Chapter 128 The merits and demerits of the First Emperor and his ideal of great unification are engraved in his bones and blood.

"Brother, how about we ask Miaoyun when we get back?"

"I'll get back to you after I finish asking you questions?"

After a long time, Xu Da looked at Zhu Yuanzhang tentatively and said, "After all, our eldest daughter sometimes really doesn't listen to us, so we have to ask her."

"it is good."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded without even thinking about it.

Xu Miaoyun, the eldest daughter of Xu Da, was known as the best female scholar in the capital.

Naturally, she also understood her own identity and that it was absolutely impossible for her to decide her own marriage.

After all, let’s not talk about anything else. Just the high status of her father Xu Da would not allow her to marry anyone outside the royal family.

Of course, although this was a political marriage, it also contained Zhu Yuanzhang's love for his brothers.

Think about it, if the Xu family wants to prosper in the Ming Dynasty, marriage is an indispensable medium.

Moreover, every generation must intermarry, not only to maintain orthodoxy, but also to maintain the respect of one's own family.

No matter how you look at it, this is not a losing deal.

As for why he targeted Xu Miaoyun, it was because Xu Da only had two daughters, and the remaining one was still a child.

How to marry this?
But in history, Xu Da had four daughters in total, and except for the youngest, Xu Miaojing, the other three all married into the royal family and were all Zhuge Liang's sons.

Moreover, they were the two sons that Zhu Yuanzhang loved the most besides his legitimate relatives.

One is Prince Dai Zhu Gui, whose mother is Concubine Guo Hui, the sister of Empress Ma.

The remaining one is Prince An Zhu Ying, whose biological mother is unknown, after all, Zhu Yuanzhang had too many women.

So now Xu Da really has only two daughters, the eldest daughter Xu Miaoyun and the second daughter.

Because the rest haven't been born yet, including Xu Miaojin, but I think it shouldn't be far away.

While these old brothers were bragging and chatting, the three Zhu Gang brothers also walked into the Kunning Palace.

Afterwards, the three Zhu Gang brothers first bowed to their uncles and then took their seats.

As for the fourth brother Zhu Di, who suffered the most, he was now staying in a side hall with indignation in his eyes.

The man who was beaten with the stick was confused. Didn't he just not want to marry Xu Miaoyun?

What's wrong with him?

"I am right."

Zhu Di was still muttering to himself.

And the red string that God had tied for Zhu Di was about to break due to his perseverance.

But think about it, it makes sense. After all, he is still young and cannot be as mature and steady as he would be in the future. Especially when he is suppressed by Crown Prince Zhu Biao, this guy has no disloyalty at all.

So of course you should live happily for yourself, do what you want, and be content with what you like.

"Third brother, it just so happens that your Uncle Li is here too, so I just happened to want to discuss something with you guys."

In the main hall of Kunning Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Gang and Li Shanchang again, and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "In the third year of Hongwu, after conferring titles on meritorious officials, your uncle Li suggested that we go to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the gods."

"We didn't agree."

"But yesterday, Hu Weiyong came to see me and told me that the Ming Dynasty is thriving and its national strength is advancing by leaps and bounds."

"And in foreign wars, our Ming Dynasty has never been invincible, especially the third brother, who single-handedly suppressed the grasslands and made them tremble with fear."

"So Hu Weiyong brought up the old matter again, wanting us to go to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to God, to establish the orthodoxy of the world, to drive out the Tartars, to restore the Han Dynasty, and to offer sacrifices to the world."

"And it's not just Hu Weiyong, even the Minister of Rites came to see us."

After saying this, Zhu Yuanzhang sighed again and said, "What do you think, should we go or not?"

After these words were spoken, a look of embarrassment suddenly flashed across Li Shanchang's face.

But given the circumstances at the time, it was indeed a political necessity for the Han people to return to orthodoxy and offer sacrifices to heaven and earth on Mount Tai.

After all, think about it, since the Song Dynasty, the Central Plains has only controlled half of the world, while the North has been suffering from war and has had difficulty surviving.

That is why Li Shanchang proposed to hold a ceremony of Fengshan on Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the people of the world. Today, the Central Plains is still the territory of our Han Dynasty.

But no one has ever considered the disadvantages of the Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai.

But Zhu Yuanzhang at that time had almost no reason and just said that the world was not yet settled and got away with it.

But now the whole world is under the rule of the Ming Dynasty, and even the foreign wars are a display of the integrity of our Great Ming Dynasty.

Hu Weiyong's proposal to offer sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai was indeed for the good of the country.

"Dad, do you want to go?"

Zhu Gang just turned his head and asked back.

"Do not want to."

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't even hesitate, just shook his head.

"Why don't you want to go?"

Zhu Gang continued to ask.

"You are familiar with the Historical Records, so you should understand what I am thinking."

Zhu Yuanzhang rolled his eyes at Zhu Gang and said.

"Indeed, if that guy hadn't appeared, the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai would have been beneficial to the Ming Dynasty."

"But after that, if you went to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the gods, it would be an insult to your own achievements."

