My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 37 The First Argumentative Person in Ming Dynasty
After returning to the palace, Empress Ma did not go directly to find Zhu Yuanzhang, but went to the Dashan Hall first.

This is the library built by Zhu Yuanzhang, which also served as his study, housing various books he collected.

She ordered the eunuch to bring Jia Yi's "New Book" and she took it to a room.

This is Zhu Yuanzhang's study, and only he and Empress Ma can enter and exit freely.

Without permission, no one else, including Zhu Biao, could enter.

At the innermost part of the room, there was a screen with a huge map hanging on it.

If you look closely, you will find that this is a map of the three continents of Europe, Asia and Africa, but it is not complete.

Many places are still blank.

Among them, the Central and East Asian parts are relatively complete.

There are all large islands along the coast of China, including Japan Island, Luzon, Malacca, etc.

Only a small part of West Asia, Europe and Africa is drawn, and most areas are blank.

This map was collected and compiled by Zhu Yuanzhang's men, and Empress Ma had seen it many times.

So she just glanced at it and didn't pay too much attention.

I sat down at my desk and read the eleven articles on education in the New Book.

I found that it was just as Ma Yu said, the content was not complicated and the principles were straightforward.

It means telling those in power to be diligent, frugal, love the people, etc.

This further confirms Ma Yu's concept of educational standards.

She couldn't help but sigh in her heart that the elders of the Ma Yu family were really talented.

These few seemingly unrelated articles can actually summarize some patterns.

No wonder they were able to sort out the vast sea of ​​history books into lines.

But... she was immediately attracted by one of the articles, "Fetal Education".

Of course, this prenatal education is different from that prenatal education.

What Jia Yi said about prenatal education is that educating a child should start with choosing a mother for the child.

To put it simply, it starts with selecting the Crown Princess or the Queen.

Basically, it depends on whether the girl's knowledge, character, appearance, etc. are qualified.

Then look at her family. She cannot be born in a family of criminals, her family must be harmonious, etc.

Only a woman like this can raise the young prince well.

This is definitely the standard for selecting the Crown Princess and the Queen.

The key is that she perfectly meets Empress Ma's standards for choosing a daughter-in-law.

It can be said that it touched her heart.

She couldn't help but exclaim in admiration: "Jia Yi is indeed worthy of being called a sage."

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang's voice rang out: "Jia Yi advocates that officials should not be punished, and that the monarch should treat officials with great courtesy."

"This move will inevitably fuel corruption and lawlessness, and the people will suffer."

"Moreover, if the law is applied to the lowly and subservient to the noble, the world will not accept it."

"He also overemphasized the teachings of benevolence and righteousness, and not enough the importance of discipline."

"His thoughts are mostly filled with impetuous words that disregard reality."

"It was a wise move of Emperor Wen of Han not to appoint him to a high position."

"If this method had really been used, the Han Dynasty would have been torn apart immediately."

Queen Ma was not surprised by his arrival, and did not refute his evaluation of Jia Yi.

She knew Zhu Yuanzhang too well and always liked to go against others.

For example, if you say that Li Shimin was a wise ruler.

He would retort that Li Shimin killed his brother and imprisoned his father, did not know how to educate his children, and in his later years he indulged in pleasure and forced the barbarians in Shu to rebel, so he could not be considered wise.

But if you say that Li Shimin was not a wise ruler.

He will also refute you that Li Shimin was open-minded, good at accepting advice, diligent in his work and loved his people, and he created the Zhenguan era.

Although he forced the barbarians in Shu to rebel in his later years, he admitted his mistakes and immediately adjusted his policies to resolve the conflicts.

He is one of the few wise rulers in history.

In short, no matter what you say, he has to refute it.

It was because she knew his habit that Queen Ma knew how to deal with it.

Now he said that Jia Yi was not good, and if he refuted it, he would criticize Jia Yi to the point of being useless.

The best way is to follow his words:

"So, then, Jia Yi's ideas are completely useless?"

