Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 67: Fourth Brother, do you want a wife?
"...Xue Xiang was fined three months' salary and returned to Yingtian to serve as the Minister of Works..."

In Zhongdu City, three days after Zhu Yuanzhang left, Zheng Shiyuan, the prefect of Fengyang Prefecture, who looked several years older with bloodshot eyes, found Xue Xiang and read out the imperial edict sent by the emperor.

Xue Xiang, who had lost a lot of weight, breathed a sigh of relief and tears came to his eyes when he heard this.

There is a feeling of exhaustion.

The knife that has been hanging over my head for more than ten days has finally fallen!
God knows how he has been spending the past ten days!

I have never been so tormented in my life!

"Minister Xue, congratulations."

Zheng Shiyuan handed the imperial edict to Xue Xiang and congratulated him with a smile.

Xue Xiang took the imperial edict and tried to hold back, but finally he couldn't hold it back and burst into tears in front of Zheng Shiyuan.

In the past ten days, he has thought of no less than a hundred ways to die.

He even thought about where to bury himself.

In the end, the emperor not only did not take his life, but only symbolically fined him three months' salary.

He even transferred himself back to Yingtian to be the Minister of Works...

Zheng Shiyuan watched from the side without saying anything to persuade him. He could understand Xue Xiang's feelings.

Xue Xiang cried for a long time before he stopped crying. He had already made up his mind.
When you encounter similar things in the future, don’t worry about who is in charge.

As long as something he did was not up to standard, he would report it to the emperor immediately.

If you offend other officials, then so be it. It’s better than offending the emperor!
I really just want to do a good job on the construction project and don't want to pay attention to any other disputes.

After Xue Xiang calmed down a little, Zheng Shiyuan said a few words to Xue Xiang, then said goodbye to Xue Xiang and left in a hurry.

The emperor left with the prince and others, but that didn't mean the matter in Zhongdu City was over.

There are still many cases that have not been tried, and he is still busy with his own battles, which have only now officially entered a difficult period!

But so what?

When he took on this task, he didn't think that things would end well, and he was already prepared to die!

If you're not even afraid of death, then what else is there to be afraid of?!
……

"Mr. Qingtian has started to joke around! He's started to make fun of people with his nonsense!"

In Zhejiang, a man in his fifties dressed as a scholar threw the letter in front of him on the table, opened his eyes that were narrowed into a line, and was full of indignation.

Would Zhu Hongwu allow his teacher's Water Margin to be published? Would he allow it to be circulated in the world?

How can it be!

With his petty butcher look, he gets carried away when he sees rebellion.

Where could there be room for the Water Margin written by my own teacher?
Even Gao Qi, a world-famous figure and leader in the literary world, was killed by Zhu Yuanzhang last year. The Jiangnan literary world is now suffering from a cold snap.

Under such circumstances, Mr. Qingtian actually wrote a letter saying that as long as he went to Yingtian, the emperor would be willing to no longer ban Water Margin. Not only that, he would also allow it to be officially published and distributed.

Moreover, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms written by himself could also be published and distributed by the court.

how can that be!

Isn't this just a cricket fight, deceiving honest people?

Luo Guanzhong had good reason to suspect that Mr. Qingtian had ill intentions towards him and wanted to trick him into Yingtian and kill him.

As a professional novelist, he is extremely sensitive to this.

Yingtian, even dogs won’t go!
Teacher Luo is extremely tough on this issue.

He stood up angrily, poured himself a cup of tea and drank it slowly.

After drinking, he leaned over the table and began to write a reply letter to reject Liu Bowen.

When I was writing the letter, my face was almost pressed against the table.

After writing the reply letter quickly, he finished it, let the ink dry, and held it close to his eyes to examine it carefully.

He nodded from time to time as he read, feeling extremely satisfied with his own writing skills.

Find an envelope, put it in, and prepare to seal it and send it out.

But when he was halfway through, he stopped.

He picked up the letter written by Liu Bowen again, put it in front of his eyes and read it several times.

After a moment of silence, he put the letter away, took out his own reply and burned it, leaving the empty envelope behind.

This empty envelope can be used in the future.

He didn't even write a reply. He packed up his things and headed for Yingtian the next day.

