I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 467: No Light for the Future in the Pile of Old Papers

Zhang Juzheng frowned and asked, "Brother Zishi, why do you say that?"

Li Chunfang took out the "Official System Regulations" annotated by Zhu Yijun from his sleeve and handed it to Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Juzheng took it solemnly with both hands, lowered his head to look at it, and his hands trembled slightly after seeing it.

Your Highness, I thought I was a radical reformer in the Ming Dynasty, but after reading your comments, I found myself to be a conservative.

Li Chunfang stared at Zhang Juzheng and asked, "Uncle, what did you see?"

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is a man of great talent and vision, and is a blessing to the Ming Dynasty."

Li Chunfang's face turned serious, "Uncle Zhang, don't fool me with these polite words!"

Zhang Juzheng said solemnly: "Your Highness's comments are beyond my expectations. Many of the measures I dare not even think of."

Li Chunfang sighed, "Uncle, you dare not even think about it, but His Highness dares to do it."

Zhang Juzheng replied: "Your Highness is a man of genius, farsighted, resolute and courageous, and has the qualities of a sage king."

Li Chunfang looked at Zhang Juzheng and suddenly smiled: "Uncle, do you still remember the days when you taught His Majesty at Xiyuan Ximen?"

Zhang Juzheng narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he remembered something, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"When I received the late emperor's order, I felt very wronged. After all, I was a scholar and a member of the Imperial Academy, but I had to teach a five or six-year-old child."

Li Chunfang smiled with her mouth bent and her eyes squinted, reminiscing in the bright sunshine.

"I received the late emperor's decree before you did! You are a scholar, and I am the champion! Do you think I am wronged?"

Zhang Juzheng laughed loudly: "It's unfair, both Brother Zishi and I are unfair!"

Li Chunfang leaned back in his chair, the sunlight shining through the glass windows of the attic, shining brightly on his face.

"Uncle, you have a bright future ahead of you and will definitely go down in history. As for me, the reason I can leave a mark in history is not because I was the top scholar or a cabinet minister, but because I was fortunate enough to be your highness's enlightenment teacher."

Zhang Juzheng remained silent.

Li Chunfang continued, "Your Highness is really smart, and is the good student every teacher dreams of. But in fact, he is very willful, and is a bad person that every teacher dislikes.

I can recite the articles I like by heart, but I don’t even read the ones I don’t like.

I taught him "The Great Learning", but he read "Essentials of Zhenguan Administration" instead; I taught him "The Doctrine of the Mean", but he read "Essential Techniques for Governing the People". He also argued with me that life is short, just a hundred years, and there are too many things to learn.

Let those great scholars and famous people learn what you have taught me, and I will just learn the principles of governing a country."

Li Chunfang smiled bitterly: "Now that I think about it, Your Highness knew at that time that the late emperor would pass the throne to the current emperor, and then to him. It was as if he was born into this world to rule the world and revive the Ming Dynasty.

This kind of magnanimity sometimes really impresses Li."

Zhang Juzheng felt the same way. "I also feel the same way as Brother Zishi said. At that time, I was explaining the Analects to His Highness. His Highness was quite interested and said that if he wanted to understand true Confucianism, the Analects was the first book to read.

Then he asked some questions from time to time and said some unbelievable things, leaving Zhang at a loss as to how to answer.

The time when Zhang was most impressed was when His Highness said to me, "The teachings of the sages have been passed down for thousands of years. When times are good, you say it's because the ruler is wise and the ministers are virtuous, and that they follow the teachings of the sages and govern with virtue and benevolence. When times are bad, you say it's because the ruler is mediocre and the ministers are flattering, and that they betray the teachings of the sages and do evil things."

You have said all the good and bad things, but you have not found a practical way to govern the country. I always feel that your exploration of the principles of governing the country and benefiting the people with Confucianism is like a blindfolded donkey pulling a millstone, which keeps spinning in circles. "

Li Chunfang was stunned and asked, "Your Highness really said that?"

"I really said that!" Zhang Juzheng said with a wry smile, "If it was any other student, I would have used my ruler to punish him. But it was Your Highness, so I not only didn't dare to punish him, I also didn't dare to tell anyone.

When Brother Zishi mentioned this today, it suddenly occurred to me, and that’s why I was inspired to talk about this.”

Li Chunfang nodded.

At that time, Your Majesty was Prince Yu, and there was also Prince Jing outside the palace. Both princes were there, and the succession was uncertain. Although everyone knew that Your Majesty was the third prince, he was slightly older and had a better chance.

But at that time, Yan Song and his party hated Prince Yu and were determined to promote Prince Jing.

At that time, the Yan Party was extremely powerful, and it was difficult to decide who would be the crown prince.

The upright officials and honest scholars all stood on the side of Prince Yu.

At that time, His Highness entered the Western Garden as the Crown Prince of Yu, and was deeply favored by the late Emperor. The upright ministers seized this opportunity, using the relationship between the Crown Prince and the late Emperor as grandparents and grandchildren to consolidate the position of Crown Prince of Yu.

