"Father."
"Well, tell me, father, why are you unhappy?"
"My son..." Zhu Youtang hesitated and asked, "Father, don't you like your mother and concubine?"
Zhu Jian was stunned for a moment and laughed dumbly: "Did my mother-in-law tell you?"
"My mother didn't say it, I saw it myself. Father, you... don't like my mother like before." Zhu Youtang said unhappy, "You don't like me anymore either."
Zhu Jianshen couldn't help but smile, and then he became serious: "Do you know what an emperor is?"
"The king of a country." Zhu Youtang said.
"Yes, the king of a country." Zhu Jianshen nodded in approval and said, "Since he is the king of a country, he must naturally put state affairs first. A good husband and a good father together cannot compare to a good emperor!"
After a pause, he added: "Of course, my father still likes you, and he also likes your mother and concubine, but he is busy with official duties and doesn't have so much time."
Zhu Youtang retorted: "Father, if you have time, you should be diligent in going to Wan Yiniang's place. If you don't have time, you won't let Grandma Huang help you choose a concubine."
Zhu Jianshen's face darkened, and he snorted: "What a waste of time!"
"..." Zhu Youtang lowered his head, feeling aggrieved.
"Okay, you are seven years old, why are you still acting like a child? As the prince, you have to shoulder your own responsibilities." Zhu Jianshen said calmly, "Studying hard is what you have to do now."
"My son understands," Zhu Youtang nodded his head and asked hopefully, "Can my father teach me?"
"Of course!" Zhu Jianshen smiled slightly, "Let's go to the inner hall."
"Well, okay." The little guy was happy.
~
Zhu Jianshen wrote two big characters and said, "Tell Father, what do these two characters mean?"
"Checks and balances!"
“What are checks and balances?”
"Restrict each other and maintain balance." Zhu Youtang said confidently.
“What do checks and balances mean to an emperor?”
"This..." Zhu Youtang couldn't answer.
Zhu Jianshen smiled, but said: "You only know the surface."
"To put it bluntly, the significance of checks and balances to the emperor is to help the emperor secure his throne, and it is also a means for the emperor to hold the throne." Zhu Jianshen said, "The focus is not on control, but on balance. Control is a means, balance is the purpose..."
My son already has basic knowledge, and it’s time to teach him some imperial skills.
Zhu Youtang listened carefully. It was rare that his father was free. He didn't want to disappoint his father, so he listened to the class with great concentration.
After Zhu Jianshen talked for a while, he said: "If you have any doubts, ideas or questions, just say them."
"Father, now that the Ming Dynasty is prosperous and peaceful, the people live and work in peace and contentment, and there are no battles to fight now. I think that if we want the Ming Dynasty to be better, we can only work hard on civil affairs." After Zhu Youtang finished speaking, he asked cautiously: "My son, Is that right?"
"It's not wrong!" Zhu Jianshen nodded, "The ancestors and ancestors were virtuous and wise, and they created a solid foundation for the successors of the Ming Dynasty. But... the world is prosperous, live and work in peace and contentment, just listen to it, Mrs. Mo really."
Zhu Jianshen said with a hint of sarcasm: "It's like the colorful articles written by literati, with gorgeous rhetoric, comforting to look at, but not very nutritious."
After a pause, he said: "It is undeniable that the Ming Dynasty needs civilized governance at this stage, but before that, the first thing you have to consider is, after re-employing civil servants, can you control it?"
"I?"
"Just an example."
"Oh." Zhu Youtang thought for a long time, but couldn't think of a reason. He said honestly: "I don't know, please teach me."
"If you want to promote, you should suppress first." Zhu Jianshen said, "As early as the period of Taizu and Taizong, they began to suppress civil servants, but were they poor in civil affairs?
Not bad! Zhu Jianshen asked: "Do you know why this is?" "
"Because Taizu and Taizong were wise." Zhu Youtang gave an unmistakable answer.
Zhu Jianshen laughed and said: "Because the civil servants are suppressed by military generals, and Taizu and Taizong have super high control over the army. This is the fundamental reason for their great achievements."
"Remember, if you want to achieve something, you must be a powerful emperor!" When Zhu Jianshen said this, he was more serious than ever.
Zhu Youtang nodded: "I will remember it."
"Repeat it again!"
"If you want to make a difference, you must be a powerful emperor!" Zhu Youtang repeated.
Zhu Jianshen said: "From now on, get up early every day and recite it silently in your heart."
"My son, please remember this."
Zhu Youtang nodded and asked: "Father, how can I become a powerful emperor?"
"Just see what father does." Zhu Jianshen said proudly.
"Then if I can't do what my father is like, can't I pay attention to civil affairs?" Zhu Youtang asked weakly.
Zhu Jianshen responded affirmatively: "No!"
"Does this...do you think you gave up eating because of choking?"
"If you can't suppress the civil servants, but you still have to reuse them, that's called giving up food because of choking." Zhu Jianshen said, "Checks and balances are the balance of the country. Confucianism can be used, but it cannot be fully trusted. Do you understand?"
"My son... I don't quite understand." Zhu Youtang was only seven years old after all, so it was a little difficult to hear.
Zhu Jianshen put it in a simpler way: "If there are no rules, there will be no rules."
"I understand," Zhu Youtang said, "If the emperor cannot suppress his ministers, then the ministers will not be restrained by rules, and they will do bad things, right?"
"Yes, Not Bad."
