Chapter 121 Imperial Division

Liu Zhi thought for a moment and said, "Your Highnesses are unwilling to study peacefully in the Great Hall. All you think about all day are the things of the hawks and running dogs. Although under the strict supervision of our ministers, you occasionally sit upright and pretend to be serious, but every time you are tested, you are... not satisfactory."

Liu Zhi was really holding it in.

He had been tolerating these guys for a long time.

Today I finally found an opportunity to vent!
So he continued, "The third prince, the Prince of Jin, has been absent from class for more than a month and has no interest in his studies. The fourth prince often doodles on paper during class, drawing many little soldiers and figures. And the fifth prince, Your Majesty... The fifth prince sends medicine to me every now and then. At first, I thought he was concerned about my health. He spoke with certainty, saying some tonic prescription, and he would not be relieved until I drank it in front of him in person. But after I drank it... I vomited and had diarrhea, and it was unbearable..."

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't hold it in any longer, or rather, he felt a little regretful.

If he had known this, he should not have summoned all the ministers and asked his sons about their homework in public.

How is this any different than shooting yourself in the foot?
I thought... even if my academic performance was mediocre, at most people would just say that I was not interested in my studies.

Who knows, maybe Liu Zhi went crazy and it was really hard for him to endure it. This time he asked in person, and Liu Zhi told him everything.

Now it's okay, everyone knows.

The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. They were all smart people and had no idea what the deep meaning was in why His Majesty summoned them here.

Now His Majesty is asking several princes about their studies in public, and Liu Zhi is complaining wildly in public.

Then, a meaningful expression flashed across someone's eyes.

Could it be that...something big happened in the palace?

Could it be that the Crown Prince is fighting with the other princes?
Or maybe... Your Majesty wants to depose the kings?
But if you think about it carefully, that's not right. The princes are still young and shouldn't be able to reach such a level. So, Your Majesty...what are your long-term plans?
And Liu Zhi, what is he trying to do? Why is he saying these things? Who taught him to say this?
So some people raised their eyes and secretly glanced at Li Shanchang, or perhaps at Wang Guangyang's expression, and seeing that the two of them looked solemn and serious, they became suspicious again.

These two gentlemen are both in high positions and have great power, one is the left prime minister and the other is the right prime minister. They should not be so impatient to leave.

Is it...

While he was thinking, someone looked at the Vice-chancellor Hu Weiyong and the Chief Censor Liu Ji.

Both of them looked calm on the surface, but in their hearts they were in turmoil.

Hu Weiyong, the Vice-Minister of State Affairs, has always tried to win over ministers with outstanding contributions in Huai and Si provinces and regarded himself as the successor of Li Shanchang.

The Chief Censor Liu Ji, like Wang Guangyang, was admired by scholars all over the world and was a famous official from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas.

In the past two years, the Huaisi heroes led by Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong and the Confucian officials led by Wang Guangyang and Liu Ji fought fiercely and attacked each other.

Now Liu Zhi suddenly launched an attack, which made Hu Weiyong subconsciously glance at Liu Ji. He suspected that Liu Ji had instructed Liu Zhi to do something, and that it was a signal for some kind of general attack.

The Chief Censor Liu Ji was even more shocked. He knew nothing about what happened today. Now this happened suddenly. Who was he targeting?
Ordinary people might think this crying and complaining was just a teacher scolding his students, but this great scholar from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, whose name was Liu Ji and whose courtesy name was "Bo Wen", had a lot more things to consider.

He raised his eyes slightly and looked at Hu Weiyong warily. Although his eyes were still nonchalant, countless thoughts had already popped up in his mind. It was as if at this moment, at this Daming Gate, both of them thought that the other side had hidden thousands of troops here, just waiting for a fight.

So all the ministers kept silent, but in their hearts they were either afraid, or thoughtful, or on guard, or even murderous, and they all had their own thoughts. In just a few words, it was no less than the calm before a war.

The three Princes of Jin were already terrified when they heard what they had heard. There was such a sudden commotion, and then there was Liu Zhi's weeping appeal. No matter how they looked at it, it seemed that their father had come prepared and was going to give them a good beating.

Zhu Yuanzhang was already furious, and he had never expected that there would be such a thing. He immediately shouted angrily: "How can you be so useless?"

Liu Zhi cried, as if he was moved at this moment, and said: "What I have reported is just a small chance. The princes are still young, but in my opinion, the way to cultivate people is to correct their hearts and cultivate their virtues, and then read thousands of books. But the princes are usually too spoiled by the eunuchs around them. Over time, even if they have no intention of studying, no one dares to restrain them. I have repeatedly warned them, but they are unmoved. I... I... woo woo woo..."

Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he pointed at Zhu Gang and started to curse: "You..."

Zhu Gang made a bitter face and said quickly: "Father, this is not my fault. I am focused on making money. This is what Father allowed."

Zhu Yuanzhang paused, thought about it, and calmed down a little. He pointed at Zhu Di and Zhu Su and said angrily: "You two bastards, Liu Zhi didn't say anything today, but I didn't know that you were so crazy."

Zhu Di and Zhu Su trembled and kowtowed, saying, "I wish you all the best."

