Parallel Ming Dynasty: The more he compared, the more devastated Zhu Yuanzhang became.

Although Zhu Duo did not explicitly say the word "refusal," everyone present could not hide their surprise and shock.

Could it be that Zhu Duo was so indifferent to the throne of the supreme ruler?

Even the supreme throne personally offered by Zhu Yuanzhang, he showed no attachment or concern whatsoever?!

That's the throne, the nine-five imperial throne where one holds the reins of power over the world!

How many people would fight tooth and nail for it? How many people would dream of it their whole lives?

Even those of them who were princes and grandsons of the emperor longed day and night to sit on that supreme throne, but unfortunately Zhu Yuanzhang never gave them the slightest chance.

But now, Zhu Yuanzhang has personally handed this position to Zhu Duo, and Zhu Duo is actually refusing to accept it?

"Dor, what is it you doing?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's face was full of confusion and bewilderment.

Zhu Duo spoke calmly, "Because—I haven't made up my mind yet."

Zhu Yuanzhang lowered his head and pondered for a moment, but finally nodded slowly without saying another word.

"Well then, Your Majesty respects your wishes, so let's put this matter aside for now."

Although Zhu Yuanzhang said this, he had already made up his mind to pass the throne to Zhu Duo.

As for why Zhu Duo refused to agree at the moment, Zhu Yuanzhang pondered to himself that it was mostly because Zhu Duo still harbored resentment and grudges against the Zhu family, or perhaps he had no intention of becoming emperor at all.

If it is the former, then give Zhu Duo more time to gradually resolve the estrangement between them.

If it's the latter, then even if he has to tough it out, he will force Zhu Duo onto the throne before he closes his eyes and passes away.

Based on Zhu Yuanzhang's understanding of Zhu Duo, even if Zhu Duo were forced onto the throne, no matter how unhappy Zhu Duo was, he would never vent his resentment on the people. That was enough.

Regardless, Zhu Yuanzhang was now determined to hand over the throne of the Ming Dynasty to Zhu Duo.

As for Zhu Yunwen, he was Zhu Duo's half-brother, and how Zhu Duo would treat him in the future was entirely up to Zhu Duo himself.

With only a few days left to live, even if I were to devise something more for Zhu Yunwen now, it probably wouldn't make much of a difference.

Moreover, judging from Zhu Duo's usual behavior towards the people, he was by no means a vicious person, and he was not even ruthless or mean.

Although an emperor should be hard-hearted and not appear too kind and lenient, Zhu Duo's actions were so popular that he won the support of the people.

Moreover, it's obvious to everyone that Zhu Duo is not without cunning and shrewdness; on the contrary, he possesses extraordinary wisdom.

It was precisely for this reason that Zhu Yuanzhang was able to completely trust Zhu Duo with the reins of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang slowly shifted his gaze to another image on the screen.

At the same age of thirteen or fourteen, Zhu Yunwen in the picture is playing happily with the eunuchs around him.

They played hide-and-seek, running around the vast palace, having a wonderful time.

Upon seeing this scene, Zhu Yuanzhang instantly felt a surge of anger rise to his head, and his blood pressure soared.

He silently repeated the words to calm himself several times, but in the end, he forced himself to suppress his anger and deliberately looked away.

Now that he has seen how absurd and boring Zhu Yunwen was in his youth, he suddenly realizes how rash and hasty his previous decision to predetermine the throne for Zhu Yunwen was.

Fortunately, at this critical juncture of life and death, he managed to pull back from the brink and finally saw clearly who was to blame for the Ming Dynasty's current prosperity and glory!

-

In the original world on the other side.

Witnessing firsthand the great deeds that Zhu Duo accomplished that benefited the country and its people, all the civil and military officials in the court were deeply moved.

Many ministers even lamented, "If Heaven had not given birth to Zhu Duo, it would be the greatest regret for our Great Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't say a word about the ministers' regretful remarks, because he felt the same way.

Especially when you see another scene, the young Zhu Yunwen is so naive, absurd, and unruly.

Zhu Yunwen, who was standing below the prince, hurriedly lowered his head.

Every time Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze swept over him, he couldn't help but feel flustered and guilty. He knew very well that with each glance Zhu Yuanzhang gave him, his disappointment in him would increase.

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed deeply and said in a deep voice, "Issue my decree: mobilize the entire nation to search for potato and corn seeds, and bring these two things back to me at all costs."

I don't need to teach you how to handle this matter myself, do I?