Yingtian is indeed a person that even a dog wouldn't go to, but... he's a human, not a dog, so naturally he can go...

Besides, when he went to Yingtian this time, he didn't really expect Zhu Hongwu to publish his teacher's Water Margin.

I'm going to go and see Mr. Qingtian to find out what he's up to.

If he really has bad intentions towards me, I will spit in his face right here and then!
Luo Guanzhong touched his nose, feeling very righteous.

That's the good thing about writing novels, you can always find a really good reason for yourself...

……

In Fengyang, a black-robed monk with triangular eyes held a Zen staff in one hand and rubbed his bald head back and forth with the other hand.

He then left Fengyang and headed towards Yingtian.

I've seen enough of the excitement here, it's time to move on...

……

"Second brother, third brother, fourth brother, tell me the truth, how do I, as your father, treat you?"

Inside the cabin, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his three sons and asked.

"Good! Very good, father treats me well!"

Prince of Jin, Zhu Gang, said seriously.

Bah, you sycophant, you have no shame! You have no backbone!
Zhu Di was full of contempt.

Then, facing the loving father's gaze, a smile instantly covered his face:
"Father, you are the best. You have worked so hard to teach your children the principles of life and conduct, both by words and deeds.

My child has gained a lot from this trip and will benefit from it for the rest of his life."

The second son, King Qin, was mumbling and trying to think of something to say.

In the end, after trying for a long time, he still couldn't say anything. He just felt that the third and fourth brothers had said everything he wanted to say.

Just when I was getting anxious, suddenly a flash of inspiration came to me and I had a brilliant idea.

"Me too!"

He said with a look of joy on his face.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled, becoming even more amiable and loving:
"That's right. When you get back, if your mother asks, just tell her this.

"I haven't suffered any hardship in Zhongdu, but I've gained a lot of experience."

The closer they got to Yingtian, the more uneasy Zhu Yuanzhang felt.

In the end, I thought it would be better to do some ideological work on these silly guys and unify their views.

Zhu Biao looked at his brothers who were about to nod, and he couldn't bear to watch it anymore.

He winked at them.

Zhu Gang and Zhu Di were about to nod, but stopped instantly.

"Um...Father, this matter..."

"Ahem, the weather outside is nice today."

"Biao'er, go outside!"

Zhu Yuanzhang ordered his eldest son, who always sided with his younger brothers, to be expelled.

But unfortunately, his order to expel foreigners was effective on his other sons, but useless on Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao didn't move at all.

This time he must keep an eye on his father and not let his father treat his younger brothers as fools again!

How is it possible that my father put the second son and the others in such a dangerous situation and wanted to get away with it without giving them some corresponding compensation?

"Second brother, after returning to Yingtian, I'm sure you won't have to go to the main hall for classes anymore.

You can go to the military for training."

When Zhu Yuanzhang saw his boss standing there and refusing to leave, he knew that he had to take out some real stuff.

He then looked at Zhu Chong and said this.

"Father, is everything you said true?!"

Qin Wang Zhu Chong, who was always slow to react, reacted faster than ever this time.

The moment Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, he couldn't wait to confirm it, his eyes shining.

"real!"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and nodded vigorously.

"Father, you are so kind!"

Zhu Chong praised from the bottom of his heart and couldn't help dancing with joy.

As happy as a 200-pound child.

The Great Hall was his nightmare.

People like Confucius were specifically against him. Instead of saying nice things, they made their words sound very difficult to understand.

It gives him a headache just to learn it.

I have studied for many years, but I haven't memorized a single copy of the Analects. The teacher has fainted several times out of anger.

He no longer wants to go to this crappy school!
Now, I suddenly heard that my father had allowed me to no longer go to the main hall to study.

Not only that, he was also allowed to join the army. How could Zhu Chong not be overjoyed?
The thin book and the small pen could give him a headache.

However, he was adept at using weapons such as swords, spears, and halberds, as well as many military rules and fighting techniques.

Like a fish in water!

Looking at the second son's appearance, Zhu Yuanzhang was also happy.

In my previous life, I suffered from not having received any education at the beginning.

After I met the girl, I started studying according to her suggestion, and I deeply realized the importance of knowledge.

