Night, Yan's study room.
At this moment, Yan Song was telling Yan Shifan the following precautions.
Since during the day, Jiajing approved the budget report submitted by Yan Song regarding the construction and reinforcement of dams, soon after returning to Yan's Mansion, Yan Song called Yan Shifan to the study without stopping to discuss the next countermeasures.
"Your Majesty has approved a total of 9,650,000 taels of silver this time to strengthen the dam. But if it were just to strengthen the dam, far less would be needed!"
"You know, you can also be responsible for the work of the Ministry of Industry. Next, you need to pay more attention and send more capable officials to get things done without affecting the quality. Do you understand?"
After Yan Song finished speaking, he turned his attention to Yan Shifan beside him.
Yan Shifan was about to respond, but then, an inexplicable palpitating feeling swept through his body. His face suddenly became extremely pale, and he couldn't help but shudder.
"Father...I..."
When Yan Song saw this, he thought there was something wrong with Yan Shifan's body, and his face was full of worry. Immediately, Yan Song got up from his seat, came to Yan Shifan, and asked.
"Yan Shifan, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Shifan waved his hands to indicate that he was fine, and then responded.
"It's okay, father. I don't know what happened, but suddenly I felt a palpitation in my heart, as if someone was plotting against the child behind my back!"
After Yan Song listened to Yan Shifan's answer, a solemn look suddenly appeared on his face. He turned his eyes to Yan Shifan and asked in a deep voice.
"Think carefully, who have you met and what have you done recently?"
Hearing this, Yan Shifan nodded slightly, and immediately followed Yan Song's request and recalled in his mind the trajectory of his recent activities and the people he had met.
However, even though Yan Shifan reviewed his recent activities, who he met, and what he said in his mind, he still didn't notice anything unusual.
Then, Yan Shifan came back to his senses, shook his head and said slowly.
"Father, recently, apart from being on duty in the cabinet, my son has been tinkering with steam engine drawings in his room. He hasn't gone out much at all. I really can't figure out what's wrong with it!"
Seeing this situation, Yan Song had no choice but to give instructions.
"In this case, you should pay more attention to the movements of the court and never let down your guard. Do you understand?"
"Yes, father, the child knows!"
Hearing this, Yan Shifan suddenly felt warm in his heart. He immediately leaned down and responded respectfully.
After that, Yan Song looked Yan Shifan up and down again. After confirming that his body was fine, he felt relieved and sat down on the seat behind the desk again.
Immediately afterwards, Yan Song picked up the tea cup on the table, took a sip, and immediately gave instructions.
"By the way, speaking of steam engines, His Majesty said earlier when he summoned Xu Jie and me to Qianqing Palace for questioning, that the imperial court would spend five million taels of silver to recruit craftsmen and conduct research on steam engines. !”
When Yan Song said this, he glanced at Yan Shifan and then added.
"This matter is within the scope of the Ministry of Industry's responsibilities. When the time comes, you can ask Shuntian Mansion to come forward to help and post notices to recruit craftsmen. After all, this matter is very important to His Majesty!"
"Yes, father!"
Upon hearing this, Yan Shifan immediately bowed his hands to Yan Song and responded in a deep voice.
Just when Yan Shifan thought that the matter was over and was about to say goodbye to Yan Song and leave, Yan Song sighed helplessly and then sighed.
"Oh, it's been such a troubled time recently!"
"First, the White Lotus Sect was raging in Shandong, and then the clan and nobles were unwilling to be left alone. They wanted to use the examination specifically for the clan and nobles as an opportunity to enter the official career and increase their influence! "
"And now, His Majesty is going to abolish the current Yan Shenggong and elect a new Yan Shenggong. This matter has been put aside for the time being. Just when the court was extremely busy, another group of people suddenly came. The Rakshasa people are clamoring to meet His Majesty!"
After hearing Yan Song's complaint, Yan Shifan on the side also felt deeply and followed suit.
"Yes, father, there are so many things that have happened recently that the children are almost overwhelmed!"
"Not to mention that there are mulberry seedlings in Zhejiang that are about to mature, and that Hu Zongxian will be transferred to the capital by His Majesty, these two things!"
When Yan Shifan said this, he looked at Yan Song curiously and asked.
