When Zhu Yuanzhang returned home happily and saw Chen Biao'er's ecstatic look, he saw Chen Biao wearing a thick cotton jacket and lying face down on the couch, like a doll.
Zhu Yuanzhang was startled and quickly turned Chen Biao over.
Chen Biao's cheeks, which had become thinner in the military camp, became puffy again due to autumn fat. The soft baby fat and the aggrieved and bright eyes made Chen Biao look particularly aggrieved and pitiful.
Zhu Yuanzhang first pinched his son's soft cheeks, sighing inwardly that they still felt so good, and then asked, "Biao'er, what's wrong? Are you not happy about being an official?"
Chen Biao glanced at his father aggrievedly: "I'm only eleven years old."
Zhu Yuanzhang said happily: "I am so happy to be an official at the age of eleven!"
Chen Biao pouted, "I was forced to work at the age of eleven. Why should I be happy? I want to sleep until I wake up naturally and do whatever I want. My brothers didn't join the army until they were fifteen or sixteen. The lord is a despicable person and exploits child labor."
Zhu Yuanzhang was choked by Chen Biao's complaint.
He followed Chen Biao's line of thought and thought about it. It seemed that this was indeed a bit too much... No! Being an official was a good thing, so why did his son act like he was being drafted?
Zhu Yuanzhang tried to tell Chen Biao how good it was to be an official. Chen Biao kept telling Zhu Yuanzhang how unlucky it was to be an official for the Ming Emperor.
What no vacation, what extremely low salary, what serving the emperor is like serving a tiger... Zhu Yuanzhang was almost brainwashed by Chen Biao and believed that being an official was a tough job.
He covered Chen Biao's chattering mouth, shook his head, and woke up from the evil voice that Chen Biao was filling his head with.
"That's not right. Everyone wants to be an official. Why are you still talking nonsense?" Zhu Yuanzhang was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. "You talk as if the lord is harming you."
Chen Biao pushed his father's hand away, saying, "It's enough for a family to have one official. One official can guarantee the family's prosperity and wealth. You are an official in the court, so why should I be an official? Besides, I'm still so young. I need time to do what I like. I don't want to be a slave to the Zhu family so early! I don't want to!"
Zhu Yuanzhang thought to himself, it’s a good thing that your surname is Zhu, otherwise I would have killed you for what you said!
He pinched the soft flesh of Chen Biao's cheek and said, "I made you an official, but I didn't tell you what to do. You still do whatever you want?"
Chen Biao said vaguely: "Really?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Of course! You're still a young boy, how can it be your turn to work?"
Chen Biao snorted coldly: "Do I have less work to do for my lord now?"
Zhu Yuanzhang felt guilty. Well, Biao'er does have a lot of work to do now.
But he continued to defend his "lord": "At least the lord didn't ask you to report to the government office."
Chen Biao asked hopefully, "Will I not have to go in the future?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "At least not now. Do you know what the Zhanshi Mansion is for?"
Chen Biao slapped Zhu Yuanzhang's hands away from his face, rubbed his own red cheeks, and said, "The Zhanshi Mansion doesn't know, but the 'Zhanshi' knows. The Zhanshi is the official in charge of the Empress and the Crown Prince's household affairs, equivalent to the chief steward. The Zhanshiyuan of the Yuan Dynasty was responsible for managing the Crown Prince's household affairs. Are the Zhanshi Mansion and the Zhanshiyuan similar? But the Zhanshiyuan doesn't have a Zhongshuling."
The Minister of the Central Secretariat was the head of the Secretariat, equivalent to the Prime Minister. In order to limit the power of the Prime Minister, the Yuan Dynasty appointed the Crown Prince as Minister of the Central Secretariat, effectively ruining the situation. Consequently, when the Crown Prince came of age, either the position of Minister of the Central Secretariat became a mere formality, or the Emperor and the Crown Prince engaged in a head-on fight.
Where did the Zhongshu Ling in the Zhanshiyuan come from?
Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile: "Come, take a look at our Zhanshi Mansion!"
Zhu Yuanzhang hadn't changed the other official systems yet, so he first worked with his confidants to straighten out the Zhanshi Mansion. Creating something out of nothing was easier than modifying an existing structure.