"After all, the banner you raised was to drive out the Tartars and restore the Han dynasty."

Zhu Gang also smiled and nodded.

After these words were spoken, most of the people present understood the reason.

Only Chang Yuchun and Zhu Chong were a little confused. Which buddy was it?
But it is normal that they don’t know. Although Zhu Chong worked hard to study, how much had he read so far given the vastness of knowledge?

Chang Yuchun, a tough guy and a fierce general of the Ming Dynasty, can read but is only okay at reading the Art of War. But if you ask him to study, wouldn't that make things difficult for me, Fatty Chang?

"How many emperors performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai?"

Zhu Gang turned to look at Zhu Chong and asked softly.

"do not know."

Zhu Chong was slightly stunned and shook his head.

"There were six emperors in total, five of whom were worthy of the title. As for the remaining one, he dragged Mount Tai into the abyss."

Zhu Biao raised his head and looked at Zhu Chong with some annoyance.

"It should be four and a half."

Zhu Gang thought for a moment and then said.

"Ok?"

After the words were spoken, everyone's eyes were a little confused. Why was it only four and a half?

"If Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, could have lived 20 years less, the Kaiyuan Era of Prosperity he created would indeed be worthy of being enshrined on Mount Tai."

"But this does not affect it, because his Fengshan at Mount Tai was based on the Kaiyuan Period. Although he was incompetent in the later period, it is understandable."

"So this guy is half-hearted, and it doesn't lower the value of the Taishan Fengshan ceremony."

Looking at the confused people, Zhu Gang laughed again.

"That's quite fitting. After all, if there was no Emperor Zhenzong of Song, Zhao Heng, we would indeed go to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the gods."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded as if he suddenly understood.

It is true that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, was incompetent in his later years, but he was also a wise ruler who worked hard to govern the country in his early years.

Otherwise, how could there have been the prosperous Kaiyuan era and the peak of the Tang Dynasty?

Let’s put it this way, under the governance of Li Longji, this period experienced unprecedented prosperity, reaching extremely high levels in politics, economy, culture, and military.

It was one of the peak periods of the feudal dynasty and also the peak period in the history of Central Plains.

However, although the Kaiyuan Era marked the peak of the Tang Dynasty, it was also the turning point of its decline. As the prosperity continued, problems such as land annexation and corruption gradually emerged, laying the groundwork for the subsequent An Lushan Rebellion, which ultimately led to the decline of the Tang Dynasty.

But it is undeniable that the Kaiyuan Period created a peak period, so Li Longji had both merits and faults.

After all, no one knows what happened later, so this person's Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai was worthy of it considering his achievements.

"As for the remaining emperors, the first emperor to perform Fengshan, the First Emperor, ended the hundreds of years of division during the Spring and Autumn Period."

"Established the first unified centralized state in the history of the Central Plains - the Qin Dynasty."

"His achievements included unifying the six kingdoms, establishing the imperial system, standardizing weights and measures, and establishing the county system, which is still in use today."

"Although the Qin Dynasty fell in the second generation, the achievements of the First Emperor are indelible. It was he who initiated the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, so he is naturally worthy of the world."

Zhu Gang looked at everyone present again and spoke softly.

"You actually admire the First Emperor?"

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyebrows.

"Isn't it worthy of praise to standardize the wheel gauge, the writing system, the establishment of the county system, and the strengthening of central power?"

Zhu Gang also raised his eyes and looked at Zhu Yuanzhang.

"What's there to admire about a tyrant?"

Zhu Yuanzhang curled his lips in disdain.

He never denied Ying Zheng's achievements, but he did not agree with his practices.

But all historical records record Ying Zheng as a tyrant, and Zhu Yuanzhang, who was born in humble circumstances, naturally could not like the First Emperor.

This is why, when Zhu Yuanzhang later built the Temple of the Kings, he did not include the First Emperor Ying Zheng.

Because Zhu Yuanzhang believed deep down that Ying Zheng was a tyrant and he did not deserve to be worshipped.

So when he heard his son praising the First Emperor so much, he naturally felt a little unhappy.

"A tyrant is a tyrant, a weak ruler is a weak ruler, how can we generalize?"

"Besides, why don't you think about it?"

"During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, when there was no great unification, the First Emperor unified the six kingdoms and created the first great unified centralized dynasty."

"And as an emperor, you should be able to understand the chaos of that era."

"Especially when the First Emperor first unified the country, the people of the six kingdoms had almost no concept of great unification."

"Because most people still miss their old country."

"And in this situation, what can the First Emperor do?"

"Only strict laws can deeply engrave the concept of great unity into their bones."

“That’s what happened later.”

"Besides, all reforms in various countries began with bloodshed, so I think the First Emperor was not wrong."

"Just like the Qin Dynasty fell, but the ideal of Qin's unification of the world should not die."

"That's how Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, started an uprising by slaying a white snake, and established the Han dynasty, which lasted for 400 years."

