Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

Zhu Qizhen sat blankly in the mud.

He was young.

But Gu Yannian's words came amidst the unforgettable exhaustion and hunger of today.

It was deeply imprinted in his mind.

It turns out that fighting a war isn't about riding a big horse and showing off.

Fighting a war means going hungry and experiencing pain.

"...The student knows he was wrong..."

Zhu Qizhen sobbed, picked up the dry, mud-covered biscuit, mixed it with the fried flour paste, and chewed it with difficulty.

That bitter taste became his most profound memory of war in his life.

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats and footsteps came from afar.

Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, arrived at the West Garden, sweating profusely, surrounded by more than a dozen Imperial Guards.

He went to the Wenhua Hall after court today, but found it empty.

Upon hearing that Prime Minister Gu had brought the Crown Prince to the West Garden for a martial arts demonstration, fearing that something might go wrong, he rushed over in a hurry.

Upon arriving at the wasteland, Zhu Zhanji was stunned by what he saw.

His precious son, who was used to living a life of luxury and being pampered.

He was covered in mud and sitting beside a terrifying, enormous ravine.

He ate a dry, black flour biscuit that even dogs wouldn't eat, his face streaked with tears.

"This...Prime Minister Gu, what's going on?"

Zhu Zhanji dismounted with a pained expression and quickly walked forward.

Gu Yannian stepped forward, bowed slightly in greeting, and remained composed.

"Your Highness, His Highness mentioned that when he grows up, he wants to emulate Emperor Taizong and personally lead an expedition beyond the Great Wall. I believe that theory alone is not enough, so I will take His Highness to practice in person."

"Let him know the hardships of marching, the strength of the trenches, and the scarcity of provisions."

Zhu Zhanji's eyes twitched as he looked at the huge chasm that Gu Yannian had cleaved with his shovel.

He walked up to his son and knelt down.

Upon seeing his father, Zhu Qizhen burst into tears and rushed into Zhu Zhanji's arms.

"Father! Your son will never mention war again! War is too painful! From now on, your son will spend every day in the Wenhua Hall calculating the accounts, and you will make sure the accounts of the Ming Dynasty are kept clear. You will absolutely not waste the national treasury's money on war!"

The young prince cried miserably.

But the sense of resignation and awareness revealed in his words stunned Zhu Zhanji on the spot.

He raised his head and looked at Gu Yannian, who stood with his hands behind his back, looking calm and composed.

Zhu Zhanji knew his son's character well.

He was somewhat spoiled, and deep down he carried a hint of arrogance and ignorance.

If we go along with his temperament...

If he ascends the throne in the future, it is hard to guarantee that he will not be instigated by military generals and recklessly start border conflicts.

How could Prime Minister Gu be torturing the Crown Prince?

This is clearly a process of forging a wise and virtuous ruler for the Ming Dynasty who is knowledgeable in military affairs but not militaristic, who understands hardship but knows how to maintain the status quo!

"I, on behalf of the ancestors of the Ming Dynasty, express my gratitude to Minister Gu for his painstaking efforts!"

Zhu Zhanji stood up, his expression solemn, and actually bowed deeply to Gu Yannian.

Gu Yannian stepped aside and said gently.

"Your Majesty is too kind. This is merely my duty. Your Highness is wise. After this battle, you should know that although martial arts are excellent, they should not be used lightly."

"The happiness of the nation lies in the well-being and security of its people."

"Well said!"

Zhu Zhanji looked down at his son in his arms, whose mouth was covered in black face from chewing.

Instead of blaming him, she patted him on the back with satisfaction.

"My son, what the Grand Tutor taught you is the art of being an emperor that is priceless! This dry biscuit was eaten by Emperor Taizong, and I also ate it when I went on a military expedition."

"If you consume this today, you will be able to show compassion for your soldiers in the future. This is the magnanimity that a crown prince of the Ming Dynasty should possess!"

Zhu Qizhen was utterly desperate.

Even the Emperor himself praised the Grand Tutor's "torture" methods.

He was completely trapped in those abacuses and ledgers for the rest of his life.

"Your subject... Your subject obeys the decree."

Zhu Qizhen swallowed the last bite of the coarse bread with a sense of utter despair.

