Never think of Zhu Yuanzhang as a frail old man, nor as an emperor in his twilight years; he was no ordinary person.
Having endured so much hardship and suffering, Zhu Yuanzhang made no attempt to conceal his thoughts at this time. He simply wanted the Ming Dynasty to be passed down smoothly, and he wanted his grandson to take over the reins of power peacefully.
Anyone who dares to obstruct these things will be mercilessly killed by Old Zhu without hesitation; this is probably one of the few things Old Zhu cares about. If anyone dares to voice their opposition, Old Zhu will unleash an even more bloodthirsty and brutal side than before.
Sitting on the dragon throne, Zhu the Elder seemed to be resting with his eyes closed, while Zhu Xiong Ying was presiding over the court, listening to reports from civil and military officials, and making decisions on various matters.
"Your Highness, Burma, Jidong, and Chuanyi have successively rebelled, but Marquis Mu Chun of Xiping and Governor Qu Neng have quelled them all." At this moment, Lan Yu stepped forward and said, "Marquis Mu Chun of Xiping requests the establishment of the Lancang Guard to deter the disobedient."
Zhu Xiong Ying calmly stated, "These barbarians are ignorant of civilization and frequently rebel. Those who join them will not be pardoned!"
As soon as Zhu Xiong Ying finished speaking, some civil officials quickly stepped forward. They sensed murderous intent in Zhu Xiong Ying's words, and at this moment, they naturally talked about 'benevolent governance' and 'moral education,' hoping that Zhu Xiong Ying would use his benevolent rule to influence those barbarians.
Zhu Xiong Ying was all too familiar with this tactic. It wasn't just the Ming Dynasty's civil officials who favored this approach; many dynasties' civil officials shared this ethos. They seemed to believe that persuasion was the best method, that the theories of Confucius could make barbarians understand the king's rule and submit to his will.
If we don't do it this way, it might be considered cruel and a lack of benevolent governance.
Zhu Xiong Ying listened, then looked at Men Kexin, who had served as the Minister of Rites after completing his term as an instructor in Qin Prefecture, and asked, "Old Minister, do you know how many times the barbarians and chieftains in Yunnan have rebelled since the founding of our Great Ming Dynasty?"
The over-seventy-year-old Men Kexin immediately replied, "The barbarians are unfamiliar with the king's ways; the Crown Prince should send learned scholars to guide them. This old minister believes that the Crown Prince should personally promulgate educational systems and regulations, and formally recruit talented individuals, appointing the Marquis of Xiping and the chieftains of Yunnan and Guizhou..."
Zhu Xiong Ying didn't mince words and said directly, "Since the fourteenth year of Hongwu, when our Great Ming army was conquering the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty in Yunnan and destroying the Duan family, first the local official Yang Ju gathered 200,000 troops to rebel, then the chieftain of Qujing rebelled, the Langqiong barbarians, the Luchuan Silunfa rebelled, and the Dongchuan barbarians, the Yuezhou chieftain Azi and the Achi tribe also rebelled."
"Your Excellency is a learned scholar and a great Confucian scholar of our time, but I still hope that Your Excellency can offer some advice. There are many rebellions in these barbarian lands. Is it because our Great Ming lacks benevolence, or because our Great Ming has acted perversely and aroused the wrath of Heaven and the resentment of the people?" Zhu Xiong Ying pressed, "Why don't you, Your Excellency, go and talk to the barbarians yourself?"
Men Kexin was a veteran official, and his achievements in local education were also outstanding. However, Zhu Xiong Ying felt that such a veteran official should just focus on his work in education and the Ministry of Rites, and there was no need for him to say much about military matters.
Most importantly, Zhu Yuanzhang disliked the views of some Confucian scholars who were prone to empty rhetoric. They talked about things like "the rule of the king" and "human transformation," as if the brilliance of Confucius alone would bring peace to the world, eliminating the need for war.
Or perhaps these people have an innate aversion to military action, readily arguing that it's reckless and against the natural order, or using rhetoric like "militarism and wastefulness."
Menkexin was quite taken aback. Many civil officials were likely disappointed by such an unreasonable grandson of the emperor. However, some might find it encouraging, perhaps believing the grandson had the potential to become a great ruler.
After the court session ended, Zhu summoned Zhu Xiong Ying to the Qianqing Palace. "Ying'er, do you know the advantages and disadvantages of the Gongyang School?"
Old Zhu naturally knew that his beloved grandson was not the 'benevolent ruler' that Confucian scholars hoped for, and he also knew that his grandson had many criticisms of Confucianism. However, Old Zhu also admitted that in the present world, Confucianism's position was indeed very unique.
It was unrealistic to completely weaken or disintegrate Confucianism. Zhu Yuanzhang also knew that the Ming Dynasty still needed civil officials to govern it, and he didn't have many all-round talents who could lead the army on horseback and govern the people on foot.
Zhu Xiong Ying said with a smile, "I am not a member of the Gongyang faction, but I know about the Gongyang faction's great revenge. I know that they believe that imperial power should be limited and that the throne is just a title, which is not conducive to the centralization of imperial power."
While it cannot be said that all Gongyang School Confucian scholars were capable of wielding swords and riding horses to kill bandits, or wielding pens to debate and conquer all sides, theoretically beating the Guliang School of Confucianism, or practically engaging with the grassroots, in reality, Gongyang School Confucian scholars were far superior to some crooked monks reciting distorted scriptures; at least they were not particularly pedantic.
However, the Gongyang School had one drawback: it somewhat implied that the people were more important than the ruler, which did not meet the needs of the rulers. This can be considered a reason for the decline and even disappearance of the Gongyang School.
Old Zhu nodded and said to Zhu Xiong Ying, "All these years we've been single-mindedly trying to reduce power so that we can hold absolute power. If you do it this way, I'm afraid some scholars will start arguing again. I am the emperor, I am their sovereign!"
To some extent, Zhu Yuanzhang was a tyrant, a very typical and traditional feudal monarch. Therefore, he was extremely concerned about the centralization of imperial power; he had to be the supreme emperor, a ruler whose word was law!
Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang was not entirely satisfied with Zhu Xiong Ying's occasional displays of the "Gongyang School" ideology. The grand revenge was fine, and the distinction between the civilized and the barbarian was not a major issue either. However, he was quite dissatisfied with the restrictions on royal power, the concept of divine intervention, or the principle of righteousness between ruler and subject.
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