Oh, and also that thing called chili pepper, find it for me too. I saw in the comments that although chili peppers aren't a staple food, they have a wide range of uses as a seasoning!

[Your humble servants obey!]

Among the prince's civil and military officials, a minister immediately responded loudly.

If Zhu Duo existed in their world, they wouldn't need to go to such great lengths to do these things now.

Now, they can only watch helplessly as Zhu Duo accomplishes all his achievements, and then try to replicate his path step by step. Even if they succeed in the end, they might receive some rewards, but those rewards will certainly not be very generous.

After all, Zhu Yuanzhang knew perfectly well who had first created and implemented these beneficial policies for the country and its people.

On the contrary—

Now that Zhu Duo's achievements are so outstanding, if they can't even follow his example properly, they will be severely punished!

This feeling of being stuck in the middle is really frustrating.

Yet none of the court officials dared to express the slightest dissent or discontent.

-

The images on the light screen continued to move forward.

During the two years that Zhu Duo devoted himself to cultivating and promoting grain varieties, he also traveled tirelessly to all the prefectures and counties of the Ming Dynasty, personally funding the construction of schools.

Once the high-yield grain varieties were widely promoted and the people of the country had planted the new grains on a large scale, the school layout that Zhu Duo had laid out throughout the Ming Dynasty was also completed.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Duo established a core rule for these places named Peace School.

We should broaden our channels to attract more children to study.

Furthermore, it was clearly stipulated that all enrolled children would be exempt from tuition fees and would be provided with a free lunch every day.

Being able to attend school and learn to read and write meant not only not having to pay any tuition fees, but also being able to eat a full meal for free.

As soon as these conditions were announced, countless impoverished families across the land flocked to them, filled with gratitude. (Chapter update notification: Chapter 20, "Everyone Goes to School: A Discussion of Two Worlds!", available at the reading address.)

The free meals, in particular, were incredibly attractive to impoverished people who were struggling to make ends meet.

For this reason, almost every household sent their children who were old enough to attend school to the Peace School.

When the Ming Dynasty learned of these rules of the Peace Academy, everyone in the court was stunned.

Without the imperial court spending a single penny, it can cultivate more scholars for the court. Is there such a good thing in the world?

For this reason, the imperial court immediately issued an edict, strictly ordering local governments to fully support and cooperate with Zhu Duo's good deed.

{New World: The establishment of new schools is truly a fundamental plan concerning the fate of the Ming Dynasty for the next century! Its impact on our Great Ming will be profound and immeasurable.}

{A New World: Benefits the present and future generations!}

{New World: The Peace Academy, run by the Peace Trading Company, is worlds apart from the private schools of the Ming Dynasty.}

It's not that we poor families are unwilling to send our children to school, but we simply cannot afford the exorbitant tuition fees.

This is why they could only stand there, unable to enter the school.

{New World: But this Peace School treats everyone equally, regardless of social status, providing uniform instruction. For us poor people, this is truly an immense act of kindness.}

{Original World: Your world's Peace Academy, with just these few rules, makes our Great Ming's traditional academy utterly worthless.}

{Original World: The fact that even children from ordinary families can afford to go to school is something we can only envy immensely.}

{Original World: It's not that our Great Ming Dynasty doesn't want to do this, it's just that the expenses of setting up schools are too high, and students often drop out midway, making the cost of opening a school frighteningly high. Because of this, the imperial court simply cannot afford to build schools on such a large scale.}

{Original World: Another reason is that many ordinary people feel that studying and going to school is not very useful. Although one can take the imperial examination and obtain official rank, not everyone can pass the examination.}

It's better to stay home and farm.

{New World: This is probably where Prince Zhu Duo's brilliance lies. He first distributed high-yield grain seeds to the people, so that every household no longer had to worry about not having enough to eat. Only then did ordinary people have the idea of ​​sending their children to school.}

If even basic needs like food and clothing can't be met, very few families in the world would be willing to let their children give up farm work to go to school.

{Original World: Zhu Duo's plan was incredibly thorough and meticulous!}

After being broken down and analyzed in this way, everyone present suddenly realized why Zhu Duo waited until high-yield crops such as corn and potatoes were widely available before he began to promote the school initiative.

{Original World: I finally understand His Highness Zhu Duo's good intentions. Just as His Highness Zhu Duo said before, he wanted to truly awaken the people of the Ming Dynasty.}

That's why he would pay out of his own pocket to help children from poor families learn to read and write, without expecting anything in return.

