Chapter 337 The Tale of a Heroic Man
In the twenty-seventh year of Zhaoming's reign, the Crown Prince, at the age of twenty, was ordered by His Majesty to marry Ru Bai, the heir of the Marquis of Wu's family.
The wedding ceremony was extremely grand and lively.
Li Yuanzhao issued an edict granting a general amnesty, a 15-day national holiday, lifting the curfew, and opening the royal gardens to allow people to view lanterns and enjoy the scenery, celebrating the occasion with the nation.
The Second Prince, who was training in the military camp in Tongzhou, was unable to return to the capital to offer his congratulations, citing that he had been injured during training and was unable to travel far.
However, they sent someone to deliver a congratulatory gift.
The carcass of a white tiger, tall enough to be two people, with piercing eyes and a white forehead, which she had personally hunted.
The specimen had wide-open eyes and a majestic presence, drawing silent sighs from the onlookers.
It was unanimously agreed that this was the Second Prince's way of intimidating and defying the Crown Prince.
Only the Crown Prince, upon seeing this congratulatory gift, merely smiled faintly, ordered it to be properly placed, and said nothing more.
Shortly after the marriage, Li Yuanzhao officially issued an edict appointing the crown prince as regent.
Apart from major military and political affairs, all daily government affairs were handled entirely by the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince is respectful and diligent, benevolent and fair. He not only continues the prosperous era created by Your Majesty, but also has many measures in specific government affairs that benefit the people.
Reduce taxes and levies, encourage agriculture and sericulture, and repair water conservancy projects...
Each and every one of these actions was a genuine benefit to the country and its people, which further earned the respect of officials and the love of the common people.
What's even more commendable is that the Crown Prince did not hold a grudge against the Second Prince's tutor, Tu Qing, because of their past conflicts.
Instead of heeding public opinion, he appointed Tu Qing, who had been demoted to Vice Minister of Rites, to lead the compilation of "Biographies of Outstanding Men" in order to regulate social customs and educate the people.
This book, "Biographies of Outstanding Men," is divided into four volumes.
One of them is "The Biographies of Fathers," which specifically records virtuous men such as Empress Pei and Lady Ru.
They praised how they raised their children with love and educated their descendants with integrity, emphasizing the role of fathers in cultivating their children's character.
The second is "The Biography of Husbands," which records the deeds of men such as the husband of Liu Taifu who strictly followed the proper etiquette and upheld the way of husbandhood.
They are praised for their integrity in marriage and family, their unwavering loyalty to their wives and family members in the face of poverty, temptation, or hardship, and their dedication to maintaining family harmony.
The third is "Biographies of Chastity," which records many men who valued loyalty and righteousness and remained faithful.
Some men followed their wives to the death with their lives, while others remained steadfast in their fidelity to their wives, supporting their parents and raising their children to adulthood on their own, thus demonstrating their noble character of upholding chastity.
The fourth is "The Story of the Evil Concubines," which includes historical cases of men who, due to promiscuity, jealousy, inciting discord within the inner palace, and betraying their moral principles, caused unrest in their families or even led to their downfall and death. These stories serve as a warning to the world.
After the completion of "The Biography of a Heroic Man", at Li Yuanzhao's instruction, the Crown Prince ordered it to be printed and distributed to various prefectures, counties and government-run schools, requiring local officials to organize the people to study it.
The book immediately caused a huge sensation across the country upon its publication.
The government specially invited local men who were well-educated and had achieved academic success to regularly recite and explain etiquette to the people in bustling places such as city gates and markets, so that the people could learn about etiquette.
The school even incorporated "Biographies of Outstanding Men" into its elementary curriculum, so that students would be familiar with the exemplary deeds in the book from a young age.
Folk artists adapted the stories in the book into shadow puppet shows and storytelling performances, which were staged at temple fairs and teahouses, making the stories deeply rooted in people's hearts.
Local gentry also spontaneously selected local "heroic men" who were filial to their parents, raised their young children, were virtuous and dutiful to their wives, and recorded their deeds in local chronicles and reported them to the imperial court.
The imperial court bestowed upon them special honors and imperial plaques, which were hung above their doors or in their ancestral halls, bringing glory to their families.
At the same time, rewards were given and corvée labor was exempted as a sign of commendation.
This move greatly encouraged the public's aspirations and transformed social attitudes.
The men took the example of the kind father like Empress Pei and the dutiful husband like the husband of Grand Tutor Liu, and tried to emulate them, striving to be good sons, good husbands, and good fathers who were considerate of their wives, dutiful in their husbands' duties, loyal and gentle, and devoted to love and righteousness.
Tu Qing, who was in charge of compiling this book, was reinstated to his original position and appointed Right Chancellor again for his "meritorious service in education".
However, the only thing that didn't go as planned was that the Crown Prince was injured during the suppression of the rebellion in the southwest and developed a chronic illness, and his health was not as good as before.
Although the herbal medicine was taken continuously, the body remained weak, and the patient often suffered from headaches and fever.
For this reason, Li Yuanzhao even specially invited Xiao Lingdang, the former head of the Imperial Medical Academy who had retired to his hometown, back to the capital to take care of the Crown Prince's health.
Unfortunately, the Crown Prince was busy with state affairs and had too many worries, and his chronic diarrhea was difficult to cure, so the treatment was not very effective.
Perhaps due to physical limitations, the Crown Prince had been married for many years but had no children.
As time goes on, people from all walks of life, both in the government and among the public, will inevitably become worried.
For a dynasty, the heir apparent's offspring are of paramount importance as they are crucial to the succession of the nation.
The court officials took turns offering their earnest advice, and the crown prince had no choice but to comply with their wishes. He took several more concubines, but he still did not conceive.
In contrast, Li Yuanzhao seemed indifferent.
After all, her children weren't her own.
Whether the crown prince is born or not is irrelevant.
If it really comes to the worst, we can follow my old method and secretly "adopt" a few people, and that will do.
Moreover, given the Crown Prince's current health, having children would actually be a burden for her.
For years, the Second Prince has been stationed in Tongzhou and has never returned to the capital.
Even on His Majesty's birthday or other major celebrations, he would only send gifts and offer his congratulations from afar.
Although she was far away in the border region, she was not idle at all.
Tongzhou is adjacent to the northern frontier and has historically been a place where the former Xianbei and Goryeo ethnic groups lived, and rebellions often broke out.
Over the years, she has used an iron fist to suppress and quell numerous rebellions and riots.
In addition, his decisive military tactics and strict discipline gradually established his unquestionable authority within the army.
Compared to her impulsive and competitive nature in previous years, she has shed much of her frivolity and gained a more composed demeanor.
However, that inherent fierceness doesn't seem to have truly disappeared; rather, it has transformed into another form.
Rumors occasionally circulated in the capital that she had taken in more than a dozen handsome men as concubines in her mansion in Tongzhou, and that her behavior was quite unrestrained and unconventional, which caused much discussion.
However, when Li Yuanzhao mentioned in his letter that he wanted to choose a man of good character and similar social standing from among the young men of the capital to be her husband, she refused on the grounds that "the frontier is harsh and I do not want to delay the beautiful woman."
Over time, Li Yuanzhao stopped caring and let her be.
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