Volume 5: Fellow Traveler Chapter 864: Bewitching
Learning is something that cannot be forced.
This sentence has really never been heard by any teacher. Ever since Zheng Mengzhou, the last famous minister of the previous dynasty, advocated Neo-Confucianism, which started the history , all the teachers of the kings and royal family were Neo-Confucianists, and the principles they preached all day long were mostly about how hard work can lead to success.
No one ever said that studying hard would lead to nothing. As for women, the Minister of Rites had said that those Korean ladies could speak the official language of the Ming Dynasty and were well-educated. Zheshanjun listened to them with a nonchalant look, but in fact he sneered in his heart.
Well-educated and well-mannered? This is a lie! He didn't know what Ming Dynasty was like, but in Goryeo, even among the top nobles, most of the women in their families were illiterate. Just like his grandmother, Queen Jiseon, she could probably recognize some words, but she was unable to understand those difficult articles. Only his mother was truly well-educated and well-mannered.
As for the Ming Dynasty official language, it was something that Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty had repeatedly requested. When he sent envoys to confer titles or other envoys, he would also test the officials on how well they spoke official language. Therefore, it was a must for noble families to learn it.
But no matter whether they are truly knowledgeable or not, in front of outsiders, regardless of gender, they must insist that they are studious and willing to learn. Teachers also tirelessly teach the importance of learning, unlike Zhang Shou, who pretends to be a teacher who doesn't care whether he wants to learn or not, as if he is very reluctant to be a teacher.
Thinking of this, Zheshanjun smiled bitterly in his heart. Of course, others were very unwilling. That person was the current crown prince, and the teacher of the future emperor. And he was just the king of a small country. Why would others care about being his teacher? Would it be more glorious to tell others that he was better than the teacher of the East Palace?
Having said that, when he saw the Minister of Rites beside him, who was anxiously trying to wink at him but didn't make any other small movements, he knew that people were worried that he would succeed the king in the future, but hoped that he would accept it. He immediately gave up those thoughts and bowed his head respectfully: "Master Zhang, you are too kind. It is my great honor to have someone as knowledgeable and talented as you to teach me."
Having said this, he paused for a moment, and then said cautiously: "But if you teach me, I don't know where the Crown Prince of Ciqing Palace is..."
"I don't go to Ciqing Palace to give lectures every day." Zhang Shou laughed indifferently, and then said lightly, "I only go to give lectures for half a day every two or three days. And here, Mr. Zheshan, I can't spend all day talking to you about those great principles that you don't like to hear. So, I will take time out every day to talk to you for an hour, which is enough."
"Oh, by the way, I'm very busy, and I can't leave the students at the public school behind, so I'll report to the emperor and ask you to take a few more steps to attend the classes at the public school. Of course, I'll come here to give lectures while you're still sick."
The Minister of Rites wanted to quickly speak for Zhe Shanjun, saying that it was no big deal to go to the public school. The distance from Huitong South Hall to the outer city was very short, and it could also relieve the frustration of being under house arrest in Huitong South Hall all day. Under his eager gaze, Zhe Shanjun finally understood the situation and expressed his willingness to go to the public school.
However, the next moment, the Minister of Rites realized that he was too happy too early. Because Zheshan Jun suddenly changed his tone and said, "Teacher, I was sent to the capital of Daming by the previous king to study at the Imperial Academy. If I study with you now, will the Imperial Academy be affected by this..."
Although he hesitated to speak after that, how could Zhang Shou not understand? He smiled slightly, and then said casually: "If you are willing to study at the Imperial Academy, that would be the best, I can report to the emperor."
"No, no, no, I misunderstood. It's all my fault. Please forgive me, teacher."
Zheshanjun realized that his petty thoughts were misplaced, and he quickly denied it and apologized sincerely. He thought Zhang Shou would criticize him for a few more words and then talk about other things, but Zhang Shou did not continue the topic at all, and said calmly: "Well, it's getting late, if you are still in good spirits, let's start the class."
Zheshan Jun and Li Cao Canyi were all stunned. No one expected that Zhang Shou's first class would come so soon and without any preparation. No one even brought a book, let alone let them prepare books, paper and pens.
The two of them had no time to object, and just listened to Zhang Shou's order to bring a chair over. Originally, they thought Zhang Shou was ordering them, but just as the Minister of Rites was about to find a chair, there was a commotion outside, and then, a young man with an ordinary and calm face brought in a grand master's chair, and without even looking at him and Zheshanjun, he directly placed the grand master's chair in front of the bed, and surprisingly asked Zhang Shou to sit there.
