King of Han Dynasty of Ming Dynasty

"hehe."

Zhu Gaochi chuckled at this, glanced at Zhu Gaoxu meaningfully, and said, "Since we have said all, shouldn't you ask the Mohists to come out and let me see them? I think they should be in your house right now, right?"

They are all smart people.

Although Zhu Gaoxu never said it explicitly, the words were already said like this. Based on Zhu Gaochi's understanding of him, the fact that he could say such words proved that the person in front of him must have been prepared a long time ago. When combined with the fact that he took the initiative to ask him to come to his mansion when he was at the dock.

When all these things are connected together, the result is obvious.

"Hahaha"

Hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu did not show the slightest surprise. Judging from the words he said now, this was the prince he knew. If he had not said it this way and he had not understood it, he would have been really surprised.

Then, he turned and rushed to the nearby courtyard gate, shouting, "Come in! The prince already knows that you are outside."

Da da da.
Just as he finished speaking, a crisp sound of footsteps was heard in the courtyard. A middle-aged man with slightly gray hair and a resolute face walked in from outside. When he saw the two people sitting in the courtyard, he bowed slightly and saluted, "Respectfully, I meet the Prince of Han and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhu Gaoxu, who had met him several times, was not surprised by this.

On the contrary, Zhu Gaochi, who was meeting him for the first time, could not help showing some curiosity about the person who suddenly appeared in front of him. He narrowed his eyes and looked up and down at the person who greeted him. He could not help but ask: "People from the Mo family? Are there really people in the Mo family?"

This question is quite presumptuous.

It's almost like asking others, why don't you die? Didn't you say you are all dead?

Although the words were inappropriate, Gong Xing did not care about it because he knew better than anyone what seemingly inappropriate words were.

In a sense, doesn't this also illustrate the sadness of the Mohists?
Living in a remote corner, without the glory of their ancestors, they are almost surviving in the world and have become the lowest class in the world.

It has almost completely faded out of the long river of history and disappeared in the long river of history.

In this situation, in a sense, what is the difference between being dead and being dead?

If Zhu Gaoxu had not put a lot of effort into this matter, it would have been difficult to find this group of people.

Have no idea!

Hundreds of years of heritage disappeared.

We can't look for it in a big way, so it's not that easy to find.

Moreover…

Since being abandoned by the emperor, the Mohist school has been in a difficult situation.

The victorious Confucians naturally do not want anyone to threaten their status or affect their rights.

Over the years, there has been no shortage of crackdowns and suppression on various doctrines.

To this end, they not only have to find a way to survive, but also have to avoid being hunted and oppressed by their enemies.

The days passed... it's hard to describe.

When Zhu Gaoxu found these people through secret means, although he revealed his identity, it took him a lot of effort to gain their recognition.

Of course, the most important point is that the appearance of Zhu Gaoxu allowed the Mohist family, who had suffered oppression, ridicule and become prey of others, to see hope for the first time in hundreds of years.

For this reason, these people who had been holding back their anger over certain things agreed with his point of view, as if they had grabbed a life-saving straw.

Even though he tried his best to persuade them and gained their approval, in a sense, the Mohists did not completely agree with him.

and so……

Coming out with him were representatives of the Mohist school and some of its disciples.

The appearance of these people was undoubtedly their first cooperation with each other, so they were all conservative and left themselves enough room for maneuver.

For this reason, no one said anything explicitly, which was considered a tacit understanding between the two.

After a brief pause, Gong Xing smiled and said, "Yes, even though the Mohist School has been lingering on for so many years, it does not mean that the Mohist School no longer exists."

"They just chose to protect themselves and no longer participate in worldly struggles. Instead, they thought about how to survive and how to continue the inheritance."

"Of course, I don't want to become a thorn in the eyes of certain people and become a victim of their own interests."

Zhu Gaochi half-closed his eyes and stared at him for a moment, then asked with interest:
"Why did you choose to come out now?"

