When he came home from get off work, his wife Yu Shanwei had just returned, and the couple happened to bump into her at the door of their home.
"Are you going to the Dongzhen Palace party again?" Meng Zhao asked casually.
Yu Shanwei's excitement was not over yet, and he said with a smile on his face: "Today the Dongzhen Poetry Club was founded. There are more than 20 women joining the club, and Master Yi An was elected as the leader of the club."
Meng Zhao was a little worried: "There are concubines and eldest daughters of the former dynasty in Dongzhen Palace. Isn't it a taboo to interact with them?"
Yu Shanwei said: "They are all people who have not been regulated. Neither your majesty nor the prince will be held accountable. Sir, you don't need to be too cautious. I heard that Zhao Huan, the deposed emperor of the old Song Dynasty, was promoted to an officer to encourage farmers. Instead of worrying about the noble daughter of the previous dynasty,
, it’s better to be wary of the current official family members. The Wang family in Qin Hui’s family is really too enthusiastic and tries every means to please me, which makes me quite uncomfortable.”
Meng Zhao said: "Qin Hui is an old acquaintance of the prince, and he is very talented. Sooner or later he will be promoted and reused. The prince asked him to inventory the land in Xicheng. This person did an excellent job and has cooperated with the local government to dispose of more than one million acres.
"
The couple chatted all the way and walked into the back house together.
Meng Zhao has always been afraid of his wife, and he respects her very much. He has neither taken any concubines nor dared to take them.
He already had four children, one died in infancy, leaving two sons and one daughter.
Now if Meng Zhao is unsure about anything, he will refer to the opinions of his subordinates. If he still feels there is a problem, he will ask his wife for advice after returning home, and Yu Shanwei can often help him make a decision.
In addition to assisting her husband in his official career, Yu Shanwei also has a job.
Ju Ming made a decision immediately and ordered that only three temples should be preserved inside and outside Tokyo. However, he forgot about the female monks and nuns.
Later, after being reminded by the monks and Taoists, it was decided to retain two more temples for nuns and female Taoists to practice.
And Yu Shanwei is responsible for supervising and co-organizing this matter. Yu Shanwei can make full decisions on which ones should return to secular life and which ones should stay.
Especially Yaohua Palace and Dongzhen Temple!
Dongzhen Temple is a serious female Taoist temple with a complete Taoist official system.
However, the eldest daughter who voluntarily became a monk and practiced Taoism, as well as the concubines and eldest daughter who made mistakes in practicing Buddhism, will be arranged to enter Dongzhen Temple to become female Taoist priests, so this Taoist temple is rather special.
If the concubines and eldest daughters of Dongzhen Temple continue to make mistakes, they will be sent to Yaohua Palace to practice.
There is no Taoist official system in Yaohua Palace.
It is an upgraded version of the Dongzhen Temple. If you are a queen mother, a queen, or an extremely favored concubine, you will directly enter the Yaohua Palace after making a mistake.
Empress Meng during the Zhezong period has been living in Yaohua Palace, but now she has been moved to Dongzhen Temple.
Dongzhen Temple was retained, while Yaohua Palace was abolished.
As long as there are still relatives alive, the convicted ladies can voluntarily choose to return to secular life and go back to live with their families. Ju Ming did not forcefully discipline them.
Convicted ladies who choose to continue practicing Taoism will be regarded as normal female Taoists from now on, and they will be allowed to participate in Taoist activities (not allowed before).
Meng Zhao took off his gauze coat, and Yu Shanwei took it easily and handed it to the maid to hang up.
Meng Zhao said: "His Majesty has given instructions on the title of the master of the former Empress Dowager Meng. You can keep Yuqing Miaojing Immortal Master, but you have to delete the four characters of Huayang Cult Master. When the rank of Taoist officials in the new dynasty is determined, it will be replaced."
Give her a Taoist official position."
"The officials are kind," Yu Shan said with a smile.
Little did the couple know that this decision was made by Ju Ming purely out of his historical goodwill for Empress Dowager Meng.
Meng Zhao sat down on the chair and said quite tiredly: "After half a year of editing "Da Ming Li", His Majesty sent me back to redo it. It's really a headache."
Yu Shanwei said: "Officials and princes are pragmatic and avoid hypocrisy. Isn't the Ministry of Rites compiled in this way?"