In my opinion, it was too rash and hasty. It would have been more acceptable if it had only been piloted in a few state capitals.

Now that it's spread across the entire country, can it really be sustained in the long run?

In the original world, some people immediately stood up and questioned this seemingly pointless and unprofitable initiative.

But as soon as he finished speaking, someone immediately refuted his question.

New World: To this day, all the Peace Schools here are still running smoothly! We've never heard of a single one closing down. Not only that, but the number of Peace Schools is increasing, and they're growing larger and larger!

It has now spread throughout the entire territory of the Ming Dynasty, to all towns and villages, large and small.

{New World: Moreover, the Peace Academy has long been cooperating with the imperial court. I've heard that local officials are vying to have the Peace Company open schools in their territories.}

The new world: Many of the talents cultivated in the academy have now entered the government as officials, bringing benefits to the people.

Even those who didn't pass the imperial examinations often found employment at the Heping Trading Company or made a name for themselves in other industries.

{New World: To this day, the first batch of graduates from the Peace Academy are scattered throughout every corner of the Ming Dynasty!}

{New World: I was among the first batch of graduates from the Peace Academy. Now I'm a ninth-rank official in the government. Although it's a low-ranking position, it was something I never dared to dream of before!}

If it weren't for the Peace School, I'd still be toiling in the fields back home!

{New World: Even more remarkable is that the Peace Academy also admits women. Women can not only study, but also participate in the imperial examinations to obtain official titles and enter government service!}

{Original World: What?! A woman can actually serve as an official in the imperial court?!}

{Original World: How is this possible?! How can a woman be allowed to serve as an official in the imperial court?!}

{Original World: You are openly violating the rules set by our ancestors! Women should stay at home to support their husbands and raise their children, how can they enter the court to serve as officials?!}

{New World: Why can't one become an official? In Fuzhou, there was a woman named Dong Mingyu who not only became an official but also rose to the rank of Chief Administrator.}

{New World: The position of Chief Administrator is rather ordinary, just handling paperwork and administrative affairs. But our Xuzhou produced a female official who rose to the rank of Grand Minister of Works!}

The back-and-forth comparisons and boasts in the comments section left everyone in the original world dumbfounded and stunned.

Not only could women become officials, but they could even rise to such a high position as Grand Minister of Works. Moreover, the barrage of comments on the screen indicated that it was not uncommon for women to serve in the court.

This is so different from the world they live in.

For a time, they simply couldn't accept it, much less understand it.

Moreover, as they talked, people from both worlds suddenly realized that the students who had graduated from the Peace Academy back then had unknowingly become the backbone of the transformation of the Ming Dynasty, supporting the prosperity of all walks of life in the Ming Dynasty.

Many of the emerging industries in the Ming Dynasty today were created by these students.

The students who graduated from the Peace Academy had a mindset that was vastly different from that of traditional scholars and ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty.

It could even be said that what they learned was completely different from the traditional Four Books and Five Classics, calligraphy, and etiquette; it was all entirely new knowledge that had never been heard of before.

{Original World: What exactly does the Peace Academy teach? It sounds completely different from the traditional education system of our Ming Dynasty!}

{New World: We learn Chinese, math, physics, and chemistry—all completely new knowledge different from the traditional learning of the Ming Dynasty!}

We all know that maintaining a school costs a lot of money, but Zhu Duo built schools on a large scale throughout the Ming Dynasty. How much money must have been spent on that?

In my opinion, it was too rash and hasty. It would have been more acceptable if it had only been piloted in a few state capitals.

Now that it's spread across the entire country, can it really be sustained in the long run?

In the original world, some people immediately stood up and questioned this seemingly pointless and unprofitable initiative.

But as soon as he finished speaking, someone immediately refuted his question.

New World: To this day, all the Peace Schools here are still running smoothly! We've never heard of a single one closing down. Not only that, but the number of Peace Schools is increasing, and they're growing larger and larger!

It has now spread throughout the entire territory of the Ming Dynasty, to all towns and villages, large and small.

{New World: Moreover, the Peace Academy has long been cooperating with the imperial court. I've heard that local officials are vying to have the Peace Company open schools in their territories.}

The new world: Many of the talents cultivated in the academy have now entered the government as officials, bringing benefits to the people.

Even those who didn't pass the imperial examinations often found employment at the Heping Trading Company or made a name for themselves in other industries.