Sure enough, Zhu Yuanzhang walked over to her and sat down, saying:

"No, Jia Yi's ideas do have their merits."

"His proposal to eradicate the feudal lords, though inappropriate at the time, directly addressed the greatest drawback of the Western Han Dynasty."

"It provided a method for Emperor Jing and Emperor Wu to reduce the power of the feudal lords."

"He believed that the Qin Dynasty fell because it lost the support of the people, and proposed that the people should be the foundation of everything."

"This statement hits the nail on the head. When the people are safe, the country is safe."

"Ma Yu once told me about destiny, and I pondered it for a long time and came up with a truth."

"What the people desire, Heaven will grant."

"This is exactly what is said: He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world."

Empress Ma suppressed a smile and said, "So, although Jia Yi has shortcomings, he is not without merit."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "Yes, everyone has shortcomings and advantages."

“We can’t just focus on the shortcomings and ignore the strengths, but we can’t just focus on the strengths and ignore the shortcomings either.”

"That way we can understand the full picture and leverage our strengths to mitigate our weaknesses."

Seeing his eagerness to teach others, Empress Ma almost burst out laughing. She coughed twice to hide her emotions and said:
"I see... I went to see Yu'er this morning, and he told me about his family's philosophy on raising children."

"I'm verifying it. After what you said just now, I thought he was lying to me."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up, and he immediately sat up straight and asked:
"What did he say?"

Empress Ma repeated Ma Yu's words in detail and emphasized:

“First understand right and wrong, then teach people how to weigh the pros and cons.”

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's face suddenly turned ugly.

Isn't this just a slap in our face?

Okay, okay, even when we're not here, you still want to tease me. Do you really think I'm made of clay?

Just wait for us.

Empress Ma was not worried at all. Even though Zhu Yuanzhang was very angry at the moment, as long as what she said made sense, he would eventually adopt it.

Just like what Ma Yu said about the concept of destiny, it was a direct mockery, but he still accepted it.

What's more, this matter is related to the education of his children. Given how much he values ​​his children, he will definitely not abandon it.

The fact was indeed as she thought. After a long while, Zhu Yuanzhang said:

"There is some truth to that, but that doesn't mean he's right."

"Educating children is related to the future of the Ming Dynasty. We can't just trust his words."

Empress Ma also agreed with this: "It is a matter of great importance and we should be cautious."

"But we can't just sit there and do nothing. Why not take this opportunity to open the main hall and verify it?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "That's fine. Song Lian's ability is trustworthy. We can rest assured to leave the child to him."

"There should be good news coming from Tiande soon. Let's prepare to go to Dadu."

"Originally, I wanted to wait until I came back to open the main hall, so that I could oversee it personally."

"It seems there's no need to delay now, let's go now."

"When we return from Dadu, we can test the results of his education."

"Let's also see if Ma Yu's method is feasible."

Empress Ma frowned slightly and said, "It takes years to educate people. Your trip to Dadu will only take a month at most. I'm afraid you won't be able to see anything."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "How could I not know this truth?"

"I just want to see what changes will happen to the children without my interference."

"As long as it doesn't get worse, we can rest assured."

Empress Ma said with relief, "That's good."

After thinking for a moment, she continued, "I want Ma Yu to teach me the principles of nature. What do you think?"

Zhu Yuanzhang flatly rejected it: "No, this is too frivolous."

He then explained, "We admit that he is very talented, but we still know too little about his specific abilities. How can we allow him to interfere in the main hall?"

"What's more, given his age, if we really let him become a teacher, the ministers would not agree."

"If there's a commotion, it won't be good for him."

Empress Ma said, "I didn't think it through... How about this? Let Chui'er study with him for a while and see how it works."

How could she not know that at Ma Yu's age, it was impossible for him to be a lecturer at the main hall?

The reason for making this suggestion is just for the matter of Zhu Chong later.

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but hesitate. He naturally didn't want to take risks with his son.

