prosperous age

At that time, Emperor Yingzong had not yet taken office, so he spent his morning time studying the Four Books, Five Classics and historical classics, and in the afternoon he needed to practice riding and shooting.

In the evening, we should review the old knowledge and learn new things, and recite the knowledge texts learned during the day.

Practicing riding and archery may be the reason why Emperor Yingzong dared to drive and conquer personally.

At the same time, calligraphy practice should not be slacked off. "Whenever you write, you can write a hundred characters in spring, summer and autumn, and five characters in winter."

Loads of schoolwork day after day, almost no holidays.

In addition, he had to take time to listen to the Sanyang cabinet explaining government affairs to him every day. It could be said that there was no idle time all day long.

Perhaps when extreme weather such as thunderstorms and strong winds occurs, they can be exempted from studying and get a short rest.

Although there were many ridiculous emperors in the Ming Dynasty, the emperors in the early and middle stages were still diligent in governing.

Especially in the education of their children, they can teach by words and deeds and serve as role models.

At that time, they often compiled their reading experience, governance experience and life experiences into books in order to pass them down and provide learning materials for future generations.

Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang compared Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty with King Zhou of Shang Dynasty in "Records of Ming Taizu".

"A husband's extravagance and frugality are different, and the rule of law is suspended. You should remember my words and always be a warning."

Use these words to warn future generations to cherish the people and their talents, and not to be extravagant and exploit the people.

In addition, Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, compiled "Shengxue Xinfa".

He taught the prince his own thoughts on governing the country and political strategies, hoping that he would continue to improve his political literacy.

Later, the "Emperor's Instructions" formulated by Zhu Zhanji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, and the "Cultural Precepts" compiled by Zhu Jianshen, Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty, were often used to teach the children of the royal family.

It is precisely for this reason that being well-read is the most basic quality for a crown prince and a descendant of the royal family.

The royal library contains famous works from all over the world, creating a good learning and education atmosphere for the princes.

When Zhu Yuanzhang first conquered the Yuan Dynasty, he ordered people to take all the precious classics left over from the Yuan Dynasty to Jinling.

Later, he often sent people to search for suicide notes among the people, and kept all the found books in Wenyuan Pavilion.

In the first year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered people to "build a large main hall, fill it with ancient and modern pictures and books, and recruit Confucian princes and kings from all over the world."

Every time the feudal king performed meritorious service, in addition to rewarding gold and silver fields, he would also generously reward a large number of ancient and modern books.

But it is not enough to just talk on paper. In addition to theoretical teaching, the Ming emperor also paid attention to cultivating the practical abilities of the princes and royal children.

During the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang, there was a rule that when the whole country held grand sacrificial activities in the suburbs, the crown prince must stay in the palace to handle various government affairs. The purpose was also to better cultivate the future prince's ability to govern the country and handle government affairs.

This system of studying outside the cabinet, which combines theory with practice and applies what is learned, has had a positive impact on the prince's ability to improve, enabling him to "lecture on classics and history, promote virtue, be knowledgeable about the past and the present, and inherit the importance of the country."

In this way, the country will have a wise king in the future, which will maintain the stability and peace of the entire political situation.

Unfortunately, after the Tumubao Incident, this ancestral system gradually deviated from its original direction.

In the late Ming Dynasty, various emperors began to deliberately delay the time for the prince to leave the cabinet.

Zhu Jianshen, the crown prince of Ming Yingzong, was already 12 years old when he left the cabinet to study. Although Zhu Houzhao, the crown prince of Ming Xiaozong, did not deviate too much when he left the cabinet, he left the cabinet to study at the age of 9.

As for the current Emperor Longqing, when he first ascended the throne, he rejected the Ministry of Rites' submission of the compilation of ritual notes for the prince to study when he left the imperial court. Later, he repeatedly blocked the eight-year-old prince Zhu Yijun from leaving the imperial palace to study.

At that time, the Ministry of Rites admonished him on the grounds that "the country's old system meant that the time to study in the East Palace was no longer than eight years old."

However, Emperor Longqing was always resolute and set the time to leave the cabinet after the prince was ten years old.

Of course, Wei Guangde was also responsible for this, because when he was discussing parenting methods with Emperor Longqing, Wei Guangde once lamented that schoolchildren were enlightened too early and it was too hard. Therefore, although his son would become enlightened early, he would never go to school. Too much homework, no more than one hour of studying every day.

Children still need more play time.

I don’t know if he was affected by these words, but Emperor Longqing became less interested in the prince’s education.

Because once the opening was made, the subsequent education was beyond the control of the emperor. It had to be discussed by the cabinet and the Ministry of Rites. In short, they could find various reasons to implement their own education.

