Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

"If there is no patriarchal system, authority, saints, and morality, what does Your Majesty want to rely on to rule the world for a long time? Do you really want to go back to the era of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms where 'strong soldiers and strong horses ruled the king' and completely despised all order and authority? ?”

Hu Yan's words are heart-breaking every word.

At the same time, Hu Yan also cleverly avoided the topic of "whether the destiny of destiny really exists", and even verbally supported many specific reform measures that did not involve the Confucian destiny of destiny.

This means that how come a Confucian scholar like Hu Yan, who is well-read in poetry and books, does not know that the Confucian view of destiny can only be proven by the mind, not by reality?

And don’t forget, Hu Yan is well versed in astronomy, geography, laws, calendars, and divination. He is especially knowledgeable in astronomical latitude and longitude. He is almost a youthful version of Zhuo Jing. How could Hu Yan not know the power of telepathy between heaven and man? A lot of things that don’t make sense?

But Hu Yan told Zhu Di almost obviously.

Whether the induction between heaven and man is real or not is not important!

Fear destiny, fear adults, and fear the words of saints.

Fundamentally speaking, for the ruler, the biggest "big man", the most important thing is not the three fears of a gentleman mentioned by the great sage and sage Confucius, but the second half of the sentence of the three fears of a gentleman, which is " A villain who doesn't know the destiny and is not afraid of it will insult a grown-up and insult the words of a saint."

If the "little people" are not afraid of the Mandate of Heaven, then the patriarchal system, authority, saints, morality, this set of things that govern the world based on the Mandate of Heaven will be followed and not be feared.

Without these things to fear, what would people fear?

Knife handle!

If whoever has a stronger sword handle becomes emperor, can the Ming Dynasty continue to rule for a long time?

You, Zhu Di, have a strong knife handle, okay, you are the emperor.

If you pass the throne to Zhu Gaoxu, and Zhu Gaoxu has a strong knife handle, well, he is also the emperor.

What about further down the road?

Is it going to be a story about the Chenqiao mutiny of a certain general who wears a yellow robe and proclaims himself emperor?

Why did Zhao Kuangyin betray his own class even though he was born as a martial artist, engage in "a cup of wine to release military power", "strengthen the branches and weak branches", and engage in "soldiers who don't know the generals but don't know the soldiers"?

Why did Zhao Song appear to be pathologically emphasizing culture and suppressing military force?

Why did Han Qi poke Di Qing, a famous general of the generation, in front of him and say, "The one who rolls the name outside the Donghua Gate is a good man"?

In the final analysis, it is to maintain this set of destiny, patriarchal system, authority, saints, and morals that make the "villains" fear them, so that the Zhao and Song royal families can rule for a long time.

Otherwise, if the people are not afraid of obeying these things, but are only afraid of obeying the sword, the chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms will endlessly occur.

And Zhu Di also understood the meaning of Hu Yan's words.

This made Zhu Di, who was already murderous, hesitate for a moment.

Hu Yan is not the second Fang Xiaoru.

Hu Yan is neither as stubborn as Fang Xiaoru, nor as stubborn as Fang Xiaoru.

Hu Yan's first purpose was of course to maintain Confucian orthodoxy, but Hu Yan also took into account the interpretation of imperial power that was in line with Zhu Di's vital interests.

Protect Zhu Di's interests first, and then maintain the Confucian orthodoxy through the binding of the two, instead of saying that the orthodoxy is immutable right away.

Hu Yan clearly analyzed the relationship between Confucian destiny and imperial rule, told it to Zhu Di, and told him that reform itself may be okay, and some reform measures are also good, but the problem is.

If things like expanding the scale of the Qin Tian Jian and monitoring astronomical phenomena, restoring Xunzi's status as the Five Sages of Confucianism, adjusting the content of the imperial examination, propagating the theory of sage kings, and establishing the concept of nation-state are carried out, it will almost be inevitable to shake the Confucian destiny.

After shaking the destiny, a series of subsequent patriarchal systems, authority, saints, and morality used to maintain the rule of Zhu Di and his descendants will also be shaken.

Then the fundamental interests of the Zhu family will be harmed.

Therefore, the emperor must carefully consider whether he should change the Confucian orthodoxy and carry out reforms to strengthen himself at the expense of shaking the foundation of imperial power.

After hearing this, everyone in the cabinet suddenly understood and couldn't help but admire Hu Yan's research skills.

Of course, as the top young talent in the Ming Empire, everyone in the cabinet also understands these principles.

But if you want to directly point to the essence of Confucian classics used to maintain rule in such a high-pressure situation, avoid all the pitfalls dug by the emperor, and then achieve the goal of safeguarding Confucian orthodoxy and imperial rule, and also save the emperor's face.

This arrow and three eagles are really a test of skill.

"I really didn't expect that Hu Yan, who is usually honest and quiet, would be able to say these words today."

Zhu Gaochi also glanced at Hu Yan and thought to himself.

Just like the saying of later generations, "When the sea is flowing, a hero shows his true qualities; when the wind is high and the waves are strong, the mainstay is even more visible." Everyone in the cabinet talks loudly on weekdays, but at this time they dare not speak.

On the contrary, Hu Yan, who usually didn't like to talk much, was able to admonish the emperor very rationally at this time, and even gave the emperor no reason to be angry.

How to get angry?

Hu Yan is doing it for your own good and has made it clear from your point of view. You were the one who made people express their opinions, but now you can turn against him and kill someone?

Zhu Di was silent.

Of course Zhu Di was not illiterate, but if you want to say that he was familiar with the scriptures and could refute Hu Yan's statement now, that's not true.

Therefore, Zhu Di understood that Hu Yan was a loyal minister, or to him, on the surface, he was still trying to maintain the imperial rule.

