Chapter 127 So terrifying

"The court judge Xin Jin discussed with the prime minister and said: "Officials and those with official rank who are supervised, governed, traveled, and led by their subordinates should pay for their food and drink, and not discuss it. If they buy other things at a low price and sell them at a high price, they will all be considered as stealing..."

Zhu Gang ignored the gazes of others and continued to recite.

The main hall was completely silent, and everyone looked at Zhu Gang with strange eyes.

You know, this guy... hasn't been to the main hall to study for more than half a year.

The most important thing is that this guy could recite it so clearly, word for word.

"In the third month of spring, the crown prince De was made the King of Hejian, Yan was made the King of Linjiang, the rest were made the King of Huaiyang, and Fei was made the King of Runan..."

Zhu Gang continued to recite without stopping.

Zhu Yuanzhang's face was shocked at first, and then his eyes showed confusion.

No one knows a son better than his father. At least he has some understanding of Zhu Gang's character.

He didn't expect Zhu Gang to make much progress in just half a month.

But now, in his eyes, Zhu Gang seemed like a different person.

Liu Zhi's expression was even more bizarre. At first, he was dismissive and thought that Zhu Gang was just... coming here to help...

But the more Zhu Gang recited, the more excited he became, and he realized the seriousness of the situation.

Zhu Di, who was standing by, became a little anxious and said, "Third brother, you take a break first. I will carry you from behind."

Zhu Gang ignored him and continued to spit out words from his mouth without missing a word.

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression gradually changed from puzzlement to overjoyed, his eyes became kind, and he asked excitedly: "These...you can recite all of these?"

Zhu Gang then stopped reciting and replied, "Father, from the Chronicle of Emperor Gao to the Chronicle of Emperor Jing, I can recite it backwards by heart."

All the ministers were shocked. This was a lot to learn. The difficulty lay in being able to memorize it. How many days had it been in just a few days?
Zhu Yuanzhang was so shocked that he was speechless and could not believe it for a moment.

He pointed at Zhu Di: "What about you?"

Zhu Di was just waiting for his father to ask him. Now that his father finally asked him, he was so excited that his heartbeat accelerated. He hurriedly said, "Father, I have learned the Emperor Zhao Ji, which is one step faster than my third brother."

Zhu Yuanzhang was surprised when he saw his son whose mind was filled with archery, horse riding and shooting since he was a child.

His eyes fell on Zhu Su.

Zhu Su straightened his chest and was about to speak.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said, "Forget it. You must have learned as much as your two brothers."

Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "How did you learn so much?"

He looked at Deng Qianqiu: "Deng Qingjia, you speak."

Deng Qianqiu said: "I am idle on weekdays, and it is the princes who taught me by myself."

There was deathly silence in the hall again.

In fact, Deng Qianqiu was telling the truth. He would not change his name or surname. Even if the king came, he would still be honest.

After all, Deng Qianqiu hated boastful people the most in his life.

But when Deng Qianqiu said this, no one laughed at him or believed him. Instead, they all looked at Liu Zhi.

Liu Zhi's ridicule of Deng Qianqiu for being idle is still fresh in people's memory.

Liu Zhi's face suddenly changed. He felt unbelievable, but for a moment, he couldn't find what was wrong.

At this time, Deng Qianqiu smiled and said, "Mr. Liu, I wonder if His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin can recite it well?"

Liu Zhi remained silent. Even though he was eloquent, he couldn't explain what was going on.

Zhu Yuanzhang was smiling at this time. He felt relieved. Among his three sons, even the most incompetent one could recite the Book of Han by heart. What else in the world could be more gratifying than knowing that one's own flesh and blood had made progress?
Seeing Liu Zhi didn't say anything, Zhu Yuanzhang remembered something. Yes, I have only read a little of the Han Shu, and I don't know whether I have memorized it correctly. So he turned to Liu Zhi and said, "Mr. Deng asked you, why don't you answer?"

Liu Zhi felt like a thorn in his back, and after thinking for a while, he said, "Your Majesty, you are right."

Zhu Yuanzhang was overjoyed.

Deng Qianqiu suddenly asked: "Mr. Liu, are you sure you are right?"

Liu Zhi: “It should be correct.”

Deng Qianqiu said: "I heard that Lord Liu is well-read and knowledgeable. I think his understanding of the Han Dynasty is much deeper than that of you. I wonder if Lord Liu can recite the entire text without missing a word."

Liu Zhi: “…” At this time, someone had already given Liu Zhi sympathetic looks.

After all, this was the early Ming Dynasty, and scholars at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty were not as studious as they were later. Many scholars actually memorized the Four Books and Five Classics in order to pass the imperial examinations.

Even though Liu Zhi was known for his profound knowledge, it would still be difficult for him to recite the Book of Han immediately without missing a single word.

Deng Qianqiu said: "Mr. Liu said that I am ignorant and incompetent, which makes me ashamed, so today I have no choice but to ask Mr. Liu, who is knowledgeable, for guidance. I also ask Mr. Liu to recite to me and open my eyes."

Liu Zhi couldn't say a word for a while. He remembered some of the contents, but on the one hand, it was impossible for him to recite them by heart, and on the other hand, he couldn't help but get nervous at this moment, and his mind went blank.

Deng Qianqiu smiled and said, "You can't be unable to recite it. Even His Royal Highness the Third Prince can recite it, this is impossible."

Liu Zhi subconsciously began to rack his brain, but at this time, he found that his memory was a little disappointing, and cold sweat was already oozing out of his forehead.