"It's not enough," Meng Zhao said, "For example, fasting before sacrifices was ten days in the old Song Dynasty, but your Majesty changed it to seven days. Many red tapes must be changed, or the procedures should be simplified, or the duration should be shortened. In addition, the rituals of national mourning also need to be changed.
It needs to be settled.”
Yu Shanwei said: "This is a summary of the lessons of the old Song Dynasty."
The Song Dynasty followed the rites of the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty's "Zhenguan Li·Guo Shi Pian" was deleted, which caused the funeral rites of the Tang Dynasty royal family to differ from person to person, so the Song Dynasty royal family's funeral rites also varied from person to person.
The brothers Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Guangyi had extremely simple funerals, but subsequent emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty all had grand burials, and the trend of grand burials also prevailed among the people.
Zhu Guoxiang and Ju Ming, father and son, had just established the Ming Dynasty and had to establish the etiquette of the Ming Dynasty. One of them was to establish royal funerals. As long as the provisions were clearly written down, if the future emperor wanted to have a grand burial, the ministers would have a basis to object.
At the same time, all the good aspects of royal funerals in the Song Dynasty were retained in the Ming and New Dynasties.
For example, replace the month with the sun.
If the emperor of the Tang Dynasty died, the Xiaoxiang Ceremony was an anniversary ceremony, which was shortened to twelve days in the Song Dynasty; the Daxiang Ceremony was a second anniversary ceremony, which was shortened to twenty-four days in the Song Dynasty. The Daxiang Ceremony lasted for three months, and was shortened to three days in the Song Dynasty.
sky.
In this way, the extremely long mourning period of two years and three months was directly shortened to twenty-seven days.
After these twenty-seven days, everyone no longer needs to wear mourning clothes for the dead emperor.
At the same time, the emperors of the Song Dynasty did not build tombs during their lifetime and completed the imperial mausoleums within seven months after their death. Zhu Guoxiang also allowed this system to be preserved. This can prevent future emperors from building grand mausoleums while they are still alive.
Meng Zhao continued: "The changes in "Military Salutes" are even greater. On non-important occasions, soldiers do not have to kneel to the emperor and only need to perform the new military salute. Ordinary soldiers are not allowed to kneel to generals. Those who kneel to salute are not allowed.
Both those who kneel and those who kneel will be severely punished! Those who are sent to the army are not allowed to have tattoos on their faces, they can only be tattooed on their wrists."
Yu Shan smiled and said, "The prince really loves his soldiers as much as his son."
Nowadays, some people have been distributed to the army. In the past, they were mainly sent to southern Sichuan, but now they are distributed to the northwest. Mainly in border areas, where normal immigration is too slow, the army can be distributed quickly to replenish the population.
Tattooing on the wrist is to prevent those who are deserted from the army from escaping, while retaining a certain degree of dignity.
Meng Zhao complained and called his three children to test their knowledge.
The next day, I went to work at the Ministry of Rites, and received a newly compiled copy of "The Book of Rites of the Kingdom of Justice" from the Hanlin Academy.
This book was compiled and compiled by Huan Guo, and will be included in the imperial examination books in the future. Because it is related to etiquette, I asked the Minister of Rites to read it and seek symbolic opinions.
Meng Zhao didn't find any problems after reading it, so he teamed up with Huan Guo to present the book.
Zhu Guoxiang glanced at it and said: "As for the Confucian classics, you go find the prince."
"Yes!" The two of them bowed and responded.
Since Zhu Guoxiang ascended the throne, textbook compilation began.
In addition to the Confucian classics, there is also a book called "Essentials of Civil Affairs", which provides a brief overview of farming, water conservancy, famine relief, economics... and other knowledge. It is not necessary for a scholar to be proficient in everything, but at least he must know a general outline.
This kind of book has been available before, but I only read it after I passed the Jinshi examination. It is a reference book for getting started as an official.
It will be a must in the imperial examination from now on!
There is also a compulsory exam in arithmetic, which is probably at the first and second grade level in later generations.
Zhu Guoxiang also personally compiled a set of primary school textbooks, which are used as elementary school reading materials across the country.
The government-run primary schools, county schools, and state schools created by Cai Jing have been ordered to be restored in Gyeonggi, Henan, Sichuan, and Guanzhong. There must be at least one in each prefecture and county. But unlike Cai Jing, admission is free, but tuition fees are paid.
Those who have not paid tuition can attend classes outside the classroom. Teachers are not allowed to expel poor students who attend classes for free.
