It’s New Year again.

Standing in front of the main hall of Ciqing Palace, looking at the snow outside after last night's heavy snowfall, the third prince thought about tomorrow's royal dynasty, the snow on the streets of the capital, and the roofs of houses that might have been crushed by the heavy snow, and his expression changed.

He couldn't help but become more solemn, and for a moment he forgot to tighten his cloak. It wasn't until he suddenly sneezed that he woke up and quickly gathered his clothes.

At this time, a group of handymen were bending down to clear the snow in front of the court. When they heard this sneeze, they all looked up. Some people wanted to say a word or two to express themselves, but they didn't expect that the Crown Prince turned around and went in immediately.

, there was no chance for them to show their courtesy at all. Since the prince was not here, everyone felt a little depressed, but then the sound of boots on the snow could be heard.

They turned around and saw a tall and handsome young man coming excitedly, carrying a baggage in his hand. Several followers were hanging far behind, but none of them could help. However, in this situation,

It was commonplace for all the handymen, and no one dared to step forward to show their wits. They all lowered their heads and did whatever they were supposed to do.

Sure enough, the visitor didn't even look at them when they passed by, but strode into the main hall. As for those followers who followed from afar, they stopped very far away from the gate very knowingly.

Of course, they will not stand in this windy place. The verandas on both sides of Ciqing Palace can provide them with a temporary rest.

The fourth prince who entered the main hall shouted happily: "Third brother, third brother, the teacher's latest book has been printed!"

I was about to say a few words to my brother, but as soon as I heard the news, the third prince immediately beamed with joy and ordered without thinking: "Bring it to me quickly!"

The fourth prince knew that the third prince would definitely say this. He happily put the heavy baggage in his hand on the desk. After opening the ordinary baggage, he saw a few brand-new books inside.

The third prince picked up the book and started reading it with great interest. Then his face gradually became solemn, his eyes gradually straightened, and he finally laughed happily.

The two brothers have always been close, but this time, the third prince was so angry that he hit the fourth prince on the head with the book in his hand: "It's not enough for you to have a headache alone, you have to take care of me."

I have a headache, right? You know I can’t understand this book, so you’re using it to embarrass me!”

"Yes, yes, yes, third brother, don't be angry, I'm just joking with you!" The fourth prince didn't hide at first, but after being invited to tap a few times, when he saw that the third prince was unwilling to let him go, he quickly ran around.

Running in circles, he begged for mercy while running, "This is what Senior Brother Lu said, having fun alone is not as good as having fun with everyone. After all, this Heavenly Book has directly made a lot of people in Jiuzhang Hall stupid!"

The third prince stopped angrily. However, he lowered his head and opened the book again, carefully turning over a few pages, but then he put down the book dizzily, rubbed his brows and said with a bitter smile: "Teacher, do you think Jiuzhangtang

Now those people think they are capable, so do they write this kind of book to embarrass everyone? This "Linear Algebra" is too difficult!"

"If you ask me, it's similar to things like surface integrals and curve integrals in advanced arithmetic..."

The fourth prince murmured in a low voice, and then sighed and said: "I thought trigonometric functions and the like were already a heavenly book. I didn't expect that the teacher could come up with something even more heavenly. Indeed, every mountain is as high as a mountain!"

"It should be said that there is no end to learning." The third prince put down the book in his hand with some awe, and then suddenly remembered a more important question, and immediately asked curiously, "By the way, how many copies of each volume of this book, teacher, have been printed?

?”

Seeing the fourth prince holding out a finger, the third prince slightly widened his eyes and asked: "One hundred books? There are so many grades in Jiuzhang Hall, including those who have completed their studies and gone out to be officials, do business, or continue to work."

Isn’t it enough for learning?”

Knowing that his brother had never expected that number, the fourth prince sighed deeply and said: "Third brother, you are wrong, it is not a hundred books, but a thousand books per volume. Senior Brother Lu said that in recent years,

Every time a teacher writes a book, regardless of whether the content is approachable and easy to understand, countless people will buy it and read it, and then shelv it away if they can’t understand it.”

"In this case, although the book this time is difficult, it will not be an exception anyway. Printing a hundred copies will definitely not be enough, so just print a thousand copies. Sure enough, as long as I can send the book in now,

, there are already long queues in several bookstores. According to Senior Brother Lu, I am afraid that more copies will be printed... After all, this is the year of the test competition."

