In June 1364, since Zhu Yuanzhang wiped out Chen Youliang's old troops, he has not gone out to fight, but has quietly settled in the fields to calm the people.
On this day, Zhu Yuanzhang had a rare free time, so he called his sons over in the backyard. When Zhu Biao and Song Lian came over after asking for leave, they saw Lao Zhu sitting on a stool and reading "The Doctrine of the Mean". The brothers beside him were as trembling as quails. Stand aside.
Zhu Biao smiled, walked to Zhu Yuanzhang's left side and bent down to salute, "My son, I pay homage to my father. My father is in a good mood today!"
"Biao'er is here. It's rare for us to have some free time today, so I'll leave some trivial matters to Li Shanchang and the others!
"It seems that the father is going to test his sons?"
"Hahaha, yes, reading is very important. We couldn't afford to learn it when we were young. Over the years, even during the war, we asked our husband to teach us how to read.
Zhu Biao bowed his hands to Lao Zhu, and then retreated to the far left of the younger brothers in an orderly manner.
He knew that what Lao Zhu said was not a lie. Most people knew that Zhu Yuanzhang came from a poor family. He herded cattle and sheep, worked as a monk, and begged. Later, he established the Ming Dynasty through peasant uprisings, but they didn't know much about his love of reading. few.
In fact, when he was a child, he attended a private school for several months. He was "a good student and very smart." However, he eventually dropped out of school due to lack of money and had to work for the landlord to herd cattle and sheep.
After his parents died, he wandered around Huaixi begging. The trip to Huaixi opened Zhu Yuanzhang's horizons. He returned to the monastery at the age of 17 and "became determined to study diligently" and studied Buddhist scriptures with several old monks. Because of his shallow foundation and poor foundation, he couldn't read some books or didn't fully understand them, so he humbly asked for advice from knowledgeable people.
After participating in the peasant uprising, a group of Confucian scholars such as Li Shanchang, Feng Guoyong, Tao An, Xia Yu, Zhu Sheng, Zhu Xiao, Liu Ji, etc. came to join him. They cited classics, talked about the past and the present, helped him analyze the situation, make suggestions, and make Zhu Yuanzhang further understood the importance of reading.
Therefore, he studied harder and "at that time he sought Confucianism and asked questions." Everywhere he went, he tried to recruit Confucian scholars and stayed in the shogunate, where they stayed with him day and night, giving lectures on classics and history.
At the same time, "a minister was ordered to visit the ancient books and find them in a secret house." Get up early and go to bed late every day, squeezing in time to read.
After he ascended the throne, he specially set up Wenyuan Pavilion to the east of Fengtian Gate in the capital, "to store all ancient and modern books and to install university scholars."
After handling his official duties, he often took the time to go there, "ordering the great scholars to read the classics and history, reviewing them by himself, and forgetting to be tired all day long."
Zhu Biao was about to be asked a question by his father, but Zhu Biao didn't care. Han Chuang had studied hard for five years and was taught by the best teachers. According to Song Lian's words, with his current talent and learning, there would be no problem in becoming a Jinshi.
But the younger brothers on the side couldn't help it. While Zhu Yuanzhang was reading, he looked at his brother eagerly, with tears about to flow out of his little eyes.
Zhu Di and Zhu Xi are still young. They have just entered school and will not be beaten even if they fail to answer the questions. However, Zhu Xi and Zhu Xi cannot run away.
I think my father must have called me here specifically to set an example for Zhu Di and Zhu Xi.
As for calling Zhu Xi and Zhu Xi, the purpose is to show the two little ones the consequences of not studying.
Biao'er, please tell us, destiny is called nature, willfulness is called Tao, and cultivating the Tao is called teaching. The Tao cannot be separated for a moment, but it is not the Tao. Therefore, a gentleman should be wary of what he does not see, and be afraid of what he does not hear. Don't see what is hidden, don't show what is insignificant, so a gentleman should be careful about his independence... The great foundation of the world; harmony is the great way of the world. To achieve neutrality, the heaven will have its place and all things will be nurtured.
Zhu Biao took a step forward and replied: What God has given to humans is nature, following nature is Tao, and following Tao to cultivate oneself is teaching.
Tao cannot be left for a moment, but what is left is not Tao. Therefore, a gentleman must be cautious where no one can see him, and he must be fearful and reverent where no one can hear him.
Even when you are hidden, you will be discovered, and even the smallest details will be exposed. Therefore, a gentleman should be cautious when he is alone. The emotions of joy, anger, sorrow and joy are not expressed, this is called Zhong. Exposed but consistent with the law, this is called harmony.
Zhong is the most fundamental thing in the world, and harmony is the law that the world follows. When neutrality is achieved, heaven and earth will return to their respective places, and all things will grow and develop!
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with satisfaction, feeling that even that old guy Li Shanchang couldn't speak as well and thoroughly as his son. Who said that our old Zhu family can't produce the seeds of reading?
"Biao'er said it well! Yesterday, Tang He shipped a lot of good things and put them in the warehouse. You can go in and pick out whatever you want!"
Then he turned to look at Zhu Xi and Zhu Xi, "We don't expect you two to be able to compare with your elder brother, and we don't need "The Doctrine of the Mean" to make it difficult for you. Let's test your Analects!"
There is no need to go into details about the process. The two brothers were struggling to join forces, and neither of them had confidence. I am afraid that they have forgotten everything they knew...