Chen Biao opened the scroll and muttered, "The Crown Prince's Junior Tutor, the Crown Prince's Junior Protector, the Crown Prince's Junior Preceptor, the Left and Right Chancellors, the Associate Chancellors, the Grand Secretary, the Imperial Secretary, and the Horse Groom... So many officials? Are these for the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace?"
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded proudly: "Yes, these officials are nominally teaching the prince to read, but in reality they are all under his control!"
Chen Biao was puzzled: "What about the Minister of the Central Secretariat?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "The Secretary of the Zhanshi Palace is in charge of the Zhanshi Palace!"
Chen Biao was even more puzzled. "Didn't the Lord say that the Crown Prince would only appear in public when he was a young man? What was the Zhanshi Mansion doing before the Crown Prince appeared?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Didn't the Lord's edict state this? Before the Crown Prince appeared, the Chancellery was directly under his control. He had no regular duties and issued orders directly."
Chen Biao: "...Aren't those the Jinyiwei and the study attendants?"
Zhu Yuanzhang was puzzled: "What is that?"
Chen Biao briefly described the duties of the Jinyiwei and the study attendants, saying, "To strengthen his power, the emperor maintains a team that obeys his orders and overrides the six ministries. This team has existed throughout the dynasties, with different names."
"In the hands of a benevolent emperor, this team is useless; in the hands of a powerful emperor, this team can balance the power of the ministers in the court; in the hands of a tyrannical emperor, it is a knife that harms officials and the people; when the emperor is incompetent, they will become knives in the hands of others." Chen Biao hesitated for a moment and said, "My lord is a powerful emperor, and this Zhanshi Mansion will probably be very busy."
Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly realized: "There is such an organization? Why have I never heard of it?"
Chen Biao said, "Of course it's in history books, but scholars certainly don't want to mention such hawks and dogs."
Chen Biao collapsed on the couch, lying on his side and said, "I have become a lackey. I don't know how many people will hate me in the future."
Zhu Yuanzhang understood why his lecturers hadn't mentioned this institution. As the emperor's henchmen, supervising all civil and military officials, they must have wished they had never heard of it.
This "henchman" doesn't sound like something a wise ruler should keep.
However, Zhu Yuanzhang also understood that the emperor must have such a knife in his hand to do things that could not be done through normal means.
But how could this "henchman" be a leader?
Zhu Yuanzhang was at a loss for words. "You're overthinking it. The Lord simply saw that you were young and accomplished, and wanted to give you a higher position. But he didn't want to over-exploit you, so he made you his direct clerk. From now on, you'll be like you are now. When the Lord wants you to do something, he'll give you the order directly."
Chen Biao glanced: "Really?"
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "Really. Tomorrow we will go see the lord, and he will definitely say so."
Chen Biao climbed up from the couch and asked: "Want to see the lord tomorrow?"
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "Are you looking forward to it so much?"
Chen Biao nodded vigorously.
Although he had been corresponding with Zhu Yuanzhang for a long time, he had only met him once. Letters could not reveal a person's facial expressions, so he felt more at ease only after meeting him in person.
Chen Biao rested up enough and the next day he excitedly took his father to see "Zhu Yuanzhang".
Zhu Yuanzhang's stand-in also rested up enough and met the young master for the second time surrounded by the big guys.
"Don't be nervous. Haven't you already met Biao'er once?" Li Shanchang frowned as he looked at his master's double, sweating profusely. "You weren't this nervous even when you were his double on the battlefield."
Zhu Yuanzhang's stand-in felt so wronged that he wanted to cry. Could the young master be the same as his enemy?
Zhu Yuanzhang took Chen Biao to the Ming Palace, and the father and son kowtowed to "Zhu Yuanzhang" obediently.
"Zhu Yuanzhang" felt that ten years of his life had been shortened and that he would probably die suddenly soon.
Zhu Yuanzhang's confidants were filled with sympathy. They feared the future emperor and crown prince would kowtow to them, and they feared they would choke to death while drinking water. Being a stand-in was truly difficult.
They had originally persuaded Zhu Yuanzhang to come first and sit aside. When Chen Biao arrived, they immediately let him sit down. This way, they could avoid the formalities.