{New World: To this day, the first batch of graduates from the Peace Academy are scattered throughout every corner of the Ming Dynasty!}

{New World: I was among the first batch of graduates from the Peace Academy. Now I'm a ninth-rank official in the government. Although it's a low-ranking position, it was something I never dared to dream of before!}

If it weren't for the Peace School, I'd still be toiling in the fields back home!

{New World: Even more remarkable is that the Peace Academy also admits women. Women can not only study, but also participate in the imperial examinations to obtain official titles and enter government service!}

{Original World: What?! A woman can actually serve as an official in the imperial court?!}

{Original World: How is this possible?! How can a woman be allowed to serve as an official in the imperial court?!}

{Original World: You are openly violating the rules set by our ancestors! Women should stay at home to support their husbands and raise their children, how can they enter the court to serve as officials?!}

{New World: Why can't one become an official? In Fuzhou, there was a woman named Dong Mingyu who not only became an official but also rose to the rank of Chief Administrator.}

{New World: The position of Chief Administrator is rather ordinary, just handling paperwork and administrative affairs. But our Xuzhou produced a female official who rose to the rank of Grand Minister of Works!}

The back-and-forth comparisons and boasts in the comments section left everyone in the original world dumbfounded and stunned.

Not only could women become officials, but they could even rise to such a high position as Grand Minister of Works. Moreover, the barrage of comments on the screen indicated that it was not uncommon for women to serve in the court.

This is so different from the world they live in.

For a time, they simply couldn't accept it, much less understand it.

Moreover, as they talked, people from both worlds suddenly realized that the students who had graduated from the Peace Academy back then had unknowingly become the backbone of the transformation of the Ming Dynasty, supporting the prosperity of all walks of life in the Ming Dynasty.

Many of the emerging industries in the Ming Dynasty today were created by these students.

The students who graduated from the Peace Academy had a mindset that was vastly different from that of traditional scholars and ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty.

It could even be said that what they learned was completely different from the traditional Four Books and Five Classics, calligraphy, and etiquette; it was all entirely new knowledge that had never been heard of before.

{Original World: What exactly does the Peace Academy teach? It sounds completely different from the traditional education system of our Ming Dynasty!}

{New World: We learn Chinese, math, physics, and chemistry—all completely new knowledge different from the traditional learning of the Ming Dynasty!}

In my opinion, it was too rash and hasty. It would have been more acceptable if it had only been piloted in a few state capitals.

Now that it's spread across the entire country, can it really be sustained in the long run?

In the original world, some people immediately stood up and questioned this seemingly pointless and unprofitable initiative.

But as soon as he finished speaking, someone immediately refuted his question.

New World: To this day, all the Peace Schools here are still running smoothly! We've never heard of a single one closing down. Not only that, but the number of Peace Schools is increasing, and they're growing larger and larger!

It has now spread throughout the entire territory of the Ming Dynasty, to all towns and villages, large and small.

{New World: Moreover, the Peace Academy has long been cooperating with the imperial court. I've heard that local officials are vying to have the Peace Company open schools in their territories.}

The new world: Many of the talents cultivated in the academy have now entered the government as officials, bringing benefits to the people.

Even those who didn't pass the imperial examinations often found employment at the Heping Trading Company or made a name for themselves in other industries.

{New World: To this day, the first batch of graduates from the Peace Academy are scattered throughout every corner of the Ming Dynasty!}

{New World: I was among the first batch of graduates from the Peace Academy. Now I'm a ninth-rank official in the government. Although it's a low-ranking position, it was something I never dared to dream of before!}

If it weren't for the Peace School, I'd still be toiling in the fields back home!

{New World: Even more remarkable is that the Peace Academy also admits women. Women can not only study, but also participate in the imperial examinations to obtain official titles and enter government service!}

{Original World: What?! A woman can actually serve as an official in the imperial court?!}

{Original World: How is this possible?! How can a woman be allowed to serve as an official in the imperial court?!}

{Original World: You are openly violating the rules set by our ancestors! Women should stay at home to support their husbands and raise their children, how can they enter the court to serve as officials?!}

{New World: Why can't one become an official? In Fuzhou, there was a woman named Dong Mingyu who not only became an official but also rose to the rank of Chief Administrator.}

{New World: The position of Chief Administrator is rather ordinary, just handling paperwork and administrative affairs. But our Xuzhou produced a female official who rose to the rank of Grand Minister of Works!}

The back-and-forth comparisons and boasts in the comments section left everyone in the original world dumbfounded and stunned.

Not only could women become officials, but they could even rise to such a high position as Grand Minister of Works. Moreover, the barrage of comments on the screen indicated that it was not uncommon for women to serve in the court.

