Everyone has their own ideas and plans, or what we might call their life ideals. At the emperor's level, as long as they hold the throne securely, they can indulge in pleasure and enjoy themselves.
But Zhu Youxiao was different. He focused on the Ming Empire and considered the historical process over hundreds of years.
Although he could not live another 500 years, his most important task was to make the Ming Empire stronger, more profound, and more in line with the pattern of historical development.
Just like an individual or a family, from having enough food and clothing to being well-off and then to being wealthy, there is a goal at each stage and there is no time to be satisfied.
The military, economy, and even politics have all improved significantly, and in some aspects the changes can even be said to be a complete transformation.
But only in the field of culture and ideology did the emperor's reforms seem extremely cautious, especially when it came to basic ideas.
For scholars, the most important thing is the imperial examination and official career.
Although the emperor constantly added and subtracted content from the imperial examinations, adding geography, history, international affairs, natural knowledge and other content, the fundamental teachings of Confucius and Mencius did not change much.
The so-called minor changes are that there is more content about the Second Sage and less about Confucius. Overall, the content of the traditional Four Books and Five Classics has been reduced.
No one knows, but this time it's true. Except for the emperor himself, no one else knows his true thoughts.
"It's time for the Duke of Yansheng to fall."
The emperor repeated this sentence countless times in his mind, just waiting for an opportunity, waiting for traditional ideas to change subtly until a critical point.
As the saying goes, emperors come and go, but the Duke of Yansheng remains forever.
From the Song Dynasty to the present, regardless of the rise and fall of dynasties, thanks to the halo of the ancestor Confucius, the Duke of Yansheng has remained unshakable. It can be said that: if you suffer, I will not suffer; if you are honored, I will be honored too.
Being unfaithful to any dynasty yet still having a golden rice bowl and being highly respected, the days of the Confucius family should be coming to an end.
In the Song Dynasty, Duke Yansheng was an eighth-rank official, in the Yuan Dynasty, he was a third-rank official, in the early Ming Dynasty, he was a first-rank civil official, and later he was ranked first among the civil officials. This job became more and more delicious.
When one person succeeds, everyone around him will prosper. The Confucius Mansion and the Duke of Yansheng perfectly illustrate this saying.
In the eyes of feudal emperors, the title of Duke of Yansheng, as a "plaque", could call on scholars from all over the world to work for him. The price of winning over was not high, just a "plaque", a reputation, and a privilege (title).
But for Zhu Youxiao, no matter it was a normal change of the Han dynasty or the invasion of the Central Plains by foreign races, the Confucius Mansion and the Duke of Yansheng both had a cooperative attitude. How was this different from being a traitor?
The emperor did not target Confucius, and he also admired benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness, but he despised his descendants and wanted to break the golden rice bowl, or even the iron rice bowl, of the Confucius family.
At the same time, it also serves as an enlightenment and warning to scholars around the world: what is a traitor, what is it to sacrifice one's life for justice, and what is it to die for the sake of righteousness?
Moreover, feudal emperors hoped that scholars all over the world would be loyal to the dynasty, and they highly respected the Confucius Mansion and Yansheng Duke.
But in the end, the trend of the world could not be stopped. Those who were destined to perish would still perish, and countless scholars became traitors.
From this we can see that what determines the rise and fall is not the praise of Duke Yansheng, but one's own virtue and ability to govern the world.
Some people would say: The responsibility of the Yanshenggong family is not to be loyal to a dynasty or a family, but to preserve and promote Confucianism.
If one surrenders to the new dynasty in order to preserve and promote Confucianism, it is not a betrayal of the Han nationality, and therefore cannot be called a traitor.
Haha, the emperor only responded with these two words.
Are the Confucius Mansion and the Duke of Yansheng the only ones who can preserve and promote Confucianism? They are all classics passed down through the generations, and there are so many great Confucian scholars. Are their knowledge not as good as that of the Duke of Yansheng?
As for the saying "one dynasty, one surname", if it is not a feudal dynasty, it can be naturally distinguished from the "country".
But this was in ancient times. If you tell me that "family rule" is decadent and declining, there would be no such new idea at all!
When the Mongols rose to power, Duke Yansheng Kong Yuanyong sided with Kublai Khan with great righteousness and personally led his people to join the Yuan army to eliminate the Han "rebels"; when the Manchus entered the Pass, Duke Yansheng presented "The First Memorial" and "The Draft of the Memorial on the Shaving of the Head"...
During the Anti-Japanese War, the Confucius Mansion and the Duke of Yansheng also put on a disgusting show.
Massacres, wars, and harsh rule, the Kong family and the Duke of Yansheng turned a deaf ear and lived only for the well-being of the Kong family. Is it necessary for them to continue to set a bad example?
The emperor sneered and threw aside a memorial from a minister requesting the appointment of Kong Yinzhi as the Prince's Grand Tutor. What a joke! You were the one who submitted the "Initial Memorial" and the "Memorial on the Haircut" in history, right?
Although Wang Tigan was older, his eyesight and memory were still good. When he saw the emperor's expression and actions, he knew that he was displeased. This minister's career ended there.
While the emperor was serving tea and drinking water, Wang Tigan bowed and said with a flattering smile, "Your Majesty, the two princesses went to see the funhouse mirror yesterday and were so happy that Concubine Yu had to drag them back to the palace."
Funhouse mirrors, a deformed version of glass mirrors, are commonly used in amusement parks, but they are also early amusement parks. After all, this is very low-tech.
But for children, it is a fun toy. It is not surprising that they never get tired of watching themselves in the mirror become smaller, shorter, fatter, with bigger mouths and smaller eyes.
The emperor laughed. Nothing could make him happier than the joy of a child. Furthermore, he remembered the exorbitant prices he had paid for several sets of funhouse mirrors sold to the Western barbarians, and the huge profits he had made.
As of now, not only the secret art of silver-plated mirrors allows the royal workshops to make huge profits, but even ordinary glass products are becoming more and more exquisite, not inferior to those of Venice.
Overseas sales were not limited to the European market, but also included Asian countries. Li Dan's analysis was correct: the royal family did have money, and issuing war bonds was indeed intended to gauge public opinion.
Although the emperor was not a miser, he still had to spend money wisely. Restoring the three main halls was not a problem, but the emperor was no longer satisfied with the original appearance.
Buildings made of reinforced concrete or stone should also have a large square; they should not only be part of the imperial palace, but also allow the people to enter for visits or to participate in celebrations on certain days.
Likewise, the expansion of the Martyrs' Shrine will also begin after the spring. The emperor was generous in his generosity towards the heroes and martyrs who shed blood and sacrificed their lives for the country, and all funds were provided by the imperial family. Donations from the royal family and nobles were also permitted.
Thinking of the heroes, the emperor recalled another incident and turned to Liu Ruoyu and asked, "During Xu Hongru's rebellion, Meng Sheng's family members were killed or injured. How was the compensation provided by the court at that time?"
Liu Ruoyu quickly bowed and reported, "Meng Chengguang, the 66th-generation grandson of the Second Sage, and his eldest son, Meng Honglue, recruited local militia to assist the government in attacking the rebels. Meng Chengguang died, and the court promoted him to the position of Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince and issued him a pension."
The emperor pondered for a moment and said, "That's a bit too little. I will grant Meng Honglue the title of Grand Master of Imperial Households and Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, and grant him the title of Grand Tutor to one of his sons. He will be brought to the capital to meet the emperor."
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