But Zhu Yuanzhang insisted on playing the whole game. Biao'er was so smart, and if he was exempted from the formalities every time, he would definitely become suspicious.
Isn't it just kowtow? It's just acting. I don't care about it myself, so why should you care?
"Zhu Yuanzhang" roared in his heart, I really care! I'm afraid my legs will tremble!
He had made up his mind that after the prince returned to the throne, he would immediately volunteer to go to the frontier to farm, hoping to have a good end.
"Stand up, no need to be polite." "Zhu Yuanzhang" was roaring wildly in his heart, but his face still maintained the majesty of a Ming King.
Without this acting skill, he would not have been able to become Zhu Yuanzhang's stand-in.
After Zhu Yuanzhang offered him a seat with a smile, he kindly asked Chen Biao about his daily life.
Chen Biao mentioned in the letter that some of the things were lines that Zhu Yuanzhang and his confidants specially wrote for "Zhu Yuanzhang".
Chen Biao had never considered that the person he saw was not Zhu Yuanzhang, and he had no doubts in the beginning. Now that "Zhu Yuanzhang" mentioned the matter in the letter to him again, he certainly would not doubt it even more.
He answered Zhu Yuanzhang's questions very obediently, occasionally hiding his shortcomings and saying some childish words, which made Zhu Yuanzhang laugh out loud.
Zhu Yuanzhang watched from the side, feeling somewhat disgusted. Why does this guy always burst into laughter and throw his head back in laughter? How can my Ming Wang be so unmanageable? No, I have to pay more attention to him from now on.
After chatting about family matters, "Zhu Yuanzhang" talked about the affairs of the Zhanshi Mansion.
The affairs of the Zhanshi Mansion are very simple. Chen Biao will remain the same as he is now. He will do whatever tasks he is given. He will just be given an "identity".
In the future, I will let some young people work with Chen Biao, and let Chen Biao teach them general affairs like teaching students, so as to train manpower for the Prince of Ming.
Therefore, this "Zhongshu Ling" is equivalent to a person who cultivates confidants for the Prince of Ming.
"This is also to cultivate the future pillars of the Ming Dynasty. You must be more dedicated." Zhu Yuanzhang urged, "You must regularly report to me whether those people are doing well, just like Lord Li did before."
In the past, those who defected to Zhu Yuanzhang would first work under Li Shanchang. After Li Shanchang's assessment, he would report his evaluation to Zhu Yuanzhang, who would then assign them positions. If Li Shanchang particularly recommended someone, Zhu Yuanzhang would personally meet with him.
If the person Chen Biao is reporting to now is the Crown Prince of Ming, then his relationship with the Crown Prince of Ming is equivalent to that of Li Shanchang to Zhu Yuanzhang.
However, Chen Biao guessed that his talent assessment report would probably go directly to the prince.
Zhu Yuanzhang set up the "Zhanshi Mansion" definitely not for himself, but for the future crown prince.
If the prince wanted to participate in government affairs without appearing in public, he would start with the "Zhanshi Mansion".
Giving an official position to himself who had already made great contributions was just a matter of convenience. The main reason for establishing the "Zhanshi Mansion" was to enable the prince to cultivate the ability to identify and employ people.
As a future emperor, "knowing people and using them" is the most basic and important ability.
Chen Biao immediately accepted the order: "Yes! My Lord! I will do my best to assist the Crown Prince! My Lord, who are the other officials in the Zhanshi Mansion now?"
Li Shanchang stood up and handed a scroll to Chen Biao.
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "Go back and take your time. I'll give your father another day off today. You two can discuss it carefully. I won't keep you here any longer."
Phew! Time to call it a day!
Chen Biao thanked him happily and took his father away.
Zhu Yuanzhang immediately collapsed in his chair, gasping for air and saying, "Can you please change someone next time? I can't do it anymore!"
Li Shanchang patted Zhu Yuanzhang on the head and said unhappily, "Can't you recognize the change of people when you are a standard? Practice hard. I see that the lord is glaring at you subtly. He must be dissatisfied with you."
