh?" Zhu Youjian raised an eyebrow and turned his head. "What kind of explanation is that?"

Gao Shiming replied unhurriedly, "The original plan was to summon Lords Yuan Keli, Wang Qia, Liu Hongxun, and Hou Xun. But... didn't His Majesty have all the ministers leave work early today? And what about Your Majesty?"

He paused, then said with a touch of heartfelt emotion, "Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, I have seen Your Majesty rise early and retire late every day."

He would rise at dawn to inspect the guards, personally till the fields, and review memorials to the emperor.

"In the afternoon, he met with his ministers, and the meetings continued incessantly."

"In the evening, we would review the day's gains and losses, and study historical documents and official documents, often not resting until 9 PM."

Gao Shiming bowed deeply, his expression more solemn than ever before.

"Having served four dynasties, I have never seen a monarch as diligent in his duties as Your Majesty."

"However, according to Taoist health preservation, a bow that is fully drawn is easily broken, and a vessel that is fully filled is easily overflowing. The key to long-term health lies in striking the right balance between tension and relaxation."

He raised his head and looked earnestly at Zhu Youjian, "Therefore, I dare to humbly request Your Majesty to take a half-day off today."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian fell silent for a moment.

Looking at the pale-faced, beardless eunuch who always wore a humble smile, he felt a warmth in his heart.

After a moment, his expression softened, and a playful smile appeared on his lips: "Gao Banban, these are the words of a treacherous minister."

Gao Shiming shook his head slightly, just smiled, and didn't argue.

Zhu Youjian shook his head, realizing that he really should take a rest.

Being too tense can definitely cause problems; he still wants to live to see the day he can drink Coke again.

—So, was the production of carbon dioxide a technology of the First Industrial Revolution or the Second Industrial Revolution?

but……

When he stopped, he was momentarily at a loss.

In his past life, he was also a seasoned "lying down" type of person, never letting a minute pass by when he could slack off.

Since his transmigration, however, a strong sense of crisis and the immense temptation to manipulate the fate of a nation have driven him forward relentlessly, almost without pause.

The enjoyment of feudal emperors... was something he was quite unfamiliar with.

Zhu Youjian couldn't help but ask, "What is there for entertainment in this palace?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Shiming immediately perked up. Although he advised the emperor to rest, he dared not actually act as a sycophant. Those things that tempted the monarch to depravity, such as gambling, animal fighting, and carpentry, were absolutely forbidden to be mentioned.

But the palace had plenty of proper entertainment.

His eyes lit up, and he suggested, "Your Majesty, how about... summoning the people from the Bell and Drum Bureau? Have them put on a puppet show?"

Zhu Youjian searched his mind for the original owner's memories, then shook his head with little interest.

The singing style was melodious and the movements were slow and uninteresting.

In later generations, he was exposed to a wealth of classic TV series and movies.

Not to mention those mind-numbingly brain-devouring short dramas.

The line "You slut! How dare you seduce my husband!" could absolutely spark a literary revolution in this world.

However, perhaps we can learn from the experiences of later generations and use drama as a propaganda tool.

Speaking of this, perhaps Ruan Dacheng could be reinstated.

Although this person's integrity is completely shattered, he is indeed a master at writing operas. It would be perfect to have him write some scripts to promote the new policies, combining education with entertainment.

"Your Majesty? Your Majesty?" Gao Shiming couldn't help but call out softly when he saw that the emperor was lost in thought.

"Huh?" Zhu Youjian came to his senses and cursed himself for being so incompetent.

He waved his hand: "No, let's choose another one."

Upon seeing this, Gao Shiming thought for a moment and said, "Then... let's go to Wansui Mountain to shoot slingshots? I've heard that Your Majesty was quite fond of this when you were young."

Zhu Youjian searched his memories again and found that this was not a lie; the original owner of the body, Chongzhen, really did like to play this game.

But he still shook his head: "If I want to hunt, I should use a bow and arrow. A slingshot... is ultimately meaningless. Let's use something else."

Gao Shiming frowned, sensing something was amiss.

We can't have no one who likes to play, can we?
He racked his brains and said, "Then... read some vernacular novels? The palace has a rich collection of books, including more serious ones like 'Ren Jing Yang Qiu' and 'Gui Fan Tu Shuo,' as well as historical ones like 'San Guo Zhi Tong Su Yan Yi,' and strange and fantastical ones like 'Er Tan' and 'Xian Fo Qi Zong.'"

novel?

Zhu Youjian's thoughts began to wander again.

The main storyline of "The Loyal Record of Liaohai" needs to be re-examined. Wang Sancai has killed someone and is about to go on the run. We can use his perspective to weave together the smuggling in Liaodong, the corruption of the generals, the brutality of the Later Jin, and how the imperial envoy and the Embroidered Uniform Guard sent by the emperor turned the tide.

Writing novels is not the goal; the real purpose is to insert personal agendas and political metaphors...

Stop! Zhu Youjian abruptly stopped his thoughts, cursing inwardly.

He waved his hand somewhat irritably: "Forget about this one, is there anything else?"

Gao Shiming's expression was already somewhat embarrassed. He hadn't expected that persuading the emperor to take a break would be such a difficult task.

He then listed several more: hammer ball, circus, cuju (ancient Chinese football), drumming and music...

But Zhu Youjian shook his head vigorously, nothing could pique his interest.

How boring...this is the life of the Ming Dynasty emperors.

Novels were boring, operas were boring, music was boring, and even the erotic pictures he secretly looked at were drawn in such obscure and abstract style...

A world without computers, internet, and games is so boring.

Zhu Youjian sighed and gave up completely.

"Enough, I don't like any of these." He stood up from his throne and dusted off his sleeves. "Let's proceed to Kunning Palace."

"I'd better go and see if Changqiu has calmed down."

(Attached image: the latest daily schedule of Emperor Yongchang after the third daily lecture)
(End of this chapter)