Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Zhu Youjian listened to Taigong Lu's words and felt that people at this time were simple and honest, but he also knew that realizing a world of great harmony would not be that easy.

Even in the industrial age hundreds of years later, the world of great unity has not been truly established, let alone the ideal of great unity in this era.

Therefore, he said with emotion:
"In a world of great harmony, it is easier said than done."

"Even sages like Duke Zhou and King Chengkang failed to realize the world of great harmony."

"I just put forward a vision and set a goal for the people of the world."

"If I can achieve Chengkang's rule in my lifetime, I will be satisfied!"

Listening to these seemingly depressing words, Grand Duke Lu felt in his heart that the current emperor was reliable.

When he proposed a world of great harmony before, he was just saying something nice in front of the emperor.

If the emperor really said that he could build a world of great harmony, he would say good things and agree with it, but he would never take it seriously.

After all, he is so old, has never seen anything, and comes from a family background, so he has his own opinions on Confucianism and the rule of the Three Generations. Although he accepted the emperor's proposal for a world of great harmony, he did not believe that the so-called world of great harmony would come soon.

The emperor truthfully said that the goal was the Chengkang rule by the two kings of Chengkang, which made him feel reliable. The emperor did not think too high and set his goal at a world of great harmony that had never appeared.

So he corrected his attitude and said sincerely:
"It is a blessing to the people that your Majesty has this thought!"

"I hope your Majesty will punish you with less punishment and avoid torture and killing indiscriminately."

Zhu Youjian heard this and used his words to express:
"I think so too, so I only sentence many people to exile instead of directly killing them."

"But the hatred is real and some people refuse to give up."

"I understand their thoughts, but I am worried that if they take revenge, others will follow suit."

"If this is the case from now on, when will Chengkang's rule be realized?"

"I am deeply worried about this matter!"

The implication behind the words is that they want Huang Zongxi and other victims’ families to stop pursuing the case, so that hatred will no longer spread.

Mr. Lu is an old man, so of course he can understand the emperor's words. He greatly appreciated the emperor's careful attitude towards punishment, but he knew that some grudges could not be easily let go.

As a witness to the deaths of Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou and others, Lu Taigong only praised His Majesty's kindness and said nothing more.

Seeing this, Zhu Youjian did not force him and forced him to persuade others to let go of their hatred. The purpose of what he said today was to express his attitude and explain his difficulties. If Mr. Lu still insists on providing help to Huang Zongxi and others after today, then don't blame him for using tricks.

Sun Qifeng, Zhang Guozhong and others next to him also heard these words and thought about the emperor's intention.

Zhu Youjian turned to Sun Qifeng at this time and said:

"Sun Qing is a good friend of Counselor Lu. I heard that you are candidates for the same department."

"Do you have the same idea as him of making achievements?"

"Now Liaodong is where military force is needed, and it needs talents like Sun Qing!"

This person was recommended by Sun Chengzong and others, and he passed the imperial examination at the age of seventeen, so he was considered a talent. If his parents had not died one after another and he had been filial for six years, he might have been admitted to Jinshi long ago.

Historically, Sun Qifeng eventually worshiped in the Confucius Temple, and together with Huang Zongxi and Li Yong, he was known as the three great Confucians. His "Northern Learning" has been compared with Huang Zongxi's "Southern Learning".

Because his reputation was not very big in later generations, Zhu Youjian didn't know this. But he clearly felt that Sun Qifeng was the core of Fan Yang's three martyrs. After Zhu Youjian canonized him as a Yuanshi, he wanted to send him to Liaodong.

However, Sun Qifeng was determined to teach and had no intention of becoming an official. After hearing this, he replied:

"When I observe filial piety at home, I am determined to work hard and give lectures."

"The matters in Liaodong are planned by Governor Sun, Counselor Lu and others, so Your Majesty will have nothing to worry about!"

Zhu Youjian frowned when he heard this, a little surprised that he was unwilling to be an official, and asked:
"Sun Qing wants to return to his hometown to give lectures. Does he want to educate the world?"

Sun Qifeng said modestly:

"It's just a matter of learning from the teacher and learning from the teacher!"

Zhu Youjian said:
"Then Sun Qing can go to Taixue, and I will let you serve as a teaching assistant."

"With Sun Qing's knowledge, he should be able to afford it."

Sun Qifeng still didn't want to, he just wanted to teach in vain. I am worried that if I receive an official position, I will be welcomed and sent away. He is very impatient with officialdom matters.

For such a person, Zhu Youjian was helpless, thought for a while and said:
"When you give lectures in the countryside, you can influence up to a few thousand people."

“But writing an article in a newspaper can be seen by tens of thousands of people.”

"Sir, have you ever thought about running a teaching newspaper for everyone to see?"

Now Sun Qifeng really started to think about it and said with some doubt:
"Can tens of thousands of people read a newspaper that publishes teachings?"

Seeing his interest, Zhu Youjian immediately knew that it was possible to use this person, and immediately said:

"There are so many teachers in the world. If everyone has one copy, why aren't there tens of thousands?"

"I plan to sponsor you to run an "Education Newspaper" to guide all students, teachers, and teachers."

