Chapter 131 The Prince’s Options
Zhu Yuanzhang's tone was calm, without the emperor's aura, nor the usual strength, just like an old father. He spoke eloquently for the prince and said: "Being an emperor is never a simple matter. Each minister has his own thoughts. Employing people is a great science. It is easy to say that you should be close to virtuous ministers and far away from villains. But what is a virtuous person? Why do you call me a villain? But it is a university question that is hard to figure out in a lifetime. Fang Xiaoru is a disciple of Song Lian. He is upright and honest, and never takes anything rashly. In the secretary's prison, everything he does is very appropriate, and there is nothing to criticize. When I returned home, I was just an old wife. Scholars came to invite me to banquets, but I never refused. She lectured all day long, tirelessly."
"Whenever there is an grievance against someone, Fang Xiaoru will definitely change it after three requests."
"Isn't such a person a wise minister?"
"What's the matter? The person in charge of the government can get everything he wants, and he can do the most things with the least money. Whether he is in charge of the army or the official administration, he has means and a long-term vision. He can be the minister of the country. He is also your sister-in-law. Not only The minister of humerus in the imperial court is also the minister of Zhujiazhushi. Isn't he a wise minister?"
"However, He Xi has been secretly cultivating generals and placing them in the army many times in Beijing for his own selfish reasons. Ye Chen is the most typical of them. I dare to say that in Ye Chen's army, my words are not as effective as He Xi's. Moreover, as for Liaodong, He Xi's influence is deep-rooted. It is true to say that he cultivated party members and had evil intentions. And what did Fang Xiaoru say in front of you? I won't mention it. Threatening the emperor with his ministers. In my opinion, punishing the nine clans is an easy task. .”
"These are all virtuous ministers, but villains don't dare to do this, at least they don't dare to do it in front of me."
"Since ancient times, wise ministers are difficult to use, but villains are easy to use."
What is a villain? It is the evil of the king.
For the sake of their own glory and wealth, they have no bottom line to meet the king. They have no achievements in politics and have no independent opinions. In order to meet the king, they will do anything without a bottom line. Most of these people are not very capable.
Although, many villains are also very talented. But generally speaking, talented people are very confident and have their own persistence. Even when facing the emperor, they cannot completely give up their self-esteem and principles.
The villain did not have enough talent to rely on, so he used his obedience in exchange for more trust from the emperor.
Of course, that kind of talent is very talented but has no bottom line. Those who have no sense of shame and no self-respect and self-love are the best in the world of villains.
Nowadays, Fang Xiaoru did not know what he did and violated the prince's taboo, but Fang Xiaoru still did it because he felt that this was the only way to save Ming Dynasty from falling into crisis. And when He Xi reached out to the army, did he think Zhu Yuanzhang wouldn't know?
Of course not, and He Xi felt that the reform could not be completely without military support. Even if Zhu Yuanzhang knew about it, he would have a way to deal with it.
Both of them are ministers who have their own principles and trust. They can be said to be virtuous ministers, but they also have an impact on the imperial power. On the contrary, using a villain has no psychological burden at all. Use it however you want.
The prince said: "Father, how do you think it should be used?"
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled softly and said, "I think, will you just listen to what I think?"
The prince was speechless.
Zhu Yuanzhang said seriously: "Do you know what Fang Xiaoru has done during this period? I don't think you know what he did under the guise of your name. The reason why I didn't move him is because I left it to you. .”
"Now there are three roads to the Ming Dynasty. First, you support He Xi and kill Fang Xiaoru. Fang Xiaoru wants to kill the ten tribes, so just make it happen. Let the scholars in the world stop thinking wildly. The future of the Ming Dynasty will be the new law. Second, you If you support Fang Xiaoru, then you have to kill He Xi and let Fang Xiaoru take charge of the political affairs. However, although Fang Xiaoru is a bit stubborn, he is not ignorant of flexibility. I think he will definitely abolish him and use his own methods. However, when the time comes, he will I don’t know what the name is. The third option is the worst option.”