But he was indeed envious of Ma Yu's knowledge. Not to mention being able to learn all of it, at least he could learn only a part of it.

The key point is that if we can figure out his learning method, it will be extremely important for royal education.

It can be said that it will benefit future generations.

Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth and said, "Second brother, I'm sorry for putting you through this."

"That's fine. He is the most familiar with Shu'er, so let Shu'er learn with him."
-
The queen brought a lot of bags and went to see Ma Yu in person. She stayed there for most of the day before coming out. The news soon spread throughout Yingtian Prefecture.

This attitude is even clearer.

No one could sit still any longer, so they sent people to deliver gifts again.

Those with high enough status will send their butlers, while those with low status will go in person.

In a very short time, a long line formed at the door.

Ma Yu had anticipated this and hung two salted fish at the door.

This is an allusion to the story of the sheep hanging the fish to express one's own ambition.

To put it bluntly, I don't accept gifts.

But it still couldn't stop those people's enthusiasm. The number of people queuing at the door not only did not decrease, but kept increasing.

At this time, the new housekeeper Yuan Lang came to him and suggested that it was not a solution to keep refusing.

Besides, you will have to gain a foothold in the court in the future, so you can't keep isolating yourself like this.

"You don't have to give the gift, but you can leave the gift list and name card."

After all, Ma Yu was a time traveler and didn't understand these things. Only after listening to the butler's explanation did he realize that this was actually possible.

In fact, when people come to give him gifts, it cannot be said that they are trying to curry favor with him.

It is a sign of recognition.

We acknowledge your existence and show you due respect.

He left the gift list and name card, which means I appreciate your friendship. However, our friendship is as light as water, so you should take the gift back.

In this way, everyone can save face and take care of themselves.

Tsk, people in ancient times were very particular about doing things.

Thinking about it now, when Mr. Ma accepted everyone who came to him, I'm afraid everyone must have laughed at him in private.

What happened afterwards was exactly as Yuan Lang had said.

When those who had given gifts saw that he had accepted the gift list and business card, they did not hesitate any longer and went back happily with the gifts.

The long line at the door shrank rapidly and disappeared soon.

People who would give gifts later would still come with large and small bags, leave their business cards and gift lists, and then return with large and small bags.

Ma Yu sighed again, it turns out that everything has a routine.

People who don’t understand are really at a loss and embarrassed, but once they understand, they find everything so simple.

Yuan Lang’s performance goes beyond this.

That evening, Ma Yu was studying in the study, and he came over with a thick booklet.

It records the information of all gift givers.

He also classified these people according to their status, the importance of their positions, and the time they joined the Ming Dynasty.

Those directly related to Empress Ma are highlighted.

Moreover, he just marked these out and gave them to Ma Yu to look at, but he did not give any instructions on how to do it.

He would only say a few words when Ma Yu asked him about it.

And every time after making a suggestion, he would add:
"This is just my humble opinion, I hope it can be of some use to you, sir."

Ma Yu couldn't help but secretly admire his awareness and emotional intelligence. It was a waste of his talent to be a housekeeper.

So he asked curiously, "Butler Yuan is a talented man, have you ever thought about becoming an official?"

Yuan Lang laughed and said, "Being an official is not as promising as being your steward."

Ma Yu was stunned for a moment, then sighed, "Butler Yuan is such a wonderful person, and a rare and understanding person."

Is Yuan Lang trying to flatter someone? No, he's speaking the truth.

Everyone has different strengths. Just because someone has high emotional intelligence and can manage a family well doesn't mean that he can govern the people or manage a prefecture or a county well.

Moreover, being an official if one has too high emotional intelligence and likes to weigh things too much is not necessarily a good thing.

It's easy to kill yourself.

Being a housekeeper for a high-ranking official may seem like a lowly position, but he is actually a seventh-rank official in the prime minister's family.

When the prefects and county magistrates from other places met him, they had to be polite.

He can also use the status of the master family to take care of the family behind him and train the family members.

