Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Zhu Youjian had high hopes for Zhu Yujian, and he gave him some pointers:

Do you know what's most important to you right now?

Zhu Yujian said he didn't know, and Zhu Youjian told him:

"For a monarch, the most important thing is to have an heir."

"With an heir, subordinates can feel secure, knowing that they can enjoy wealth and honor for generations to come."

"On the contrary, if you don't even have an heir, no matter how powerful you are now, it will all vanish as soon as you die."

"Even for your own life, you should give birth to an heir!"

These words can be described as heartfelt and sincere.

Many ambitious monarchs do not value successors when they are young.

The lessons learned were also devastating, with the Zhengde Emperor serving as a prime example.

Zhu Yujian, standing before us, was another example. Historically, he only had a son after ascending the throne. But that was a long time ago; a newborn child couldn't possibly inspire confidence.

This is also why his regime has not gained full recognition; many people feel there is an opportunity for someone else to be installed.

Now, Zhu Yujian has been stripped of his status and expelled from the Tang Dynasty, so there is no possibility that his younger brother will succeed him.

If he were to die accidentally during the establishment of his fiefdom, his subordinates would quickly fall apart.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian asked him to marry and have children as soon as possible to leave an heir.

Zhu Yujian bowed his head and accepted the emperor's advice, keeping it firmly in mind.

He was indeed very poor in this regard, while Zhu Youjian was definitely a role model.

Since he ascended the throne, starting from the second year of Chongzhen's reign, he had a child born every year.

Now they have more than ten children, and even the court officials are not very interested in this happy event.

Despite this, Zhu Youjian still intended to have more children and decided to enfeoff his sons in various parts of the world in the future.

To prevent his son from going astray, Zhu Youjian looked at Zhu Yujian and said:

"Emperor Taizu once compiled the Imperial Record of Misconduct to warn the princes against following bad examples."

"I intend to continue compiling this book and include cases of the evil deeds committed by the vassal kings."

"Your revenge killing is a typical case and will surely be recorded in history."

"My requirement is that your judgment must stand up to scrutiny, reflecting both the dignity of the law and the specific realities of the situation."

"Mr. Liu is in charge of this matter; he must find sufficient theoretical support."

Liu Zongzhou was asked to defend Zhu Yujian and explain why he was not killed.

Zhu Yujian hurriedly thanked him and then solemnly bowed to Liu Zongzhou.

Liu Zongzhou felt a little bitter, but he had no choice but to accept the task.

The emperor was already wise enough to continue writing the "Imperial Records of Misconduct"; one couldn't force the emperor to kill his own relatives.

He could only try to find a reason for Zhu Yujian to avoid being sentenced to death.

At the same time, in order to warn the princes, he strongly demanded that Zhu Yujian be given sufficient punishment:
"Since these cases are to be recorded in history, they must stand the test of time."

"Although the matter concerning the Crown Prince is understandable, it cannot be let off lightly."

"I believe that he can be imprisoned in Fengyang for three years to have children."

He considered this punishment too lenient, but Zhu Yujian looked at him with a resentful gaze:
If he is imprisoned for three years, half of his subordinates will probably leave. What good will it do if he has children by then?

Moreover, Zhu Youjian disagreed with this. The worst drought was coming in three years. If Zhu Yujian was released then, how many immigrants could he resettle?

After careful consideration, Zhu Youjian said:
"Imprisonment is a waste of talent; let's send them to the army instead!"

“He will be assigned to the Western Expedition Vanguard, and he can atone for his sins by performing meritorious service.”

Looking at Zhu Yujian, he said:

"This garrison belongs to the imperial court, but it is entrusted to you for its establishment. Together with Luo Rucai, you will go to various places to recruit bandits." "You can promise Shi Guan that you can take the local bandits out."

This has always been his policy, modeled after the Song Dynasty's policy of granting amnesty to recruit capable people from the populace.

Once these people are recruited and sent away in batches, new displaced people will rise up and rebel again, and experience will need to be accumulated all over again.

As long as the imperial court reacts quickly enough, it can keep peasant uprisings in their infancy.

If Zhu Yujian were to step forward, given his status as a descendant of the Tang emperor, he would likely be able to take a group of people with him.

Zhu Yujian was delighted to hear this, because the emperor was clearly not punishing him, but rather giving him a military post to recruit talent.

He gladly accepted the punishment and planned to leave after the trial.

Liu Zongzhou was somewhat helpless at this sight, knowing that the emperor was determined to protect Zhu Yujian.

He could only manipulate the articles to make them appear plausible on the surface.
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News of Liu Zongzhou's return to Beijing quickly spread throughout the capital.

This Confucian scholar, who was responsible for reforming the rites and music and was able to persuade the emperor, held a special place in the hearts of many people.

Well-informed ministers knew that he would be received by the emperor as soon as he returned to the capital.

This fully demonstrates that the emperor's favor towards Liu Zongzhou remained undiminished, and he still regarded him as the person he trusted most.

Han Kuang, Cheng Jiming, and others wrote letters informing Liu Zongzhou of the events that had occurred in the court, especially the emperor's statement that "political affairs should be decided by the collective, while sacrifices should be performed by the emperor himself."

Yuan Keli even personally visited his residence to discuss the matter with him:
"The practice of having governments convene through collective deliberation is being implemented."

"Performing sacrifices is no easy task for me!"

"If this is to be achieved, there must be a major change in the tradition."

Liu Zongzhou was aware of this, but he did not consider himself the one who held the reins of the Confucian tradition.

Even if he wanted to say that, not many people would agree:

"My words are of little use as a later Confucian scholar; what matters is the teachings of Confucius!"

"The orthodox tradition of Confucianism is largely in their hands."

Confucius may seem unassuming, but his influence is actually very significant.

Whether or not one is worshipped in the Temple of Confucius is one of the criteria for being included in the orthodox Confucianism.

In other words, the power to decide whether or not to include Confucius in the ancestral rites was in the hands of the imperial court; otherwise, the influence of the Confucius family would have been even more astonishing.

This family was so powerful in the Ming Dynasty's political arena that few dared to offend them.

Yuan Keli knew this, so he was very worried:
"The Emperor highly values ​​Kong Zhenyun. He comes from the Southern Kong family, so who knows what he might be planning."

"Many of the newly built Confucius Temple officials in recent years are from the Southern Confucian school."

"If the conflict between the Northern and Southern Confucian schools is stirred up again, the Confucian school will be in chaos."

As a close friend of Kong Zhenyun, he did not want to provoke a conflict between the Northern and Southern Kong factions, so that the emperor could use him to control the orthodox lineage.

Liu Zongzhou felt the same way. He had a good relationship with Kong Zhenyun, but he did not want the Southern Kong family to cause a conflict at this time.

Both men agreed that the Confucian school should be kept stable to prevent the emperor from finding an opportunity to exploit.

Liu Zongzhou thought even deeper, and he sighed:

"In truth, although His Majesty has his flaws, from the perspective of etiquette, he is a rare and sage ruler."

"If you say you govern the country with propriety, then you should act according to propriety and law, and never violate the rules you set for yourself."

"If future emperors were like this, the world would truly enter an era of ritual and propriety!"

The name "Era of Ritual System" was proposed by the emperor, distinguishing it from the previous emperor's greatest imperial era.

The highest principle of this era was etiquette and law, which even the emperor had to follow.

If the orthodox tradition established by the emperor includes this point, he felt that the emperor could have some power over the orthodox tradition.

In that case, future emperors, when using the name of the current emperor, would have no choice but to follow the teachings he left behind. (End of Chapter)