Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 21 Grandpa Emperor, this is to enable you to achieve true immortality!
"What crime have you committed? You have done great things!"

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and helped Zhu Yunhuan up.

"Well said, this is for the benefit of millions of people in the world, which is far more important than just you studying."

Lao Zhu said, "Tell me, what reward do you want?"

After a pause, he continued, "Don't mention what I told you a few days ago. You can mention anything else."

"If you are not allowed to ask for the Ming Dynasty, what's the point?" Zhu Yunhuan complained in his heart.

He was mentally prepared for this and was not disappointed.

"Grandpa Emperor, in fact, when I said that I must give you a reward, it was just a joke."

Zhu Yunhuan laughed and said, "Who told Grandpa to accuse me before I even presented the things?"

"My grandson said that because he felt unfair. He was not serious."

"It is only natural for a grandson to give gifts to the Emperor. There is no reason for me to ask for a reward from the Emperor."

"Hahaha!" Old Zhu laughed, patted him on the shoulder and said, "No, that won't work. You are right. The Ming court will reward those who have made contributions. As the emperor, I should set an example. I must reward you handsomely today."

"Grandpa Emperor, are you really going to reward me handsomely?" Zhu Yunhuan said with a grin.

"You are serious!" Old Zhu nodded with a smile.

Zhu Yunwen, who was standing next to him, felt as if thousands of horses were galloping past him at this moment.

He never dreamed that what Zhu Yunhuan presented to him was actually a great treasure.

When he heard that Lao Zhu was going to reward him handsomely, he was almost going crazy with jealousy.

Seeing Zhu Yunhuan like this, he felt something was wrong, but he was unable to say anything to stop him and could only watch.

"Grandpa Emperor, my grandson's ideal is to let everyone in the world have access to education and be able to read and write."

"However, although the establishment of a large number of public schools can eliminate "illiterate people", the cost is too high, and the country cannot afford it, and the people cannot bear it either."

"But the hearts of ordinary people are naturally lazy. Although the teachings and principles of the saints are not bad, ordinary people are unwilling to study hard."

"On the contrary, they really like things that are meant for entertainment."

"Moral articles have been written for thousands of years, but people are unwilling to read them carefully."

"On the contrary, gossip, weird stories, and strange legends are spread all over the streets and alleys, and those who are curious will be very happy when they hear them."

"That's why storytellers and opera singers are so popular among the public."

"My grandson thought to himself that if we want to teach people to read and write, we should start from here."

"Read them books, sing operas, and tell them stories, then people will be interested."

"Then, I'll talk about some of the teachings of the saints and publicize the country's laws and policies."

"If ordinary people like to hear and see it and are willing to spread it, it will gradually become the truth that penetrates into people's hearts."

"Now that we have a drum mimeograph machine, my grandson wants to use it to publish newspapers and magazines, and publish books, plays, and stories on them to attract people to read."

"Then spread the teachings of the saints, publicize the national policies, and publicize the laws, so that everyone knows and recites them."

"It can also help the people learn to read and write, so that the knowledge they have learned will not be forgotten so quickly."

"This move will benefit the country and the people. I hope Grandpa Emperor will grant your approval!"

In fact, although there are many illiterate people among the common people of this era, more of them are semi-literate.

Especially men.

Most ordinary families, even if they are very poor, will find ways to send their sons to private schools to study for a few days and learn a few words.

This level of cultural knowledge is so low that it is of little use in real life, except for recognizing and writing one's own name.

But it is these people who like to watch plays and listen to storytellers.

They will become the most loyal readers of newspapers and magazines.

A great man in later generations summarized that there are two most critical things to grasp the political power of a country.

One is the "gun" and the other is the "pen".

"The barrel of a gun" means military force.

Zhu Yunhuan doesn't need to worry about this.

His status meant that he was born with the support of noble and military generals.

Even though Lan Yu was slapped and Chang Sheng was beaten with a stick, it was impossible for them to betray him and join Zhu Yunwen.

They will still support him!
What Zhu Yunhuan had to worry about was how to tame them and make the unruly generals and nobles obedient, rather than worrying about whether they would support him or not.

The pen was actually in the hands of Zhu Yunwen.

There was no other reason, the civil service group all supported Zhu Yunwen as the crown prince.

Although the military generals and nobles had great power in the court, scholars still controlled public opinion throughout the country.

There is no way around it, this is the natural advantage of the civil service group.

The pen is in their hands, and public opinion is naturally on their side.

For example, Zhu Yunhuan requested to be appointed as the crown prince in the court a few days ago, but now he has been fabricated by scholars to be useless.

The infamy is rolling in.

Although Zhu Yunhuan didn't care, he couldn't just sit there and do nothing.

Publishing a newspaper is the way to cut off the firewood from the bottom of the pot. If it can become the newspaper with the largest circulation, and every household in Ming Dynasty subscribes to it and everyone scrambles to spread it, then the public opinion advantage of the civil service group will no longer exist.

