Daming: Brother, there is no future for monks, let's rebel

Pang Heng, with his white hair and beard, walked with a cane, but his gaze remained sharp: "Your Highness the Crown Prince actually calls me 'Master,' I dare not accept such a title."

“If I am to become a ruler in the future, you will be my teacher today.”

Zhu Biao responded calmly, looking directly into the eye.

Pang Heng stared at him for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "Are you trying to test me, or do you want to take me in?"

Zhu Biao cupped his hands in greeting: "I dare not test, I dare not accept, I only ask one question: What is Master Pang's view on the way of the Crown Prince?"

Pang Heng sat down, picked up his teacup, and said, "The way of the Crown Prince is not just about learning, nor is it just about benevolence and righteousness, but about understanding how to weigh things and knowing people's hearts. It is better to use what you learn skillfully than to use it skillfully, and it is better to make accurate judgments than to use it skillfully."

“If Your Highness wishes to be a crown prince who governs people with books and wins people’s hearts with virtue, then I advise you to give up now.”

Zhu Biao listened quietly without showing any emotion before saying, "What if I insist on becoming a crown prince that people can trust?"

Pang Heng pondered for a moment, then suddenly pointed to the table: "Then you need to have one skill—to be able to hear the voices you least want to hear."

"If you can accept the advice, utilize the talents, and control the achievements of even those you dislike, then you are a magnanimous crown prince."

Zhu Biao smiled slightly: "That's why I invited Master Pang here."

Pang Heng sneered: "Aren't you afraid that I'll be stubborn and expose your weaknesses in the future?"

"I'm afraid that everyone around me will be too soft-spoken."

Pang Heng was taken aback, then laughed loudly again: "Good, good, good Zhu Biao, this trip of mine was not in vain."

As night fell, Zhu Han received news that Pang Heng had officially entered the Guan Lecture Hall, no longer attending the Imperial Academy, but instead being designated as a "solo lecturer."

He simply closed the book and said to Shi Anzi, "At the beginning of March, Pang Heng entered the hall; by June, I'm afraid all the scholars in the capital will have to bow down to the Crown Prince."

Shi Anzi said in a low voice, "Then, Your Highness, won't you be moving too fast in the future?"

Zhu Han glanced at him sideways: "No matter how fast a tree grows, it still needs deep roots. If the roots aren't stable, it will fall no matter which way it goes."

He stood with his hands behind his back by the window, gazing at the myriad lights of the capital city.

“I have protected him to this extent; now it is up to him to take that step himself.”

"The next step... is to truly put my brother's mind at ease."

"It's not that I'm at ease, it's that Zhu Yuanzhang is at ease."

Three days later, an imperial edict suddenly came from the Eastern Palace: Zhu Biao had requested to tour schools and visit all the academies in the capital region. He was to set off in early April and return to the palace in seven days.

This imperial edict, though not written by Zhu Han, reached the Prince's residence.

Zhu Han remained silent for a long time before saying softly, "He has finally begun to step out of the East Palace."

Shi Anzi hesitated and asked, "Does Your Highness wish to accompany us?"

Zhu Han shook his head: "This step is not for me to take. I just need to stand behind him and wait for him to come back."

"What if he gets lost?"

Zhu Han smiled faintly: "Then I'll go myself and bring him back."

On the second day of the fourth lunar month, in the western suburbs of the capital, the morning mist had not yet dissipated.

A cavalry unit from the Eastern Palace had arrived at the gate of Yanghe Academy.

Zhu Biao was dressed in a plain blue robe with a jade belt around his waist. He had few followers behind him, only Liang Wen and a few eunuchs.

He walked slowly, with a gentle expression and a humble demeanor, looking more like a refined scholar entering a lecture hall than a prince.

The students of the academy had been waiting at the gate for a long time. When they saw the Crown Prince arrive, they all stood in awe and respect.

The headmaster of the academy was an elderly scholar in his sixties named Yu Guangyan, who was known for his uprightness.

When the messenger from the Eastern Palace came to report three days ago, he agreed to receive the emperor, but he did not hold a banquet or celebrate. Instead, he simply ordered the teachers and students in the academy to continue their studies as usual.

Zhu Biao stepped into the lecture hall, and Headmaster Yu stood up and bowed.

