Gaoyi was going to Changchao today to discuss the law test. When he was talking about this, he took a leave of absence and Zhang Siwei was temporarily in charge.
Zhu Yijun did not hesitate to perform just because the main audience was not around.
As the saying goes, growth cannot stop.
These days, all officials are the most promising young men in the Ming Dynasty. Even if they are added to the strategy, they still have to portray their characters well.
Therefore, Zhu Yijun is still meticulously continuing to enhance his character, just like in previous days.
In fact, Zhu Yijun's learning progress has far exceeded Rite's progress.
After dinner in the past few days, he could hardly put down the scroll and had already memorized the contents of "Great Learning" and "Shang Shu".
The level of enlightenment discussed in the day was still too simple for him - he was just waiting for the Sutra Banquet to be held in a big way, so that he could give the Sutra Banquet officials a good brain-wash.
The results of this advanced learning were reflected in the daily lectures, which made him, the new king, particularly smart.
Several court officials began to get used to him boiling frogs in warm water.
Today he mastered it once and for all without any hindrance, and the lecturers didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
After Zhu Yijun deliberately speeded up the progress, just after half time, all the attendant readers finished today's content.
"Your Highness, please come here first today." Zhang Siwei came out and said.
These lecturers and readers have responsibilities in various ministries and yamen, and after finishing their lectures, they have to go back to work.
However, since Zhu Yijun deliberately made time, he naturally did not allow them to finish class early.
He slowly said: "Gentlemen, wait a moment."
Several lecturers looked at each other.
Zhang Siwei hesitated and said: "What other instructions does your Highness have?"
Zhu Yijun smiled and said: "This is a daily lecture. You are the teachers and I am the disciple. There is no reason for a disciple to give instructions to a teacher."
"It's just that today's lecture ended early, and I still have some spare time. Instead of being idle, I might as well ask you gentlemen for advice on other things."
Zhang Siwei only felt unlucky.
He is second only to Gao Yi in terms of seniority among lecturers. Once Gao Yi leaves, he will inevitably be the leader.
If not, he wouldn't have to play house with the children here.
He has a big tree behind him and deep roots. His daily lectures are just to polish his qualifications. He has no real intention to teach.
He rolled his eyes in his heart and said respectfully: "Your Highness has a question, and I will try my best to answer it."
Zhu Yijun nodded and said casually: "Several gentlemen have been attending daily lectures for several months."
"I haven't asked a few gentlemen about their background and education, but I'm being negligent."
His eyes glanced at Zhang Siwei and Ma Ziqiang: "I remember that Bachelor Zhang and Bachelor Ma were Jinshi in the same year?"
The two looked at each other.
They all replied in unison: "Both of you were Jinshi in the 32nd year of Jiajing."
At the end, Ma Ziqiang added: "But Shilang Zhang is a second-class Jinshi, and Wei Chen is a third-class Jinshi."
There are three Jinshi in the first rank, three in the first, eighty or ninety in the second, and more than 200 in the third. They are ranked in order.
His background is slightly different from that of Jinshi.
Zhu Yijun nodded to show his understanding.
Then he turned to look at Tao Dalin: "I remember that Bachelor Tao was an editor of the Hanlin Academy, so he should have won the first grade?"
It was the practice after the Yingzong Dynasty that the first-class Jinshi in the imperial examination would be awarded the title of editor of the Hanlin Academy. In addition, young and talented people would be selected from the second-class and third-class scholars to be admitted to the Hanlin Academy as Shujishi, which is called "selection".
These two have always been known as storage prime ministers.
Tao Dalin respectfully replied: "Weichen was a Jinshi in the 35th year of Jiajing's reign, ranking first and second."
Zhu Yijun originally wanted to call him Tao, but he felt it was too awkward to speak, so he simply continued to call him Bachelor: "No wonder Bachelor Tao is so knowledgeable."
After saying that, he looked at Yu Youding again: "I know Yu Tanhua, who was ranked third in the first grade of Jinshi in the 41st year of Jiajing."
Yu Youding was stunned for a moment, not knowing why he was in the king's heart for no reason, so he had to give it up.
Zhu Yijun ignored him and looked at Chen Dong: "Scholar Chen is also an editor of the Hanlin Academy?"
Chen Dong is very eye-catching among many lecturers, but has little sense of existence.
