One night at the end of the fifteenth year of Hongwu's reign, Song Lian, who had been recovering from illness for more than a year, could not survive the harsh winter. Even if the red charcoal given by the palace was burned in his bed, he could not keep it. This is the founder of the country.
That night, Zhu Biao was gently shaken awake by his princess. He sat up with a frown and a sullen face. There had been a lot of things in the court in the past two months, and there was always bad news coming from the Japanese silver mines. He often had to stay up late. It was very late and he was somewhat sleep deprived.
Chang Luohua took the scented tea handed by the palace maid and took a sip. She felt that the temperature was suitable before giving it to her husband. Zhu Biao took a sip, then reached out and rubbed his eyes: "It's okay, just say it."
"News just came from the Song Mansion that the master is suddenly seriously ill. The imperial doctor also said that there is no cure. Should I go and see him off?"
Zhu Biao changed from rubbing his eyes to covering his face with his palms. Chang Luohua persuaded him softly: "My master is already seventy-two years old this year. I live a long life, so I don't need to be too sad."
Zhu Biao calmed down for a while, then stood up silently and let the palace maid dress him. After putting on his clothes, he said: "The Holy One has just rested at this time, so there is no need to be alarmed. I will report it when I get up early."
Liu Jin responded and went back to make arrangements. As for the so-called humbleness, Song Lian was just a minister to the emperor. In the past two years, there were not many people with higher grades than Song Lian who had contributed to the founding of the country. Except for Li Zhen, who was his brother-in-law, none of them had ever worked for the emperor.
For Zhu Biao, in addition to the emperor and his ministers, Song Lian was also his mentor. He had the kindness to preach and resolve doubts, so he had to pay his respects and bury him.
What's more, in addition to matters of etiquette and justice, Song Lian had worked hard for him over the years. He could have begged for his bones and returned to his hometown to take care of himself seven or eight years ago. However, in order to stabilize the Imperial College, he insisted on staying in the capital despite his old age and frailty.
You must know that Song Lian has long been successful and famous. He is a figure who can be remembered in history based on his literary classics and historical achievements. He does not lack the experience of serving as an official in the past few years. It can be seen that the old man is still struggling in his old age just to support one more person. Let Zhu Biao cultivate more useful officials and students for him.
As soon as I stepped out of the palace gate, I saw snow and sand hitting my face, and the cold wind was biting. Not far away was the prepared carriage, with white tiger skin seats and a stove burning inside. However, due to the rush and the large space inside the carriage, the temperature was still very low.
Liu Jin quickly arranged the Wujin Qilin foot stove at the feet of His Highness, and placed several hand stoves on the backrest to ensure that at least His Highness would not get cold.
Zhu Biao stared blankly at the candlelight burning in the car. He was not too sad. After all, no one dies. At this age, the master was already considered to be in mourning. He just felt a little powerless inexplicably. It also felt that people in the previous era were really sad. It's all gone.
I can't help but think of my father, the emperor, and my empress. The emperor is just fine. After all, history has proven that he is strong and long-lived, but the empress is not.
The car sped along after exiting Chengtian Gate, with Jinwu Guards clearing the way. The Soldiers and Horses Division, who had received the news long ago, removed the curfew fences set up on the street.
By the time Zhu Biao arrived at the Song Mansion, Song Lian was already sweating profusely and exhausted. He was holding his last breath with precious ginseng. Zhu Biao ignored the people who were bowing and kowtowing all the way, and just took off his cloak before entering the bed. , lest the cold air from above hit the Master.
Seeing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had finally arrived, Song Lian became slightly more energetic. He tried his best to swallow the ginseng soup in his mouth, and then signaled the imperial doctor to give him acupuncture so that he could make arrangements for his funeral.
Zhu Biao sat in front of the couch and held his hand that had become thinner. The palm of his hand was cold but very smooth. Zhu Biao didn't know how to speak for a moment.
Song Lian's eyes were glued to Zhu Biao's face, looking at his sad expression, he smiled and said: "Your Majesty...Your Majesty, have you not had a good rest these days? You should rest more and put the country's foundation first..."
Zhu Biao responded: "Yes, listen to Master..."
As the imperial doctor withdrew after administering the injection, Song Lian's spirit obviously perked up, but Zhu Biao could feel that the hand he held was getting colder, as if it was colder than the snow outside.
"There is nothing to worry about in the old minister's family. His Highness should not do more promotions out of concern for the old minister. Song Zan is not an official, so he can barely teach in the Imperial College."