Zhang Shou left the brocade cushion that he could not lean on, sat on it comfortably, nodded with satisfaction, and then said slowly: "You said before that I am knowledgeable and talented, that's a false compliment. I only studied mathematics with Teacher Ge for a while, and then studied classics and history on my own for a while. Compared with those masters of Neo-Confucianism and Confucianism, my knowledge is actually far from enough."
"My only advantage is probably my youth, and my teaching style is not conventional. So you don't have to worry about me talking about something obscure or difficult to understand, or about me testing you. After all, our relationship as teacher and student won't last long, and I don't intend to be a strict teacher who is not popular."
"In the first class today, let's talk about the most famous protons in history."
The face of the Minister of Rites twitched twice, and he felt sweat all over his forehead and back, but he didn't dare to wipe it off. He was thinking hard in his heart whether Ming Dynasty was really not going to release Zeshan Jun - and if so, who would be in power in the court, and would there be a series of restoration disputes like those kings of the late Goryeo Dynasty of the Wang Dynasty.
Although this decision seemed to be made by the Queen Mother, she had never interfered in state affairs before, so it must have been the result of compromise and consultation among the courtiers behind her and the courtiers of the King's faction. He tried hard to find out if there was another candidate who could match Jasangun, and after thinking it all over in his mind, he finally felt relieved.
There shouldn’t be any… No, there just isn’t any!
Just like this, when the Minister of Rites came back to his senses and began to listen carefully to what Zhang Shou said, he had already missed a lot. Zhang Shou had already talked about the Queen Mother Xuan and King Zhaoxiang of Qin who were both hostages, and then talked about King Zhuangxiang of Qin's son, Prince Chu, and then talked about the son Ying Zheng who was born during King Zhaoxiang of Qin's hostage period, and finally the Crown Prince Dan of Yan.
Zhang Shou's way of telling the story without commenting on it gradually calmed Zhe Shanjun's anxiety. Many Korean ministers had studied and learned about the giant country that dominated the East, but a child of his age had only heard rumors and could not learn much about the history of other countries.
The historical materials of Silla and even Wang's Goryeo compiled by this dynasty, including the history of the founding years of this dynasty, are enough for any royal family to learn. So, he temporarily forgot his own situation and listened to Zhang Shou's talk, from the mutual hostages of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, to the servants of the Han Dynasty, and then to the hostages of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties... Of course, the Yuan Dynasty's hostages were indispensable.
Thinking that almost all the kings of the Wang family of Goryeo were held hostage in Dadu, and when they arrived in the Ming Dynasty, they only studied in the Imperial Academy. In fact, the Ming court did not restrict everyone's studies or other things, so even his uncle who was reprimanded could return to the country and ascend the throne, Zheshan Jun sighed.
Actually, my country was founded nearly thirty years later than the Ming Dynasty, but abdication has happened three times.
Of course, the Ming Dynasty was even more exaggerated. From Yingzong to Ruizong, every time they seized the throne, blood flowed like a river. But compared to the Ming Dynasty officials, who are now at least submissive, the current emperor, as a young ruler, was able to reign safely for 27 years. But in his country, his grandfather had been in power for many years, and he had to purge again and again, but he still had to guard against all kinds of treason and rebellion.
Can he learn some lessons from the stories Zhang Shou told?
How old was Zheshanjun? Even if he tried his best to hide it, how could Zhang Shou not notice the changes in his expression? Chen Yongshou said when he sent a message that if it really didn't work, he could just let him know the pros and cons. But he didn't think that a child who grew up in the most complicated place of palace struggle would not understand the so-called pros and cons, so he simply selectively told people history.
But when he finished telling these stories about hostages throughout the dynasties, he changed the subject and talked about the Enfeoffment Order of the Han Dynasty.
From the Enfeoffment Order, he continued to talk about the inheritance of the sons, the legitimate son inheriting the business, and other traditions that have been passed down through the dynasties. Then he began to comment on the intermarriage in ancient Silla that would be criticized by the moralists in terms of etiquette and law. What about uncles marrying nieces, aunts marrying nephews, and finally talking about the imprisonment of illegitimate children... Anyway, everything he had seen from the miscellaneous materials, he now came up with at his fingertips.
How much do modern people read? How broad is their knowledge? Most importantly, how capable are they of making wild and unrestrained comments?
