I open a history tutorial class in Daming

Chapter 100: Zhu Di responded to the sky? Fight!
Ming Dynasty, the tenth year of Hongwu.

in the afternoon.

The city gate of Yingtian Prefecture was wide open to welcome a line of hurried horses.

The visitor was none other than the fourth son of the present emperor, Zhu Di, who had been named Prince of Yan seven years ago but had not yet been enfeoffed.

Zhu Di is seventeen years old this year, at the age of youth and vigor. Just last year, he married the eldest daughter of Xu Da, Duke of Wei. Then, he and his second and third brothers were ruthlessly driven to Zhongdu Fengyang by his father, under the pretext of "visiting the place where our ancestors founded their country" and understanding the origin of the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang just wanted his sons to suffer. Not only did he make them train and practice martial arts with ordinary soldiers, but he also wanted these princes to farm the land themselves so that they would fully understand the sufferings of the people and avoid destroying the foundation of the Ming Dynasty in the future.

Zhongdu Fengyang is not too far from Yingtian Prefecture, and it doesn't take long to travel back and forth on horseback. However, Zhu Di knew that once he left Fengyang and Yingtian Prefecture and went to Beiping to be a vassal, he would probably have little chance to come back in the future.

Firstly, the mountains are high and the roads are long. Even if he could take the Grand Canal, which is relatively more convenient and faster, a round trip would take nearly two months without traveling day and night. If nothing big happened, his parents would hardly let him make such a trip.

Secondly, it was also because of the special system of vassal kings. The reason why the fiefs of the vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty were so special and all of them were arranged in the frontiers was because Zhu Yuanzhang needed them to guard the borders. A vassal king, with so many soldiers and horses around him, would go to the capital whenever he had something to do. Not only would there be no one in charge of the frontiers, but it might also arouse the emperor's suspicion. This would really do more harm than good.

Knowing very well what kind of life he would have to lead in the future, Zhu Di was still young and playful. He had been bored after staying in Fengyang for a year. Now that his father had finally summoned him to return to Yingtian, why didn't he rush back day and night?
However, he couldn't run that fast because he had to take his wife back to her hometown in Beijing.

As soon as he entered the city gate of Yingtian Prefecture, Zhu Di took the initiative to slow down his horse and led the horse's head to the carriage window next to him.

"Miaoyun, are you okay? Are you feeling uncomfortable? Why don't you stop and rest for a while?"

He peered out the window and said:

"We're already in the city. If you want to eat anything, you can come down and have a bite. After all, you've been away from home for so long, it's not surprising that you'd be craving for something."

"I remember you seemed to like eating pork fat dumplings and goose fat puff pastry, and something... yes, it's called soft fragrant cake!"

"You've been traveling a lot lately and you've been eating very little. Now that we've arrived at Tianfu, it would be good to eat something to fill your stomach."

The short curtain on the window was opened from the inside, revealing a beautiful but healthy face of a girl.

This is Zhu Di’s wife, Xu Da’s eldest daughter, Xu Miaoyun.

Xu Miaoyun smiled at her husband, but her face was a little pale, and she was obviously feeling a little uncomfortable after sitting in the carriage for too long.

She waved her hand and said:
"Business is more important. You can eat at any time, but you are back this time with an imperial decree. Don't delay. Come to the palace quickly."

"I will go and pay my respects to my mother later. She has said that I will leave the palace again. This rule cannot be broken."

Zhu Di was choked.

He has always been a lawless person. Of course, he has never done anything too outrageous, but he has a rebellious mind and doesn't like to follow the rules. He is a little rebellious.

If he was craving for something to eat, even if there was an imperial decree pending before him, the first thing he would do after responding to the heaven would be to satisfy his appetite first. But now he is married, and his wife is a cautious person. She would not agree with him to do so, let alone do such a thing herself.

Zhu Di also knew that he was no longer the 13 or 14-year-old child who would be beaten for catching birds in the palace. It was most appropriate to do as his wife said. So he could only scratch the back of his head and said weakly:

"I understand. Let's talk about it after we leave the palace."

Tall horses walked slowly on the street, with carriage wheels rolling behind them and some guards lagging behind.

The group walked slowly towards the palace.

…………

Kunning Palace.

After the get out of class this time, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao did not leave for a long time.

The two of them sat opposite each other, looking at each other, both silent.

Empress Ma couldn't bear to watch it anymore and said helplessly:
"What happened today? You two are like two idiots? If you have something to say, just say it. It's not good to say it in front of me. Then go to Wenhua Hall and Wuying Hall to discuss it. What's the point of keeping it to yourself?"

After a long while, Zhu Biao sighed:
"Mom, there is nothing to do with Daming today. We are mainly talking about Qin and Tang."

