Great Ming Dynasty Wen Chao Gong

Chapter 68 How to teach the prince a lesson

"It's difficult. Brother Dong won't talk nonsense about this kind of thing, so in a few days, the official appointment will come down. In this hurry, what should I tell the eldest son of the emperor? This math is easy to explain "It's nothing more than teaching how to calculate and learn some geometry. How can I learn miscellaneous subjects?" Zhang Xiao became worried.

"My boss, you are too anxious, as some onlookers have noticed. Since His Majesty specifically ordered you to teach, my boss, it means that he must have taken a fancy to your talents and learning that you have shown in recent years. The so-called miscellaneous studies include everything. Astronomy, geography, exotic customs, and even military matters are all taken care of. What you are doing now, my boss, can be slightly modified and explained to the prince." Lu Zhang said.

"But the eldest son of the emperor is only a few years old. It's so difficult to talk about it all at once. What if the eldest son of the emperor doesn't understand and is not interested." Zhang Xiao was still a little distressed.

"My boss, you can't say things like this in the future. Your Majesty is the emperor and knows everything. Your majesty's descendants are the princes and grandsons. How can you say you don't understand?" Lu Zhang said seriously.

"I made a mistake, thank you Mr. Lu for correcting me," Zhang Xiao said.

"Now that the queen in the palace has nothing to do, the eldest son of the emperor should be the prince. My boss, if you want to become the emperor's mentor, you will be recorded in history." Lu Zhang said excitedly.

Zhang Xiao admitted that he still underestimated the sacred status of the etiquette system in the hearts of scholars. But now I am no longer an outsider. Now I am about to board the ship of the eldest son of the emperor. Others still have the opportunity to change their families. If they have become their teachers, they will definitely not be able to get off the ship, and they may have to be responsible. Go sail the boat. What else can I do? I'll tell you what happens in the future. At least for now, I must vigorously safeguard the evil feudal etiquette system. No matter what, I must keep my job and even my own life.

"Mr. Lu, these are not things that we should discuss. It is better to think about what to teach the eldest son of the emperor first. At least what to teach in the first class and the following classes." Zhang Xiao said.

"Master, it's up to you. It's up to you to talk about foreign history and customs. You can also talk about astronomy and geography, or the study of things. Inventions and creations are also good. For example, it's not bad to talk about why hot air balloons can fly." Lu Zhang said.

"Speaking of this hot air balloon, Mr. Lu, you have personally operated it several times. Why do you think the hot air balloon can burn?" Zhang Xiao asked.

"It should be because of the smoke. When the balloon was tested, no matter whether straw, candles, coal, or oil were used, smoke was produced. It should be the smoke that pushed the balloon up. The students have been flying these days I also want to find something that produces more smoke to try the effect," Lu Zhang said.

Zhang Xiaogang wanted to refute, that was not the case, that was because heating the air created buoyancy, but he still kept his mouth shut. This set of mechanics system should be explained in full, otherwise it would take a whole day to explain it with a new term. Not finished.

"You can try it, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the bigger the smoke, the higher it will fly. It may also be that the stronger the fire, the higher the balloon will fly." Zhang Xiao said in a simple way.

"What my boss said is not unreasonable. Are you planning to tell the eldest son about hot air balloons?" Lu Zhang asked.

"No, no, no, the hot air balloon is still in the experimental stage. It's too late to tell the emperor's eldest son when it's almost done. If something goes wrong in the experiment, it will become a crime of deceiving the emperor." Zhang Xiao said.

"That's right, that's right, student Meng Lang." Lu Zhang said.

"Let's talk about the Timur Empire. It just so happens that these manuscripts about the Timur Empire are almost finished in the past few days. When the lecture comes, I will also submit the manuscripts to His Majesty. I will help you these days. I'll get these manuscripts out. You may be busy these days, so let's see if you want to tell your family first." Zhang Xiao said. "My boss, my family told me that my boss is a well-educated person, so I will be busy with whatever I have to do. My boss doesn't have to worry about this for me," Lu Zhang said.

"Okay, okay, then I will still have to practice. You have also enlightened the boy. By the way, help me see if it is appropriate to teach like this." Zhang Xiao said.

……

A few days later, Zhang Xiao was called to the imperial study room again.

"I have read the book you submitted two days ago about the Timur Empire. It is well written. However, after Babur took over Tianzhu, the name of the country was still Mongolia. The Mughal Kingdom is not like me. There should be no contact between these Mongolian tribes in the northern frontier of the Ming Dynasty." The emperor asked.

"The Kingdom of Tianzhu is extremely dangerous to our Ming Dynasty, and the Mughal Kingdom naturally has no contact with the Mongolian tribes. However, Babur's mother is the daughter of Yunusi Khan of the Eastern Chagatai Kingdom, so Babur is still closely related to There were some contacts with the Eastern Chagatai Kingdom. However, after Babur went south, he did not have much contact with the Eastern Chagatai Kingdom. When it came to Babur’s descendants, they went south with all their strength and did not care about the land of their ancestors.” Zhang Xiao said.

"That's fine. Then take this national history of the Timurid Kingdom to the Hanlin Academy for proofreading and additions. You can also print it and sell it. But I think you have to give this lesson plan to my great master. Does your son also talk about Timur's national history?" the emperor asked.

"Weichen does have this idea. The emperor's eldest son is talented and intelligent. In addition to hearing the stories of past dynasties, he can also listen to the history of foreign countries." Zhang Xiao said.

"That's fine, but don't go into too much detail. Those foreign monarchs who have some achievements or faults can tell their stories. There are some loyal ministers and generals in Timur's country, and they can also tell their stories. Like Let’s not talk about those that are too complicated. I see that in this lesson plan of yours, you also drew several stories from Timur’s kingdom into pictures?” the emperor asked.

"Yes, after all, Timur's country is also a foreign country. Some customs and customs cannot be expressed by words and words alone without the help of pictures. Just like my reprint of "The Conquest of Mexico", I also included illustrations." Zhang Xiao explained.

"Those illustrations are well drawn, especially the peppers, corns and potatoes drawn in them. They are clearly drawn. I have also sent people to find ways to introduce these things." The emperor said.

"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty. These paintings were actually painted by me after I had trouble with Shi Dong." Zhang Xiao said.

"Then you should prepare well. You can start teaching in the next two days. By the way, you should also prepare well for math class. You are working as an errand in Shuntian Mansion. The Arabic numerals you use are also good. Are there any statistical charts and tables? Yes, it does seem clear at a glance. However, the imperial court has a system, and it would be inconvenient to change it rashly. You have to use a simpler method to let everyone learn your set of things. When the time comes, I will also ask the Ministry of Revenue to learn from you. "The emperor said.

　I wish everyone good health and all the best in the new year.

　　
  　
  (End of this chapter)