Zhu Jianshen smiled and gave a rare compliment: "You have hit the point."
This kind of guided education is far more effective than giving answers directly.
Zhu Youtang was also very happy, his father finally praised him.
…
After class, it was almost lunch time.
Zhu Youtang said hopefully, "Father, shall we have lunch with my mother and concubine?"
"No, I'm going to see Concubine Chen and your brother."
"Okay." The smile on Zhu Youtang's face faded.
Zhu Jianshen said: "Why, are you unhappy again?"
"No, no." Zhu Youtang hurriedly waved his chubby hands, "Father, go ahead, I am not unhappy."
"Yes." Zhu Jianshen stood up and said, "In ordinary people's families, the eldest son in the family has to take care of the family. When the parents are busy, they have to take care of the younger brothers and sisters;
As the eldest son of the royal family, you don't have to take care of your younger siblings, but competing for favor is wrong. "
Zhu Youtang's face heated up, and he said sarcastically: "What the father said is true, and I know I was wrong."
"That's pretty much it." Zhu Jianshen muttered, but finally couldn't bear to suppress it too much and said, "Let's eat with your mother and concubine at noon."
"Hey, okay, thank you, father." Zhu Youtang was much happy, "I would like to send you my father's greetings."
~
Concubine Chen had finished confinement and was reading to her son by the bedside. Her son, who was just one month old, could not understand, but she didn't care.
What does it mean to be influenced by what one sees and hears? This is it.
She knew the chances were slim, but she wanted to try hard, but... the benefits were too great.
When her son fell asleep, her voice became softer and still continued. She didn't put down the book until the slave reported that the emperor was here.
After taking only two steps, Zhu Jianshen walked in.
"I, my concubine, see you, Your Majesty."
"No gifts, no gifts." Zhu Jianshen was in a good mood, "Is your son sleeping?"
"Sleeping." Concubine Chen nodded.
When the slaves heard this, they thought the emperor wanted to do something and left the inner hall without leaving a trace.
Zhu Jianshen stepped forward and looked at his sleeping son, with a long-lost fatherly smile on his lips.
The first two sons died prematurely, and he did not participate much in the growth of the third son. He cherished this new son very much.
"Sleep so sweetly..." Zhu Jianshen stretched out his index finger to play with his son's little face, and suddenly saw "Spring and Autumn" on the bedside, and he couldn't help laughing.
"He doesn't understand now. You are... just doing useless work."
Zhu Jianshen came here during this period, so he knew about Concubine Chen's so-called early education.
Concubine Chen said, "Let's try it. What if it works?"
"You..." Zhu Jianshen smiled bitterly, how could he not know what Concubine Chen was thinking?
However, he did not attack her. Firstly, some of Concubine Chen's thoughts were normal, and she did not express them clearly. Secondly, he also wanted to give the prince some sense of crisis to prevent it from going too smoothly.
He also wanted the next generation to experience the hardships he endured when he was a prince. This would be more conducive to their growth.
Who made him the prince?
It is necessary for future successors to work hard.
Concubine Chen asked: "Your Majesty, yesterday you said you wanted to name your son, have you thought about it?"
"Let me think about it." Zhu Jianshen's face heated up and he fell into deep thought. However, he was not under any pressure this time. He was not naming the prince. As long as he followed the ancestral family law, it was almost done.
In less than half an hour, he had his answer.
"杝 has a beautiful meaning and implies open-mindedness. If there is a tree, it is named after 杝, hoping that it will thrive." Zhu Jianshen said.
Concubine Chen was happy and thought it sounded better than the word "樘".
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the name."
Zhu Jianshen said with a smile: "What's there to thank you for? I named my son and you still need to thank me?"
"I am... so happy." Concubine Chen smiled coquettishly and said hurriedly: "It's almost lunch time. Your Majesty, why don't you have a meal at my concubine's place?"
"That's fine." Zhu Jianshen nodded and reached out to touch his son again.
Concubine Chen was elated and said, "Your Majesty, I will accompany you first, while I, my concubine, will let others prepare."
I don't know whether Zhu Jianshen's hand was heavy or the baby was full of sleep. As soon as Concubine Chen took her front feet away, the little guy woke up. When he opened his eyes and saw my big black bearded face, he burst into tears.
"No, don't cry!"
"..."
The baby really stopped crying, not because he was obedient, but because I pressed my hand on his mouth and nose.
Zhu Jian covered his hands deeply for a moment, then suddenly realized that this was not good, so he let go.
As soon as his hand was released, the baby continued to cry loudly, and Zhu Jianshen suddenly became confused:
"Someone, come quickly..."
Fortunately, Concubine Chen heard the noise and came back quickly. She picked up her son and rocked it for a while, and the baby stopped crying.
Zhu Jian was deeply moved and said: "Skills have specializations!"
Concubine Chen: "..."
…
After lunch, Zhu Jianshen stayed for a while longer before leaving. As soon as he arrived at Qianqing Palace, Wang Zhi came to see him.
The young man was very angry. Seeing that the West Factory was almost established, he wanted to drag him out to handle a big case to show the emperor his ability.
Of course, Zhu Jianshen supported this. He opened the West Factory just to shock the officials.
"As long as the evidence is solid, no matter who it is, they can take action!" Zhu Jianshen said: "With my support, let go of your hands and feet."
Wang Zhi's blood boiled: "I obey the order and will not disappoint the emperor!"
…