"And Xiang Yu of Jiangdong, also known as Xiang Yu, the Overlord of Western Chu, who intended to restart the feudal system, was the one who was taking history backwards."

Faced with Zhu Yuanzhang's dissatisfaction, Zhu Gang directly retorted, not giving his father any face at all.

This made Old Zhu's face turn red, but he couldn't even utter a word in rebuttal.

After all, justice comes first, and if the First Emperor had not burned his boats and devoted himself to establishing a unified and centralized dynasty.

How could there be a unified dynasty later?
The feudal system established by the Zhou Dynasty is still prevalent in China.

The Central Plains is a place where countries compete for supremacy and will never wither.

Because if Qin Shihuang chose the feudal system, and Xiang Yu restarted the feudal system, then the subsequent dynasties would have to use the feudal system even if they wanted to reform.

This is the inevitability of history.

Then how could this world exist today?

So Qin Shi Huang was not wrong. The First Emperor could not be wrong.

"Old Third is right. The Qin Dynasty fell, but the ideal of Qin to unify the world should not die."

"So Xiang Yu failed, and Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, ruled the world."

"The feudal system established by Emperor Gaozu of Han was based on the Qin Dynasty's county system, with some adjustments and additions."

"After all, Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, was not like the First Emperor, Ying Zheng, who had a huge Ying royal family as his pillar."

"So he needs his sons to become strong, just like you, to expand the royal family's foundation and make the dynasty immortal."

"But in terms of ideology, Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, still wanted to establish a unified dynasty."

"That is why Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, appointed his own sons and relatives as kings, that is, kings with the same surname, in order to strengthen the centralization of power through blood ties."

"These kings with the same surname were distributed in the border areas and strategic locations of the Han Dynasty, serving as a barrier against foreign enemies and facilitating central monitoring."

"But there are also disadvantages, that is, the kings with the same surname have too much power, which led to the Rebellion of the Seven Kings during the Han Dynasty."

"But this was also the helplessness of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, because the royal family was too weak to consolidate the Han Dynasty."

Zhu Biao also nodded and spoke.

"That's right. Only the Liu family can be crowned king. This is why the feudal system helped Emperor Gaozu of Han consolidate his rule in the short term."

"But in the long run, it conflicted with the need for centralization, prompting later emperors Han Wen, Han Jing and even Han Wu to take measures to further strengthen centralization and limit the power of the kingdoms."

"Otherwise, how could the Han Dynasty have been divided into two dynasties, the Eastern Han Dynasty and the Western Han Dynasty?"

Zhu Gang also nodded in agreement.

But the conversation between these two father and sons as if no one was around made all of Zhu Yuanzhang's old brothers present look at each other in bewilderment.

Isn't it just about whether to go to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth? How can it be related to the feudal system and great unification?
Aren't you two brothers slapping Zhu Yuanzhang in the face?
After all, Zhu Yuanzhang's vassal system was also a feudal system.

It was also to strengthen central power, consolidate border defenses, prevent powerful officials from usurping the throne, and hope that imperial power would last forever from generation to generation.

But you two brothers talked freely in front of your father about the drawbacks of the feudal system and the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion of the Han Dynasty. Wasn't this an attack on Zhu Yuanzhang's system of vassal kings?
"Good good."

"He is indeed our son."

But unlike the thoughts of these old brothers, Zhu Yuanzhang showed a satisfied smile on his face.

This made his group of old brothers stare in amazement, and they even reached out their hands to wipe and pick their ears, wondering if they had heard it wrong?
Could this be the Zhu Yuanzhang they knew?
"History is ultimately written by the victors, and the filth and darkness in it will certainly be beautified in every possible way."

"Because we want to consolidate our rule, we don't think there is anything wrong with that."

"And the literati and poets of the world have always been critical of the First Emperor's achievements."

"So from the perspective of the dynasty and politics, no matter how great the emperor's achievements are, as long as they are not recognized by others, he is wrong."

"Because this world cannot accommodate him, but for an emperor with such great achievements, what does the flood after his death have to do with him?"

"As long as the world can prosper, as long as this great unification inheritance concept continues, his lifelong struggle will be passed on."

"Just like the Ming Dynasty before us, isn't it the inheritance of a unified country? Isn't it also the inheritance of that person?"

"Qin did not last forever, but only died in the second generation. However, the spirit engraved in his bones will be passed on forever."

"Then the controversy over the First Emperor will never end."

Zhu Yuanzhang pinched the shoulders of his two sons and smiled, revealing his heart.

Zhu Yuanzhang was able to conquer the world, so how could he not understand the merits and demerits of the First Emperor?

But once you sit on this throne and become the emperor, there are some things you really can't do as you please.

Weighing the pros and cons is the norm.

Whether it is eternal fame or immortal infamy, as long as it is what they want, they will make a decision immediately.

So for the First Emperor, it was not that the emperors could not tolerate him, but that the long history and the literati and poets of the world could not tolerate him!

But this world was still created by the First Emperor.

The idea of ​​great unification and the introduction of the county system were enough to allow the First Emperor to survive in the world.

(End of this chapter)