How could Zhu Yuanzhang be so angry? He continued to scold: "How can you live up to your parents' kindness if you refuse to change despite repeated admonitions? Look at you, Liu Qing has been forced to this point by you."

Liu Zhi cried and said, "Your Majesty, I think..."

Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted him: "Mr. Deng, please come closer."

At this moment, his eyes fell on Deng Qianqiu. When the ministers heard about Deng Qing's family, they were all surprised again. A hint of coldness had already flashed across Wang Guangyang's eyes.

It’s this Deng Qianqiu again. Deng Qianqiu is from Fengyang and was reportedly won over by Hu Weiyong... Could it be that... Deng Qianqiu’s move was part of Hu Weiyong’s plan?

Liu Ji's face remained calm, but he glanced at Li Shanchang out of the corner of his eye.

Compared with Hu Weiyong, he was more afraid of Li Shanchang. Although Hu Weiyong was vindictive, he felt that Deng Qianqiu's sudden rise recently was probably not the work of Hu Weiyong. Only an old fox like Li Shanchang could be so far-sighted.

Li Shanchang glanced at Hu Weiyong.

Hu Weiyong was completely confused. Today...what on earth was going on?

Deng Qianqiu, who was named, stepped forward obediently under the gaze of everyone and said, "Your Majesty."

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at Deng Qianqiu and said, "You three, pay your respects to Deng Qianqiu. From today on, they are your mentors! Liu Zhi is incompetent, and the Great Hall cannot teach you, so... you should learn some skills from Deng Qianqiu."

Liu Zhi: “…”

Liu Zhi froze.

His tears had not yet fallen, but they were already in disarray in the wind.

Even though he disliked these princes, his duty was to teach them. But what was the point of this? He asked the princes to become apprentices to a little boy. What was Liu Zhi doing?
The ministers were also shocked. They never expected that after thinking of countless possibilities and ideas, this would be the outcome.

Zhu Di and Zhu Su were even more dumbfounded. They blinked their eyes and were at a loss for a moment.

"I object." Zhu Gang was furious.

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at him and shouted, "What are you objecting to?"

Zhu Gang said with a stern face: "Deng Qianqiu and I have always been close friends. Why do you want to become my disciple? Isn't this disregarding human ethics and turning the world upside down? Father, you can't do this. This is the behavior of a beast."

Zhu Gang cried out in grief and anger.

Zhu Yuanzhang was furious and said, "It's fine if you don't have any skills, but you dare to refute what I say? When I was your age, I met a carpenter. At that time, I thought that if I could be lucky enough to be an apprentice of the carpenter and he taught me a way to make a living, I would be willing to work like a slave for him. But even so, the carpenter still drove me away, because this was his secret skill to make a living, how could he easily teach others."

"Today I taught you a skill, but you didn't show gratitude and obey me obediently. You even dared to say such things in front of me. This is really outrageous! Xu Da, don't stop me, take my whip."

Xu Da did not try to stop Zhu Yuanzhang, but happily handed over the whip in his hand.

For Xu Da, these bad guys should have been beaten long ago. If they were other people in the army, wouldn't he have beaten them to death?
Zhu Gan opened his eyes and immediately bowed to Deng Qianqiu solemnly: "Student Zhu Gan greets Master Deng. If Master Deng is willing to give me some guidance, it would be a great honor for me. Please accept my respects, dear teacher."

Deng Qianqiu: “…”

After hearing this, Zhu Di and Zhu Su looked at each other, and the next moment they followed suit and said, "Please accept my disciple's greetings, Master."

Zhu Yuanzhang raised the whip, but gently dropped it, with an indignant look on his face: "You cheap ass, are you a donkey? You must take the whip before you stop."

Zhu Gang hung his head and said, "Father, a scholar can be killed but not humiliated. If you don't have the courage to be beaten, can't you argue with reason?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Shut up."

He looked back at Deng Qianqiu and said, "From now on, these guys will learn from you. You should discipline them well. If you do a good job, everyone will be happy. But if you collude with them and allow them to continue to make trouble, I will definitely not forgive you."

Deng Qianqiu thought to himself, what does this have to do with me? Shit, I’m here to send His Majesty back to the palace, what’s going on?
Deng Qianqiu was even more cowardly than Zhu Gang. Without waiting for Zhu Yuanzhang to raise his whip, he immediately said with emotion: "Your Majesty is wise. Such a move must have a deep meaning. How dare I refuse? I dare not be perfunctory. I must do my best."

Only God knows what the future will be like. After all, these princes are the most bizarre of the weird.

But whether the result is good or bad is a question of ability.

What Zhu Yuanzhang wants now is an attitude. In many cases, attitude determines everything.

Seeing Deng Qianqiu's statement, Zhu Yuanzhang was indeed satisfied: "I hope I didn't make a mistake. I have worked hard for half my life, but the only thing I am most worried about is these naughty sons. If you work hard, I will reward you."

Deng Qianqiu couldn't help but think in his heart, Zhu Di, in history... is the famous Emperor Yongle, is he considered the emperor's teacher?

(End of this chapter)