Therefore, Zhang Juzheng kept these shocking words of His Highness in his heart and dared not speak them out.

As His Highness's teacher, I am no exception.

But it was no big deal to say those words. Children of five or six years old could speak without restraint. Who in the court would take them to heart?

Yes, no one would take it to heart. Seeing that His Highness was about to carry it out step by step, Li Chunfang was anxious and restless.

Li Chunfang turned to the window and looked out.

The window faces the red walls and yellow tiles. The towering Forbidden City is like a mountain, a mountain that is out of reach.

"Uncle, to be honest, I really regret it now. Why didn't I pay more attention and teach Your Highness some more saintly principles?"

Zhang Juzheng looked at Li Chunfang and said calmly, "Brother Zishi, you know very well that what you said is just deceiving yourself.

You and I, as well as the talented people all over the world, cannot teach Your Highness the truth of a saint even if Mr. Yangming were reborn. "

Li Chunfang's face darkened, "What do you mean by that, uncle?"

"Brother Zishi, you and I both know that His Highness has his own reasons. It's just that up to now, we have only seen a small part of this reason. But it is enough to shock the world and cause criticism."

Li Chunfang was silent for a long time, then asked quietly, "Where did you learn these principles, Your Highness? Is it true that you are born knowing them, so you have no doubts?"

Zhang Juzheng smiled, "Brother Zishi, the words His Highness once said sometimes really make me believe that God has mercy on the Ming Dynasty and has given birth to a sage king."

Li Chunfang smiled bitterly, "Yes, I believed that once. But later on, I became more and more frightened. When your mentor Shao Hugong returned home, we had a deep conversation."

Zhang Juzheng's eyes lit up, "Zi Shi has had a deep conversation with your mentor?"

"We mainly talked about His Highness. His Highness is very scheming. Many people with little knowledge think that he is stubborn and might be the second Emperor Wuzong.

Haha, if Emperor Wuzong had half of your ability and scheming, why would your Highness have such a big plan? Previously, we only saw him grabbing military power, collecting financial resources, taking every step carefully, and holding power tightly, but we didn't see the chess pieces he secretly laid out.

Now the new school of thought led by Li Zhi has become popular, but it has caused great harm.

Yangming's philosophy of mind was still covered with the skin of Confucianism, but the new school of thought stripped away the remaining skin of Confucianism.

Then His Highness lured him with benefits and made him practice many strange and lewd tricks.

Mathematics, mechanics, chemistry, and physics became important tricks for many nobles, civil and military officials, and wealthy businessmen to make money in industry and commerce. They were openly displayed in public schools and colleges, and in the Imperial Observatory and the Imperial Equinox.

Uncle, seeing all these things, aren't you anxious and worried? If this continues, will there still be a place for the Holy Religion in the Ming Dynasty?"

Hearing Li Chunfang finally express his greatest anxiety, Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but sigh.

In fact, all the civil servants in the court, including the ministers, have this anxiety in their hearts.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is learning new things and neglecting old things. He values ​​practical things over empty words, values ​​benefits over moral principles. No one is sure what the future direction of Confucianism will be.

But those who hold high positions, especially those who can enter the cabinet, are all people with clear minds.

Confucianism, psychology, or other disciplines, as Xu Jie said, are just stepping stones for them to become officials and serve the country and the king.

After decades of ups and downs in the political arena, I have dealt with countless political and national affairs, and witnessed countless human relationships and worldly affairs. Can the sage's teachings solve the Ming Dynasty's fatigue and people's difficulties? Can they save the people from the water and fire?

These people have clear minds like mirrors!

The things I have been learning about faith for decades are now shaky and may collapse at any time. I must be feeling confused and anxious.

Xu Jie is an old and cunning man. He has long since let go of everything. Whether love collapses or not, as long as it doesn't fall on my head, I will die!
Now he is in delicate health and has a whole family to support, so he no longer dares to engage in a fight just for personal gain!

The other ministers were all aware of what the Crown Prince was thinking, but why did they say it out loud? Why did they go against it?

Everyone has secretly assessed that the power of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is slightly lower than that of Emperor Chengzu.

Once he ascended the throne, he might immediately surpass Chengzu.

After ruling for five years and conquering a few more countries, he will surely surpass Taizu.

With such power, even if Confucius were reborn, he would lobby His Highness and show off his ideas on governing the country in order to be reused.

Besides, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will definitely not abandon Confucianism, he is just going to make a thorough transformation of it.

These senior ministers who were well-versed in the classics all knew that the classics of Confucius had been changed beyond recognition from the Han Dynasty to the Tang and Song Dynasties, and then to the Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism and Yangming School of Mind, and countless private opinions of emperors and great scholars had been added to them.

When the dynasty was first established, if Neo-Confucianism had not changed its stance in time, de-emphasizing Mencius and emphasizing the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues to satisfy Emperor Taizu, could it have become a prominent school of thought?