Many low-grade and unqualified officials in the Hanlin Academy were sent to local places to serve as principals and academic advisors.
Meng Zhao and Huan Guo went to see Ju Ming with the "Book of Rites of the State and Justice".
Zhu Ming opened the book and read it quickly, constantly making comments with his pen. He did not study the "Book of Rites" deeply, and purely relied on his personal thoughts to make points. When he read the "Nei Ze Chapter", he directly wrote six words: This chapter will not be tested in the imperial examination.
.
Meng Zhao and Huan Guo, who were standing nearby and watching, suddenly looked at each other in astonishment.
What surprised them even more was what came next. Ju Ming wrote several notes in succession——
"This is a bad habit. There is no need to follow it."
"This foolishness and filial piety should vary depending on the situation."
"This is contrary to the original intention of etiquette. Parents should not act alone."
"This is a big fallacy..."
Huan Guo was trembling as he spoke and admonished: "Your Highness, you cannot comment on the classics based on your personal likes and dislikes."
Ju Ming put down his brush and said: "The highlight of this article is that it records the daily eating and living habits of the pre-Qin Dynasty. Times have changed, how can we follow it now? Take this sentence for example, when a woman goes out, she must cover her face. Looking at it
How many women today cover their faces when going out?"
Huan Guo said: "The classic meaning is the correct etiquette, while the secular world is the contingency."
"You also said that a contingency is needed. Since it is a contingency, it should be noted on it," Zhu Ming said. "Otherwise, there will be poor scholars and nerds who follow the unreasonable content of the "Book of Rites". Or the learning of later generations will become rigid.
, use the "Book of Rites" to strictly constrain women and not allow them to show their faces to others. The etiquette is based on emotion, and if it is not in line with the feelings, it is not etiquette, and it is even more unnatural!"
Huan Guo wanted to speak but stopped.
Ju Ming said: "There are still rules for scholar-officials here. In the pre-Qin period, people were not wealthy, and porridge was also a drink for scholar-officials. When distinguished guests come to your home, will you use porridge as a drink to entertain the guests?"
Huan Guo said: "No."
Ju Ming also said: "The internal organs of some poultry and livestock are harmful to humans and cannot be eaten. That is because the cooking methods of the pre-Qin Dynasty were insufficient, so why can't they still be eaten today? For example, chicken livers and duck intestines are said not to be eaten in the Book of Rites, so why not?"
Use this to restrain the people?"
Huan Guodao: "It's edible."
Ju Ming continued: "The scholar-bureaucrats in the pre-Qin period could not eat preserved pork if it had preserved meat, and they could not eat pork belly if it had soup. They could only choose one of the two. It is not only a reasonable combination of food, but also an avoidance of waste. If you usually eat, you will strictly abide by this etiquette.
?"
"No." Huan Guo shook his head.
Ju Ming said: "Regarding the restraints of scholar-bureaucrats, scholars know how to adapt. But when it comes to the restraints of women and other weak people, some scholars take it seriously. Being strict with others and being lenient with self-discipline is the common behavior of this person, and it cannot be described in words to perpetuate this custom.
"
After the sentence "A son is very suitable for his wife, and the parents don't tell her, she can go out", Ju Ming commented: A woman must not violate the seven rules of going out, and her parents cannot go out. Occasionally contradicting her with words, it is not considered disobedient to her parents, how can people be like grass and trees?
Always respectful?
There is also a comment after "The son is not suitable for his wife, and the parents say: This is a good thing for me": The melon of force is not sweet, so you can decide to make peace and divorce according to the circumstances.
Huan Guo looked at Ju Ming's various comments. He wanted to delete the entire text directly from the "Book of Rites" because it had been changed beyond recognition by the comments.
Ju Ming said: "Keep all my criticisms and add the sentence 'Prince said' when printing. I can bear any infamy."
"Yes." Huan Guo could only do as he was told. If it were anyone else, he could debate the scriptures, but facing the prince, he really couldn't argue with the scriptures.
Huan Guo sighed in his heart: In the spring of the first year, Wang Zhengyue, it was really a new dynasty and a new atmosphere.
Not only the "Book of Rites" and the new dynasty etiquette, but also the names and formats of official documents were all unified.
Even capital numbers, which used to be represented by a variety of homophones, are now officially unified into one, two, three, four, five... If an official dares to write randomly, he will be given a warning for the first time and his salary will be deducted for the second time.