Therefore, I attach great importance to reading.

He had hired someone to teach his son a long time ago.

Later, he even set up a special hall and invited learned people to teach his sons, and also to teach the sons of those meritorious men.

I take my sons' schoolwork very seriously and follow it very closely.

Even though he knew that some of his sons were not good at studying, he still refused to relax and forced them to study.

I always feel that as long as you push yourself hard enough and immerse yourself in knowledge every day, there will always be benefits. You will always learn some truths.

But what happened later proved that my idea was wrong.

After the second brother was enfeoffed, he did a lot of things that were really atrocious...

Now that we have the chance to do it all over again and have learned a lot in modern times, it is natural that we have to make some changes.

Teach students in accordance with their aptitude, and use different methods to tie each monkey up. He decided not to tie his second son down to study anymore.

We should give full play to the second child's strengths.

This is a good time to bring this up as a reward.

Looking at the second brother's state at this time, Zhu Yuanzhang knew that what he was doing was right.

Prince of Jin Zhu Gang and Prince of Yan Zhu Di were watching with their eyes wide open.

Obviously, he did not expect that his father would be so generous this time.

In order to shut up the others and prevent his mother from punishing him, he was willing to offer even such conditions to the second son!

Doesn’t this mean that there is also a big surprise waiting for me?

For a moment, infinite expectations arose in my heart.

Zhu Yuanzhang also turned his attention to Zhu Gang.

"Third brother, you don't have to study in the main hall when you go back."

Zhu Gang, who was expecting his father to give him a big surprise, almost collapsed when he heard this!
The whole person was stunned for a moment.

Unlike the second and fourth brothers who are always ranked last or last in the hall, the third brother is definitely a good student.

Since Zhu Biao got older, Zhu Yuanzhang asked him to spend half of his time in Wenhua Hall trying to handle government affairs and the other half studying alone. After he stopped studying in the Daben Hall, the first place in the Daben Hall was monopolized by Zhu Gang for a long time.

When it comes to studying, he has really learned some tricks and he really loves learning.

Not long ago, I was still thinking about how to make up for the schoolwork I had missed during this period after returning to Yingtian.

As a result, now, my father actually said such words!

Is this a reward?
This is the most severe punishment!

"Father, I don't want to..."

"You go to the Imperial College and study there. Take a look at the situation there first. If you perform well, we'll let you be the academician there for fun."

"My child is willing!
I thank my father!

When I return, I will keep my mouth shut and never tell my mother about the hardships I've endured in Zhongdu!"

The words of rejection that Zhu Gang was about to say immediately changed after he heard what Zhu Yuanzhang said next.

The whole person became cheerful at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It can be seen that this bribe from his father touched his heart.

Although he likes studying very much, but...how can being a student be as comfortable as being a teacher?

Having been a student for so many years, he has long wanted to be a teacher.

You can scold the students when nothing happens, and you can even beat them with a stick if they are disobedient.

It’s a pity that I never had the chance before.

Now, the opportunity suddenly came before us.

Although the academician of the Imperial College is only a minor official of the eighth rank, he is a special existence in the Imperial College.

It is specifically responsible for correcting and reporting.

Not only can he manage many students, but he can also manage many teachers.

It is a truly powerful position.

In the Imperial College, everyone from the chief academic officer to the ordinary students could have contact with it.

The Imperial Academy is different from the Daihondo in that it recruits students from all over the country and has several thousand students.

As the number of people increases, the power of the academician also increases.

In a few years, they will have to leave their father, the emperor, and their mother, the empress, and go to their respective fiefdoms.

It would be nice to experience the joy of being a school chancellor before becoming a fiefdom.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the third brother's reaction and smiled: "As long as you like it."

After that, the smile on his face disappeared: “However, there is something we need to correct.

We gave you the reward because we saw that you performed very well in Zhongdu City this time.

It has nothing to do with being afraid of your mother.

We are not even afraid that you will complain to your mother!"

Zhu Biao, Zhu Gang, and Zhu Di were all stunned when they heard what their father said.

Then he suppressed his laughter and said, "Ah, yes, yes, father is right."