"Zhu Yuanzhang" complained: "My lord will definitely say that he didn't laugh so loudly and that he should be more majestic. But that's just how he is. If I act according to his instructions, I won't be my lord anymore and I will be exposed immediately!"
Li Shanchang's expression could no longer be suppressed, and he could not help laughing: "Act according to your understanding, and ignore him."
Song Lian held his forehead with his hand: "Since my lord knows how to be more majestic, why don't you be more majestic yourself?"
Hua Yun muttered, "If the Lord is truly majestic, we won't dare to complain about him anymore."
The others all had disappointed expressions.
That's true. It's actually quite good the way things are now, my lord.
Chen Biao was very nervous when he went out, but when he returned home, he was like a happy little bird, wishing he could fly back home immediately, open the scroll, and see which new subordinates he could exploit.
Oh ho ho ho, I'm not a bachelor anymore! Let me see who I can boss around!
Zhu Yuanzhang stopped Chen Biao, who was jumping around in the carriage, and said, "You can take it apart now."
Chen Biao laughed and said, "No! I want to go home and see! This is my first time having subordinates, so I need a sense of ceremony!"
Zhu Yuanzhang was helpless: "Do you still want to burn incense and take a bath?"
Chen Biao said, "That's not the case. But at least you should go back to the study, sit on the armchair, put on a very dignified expression, and slowly unfold the scroll, right?"
Zhu Yuanzhang thought about the stern expression on his sweet son's face.
Hiss, I can’t think of it.
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Okay, as long as you are happy."
Chen Biao was puzzled: "Dad, what you said sounds familiar. Do I say this to you often?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said with a straight face: "No!"
Chen Biao laughed loudly and his father pinched his cheek again.
He rubbed his face in frustration, thinking he had to work harder on his martial arts training. He didn't want to end up like a certain celebrity named Lin in the future, still with a chubby face in his forties or fifties.
Nowadays, everyone grows a beard when they reach middle age. Is it okay to have a beard on a chubby face?
After returning home, Chen Biao jumped three times in a row to the study and opened the scroll with a ceremonial manner.
Zhu Yuanzhang followed Chen Biao slowly with his hands behind his back.
It was rare to see his son so happy, and he wanted to watch him for a while longer.
My son said he didn’t want to be an official, but now he hears that he can manage many people, wouldn’t he be very happy?
Chen Biao entered the study and instructed Zhu Yuanzhang to open all the windows and sit down in the bright room.
He straightened his clothes and hair, put on a stern face with an expression that he thought was very majestic, and slowly unfolded the scroll.
Zhu Yuanzhang put his hands behind his back and hunched his waist, pretending not to know what was written in the scroll, and lowered his head to read the contents on the scroll.
The Crown Prince's Junior Tutor Li Shanchang, the Crown Prince's Junior Preceptor Xu Da, the Crown Prince's Junior Protector Chang Yuchun, the Deputy Chancellors Yang Xian, Tang He, and Zhou Dexing, the Deputy Ministers of the Imperial Court Liao Yongan, Yan Qian, Hu Dahai, and Kang Maocai, the Imperial Eunuchs Zhu Sheng and Ji Renshou, the Grand Doctors of Praise Liu Ji, Zhang Yi, and Ye Zheng, the Crown Prince's Guests Wang Xi and Ye Chen...
In addition, all the uncles who had eaten at the Chen family were on the list. If they couldn't get a high-ranking official, they would at least get a small official of the sixth or seventh rank.
In the entire scroll, there was not a single person that Chen Biao didn’t know!
Chen Biao was stunned.
Zhu Yuanzhang asked proudly, "Are you happy?"
Chen Biao silently rolled up the scroll, retracted his feet, stood up from the armchair, and held the scroll high.
Zhu Yuanzhang: "Hmm?"
Chen Biao threw the scroll angrily: "You are cheating me! Where are the capable subordinates you promised me?! Which of these people can I use?! Am I just a commander without any troops?!"
Chen Biao was so angry that he even wanted to throw the scroll again!
This list looks very impressive, but where are the people doing the work? Where are the people doing the work? ! !
I just want to ask, who is the person doing the work? ! !
Who here can I command? Even if I pretend to be pitiful and beg my uncles for help, some of them are leading troops in battle outside, and some are busy in Yingtian. Who can help me?!