But Deng Qianqiu said, "No way, no way, we are all reading the Book of Han. Mr. Liu is so talented, how could his understanding of the Book of Han be so superficial? Could it be that Mr. Liu is reading "The Lovely Wife" every day?"

Liu Zhi was furious and shouted, "You are slandering me, you... you are shameless, you..."

Deng Qianqiu said: "Don't be anxious, Mr. Liu, why are you so anxious? A gentleman is open and honest, while a villain is always worried, but he has no hidden agenda."

Liu Zhi: “…”

The ministers looked at everything in front of them blankly, and no one was willing to help at this time.

Zhu Yuanzhang just watched coldly.

"Mr. Liu, if you can't recite it, then don't recite it. Just say it. Why are you so angry? However, if Mr. Liu's understanding of the Book of Han is not as good as that of the princes, then... I am really ashamed of you. Aren't classics and history books your forte? You also say that you worship Confucius. Look, Confucius will die with his eyes open."

Liu Zhi was so angry that he was shaking, so he fell to the ground and said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Your Majesty, I...I...I have suffered such a great humiliation...I..."

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't want to pay attention to him. Instead, he stared at Zhu Gang and the other two and said, "You only memorized the Han Dynasty? What else have you learned in these days?"

In fact, being able to recite the Book of Han was already amazing, but when Zhu Yuanzhang asked further questions, he naturally had greater expectations.

The ministers looked at the three princes, all of them feeling complicated.

Zhu Gang said: "Father, I have something to report."

Zhu Yuanzhang was delighted: "Okay, you tell me."

Zhu Gang said, "Father, I have two things to report. First, I heard that the pseudo-Yuan Shun Emperor, Toghon Temur, had passed away. I heard that he died of illness in the desert. I think that our army has just experienced a great victory, and it is not appropriate to use weapons at this time. The Spring and Autumn Annals says: Do not attack at a time of mourning. Our Ming Dynasty is the king's army. Now that the pseudo-Shun Emperor has died of illness, this is the time for our Ming Dynasty to show its benevolence. I beg you, father, to temporarily stop the war."

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang could not tell whether he was happy or angry. He just said, "Go on, speak freely."

Zhu Gang said: "Second, at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the country was in turmoil. Thousands of miles of fertile land were covered with bones. I don't know how many people were displaced and their sufferings were obvious. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, we have been engaged in wars many times, and the young and strong people we have recruited are not ordinary. Many people left their fields barren for the northern expedition, and died in the war in foreign lands. They suffered terribly. I think that now is the time to rest with the people and not to talk about war. The most urgent task now is to temporarily stop the war and rest with the people. Father... This is for the people and for the long-term stability of our Ming Dynasty."

"When I think of the sufferings of the people in the war, I cannot bear it. So I beg you to stop the fighting for now. This will be a blessing for the world and all the people."

Zhu Yuanzhang paced back and forth, listening quietly. After listening to the speech, he looked neither happy nor angry, but with a complicated expression. Seeing Zhu Gang's distressed look, he was quite contagious. Zhu Yuanzhang pondered and suddenly looked at the ministers and said, "What do you think of the words of the King of Jin?"

After a pause, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Liu Zhi and said, "Tell me about it."

After hearing this, Liu Zhi hurriedly said, "This is indeed the truth. The first one is indeed from the Spring and Autumn Period. The army should not attack the place where there is mourning. This is the behavior of a king. What your highness hopes for is to be able to implement benevolent policies. Instead of fighting wars year after year and recklessly using swords and weapons, it is better to implement benevolent policies for the people, reduce penalties, reduce taxes, and deepen ploughing and weeding. If the strong people use their free time to cultivate filial piety, brotherhood, loyalty and trustworthiness, then there is no need to worry about the world not being able to be governed well. Your Majesty, I think... Your Highness the Prince of Jin... What your highness said is in line with the teachings of the saints and the Zhou rituals."

Many of the ministers nodded secretly.

But Li Shanchang suddenly opened his eyes and then slowly closed them.

Liu Ji looked suspicious and glanced at Deng Qianqiu meaningfully.

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "You can say such a thing, it seems... you must have read this book..."

"Father, I haven't finished speaking yet." Zhu Gang said, "What I just said was based on the story of Qin Hui. In the History of Song Dynasty, Qin Hui persuaded the Emperor of Song to negotiate peace. At that time, the Jin people had just experienced civil strife, and Han Shizhong and others strongly advocated taking the opportunity to attack the Jin Kingdom and recover the lost territory. Qin Hui then used the story of "the army should not attack the mourning" in the Spring and Autumn Annals to persuade the Emperor of Song, so the matter was dropped. After that, he repeatedly advised the Emperor of Song, using the excuse of resting with the people and thinking about the lives of the people, and finally made the Song Dynasty beg for peace with the Jin."

"..."

The hall suddenly fell silent.

Liu Zhi's face turned green. Qin Hui... bah... why didn't you say it earlier?
Zhu Yuanzhang was shocked and looked at Zhu Gang in confusion.

Zhu Gang said with great joy: "I said this to make a point. That is, no matter if they are treacherous or loyal, no matter what their purpose is, as long as they give advice, they will definitely be like me just now, full of benevolence, righteousness, filial piety and brotherhood, and speak in a high-sounding manner, thinking of the people. So when dealing with anyone, you can't listen to one side of the story. Don't listen to what he says, but understand his motives and know his intentions. Only in this way can you see through everything."

Zhu Yuanzhang was shocked.

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(End of this chapter)