"Why don't you choose to protect yourself?"

"Aren't you afraid of becoming a thorn in someone's side again? A victim of profit?"

"Thus completely cutting off the inheritance?"

This is true.

The question is quite reasonable.

In response to this question, Gong Xing briefly pondered for a moment, looked around at the two people calmly, couldn't help laughing, and replied:

"Because of hope, because I saw hope."

“In the past, emperors and the court wanted people who lived among the herdsmen.”

"In today's court, Your Highness the Crown Prince and Prince Han, you are different from the courts and emperors of the past. What you want is change and something better."

"Isn't it?"

"And at this time, you have also noticed the shortcomings of certain issues."

“I don’t want to be coerced or constrained by certain people.”

"I want to give better to the people and the whole country."

"so……"

Having said this, Gong Xing did not say another word.

We are all smart people and we all know what the other person means.

Yes!

I understand.

I know the disadvantages and don't want to be dragged into it.

What a profound meaning these words contain!

Confucianism is the only dominant school of thought, and it seems that it is governing the people for the emperor and being loyal to the country.

But are those people really doing things to be loyal to the country and to govern the people for the emperor?

Ha ha…

The answer is obvious.

Obviously not.

To put it bluntly, it's all for oneself and one's own interests.

For some people, the emperor can be changed, the dynasty can be changed, and it has no effect on them. It is just a change of master.

What is theirs will remain theirs.

To this end, if you want to break this deadlock and break the balance of interests of certain people, the best way is to introduce external aid, that is, to have other forces intervene, so that certain people can feel enough crisis and can no longer be self-righteous.

This move was also used to let certain people know that the court did not need them.

There are people who are qualified and capable enough to replace them.

Thinking of this, Zhu Gaochi couldn't help laughing, then turned to look at Zhu Gaoxu and asked, "Second brother, did you tell him this? Or..." Zhu Gaoxu nodded without comment and agreed:
"if not?"

"Do you expect that they, who are isolated from the news and know the situation in the court, can understand our thoughts?"

"Besides, if we want to work together, but we don't tell others the truth and make them feel uneasy, how can we let them follow us? Boss, don't you know the dangers involved?"

"It may not matter much to our royal family, but to the Mohists, if we don't reveal our true intentions to others, aren't we afraid that some people will compromise and then abandon us and become victims of the exchange of interests?"

"If something like that really happens, I don't need to elaborate on what their ending will be, right?"

Having said this, he paused, his expression became extremely serious, and he continued in a deep voice:

"Since we are working together, we naturally have to have a way of working together. We hide things from each other and have our own calculations in mind."

"Do you think we really have a chance of success when we face those interest groups?"

"so."

"We've said everything we need to say."

Yes!

The slightest carelessness can lead to a bottomless abyss.

For the Zhu family, it may not be a big deal and some people may not dare to do anything about it, but for the Mohist school, it is completely different.

Although Zhu Gaoxu felt a little bit upset that he had not discussed this with him, the Crown Prince did not dwell on this issue with him for too long. After all, things had come to this point, and there was no point in talking about anything else.

Instead of using this energy, it is better to think carefully about what to do next and the next layout.

Zhu Gaochi withdrew his gaze from him and looked at Gong Xing who was standing beside him again. His expression suddenly became serious and he said in a deep voice:
"Since the second brother has already explained everything to you, I naturally have nothing to say here."

"But you should also be aware that the Ming Dynasty will never allow one school of thought to dominate the court, let alone one school of thought. The best outcome for us is for a hundred schools of thought to contend."

"Only in this way can the Ming Dynasty become better and better, so."

"I can make a harsh statement here. If you cooperate with us, you will definitely have a place in the Mohist School. If you pretend to be a big shot and try to follow the old path of Confucianism, thinking that we can only respect the Mohist School, this will never happen again and will not be allowed to happen. Therefore, when you do things in the future, I hope you will be mentally prepared."