Zhu Biao returned the greeting without saying much, only saying gently, "I am Zhu Biao, and I have come to listen to a lesson today. I hope that Master Yu will not change the lesson because I am here."

Yu Guangyan stared at him with eyes like knives for a moment, then suddenly burst into loud laughter: "If all the students of the Eastern Palace were like Your Highness, I could die in peace."

He sat down with a flick of his sleeve: "Then please listen, Your Highness. Today's topic is from the Zuo Zhuan, Duke Xi: 'In the first month of spring, the Marquis of Jin attacked us.'"

The lecture hall was completely silent.

The time it takes for an incense stick to burn passes in the blink of an eye. Zhu Biao listened attentively, his brows slightly furrowed, deeply moved by the Duke of Jin's attack on Guo without first mentioning propriety.

Yu Guangyan suddenly stopped speaking, looked up at Zhu Biao and asked, "Your Highness, what do you think is the 'way of a gentleman'?"

Zhu Biao stood up, cupped his hands, and replied, "The way of the gentleman lies in respecting virtue and cultivating oneself, honoring propriety and upholding righteousness. However, in chaotic times, there may be things that cannot be achieved. In such cases, one should adapt to circumstances to uphold the Way, without losing one's essence or disrupting the end."

A strange light flashed in Yu Guangyan's eyes, and he asked again, "If a monarch uses the pretext of 'having no other choice' to commit an improper act, what should be done?"

Zhu Biao pondered for a moment, then answered frankly: "I should advise him; if my advice is not heeded, I should dismiss him; if he continues to do it after I dismiss him, I should write it down to warn future generations."

Yu Guangyan's eyes were sharp. Suddenly, he laughed three times and stood up, saying, "Your Highness, would you dare to stay at the desk and discuss with me the 'laws for the emperor to lose his way'?"

Zhu Biao smiled: "I dare."

The two sat facing each other and debated from the afternoon until dusk.

Liang Wen stood outside the hall, his hands crumpling from turning the pages of his book, but no one uttered a sound.

As night fell, Zhu Biao, pen and ink in hand, left a note in the schoolhouse, which he gifted to the students of the academy:

"A gentleman does not fear power, but rather those who do not understand righteousness. If one does not understand righteousness, even great power is useless; if one understands righteousness, even humility and weakness are worthy of respect. May we all strive together."

The next morning, the Crown Prince's carriage left Yanghe Academy, and hundreds of students spontaneously saw him off, kneeling outside the mountain gate for a long time.

Zhu Biao looked back, his eyes shining: "They believe me."

Liang Wen said softly, "From now on, the name of the Crown Prince will not be confined to the palace."

Zhu Biao replied, "They believe my words, but they don't know my actions yet. At the next stop, I will show them that I am not just good at talking."

On the fourth day of the fourth lunar month, we traveled east to Baicaoshu outside Shuangqiao Town.

Although this school is not a prestigious institution, it teaches practical skills—it does not teach empty theories or rote memorization of classical Chinese essays, but only how to farm, keep accounts, make scales, and measure land.

As soon as Zhu Biao stepped in, he was surrounded and blocked by three students. The boys who blocked his way were only sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed neatly, and had a resolute expression.

"Your Highness, have you come here to discuss benevolence and righteousness, or to discuss how to survive?"

Zhu Biao was taken aback, then cupped his hands and replied, "I will speak freely."

"Then Your Highness, please go into the field to try plowing and into the stove to test the fire. If you cannot tell the weight of rice, then do not come here to talk about benevolence and righteousness."

The accompanying eunuch's expression immediately changed: "How dare you! How can you treat the Crown Prince like this?"

The young man was not afraid: "If even I don't dare to speak frankly, how can I be worthy of talking about the word 'real learning'?"

Zhu Biao gently raised his hand to stop the eunuch: "That makes sense."

He took off his outer robe, rolled up his sleeves, and went into the fields. He went to the kitchen to boil rice gruel, measure rice, weigh salt, and prepare medicine, doing everything without hesitation.

As evening fell, Zhu Biao sat on the earthen platform, his clothes soaked with sweat and covered in mud, but he had a smile on his face.

The young man finally bowed and said, "We wish to hear a lesson from the Crown Prince."

Zhu Biao asked, "What is your name?"

"Zhao Liangtian is from Shuangqiao Town."

“Zhao Liangtian,” Zhu Biao paused, “when we meet again, I will remember your words today.”