"The general examination does not test teachers and other things..." As soon as the third prince said these words, he came to his senses. It is true that these things are not tested in the general examination. Taking a step back, the next imperial examination to determine the first, second, and third places, in fact,

There were no tests on these things. However, when the emperor personally set the imperial examination three years ago, the first and second armors introduced the rules of the examination one by one.

Even if the top three Jinshi were temporarily excluded, the top two together would be almost seventy or eighty people. If they were introduced as a whole, it would be a huge burden for the emperor. However, the emperor was willing, and the Jinshis were even more excited.

Of course the elders in the imperial court would not dare to stop him. After all, those who are qualified to meet the emperor like this in the future may also be their disciples!

Even if the time allocated to each person is less than a quarter of an hour, it is still the highest honor. Otherwise, how old an official do you have to be to be familiar with the emperor?

But after the imperial examination three years ago, the emperor's questioning really depressed many high-spirited disciples of the emperor!

Because the emperor didn't play his cards according to common sense at all. He didn't ask about the books of sages, or ask about the number of farmers in his hometown, or ask who the officials at all levels were, or ask how the bridges and ditches were, or ask whether the grain stored in the barns was sufficient, or ask about the people's livelihood.

How... But the most terrifying thing is that the emperor will often ask an arithmetic question on the spot.

Of course, these arithmetic questions are not difficult to ask, but they are practical applications-taxation, losses, sailing, and military terms. But for many Jinshi who spent ten years studying sages' books in order to become officials, it is still like a chasm.

Ordinary existence. Let's put it this way, some Jinshi who are extremely partial to science can't even recite the Nine-Nine Songs. If you ask him how to calculate taxes... isn't this a deep hole?

The third prince couldn't help but smile when he thought of his father who was always unconventional. However, he said disapprovingly: "But even if my father tests Jinshi, he will definitely not only test something as profound as linear algebra."

.”

"But some people can't stand it because they are utilitarian and think that the emperor will definitely read it, so they first buy a book and go back to think about it carefully, and then show it off in front of the emperor? What they don't know is that the emperor is actually very powerful.

It’s so fast to pick up these things, they are just doing their best!”

The fourth prince revealed the secret with one word, and then he chuckled and said: "Didn't that King of Goryeo send a bunch of people to the Imperial College when he returned to inherit the throne? I heard that he was also desperately studying the arithmetic books given to him by the teacher.

"

"Even the King of Goryeo, in order to cater to his father's preference, personally learned arithmetic. Sungkyunkwan in China opened arithmetic courses, not to mention those Jinshi who are looking forward to getting ahead? Third brother, you don't know, in the past, the top three were all Jinshi

Being treated as Mrs. Ru, but that is just talking behind the back. After all, there are many famous ministers with the same background as Jinshi, but now..."

"Now some people dare to mock Tong Jinshi to his face for being raised by a young woman! Haha, don't you know that my father has no time to question the three hundred first, second, and third grade Jinshis one by one?"

Faced with this extremely harsh comment from his fourth brother, the third prince couldn't help but frown, but in the end he still didn't give a warning, but suddenly flicked the person on the head with his finger. This was an action that the emperor often did in the past, but now he and

The fourth prince was obviously old, but he learned this trick as a warning. Sure enough, after this shot, he saw the fourth prince exaggerating in pain.

"Third brother, you are too cruel!"

"This is a lesson for you!"

The third prince didn't say whether he was trying to teach someone to be mean or to deliberately trick him with linear algebra. He snorted and turned back to his seat. However, the fourth prince was so easy to dismiss. He walked around to the third prince with a smile.

Next to him, he whispered: "Third brother, I heard that my father is planning to choose a concubine for you again, do you really not care at all?"

He never expected that someone would suddenly say this. The third prince was stunned for a moment, and then his face turned a little sad. Seeing him like this, the fourth prince panicked, and then whispered: "The one before was not lucky.

, It has nothing to do with you, Third Brother. We two brothers have grown up to this age without any illness or disaster, and are safe and happy. Don’t listen to people’s nonsense."

"I know, you don't need to persuade me." The third prince stretched out his hand and patted his younger brother's arm just like he did when he was a child. Then he smiled and said, "The teacher has always said that birth, old age, illness and death are human nature and there is no reason to explain them.

, On the contrary, the sun sets and the stars sink. This is a natural trajectory. Although there are changes, there is also a principle of movement."

"The girl before and I had no fate, and she suddenly died of a sudden illness after we had chosen a day to get married. That was naturally my regret and her regret." After all, he and the girl had met several times before, and they were both.

We can still talk about it.

