Chapter 156 The Truth
Zhu Chong was talking with spit flying everywhere.

"So whether it's etiquette, morality, or laws, they all need to conform to human nature. If they go against people's fundamental interests and are enforced by force, then... they will inevitably become empty talk in the end, just like Confucius. The etiquette he established was eventually distorted by later generations. People promoted what was beneficial to them, but if it was not beneficial to them, even if a knife was placed on his neck, it would be useless."

Zhu Chong said: "Just like I treat you, I teach you to be convinced, and then you will study hard. If I beat you every day, you will cry and make a fuss, which will only make you hate me and be afraid of studying."

Finally the three children understood this sentence and nodded.

Zhu Chong sighed and said, "Next, keep reading."

After saying that, he raised the book and started to read.

He seemed to be focused and unconcerned about what was happening in the outside world.

Such a concentrated look made Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma speechless with shock.

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned deeply, paced a few steps, and moved further away from the window.

He looked at Deng Qianqiu with a strange look.

Seeing this, Queen Ma also moved over.

Her eyes were even more shocked and filled with disbelief.

Empress Ma whispered, "Your Majesty, what happened to Xun'er? Why has her temperament changed?"

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath and said, "Strange, too strange, I really can't imagine it. It is said that it is difficult to change a person's nature, but how come... it has become like this..."

Zhu Yuanzhang then looked at Deng Qianqiu and said, "Deng Qianqiu, what... is going on?"

Deng Qianqiu said calmly: "Of course the King of Qin is kind by nature..."

Zhu Yuanzhang almost wanted to yell, "Bullshit!", but he suddenly held back and said, "Tell the truth."

Deng Qianqiu said, "Your Majesty, I once heard from His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin that His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin was very smart since he was young, but later on his temper became more and more violent. This shows that violent behavior is obviously not in His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin's nature."

Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to begin to recall. He pondered and felt that it seemed to be so.

Queen Ma nodded and said, "Yes, he was a good kid when he was little. He was also timid and would cry when he saw a house mouse."

As if she thought of the warm side of the past, Queen Ma couldn't help but curl up her lips into a gentle smile.

Deng Qianqiu said: "Teaching and educating people is like curing an illness. The most important thing is to prescribe the right medicine for the right disease! Therefore, the first thing we need to understand is why His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin became what he did later."

"So, I racked my brains and pondered, and then I remembered that the reason why His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin was like this was nothing more than that the people around him obeyed him and flattered him without any bottom line. In addition, Your Majesty taught him strictly, which made him rebellious. Over time, he became more and more rebellious, and more arrogant, and developed a lot of bad habits."

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed and said, "Am I wrong to discipline him harshly?"

Deng Qianqiu said: "There is no right or wrong between father and son. What matters is... whether it is appropriate or not. This is what we call teaching in accordance with the individual and teaching in accordance with the aptitude."

"So..." Deng Qianqiu smiled and said, "I made a bet with His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned.

Deng Qianqiu said: "The reason for setting up the gambling game is that His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin is rebellious and competitive. As long as the gambling game is set up, he will definitely take the bait. And... his personality is... ahem... greedy. Of course, greed is human nature. Everyone is greedy, even..."

A hint of coldness flashed across Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes.

Deng Qianqiu felt the death line and said quickly: "Even Lianchen has endless greed. This is human nature..."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "Greed is indeed human nature, but this greed must be above etiquette and discipline. Otherwise, if one is greedy, he will become a beast..."

Deng Qianqiu said with emotion: "Your Majesty's words really hit the nail on the head. Every word is a pearl, and it is very beneficial to teach people! The difference between humans and animals is that humans can control their desires, but beasts cannot. Because of this, talents are the leaders of all spirits. Confucius said..." At this time, Queen Ma interrupted and said, "You can talk about Xun'er first."

"Yes." Deng Qianqiu said hurriedly, "In fact, not much silver was gambled, only a few thousand taels, but I used this real gold and silver to put it in a box, and then had someone open the box in front of His Majesty the King of Qin, which gave people a different shock. Your Majesty must understand what I mean. Sometimes, no matter how much silver is, if it is turned into a number and written on the account, it always seems to be light and not worth mentioning. But if this real gold and silver is displayed, it can shock people."

"Then, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin really became interested. He decided to make a bet with me, and the bet was that he would teach these three orphans to read."