"There are some red lines that cannot be crossed. Once crossed, what will happen next? I think you are a smart person and should know better than anyone else. Today we can use this method to deal with Confucianism, and we can also use other methods to deal with you."

Don't be too blunt when saying this.

Although it sounds unpleasant and threatening.

However, to Gongxing's ears, it sounded no less than the sound of nature.

There is no other reason.

Just these few seemingly simple sentences contain so many things. Of course, there is also the point that Gongxing is most concerned about, that is, the determination of Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi, which was clearly revealed in his words just now.

In this way, Gong Xing can completely let go of the worry that he had raised before, and the previous feeling of uneasiness in his heart disappears instantly. He does not have to worry that this is just a flash in the pan, or that they will only be used, or that they will be abandoned in the future.

As for Zhu Gaochi’s threat.

Please, I have been silent for so many years and finally have the chance to come out and wait for this opportunity.

They are not fools, how could they cross the red line?

Don’t you see what Confucianism will face now?

Of course, when they become powerful, whether they will do so or have such thoughts is a matter for later.

Who can tell what will happen in the future?

but now?
Show your loyalty and give your word and that's all.

Thinking of this, his originally calm heart began to boil uncontrollably, and his words became a little excited. He said:
"Your Highness, Prince Han, rest assured."

"The common people know what to do."

"He who is content is always happy. I know this well."

"I will never pursue those unrealistic ideas, and I will never cross the red line that should not be crossed."

Zhu Gaochi nodded without comment and said with a smile:

"I hope you can keep your word and control your subordinates well."

"Hehe... otherwise."

That's all for this.

Seeing that the two had almost finished talking, Zhu Gaoxu quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, saying with a smile:
"Alright, alright, boss..."

"That's almost it."

"Don't look so serious. Don't scare others."

"We just started working together. You have to give others some time to adapt, to a certain extent!"

"Don't scare people away before the meeting even starts."

Hearing this, Zhu Gaochi retracted his gaze and did not dwell on this issue any more. He turned to look at Zhu Gaoxu who was watching the show on the side and asked in a deep voice:

"Second brother..."

"You have even found the people from the Mohist School and have negotiated the terms."

"I think you must have made up your mind about how to deal with the officials in the Ministry of Industry and what to use as a breakthrough point, right?"

"Come on, tell me..."

"I'm curious about the various ways you will tackle Song Li."

"And how do you plan to balance the interests of the court and shut up those people in the court?"

"Be prepared for danger in times of peace. Although the Ministry of Works is highly valued, it is still one of the six ministries."

"If you don't find a good reason, Song Li might not be so active."

"Those other people will definitely strongly oppose it, and they might even jointly file a petition to the old man."

"By then, the resistance will probably be extremely great."

After hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu's mouth curled up slightly, revealing an intriguing sneer, and he looked over and said:
"Who told you that I want to take down Song Li, the Minister of Industry?"

"What? What do you mean?" Zhu Gaochi couldn't help but exclaimed subconsciously, "Second Brother, what on earth are you up to?"

"Didn't you vow before that you would start a major reshuffle of the Ministry of Works?"

"Song Li is the Minister of Works. Shouldn't he be the first to bear the brunt of the consequences?"

"Moreover……"

"If we don't take action against him, how can the people of the Mo family enter safely?"

"Song Li is not a fool. If he notices something wrong and the matter is leaked in advance, it will be a big deal."

Zhu Gaoxu smiled without comment, shook his head slightly, and then nodded.

After a brief silence, Zhu Gaoxu waved outside, and Lao He, who was waiting at the door, walked in with a thick stack of memorials in his arms and placed them on the stone table.

Then, he pointed to the memorial on the table and said with a smile:
"Let's see!"

"This is where our confidence comes from. With these things, Song Li is no longer a tough guy."

(End of this chapter)