"In the Tang Dynasty, there was Li Longji, and in the Qin Dynasty, there was Meng Tian. At the beginning of the course, Emperor Taizong of Tang severely beat up Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, and then the teacher started to discuss the Qin Dynasty until the end of the get out of class."

When Queen Ma heard this, she became even more puzzled:

"It has nothing to do with the Ming Dynasty, and it has nothing to do with future generations. So why are you two sitting here with such sad faces?"

Zhu Yuanzhang just kept shaking his head:

"It is true that it has nothing to do with our Ming Dynasty, but... in today's class, Li Shimin, Liu Che and I all gave suggestions to Ying Zheng, and he said that he would consider reforming the Qin Dynasty when he returned."

"The Qin Dynasty is indeed the most urgent of all the dynasties in the tutoring class. It will be destroyed in ten years or so. Even if Hu Hai and Zhao Gao have completely failed to turn the world around, and Fusu ascends the throne instead, he will not be able to extend the life of the Qin Dynasty for much longer in the future. For now, we can only change the national policy."

"He had the Han, Tang, and Ming dynasties in front of him, spanning nearly a thousand years. Logically, the later the reforms, the better. However, Song Shen mentioned the example of Wang Mang, saying that Wang Mang's short-lived Xin Dynasty actually had many similar systems to those hundreds of years later. However, that system was too big a step and too far ahead of its time in the Han Dynasty. It was ridiculous that it could survive."

"After discussing with them and taking Song Shen's advice into consideration, we came to the conclusion that every dynasty that can survive for a long time naturally has advanced national policies that are better than the previous one, but these policies need to be constantly improved and adapted to local conditions. It would be the best if we could reform ahead of time by two hundred years. Otherwise, it would be considered a big step."

"Biao'er is in trouble now, probably because of this."

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't actually explain what he meant, but Empress Ma understood what her husband meant after thinking about it for a while.

She thought for a while and asked:
"So you are in such a dilemma now, because you want to know from Song Shen what the situation will be like in 200 years. You want to change it, but you feel that it is another dynasty, or even the barbarians in the north are the emperor, so you are unwilling to change it for the sake of face? Is that what you mean?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was choked by his wife for a long time and almost choked himself with his saliva.

That being said...

Although the truth hurts, this is too harsh to hear.

What does it mean to save face?

Is this my own face? This is the face of the Ming Dynasty!

Zhu Yuanzhang calmed down and said:
"Don't talk nonsense. I just think that the northern barbarians are still barbarians. Even if they were able to do it at the beginning, didn't they turn the Central Plains into a hell on earth in the end?"

"Even if their method works, it can only be used for a short time. It will definitely not work for a long time!"

Queen Ma frowned:
"But don't we still have Song Shen?"

"If there is a national policy for the next hundred years, and you think it is safe, then decide on it first. He is familiar with the history of two thousand years, so can't he decide on a national policy for you for a few hundred years?" This time, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't even need to speak, Zhu Biao shook his head first.

Zhu Biao looked at his mother with disapproval:

"Mother, you can't put the future of the Ming Dynasty in the hands of one person. Even if he is extremely intelligent and knows two thousand years of history, he is still just one person and cannot consider things so comprehensively."

"For example, in today's class, the First Emperor asked him for advice, but he didn't offer any effective suggestions. He just laid out the rules and principles in front of us and let us consider them on our own."

"Let's not talk about whether the national policy he proposed is effective or not. Just from the incident with the First Emperor, we can see that Song Shen actually doesn't want to get involved in the change of dynasties. It is precisely because of his great wisdom that he is even less likely to do such a thing."

Zhu Yuanzhang also nodded and said:
"Biao'er is right. This is what we are worried about."

"With Song Shen, the future of the Ming Dynasty is indeed bright, but we can't put all our hopes on him alone. He is also a human being and will die. If he dies, will the Ming Dynasty not prosper?"

"We think it's best to learn quickly while his eyesight hasn't healed and he can't recognize us, and while he's willing to teach us everything he knows, we can own it. As for how to set national policies in the future, it would be best if he's willing to contribute, but if he's not willing, then it's the same if we learn and do it ourselves!"

Empress Ma was busy dealing with logistics and household affairs all year round and did not know much about military and national affairs.

Seeing that her husband and son seemed to have reached an agreement and were no longer as sad and silent as before, she breathed a sigh of relief and stopped interfering.

At this time.

A eunuch came outside Kunning Palace and whispered:
"Your Majesty, the Queen, the Crown Prince, and the Prince of Yan have returned to the capital with his wife and are waiting outside."

