It was late at night, but there was light coming out of an ordinary room in the capital. The flickering candles flickered up and down, reflecting the faces of several angry middle-aged men sitting around the room.
"The letter "Donggong Chuge Lecture Notes" was retained."
"Although His Majesty is in the prime of his life, he was unwilling to accept a concubine at first. Now he has only an only son and has repeatedly delayed the time for the East Palace to give lectures! In two or three months, His Highness will be eight years old. Even for ordinary people at this age, Children, it’s time for you to become enlightened!”
"That's right! Taizu said back then: The son of the emperor is different from the son of the public official, scholar and common man. The son of the public minister, scholar and common man is related to the prosperity and decline of the family, while the son of the emperor is related to the safety of the world. If you inherit the weight of the master's weapon, you will bear the responsibility of the world. Yes. Your Majesty’s family affairs are also state affairs. How can you miss such a major event as studying in the East Palace because of your love for your son?!”
"Yes! I'll play it again later! I'll play it again later!"
…
The area around the East Palace's Xiefang Hall was also pitch black.
In the darkness, as the palace door opened with a creak, a lantern floated outward.
"Where are we going?" A seven or eight-year-old child asked the old eunuch holding his hand.
"Go and see your father. Your Majesty is overworked and has fallen ill."
"What's happened recently? Are you making your father so worried?"
The old eunuch continued to speak with his voice: "There are some annoying people in the outer court. They want to force your father to make you study and study from early in the morning to late at night. Those days are boring and hard. But they are not like your father. The emperor loves you so much."
"Forcing...the Emperor?"
In the past, these were historical terms to him, but now they all really appear around him.
The old eunuch couldn't explain in a few words who could force the emperor. He just sighed and said, "You will understand when your highness grows up."
The person who spoke was Liu Jin.
After walking for a long time, Zhu Houzhao, who had small hands and feet, was also a little out of breath. Especially at night, the wind blew so hard that he couldn't keep his eyes open.
The Qianqing Palace was brightly lit, but there was no movement. The eunuchs and maids who walked by even walked lightly.
Before he even reached the dragon bed, he heard a cough.
Zhu Houzhao got a look of "Go in" from Liu Jin. He also recalled the etiquette in the TV series before walking in.
"My son, please see your father."
"Zhao'er...?" The emperor's hand in the yellow sleeve stretched out in the direction of his son.
Zhu Houzhao was a little curious and looked up at the emperor.
I noticed that he had faintly dark bags under his eyes, but his lips were white. Judging from his facial features, he was on the thin side, and his square face made it difficult to smile.
He also knows history. According to his own age, the emperor is probably not yet thirty, which is really a sin.
Not to mention that this man is his father, even if he bumps into him on the road, he will still feel some sympathy.
"Father..." Zhu Houzhao squeezed the emperor's hand. It was somewhat cold, and his heart was always pinched.
"Father, it's okay. Father just misses you." The emperor tilted his head and smiled at his son as hard as he could, his eyes full of doting.
Then he took a long, labored breath and looked up at the people in the room, "Everyone, please go down. I'll talk to the prince."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After everyone retreated.
The emperor touched the prince's little hand and said in a voice as weak as a gossamer: "When I was a child, I would lie next to my father like you. At that time, I always thought that it would be great if my father could play with me for a while. .”
"Then...has Grandpa Huang played with Father?"
The emperor was stunned for a while, as if he was remembering or recovering his strength.
"No." He shook his head and said, "So now I want to play with my emperor... Unfortunately, the state affairs are busy, and my body can't support it..."
These words made Zhu Houzhao feel so sad.
Why does an emperor act like this?
"I can always stay with my father," he said.
The emperor smiled and said, "Your Majesty also wants to study."
Zhu Houzhao suddenly thought of what Liu Jin said to him on the way here.
"I heard that the ministers in the outer court wanted their sons to learn calligraphy and study, which made the father depressed. But has the father actually agreed in his heart?"
"How can a father not let his son study?" The emperor said slowly, "It's just that... the emperor is too young and is still a child. They can force me, but they should not force you."
It is difficult for Zhu Houzhao to say that he is not a good father. Although it is a bit weak.
As for reading, Zhu Houzhao has no objection and will even take the initiative to read. He cannot be fluent in ancient Chinese and write calligraphy like a dog crawling. In the end, I don’t understand why I asked eunuchs to criticize celebrities. What kind of emperor do I think I am?
But in fact, what the ministers said about reading was probably talking about the learning of saints, warning the prince over and over again that he could not do this or do that, otherwise he would be a coward and would be reviled by history.
It would be boring to follow the path of the disciples of these saints and turn yourself into a wood carving and clay sculpture.
It is understandable that they want to prevent the prince from becoming a coward without learning and skills, but the rough method is actually to force you to obey.
This emperor can only satisfy them if he is a robot programmed with Confucian values.
After they are satisfied with the key, will the world really be peaceful and the people really prosperous?
"What do you want, Father?"
The emperor touched his son's head and said, "I think we'll wait until winter. At least until next spring when the weather gets warmer. Your Majesty, please spend more time with me."
Zhu Houzhao asked: "Then, will the ministers in the outer court agree?"