However, after all, this person has passed away, and the love cannot be as deep and long-lasting as a couple's love. Therefore, the third prince will not refuse his father to continue to choose the crown prince for him. Because as the prince of the East Palace, he cannot last forever.

They are all single. Besides, if he doesn't establish a crown princess, the days of the fourth prince becoming a prince and having a concubine will be delayed day by day.

This cannot be compared with the fact that Zhu Ying got married earlier than her second brother. After all, men and women are different, and it is understandable that they occasionally cross the hierarchy.

Therefore, the third prince smiled at the fourth prince and said lightly: "Anyway, with my father's eyes, I can make him see it to his satisfaction, and then let me meet him in person a few times, and after we talk freely, I won't choose the wrong person.

Furthermore, have you forgotten that Sixth Brother promised us that he would help find out the other person’s temperament and preferences?”

Hearing the third prince talking about Ah Liu, the fourth prince suddenly became excited. He nodded repeatedly. The worry he had just felt was gone, but then he sighed and started worrying about life-long issues for Ah Liu, and started talking about Zhang Shou and Zhu Yingxin again.

I got a pair of twins, and said that the blond boy from Florence actually married that Korean female historian...

I don’t know how long it took, but the wild conversation between the two brothers was interrupted by a voice from outside: "I was going to wait for you two to finish talking before coming in, but you guys are so good at chatting! This New Year's Eve banquet

At that time, have you all forgotten?"

As soon as these words came out, let alone the fourth prince, he jumped up and rushed to the door. He diligently opened the door curtain and invited the emperor to come in. Even the third prince stood up and hurried to the door in fear, but before he could salute,

He had already seen the emperor stepping across the threshold, so he only had time to call out "Father."

"You two brothers are still the same as before, talking about everything."

After making a joke, the emperor changed his words and said: "Tomorrow is the first day of the dynasty. Eighteen of the Ming envoys who went to sea with the ship have returned, and they will also be among the congratulators. Some of them have brought

Some people brought foreign goods from overseas, and some brought envoys from overseas countries, but some others encountered storms and only escaped with their own lives, but finally managed to return home with merchant ships."

"You brothers, tell me, how should rewards and punishments be determined?"

This question is really a bit abrupt. After all, although those people have returned, compared to the civil war in Korea and Japan in recent years, a large number of dissidents ranging from pirates to exiles have been uncovered, and it has been proved that

The so-called descendants of Taizu are purely a matter of some people just to give themselves a righteous name, so they are just a trivial matter after all.

The two brothers originally thought that one of the issues of the dynasty this time was that Japan had sent a large group of envoys to pay tribute! You know, that small country isolated overseas had once made the Yuan Dynasty stumble over it.

Even the third prince, who was becoming more and more proficient in government affairs, couldn't help but fall into deep thought, let alone the fourth prince who usually tried not to pay attention to those government affairs. However, the younger one seemed to be young and energetic, and he was the first to speak:

"Of course there are clear rewards and punishments. A big reward for bringing back the envoy, a small reward for bringing back the artifacts, and a penalty for losing the ship and manpower!"

"That's inappropriate!" The third prince said these two words almost without thinking. Then he nodded slightly to his fourth brother apologetically, but said very firmly, "The danger of the sea route is different from that of the land route. You can ignore the vastness of the mist.

If he goes on a mission to another country at the risk of being buried in the belly of a fish, he is already a brave among warriors. How can we blame him just because he comes back alone?"

"If you want more people to sail out to sea and understand the world thoroughly instead of being complacent and watching the sky from a well, then not only should we not be punished, but we should also be rewarded! This is not buying horse bones for a thousand dollars, but showing the attitude of the court.

! At most, it’s just a slight distinction when giving rewards, but it can’t chill people’s hearts!”

"Okay!" The emperor finally couldn't help but nodded. Seeing that the fourth prince was actually happier than himself at receiving the praise, he was also very pleased that the two brothers were still close to each other now that they were getting older. He couldn't help but joked, "It's Shiro, on the contrary,

You are about to get married. I don’t ask you which girl you want to marry. I only ask you, have you ever thought about how you will be crowned king in the future?"

This is definitely not a good topic to talk about other princes or ordinary princes. After all, the royal family of this dynasty is extremely hard-working. To be crowned king has to wait until adulthood, and it also depends on merit and talent-this includes but is not limited to studying.

You have to be good at farming, you can even be a good archer, but in general, if you are incompetent, have no ability, and have no merit, just stay put.
To be continued...