Regardless of what that gouzi actually was, for everyone in Huagai Hall, the most direct impression was how complex the image of the present emperor truly was.
Zhu Biao merely sighed casually.
What weighed most heavily on his mind was still the news of his teacher's death that he had just learned. He was already thinking about speaking privately with his father later and pleading for his teacher to be spared.
Yet Zhu Biao's casual remark caused many in the hall to feel an inexplicable sigh of emotion.
No matter how later generations spoke of it, saying that the Hongwu Emperor was bloodthirsty by nature.
Yet at the same time, it was also people of the Ming dynasty who praised him as one of the greatest emperors in ten thousand ages, claiming that his achievements surpassed those of Emperor Taizong of Tang.
Within the same dynasty, there existed completely opposite evaluations.
Even if part of the reason lay in the resurgence of border threats, such a phenomenon was rarely seen.
"I am not curious about what that gouzi is,"
said Zhang Fei in Yecheng, slapping his thigh with a somewhat reflective tone.
"However, looking at it now, the reputation of this Hongwu Emperor after his death is quite interesting."
"Setting aside what later generations say, just consider the debates within the Ming dynasty itself."
"Those who said he was bloodthirsty and fabricated slanders about eating human flesh were Ming people."
"And those who called him one of the greatest emperors in ten thousand ages, even wiser than that 'Li Erfeng,' were also Ming people."
Pang Tong had already formed a guess about this matter and said,
"Such completely different evaluations most likely depend on their source. The opinions of common folk and the judgments of great scholars are naturally different."
"Furthermore, the evaluation may resemble how people of the Tang and Song viewed history."
"When the state is well governed, readers of history tend to focus on the flaws of the past."
"But when times fall into chaos, people remember the strengths of ancient rulers."
These words earned nods of agreement.
After all, many remembered that when Mongol forces entered the city at the end of the Song dynasty, someone once invoked the name of Zhao Yun and feigned a divine manifestation to frighten the enemy into retreat.
That could barely be considered a case of remembering heroes during troubled times.
Zhang Fei, however, did not quite agree. He grabbed Pang Tong's sleeve and said,
"Military Adviser Pang, do not try to deceive me. Yesterday the Zhuangzi said that scholars tend to honor the ancient and belittle the present. What does that have to do with whether the state is well governed or not?"
Pang Tong burst into laughter and tugged at Zhang Fei's sleeve.
"Yide, you are mistaken. Those pedantic fellows who constantly praise the governance of ancient Zhou may shout loudly, but they are no more than the buzzing of mosquitoes."
"Each of them reads a little and thinks he bears the mandate of the Duke of Zhou, yet they do not realize that if they lacked mastery of the Six Arts in that age, they might not even survive."
Pang Tong's words caused some in the hall to laugh and others to sigh.
"So it seems unsurprising that the Ming dynasty produced such flourishing novels, leaving extraordinary books for later generations."
Ma Liang shook his head.
"They mock the affairs of previous dynasties and even fabricate stories about their own dynasty. Yet they do so without being punished for crimes. That is indeed rare."
Zhuge Liang, however, shook his head.
"From a single leaf, one cannot see the entire tree. At present we have only learned of Ming affairs through a single episode. It is still too early to judge its merits and faults."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
---
[Lightscreen]
[Speaking of the matter of Song Lian, the fact that Zhu Yuanzhang did not immediately execute him was indeed partly because he was Zhu Biao's teacher. However, the role played by Empress Ma was even greater.
People today often discuss Zhu Yuanzhang's cruelty and frequently treat the death of Empress Ma in the fifteenth year of Hongwu as the turning point when Zhu Yuanzhang changed.
This view is not entirely wrong.
After all, it is well known that Zhu Yuanzhang began from a very low background.
Even without mentioning how much Empress Ma educated him, consider the time when Guo Zixing nearly killed Zhu Yuanzhang. If Empress Ma had not recognized his talent and protected him, it is uncertain whether the throne would eventually have belonged to someone surnamed Zhang or Chen instead.
As for the depth of affection between the two, the limitations of the era leave little detailed description.
Yet from the brief phrase "the emperor wept bitterly and never again established an empress," one can glimpse their relationship.
However, returning to the point, whether during her life or after her death, Empress Ma truly influenced the course of Ming history.
In the eighth month of the fifteenth year of Hongwu, Empress Ma passed away.
