Zhu Gaoxu has a little follower.
His Highness Taisun in the past is now the King of North America, Zhu Zhanji.
There was no way, this was Emperor Yongle's order, and Zhu Gaoxu couldn't refuse.
In addition, the uncle and nephew had resolved their grievances before, so Zhu Gaoxu could only let it go.
Especially when reviewing memorials, Zhu Zhanji didn't blink an eye.
He wanted to really see how his second uncle governed the country, and reviewing the memorials was undoubtedly the best opportunity to learn.
Who would be happy to have such a person staring at you all the time?
Zhu Gaoxu was so messed up by Zhu Zhanji that he no longer had the intention to review the memorial and threw it directly to his grandson Zhu Zhanhe.
"My eldest nephew, what do you want to learn?"
"Second uncle, learn to govern the country!"
Zhu Zhanji answered honestly, looking like a good student.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Gaoxu was helpless.
It was great that you had this awareness back then. Do I still need to sit on this dragon throne?
"Do you have any questions? Ask them boldly!"
"Second uncle, I heard that you are planning to attack the scholar!"
Zhu Zhanji spoke tentatively, "What should we do if scholars boycott the imperial court in the future? Who will the emperor use to govern the world?"
"Haha." Zhu Gaoxu smiled, "There are many people in this world who want to get promoted and make a fortune."
"Scholars are shameless, righteous and moral on the surface, but they do all kinds of dirty things secretly. No matter how glamorous they look, they can't hide their dirty inside!"
"The reason why scholars have the confidence to commit corruption and accept bribes and annex land is because of what you just said, in addition to their fame and privileges."
"In their eyes, no matter how hard they try, the court cannot do without scholars, and the emperor also needs scholars to be their herdsmen, right?"
Zhu Zhanji nodded, that was indeed the case.
After all, without scholars, how could the emperor and the prince govern the world and maintain a stable position?
This is what Zhu Zhanji really doesn't understand.
Even if this second uncle is prepared for everything, he has the absolute strength to suppress the gentry and gentry in the world.
But acting like this is tantamount to pushing the gentry and the gentry to be opposed to the imperial court and to him, the new emperor!
At that time, Emperor Taizu Gao was so decisive in his killing. He concocted several major bloody cases and killed all the disobedient scholars. However, in the end, Emperor Taizu established a national policy of giving preferential treatment to scholars, and he also It is not to cater to the gentry and scholars and to be loyal to the court!
No matter how awesome you Zhu Gaoxu is, can you still be better than Emperor Taizu Gao?
"My eldest nephew, what do you think is the fundamental reason for the long-lasting prosperity of Confucianism?"
"Well, it should be Confucian ideas, which will help the dynasty stabilize its rule!"
Zhu Zhanji is also a cultural person after all, so he gave the answer quickly.
"That's right!" Zhu Gaoxu nodded, "In the past, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty deposed hundreds of schools of thought and only respected Confucianism because Confucianism provided the court with a reasonable doctrine for governing the people. Once the courts of all dynasties adopted Confucianism to govern the country, they would become like Confucianism. The symbiosis is the so-called emperor and the scholar-bureaucrats sharing the world."
Zhu Zhanji was stunned when he heard this, and his face looked a little unhappy.
He felt that his outlook on life was gradually beginning to fall apart.
Since he was a child, Zhu Zhanji was exposed to Confucianism.
After all, his father, the former crown prince Zhu Gaochi, was a gentle, intellectual and honest gentleman.
Naturally, it was inevitable for him to study Confucianism since he was a child, and he was also trained and taught by a group of great Confucians.
But now, his second uncle told him that Confucianism was not actually that great, and that it was essentially about maximizing interests.
Only Confucianism was cleverly tied to the royal family through loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness, allowing the royal family and scholar-bureaucrats to form a symbiotic relationship. Only then could it stand out from the hundreds of schools of thought in the pre-Qin period, and it has been passed down to this day!
Doesn’t that mean that Confucianism is not that advanced, but is just a tool for emperors to serve the court?
This kind of impact is not small!
"My nephew, think about it again, why does the imperial court want to restrict people's thoughts?"
"Confining people's thoughts?" Zhu Zhanji took a breath of cold air.
"That's right." Zhu Gaoxu gave a few examples casually, "For example, Emperor Taizu Gao deleted the book "Mencius", such as the imperial court implemented a strict system of household stickers and road guides, and another example was the adoption of Confucianism's influence between heaven and man, the divine right of kings, etc. This statement also fools the people!"
These examples are all facts, and they are strong evidence that the court is fooling the people!
"The people are all stupid. Only by doing this can the dynasty rule be long-lasting and peaceful!"
Zhu Zhanji said this very euphemistically. In fact, he really wanted to say that if he didn't fool the people, how could the old Zhu family be able to secure this position?
There is nothing special about your old Zhu family. You are just ordinary people like us. If this is the case, why can you, the Zhu family, sit firmly on the throne and enjoy the glory and wealth from generation to generation?
If the people of the world really have such dangerous thoughts, the world will be in chaos!
Combined with the new policy of sharing tenants into acres, Zhu Zhanji had already vaguely guessed what Zhu Gaoxu wanted to do.
He abolished academic privileges and preferential treatment in imperial examinations for scholars, but he did not worry at all that there would be no one available in the court!
Then there is only one possibility left!
The prince, who is about to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor, wants to abolish the policy of obscuring the people and enlighten the people of the world!
"Second uncle, all dynasties have attached great importance to farming and mulberry crops. Since ancient times, people have been self-sufficient and will never stray far from their hometown in the countryside."
"In this way, the common people only live in their own living environment, without contact with the outside world, and cannot see the outside world. Naturally, they will not have other thoughts. This will naturally be conducive to the long-term stability of the dynasty!"
"The reason why scholars in the countryside can distinguish right from wrong is not only because they read books, but also because scholars enjoy privileges and can travel freely around the world without being restricted by road guides. They can read thousands of books and travel thousands of miles. Their knowledge is far beyond that of ordinary people. "
"But the more you see, the more you will know, and the thoughts and desires in your heart will also increase. The more desires, the more you want, and ambition and desire will breed. If all the people in the world would think like scholars, If you want so much, can the world satisfy so many people?"
"In other words, if the people's wisdom is really enlightened, then who will be willing to work hard to cultivate the fields? Who doesn't want to be free and happy, to be a high-ranking official, or to be a wealthy businessman with fine clothes and fine food? "
"Human nature is greedy and its desires are hard to satisfy. If my second uncle really wants to enlighten the people's wisdom, I'm afraid the world will be in chaos!"
Zhu Zhanji persuaded him earnestly, but Zhu Gaoxu sneered after hearing this.
"Your statement is too strong to make sense!"
“If the people can have enough food and clothing and live a good life, who would be willing to rebel and cause chaos?”
"Besides, the royal family has firm control over the military and soldiers. Are they still afraid of those clowns rebelling?"
"Because of unfounded fears, they use Confucianism to fool the people and implement policies to fool the people. This is the real joke!"
"The reason why my old Zhu family can become the masters of this world is because Emperor Taizu Gao expelled the Tartars and restored China, rather than relying on these stupid policies to deceive the people. This is the magnanimity and ambition that an emperor and royal family should have. !”
"My eldest nephew, you are still too petty. You must change this!"
Zhu Zhanji: "!!!"