The reason why he is eye-catching is because he looks very distinctive - thin, extremely thin, not the kind of skinny skinny, but rather as if he is not well-nourished and thin.
There is no sense of existence because Chen Dong cherishes words as much as gold when he lectures. He never says any unnecessary words except for explanations. His whole person is restrained and deep.
Chen Dong replied: "Wei Chen, the third highest Jinshi in the 44th year of Jiajing period."
Without waiting for Zhu Yijun to ask questions one by one, the remaining interrogators reported their origins.
Zhu Yijun listened patiently.
These people in front of me are the "Chu Xiang" of the Ming Dynasty, or in other words, the leaders of the Young Masters faction.
Now that he has the protection of the royal guards and the approval of GROHE, it is time to try to contact these backbones of the civil service.
Many officials reported their origins one by one, and Zhu Yijun remembered them all in his heart.
Then he looked at Ma Ziqiang and Tao Dalin who had taken leave yesterday: "Master Ma and Master Tao took leave yesterday. I heard that they went to the Ministry of Rites to discuss the posthumous title and temple for our imperial examination?"
The two looked at each other and replied in unison: "Your Highness, this is indeed the case."
Posthumous titles and temple titles are the final word on an emperor's life deeds.
Good or bad, there has to be an explanation.
Just like the exhortation to advance on the first day of June, there is a sentence written on the note: "The country has been prosperous for more than two hundred years, and there are six or seven kings of sages."
The dynasty has lasted for 200 years for twelve generations. There are about six or seven people who can be called good emperors.
As for the rest of the emperors? That’s out of the question.
Why is a good emperor six or seven?
It is because Emperor Daxing has not yet concluded the coffin, and the virtuous and unvirtuous are still in the middle.
Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment and said: "Now that we're talking about this..."
"I will follow you gentlemen, study at a university, become a minister, and gradually come to know the stories of the ancient sage kings."
"If we look at it from the perspective of the Four Books and Five Classics, how will the scholars comment on our Imperial Examination?"
From the perspective of your Confucian classics, how would you evaluate the late emperor?
After hearing this, the two of them felt their scalps go numb. Such a major matter, after going through ministry and court discussions, is the opinion of all civil servants, and they are not afraid of any discussion.
But now that the Crown Prince is asking a personal question in private, how can he answer it?
Who dares to say that your father neglected political affairs, was addicted to women, and died on a woman's belly after taking too many aphrodisiacs?
What else can I say besides saying good things?
Tao Da quietly took a step back.
Ma Ziqiang could only talk about it and said: "Your Highness, yesterday I was just sorting out the merits and deeds of Emperor Daxing, and I haven't discussed it properly yet."
Zhu Yijun waved his hands and said: "This is not a serious discussion about the posthumous title, but a brief comment from a scholarly perspective."
"After I succeed to the throne, I will choose good things and follow them, and choose bad things and reflect inwardly."
Ma Ziqiang stood on the spot, sweat gradually forming on his forehead.
Zhu Yijun looked at him patiently.
Ma Ziqiang thought about it for a long time before he said: "Emperor Daxing is naturally a saintly king."
The lecturers all nodded their heads no matter what they thought.
Zhu Yijun asked: "Where is the saintliness?"
He did not want to interfere with the late emperor's posthumous title, he just wanted to take advantage of these questions and answers to familiarize himself with the life of civil servants.
To be more precise, he wanted to know from the evaluation of the late emperor what exactly made a good emperor in the eyes of the young and strong faction who prepared the cabinet.
Although several members of the cabinet, including the six ministries, hold great power, they are still old and cannot reflect the thoughts of these young and strong scholars.
After all, when acting, you still have to ask the audience what kind of character they like.
Ma Ziqiang said vaguely: "Emperor Daxing is dignified and dignified. He does not kill but asserts his authority. He is quiet and secretive. He is a benevolent king."
Zhu Yijun paused for a moment, then nodded after a while.
Ma Ziqiang said that the late Emperor was an honest man, with a good temper and a quiet mind, and did not rely on killing people to assert his authority.
Of course, this is also a metaphor for Emperor Sejong's use of a stick to kill courtiers to show his majesty.
It’s good to pull and step. At least it shows that he is telling the truth. It seems that Ma Ziqiang is very dissatisfied with the emperor who has arbitrary power and kills. He probably likes the Emperor Xiaozong.
Zhu Yijun looked at Tao Dalin again.