Then it became part of the imperial examinations for 200 years, and then became orthodox Confucianism and the holy religion.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince does not need to issue an edict to the world, he only needs to change the content of the imperial examination.

If one studies new knowledge and focuses on practical learning, one will be able to pass the imperial examination and enter official career. Then, students all over the world will turn to studying new knowledge and abandon empty talk to pursue practical results.

Confucian scholars worship the tablet of the Great Sage and Teacher, but the one who can truly bring wealth and glory to everyone is the one sitting in the West Garden.

Li Chunfang looked at Zhang Juzheng and continued to ask, "Uncle, are you really going to sit back and do nothing?"

Zhang Juzheng was silent for a while, then he said, "Brother Zishi, you taught at Xiyuan Ximen for three or four years before you were transferred to the six ministries and became busy with government affairs, but I have been accompanying His Highness in his studies.

During this period, Your Highness and I argued constantly about certain bad policies, and Your Highness always said some incredible but thought-provoking words.

Later, I inspected Liaodong and other border towns, and then inspected Shandong, where I witnessed many bad policies and was deeply touched. Especially that time in Qingdao Port, Lu Beishan invited Zhang to board the latest prince's large sailing ship and set sail.

At sea, I have seen the power of large sailing ships that destroyed nations and cities, experienced sailing against the wind and waves, and witnessed the vastness of the ocean.

At sea, a door was suddenly pushed open for me, and I saw a new world, a new world that was not mentioned in the scriptures of sages but was vaguely visible in historical books of all dynasties.

At sea, I suddenly remembered what His Highness said at Xi'an Gate of Xiyuan one day.

'We have held up the torch of Confucianism and searched for a bright path for China for two or three thousand years, but we have been going in circles.

Prosperity, people suffer; death, people suffer!
Now the Western barbarians are sailing from thousands of miles away on their large sea vessels, mooring their ships and setting up cannons at the gates of the Ming Dynasty. The world is undergoing a thousand-year-long change, yet we are still obsessed with finding hope for the future in the piles of old papers from the past.

It's time to take off the cloth covering your eyes, look at the world, stop pulling the millstone and repeating the past path, and take a new path.'

At that moment, I felt like a ray of light was pouring down from my head. Yes, why not take off the cloth and try a new way? "

Li Chunfang stared at Zhang Juzheng intently, and after a long while he asked grimly, "Uncle, do you really think so?"

Zhang Juzheng replied solemnly: "I have been determined since I was young, with a sincere heart and a strong spirit, to take responsibility for the safety of the world, to help the poor and to help the people.

For this reason, Zhang does not care about praise or criticism, and will do everything that benefits the country and the people."

Li Chunfang understood a little, "Is Uncle Da disappointed with Confucianism and the ancestral system?"

"Brother Zishi, Zhang is determined to reform and has been searching for various solutions for the past 20 years. Now he is disappointed with the stale Neo-Confucianism and ancestral system, and wants to find a new way to govern the country and benefit the people."

Li Chunfang sat on the chair in despair, sighed deeply, and was sad, "I really didn't expect that Your Highness would subtly influence so many people.

Uncle, those who have always been concerned about the country are the ones who have been sad for thousands of years. The old road is not easy to walk, and the new road is even more difficult to walk. "

Zhang Juzheng smiled and replied: "Like a moth flying into a flame, how can I be stingy even if I burn myself?"

The Temple of Heaven and the Imperial Observatory south of the Imperial City.

After the steam engine test run was completed, Zhu Yijun looked at this huge and stupid steel monster and nodded with satisfaction.

"Huang Daolin!"

"Chen is here!"

"A steam engine is such a good thing, but it's a bit of an overkill to use it to pump water."

Huang Daolin rolled his eyes and said, "I would like to ask Your Highness to make it clear."

"Lay it flat, put wheels on it, and let it run."

Huang Daolin thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, it is possible, but this machine is too heavy and cannot run on ordinary roads."

Zhu Yijun laughed, "You are stupid. It can't run on ordinary roads. Why don't you put it on special roads, such as the tracks commonly used in ports?"

Huang Daolin's eyes suddenly widened. As a master of mechanics, he was involved in the design and use of the rail cars in the port.

With Zhu Yijun's guidance, he suddenly realized that cars powered by steam engines were most suitable for running on tracks.

It is more powerful than a cow horse and can pull more than a dozen carriages.

It doesn't get tired, and as long as it has enough coal and water, it can run along the track from morning to night.

Your Highness insisted on laying these "animal-powered rail transportation" that were ridiculed as useless by some people a few years ago. Could it be that this was a foreshadowing of the steam engine?
"Your Highness is wise!"

Huang Daolin exclaimed sincerely!

"Stop flattering me and keep working hard to get this big, breathing thing running all over the Ming Dynasty as soon as possible. If you succeed, I will confer upon you a title that will be hereditary for your whole family!"

Huang Daolin knelt down excitedly: "Thank you, Your Highness. I will do my best!"

(End of this chapter)