My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 104: The So-called Ancestral Instructions (Part 3)

The last time the Crown Prince gave a lecture, he chose Su Ze first.

If the last time was an accident, the second time was definitely intentional!

Huang Ji was so jealous that he was shaking. He had been lecturing the crown prince for so long, and the last time the crown prince called his name wrong!

Su Ze only came to the Eastern Palace twice in total, but the prince actually remembered what the Five Classics were that he studied for the imperial examination!
Yin Shidan also frowned, but Zhu Yijun's reason this time was also very reasonable. Su Ze was indeed a scholar of the Book of Changes.

The Five Classics also have different levels of difficulty. Among them, the "Book of Changes" and "Spring and Autumn Annals" are the most difficult and have the fewest people studying them.

The I Ching is profound and profound in its content, while the Spring and Autumn Annals is too voluminous due to the large number of supplementary textbooks and requires a lot of memorization.

Among the people present, there were indeed not many who studied the Book of Changes.

Yin Shidan felt a little regretful. He had overlooked the fact that Su Ze was studying the Book of Changes. The key point was that the prince actually knew that Su Ze was studying the Book of Changes!

A strange idea came to Yin Shidan's mind. Could it be that the Crown Prince held the imperial lecture just to listen to Su Ze's lectures?

No way, no way? It shouldn't be, right?

Facing Zhu Yijun's expectant eyes, Su Ze said:
"This sentence comes from the Book of Changes. The full text is 'After Shennong's death, Huangdi, Yao, and Shun came to power. They understood the changes and made the people tireless. They transformed the people with their divine power and made them adapt to the rules. When the Yi are exhausted, they change. When they change, they are able to understand. When they understand, they will last. Therefore, they are blessed by heaven and everything will be auspicious.'"

"The general idea is that successive sage kings have adapted and changed the laws and regulations of previous generations, encouraging the people to strive for progress. They have miraculously applied the principles of flexibility to ensure that the people can achieve what they desire."

Yin Shidan wanted his disciples to stand out, so he specifically found this sentence. However, he didn't know that this sentence from the Book of Changes was widely circulated in later generations, and Su Ze had read several articles analyzing it in his previous life.

Su Ze said again:
"Song Confucian scholars said: 'Yi means change. Change at any time to follow the Tao.'"

Yin Shidan pinched his beard. He really didn't like Su Ze, but as a Confucian scholar, Su Ze had a profound knowledge of Confucianism, a solid foundation, and was able to come up with new ideas. He was indeed worthy of the title of second class.

Whether it is an explanation or a quotation, Su Ze's work can be regarded as a standard eight-part essay, and it was thought up in a short period of time.

What a pity he is such a treacherous villain!

Yin Shidan was thinking, and Su Ze continued:
"The way to govern a country is the way of 'change and constancy'."

Zhu Yijun's eyes were sparkling, which was what he liked about Su Ze. He could always give fresh explanations instead of just copying from books like other lecturers.

Yin Shidan frowned. The next thing should be Su Ze's private goods. Sure enough, Su Ze said:

"The rise and fall of dynasties are determined by heaven. To ensure long-term peace and stability, it depends on whether to change or not. I have summarized it this way: 'In prosperous times, seek change; in troubled times, seek stability.'"

Su Ze was also observing Zhu Yijun.

During these days, the Eastern Palace had a very good opinion of the Crown Prince.

There were even lecturers in the Eastern Palace who wrote a petition to the emperor, asking him to give the crown prince a vacation. The Ming Dynasty had finally found such a promising emperor, so he should not be overworked to the point of becoming ill.

However, Zhu Yijun insisted on speaking every day, which made the emperor and Concubine Li very pleased.

The current Zhu Yijun was not yet the lazy Wanli of later generations. Children aged six or seven were in the critical stage of shaping their outlook on life. Su Ze decided to take on the responsibility of being a lecturer. After all, the fat little Jun was still good to him.