Seeing that he couldn't escape, Tao Dalin sighed inwardly and said: "Emperor Daxing is unobservable and wise by himself. Although his orders are not issued, his actions are as fast as his words. Although his words are not spoken, his voice is as fast as shaking. He is the king of actions.
"
Zhu Yijun raised his head and tried not to laugh out loud.
This means that the late emperor's wisdom is unpredictable. Even before he issued the order, the people below him have already started to act quickly. His words do not need to be spoken, but their influence is like thunder.
To put it bluntly, he is just a bit stupid and doesn't care about things, so he just does his own thing.
These literati speak at a high level, at least when it comes to yin and yang, they are at the top of their game.
It seems that Tao Dalin looked down on the late emperor to some extent, thinking that the late emperor failed to perform his duties as an emperor well. So it seems that he hoped that the new emperor would work hard to govern?
Zhu Yijun just pretended not to hear it.
Then he looked at Zhang Siwei: "Scholar Zhang, what do you think?"
Zhang Siwei did not hide anything and spoke frankly: "Emperor Daxing is especially able to respect his subordinates, trust his veterans, gather all the strength of the group, gather all his thoughts, and abide by the laws of his ancestors without the trouble of more restrictions. He is really like the ancient sage kings.
He is the Holy King."
It is simple and easy to understand to respect the auxiliary ministers and to trust the elders.
Is this a good emperor in the eyes of the Jin Party? No wonder Uncle Zhang Siwei was named "Chonggu".
Zhu Yijun looked confused on his face, but sighed in his heart. Sure enough, the bad guy's praise made people a little uncomfortable.
The style of the ancient saint king? Oh, the sacraments of the Three Sovereigns and the Five Emperors deceived countless passers-by, do you still want to deceive him now?
He was about to continue asking.
I heard that Yu Youding had already taken the initiative to take over the conversation: "Your Highness, I think that it will be safe for Emperor Daxing to dismiss Shizong and redress the injustice."
"Once the troops are out of control, I will pay tribute and calm down the border issues."
"Also, we change with the times, don't stick to the old ways, and let go of the maritime ban."
"Recruitment of honest men, correction of evil officials, rectification of officialdom, and investigation of the royal family's estates."
"If you behave like this, you should be called a king who revolutionizes the past and creates new things!"
Zhu Yijun glanced at Yu Youding in surprise. Unexpectedly, Yu Tanhua turned out to be from the New Deal faction.
The dead are used to speak for the living.
It doesn't matter what kind of person Emperor Daxing is, it's what kind of person everyone needs him that matters.
Zhang Siwei said that the late emperor governed with an arch, obeyed the laws of his ancestors, and abided by established rules, showing his admiration for the past.
Yu Youding immediately opened his eyes and said that the late emperor had reformed the past and was willing to reform.
This is the battle between old and new.
Zhu Yijun naturally would not expose this layer, he just pretended to be thoughtful.
Ma Ziqiang, on the other hand, gave a timely reminder: "Pay attention to your decency and don't make irresponsible remarks about Emperor Sejong."
Even if it is a taboo for the nobles, you should not say this in front of the new king. After all, he is a grandson, so don't make it too obvious.
Zhu Yijun waved his hand magnanimously: "I said it's just a scholarly discussion, so there's no harm in it."
"No matter what, I can still open up the road to speaking out. There is no need to be afraid of being punished for speaking out."
From the words of these people, we can still read the tendency.
Whether it is reforming the law or adhering to ancestral laws, at least it must be good to the civil servants so that everyone will recognize it.
King Sejong killed his courtiers with a stick, and what happened to him?
Therefore, regardless of whether Zhu Yijun will suppress civil servants after taking power, he has to let it out now and show his characteristics of being open-minded and kind-hearted.
Several lecturers and readers hurriedly bowed down in unison: "The Holy Ming has no fault, Your Highness."
besides……
Zhu Yijun pretended to have a sudden thought: "Recently I heard that the cabinet is discussing the matter of passing the test into law?"
Several lecturers were confused.
Foreman Zhang Siwei could not hide away, so he could only take over the conversation: "Your Highness, this is indeed the case."
Zhu Yijun looked at him and said with a smile: "When Emperor Daxing discusses his merits and demerits, doesn't it sound like he has passed the examination and approved it?"
Discussions about temple names and posthumous titles are generally based on merit and demerit.
After discussing the merits and demerits, let’s decide whether to give him a bad posthumous title or a good posthumous title.
