The emperor's words contained a hint of earnest instruction, which made Yu Shiyue's eyes flash at the side.
Is it possible that the emperor stayed with the prince for dinner today just to use the incident of Princess Gu'an to teach the prince how to govern the country?
This is a reasonable guess and is in line with the emperor's usual behavior.
However, there are still two problems.
First, there must be a reason for everything. The emperor is dealing with many things every day, and it is impossible for him to think of teaching the prince for no reason.
If it is said that it was because he saw Princess Gu'an that he came up with the idea on the spur of the moment, it would make sense, but it would be too much to make a fuss out of a molehill.
Moreover, after spending many years in the court, Yu Shiyue is still accustomed to thinking that there is a reason behind everything. It is purely a coincidence, which is really rare in the court.
The second one is His Highness King Hui.
The purpose of the emperor teaching the prince was not only for the prince himself, but more importantly, it must be to send a signal to the court that the emperor was close to the prince and had a stable foundation, so as to stabilize the hearts of the courtiers.
This can also explain why the emperor wanted Yu Shiyue, a foreign minister, to appear on such an occasion.
But the question is, if the emperor's intention is really like this, then why did he leave His Highness King Hui to accompany him.
You must know that His Highness King Hui is the eldest son of the Emperor and has a special status. His appearance on such an occasion will inevitably cause unnecessary speculation.
Or, besides teaching the prince, what other purpose does the emperor have for this move?
Yu Shiyue's thoughts were spinning in his mind, but he was suddenly pulled back to his mind by a voice.
"Uncle Imperial, what if...what if the fifth sister has already known her mistake?"
The child's voice is tender and tender, with a hint of timidity.
Yu Shiyue looked up in surprise and saw Zhu Jianshen's taut face, looking very nervous. Obviously, for a prince who had been receiving various etiquette educations, it took a lot of courage to deny the emperor's statement.
As soon as these words came out, the emperor seemed a little surprised and frowned.
"How can I see it?"
Hearing this, Zhu Jianshen's little face was a little tangled, but in the end, he still said.
"Just before the emperor's uncle came, the fifth sister came to see me in the side hall. She said that she knew she was wrong. She also said that because she was too naughty, she made her husband angry and hurt brother Ji. She would never do it again. .”
Ah this...
Yu Shiyue blinked and subconsciously looked up at the emperor, but saw that the emperor's expression also became a little complicated. Obviously, the emperor did not know about this.
Rarely, the emperor fell silent and did not continue to speak.
There was silence in the hall, which made Zhu Jianshen feel a little uneasy, and couldn't help but look at Yu Shiyue beside him.
Seeing this situation, Yu Shiyue continued to cast a comforting look at him, and Zhu Jianshen's expression relaxed slightly.
After thinking for a while, he spoke seriously.
"Uncle and nephew, I feel that it is wrong for my fifth sister to make mistakes. However, my husband has taught me that in life, no one can make mistakes. If you can correct your mistakes, there is no great virtue."
"Whether it is my husband or the emperor's uncle, they all want Fifth Sister to learn about her mistakes and correct them. The original intention is good, but since it is a small mistake, it is easy to treat it as a small punishment, not a big one."
"Fifth sister is still young. Although she has made mistakes, as long as she is taught etiquette, guided with affection, and guided with kindness, she will be able to correct her mistakes. If it doesn't work once, do it twice or three times, and then ten times or eight times, it will lead to the right direction. The right path.”
"My nephew is stupid, but my husband has taught me that morality, benevolence, and righteousness are based on the heart, and their uses are infinite. Those based on the law, their uses are sometimes limited, so don't be careless. As a king, you should be cautious in punishment and lenient." Fundamentally, education and etiquette are the basis, and punishment and punishment are only for auxiliary purposes and should not be relied upon as a priority.”
Zhu Jianshen spoke fluently at the beginning, but at the end, he spoke obviously much slower, as if he was thinking while speaking.
Of course, the meaning of these last two sentences is profound, and obviously cannot be said by Zhu Jianshen at his age.
"...morality, benevolence and righteousness originate from the heart, and their uses are infinite..."
Zhu Qiyu repeated this sentence, looking a little confused.
Immediately, he asked.
"Prince, which master in the East Palace taught you this sentence?"
"Uncle Huang, it's Mr. Ni."
Zhu Jianshen was very honest and said obediently.
Yu Shiyue looked on, feeling a little worried.
As a cabinet minister, he is naturally well-read, so he reacted immediately when the prince said this.