"By the way, father, you said that when Hu Zongxian comes to the capital to take up a post, what position will your Majesty give him?"
When Yan Song heard this, he glanced at Yan Shifan quite indifferently and responded without thinking.
"Hmph, Hu Ruzhen has worked hard and accomplished a lot over the years!"
"Not to mention anything else, just the complete annihilation of the Japanese pirates that roamed the southeastern coast of the Ming Dynasty. This achievement is enough for Hu Ruzhen to be recorded in the annals of history!"
"After that, Hu Ruzhen personally led an army to the neighboring provinces of Fujian and Jiangxi to quell the rebellion. Not to mention, he also personally led more than 30 warships to Jintang Island, not only destroying the lair of the Japanese pirate leader Wang Zhi, but also Capture it alive!”
When Yan Song said this, he took his eyes away from Yan Shifan and sighed.
"Yan Shifan, tell me, with these achievements, wouldn't His Majesty not reuse Hu Ruzhen?
"I would not be surprised whatever position His Majesty bestows upon him next."
"After all, as a teacher, I can be regarded as having benefited from Hu Ruzhen!"
Seeing Yan Song unabashedly praising Hu Zongxian, a sour feeling surged into Yan Shifan's heart uncontrollably.
Yan Shifan couldn't understand. Whether it was Yan Dang or Qingliu, their evaluation of Hu Zongxian was surprisingly high!
After that, Yan Shifan suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his mind, leaned down and saluted Yan Song respectfully.
"Father, it's getting late, my child..."
Yan Song seemed to see what Yan Shifan was thinking, and after giving him a cold glance, he spoke.
"What's the rush? There's one more thing I haven't finished yet!"
When Yan Shifan heard this, a look of panic flashed across his face, and he immediately lowered his head and said timidly.
"Father, do you have anything else to tell the child?"
Hearing this, Yan Song nodded slightly, took his eyes away from Yan Shifan, and turned to give instructions.
"Remember what I said before, no one is allowed to meet Kong Shangxian without my permission. Do you understand?"
"Yes, father, the child knows what to do next!"
After Yan Shifan listened to Yan Song's instructions, a look of determination suddenly appeared on his face, and he immediately responded in a deep voice.
Seeing this situation, Yan Song waved his hand quite casually and immediately gave instructions.
"Well, it's getting late, so you should go back and rest early!"
"Yes, father!"
When Yan Shifan heard this, he couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief. Immediately, he turned around and left the study without stopping at all.
After Yan Shifan left the study, the orange light in the room reflected Yan Song's figure, and a vague sigh came from the study.
…
On the other side is the study room of Prince Yu's Mansion.
What is different from usual is that there are only two people in the study today, Zhu Zaijing and his teacher Gao Gong.
Before coming, Gao Gong had made a rough guess, because no matter from any aspect, it was impossible for Zhu Zaijing to persuade His Majesty to withdraw his orders, and he might even be disgusted by His Majesty for this.
And when Gao Gong saw Zhu Zaijing, who was in an unusually low mood, the suspicion he had always had in his heart was confirmed.
Immediately, he sighed helplessly, turned his gaze to Zhu Zaijing, and spoke comforting words.
"Your Highness, having the right way is an unsatisfactory thing in life. Nine times out of ten, it is not terrible to suffer setbacks. What is terrible is that once you encounter setbacks, you will be unable to recover. You are His Majesty's prince!"
After listening to Gao Gong's words of comfort, Zhu Zaijing raised his head with a look of helplessness on his face.
"Teacher, do you know what my father said about me?"
After Zhu Zaijing finished speaking, he added without waiting for Gao Gong's response.
"Father said that I am not a competent prince at all. Teacher, do you think so too?"
Gao Gong on the side heard this, and after being stunned for a moment, he immediately responded firmly.
"Your Highness, you are a qualified prince, diligent, studious, good at doing things, and always have the people in mind!"
"Those words His Majesty said are just angry words. You don't need to take them to heart."
After hearing Gao Gong's words of comfort, Zhu Zaijing felt much better, but there was still a trace of confusion on his face.
Then, after Zhu Zaijing hesitated for a long time, he continued to speak.
"Teacher, if you find something that is completely different from what you thought before, or even completely different, how will you deal with it at that time?"