My Lord is pitting me!!!
Zhu Yuanzhang: "Hmm..."
After listening to Chen Biao's roar, he finally realized a problem.
As a list of the Eastern Palace, this list is indeed very gorgeous, which can show how much he values the prince.
But firstly, Biao'er is not the prince yet, so it may not be easy for him to order this group of people around; secondly, this group of people all have their own things to do and they are too busy to split themselves up.
From this perspective, the only one who can do the work... is Biaoer?
Zhu Yuanzhang's expression turned into a big "囧" and he felt extremely guilty.
This is such a big oversight, why didn’t anyone remind me?
Chen Biao stood on a chair, raised his hands and placed them on Zhu Yuanzhang's shoulders, shaking his father vigorously: "My lord, isn't this too much! My lord, isn't this too much! He said he would increase my manpower, is this how he increased it?! He also asked me to select talents for the crown prince, and I need to evaluate these talents?! Is he kidding me?! My lord, isn't this too much!!"
Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath and said firmly, "Yes! He is really too much!"
I'm sorry, in the future, I will have one more thing you need to explain to Biaoer.
But I can't help it. What else can I say at this time?
Chen Biao was so angry that he jumped up and down on the armchair. Zhu Yuanzhang protected Chen Biao to prevent him from falling accidentally.
Zhu Yuanzhang consoled him, "My Lord, you have your reasons for doing this. These men are the Crown Prince's personalities, and they are not meant for you. He may want you to recruit soldiers for the Crown Prince and form a team of young men."
Chen Biao said angrily: "All the official positions are occupied, how can I arrange them?!"
Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a moment and said, "There is no limit to the number of companions. Anyone you recommend will become the prince's companion!"
Chen Biao looked up to the sky and sighed: "The prince's companion is to accompany the prince to study, where is the prince?"
Zhu Yuanzhang comforted him: "It will appear eventually, don't worry!"
Chen Biao was speechless.
Why does he feel that his own wise king is about to unify the world, but his team is still so shabby?
Looking at the team of the Zhanshi Mansion, he was a little worried whether the team that founded the Ming Dynasty was also so chaotic.
It would be better to just assign officials according to Zhang Chang's plan. Isn't it just a pit? If you know where the pit is, just fill it!
Chen Biao got angry and completely lost the joy of being an official.
What kind of official is he? He is just a bachelor commander.
Generally, a bachelor commander is just a figurehead. Although there is no one to do the work, he himself does not do any work.
But as a bachelor commander, he has a lot of work to do. Judging from what the lord said today, he will have even more work to do in the future.
Why do I have such a miserable life!
Chen Biao regretted it. Why had he gone to Hongdu to see his brothers? If he hadn't gone to see his brothers, he wouldn't have been besieged by Chen Youliang, and he wouldn't have been targeted by his lord...
Uh, even without my brothers, I can definitely defeat Chen Youliang! Where's Doraemon? Where's Doraemon? I need a time machine to go back in time and tell my past self not to go to Hongdu!
Chen Biao thought about it and thought that if his past self had known that Hongdu was surrounded, he would probably have rushed over immediately and personally escorted more explosives.
This is the legendary inertia of history.
"I'm tired. Just eat something today. I'm going to sleep all day."
Chen Biao jumped off the armchair, drooped his head, shrugged his shoulders, and walked towards the bedroom, sighing with every step.
Let’s deal with tomorrow’s affairs tomorrow. Today’s Biao’er will stay in bed all day.
Zhu Yuanzhang didn't dare to follow.
He rushed back to Prince Ming's Palace and immediately convened an emergency meeting.
Biao'er is angry! What should I do?
The confidants all showed shocked expressions.
"Most of these people know Biao'er's identity. Even if they don't, they know his abilities. If Biao'er wants to order them around, he can do it." Li Shanchang said, "My lord, don't worry."
Zhu Yuanzhang complained, "I used to think so too. But from Biao'er's perspective, I realized that being in the officialdom is different from asking my elders to do things privately. In the officialdom, these people are my confidants and are high-ranking officials. In order not to appear arrogant and not to intimidate Zhu Yuanzhang, he will definitely not order them around."