He doesn't need to do anything illegal or criminal. As long as he stands there, the family will benefit.

But what smart and talented people hate most is being inferior to others.

Many people hope to become officials even though they know it is impossible.

But Yuan Lang did not do that. He chose to be a housekeeper.

It is because he has figured this out that Ma Yu said that Yuan Lang is a wonderful person and a truly smart person.

No wonder Queen Ma asked him to be her housekeeper.

Then, with the help of Yuan Lang, Ma Yu learned about the people on the list one by one.

Be clear about it.

Not only do you need to know who is giving gifts, but you also need to know who is not.

What are the identities of these people and how do they usually behave?

If he is usually upright and only interacts with people he is familiar with, it is normal for him not to give gifts.

If this person often exchanges gifts with others but does not give anything this time, it itself shows an attitude.

For example, Li Shanchang and dozens of people from the "King of Wu" period did not make any move.

Li Shanchang was the prime minister, so it was barely understandable that he didn't give gifts, but there was only one possibility for those others not to give gifts.

No wonder Zhu Yuanzhang could tolerate such a sensitive matter as his private transfer of the Guard Bureau.

Not only because of the past friendship, but also because of the power represented by Li Shanchang, which made him, the emperor, cautious and hesitant.

After all, the Ming Dynasty has not yet really conquered the world, so he dare not overturn the table.

With this understanding, Ma Yu knew that there would probably be more struggle between him and Li Shanchang.

But, I'm not afraid of this.

If Li Shanchang had just let it go, the two families would have nothing to do with each other.

If he dares to cause trouble for me again, don't blame me for causing trouble for him.

Apart from anything else, the hatred between Yang Xian and Li Shanchang is recorded in history books.

Yang Xian was a typical villain and cruel official, the most difficult type to deal with.

I just need to add a little bit of fuel to the fire and Li Shanchang will be in big trouble.

All in all, this gift list really opened Ma Yu's eyes.

I can't help but sigh that giving gifts is really a science.
-
Zhu Yuanzhang acted decisively this time and announced the next day that he would build a large hall for the prince to study.

And let Song Lian be responsible for this matter.

The Confucian scholars were naturally very happy about this. Whoever controls the prince controls the future.

Zhu Yuanzhang then issued an order to select several famous mathematicians and historians from the Imperial College and the Hanlin Academy to serve as lecturers.

As expected, this move was opposed by Confucian scholars.

They are not against reading history, but they are against mathematics.

The prince only needs to learn the ideas of sages and wise men, and he will surely be able to bring peace to the world. Why bother to learn useless things like mathematics?

Zhu Yuanzhang's response was quite understated: "Confucius said a gentleman should master the six arts: rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics."

"You say that mathematics is useless. Aren't you accusing the sages of using their knowledge?"

"The imperial court will not tolerate people like you who betray your teachers and ancestors."

So all these people were dismissed from office and never re-employed.

After that, no one dared to say that mathematics was useless, and no one dared to oppose the prince learning mathematics.

When Ma Yu heard about this, he naturally cheered.

These people deserve it.

Throughout history, Confucian scholars have always focused on mathematics.

When Zhu Yuanzhang was strong and healthy, he was able to suppress such opinions.

Later, due to a series of changes and his old age and frailty, he was no longer able to take care of the overall situation.

Finally, in the 30th year of Hongwu, he had to watch Confucian scholars expel mathematics from the Imperial College.

From then on, the Ming Dynasty lost its system for training accounting officials, resulting in chaos in its financial and taxation systems.

Mathematics lost the support of the country and its development basically stagnated.

It can be said that China’s overall backwardness compared to the West in science is not caused by just one or two things.

It is the result of a combination of many factors.

This situation must not be allowed to happen again in this life.

He thought silently.
-
Just when the court's attention was drawn to the Grand Hall, a ship sailed south along the Grand Canal and docked at the pier outside Yingtian City.

(End of this chapter)