Hongzhi didn't expect that his such a young son would ask this question.
He suddenly felt a little heartache,
Zhao'er was the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, his only son. What could have planted the seed of 'fear of disapproval from foreign ministers' in such a young child's heart?
"Ahem."
"Father?"
"I'm fine." The emperor didn't want to infect his son with his emotions, but he still forced a smile, "Let's do this. I will make an agreement with the emperor, and I will definitely help you do this, okay?"
Zhu Houzhao didn't expect that the emperor still had such playful intentions.
"Okay. Then I will listen to my father."
"Yes." The emperor's mood calmed down a lot. He was a little tired after talking so much, and then he became a little tired.
Zhu Houzhao exited Nuange at the right time.
But I still can’t let go of what happened tonight.
He glanced at the white-haired father-in-law who sent him out.
"Your Highness." This person is Xiao Jing, who has served Emperor Hongzhi for many years.
"Eunuch Xiao, are there many memorials urging me to study recently?"
"Your Highness asked, and I dare not refuse to answer. It's just a memorial, related to national affairs, and I..." He smiled sheepishly, "I don't know."
"Where is the memorial?"
"In the imperial case."
"Okay, then Eunuch Xiao, let's go."
It's normal for these eunuchs not to be able to touch Zuo Shu, but he can do it.
Anyway, Emperor Hongzhi would not and would not do anything to him.
At any other time, this would have been a grave sin.
Zhu Houzhao didn't care about that and went to the imperial court. He was small and couldn't reach it, so he climbed onto the dragon throne.
On the desk are arranged folds, the four treasures of the study are gathered together, and good rice paper is also placed.
Only one memorial was thrown aside,
Traditional Chinese characters can only be roughly recognized, and ancient people wrote articles without punctuation marks, making it difficult to recognize them. But it’s not that I can’t read it.
Especially this name, Zhu Houzhao understood it at a glance: the East Palace came out of the cabinet to give lectures.
In serious history, ministers did engage in a long battle of wits and courage with the emperor over the education of Crown Prince Zhu Houzhao.
The education of the crown prince is also a huge problem in this era.
The emperor always prevented the crown prince from studying. There were at least two things that civil servants absolutely could not accept.
First, if the crown prince is not with the teachers, he will definitely be with the eunuchs all day long. The children will kiss whoever they play with, especially Zhu Houzhao who is seven years old.
If this continues, the prince will be closer to the eunuchs than to the civil servants. Every day that passes, the civil servants group will be further away from the core of decision-making in the future.
Secondly, the status of Imperial Master brings a great halo. If you keep blocking it, you are blocking the glory and wealth of many people.
However, Emperor Hongzhi's love for the crown prince was no less than Emperor Taizu's love for Prince Yiwen, or even more.
Studying is so hard and the children are so young, why would the emperor be willing?
In this way, contradictions are sown.
In the seventh year of Hongzhi, Ma Wensheng, Minister of the Ministry of War, first raised this issue and also developed an education plan and submitted it together.
The emperor's response was "I accept it". It's just very good, I agree.
But the words are smooth, but the body is very honest, and there are no concrete actions at all.
After half a year of delay, the minister discovered something was wrong. Isn’t this deceiving us?
Emperor Hongzhi, whose thoughts were pointed out, could only beg for mercy, saying that my son was too young.
So the ministers had no choice but to wait.
By the ninth year of Hongzhi, a group of civil servants couldn't stand it anymore, and Xu Pu, the chief minister of the cabinet, became anxious.
Emperor Hongzhi had no choice but to appoint eleven people headed by Xu Pu as East Palace officials.
But then I felt really uncomfortable, so I thought about it and discussed it again, how about you "still serve in your old positions"?
Wait until this year, and the memorials from the ministers will be like a flood that cannot be stopped.
Some ministers who are not well-minded and think they are very upright are increasingly unable to listen to what they say.
He even pointed it out directly: Emperor, you are too emotional and too willful on the issue of educating your son. You are really a fool. If this continues, you will be a fool who has cultivated another fool! That's fine, but your majesty is just such a prince. If he doesn't become a talented person, how will your majesty face your ancestors? Does your Majesty just want to let the prince keep playing around based on his temper, and then rule the country by playing around?
Zhu Houzhao clicked his tongue. Although he could only get a rough idea, he felt that the emperor should be angry.
What is the difference between this and swearing?
"Your Highness, it's time to return to the palace."
"knew."
On the way back, he still couldn't help but think about these things. Even though the Forbidden City was big, it couldn't make him happy.
Especially when you are in a different time and space five hundred years away, with no one to talk to, you can't help but feel lonely.
Such a night, such quietness,
Returning to the East Palace, looking at his spacious Xie Fang Palace, he said with emotion: "We live in a big house, but it's a bit too spacious."
Liu Jin was an expert at observing people's emotions and immediately replied: "If Your Highness feels empty, I will ask someone to move some things in tomorrow."
"Forget it." Zhu Houzhao fell down and lay on the bed, but he was not sleepy. In his mind was his father's helpless appearance. "If you think about it carefully, although the palace is empty, it is not easy to move around."