In the middle of the night, Zhu Han received a report that news of Zhu Biao's entry into the fields and kitchen had spread to teahouses throughout the capital, with people saying, "The Crown Prince is flexible and not ashamed to ask questions of those below him."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Han snorted lightly: "It's just improvisation, nothing special."

Shi Anzi whispered, "Your Highness, not everyone who can improvise on the spot is willing to let their clothes get muddy."

Zhu Han remained silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up.

"Prepare a gift and send it to the Zhao family in Shuangqiao. Don't disturb the Crown Prince. Just say it's a gift from the Earl of Dong'an."

"The Earl of Dong'an?"

"It is a pseudonym I used seven years ago when I was in Yunnan. The Zhao family doesn't know me, but I remember this favor." On the sixth day of the fourth month, Zhu Biao arrived at Ningchuan School at the foot of Xiangshan Mountain. This place was a gathering place for the sons of minor officials. Although they were not very learned, they were quite knowledgeable about common affairs.

Zhu Biao set up a lecture hall and asked only one question, regardless of birthplace or social status: "If you were an official, what would be your first task?"

A young student raised his hand and said, "Let's check the land register first."

Zhu Biao smiled: "Why?"

"Because the land is a matter of life and death, if the land is damaged, the taxes will be wrong, and people will complain."

Zhu Biao nodded, then asked, "What if the superior doesn't allow an investigation?"

The student hesitated for a moment before replying, "Then... I'll find a way to investigate, to investigate secretly."

Zhu Biao laughed loudly: "Good! It is this 'quietness' that is the skill of an official."

Returning to camp at night, he said to Liang Wen, "There are many talented people in the capital, but few who are truly wise. Today's lesson was not taught by me, but by them."

On the seventh day of the fourth month, Zhu Biao returned to the palace.

Zhu Han was already waiting outside the palace gate, dressed in a casual robe with a smile on his face.

"How did the trip go?"

Zhu Biao bowed and said, "The harvest has been very bountiful."

Zhu Han nodded, then suddenly changed the subject: "Now that it's become so plentiful, it's time to peel some of the skin off."

Zhu Biao was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"You have won the hearts of the scholars; now it's time to stir up some trouble."

Zhu Han stared at him and said slowly, "It's time to let those old foxes in the court know that you're not someone to be trifled with."

Zhu Biao asked in a deep voice, "Does Imperial Uncle want me... to use 'real power'?"

"Just go." Zhu Han's eyes were sharp. "Quan, I'll choose for you."

In early May, as late spring was drawing to a close, the capital city was becoming increasingly hot and dry.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao had only been back in the palace for a dozen days after his inspection tour of schools, but undercurrents were already surging in the court.

From the day Zhu Biao returned to the capital, Wengu Hall was renamed "Xuezheng Yili Hall," and the Crown Prince was granted permission to hold daily lectures and monthly discussions there, where he could listen to the students' opinions and discussions on law.

This change has attracted much attention in the government.

But the first to feel uneasy were not the senior officials who had always disagreed with the Crown Prince, but rather the Ministry of Rites.

Zheng Chang, the Minister of Rites, had held the reins of the rites system for twenty years at the age of sixty and considered himself to be at the "threshold of the national system." Upon learning that the Crown Prince was discussing matters of rites and politics every day, he suffered from insomnia that night.

The next morning, he dressed in court attire and went straight to the Wenhua Hall to request an audience with the emperor, but Zhu Yuanzhang kept him outside the warm pavilion for a full hour.

When the news reached Zhu Han, he was feeding cranes in the back garden of the Prince's Mansion.

Shi Anzi said, "The Ministry of Rites is indeed getting restless."

Zhu Han sprinkled a pinch of feed on the ground and said calmly, "It would be abnormal if they could sit still."

Shi Anzi laughed and said, "Your Highness's predictions are truly insightful and accurate."

Zhu Han walked slowly, his voice calm and indifferent: "If the Crown Prince doesn't touch power, he's just a bookworm. Now that he's altering the rites, it's like moving the ancestral tablets. How can the Ministry of Rites not be anxious?"

"They should first consider whether Zhu Biao is truly capable of holding that memorial tablet securely."

"He needs a burst of 'rage' right now."

Shi Anzi bowed: "Does Your Highness intend to use the anger of the Ministry of Rites to establish the power of the Crown Prince?"