"Let them master more teaching methods and cultivate more talents for Ming Dynasty."

Having said this, he thought of another thing and said:
"I plan to build a normal school to train teachers so that they can become role models who can learn from others."

"With good teachers, there will be good students. I hope Mr. Sun can set up a normal school and train more teachers."

"This way you can teach more people through them!"

If this matter is done well, Sun Qifeng will be able to become the teacher of many teachers, and eventually he will have students all over the world.

This is a very big reputation for him, and it is also a career that can go down in history.

Faced with such temptation, Sun Qifeng could not help but be tempted. At the same time, I was very grateful to the emperor who respected his own thoughts and followed his instructions. He knelt down to thank him and said:

"Your Majesty does not think that I should be humbled by you. If you give me such an important task, why can't I do my best?"

"I am willing to spend the rest of my life building a normal school for His Majesty!"

Zhu Youjian hurriedly asked him to stand up and said:
"Sir, you don't want to be an official, but you are impatient with these etiquettes. How can you kneel down so easily?"

"It is said that the Lord of Heaven and Earth is the master of the Lord. I hereby stipulate that except for occasions when a big ceremony is required, sir, you will not bow to anyone."

"This article must also be added to the rules of the normal school and the rights of teachers."

"You don't need to bow down when you see any official or officially qualified teacher."

This regulation has obviously improved the status of teachers. When Sun Qifeng heard this, he praised the emperor even more in his heart and couldn't help but want to bow down. But he remembered the emperor's order just now, so he could only bow down to show his respect.

In this way, although Sun Qifeng did not become an official, he was still subdued. Zhu Youjian also found a talent who was determined to develop education.

This made him extremely happy, and he asked Zhang Guozhong again:

"Is Zhang Qing a disciple of Counselor Lu?"

"Are you interested in working in North Korea?"

Zhang Guozhong was still a young man, and he was already extremely happy to be granted the title of Yuanshi. When the emperor asked him if he would like to follow his teacher and become an official, he never thought of refusing and said with excitement:

"I wish to obey His Majesty's will!"

"I am willing to serve in North Korea."

Finally, he arranged one according to his own wishes. Zhu Youjian chuckled and said:
"Then Qing will first serve as the Ninth Grade Minister of the Hanlin Academy. When Zhuang Jichang, Jiang Yueguang and others come to Beijing, he will go on a mission to North Korea with them."

"There are big things going on in North Korea this time, so you have to be well prepared."

"I will make arrangements after Xu Xueshi comes to Beijing."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guozhong accepted the order and was delighted that he entered the Hanlin Academy directly and got a task that could make him meritorious.

Next to them, Wen Tiren and other ministers heard the news that Xu Guangqi was coming to Beijing.

When a great scholar enters the capital to serve, all court officials will pay attention. Not to mention that Wen Tiren was resurrected together with Xu Guangqi, and was one of the first people to be resurrected by the emperor.

Thinking of Xu Guangqi's continuous promotion after his resurrection, he became a bachelor before entering Beijing. Wen Tiren, the Minister of Rites who was also constantly promoted, was a little jealous, thinking that Xu Guangqi's status in the emperor's heart was higher than his own.

I wonder what strengths Xu Guangqi had that made the emperor value him so much?
Could it be that because he was a disciple of Matteo Ricci and the emperor valued Western learning, he wanted to make great use of him?
Wen Tiren thought about the harpsichord mentioned by the emperor a few days ago, the hourly system implemented at the beginning of his ascension to the throne, and the explanation of the "Kun Yu Ten Thousand Kingdoms Complete Map" to the ministers, and felt that he had a vague idea of ​​the emperor's thoughts.

Thinking about Qian Qianyi's success through knowledge and what kind of practical knowledge he was currently working on, he felt that he also had to make achievements in knowledge and could not be left behind by these people:

"But, what knowledge should be used?" 』

Thinking about this matter in his mind, Wen Tiren felt that he could not compare with Liu Zongzhou and Qian Qianyi in Confucianism. These two people used to have a great reputation in Neo-Confucianism and Psychology, but now that they have the name of recreating rituals and music, their reputation is even higher. Wen Tiren, who had no achievements in this area, could not compete with them no matter what.

On the other hand, Xu Guangqi's Western learning seems to be worthy of some competition. After all, as the Minister of Rites, he was previously appointed as the deputy director of the Etiquette Research Center. If he was really knowledgeable, he would be able to participate in the reproduction of rituals and music.

And as far as he knew, although the emperor was interested in Western learning, he didn't like missionaries very much. The various regulations of the General Administration of Religion of Taichang Temple are also clearly restricting new religions, and seem to support Buddhism and Taoism to resist the invasion of new religions.

Therefore, Xu Guangqi's status as a believer was somewhat disadvantageous. The possibility of him participating in the remake of ritual music is almost zero.

If you can make good use of this matter, you may be able to suppress this person. He even used Western learning for his own purposes, taking it from Xu Guangqi and using it to recreate rituals and music, occupying a place in the Ming Dynasty's academia.