This is so different from the world they live in.

For a time, they simply couldn't accept it, much less understand it.

Moreover, as they talked, people from both worlds suddenly realized that the students who had graduated from the Peace Academy back then had unknowingly become the backbone of the transformation of the Ming Dynasty, supporting the prosperity of all walks of life in the Ming Dynasty.

Many of the emerging industries in the Ming Dynasty today were created by these students.

The students who graduated from the Peace Academy had a mindset that was vastly different from that of traditional scholars and ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty.

It could even be said that what they learned was completely different from the traditional Four Books and Five Classics, calligraphy, and etiquette; it was all entirely new knowledge that had never been heard of before.

{Original World: What exactly does the Peace Academy teach? It sounds completely different from the traditional education system of our Ming Dynasty!}

{New World: We learn Chinese, math, physics, and chemistry—all completely new knowledge different from the traditional learning of the Ming Dynasty!}

That's why he would pay out of his own pocket to help children from poor families learn to read and write, without expecting anything in return.

We all know that maintaining a school costs a lot of money, but Zhu Duo built schools on a large scale throughout the Ming Dynasty. How much money must have been spent on that?

In my opinion, it was too rash and hasty. It would have been more acceptable if it had only been piloted in a few state capitals.

Now that it's spread across the entire country, can it really be sustained in the long run?

In the original world, some people immediately stood up and questioned this seemingly pointless and unprofitable initiative.

But as soon as he finished speaking, someone immediately refuted his question.

New World: To this day, all the Peace Schools here are still running smoothly! We've never heard of a single one closing down. Not only that, but the number of Peace Schools is increasing, and they're growing larger and larger!

It has now spread throughout the entire territory of the Ming Dynasty, to all towns and villages, large and small.

{New World: Moreover, the Peace Academy has long been cooperating with the imperial court. I've heard that local officials are vying to have the Peace Company open schools in their territories.}

The new world: Many of the talents cultivated in the academy have now entered the government as officials, bringing benefits to the people.

Even those who didn't pass the imperial examinations often found employment at the Heping Trading Company or made a name for themselves in other industries.

{New World: To this day, the first batch of graduates from the Peace Academy are scattered throughout every corner of the Ming Dynasty!}

{New World: I was among the first batch of graduates from the Peace Academy. Now I'm a ninth-rank official in the government. Although it's a low-ranking position, it was something I never dared to dream of before!}

If it weren't for the Peace School, I'd still be toiling in the fields back home!

{New World: Even more remarkable is that the Peace Academy also admits women. Women can not only study, but also participate in the imperial examinations to obtain official titles and enter government service!}

{Original World: What?! A woman can actually serve as an official in the imperial court?!}

{Original World: How is this possible?! How can a woman be allowed to serve as an official in the imperial court?!}

{Original World: You are openly violating the rules set by our ancestors! Women should stay at home to support their husbands and raise their children, how can they enter the court to serve as officials?!}

{New World: Why can't one become an official? In Fuzhou, there was a woman named Dong Mingyu who not only became an official but also rose to the rank of Chief Administrator.}

{New World: The position of Chief Administrator is rather ordinary, just handling paperwork and administrative affairs. But our Xuzhou produced a female official who rose to the rank of Grand Minister of Works!}

The back-and-forth comparisons and boasts in the comments section left everyone in the original world dumbfounded and stunned.

Not only could women become officials, but they could even rise to such a high position as Grand Minister of Works. Moreover, the barrage of comments on the screen indicated that it was not uncommon for women to serve in the court.

This is so different from the world they live in.

For a time, they simply couldn't accept it, much less understand it.

Moreover, as they talked, people from both worlds suddenly realized that the students who had graduated from the Peace Academy back then had unknowingly become the backbone of the transformation of the Ming Dynasty, supporting the prosperity of all walks of life in the Ming Dynasty.

Many of the emerging industries in the Ming Dynasty today were created by these students.

The students who graduated from the Peace Academy had a mindset that was vastly different from that of traditional scholars and ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty.

It could even be said that what they learned was completely different from the traditional Four Books and Five Classics, calligraphy, and etiquette; it was all entirely new knowledge that had never been heard of before.

{Original World: What exactly does the Peace Academy teach? It sounds completely different from the traditional education system of our Ming Dynasty!}

{New World: We learn Chinese, math, physics, and chemistry—all completely new knowledge different from the traditional learning of the Ming Dynasty!}