Zhu Yuanzhang was overwhelmed with grief and summoned the princes who had already departed for their fiefs to return to the capital to mourn their mother.
After the funeral concluded, Zhu Yuanzhang recalled Empress Ma's devotion to Buddhist practices during her lifetime.
He therefore ordered that when the princes returned to their fiefs, each must take a monk with them.
The purpose was simple.
The monk would remain constantly beside the prince, chanting scriptures and praying for blessings on behalf of Empress Ma.
As everyone knows, among those monks there was one who conversed particularly well with Zhu Di.
After hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's order, he volunteered to accompany Zhu Di back to Beiping.
Zhu Yuanzhang had no objection and immediately approved it.
During the Hongwu reign this monk was not particularly famous.
Yet during the Yongle reign, he became widely known as the "Black-Robed Chancellor."
Perhaps this can also be considered one of the lingering ripples of the Four Great Cases of Hongwu.
And with that, today's content comes to an end.
Next episode: Governance of the North and South, and the Jingnan Campaign.
But honestly speaking, Wen Mang truly cannot bear to part with you esteemed viewers.]
---
In Ganlu Hall, Li Shimin's keen instincts were immediately stirred.
He carefully instructed his son,
"You are still young and do not yet understand the subtleties of human relations. When you travel the realm in the future, monks, Daoists, and Confucian scholars will inevitably compete to accompany you."
"You may listen to what such people say, but whether you believe them must be considered again and again."
"You must never take their words as unquestionable truth."
"You are the future Son of Heaven. You must never become lost in empty words."
Although Li Chengqian did not fully understand, he still memorized the instruction with great seriousness.
Then he saw his father raise his head and clap the armrest of his chair while sighing deeply.
"How many scholars exist in later generations? How many fascinating individuals?"
Li Chengqian turned his head.
On the wide wall before them, lines of text were rapidly streaming past.
Only by focusing carefully could one see that each line was composed of strings of characters.
Many of those words were both bold and amusing.
---
[Server Chat Log]
[MoodNet: Speaking of this, among all founding emperors throughout history, in terms of authority and power, is Old Zhu perhaps among the very top?
NoSleepNet: Indeed he is. And not only that. In terms of digging pits for his descendants, Old Zhu is unmatched.
AlmostVir: After all, he ascended the throne in his prime and held absolute power for nearly twenty years.
MuteLife: No single word can accurately summarize the Hongwu reign.
LinkSoon: Old Zhu could be called a hero or a tyrant, a sage ruler or a ruthless strongman, a benevolent man or even a demon.
Cloutish: Among all emperors in history, none surpass him in complexity.
Drafted: To be fair, Zhu Yuanzhang truly developed a political model with some remarkable innovations.
Alg0Kid: Unfortunately he did not realize that the system only worked for him.
OverThinkr: Forcing later generations to imitate it was like Dong Shi imitating Xi Shi.
ScrollPro: To use a metaphor, Old Zhu's mind and abilities were like a 4090 graphics card crushing everything before it.
CtrlAltDelMe: But he never considered that when his descendants tried to run the same system, it would be like using integrated graphics to play Black Myth. The system would simply burn out.
UnverifiedLegend: Even if it worked, who would want to follow such a model?
EmojiFluent: Being emperor that way would feel like forced labor. What is the point? Better to simply lie flat.
RatioAvoider: Ultimately, he believed he was acting out of good intentions.
DigitalIntrovert: He forgot that he himself rose through reform.
ReplyGuyEnergy: Yet after becoming emperor he began fearing change, hoping to create an eternal system that would last forever.
WarButComfy: He never expected that once he died, no one could operate the system he had built. All they could do was constantly patch it.
FearPending: In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang's model was partly inspired by Zhao Kuangyin.
KnightInBeta: But Zhao Kuangyin's meritorious ministers were mostly officials and understood their limits.
ConquerOnTrial: Zhu Yuanzhang's group of meritorious ministers were far more unruly.
HeroForNow: In that case, why not imitate Zhao Kuangyin and leave a strong foundation for later generations?
BraveUntilHit: Zhao Guangyi_Well said. My turn. Gaoliang River Drift.
TryAgainKnight: The Fort Emperor_I follow. My move. The Tumu Campaign.
MarchIfPaid: Emperor Taizong of Tang_Boring. I am leaving this game.]
(End of Chapter)