First Prince of Ming Dynasty

  Chapter 23 An Ordinary Day

  In June 1364, since Zhu Yuanzhang wiped out Chen Youliang's old troops, he has not gone out to fight, but silently garrisoned the land to calm the people.

On this day, Zhu Yuanzhang had a rare free time, so he called his sons over in the backyard. When Zhu Biao and Song Lian asked for leave, they saw Lao Zhu sitting on a stool and reading "The Doctrine of the Mean". The brothers beside him were all trembling like quails. stand aside.

  Zhu Biao smiled, walked to Zhu Yuanzhang's left side and bowed to salute: "I pay my respects to my father, my father is in a good mood today!"

   "Biao'er is here, it's rare for us to be free today, so I will leave some trivial matters to Li Shanchang and the others to do!

   "It seems that the father is going to test his sons?"

   "Hahaha, yes, reading is very important. We couldn't learn it when we were young. We have asked Mr. to teach us to read even when we are fighting all these years.

  Zhu Biao bowed his hands to Lao Zhu, and then retreated to the far left of the younger brothers.

He knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was not a lie. Most people knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was born in a poor family, shepherded cattle and sheep, became a monk, and once begged. Later, he established the Ming Dynasty through a peasant uprising, but he didn't know much about his love of reading. few.

  In fact, when he was a child, he went to a private school for several months, "studied and smart", but eventually dropped out of school due to lack of money, so he had to herd cattle and sheep for the landlord.

  After both parents died, he was begging and wandering in Huaixi. The trip to Huaixi opened Zhu Yuanzhang's horizons, and he returned to the monastery at the age of 17. "Beginning to learn, he determined to study hard" and studied Buddhist scriptures with several old monks. Due to his shallow foundation and poor foundation, he could not understand some books, or did not fully understand them, so he humbly asked for advice from learned people.

After participating in the peasant uprising, Li Shanchang, Feng Guoyong, Tao An, Xia Yu, Zhu Sheng, Zhu Xiao, Liu Ji and other Confucian scholars came to join him. Zhu Yuanzhang further realized the importance of reading.

  Therefore, he studied harder, "It was time to seek Confucianism and ask". Everywhere he went, he tried to recruit Confucian scholars, stayed in the shogunate, got along day and night, and talked about classics and history.

  At the same time, "Ling Yousi visited and asked for ancient books, the secret house of collection". Get up early and go to bed late every day, squeeze time to read.

  After ascending the throne, Wenyuan Pavilion was specially set up on the east side of Fengtian Gate in the capital, "to store all the ancient and modern records, and to house the academicians".

  After he finished his official duties, he often took time to go there, "Order Confucianism to study classics and history, and review them by himself, forgetting to be tired all day long."

  I will be questioned by my father soon, but Zhu Biao doesn’t care. He has studied hard for five years and is taught by the best teacher. According to Song Lian’s statement, his current talent and learning will be no problem for him to be a Jinshi.

  But the younger brothers on the side couldn’t do it anymore. Taking advantage of Zhu Yuanzhang’s reading time, he looked at his elder brother eagerly, and tears were about to flow out of his small eyes.

  The young Zhu Di and Zhu Xi are fine, they have only entered school not long ago, so even if they fail to answer the questions, they won’t be beaten, but Zhu Xi and Zhu Xi can’t run away.

   I think my father called me here specially to set an example for Zhu Di and Zhu Xi.

  As for calling Zhu Yi and Zhu Bing here, it is to show the two little ones the consequences of not studying.

"Biaoer, tell us, destiny is nature, willfulness is Tao, and cultivating Tao is teaching. Tao is one that cannot be separated from it even for a moment, but it is also the same as being apart from non-Tao. Therefore, a gentleman should be cautious about what he does not see and fear. It is almost unheard of. It cannot be seen or hidden, and it cannot be seen or seen. Therefore, a gentleman should be careful about his independence... The foundation of the world is also the foundation of the world; Yan."

  Zhu Biao took a step forward and replied: What heaven bestows on people is nature, following nature is Tao, and following Tao to cultivate oneself is teaching.

   Tao cannot be left for a moment, but it is not Tao that leaves. Therefore, a gentleman should also be cautious where no one can see, and fear and awe where no one can hear.

  When you are hidden, you will be discovered by others, and the subtleties will be obvious, so a gentleman should be cautious when he is alone. The emotions of joy, anger, sorrow and joy are not expressed, which is called neutrality. Expressed but in line with the law, this is called harmony.

  Zhong is the most fundamental in the world, and harmony is the law that the world follows. When neutralization is achieved, the heavens and the earth will return to their respective positions, and all things will grow and develop!

  Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in satisfaction, feeling that even the old man Li Shanchang couldn't speak as well and thoroughly as his son. Who said that our old Zhu's family can't get the seeds of reading?

   "Biao'er is right! Yesterday Tanghe shipped a lot of good things, and they are all in the warehouse. You go in and pick some!"

   Then he turned his head to look at Zhu Xi and Zhu Wei: "We don't expect you two to be as good as your eldest brother, and we don't need "The Doctrine of the Mean" to make things difficult for you, so let's test your Analects!"

   I don’t need to go into details about the process. The two brothers are stuttering when they join forces, and they don’t have confidence in themselves. I’m afraid they have already forgotten what they will order...

  (end of this chapter)