Unexpectedly, after hearing his words, Zhu Yuanzhang frowned.

Newspapers and periodicals are not rare in this era.

The imperial court had its own “Dibao” newspapers, and there were also various tabloids among the people.

However, the court's "Dibao" must be published and distributed by the Tongzhengsi.

There are extremely strict regulations on who can watch and who cannot watch.

Tabloids privately published by the public have always been the target of severe crackdowns by the Ming Dynasty court.

Once discovered, the family property will be confiscated and the person will be exiled thousands of miles away. In serious cases, the person will be charged with treason, beheaded, or even have his entire clan exterminated.
Apart from the "Dibao", Zhu Yuanzhang never thought of publishing other official newspapers and periodicals.

It was somewhat hard for Old Zhu to imagine that the emperor's grandson would personally publish a newspaper, especially a tabloid-like newspaper.

Seeing Old Zhu's appearance, Zhu Yunhuan immediately realized that he had thought things too simply.

Sure enough, it is very difficult to change people's mindset and convince them.

Thoughts raced through his mind.

"Grandpa Emperor, there is another bigger reason why I want to publish a newspaper. I want you to live forever!"

"Nonsense!" Old Zhu scolded, "Is there anyone in the world who can live forever?"

"Don't listen to those people who shout "Long live our country" every day. In fact, it's all fake and deceptive."

"Birth, aging, sickness and death are the eternal cycle of nature."

"Anyone who attempts to pursue immortality is going against the will of Heaven."

"Our goal is to ensure that all people in the world live in peace and longevity. How can we allow ourselves to live forever and watch the people suffer?"

"You must remember that as an emperor, you must be diligent in government affairs, record your achievements in history, and let your reputation last forever. This is the true "immortality"!"

Zhu Yunwen hurriedly said: "Grandpa Emperor, your grandson will remember it!"

Zhu Yunhuan said: "Grandpa Emperor said it very well, and I also know this truth."

“People whose fame will live forever in people’s hearts even after they die. They are truly immortal.”

"But historical records alone are not enough."

"Historians would revise history and edit it, and after dozens of generations, things would become unclear."

"Grandpa Emperor drove out the Tartars and restored China. This is an unprecedented achievement. I think we should publicize it vigorously and let everyone in the world know about it."

"In this way, no matter how much the historians of later generations change the history books, they will not be able to erase your reputation and achievements."

"Only in this way can Grandpa Huang live forever in the hearts of the people, in the hearts of millions of ordinary people, and only then can he truly be immortal!"

"This is my grandson's filial piety. I hope Grandpa Huang will grant it."

Zhu Yunhuan said this and bowed down.

Zhu Yunwen, who was standing next to him, was stunned. He had never expected that his younger brother's ability to flatter others had improved so rapidly.

He said quickly: "Third brother, although you are filial, if you use newspapers to publicize the achievements of the emperor, it will inevitably be suspected of being self-righteous and will set a bad trend for the court. I'm afraid the emperor will not agree!"

He only wanted to stop Zhu Yunhuan from doing anything, but he didn't pay any attention to Zhu's expression.

Zhu Yunhuan said sternly: "Why do you say that, second brother!"

"Grandpa Emperor's great achievements are not just my exaggeration, but ironclad facts."

"Newspaper propaganda is nothing more than writing the truth, letting everyone in the world know, so that Grandpa Huang will be remembered forever by the world. Is there anything wrong with this?"

"Second brother, don't you want the people of the world to remember Grandpa Huang forever, and don't want Grandpa Huang's reputation to be immortal for thousands of years?"

As he spoke, he observed carefully.

He discovered that Old Zhu, who was always shrewd and knew how to hide his inner thoughts, now had an unconcealable smile and joy on his face.

Zhu Yunwen hurriedly said: "Grandpa Emperor, your grandson has absolutely no such idea, but..."

"Okay, we all know, no need to say more!" Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said with a smile: "Since Hu'er wants to do something on his own, how can we stop him?"

"We've agreed to publish a newspaper!"

He stroked his beard and smiled, and although he was not excited, the joy in his heart was even higher than when he had just seen the mimeograph machine and verified its function.

Then he solemnly said, "Huer, you must remember that when you write about our deeds in newspapers and periodicals, you must write truthfully and not flatter or exaggerate. Do you understand?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunhuan breathed a sigh of relief.

really.

The reputation that will last for generations is what Lao Zhu cares about most.

Right.

Which emperor would not care about such things?

I'm afraid the wiser and more diligent the monarch is, the more he cares about it.

Otherwise, what's the point of working so hard?

If I really didn't care about his violent temper after I died, I'm afraid my style of doing things would be completely different.

"Grandson understands. I will record it truthfully so that everyone will know about Grandpa Huang's great achievements and spread them around. There will not be a single falsehood!"

(End of this chapter)