After all, Zhu Yijun is still a child. Su Ze said metaphorically:

"A prosperous age is like a towering tree. If one clings to old rules, its branches will become clogged and its vitality will be blocked. Therefore, a sage king should constantly change to follow the Way, reforming the system so that the people will feel like they are bathed in a spring breeze and work tirelessly."

"In times of turmoil, it's like a boat sailing on raging waves. A sudden change of sail and rudder will capsize. At this time, we must ensure the people's well-being, first stabilize their hearts and restore social order. Just as Huangdi rested his troops and nurtured the people before conquering Chiyou, he did so. Once the foundation is solid, we can then gradually plan reforms."

After listening to Su Ze's analogy, Zhu Yijun nodded vigorously, obviously he understood Su Ze's analogy.

Zhu Yijun suddenly asked:
"Master Su, may I ask, is this a prosperous era?"

Everyone looked at Su Ze, and Su Ze said loudly:
"Of course it's the golden age!"

"Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, the four directions have been peaceful and the whole world has been subdued. This is a rare and prosperous era!"

Su Ze changed the subject and said:
"That is why Your Majesty wishes to launch a new policy. It is for the sake of future generations. We must resolve the hidden dangers in this prosperous era and ensure that the Ming Dynasty will prosper for thousands of years!"

Now even Huang Ji rolled his eyes. Su Ze was indeed a treacherous minister. He was too good at flattering!
The key point is that the crown prince really fell for his talk. Zhu Yijun's chubby face turned red with excitement. He was obviously attracted by Su Ze's theory of prosperous times and reform!

When my father was on the throne, it was a prosperous era. Wouldn’t it be possible for me to be the ruler of a prosperous era as well when I succeeded him?
Of course, the six-year-old Zhu Yijun was not motivated by a desire for power, but was simply a child's pursuit of a nice title.

But such a harmonious atmosphere always had someone to break it, and Huang Ji stood up and said:

"The sages spoke of the principles of change and constancy, 'After the death of Shennong, the Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun arose, and mastered the changes.' This refers to the need to seek change during a dynasty change, eliminate the previous dynasty's malpractices, and once a law that will last forever is established, future generations will simply follow it!"

"Our Ming Dynasty has the Imperial Ming Ancestor's Instructions. As long as Your Highness diligently studies these instructions, the country will enjoy long-term peace and stability!"

Seeing Huang Ji jump out to object, Zhu Yijun looked at Su Ze again, obviously wanting to listen to the debate between the two.

Xiaopangjun was also very happy. Compared with the boring lectures given by one person, the imperial lectures were indeed much more interesting!
Sure enough, Su Ze immediately retorted:
"When Taizu formulated the ancestral precepts, he had his own historical context in mind. Future generations of sage kings can understand Taizu's thoughts and make changes, rather than blindly copying them!"

"For example, Emperor Taizu banned maritime activities, saying 'not a single piece of ship is allowed to go to sea.' This was because during the Ming dynasty, when the country was undergoing a period of rapid change, pirates were rampant and harassed the people."

"During the reign of Emperor Chengzu, he ordered Zheng He to sail to the Western Oceans to show the might of our Celestial Empire to other nations, leading to the grand occasion of tribute from all nations!"

"Could it be that Chengzu violated Taizu's maritime ban?"

"On the contrary, it was Chengzu who understood Taizu's ancestral precepts and forbade small boats from going to sea because they could easily capsize. Taizu loved his people, so he forbade small boats from going to sea. Chengzu built a treasure ship to sail to Southeast Asia, just to follow Taizu's ancestral precepts!"

Not to mention Huang Ji, even Yin Shidan was shocked. Could Taizu's ancestral precepts be interpreted in this way?
Zhu Yijun thought of Su Ze's exotic customs in "Haiguo Ji" and nodded repeatedly and said:

"I see! No wonder Father wants to open the air traffic again. It turns out Father understands Taizu's spirit!"

Yin Shidan was now frightened. He knew that Su Ze was playing a game of words, and no one could really interpret the ancestral precepts in this way. He was just trying to amuse the prince. But he was afraid that Su Ze would lead the prince astray again, so he hurriedly announced the end of the imperial lecture.

(End of this chapter)