This sentence comes from Taizu's teachings, which Emperor Taizu said when he discussed the way to govern the country.
It should be said that at this time, it is very appropriate for the prince to quote this sentence, but this is based on the situation and does not consider other political factors.
If this was the prince who was older and used it to admonish the emperor, it would naturally be appropriate.
However, the prince is still young at the moment, so there are obviously some things that he cannot consider.
The most critical point is that this sentence was said by Emperor Taizu, so it is impossible for the emperor to deny it, but in this case, the emperor would have to deny what he just said.
This kind of approach is, at best, admonishing the emperor, but at worst, it is contradicting the emperor.
What kind of impression it will leave depends on the emperor's thoughts.
Don't forget, the prince is the crown prince, not a remonstrator.
As a prince, the prince does not need to be upright. What he needs is flexibility. A prince who is too sharp will naturally arouse the emperor's fear.
What's more, with the current relationship between the Tian family and the Prince using Taizu's teachings to suppress the Emperor, even if it is unintentional, it is really difficult to predict what consequences it will have in the end.
Seeing that the emperor was silent for a long time, Yu Shiyue couldn't sit still. After thinking for a while, he stepped forward and said.
"Your Majesty, I think what His Highness the Crown Prince said is quite reasonable."
"The fifth princess is talented and kind-hearted. Although she is a little naughty, as long as she teaches her carefully and studies hard, it will only be a matter of time."
"Since Bachelor Yi is the teacher of your highnesses, you should be more patient and persuasive. As His Highness the Crown Prince said, maybe the fifth princess did not admit her mistake in the school, but she actually woke up in her heart. From this point of view, Bachelor Yi has increased the punishment. , something is indeed wrong.”
"The so-called enlightenment, the transformation of education is the foundation. In the country, we should be cautious in punishing the people, and in the family, we should teach patiently. Just as your Majesty has been resting with the people and being kind and tolerant since he came to the throne. His Majesty, the Crown Prince, saw this and felt that only then can he be based on benevolence and righteousness. , devoted to study, brother and sister are friendly, and believe in the meaning of kinship."
"However, His Highness the Crown Prince is still young. He is not yet thorough in the way of governing the country and the principles of saints. His words may be inappropriate. It is because of the mistakes in my teachings. I sincerely ask your Majesty to forgive me."
These words actually made Zhu Qiyu laugh.
He didn't expect that Yu Shiyue would become slippery now.
What he just said, he first mentioned the matter of the fifth princess, in order to reduce the impact of this matter from the way of governing the country to the small matter of school conflict.
Putting all the blame on Yi Ming and saying that he taught improperly was an excuse for Zhu Qiyu.
Then, he turned back to what Zhu Jianshen said about punishing people carefully and caring for the people, and cleverly attributed it to Zhu Jianshen taking himself as an example and praising himself.
Finally, he politely said that the prince was still young and his words may have been inappropriate, and put the responsibility on the officials of the East Palace.
The purpose of a series of fights is to ease the atmosphere.
but……
"Ni Qian, I remember him!"
Zhu Qiyu looked at Yu Shiyue with a half-smile, and spoke softly.
"He was recommended by Xiao Tan at the beginning. It is said that he specializes in "The Great Learning" and is quite knowledgeable in this way. Now it seems that Mr. Ni not only has a deep study of the Way of the Great Learning, but also knows the teachings of Taizu. It’s at your fingertips.”
There was a trace of bitterness on Yu Shiyue's face, and he knew that the emperor would not be so easy to trick.
Bite the bullet, Yu Shiyue had no choice but to say.
"Your Majesty, when you give lectures in the East Palace, you need to cite many sources to understand the meaning. Perhaps Ni Shuzi occasionally quoted His Majesty Taizu's teachings when he was giving lectures, and it is unknown that His Majesty the Crown Prince wrote them down."
"This just shows that His Highness the Crown Prince devoted himself to learning and never slacked off."
These words were said dryly, and Yu Shiyue felt a little unsure.
However, what he didn't expect was that after hearing this, the emperor smiled and said.
"Why are you nervous, sir?"
"The prince is kind. This is a good thing. Ni Qian has taught well and has made great contributions. I am grateful and will go back to the inner treasury to get a hundred taels of silver and give it to Ni Qian as a reward."
Wynn on the side bowed and accepted the order.
However, no matter how Yu Shiyue judged it, he felt that there seemed to be a deeper meaning in these words, but in this situation, he had no choice but to say it.
"On behalf of Ni Qian, I would like to thank your Majesty for the reward."