Zhu Yuanzhang automatically ignored the hypocritical pretense of the few brats and treated what they said as the truth.

He asked the third son to go to the Imperial College not on a sudden whim, nor was it simply to shut the third son up.

Rather, it was because he wanted to touch Confucianism, an old tree with extremely developed roots.

Education is the foundation.

He wanted to make the Ming Dynasty better and develop it in the direction he wanted, and not let it go down the old path.

Changes must be made in education.

Only in this way can we cultivate the talents we need and change the inherent concepts of many people.

Use one point to lead the whole, so that more and more people will identify with what you are doing, devote themselves to it, and work together.

However, how easy is it to make progress in the education sector?

Even if he did not really want to abolish Confucianism, but was just planning to cram some new things into it, it would definitely cause an uproar.

It will cause countless so-called orthodox Confucianists to fight to the death.

The prejudice in people's minds is like a mountain. Confucianism has been passed down to the present day, and the various inherent views formed are much bigger than a mountain.

Moreover, what I have to do involves not only prejudices, but also the vital interests of many people.

Academic disputes have always been extremely cruel.

Confucianism has been the mainstream since Emperor Wu of Han abolished all schools of thought and promoted Confucianism as the only official ideology.

It affects every aspect.

In this situation, how difficult would it be to move it?
There will inevitably be bloodshed, and it will be a fight to determine who is superior and whether they live or die!

So it would be a good choice to take advantage of the opportunity to make arrangements in advance and get the third child into the Imperial Academy.

In order to achieve his goal, Zhu Yuanzhang did not mind killing a few more pedantic people as sacrifices.

But if you want to get things done, you can't just do it blindly. You need to use methods and strategies.

Although he has an impatient personality, he is not a cunning person who doesn't know how to use his brain.

If he had only acted recklessly, he would have died in the chaotic world at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and would never have been able to establish the Ming Dynasty.

Now, after living in the future for fifteen years, his horizons have become broader, and he is naturally more mature and steady in handling things.

Killing is his favorite method, but it is not his only method.

Zhu Di was so jealous and anxious watching from the side.

My second brother and that bastard third brother both received such big rewards, so mine shouldn’t be much worse off, right?

Maybe it's even better than the one from that bitch, the third brother.

Thinking of this, my heart was filled with anxiety and anticipation.

As Zhu Di was thinking this, Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze fell on him.

There was a more complex look in his eyes than when he was facing the second and third brothers.

After all, the fourth brother was different from them. He later became emperor and did a very good job.

Zhu Di keenly sensed the strangeness in the depths of his father's eyes.

After a moment of hesitation, he became overjoyed.

Sure enough, in my father's eyes, I am different from others.

Doesn’t this mean that the reward I get will definitely exceed that of that bitch, the third brother?

Now it's stable and I can defeat this bitch from the third brother!

At this moment, I became more and more looking forward to the reward my father would give me.

"Old Four, we are going to arrange a marriage for you and find you a wife."

What? !

Zhu Di was stunned when he heard this, and felt as if he had been poured with a bucket of cold water.

This is the reward my father gave me. Isn’t it too hasty?

It's incomparable to the rewards given to the second brother and that bitch, the third brother!

Could it be that I misunderstood just now?

The strange look in the depths of Father's eyes wasn't because he was special and surpassed that bitch, the Third Brother, in his heart. It was because he couldn't compare to him?!
"Father, um...can I get a reward in return?

I don't want to get married so early, but a man should never worry about not having a wife."

"You refuse to listen to what I'm going to tell you?"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Di and asked, with a strange look on his face.

"No matter who it is, I don't want to get married. I don't have any intention of getting married right now. Women are just trouble!"

Zhu Di answered decisively.

He also thought so in his heart. How could it be more enjoyable for a woman to practice martial arts, come to the army and train with the soldiers, and then fight on the battlefield in the future?

Compared with the marriage, he envied his second brother's reward more.

"you sure?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked again, almost unable to hold back his laughter.

"I'm sure!"

Zhu Di stood straight.

"Ugh!"

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed.

"I originally wanted to marry Miaoyun, the girl from the general's family, to you. Since you don't want to, forget it."

Zhu Di: ???!!!!

(End of this chapter)