Zhu Yuanzhang: "..."

Deng Qianqiu continued, "His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin has lived for so many years, but he has never known what responsibility is. In his mind, no one in this world can restrain him, and he does not need to take responsibility for anyone. So he can indulge himself at will, without any scruples. But now, he has to be forced to teach these three children to read."

Empress Ma couldn't help but ask: "But... these three children... won't they be harmed by his tyranny..."

Deng Qianqiu smiled and said, "Your Majesty's worries are unnecessary. Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin is very competitive, and a competitive person will never admit defeat easily. So the agreement in our bet is that we are not allowed to touch the child."

Empress Ma suddenly realized and smiled, as if she had guessed something: "So, he has to take care of these three children?"

“Not only do we need to take care of them, we also need to teach them.”

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly and said, "What can he teach me..."

Deng Qianqiu smiled: "It is precisely because he cannot teach that he needs to supplement his knowledge. Otherwise, he would not be able to teach even something as simple as the Analects. He would be embarrassed."

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression became strange.

The way to make a person study well is to make him a teacher?
And the way to make someone willingly become a teacher is to set up a bet.

No matter how you sound, this seems a little unbelievable.

Deng Qianqiu said: "So... in private, he had to seek advice from me, and he studied very seriously. I have never seen such a serious prince before."

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but wonder, "Does this kid care so much about his own reputation?"

"Everyone wants to save face, especially in front of children." Deng Qianqiu said with a smile: "Not only that, in fact, there is also a side of human nature that likes to teach. There is no one in this world who does not like to be a teacher. Not to mention those scholars, even the waiters in this teahouse, the rickshaw drivers, and even the beggars begging on the street. If you give them a few copper coins, they will at most say thank you. But if you ask them for advice, they will talk to you nonstop for a whole afternoon."

Deng Qianqiu continued with a smile: "This is actually human nature. No one in the world is exempt from this rule. That's why the King of Qin was able to gradually find his own fun in this gambling game."

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang showed a strange expression, looked at him and said: "You kid, you know a lot."

Deng Qianqiu smiled bitterly and said, "I am just good at observation."

After a pause, Deng Qianqiu continued, "Because he likes to be a teacher, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin gradually immersed himself in it. He would naturally learn knowledge to avoid being laughed at by others. He would also unconsciously modify his behavior to make himself a role model for others. Over time, many of his bad habits have actually been slowly changed without him realizing it. Your Majesty, the easiest thing for people to adapt to is the environment."

Deng Qianqiu was afraid that Zhu Yuanzhang would not understand, so he said: "I heard that in some places, in order to educate their children, they will deliberately divide students into good and bad classes according to their knowledge. The good class specializes in teaching those students with high knowledge, while the bad class teaches students with low knowledge. Therefore, many parents are trying their best to send their children to good schools."

"This is not because there are really any great teachers in the academy with high academic achievements. Rather, it is because most of the students there are willing to study, and a good learning atmosphere has been formed, so that if some poor students are placed there, they will gradually blend in and accept such an environment. If the people around them are usually not interested in learning, then even the best students may slowly fall into it and be unable to extricate themselves."

"In fact, the same is true for His Royal Highness Prince Qin, but... the strategy I adopted is more clever and thorough than the method used by the Good and Bad School."

Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma suddenly realized.

"Very strange, very strange..." Zhu Yuanzhang smiled, his eyebrows were full of joy: "But... this makes sense. This move is really linked together, it is really clever. Let me ask you, what if... what if he still doesn't change? How can you ensure that this method is effective?"

Deng Qianqiu said: "If the bad habits still persist, there are still other ways. This kind of thing is actually a matter of fighting back. What I just said about treating the symptoms is to find the symptoms. Since this medicine is not suitable, then... find it again. Teaching and educating people, just beating and scolding will not work. What is most lacking is patience. Fortunately, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin is not a tyrannical person by nature, and this method is obviously effective. Your Majesty, do you think that His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin has made some progress in his studies over the past month, and many of his bad habits have been slowly corrected?"

Empress Ma couldn't help but tear up. "It's really unexpected. Your Majesty, I hope he can get better, but even in my dreams, I never dreamed that he could teach people to read so patiently, or even take care of half-grown children. I can't believe what's happening right now."

(End of this chapter)