Oh, yes, Biao'er is still thinking about how his achievements surpass his master's and that he will be too arrogant and his entire family will be wiped out by his master.
The confidants all showed embarrassed expressions.
They actually forgot about it. After all, who would take the fact that the Chen family was so powerful that they were overshadowed by their master and were exterminated by Zhu Yuanzhang to heart?
Song Lian said, "My lord, didn't you say there were companions? Young people naturally can't be appointed as officials right after they arrive. Official positions in the Eastern Palace are not given to them anyway. So the position of the Crown Prince's companion is very suitable. My lord only needs to appoint a few more people to become companions, and Biao'er will think that my lord has already made the decision, but the decree was issued a day late, causing him to misunderstand."
Zhu Yuanzhang sighed again, "This is the only way. Who among your clansmen is suitable to be the prince's study companion? Submit the list first. I have made an agreement. If Biao'er says that these people are not good, don't come to me to complain. You must not tell them who Biao'er is either."
Everyone immediately took the order and wondered if there was anyone in the family who could help Chen Biao.
This is a good opportunity to get close to the prince, but if the opportunity is used improperly, it will be disastrous.
As for the younger members of the family, they felt very sorry. Fortunately, they could often see Chen Biao because he was studying at Yingtian Primary School. They could only urge their son to study hard and win Chen Biao's favor.
In addition to his current confidants, Zhu Yuanzhang also selected people from the families of other ministers.
The list seemed very long. After much deliberation, Zhu Yuanzhang only chose Song Yin, Liu Lian, and Zhu Yi. He was simply too ashamed to face Chen Biao.
He never expected that there would be so few people to choose from.
The reason was simple: among the military generals' children, those who had joined him in the uprising were all about the same age as him. Most of the poor brothers only had money to marry after joining him, so their children were all about the same age as Chen Biao.
Chen Biao was already famous at his age, but other generals and children of the same age as Chen Biao were still crying bitterly over their final and midterm exam results at Yingtian Primary School. It was all in vain.
The older sons of the generals had already followed their fathers to join the army and had no time to come back to help Chen Biao.
The same was true for the children of civil officials. They were either too young or had already been drafted by Zhu Yuanzhang, who was desperate for civil officials, to serve as officials in various places. Some, like Zhang Yi's son, served as both a military commander and a civil official, and were so exhausted that they complained to their father many times.
Zhu Yuanzhang hoped to find a young man around 20 years old to help Chen Biao, but he found that he had already used up all the capable young people around 20 years old, and they were now working hard for him.
Even these three people were considered by their own father to be insufficient in knowledge and social skills. He was afraid that if they were released they would cause trouble, so they were tied up and taught by his father. Only then could Zhu Yuanzhang leave them to Chen Biao.
The villain in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart burst into tears and felt extremely guilty.
I feel sorry for Biaoer. It's because I, as a father, have too few talented people under my command, and I can't find any more for Biaoer.
Zhu Yuanzhang no longer called Fang Mingqian a foxy woman. He only hoped that Fang Mingqian would pass the labor reform camp exam quickly, work with Biaoer as soon as possible, and make up for his apology to Biaoer.
Chen Biao was not so sad after receiving the imperial edict that he had three more subordinates.
Having three people at his disposal was always better than having none at all. He had also met these three people before; they were all easy to get along with. So... huh?
Chen Biao looked at Liu Lian and Zhu Yi fighting and asked Song Yan in confusion, "Brother Zhongheng, why are they fighting?"
In order to make the Zhanshi Mansion appear more formal, Zhu Yuanzhang arranged a small courtyard next to Yingtian Primary School as the temporary office of the Zhanshi Mansion to avoid Chen Biao having to run around too much.
On his first day at work, he saw two of his three subordinates fighting, and the other one was watching with his hands in his sleeves.
Song Yan smiled at this cute and clever little brother and said, "Liu Mengzao and Zhu Datong were chatting about scriptures first, but somehow they got angry and started competing. They're using wooden swords, so Biao'er, don't worry. By the way, should I call you the Minister of the Central Secretariat now?"
Chen Biao said with a straight face, "Remember to add the prefix, 'Zhanshifu Zhongshuling'! Zhanshifu Zhongshuling and Zhongshuling are completely different."