That was definitely not something that the ancients could imagine, let alone something that the young Zheshanjun, who lived in a remote corner, could have predicted. Even the Minister of Rites who was accompanying him was stunned, not to mention a child?
In addition, Zhang Shou had the halo of being the Imperial Master, and he was naturally charming... the bewitching effect, the two people who might become the king and his subject in the future, there was no room for interruption at all. However, when Zhang Shou mentioned that only the legitimate sons of the Yangban class could participate in the civil and military examinations in Joseon, and the sons of bastards could only participate in the miscellaneous examinations, the Minister of Rites was unconvinced and wanted to defend himself.
However, his excuse that the descendants of noble families are still noble families, and the descendants of untouchables should be untouchables, is no match for Zhang Shou's insight that kings, princes, generals and ministers are all of different species, so we need to select talents from the humble masses.
He casually cited the famous ministers who came from humble backgrounds and prime ministers who were born as illegitimate children since the Tang and Song dynasties, and then broke down the laws that imprisoned illegitimate children, saying that class imprisonment, blocked channels, and the people's wisdom was not open...
Anyway, as he threw out these terms that were rarely mentioned these days, Zhang Shou saw that the two people in front of him looked unhappy.
No matter who it is, how can they bear it when the domestic system is criticized like this? The Minister of Rites could only try to use the word "etiquette" to stabilize the situation, but he didn't expect Zhang Shou to hit him back with a few casual words.
"Throughout the history of China, some famous Neo-Confucian scholars have taken concubines and maids, but I have never heard of any who treated their illegitimate children like slaves. It's just that your king who established this rule was worried that there would be too many yangban in the future, and if they were passed down from generation to generation, there would not be enough seats in the court, not enough wealth in the world, and even less privileges."
"In contrast, our Emperor Taizu established the principle that meritorious officials can be demoted hereditarily, and if they are not demoted, they can only be maintained for three generations. He also promoted both civil and military officials, selected talents and employed them, and selected talents from the people. Only then could the world be prosperous and stable until now."
"You submitted your country's name in the early years. Why did the court delay in allowing Goryeo to change to Joseon? It's very simple. The so-called Wang and Li families are just descendants of the same lineage. So why change the country's name? The civil and military are separated, and the civil is used to control the military. Even your founding king himself relied on a military coup to come to power, but in the end he still used the Song Dynasty's system."
"But what happened to the Song Dynasty, which was the most enthusiastic about this? The Jingkang Shame and the Yashan Incident were said to be the richest in all dynasties, but in the end, the army was full of doubts about the generals. However, at generals who fought against the Mongols passionately and bloodily, but still received high positions and generous salaries after surrendering. There were also generals who fought to the end and died for their country. There were also prime ministers and soldiers and civilians who resolutely jumped into the sea after Yashan."
"But in Wang's Goryeo, the trend of valuing civil officials over military officials had reached a point where there was no hope for salvation. There were civil officials who died for their country, but were there military generals who died for their country? How many were there? I heard that in the last years, there were military generals who ruled the country and caused chaos!"
"Your ancestor relied on military power to conquer the Goryeo Kingdom, but today, how many soldiers are there in the country that can fight?"
"During the Sui and Tang dynasties, Goguryeo alone could resist the army of the Celestial Empire. Now, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla, known as the Three Koreas, have been united for a long time, but why are they not as powerful as they were in the past?"
Zheshan Jun's face turned pale, especially when he heard Zhang Shou's last sentence. He remembered that he had heard that Wang Shi's Goryeo Taizu had once had an ancestral precept that one should not learn the system of the Central Plains. However, Guangzong had to take back power and reform the system because the powerful nobles and local forces were too strong. Although the country was revived for a while, it still fell step by step.
And I have always been concerned about the status of a vassal state. Is it true that a small country like theirs cannot learn the system of the Central Plains? Should we really strengthen our military first?
But this scholar Zhang just disparaged Taizu's system between the lines... Will he try to implement many of the strategies that Emperor Taizu failed to implement in order to compromise?
The Minister of Rites was confused by Zhang Shou's ramblings, and even thought that the Ming Dynasty might be planning to send troops to attack from Liaodong, or send a navy to sweep the area by sea...
When Zhang Shou's completely unserious class was over, he took Ah Liu, who had been standing next to him like a stake, out. Hua Qi came up to him with a subtle expression on his face: "Do you want this Zheshan Jun to do something reckless when he returns to his country?"