The emperor hoped that the prince could be both civilized and military, as well as talented and virtuous, but the ministers tended to let the prince only study the Four Books and Five Classics, while riding, archery and other military and political studies were exempted.

This contradiction was due to the fact that during the Battle of Tumubao, Zhu Qizhen, the Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty, listened to the slander of his favored minister Wang Zhen and insisted on going his own way, so he went on a personal expedition.

In the end, not only did he become a prisoner of the Oara Army, but he also caused a large-scale destruction of the Ming Dynasty military generals' meritorious group. Many civilian officials and military generals died on the battlefield, and even the half-million-strong army left by Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, was involved in this battle. The ashes were annihilated, which directly caused the Ming Dynasty to shift from emphasizing both civil and military affairs to emphasizing culture and suppressing military affairs.

The focus of education for leaving the cabinet changed accordingly, and the prince's education became formal enlightenment. The emperor and the ministers no longer had the same expectations for education for leaving the cabinet.

Confucianism and the ancestral precepts and precepts of emperors of all generations have become empty learning. The princes only know how to talk about self-cultivation and governing the country and bring peace to the world, but they know nothing about the sufferings of the world and lack practical communication and governance abilities.

"Asking questions" and "helping the world" are separated, and it is impossible to apply what you have learned and explore the truth in practice.

Moreover, in the late Ming Dynasty, the allocation of educational personnel also appeared to be rigid and mechanical.

The lecturers employed by the imperial court were all older scholars with mature knowledge. They strictly abided by the etiquette of monarchs and ministers and did not dare to "go beyond the limits" in their educational methods.

In the process of teaching the young crown prince, there is almost no fun and interaction, and there is no two-way communication between teachers and students.

This kind of education method and concept made the royal children feel boring and had little interest in learning.

When Emperor Longqing was in Yuzhuan, he selected Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde to teach Prince Zhu Yijun. Perhaps he realized that the previous lecturers were all old masters with big beards, so he wanted to make some changes.

Feng Bao walked around the palace with the prince, but every time he came near the palace gate, he always stared outside the palace gate without blinking.

Feng Bao knew what the prince was thinking, but today was different from the past. When Zhu Yijun was young, he didn't understand anything. At that time, he was in Prince Yu's Mansion, so going out on the street was very common.

But it can't be done now. This is the palace, and Zhu Yijun is already the prince, so naturally I don't dare to take him out.

"When did you say Master Wei would be back? He said he could take me out to play.

Growing up, I don’t even remember what it’s like on the street. "

Zhu Yijun couldn't help but sigh at this time, looking like a young man.

He had previously begged his father, Emperor Longqing, to let Feng Bao take him out and walk around the streets, but he was rejected.

After several attempts, he gave up hope. When he was celebrating his birthday, Zhu Yijun mentioned this matter to Wei Guangde who came to deliver gifts. Wei Guangde also thought that he could let the little guy go out to see the outside, so he agreed to take him out of the palace to see the outside when he was older.

"Your Highness, please be patient. Master Wei will be back in a year or so. He will be your teacher and will give you lessons. Talk to him and he should be able to make the Emperor agree."

Feng Bao laughed in a low voice and said, "Master Wei is very kind to you. Even now when I'm back home, I still remember your birthday and send someone to give you a gift."

"Let's go back to the palace to play with building blocks. I want to build a big palace."

Zhu Yijun looked like there was nothing interesting, and it was just like that in the palace. After a few years, he had long been tired of it.

After speaking, Zhu Yijun jumped onto the sedan chair, and the four chamberlains lifted the sedan chair back to the palace.

In fact, Zhu Yijun was not lazy at this time. He didn't like running and jumping. It was mainly because of his leg disease. His right leg felt uncomfortable after walking for a long time.

Zhu Yijun had a leg problem, which was actually discovered not long after he was born, and the hospital had no treatment.

As for the leg disease, it was that Zhu Yijun's right leg was somehow slightly shorter than his left leg. If the hospital hadn't been careful during his infancy, he wouldn't have been able to detect it.

Therefore, whether little Zhu Yijun is standing or walking, his body's center of gravity is habitually placed on his right leg, and his left leg is slightly bent, making him look like an ordinary person.

If you run and jump for a short period of time, you won't be able to tell if you are not careful, but if the right leg is too heavy for a long time, you will feel uncomfortable in the right leg.

If he hadn't become a fat man after eating, perhaps this leg disease would not actually affect his walking.

As for how Zhu Yijun ended up becoming a fat man, some say it was because he loved sweets, while others said it was a family disease. After all, Zhu Biao and Zhu Gaochi in the early Ming Dynasty all seemed to be fat, and many vassal kings in the Ming Dynasty became fat. .