In this way, it is indeed quite similar, but it only happens once in a lifetime.
But you guys, how can the reading officer dare to reply to this?
Passed the exam? Civil servants passed the exam for the emperor? Even if you really have this idea, you wouldn’t dare to admit it.
Ma Ziqiang hurriedly said: "Your Highness, the Book of Rites says that husband's etiquette begins with the crown, is based on the fainting, and is more important than the funeral ceremony. This is the general form of etiquette."
"Posthumous titles and temple titles are attributes of funeral rites. They are not about passing exams, but are the basis of great rituals."
No wonder these lecturers are so nervous.
The posthumous ceremony began in the Zhou Dynasty, but was abolished for a time in the Qin Dynasty. Only because Qin Shihuang believed that the posthumous title had the suspicion of "sons discussing their father, ministers discussing the emperor", it was not until the Western Han Dynasty that the posthumous ceremony was restored.
In the Ming Dynasty, although many people tried to cover up their faults, they were still a weapon used by civil servants to control the emperor - few people cared about their posthumous reputation.
Now the Crown Prince compares the discussion of posthumous titles to the law of examination. I don’t understand what he is thinking. It really scares people.
If the posthumous title was discarded by them in today's discussion, Ma Ziqiang would probably be criticized by officials all over the world.
Zhu Yijun was shocked when he saw Ma Ziqiang's reaction.
He had no intention of using the posthumous method. He was still using the topic to express his views. In other words, he said so much just to lead to the examination method.
Now that the cabinet is charging forward, we can't hold back.
Fighting will lead to fighting, and state affairs cannot be neglected.
Zhu Yijun opened his mouth and said: "What Xueshi Ma said, I can save it."
"I just saw you gentlemen commenting on my success and failure in the imperial examination, and I suddenly felt a little emotional. I will ask you to supervise me carefully in the future."
"If you do something wrong and receive a bad posthumous title, it will not only be a pity for me, but also a dereliction of duty for all gentlemen."
"If you can learn half of the merits of our Emperor Kao, you can get a good posthumous title in the future, and then you can go to the underworld to pay homage to our Emperor Kao."
All the lecturers had different thoughts and bowed down one after another: "I am terrified."
Zhu Yijun saw that the heat was almost over, so he said: "My lords, the so-called unity of knowledge and action. Since you gentlemen agree with what I say, you must implement it in practice."
"It's better than this. I'll let you gentlemen and the two palaces make sure I pass my daily lectures!"
"Do you think so?"
Zhu Yijun acted like he wanted to express himself because of his good study progress.
But in fact, he is openly giving a platform to the law.
My majestic emperor, who is about to ascend the throne the day after tomorrow, has to bend the test and accept the test. What can those officials who don't want to be tested say?
What? More valuable than the emperor?
Once this matter gets out, whether it is the cabinet or the harem's pilot implementation, there will be much less resistance.
For many things, the higher-ups take the lead and endure the hardships, but the efficiency of implementation is unparalleled.
As for whether he will fail? It can only be said that in his two lifetimes, he has never failed the exam.
Several lecturers looked at each other.
Zhu Yijun was not in a hurry, he smiled and said: "Gentlemen, I am not joking."
"The Analects of Confucius says, I examine myself three times every day. Since I am so popular, how can I slack off? This is also to spur myself on."
"You may wish to wait for Mr. Gaoge to come back and discuss it with him. Then we will write a memorial together."
"My two mothers, I will go and tell you."
A few people were still hesitant.
Chen Dong suddenly came out of the queue: "I accept the decree!"
Zhu Yijun was stunned for a moment, it was rare to see this person take the initiative to answer the conversation.
When he came back to his senses, he couldn't help but smile, grabbed Chen Dong's hand and shook it gently: "Then I'll bother you all, my dears."
"Okay, let's go here today, and the gentlemen can go back to work."
After saying that, he turned around and entered the Nuan Pavilion.
Until he disappeared completely, Chen Dong walked out of the palace without saying hello to anyone.
The rest of the people followed him out in small groups with heavy thoughts.
Yu Youding once again glanced back at the direction in which the crown prince left, feeling filled with emotion - compared to the late emperor, this is the appearance of a holy king.
Note 1: The origins of the above Jinshi scholars are all verified from the "Records of Jinshi Enrollment in the Ming Dynasty".
Chapter completed!