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned at first, and then he remembered that about ten days ago, when he learned that the unlucky bastard Zhu Qizhen was a descendant of Zhu Di, he was so angry that he ordered Zhu Di, who was still in Fengyang, to return to Beijing.

Counting the days, he should be slow to return with his wife, but it was almost time.

When Zhu Yuanzhang thought of that unlucky Zhu Qizhen, he became furious. Even though he knew that there were reasons why Zhu Di usurped the throne, he still couldn't treat his son, who would really rebel and overturn the table in the future, as a 17-year-old boy.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately made the decision:

"Tell him to go to Wuying Palace and kneel down. We will go there right away!"

Go to Wuying Palace?

Empress Ma was quick to sense that something was wrong. She stood up and stopped the eunuch who was about to announce the decree. She looked at her husband:

"Why don't you just go to Kunning Palace? Why do you have to go to Wuying Palace? You are in such good health, do you really have to make the trip?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's face twitched and for a moment he didn't know how to tell his wife.

Zhu Biao next to him also felt that something was wrong - he was afraid that his father was going to beat his brother again!

He immediately stepped forward and stopped Zhu Yuanzhang:
"Dad, if we must go to Wuying Palace, it's okay. You can take me with you."

Zhu Yuanzhang:......

Okay, okay, one or two of you are trying to pick on us, right?
Zhu Di is a really lucky kid. His own father was about to punish him, but his mother and elder brother tried to stop him one by one!

It's turned upside down!

He was furious, but because there were palace servants waiting for orders, he could only hold his breath and try to speak in a subtle way:
"Why are you all trying to stop him? Don't you know what he did?"

"I wanted to beat him up at that time, but now that he's here, I can't feel relieved unless I slap him in the face! Get out of here!"

Queen Ma took her husband's arm and said softly:

"Didn't you hear that he brought our daughter-in-law Miaoyun with him? Miaoyun followed him to Fengyang, and a lady from a good family suffered such a hard time. You should give face to the Buddha and beat the fourth brother in front of her right after you came back. Is this appropriate?"

Zhu Biao knew how to cooperate with his mother and sang along:
"Yes, Duke Wei has been separated from his sister-in-law for a year, right? He must have gone back to his parents' home to reminisce about the past. If this gets out, you won't be able to save face, right?"

"After all, it will take a while for Fourth Brother to come back. There is still a long time to go. If you really can't swallow that anger, wait for him to calm down for a few days."

"He brought his sister-in-law back to Beijing in such a hurry, he must be missing mother and us. You beat him as soon as you saw him, doesn't that chill Fourth Brother's heart?"

The mother and daughter acted like they were in an opera, moving left and right, but Zhu Yuanzhang really fell for it.

Tiger whiskers can only be stroked in the straight direction.

Zhu Yuanzhang calmed down a little and felt that this was indeed the case - the main reason was that his daughter-in-law was the eldest daughter of Xu Da's family. It was said that when Xu Da was stationed at the border, her words were quite effective in the Xu family. If he really beat the fourth child in front of her, it would be like exposing the family's disgrace to the public.

After a moment of silence, he nodded with all his might:
"Then let the fourth son and his wife come to Kunning Palace and meet here."

The eunuch watched this drama of mediating the fight. Although he didn't know why His Majesty wanted to beat His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan so much, it was not important. What was important was how high the status of Her Majesty's Queen and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was in His Majesty's eyes, which was refreshed once again in the minds of the palace people.

He answered yes honestly, without even daring to glance at the person, and went downstairs to pass on the message.

Not long after.

The Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, who looked dusty but in good spirits, and the Princess of Yan, Xu Miaoyun, who was not covered in dust but had a pale face, were brought to the Kunning Palace.

As soon as they met, Zhu Di led his wife to kowtow:
"Your son greets his father, the emperor, and his mother, the empress!"

After asking for everyone's well-being, Zhu Di realized that the atmosphere was not right.

The Queen Mother and the eldest brother were as kind as ever, asking him if he had eaten well and slept well in the past year and whether the conditions in Fengyang were difficult.

And the emperor... although he had always been indifferent to me, and although he was annoyed by this naughty boy, it stands to reason that when a wanderer returns home, he should at least show some concern, right?

But no, not a single word.

Zhu Di couldn't help himself. After greeting his mother and elder brother, he looked at his father and asked:
"Father, did your son do anything to displease you?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's veins were about to pop out of his head, but he still dared to ask!
This question is like lighting a powder keg.

Zhu Yuanzhang first gritted his teeth and dismissed the palace servants in the hall. After everyone left and the door was closed, Zhu Biao and Empress Ma were unable to stop them, and they heard Zhu Yuanzhang roaring in a low voice:

"Rebellious son, you still dare to ask?!"

"Today I will let you know what you have done!"

(End of this chapter)