These days, there are actually many types of children's toys. In order to win Zhu Yijun's favor, Wei Guangde also tried his best to choose things that fit the times from the toys of later generations, and sent people to carefully make them as gifts for him to play with.

The birthday gift sent by Wei Guangde this year is actually a set of Lego bricks that everyone is familiar with in later generations, which can be spliced ​​into a palace, and the little eunuch model carved from rosewood is also lifelike.

Even Emperor Longqing found this set of toys interesting when he saw it. He even played with Zhu Yijun for a long time before praising Wei Guangde's whimsical ideas.

The palace model was designed by Wei Guangde with reference to the style of the three main halls. It was spliced ​​and fixed with grooves. When the roof was not put up, the inside of the palace could be arranged so that it looked just like the real three main halls.

There is also a throne in the main hall, but I don't dare to carve a miniature figure in the shape of an emperor. This is a bit taboo.

As for this year's gift, Wei Guangde actually had an idea for a long time ago, which was a model of a sea ship. He had already sent people to find craftsmen who were familiar with ship construction to make assembled toys according to a certain proportion, and also installed cannons on the ship.

In fact, it is not that there were no such models in the Ming Dynasty, but most of them were delivered to the nobles as finished products, rather than being broken into small pieces and requiring them to assemble them by themselves.

After the models of the three main halls were put together, according to the "Instruction Manual" written by Wei Guangde, Zhu Yijun was now thinking about putting together a new main hall. Wei Guangde also gave him a hint, saying that he could ask the imperial supervisor to make the required building blocks without limiting it. in what he gave.

For other civil servants, they might like an obedient emperor, but Wei Guangde didn't think so.

If the emperor fails, the Ming Dynasty will be doomed. The fall of the Ming Dynasty is actually related to the educational ideas of civil servants.

Deliberately educating a dull emperor who can be fooled by them is just for the purpose of maintaining the aloof status of civil servants, which directly harms the interests of the country and the nation.

Sitting in the soft sedan, Zhu Yijun was still thinking about how to build a big palace that he liked. Thinking of the missing materials, the little prince couldn't help but scratch his head.

"My dear friend, have you finished the building blocks you told me?"

Thinking of what was missing, Zhu Yijun directly asked Feng Bao who was waiting beside him.

"The Queen's Prison hasn't sent it over yet. How about I ask someone to come over and take a look and urge me."

Feng Bao said hurriedly.

"Ask someone to urge them. Only when you get those bricks will you know whether they are enough and whether you should continue making bricks."

Zhu Yijun nodded and said, "Also, arrange for someone to keep an eye on the imperial prison. Don't let them drag their feet."

"They dare."

Hearing what Zhu Yijun said, Feng Bao immediately pretended to be furious and said, "Prince, don't worry, I will send someone over to keep an eye on them when I turn around. If they dare not serve the Crown Prince wholeheartedly, I will go over and whip them."

"Ah."

Zhu Yijun hummed with satisfaction.

After walking for a while, Feng Bao took the initiative to speak again: "Prince, don't tell me, this building block that Mr. Wei Ge sent someone to send is really fun. Last time I saw the Tai Chi Hall where His Highness and the Emperor were fighting. It’s really like that.”

"That's right, that's the gift my master asked someone to prepare for me. I just don't know if he will remember to prepare a new gift for me this year."

Zhu Yijun was happy at first, but then quickly became depressed.

After all, it turned out that when Wei Guangde was in court, he could always see him several times a year, especially on his birthday. Wei Guangde went to see him in person.

But I didn't see Wei Guangde this year. I just handed the things into Feng Bao's hands, and Feng Bao transferred them to the palace on his behalf.

In the evening, Feng Bao helped Zhu Yijun to sleep, arranged for the eunuchs to be on duty outside the bedroom, and then he returned to his room in the palace to rest.

But along the way, Feng Bao was still thinking about the news he heard from Meng Chong today. Emperor Longqing wanted to take double the amount of the medicine.

Although the eunuch cannot walk on human roads, he still knows these things. Taking too much of that kind of medicine is not good.

After entering the room, Feng Bao asked the young chamberlain to make the bed for him, while he sat on the master's chair and was still thinking about it.

"Ok?"

In an instant, a flash of inspiration passed through Feng Bao's mind.

The Emperor needs double the amount of medicine. Doesn't that mean that His Majesty is no longer good in that area? It can even be extended to believe that there is something wrong with the Emperor's health.

Thinking of this, Feng Bao didn't dare to continue thinking anymore. If he continued to think about it, it would be a mess.

But now that he had this thought, Feng Bao could not suppress his thoughts.

"Father-in-law, the bed has been made, you can rest."

At this time, the waiter came over and said respectfully.

"You go down and rest."

Feng Bao waved his hand and asked him to go out. He got up and sat down in front of the bed, feeling a little dazed.