The entourage set off in a grand procession back to the palace.

The setting sun, like blood, dyed the barren land of Xiyuan crimson.

Gu Yannian walked at the back of the group and glanced back at the trench he had casually dug.

In this time and space, there is that absurd joke called the God of War of the Ming Dynasty.

He has completely buried it.

The gloom of Tumubao can no longer shroud this prosperous era.

When they returned to the palace, the lanterns were already lit.

Inside the duty room of Jianji Hall, Gu Yannian changed out of his casual clothes, which were slightly dusty.

Linghu An, the chief steward of the inner court, brought over a basin of warm water and respectfully helped him wash his hands.

"Your Excellency must be exhausted today. Wang Zhen vomited bile three times after returning to the palace and is currently lying on the bed unable to get up."

Linghu An lowered his voice to report.

Gu Yannian took a cloth and dried his hands, a relaxed smile appearing on his lips.

"It's good to teach him a lesson. It will prevent him from causing trouble in the palace in the future, relying on the Crown Prince's power."

Gu Yannian sat down beside the small red clay stove, where a pot of osmanthus wine was warming.

He picked up his wine cup, took a small sip, and was greeted by the fragrant aroma of flowers and a mellow, sweet taste.

"Tomorrow, I still need to explain the salt tax accounts of each province to that kid. He needs to memorize all of the Ming Dynasty's assets, one by one."

In the height of summer of the eighth year of the Xuande reign.

The heatwave rolled across the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City, making people dizzy.

Outside the Wenhua Hall, several tall locust trees with lush foliage cast large patches of dense shade.

Two eunuchs on duty held long-handled feather fans.

He was dozing off intermittently under the pillars.

Inside the hall, a cool breeze emanated from the ice mirror.

But it could not soothe the tormented heart of Zhu Qizhen, the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty.

Ever since that unforgettable martial arts demonstration at the Western Garden, the seven-year-old prince has completely given up the idea of ​​going to the borderlands to make a name for himself.

These days, whenever he hears words like "war" or "going to war," he reacts with extreme aversion.

The taste of coarse flour paste mixed with the bitterness of loess will rise uncontrollably from the back of your tongue.

My palms were sweating profusely.

At this moment, Zhu Qizhen was sitting upright at his sandalwood desk, holding a purple writing brush dipped in thick ink in his hand.

On the desk sat the ironwood abacus that terrified him.

He fiddled with the abacus beads rapidly while muttering to himself.

"The annual salt tax revenue of Lianghuai is equivalent to 1.2 million taels of silver... The waterway surcharge is 1.5 fen... The actual revenue received into the treasury..."

The young prince's eyebrows were tightly furrowed.

He was sweating profusely from calculating, afraid of misplacing even a single bead.

That elusive and mysterious tutor, the Living Yama, would then emerge from some corner.

Let's reward him with another meal of coarse flour biscuits.

Wang Zhen carefully ground the ink on the side.

Seeing the Crown Prince's dazed appearance, he sighed repeatedly in his heart.

Back then, the eldest prince was so spoiled and lively.

Now, it has been completely turned into a small accounting office filled with copper coins and tattered bills by Prime Minister Gu.

Just as the master and servant were engrossed in the sound of the abacus, a series of unhurried footsteps came from outside the hall.

A middle-aged civil official, dressed in a blue egret-patterned robe of the sixth rank, straightened his clothes outside the hall, held an ancient book in his hands, and solemnly stepped across the threshold.

This man was named Kong Hongxu, and he was from a collateral branch of the Duke Yansheng.

A second-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the early years of the Xuande reign.

A few days ago, several senior officials, including Yang Rong, the second-in-command, were very anxious when they saw the Crown Prince being taught "business skills" by Gu Yannian every day.

Not daring to openly oppose Gu Yannian, they jointly submitted a memorial to the throne.

It is said that as the Crown Prince grows older, he should be supplemented with classics, histories, philosophical works, and literary collections to clearly understand the great principles of sages.

Zhu Zhanji felt that reading more books could never be harmful, so he granted permission.

Kong Hongxu was specially appointed to serve as a tutor in the Wenhua Hall.