Gao Gong heard this, and after being silent for a long time, he immediately turned his gaze to Zhu Zaijing and asked.
"Could it be that what His Highness is referring to is what happened to the Kong family in Qufu?"
"Um."
After Zhu Zaijing responded, he immediately lowered his head and waited anxiously for Gao Gong's response.
Seeing this situation, Gao Gong, after sorting out his words in his mind, turned his gaze to Zhu Zaijing and spoke seriously.
"Your Highness, you are still young and don't understand many things. The books of saints are meant for others to read, but they are useless for doing things!"
"The same is true for the Confucian family in Qufu. The meaning of their existence is to set an example for everyone in the world. Even though they are rich and beautiful, but they are corrupt, the benevolence, justice, etiquette, wisdom, and trust they advocate are admired by everyone in the world. convince!"
"It is precisely because of this that your Majesty did not confiscate the Kong family in Qufu and exterminate the family. Instead, he planned to abolish the current Yanshenggong Kong Shangxian and elect a new Yanshenggong, because your majesty still has use for them, and the court also needs them. They come to decorate the facade, and everyone in the world needs such a role model!"
"There is a word called "justice". If we lose such an example, then the world will soon collapse in etiquette and music, and become no different from barbarians!
After hearing Gao Gong's explanation, Zhu Zaijing's eyes flashed with an inexplicable look, and he immediately responded excitedly.
"Teacher, students know!"
Gao Gong saw that Zhu Zaijing understood the meaning of his words, a look of relief flashed on his face, he stroked his beard, and immediately spoke.
"Well, it's good that you know!"
"In short, this is a good thing, especially for the people who have suffered from oppression and exploitation!"
"Your Majesty's move is to seek justice for those people and let them spit out everything they have stolen from the people. In this way, you can win over the people!"
After Zhu Zaijing listened to Gao Gong's explanation, he suddenly felt enlightened. Then, when he recalled what he had done before, a look of shame appeared on his face.
"But teacher, the student angered my father earlier and disappointed him!"
After Gao Gong heard Zhu Zaijing's words, he comforted him without thinking.
"It doesn't matter. After all, Your Highness is also His Majesty's child. You are His Majesty's biological flesh and blood. There is no overnight feud between father and son. It would be great if you can draw a lesson from this incident!"
"When the time comes, just admit your mistake to His Majesty!"
After saying this, Gao Gong couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Zhu Zaijing's mood was no longer as low as before.
At this moment, Gao Gong was extremely glad that he had not agreed to Zhang Juzheng's proposal and asked His Majesty to allow King Yu to go to the fiefdom and establish a vassal state.
In Gao Gong's view, although King Yu has various shortcomings, he is far from hopeless. As his teacher, he has the obligation to get him back on track!
So what if Prince Yu has lost his qualifications as the crown prince, as long as he can fulfill his responsibilities as a prince and live his life peacefully, that is Gao Gong's greatest wish at this moment.
Thinking of this, Gao Gong's eyes towards Zhu Zaijing could not help but soften. At this moment, Zhu Zaijing on the side cleared his throat and changed the topic.
"By the way, teacher, how is the progress of distributing the 360,000 acres of land to the landless people?"
Gao Gong heard this and after thinking about it for a moment, he immediately responded.
"Your Highness, you can rest assured. Although the land distributed to the people this time has increased compared to before, with the previous experience, there will definitely not be any big mistakes!"
"Besides, Song Yiwang's ability should be enough to handle this matter!"
After hearing Gao Gong's response, Zhu Zaijing felt relieved and said with emotion.
"It would be great if there were more talented and ambitious people like this!"
Gao Gong heard Zhu Zaijing's words and did not respond. Instead, he lowered his head and said to himself: "Why not? It's just that you didn't notice it, Your Highness. There are many people like this in our Ming Dynasty. Hu Zongxian, Tan Lun, Zhang Juzheng, Hai Rui...
As Gao Gong silently recited the names of one person after another in his heart, his eyes gradually became deeper.
After that, seeing that it was getting late, Gao Gong stood up from his seat and said goodbye to Zhu Zaijing who was standing aside.
"Your Highness, it's getting late, I should go back!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Zaijing hurriedly stood up from his seat, leaned down and saluted Gao Gong respectfully.
"Teacher, walk slowly!" (End of chapter)