"Okay, that's it for today."
Zhu Qiyu glanced down, his eyes fell on the somewhat confused Zhu Jianshen, and said.
"It's true that I wasted a lot of time. If that's the case, let's cancel today's postponement. Brother Shen's answer is good, so I'll rest for the day and leave."
"Thank you, Uncle Emperor!"
After all, Zhu Jianshen is just a child. Even in this deep palace, he doesn't have much thought.
When I heard that I could rest, I immediately became happy and even spoke with a bit of joy.
Relatively speaking, Yu Shiyue had countless doubts in his mind, but the emperor had already issued an order to expel guests, so he could only suppress these doubts in his heart, bowed respectfully, and then retired with the prince.
Yu Shiyue and Zhu Jianshen both left one after another, but Zhu Jianji was left behind.
This child has always been taciturn, and it was even more so today. Except for the few words he just interrupted, he never spoke from the beginning to the end.
There were no outsiders in the palace, so Zhu Qiyu became more casual. Looking at Zhu Jianji who was standing in the distance with his head lowered, he stretched out his hand and said.
"Brother Ji, come here, come to Father."
The tone is gentle and the smile is warm.
Zhu Jianji blinked, seeming a little surprised by Zhu Qiyu's attitude.
However, after only a brief hesitation, he walked forward as instructed and came to Zhu Qiyu's side.
The rules in the palace include being polite, obedient, and not asking why. Brother Ji has always done these very well.
Unlike Sister Hui who has always been unruly and courageous, Brother Ji is not as good as Zhu Jianshen because he has received a long and strict etiquette education and is calm in every move. However, among the princes and daughters, he is also The most important thing is to keep etiquette.
Zhu Qiyu asked him to come forward, so he stepped forward, but he stopped a few steps away from Zhu Qiyu and stood with his hands down.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Qiyu's expression was a bit complicated. If there are people who are good at observing words and expressions here, they will find that Zhu Qiyu's eyes at this moment have a bit of heartache and a bit of confusion.
However, it only took a moment for a smile to appear on his face again, and he continued to wave and said.
"Come here, come closer."
So, Zhu Jianji took two more steps forward and came to Zhu Qiyu. Then, he felt a broad palm touching the top of his head.
"I didn't notice that Brother Ji is a lot taller..."
Then, before Zhu Jianji could react, two more hands appeared on his waist, and they exerted force at the same time. By the time he reacted, he was already being held on his knees.
Looking up at his father who was close to Chi Chi, Zhu Jianji's eyes showed a trace of confusion, mixed with a trace of fear, but at the same time, he felt inexplicably a little happy in his heart.
You know, although Zhu Qiyu loves Zhu Jianji very much, this kind of love is rarely shown.
At least, when in front of Zhu Jianji, although Zhu Qiyu has a gentle attitude most of the time, such a close gesture usually only happens to Sister Hui. For Brother Ji, Said, but very few times.
Of course, this is also related to the two children's own personalities and the environment in which they grew up. Sister Hui'er is outgoing and clingy. She likes to hang on her body as a pendant since she was a child, but Brother Ji's personality is much calmer. He is more polite, and he is a boy, so naturally he will not have such an opportunity.
"My father went to the primary school today to watch you study."
Holding Brother Ji in his arms, Zhu Qiyu tried his best to sound gentle and spoke.
"Father has also seen what happened in the school."
Zhu Qiyu could feel that Brother Ji's body was a little stiff, but he still kept a calm tone and continued.
"You also saw my father at that time, right?"
The little man in his arms struggled for a moment, so Zhu Qiyu hesitated for a moment, then let go of his hand and let him slide from his knees to the ground.
Zhu Jianji stood on the ground with his head lowered, and for some reason, his voice sounded a bit crying as he spoke in a low voice.
"Father, Brother Ji knows that he was wrong..."
Zhu Qiyu sighed, reached out and rubbed the child's head soothingly, and said.
"Brother Ji is an elder brother. If my sister is beaten, it is the brother's duty to protect her. This is a good thing and not wrong."
"But……"
Zhu Jianji still lowered his head and held his two small hands tightly, as if he wanted to say something.
However, after waiting for a long time, he still didn't say anything, but his nasal voice became heavier and heavier, which showed the complexity of the child's inner emotions.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Qiyu also felt complicated in his heart. His hand slowly moved down and gently pressed on Zhu Jianji's shoulder. His voice became softer and gentler as he spoke.
"It's not wrong to want to please my father!"