Thinking about this matter, Wen Tiren felt a little excited in his heart. Because he suddenly discovered that it was possible for him to make achievements in knowledge and also leave a name in history.

It's just that his attainments in Western learning are far behind Xu Guangqi. It can even be said that the seven orifices have been understood and the six orifices have been understood - and the remaining one is ignorant.

If you want to compete with Xu Guangqi, it seems that you are still far away:
"Looks like I need to find someone to study with!" 』

"It's just that most of the people who are proficient in Western learning are religious believers. If they knew my thoughts, would they be willing to teach me?" 』

Thinking about this matter in his mind, Wen Tiren felt that he should be cautious and not express his attitude easily. After learning Western learning from Xu Guangqi and others, he pretended to repent and established a new branch of knowledge.

At that time, will the emperor, who does not want to see believers, not support him?

With the emperor's guidance, he might be able to learn new knowledge just like Qian Qianyi learned practical knowledge.

These thoughts were swirling in Wen Tiren's heart, but Zhu Youjian didn't know anything about them.

If he could know, he would tell Wen Tiren not to learn anything from the West, but to just learn from himself. The scientific knowledge in his mind was hundreds of years ahead of his time.

It's a pity that Wen Tiren doesn't know this. He still needs to make friends with Xu Guangqi and others and study Western learning for a while.

However, his guess about Zhu Youjian was indeed good, because Zhu Youjian was indeed uneasy about Xu Guangqi's identity as a believer. Zhu Youjian was well aware of the difficulty of domesticating monotheistic religions such as Catholicism, so he had no intention of allowing these religions to spread. This was already reflected in his previous religious layout.

Xu Guangqi was a formally baptized Catholic. After he became a bachelor, the influence of Catholicism in the Ming Dynasty would inevitably rise.

How to use him to promote Western learning that was useful to the Ming Dynasty, while eliminating religious interference and restricting the spread of Catholicism, was a test for Zhu Youjian.

He wanted to maximize Xu Guangqi's abilities without laying the foundation for future generations because of Xu Guangqi's beliefs.

Amidst this doubt, Xu Guangqi finally came to the capital with Sun Yuanhua and other disciples, as well as the carefully prepared "Agricultural Policy Complete Book" and seeds of various crops.

When Zhu Youjian learned this, he sighed deeply. Regardless of Xu Guangqi's identity, this person should be used. It would be too wasteful to not use such a great talent.

So on the second day after Xu Guangqi arrived in Beijing, he immediately summoned him. He also called Zhang Guozhong, who had been appointed as envoy to North Korea, and Zhuang Jichang, who had already arrived in Beijing, to listen together.

The theme of this summons was Xu Guangqi's "Liao Zuo Yuan Danger has become very sparse" written in the forty-seventh year of Wanli. In the book, he put forward five suggestions, including seeking talents, building cannons, and building city sieges.

What Zhu Youjian valued most was Article 5, "Urgently send envoys to monitor North Korea to connect with foreign forces." This was very suitable to Zhu Youjian's appetite and in line with the strategy he proposed years ago.

Therefore, after Xu Guangqi arrived, Zhu Youjian first mentioned this topic and asked about the feasibility of this suggestion and whether it could be used now?

Xu Guangqi put forward this suggestion early, and of course he had considered the feasibility. When asked by the emperor, of course he said it could be used:
"I will make an archeology, and the emperor will put the officials in charge of Fang Bo's country."

"The Han Dynasty opened four counties in Hexi, connecting the Western Regions, and appointed Xiaowei, Duhu, Changshi, and Sima to protect the Qiang and Wuji, so as to control the various countries and cut off the right arm of the Xiongnu."

"At this time, the situation in Korea was somewhat similar to that of the Western Regions. The captives were ferocious and in desperate need of the Huns."

"The minister's foolish plan should be imitated by the stories of Zhou and Han Dynasty, send envoys to explain, monitor the country, and clarify the laws of China's monarchs and ministers."

"The supervisor monitors his condition, and the protector helps him overcome danger."

He reiterated the arguments in his memorial.

This strategy failed to pass the court because of the alliance between North Korean envoys and opposing ministers.

But after Zhu Youjian came to power, there were not so many ministers who opposed it.

After all, the monarchs and ministers of the Ming Dynasty could clearly see what North Korea had done over the years. The viciousness of Jianlu is also very worrying.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian's proposal to dispatch ministers to North Korea was recognized by many officials. On this basis, it is logical to implement Xu Guangqi's strategy of guarding North Korea.

Giving Xu Guangqi a copy of the minutes of the meeting about North Korea years ago, Zhu Youjian said to him:

"Xu Qing proposed this strategy, which shows that he has a comprehensive consideration of North Korea's affairs."

"This is something I decided on with Governor Sun, Yuan Shangshu and other ministers years ago. I hope you can formulate a more complete strategy on this basis."

"From now on, affairs in North Korea will be left to your disposal. All personnel stationed in North Korea will be under the command of Xu Qing."

Leave North Korea matters entirely to Xu Guangqi. I hope that this great scholar who proposed to monitor North Korea will advance the strategy in the court. (End of chapter)