Song Yan smiled and cupped his hands: "Yes, the Secretary of the Imperial Household Department."
Chen Biao's face relaxed and he said with a grin, "What are they arguing about? I don't believe you don't understand."
Song Yan said slowly: "No, I really don't understand."
He couldn't tell Biao'er that Liu Lian and Zhu Tong were chatting and then pointed at each other and cursed them as "Sun's cheap Confucian" and "Meng's cheap Confucian" and then came to blows. Wouldn't that be insulting to Biao'er's ears?
These two people are really young and hot-headed. Even if they think so in their hearts, Xunzi and Mencius are both saints who practice the teachings of Xunzi and Mencius. How can they curse them out loud?
The fathers of these three men were all familiar with Chen Biao, but Chen Biao had only met Liu Lian and Zhu Tong a few times and had never had a deep conversation. Although Song Yin's eldest sister married Zhu Wenzheng, and Song Yin was close to the Chen family, Zhu Wenzheng was a man with a simple appearance but a careful heart, and the Song family was also very secretive. Therefore, none of the three knew Chen Biao's true identity.
Not knowing Chen Biao's true identity did not prevent them from liking and admiring him.
In addition to their love and admiration for Chen Biao, they were also somewhat unwilling to accept his defeat and would challenge him from time to time.
But scholars of their age are still in the stage of accumulating knowledge. Chen Biao has a good memory and the essence of knowledge accumulated by his predecessors in the era of information explosion. Let's not talk about his actual ability for now, but when it comes to talking, Chen Biao will not lose.
Song Yan had given up competing with Chen Biao; Zhu Tong was "recuping his strength" and "keeping a low profile"; only Liu Lian became more and more courageous.
Liu Lian was known for his straightforward and volatile temper, with a seemingly unsavory inner self. Chen Biao was puzzled as to why Liu Bowen, known for his shady ways, could have such a straightforward and volatile son.
Later, Chen Biao met Liu Ji's second son Liu Jing and found that Liu Jing also had a honey badger in his heart. He began to suspect that his own Mr. Liu Bowen probably also had a honey badger hidden in his heart, but he was old and knew how to disguise himself.
Now the flat-headed Liu Lian and Zhu Tong, who usually seemed to have a good temper, started fighting. Song Yan watched happily from the side, and Chen Biao wanted to shout "Come on!"
However, when Liu Lian and Zhu Tong saw Chen Biao coming, they immediately put away their wooden swords, glared at each other, and then bowed to Chen Biao at the same time: "Chen Zhanshi, the Secretary of the Palace."
Hearing such a long list of names, Chen Biao couldn't help but laugh: "Okay, okay, just call me Biao'er. If you don't want to fight, come and help me organize the paperwork."
Chen Biao didn't beat around the bush with them and directly asked them to come to work.
Song Yan looked at the pile of documents on the table and asked in surprise, "So many? Is this all your daily work, Biao'er?"
Chen Biao said helplessly, "It's still relatively small now. Mr. Ji and Mr. Zhu are in charge of military education, and they handle almost all the paperwork. I only occasionally communicate with them through letters. These documents are the work of the generals."
Chen Biao summoned his new subordinates today for only one purpose, which was to correct homework.
The generals' homework would be corrected by the teaching assistants and reviewed by him.
But reviewing homework also requires energy, and he felt overwhelmed just looking at all the homework . In the past, he would drag the teachers at Yingtian Primary School to review the homework together, which caused them to complain.
Yingtian Primary School has an increasing number of students, but the number of teachers remains the same, and staffing is already stretched to the limit. Now, with the addition of homework for the generals, even with a pay raise, they are still overwhelmed.
The outstanding students have been mobilized, but they can still only barely cope.
Now that he had three more subordinates, the first thing Chen Biao thought of was to help him correct homework.
Feel the pain of being a teacher!
Song Yan, Liu Lian and Zhu Tong were very excited when they heard that they would be correcting the homework for the generals.
They heard that there was no regular work in the Zhanshi Mansion, and thought that when they entered the Zhanshi Mansion, they would just serve tea and water to the ministers and do odd jobs.
I didn’t expect that Chen Biao would assign them such an important task.