"Your Majesty, your Majesty, knows everything about the affairs of the court. I have no teachers for a long time. As a master, you should be more tolerant. Your Majesty founded the country and was a great hero. Although he governed the world with heavy laws, all the common people in the world are favored by him. , and no one dares to say anything different.”
"After Your Highness inherits the great cause in the future, he will extend his favor to officials, civilians, craftsmen, merchants, and people from other vassals. He will stop pioneering, cherish the people's strength and promote reproduction...
"We must cultivate our mind and nature, and be virtuous and conduct ourselves. This is the greatest treasure of human beings. There is a saint in our heart. Why bother admiring others? If we cultivate our heart, we can be enlightened and profound... If we keep a clear mind and overcome the hypocrisy of others, we can be in harmony with the world. To move together, to be bright with the sun and the moon, to move in parallel with the four seasons, to realize the way of a gentleman."
Zhu Biao nodded from time to time, and Song Lian's voice gradually became quieter. Finally, he passed away peacefully under the watchful eyes of all the disciples and family members. The already suppressed sobs in the room gradually became louder.
Zhu Biao exhaled and gently put Master Song's hand back into the quilt. When he was young, Zhu Biao was away fighting all year round. Apart from his own mother, Master Song was the one who stayed with him the longest.
Zhu Biao's ability today is absolutely inseparable from the earnest teachings of the old master. When he first came here, he looked down on the old classics. It was Song Lian who made him realize the universe and everything in it. In it, you can ask for anything.
The Song Mansion was busy until early in the morning, and news came from the palace that the Holy Emperor had announced his resignation from the court for three days. Not long after, eunuchs came to announce the decree in memory. The last sentence was, "I have served me for twenty-three years, and there is not a single word that is false. There is no difference in criticizing a person's shortcomings. It is not just a gentleman, but a virtuous one!"
These are Zhu Yuanzhang's final words to his old ministers. They are not limited to gentlemen, but like the ancient sages, they include his gratitude for teaching the prince.
In this way, the officials of the Ministry of Rites must draft a good posthumous title for him to express his sorrow and honor.
On the next day, the imperial court decreed that Song Lian's grandfather was posthumously granted the titles of Yazhong Doctor and Taichang Shaoqing, his father was Jiayi Doctor and Minister of Rites, and his grandmother and mother were both posthumously granted the title of Shuren.
As for Song Lian himself, he went to the Imperial Academy to offer wine to Dr. Ronglu, who was in charge of the ministerial affairs, and was given the title of Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, and was given the posthumous title Wenduan of the Jin Dynasty.
The Ministry of Rites drafted the posthumous title and sent it to Lao Zhu. The emperor himself circled Xian and Duan, and ordered them to be sent to the prince. Both of them are undoubtedly beautiful posthumous titles.
Being knowledgeable and versatile is called Xian, and observing etiquette and upholding righteousness is called Duan. The word "Xian" also contains the meaning that although one is versatile, it does not lead to the Great Way.
It cannot be said that it is wrong. The old master is indeed not good at practical matters and can help the situation and the people. However, as a disciple, Zhu Biao must give the master a higher level when he has the right to make decisions.
Being respectful to oneself and showing dignity is called Duan; being honest and quiet is called Duan; observing etiquette and respecting oneself is called Duan, so good!
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In the sixteenth year of Hongwu, Zhu Biao used the excuse of repairing the ancestral mausoleums in his hometown to spend a huge sum of money on medicine and human body research. Today, there are many Japanese slaves there who were injured and injured due to embankment construction, mining and land reclamation...
With the crazy mining of Japan's minerals, the Ming Dynasty's gold and silver reserves were full, and the banknotes issued became more stable, and many merchants in the surrounding vassal countries began to use them.
The crops brought back from overseas in the past few years have also been cultivated and grown on a larger scale through trial cultivation, seed selection and other methods. Of course, they are mainly grown on barren land and mountains. At present, they are mainly grown as supplementary grains or vegetables.
Judging from the current situation, people in the Central Plains and Jiangnan areas are unwilling to try to grow these, and prefer to grow more economic crops. The court is not able to enforce them, so they can only cultivate and domesticate them in official fields.
Liaodong, North Korea and other places may be where they want to exert their efforts.
As several small vassal states in Southwest Nanyang annexed their territory, the imperial court's control of the frontiers began to become more and more difficult. Zhu Biao knew that this had reached the limit of the times. In the absence of telegrams, in many cases There will be no major changes in the means policy.
Fortunately, Zhu Biao now has enough money to invest in scientific research projects that have not seen any results for decades or hundreds of years, with steam and electricity as the core goals.
………………(End of this chapter)
