“Going to school is still necessary; the emperor of the Ming Dynasty cannot be idle.” Zhu Yunying said, as if remembering something, “My grandfather’s calligraphy was concise and domineering, while my father’s calligraphy appeared gentle but was actually sharp. As for us, at least we’ve acquired a strong sense of menace. None of our calligraphy is particularly good, nor is it particularly bad!”

Compared to the artistic emperor who favored the "Slender Gold" calligraphy style, the three generations of the Zhu family combined could not match their artistic achievements.

Regarding calligraphy, Zhu Yunying was aware that his writing lacked artistry. In traditional Chinese culture, both calligraphy and painting should convey meaning and atmosphere. Clearly, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty did not seem to possess high artistic talent.

Old Zhu chuckled, extremely proud, "Your handwriting is just like ours, all domineering! Your grandmother once said that you were so young, yet your handwriting was already so domineering. We originally wanted to make you famous, but your father stopped us. A domineering grandson isn't necessarily a good thing."

The grandfather and grandson didn't seem to be in a hurry to go to sleep at all; they were probably just used to it.

Old Zhu is getting older and his sleep is lighter and less frequent, while Young Zhu is used to going to bed early and waking up early, occasionally staying up late. As long as he takes a short nap during the day, he doesn't need to worry about being too tired.

“We value Yin’er’s education; he is the Crown Prince of our Great Ming.” Zhu Yunying, not wanting to sleep, continued to speak to the old Zhu, “But what I’m thinking is that I am also the Emperor of the Great Ming, and the people of the Great Ming are all my subjects. We should also educate these people well.”

Old Zhu was silent for a moment, then said to Little Zhu, "Is this why you're keeping Huang Zicheng around?"

Although Zhu Rongji has stepped down, he is still fully aware of everything that is happening in the world.

Zhu Yunying chuckled and said nonchalantly, "Does that mean Grandfather looks down on his grandson? We are the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty. We can tolerate Huang Zicheng's mutterings. As long as this person is still useful to our Great Ming, we will keep him. In the end, this person is just a pedantic scholar who can't cause any trouble."

"If we're talking about recognizing talent, you're quite good." Old Zhu said to Young Zhu with considerable satisfaction, "We used to think that Huang Zicheng was a top scholar and had some ability. We originally intended to leave him to you so that he could help you govern the world in the future."

Zhu Yunying immediately laughed and said without hesitation, "If we really give him an important position, the Ming Dynasty will never be able to recover. There are no bad scholars, but I'm afraid some scholars have ruined their brains from studying. He thinks about the Zhou rites and moral education all day long. That person is really unreliable and can only stay in the Imperial Academy."

Absolutely! If Huang Zicheng were his advisor, he'd pull off a whole host of disastrous moves. Historically, Zhu Yunwen was incredibly foolish, and Huang Zicheng, Fang Xiaoru, and Li Jinglong were his best scapegoats.

Although Huang Zicheng and Fang Xiaoru were indeed loyal to Zhu Yunwen and met tragic ends, they certainly seemed loyal enough. However, if we were to draw a definitive conclusion, their destructive power was even greater; they were accomplices in changing the imperial lineage of the Ming Dynasty.

"We do look down on some scholars, and their words are grating to our ears," Old Zhu said frankly. "But we also know that conquering the world and governing the world are two different things. We have no shortage of people to fight under our command. If we had all Chang Yuchun and Xu Da, it wouldn't be enough. We also need Li Shanchang and Liu Ji."

That's exactly the point. Although Zhu Yunying didn't really like the style of some civil officials, nor did he like some of the current knowledge, he also knew very well that he would need some time to change these things.

Furthermore, governing the country truly requires these scholars; it's the simplest of things.

Once you understand this principle, that's enough. Just be a little more careful when doing things.

"After the founding of the dynasty, my grandfather ordered the establishment of county schools in the prefectures and counties, which we appreciate." Zhu Yunying said to his father with a serious expression, "Having more scholars can be a headache at times. But the people of our Great Ming should also be able to open their minds."

The practice of keeping the people ignorant may seem to have some benefits for the rule of the Ming Dynasty, but it also has many drawbacks.

Emperor Zhu clearly understood this principle, so although he established the rigid eight-legged essay system for selecting officials, he never neglected education. The continuous improvement of scholars in the Ming Dynasty was not due to the efforts of so-called civil officials, but rather to the solid foundation laid by Emperor Zhu.