"You balance the two sides and seem to have everything covered. In fact, it is not the case. Instead, the struggle between the two parties will last for a long time, such as the struggle between the Niu and Li factions in the Tang Dynasty, and the struggle between the old and new parties in the Northern Song Dynasty. When the time comes, it will be either one or the other, otherwise we will attack with the sound of drums and put the imperial court on hold. He ignored the great political affairs. It even lasted for several dynasties, and the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty was probably due to this. My son has learned from it."
After listening to Zhu Yuanzhang's words, the prince found out that the very complicated situation was clearly analyzed by Zhu Yuanzhang in a few words. The prince felt relieved, but he became more and more at a loss what to do. The prince was unwilling to choose any of these three paths.
Zhu Yuanzhang saw the confusion in the prince's eyes, sighed and said, "Go away. Think about it."
Zhu Yuanzhang thought to himself: "Time is running out."
Zhu Yuanzhang could feel the weakness of his body more and more. What he said to the prince before was true. Historically, Zhu Yuanzhang lived until the thirty-first year of Hongwu, and now it is the twenty-fifth year of Hongwu. Logically speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang still has six years left.
But Zhu Yuanzhang felt his weakness and powerlessness. He has reached the point where he can no longer accept old age.
Can you really live another six years?
In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang was critically ill several times in the last years of Hongwu. They all snatched a life from the gate of hell. Now if there is any accident, it is normal for him to leave early.
Zhu Yuanzhang, who was accustomed to seeing life and death, also looked down upon his own life and death. He said he didn't care at all, which was a lie. But to say how much you care is not true.
Zhu Yuanzhang really wanted to pave the way for the prince and stabilize the situation for the prince while he still had time and ability, so that the prince could take over. The political situation of Ming Dynasty remained stable and continued to move forward.
He didn't want to change the prince unless he had to.
However, Zhu Yuanzhang could not leave an unstable prince behind, so Zhu Yuanzhang did not have much time left, and there was not much time left for the prince. If the prince does not make up his mind, then Zhu Yuanzhang must make a major adjustment in the last period of his life.
Zhu Yuanzhang did not say this. But the prince also knew.
In the past two years, the prince has been using various methods to resist Zhu Yuanzhang's will. Although Zhu Yuanzhang spoke harmoniously, his determination was not reduced by half.
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The prince returned to the East Palace.
He sat in front of his desk, reading the memorials related to various aspects of steam engines in front of him until late into the night. In fact, these words only passed in front of the prince's eyes and did not enter his heart much. There was always a fierce battle in the prince's heart.
All kinds of ideas are like a revolving lantern. You finish singing and I will take the stage. The prince has been wondering.
At some point, the prince put his forehead with his hands and fell into sleep.
The dream was hazy and many things were unclear. Come for no reason, go for no reason.
Suddenly, the prince found himself sitting on the high hall, with a person kneeling in front of him. It was none other than Fang Xiaoru. Fang Xiaoru was covered in blood. Even when he was kneeling on the ground, he looked iron-clad. He said sternly: "You are a fool, you have deviated from the way of the saints. You are going against the grain and upholding justice for the world. What's the point of punishing the nine tribes? You might as well punish the ten tribes."
The prince shook his head desperately and said, "No, no, no."
This is his true emotion.
The relationship between the prince and Song Lian is very good, it is a true master-disciple relationship. As Zhu Yuanzhang said, Fang Xiaoru could not find any fault in his knowledge and personal ethics. Even if we don’t mention Song Lian’s teacher-student relationship, simply speaking, after so many years of cooperation between the prince and Fang Xiaoru, many ideas were not only Fang Xiaoru’s ideas, but also the prince’s ideas. How could the prince abandon Fang Xiaoru and kill him.
This is something the prince can never do. 33
The scene before the prince's dream suddenly changed. He saw two people, one big and one small, dressed in white, with their backs to him. He seemed to be crying.
The prince walked over from behind, and the two people, the older one and the younger one, suddenly turned around and it was no one else. It was He Yuansi, the son of Princess Anqing and He Xi.
The two of them were crying until their tears were red, their faces were pale, and there was a kind of hatred in their eyes.
The prince was startled and asked: "Little sister, what's wrong with you?"
Princess Anqing's tone was full of hatred and she said, "What's wrong with me? Don't you know?"
Some people died, but not completely...
