The video takes us to ancient times; Li Er transforms into the Tongtian Emperor of Shu Han.

"The Ming Dynasty was indeed rotten to the core!"

"Perhaps the ancestral laws we have established are wrong from the start!"

"Otherwise, it wouldn't have rotted so thoroughly!"

Old Zhu was truly both ashamed and angry.

The shameful thing is that after the Southern Song Dynasty moved south, it still managed to survive for over a hundred years, and the people enjoyed a period of good life.

If we're talking about this, he really has to admit he's inferior.

What's infuriating is that these worthless descendants, after crossing the river to the south, have been controlled by officials to this extent, and can't even get this little bit of power.

“Zhongba, no one is perfect. You have already achieved what you have today, which puts you above tens of thousands of people.”

"Perhaps the ancestral laws you established have some problems, but who can guarantee that they will never make a mistake in their lifetime?"

"The appearance of this canopy is precisely to give you an opportunity to improve."

"By retaining the strengths and correcting the weaknesses, the future of our Ming Dynasty will surely be even better."

It will definitely be better...

Looking into Empress Ma's earnest eyes, Old Zhu also began to have doubts.

He could see that something was wrong, but he had absolutely no idea how to make changes.

In matters of war, he is truly fearless, but the problems he is currently facing have really hit a nerve.

He didn't know how to change it.

"Are you feeling a bit lost?"

"Old Zhu, you're not alone."

"To be honest, I know that the Tang Dynasty has problems, big problems."

"But I also don't know where to start making changes."

Although it was later known as the Tang Dynasty's golden age.

However, the capital fell six times, and the emperor was moved nine times.

The Tang Dynasty, having swallowed such a bitter pill, must have had some serious problems.

Whether it's the hidden dangers posed by the military governors, the enemies beyond the Great Wall, or the problems with the entire Tang Dynasty's laws, the election of officials, and so on.

The imperial examination system was once considered an excellent method, providing opportunities for scholars from humble backgrounds.

Having reviewed the situation to this point, Li Er has come to understand that even the most excellent methods have their shortcomings.

Even though everyone knows that the appearance of the sky screen and all these reviews are meant to give them a chance to correct their mistakes and do better.

But even a wise ruler like Li Er was at a loss as to how to do it better.

Indeed, each subsequent dynasty made many improvements based on the foundation laid by the previous dynasty.

But no matter how many times it was changed, Li Er felt that it was just the same old thing in a new guise.

If we change this, a vulnerability will appear on the other side.

Everyone understands the principle that it's better to guide than to block, but no one knows exactly how to guide.

"I think the appearance of the sky curtain has indeed revealed a lot of problems, whether it is the previous dynasty or the era of later generations. However, these problems seem different, but when you look into their roots, they are roughly similar."

"In the Han Dynasty, powerful families held sway, leaving no hope for the poor. In the Tang Dynasty, military generals held sway, and regional warlords carved up the country. In the Song Dynasty, scholar-officials held sway, and the government emphasized literature while suppressing military power. At first glance, the Ming Dynasty seemed to have blocked all the problems, but in the end, it didn't solve any of them."

The problems included military generals, civil officials, the Donglin Party, eunuchs, and even foreign enemies.

It seems that these problems were temporarily resolved under the rule of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, but without eradication, it meant that all the problems would come back.

And when these problems reappear, it will be when imperial power is declining and it is difficult to control them!

It is better to guide than to block; this is the conclusion Liu Heng reached after reviewing the history of dynasties.

Forcibly blocking it is like Zhu Yuanzhang being stingy with the salaries of officials and raising the punishment for corrupt officials to the highest level.

The results of it?

Not only could it not be stopped, but it also made the corrupt officials in the early Ming Dynasty even more greedy than those in other dynasties.

We can indeed learn a lot from the rise and fall of later dynasties.

But so far, whether they are top-notch wise rulers or mediocre rulers who merely defend their cities, their minds are still in turmoil.

We know the drawbacks and the flaws, but we just can't think of a suitable way to solve them.

"It seems that as long as there are court officials, there will inevitably be all sorts of drawbacks."

"Where there are people, there will be selfishness and strife."

"You can know a person's face but not their heart. Even the emperor can be deceived at times."

"If the emperor is strong, the people below still dare to deceive him, let alone when the imperial power is declining?"

"The rise and fall of dynasties cannot be prevented by human power, and no one can guarantee that the dynasty they establish will continue to prosper."

"When things are going well, all the flaws are no problem, but when things are declining, even the smallest problems will be magnified to the extreme."

Although the early years of a dynasty are marked by numerous challenges and the need for rebuilding, they are also the time when imperial power is at its most absolute.

No one dared to oppose the emperor's decree, even if they knew it would affect their own and their family's livelihood; they could only swallow their pride and bear it.

This is the biggest reason why Li Er and Zhu Yuanzhang believed that the dynasty they had built could last for a thousand years and prosper for a thousand years.

Although some officials made mistakes and some were corrupt, they were only a minority, and they all promptly purged those corrupt officials.

The overall atmosphere in the court was generally positive and enlightened.

And the students taught by the remaining capable and principled court officials will certainly not be bad either.

The dynasty's succession was accompanied by their own succession.

A dynasty that lasts a thousand years—that's their plan.

"In addition, Old Zhu, I think you have another problem."

"Get rid of your small-farmer mentality. Although it wasn't explicitly stated in the heavens, I think that, given your style of doing things, while you are harsh on your officials, you must be incredibly generous to your own descendants, giving each of them an extremely abundant fortune, right?"

Having known Old Zhu for so long, Li Er could easily guess this.

And for a dynasty, this was equally fatal.

"Small-farmer mentality? What do you mean by that?"

"Your guess is correct, but we can't understand why it's called a small-peasant mentality. Does Li Er also look down on cowherds like us?"

Old Zhu was instantly dissatisfied.

In his view, he had worked hard to conquer this world.

Under the premise of ensuring that the people live in peace and prosperity and that the court is free of corrupt officials, is it not only reasonable to provide better conditions for one's descendants?

Could it be that as the ruler of the world, he can't even have such a small convenience?

"It's not that I look down on cowherds like you, but your kind of thinking will quickly drag down the entire Ming Dynasty."

"In particular, after Zhu Di successfully launched his rebellion as a prince, he must have reduced the military power and other powers held by the various princes by more than half."

"The pay hasn't decreased; on the contrary, the responsibilities have become lighter."

"It's like raising all the vassal kings like pigs in the Ming Dynasty."