This is even better than the teachers in the Imperial College before, who corrected the homework of generals!
Chen Biao looked at the excited expressions of the three people and sighed in his heart.
These three brothers are really too young, and haven't experienced the harshness of reality. You'll be angry soon, right?
Chen Biao held the teacup, tilted his head back and drank the tea, huh.
I have subordinates. Today, Biaoer will not correct homework. Instead, he will watch his subordinates correct homework.
Chen Biao was slacking off on the side, but the three of them had no objection.
Chen Biao is young, lacks energy, and may even want to test them. Of course, they have no objection and will just give it their all.
A quarter of an hour later, the three of them frowned;
Two quarters of an hour later, the three people's faces kept changing from blue to black, red to purple, as if they had eaten poisonous mushrooms;
After three quarters of an hour, the three people's buttocks began to rub against the chairs like monkey buttocks...
Half an hour later, the three of them stood up almost at the same time and rushed outside.
There is a small martial arts training ground in the small courtyard, which is a place Chen Biao specially prepared for himself to exercise. All the weapons are carved from wood.
Now the three of them each drew out a wooden sword and brandished it with great vigor.
Chen Biao held the teacup and slowly walked out to watch them dancing with swords angrily.
Tilt your head back, drink tea, huh~.
They could endure for half an hour, which was really impressive. Chen Biao thought they would explode in a quarter of an hour at most.
The three scholars were well-mannered. Even when they were so angry about their homework that it hurt their livers, they just vented their anger by dancing with swords.
After working themselves into a sweat, the three of them returned to their room, their faces etched with anger and silence, to continue grading homework. Judging from their demeanor, it looked as if they were going back to seek revenge, not to grade homework.
Chen Biao held the teacup and happily returned to his room to continue watching.
Another half hour passed, and the three of them rushed out of the door and danced with swords again, as if they had made an appointment.
After repeating this process several times, they finally finished grading all the homework and put the documents on the desk in order.
Song Yan let out a long sigh, slumped in his chair and remained silent for a while before he said, "Biao'er, do you have to correct so many homework assignments every day?"
Chen Biao nodded: "Homework has to be assigned every day, so of course it has to be corrected every day."
Song Yan was silent for a while, then said, "Biao'er, thank you for your hard work."
Chen Biao nodded vigorously: "It is indeed very hard."
Liu Lian, who had been lying on the table as if taking a nap, stood up, bowed to Chen Biao and said, "I will never challenge you again. I surrender!"
Zhu Tong's eyes were dull: "I'm convinced too. Is being a teacher really that difficult?"
Chen Biao smiled and said, "I'm still pretty good. These people are generals after all. After becoming generals, they realized the benefits of reading and asked teachers to teach them some knowledge. However, most of them were too busy marching and fighting to stick with it. What Mr. Zhu and Mr. Ji are doing now is really difficult."
Chen Biao sighed, "Generals know that as long as they study, they will achieve greater success in the future. Plus, they have the supervision of younger generations and relatives, and the guidance of their lords, so they will persevere no matter how difficult it is. But the lower-level soldiers in the army are not so sure. Even if they learn to read, they don't know how useful they will be. Even if they can be useful, they are used to entrusting their future to their children."
Song Yan asked, "Why should we teach them if they don't learn on their own?"
Liu Lian and Zhu Tong also nodded.
In this day and age, reading is a luxury. Those who don't want to read don't deserve to read. Why should we chase them and beg them to read?
Chen Biao laughed and said, "Perhaps the Lord believes that his soldiers have no right to be decadent and lazy; perhaps you two gentlemen also believe that the people you educate have no right to refuse to be educated."
All three of them were slightly stunned.
Chen Biao sighed, "If there were a country that didn't allow its people to be illiterate, didn't allow its people to starve or freeze to death, even if they refused to work hard, that would surely be the 'Great Harmony Under Heaven' described in the books of the sages."
The three of them lowered their heads, thinking for a moment.
Chen Biao put down his teacup and said, "Alright, these are issues for those who are to become emperors and those who are to assist the emperor to consider. Let's not think too far ahead. Let's first think about how to teach these illiterate generals!"
The three of them turned pale and groaned in despair, holding their heads.