My subjects are too rebellious!

Qin Chuan's face suddenly turned gloomy when he heard this.

He pondered for a moment, then instructed Zhang Rang, "Summon the Grand Secretary Song to see you."

After a while, Grand Secretary Song Lian walked into the Qianqing Palace.

He was dressed in a neat official uniform and looked serious.

After the ceremony, he directly reported the specific circumstances of the princes' truancy.

It turned out that in the classroom of Wenhua Palace today, the four princes suddenly disappeared for some reason and were not seen until the evening.

Song Lian sent people to look for them everywhere, and finally found them in a forest in the Imperial Garden. At that time, they were sitting together, seemingly discussing something.

After listening to Song Lian's report, Qin Chuan was furious, but he also knew that this was not the time to lose his temper.

He suppressed his anger and said to Song Lian, "You have worked hard, Grand Secretary Song. I have already known about this matter."

"Master Song, don't worry, I will never tolerate this matter."

Qin Chuan said to Song Lian in a deep voice: "Tomorrow I will personally summon the four princes to ask for the reason. As for Wenhua Palace, please ask Grand Secretary Song to continue to discipline them strictly and make sure the princes understand that as children of the royal family, they should be strict with themselves and not slack off in the slightest."

Song Lian felt a little relieved when he heard this.

He quickly bowed and agreed, then took his leave.

Qin Chuan was left alone in the Qianqing Palace, with a lot of thoughts in his mind.

..........

But he couldn't suppress the anger in his heart. He slammed the armrest of the dragon throne, and the whole Qianqing Palace seemed to shake.

He was so angry that he immediately gave an order to Zhang Rang: "Zhang Rang, quickly go and capture those bastards for me! Now! Immediately!"

"I want to ask them personally how bold they are to skip school!"

Zhang Rang was surprised when he saw this, but he quickly reacted and said, "Yes, Your Majesty! I will do it right away!"

After saying this, he turned around and left in a hurry, not daring to delay for even a moment.

Inside the Qianqing Palace, Qin Chuan's anger did not diminish in the slightest after Zhang Rang's departure.

He stood up and paced back and forth in the hall, with a lot of thoughts in his mind.

The princes' behavior not only showed disrespect for royal education, but also great disrespect to their father.

He must punish severely and let the princes understand that as royal children, they must be strict with themselves and not slack off in the slightest.

Soon, Zhang Rang brought several princes back to the Qianqing Palace.

They all lowered their heads, their faces pale, and they obviously realized the seriousness of the situation.

Qin Chuan looked at their appearance and the anger in his heart became even more difficult to calm down.

He glanced around coldly, and finally shouted in a deep voice: "Do you guys know your crime?"

Upon hearing this, several princes knelt on the ground and said in trembling voices: "I admit my guilt, please calm down, father."

However, Qin Chuan's anger did not subside. He was well aware of the truth that "a good son is born under the stick", especially when facing such a serious mistake, he must be given a sufficient lesson.

Then, Qin Chuan's eyes suddenly became sharp, he bent down, took off his shoes and held them in his hands.

"You guys, remember this. This beating today is to make you understand that as royal children, you must not be lazy or indulge yourself in the slightest!"

He walked towards the princes one by one, waving the soles of his shoes mercilessly.

As the soles of the shoes fell again and again, clear marks were soon left on the princes' buttocks. They grimaced in pain, but dared not make too much noise and could only endure the lesson silently.

While all this was happening, the two little princesses had already been quietly taken away from the Qianqing Palace by Zhang Rang.

Such a scene was too cruel for these young girls. He didn't want his daughters to see his strict side, and he didn't want their hearts to be hurt.

As the crisp sound of shoes hitting each other echoed in the Qianqing Palace, Qin Chuan's anger seemed to be vented a little.

He stopped what he was doing and looked at the princes kneeling on the ground with tears on their faces. He felt both angry and helpless.

He knew that this beating would not completely solve the problem, but it would at least make them remember the lesson for a short period of time.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm the anger in his heart, turned to face the princes kneeling on the ground, and asked in a deep voice: "Now, tell me, why did you skip class?"

The princes looked at each other, and finally answered in unison: "We...we don't want to learn Confucian knowledge."

Qin Chuan frowned when he heard this, and a hint of astonishment flashed in his eyes.

He didn't expect that the princes would be so resistant to Confucianism.

He asked again: "Why? Confucianism is the foundation of our dynasty. As children of the royal family, how can you not learn it?"

The princes seemed to have prepared the answer long ago. They said in unison again: "Confucians are all corrupt scholars who only talk about benevolence, righteousness and morality, but they are of no practical use."

As soon as these words came out, Qin Chuan's face turned pale in an instant.

He never expected that the princes would have such extreme ideas.

He glared at the princes and asked sternly, "Who taught you this?"

The princes were intimidated by Qin Chuan's majesty, and replied with a slightly trembling voice: "Yes...Mr. Li Si said so."

Li Si?

That's not surprising then.

Li Si, Song Lian, Fan Li, Liu Bowen, and Zhuge Liang all taught the princes in the Wenhua Hall.

Take turns like this.

If we were to say who hated Confucianism the most, it would probably be Li Si.

He slowly walked in front of the princes and squatted down.

"Children, I know you are resistant to Confucianism, but I want to tell you that any knowledge has its essence and dregs, and Confucianism is no exception."

Upon hearing this, the princes all looked up at Qin Chuan, curiosity and confusion flashing in their eyes.

Qin Chuan continued, "Confucianism contains valuable ideas about benevolence, propriety, and honesty, which are the basic principles for us to follow in the world. But at the same time, there are also some overly pedantic and unrealistic remarks, which we need to criticize and discard."

He paused, and then continued: "Similarly, Legalist knowledge and the way of business also have their good and bad points. Legalist knowledge can teach us how to manage the country and govern the people, and the way of business can help us understand the laws of market operation and promote economic prosperity. But if we blindly pursue interests and ignore morality, then these knowledge will become tools for our depravity."

At this point, Qin Chuan's eyes became serious: "What kind of people do you want to be? Those who only know how to pursue personal interests and ignore the interests of the country and the nation?"

"Or are they those who can think of the world and put the interests of the country and the people first?"

The princes were deeply moved by Qin Chuan's words. They lowered their heads in thought, as if they were seriously considering this issue.

Seeing this, Qin Chuan continued, "The reason why I asked you to learn these subjects is not to make you become a believer or spokesperson of a certain school of thought, but to make you understand the diversity and complexity of this world."

"More importantly, I want you to understand your enemies, those who may threaten the security of our country and our people."

"Only by understanding their thinking, culture and strategy can we better meet challenges and defeat them."

After hearing Qin Chuan's words, the princes nodded in agreement.

They realized their own ignorance and prejudices and understood the importance of learning.

They assured Qin Chuan that they would study various subjects seriously in the future.

Afterwards, Zhang Rang followed Qin Chuan's instructions and arranged for people to send the princes back to their mothers one by one.

Before parting, Qin Chuan specifically reminded the princes to remember tonight's conversation and think carefully about their future path.

As night fell, several princes lay in their beds, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Their father's words echoed repeatedly in their minds. Those discussions about Confucianism, Legalism, the way of business and what kind of people to become were like streams of clear water, washing over their young and tender hearts.