The other party is not as tough-talking as Lian Zining and Fang Xiaoru, so how to kill him?

At this time, everyone in the cabinet was no longer sitting around.

At this time, the Ming Dynasty's cabinet was almost equivalent to the low-profile version of the Zhongshu Province that had not been abolished thirteen years before Hongwu.

The cabinet is responsible for sorting, sorting, and selecting various government affairs. It is also a newly created department. Everyone knows that as long as we persist in forming a system, the cabinet will definitely become the second Ministry of Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in the future, with a bright future.

Of course there was intrigue among the cabinet members, but at this moment Hu Yan stood up and said so many words, but the emperor did not get angry and was still hesitant.

If everyone thinks about picking themselves clean, the final effect may be counterproductive. It is better to work together and continue to admonish the emperor from Hu Yan's point of view.

This is not a clique for personal gain!

We are all for your imperial power and rule, the Emperor!

So, Xie Jin, Huang Huai, and Yang Shiqi exchanged looks and spoke separately.

"Your Majesty, it is a serious matter to change the country. I do not agree with it, but I would like to ask your Majesty to consider it carefully."

"If you make a hasty decision, you will inevitably make mistakes. I believe that careful planning and slow deployment, and then deciding how to implement it after all the obstacles are clarified, is the right way."

"If Your Majesty wants to carry out changes in the law, I will obey your orders. However, the incident is sudden and there is a sense of haste. Why not think carefully and have a complete plan before making a thunderous move?"

After saying that, the three of them looked at Jin Youzi, the emperor's confidant and thorn in the cabinet.

Of course, Jin Youzi's mind was like a mirror. He knew that the emperor would probably not punish Hu Yan in any way, and since he was a member of the cabinet after all, he might as well be a favor and unite his colleagues to avoid truly becoming a lonely minister.

Jin Youzi stood up and said: "We are lucky enough to meet such a heroic king in this life, and he intends to change the law. This is naturally a good thing for the country and the people, and it is also a good thing for us, small ministers. If you can get some glory, you will be remembered in history. But as Sun Tzu said in "The Art of War": If you have no battle but temples, you have to count it as more; if you have no battles and temples as the winner, you have to count less. More is the winner. , If you don't count, you won't win, but if you don't count, you won't win! If I look at it this way, I can see the victory or defeat."

"Whether it is a march or a war or a reform, there should always be a thorough plan. The eight strategies for reform proposed by Master Daoyan are just an idea. There are many specific implementation steps that can be improved. For example, where does something come from? When does it start, how long does it take to achieve what goal? The human and geographical conditions between this place and that place are different, should different methods be used?"

Seeing that Zhu Di was thoughtful, Jin Youzi stopped talking, cupped his hands and returned to his seat.

Zhu Di pondered for a while and said: "I think what Hu Qing said is not unreasonable. Hu Qing is still loyal to the emperor and the country, but the things he looks at are a bit narrow. Master Daoyan will come later and will break it down with you." Say, sit back first."

Hearing this, Hu Yan bowed respectfully and sat back.

After he sat down on the chair, Hu Yan realized that the back of his official robe was already wet with cold sweat.

Although Hu Yan tried his best to stay calm just now, he still couldn't hide the complicated emotions in his heart towards Zhu Di's determination to carry out reforms vigorously.

Zhu Di is not an elegant young man like Zhu Yunwen, who grew up in the palace and was raised in the hands of women. Zhu Di is a general, a butcher, and the emperor on horseback who can truly conquer the world with one sword and one shot.

If Zhu Di wants to make changes, he will definitely make changes!

Hu Yan remembered that in order to promote the sharing of labor in the south of the Yangtze River, Zhu Di appointed Zhu Neng, Duke of Chengguo, to command the army. He led Chengyang Hou Zhangwu, Tong'an Hou Huoli Huozhen, Jing'an Hou Wang Zhong and other princes to provide infantry and cavalry soldiers and assist soldiers and civilians. Nearly 100,000 troops swept across the south of the Yangtze River. What a magnificent scene it was!

Spears and halberds are like a forest, armor shines brightly on the sun, and flags cover the sky.

That's what the cabinet members saw with their own eyes on the Shence Gate Tower. I'm afraid they will never forget it!

Therefore, Hu Yan had no doubts about Zhu Di being able to implement changes. Inwardly speaking, Hu Yan was also dissatisfied with the various long-standing shortcomings in Ming Dynasty's officialdom.

But Hu Yan couldn't tolerate it. The premise of further reforms was to impact the Confucian orthodoxy he cherished most, so Hu Yan spoke out to dissuade him.

But Hu Yan also knew that if the name is not correct, the words will not be correct. Since Zhu Di wants to make drastic changes, it is impossible to cross the "thinking" hurdle and just make minor repairs to the system.

Hu Yan knew very well that his words, risking the lives of his whole family, might only be able to block the reform for a while, or even for a few days.

This is how little power an individual has in the face of the vast torrent of historical change.

At this moment, Hu Yan let out a long sigh of relief.

"No matter what, I did everything I could."

Next, everyone waited in silence.

Waiting for the arrival of Dao Yan, who represents the Genghua Sect, and the six ministers, who represent the highest power of the Ming Dynasty's civil service system.

Their wait did not last long.

"Father, several ministers have already arrived. Master Daoyan is still on the way and will arrive later."

The third prince Zhu Gaosui walked into the cabinet duty room and whispered to Zhu Di.

Zhu Di also took a deep breath. He knew his strengths and weaknesses.

In the field of thinking, he was not good at it, so he still wanted Dao Yan, Jiang Xinghuo's best student, to discuss it with the ministers.

Moreover, Zhu Di also realized that he had just lost his composure.

As a king, even if he is inclined to change, he should place himself in a higher arbiter position.