Zhu Han nodded: "Only by standing firm in the face of adversity can one be worthy of that purple robe."

At this moment, Zhu Biao was not entirely unaware.

Therefore, he personally went to the Hall of Rites every day to discuss with the scholars and students the "Court Assembly Rites", "Investiture Rites", "Ancestral Temple Rites", and so on.

One day, he even said: "Rituals are not ropes that bind people, but mirrors for self-cultivation. People can change themselves according to rituals, but they should not be enslaved by rituals."

Immediately, scholars in the court wrote articles in agreement, saying that "the Crown Prince's words are quite in line with the principles of the new Confucianism."

Zhu Han scoffed at these comments: "Neo-Confucianism? These people dare to call themselves 'new'?"

He said nothing more, but secretly summoned someone—

Soon after, a young scholar named Chen Zong was recommended by Zhu Han and was given a seat at the East Palace to discuss etiquette.

This man was only thirty years old, but he had studied at the Yulu Academy, one of the three great academies in Jinling. He was famous for "discussing the difference between propriety and righteousness" and was good at interpreting the classics with new theories. He often stirred up old learning with a single word.

As soon as Chen Zongfu entered the hall, he directly questioned Zhu Biao: "Your Highness uses propriety as a mirror, but a mirror must have a form. Where is the form of propriety? If there is no form, how can it reflect people? If the form is not correct, what is reflected is nothing but a false image!"

The hall fell silent instantly.

Zhu Biao was not angry. Instead, he cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Sir, your insightful remarks are worthy of my attention."

The two engaged in a heated debate, arguing until late into the night.

Zhu Han, hearing Chen Zong's sharp words, did not stop him, but only laughed and said, "If Zhu Biao can't even shut up this kind of mouth, how will he be able to keep the powerful figures in the court in the future?"

However, the real storm is not in this debate.

The storm began with a single sentence from Zhu Yuanzhang.

On the seventh day of the fifth month, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly summoned the Crown Prince to the palace. There were no ceremonial guards or seats set up. He simply issued a short decree: "Would the Crown Prince be willing to tour the southern part of the capital?"

Zhu Biao was taken aback for a moment, then immediately replied, "I am willing to go."

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at him, his voice low and deep: "This is not an inspection of schools, but an inspection of the people on my behalf."

Zhu Biao's expression changed slightly, and he lowered his head and responded in a deep voice.

When the news spread, the entire court was in an uproar.

"The Crown Prince is on a temporary inspection tour"? This is a real "prelude to regency".

The court officials discussed the matter privately, some with deep concern, others eager to try.

After hearing the imperial decree in the palace, Zhu Han remained silent for a long time.

Shi Anzi couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness... what is the Emperor doing...?"

Zhu Han waved his hand and said slowly, "It's not about delegating power, it's about testing our courage."

"Zhu Yuanzhang trusted Zhu Biao the most, and also feared Zhu Biao the most."

He feared that he was too gentle and soft, that he was too weak and would be devoured by others.

"That's why I gave him a knife handle and sent him to the mountains and countryside to truly come into contact with 'people'—not students, not scholars, but ordinary people, troublemakers, old men, people who curse, people who complain about being poor, people who evade taxes, people who whine and whine."

Shi Anzi asked in a low voice, "What does Your Highness intend to do?"

Zhu Han smiled slightly: "I won't move. I'll let him go to Ji Nan alone."

“But I will secretly place three people behind him—an official, a craftsman, and a merchant.”

Shi Anzi nodded: "To fill the vacancy for the Crown Prince?"

“No,” Zhu Han said slowly, “it’s to help me see whether he can fix it himself.”

"If possible, he is the person I would entrust with all my heart."

“If I cannot—” Zhu Han paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, “then I will spare no effort to protect this empire for him.”

On May 11, Crown Prince Zhu Biao, dressed simply and riding lightly, led several dozen men out of the capital and headed south of the capital region.

There were no drums, no horns, no official seals, and no ceremonial guards.

But in the capital, the discussion was already in full swing:
"When the Crown Prince travels, he acts as the emperor's representative to inspect the people."

"The Crown Prince wants to see with his own eyes what kind of rice the people eat and what kind of clothes they wear."

"Zhu Biao is no longer just a scholar." (End of Chapter)