In terms of personal relationship, Zhu Gaoxu and Hu Hu trust each other.

After the fall of the party of the abolished prince, Hu Hu was the first to be appointed as one of the ministerial-level ministers. Hu Hu also abandoned all public and private prejudices, and in accordance with the will of Emperor Zhu Gaoxu, presided over the whitewashing of Qi Tai.

But at this time, both were cautious. Even if Zhu Gaoxu said in advance that "he will not admit when he goes out" and "everything is innocent", he cannot completely eliminate the inexplicable estrangement.

Humanity is like a tiger with the king, and Hu Hu is so cautious, which is a matter of course. And can Zhu Gaoxu fully trust the ministers? How could he expect a scholar like Hu Hu to truly understand him?

At this moment, Zhu Gaoxu actually sat down on the floor. The floor in the attic is wood, and the floor is clean, but the wood is still cool in the early spring. Zhu Gaoxu adjusted his posture and sat there with a comfortable and lazy appearance.

Hu Hu did not say anything about such a "loss of honor", he has never been a pedantic person.

Zhu Gaoxu sighed and said in an easy-going tone: "I think that back then, I deployed the arrest of Jianwen's father and son in Yunnan, and it was not easy to implicate it. This matter was done quickly and accurately, Hu Butang experienced it personally, but it was not my boast. ”

Hu Hui said: "The saint is resolute and meticulous, and the minister is still deeply impressed. ”

Zhu Gaoxu said: "Hu Butang made a secret visit and handled that complicated matter, and he also showed a very high talent. You sit down too, and I'm talking to you with my head up, very tired. ”

"Obey." Hu Hu sat down cross-legged on the floor. The two became a strange form of opposite.

Zhu Gaoxu said again: "Later, there was a sudden accident in the court, and I was caught off guard and forced to raise troops; The whole 'battle against crime' was difficult, but there were traces to follow.

In addition to the correct decision-making in terms of tactics and strategy, coupled with luck, the integration of civil and military forces in the old mansion of the Han Dynasty is also the key to victory. At that time, the civil and military beliefs of the Han Dynasty were very consistent, and they were clear and simple, failure was a catastrophe, and what was there more than a stronger and more universal belief in the desire to survive? ”

"Now that I'm on the throne, I find that governing this country is far more complicated than controlling a war. The diversity of people's hearts cannot be unified. Even if I use the standards of science to regulate beliefs, I still feel powerless. ”

Hu Hui said: "The saint is worried, and the minister empathizes, he only hates being in a high position, but the corpse is a vegetarian meal, and he can't worry about the king, which is really sinful." ”

When Zhu Gaoxu heard this, his face was a little surprised and a little relieved: "You can tell me how to empathize." ”

Hu Hu pondered for a moment and said: "The saint mentioned the trip to Yunnan, and the minister remembered that at the time of the three holy pagodas in Dali, there was a review of being an official. At first, the minister studied the imperial examination, had a passion for help, and retired to the countryside when he became famous. Unexpectedly, he worked hard to protect himself and make progress, and the official became bigger and bigger, but he felt more and more powerless. ”

Zhu Gaoxu listened carefully and asked, "How to help the common people, can you be more specific?" ”

Hu Hui said: "The ministers come from the countryside and know very well that the people are suffering, hunger, cold, hardship, sickness, death, all kinds of suffering only need one to make people miserable, although the Buddha cannot benefit all sentient beings. Only those who have joined the WTO have some role to play, that is, to be officials. The government is clear and the people's hearts are oriented, so that the common people will not be hungry or cold in the harvest year, and the disaster year will not bury the wilderness, and even change the child to eat. ”

"I believe in Hu Butang's ideals. Those who only have selfish desires and have no ideals and public intentions cannot lead the liao and gain people's respect like Hu Butang. Zhu Gaoxu encouraged.

He then frowned and said, "Relieving pain is indeed a pragmatic ideal. However, the country and the people are all sailing against the current, and if they do not advance, they will retreat, and if they only want to maintain the most basic stability, I am afraid that in the long run, they will carve the boat to seek the sword, and the gains will outweigh the losses. ”

Hu Hu wanted to speak and stopped, and suddenly asked, "The Holy Lord wants to implement a new policy?" ”

The conversation was interrupted suddenly, and the monarch in the attic remained in a strange posture and fell silent.

Zhu Gaoxu finally broke the silence and said, "I know that many ministers don't trust me in their hearts. Maybe they can't say the reason themselves, but they will be very insecure, such as my uncle Xu Huizu. ”

Hu Hu was a little embarrassed, and hurriedly said: "The saint treats people with sincerity, and he is more sincere than most subjects. ”

Zhu Gaoxu said: "The imperial court needs a large number of people to rule, whether it is a new policy or an old policy, what kind of people are used?" Since the dynasties, there have been clan divisions, foreign relatives dictatorship, and military generals in power, and the result is a lesson from history, and the harm is that the country is completely out of control. Scholars and civil officials are inseparable from the emperor system.

The ruler of the world must be a man of ability. From an intellectual point of view, civil officials can stand out from the millions of scholars, and they are themselves the elite of this world. Even if I had relied on force to seek justice, I would have had good reasons to trust and cooperate with the civilian authorities. Some of the problems are not with people, but with deviations in ideas. ”

He paused for a moment, then continued: "My philosophy of life always seems to be a circle that can be circulated. Today's imperial examination system was formulated by Emperor Taizu, Kaienke is also the power of the emperor, and Confucianism is also the ideology advocated by the imperial court; How could the emperor blame the civil officials selected in this way? ”

Zhu Gaoxu glanced at Hu Hu and threw out more goodwill and compromise: "I also want to increase the income of officials. Officials held the power of the dynasty and should not be seen as tools by the aristocracy as in the Yuan dynasty, but should share more in the name of it. ”

Hu Hui said: "The saint is virtuous, and he has the style of the ancient saints. ”

Zhu Gaoxu smiled and said: "The world does not need faith, but it is not possible to criticize the morality of officials too much. After all, it has always been an ideal pursuit to require ordinary people not to leave their roads behind, not to close their doors at night, and to require gentlemen to be selfless. Perhaps we should improve the system more and be more pragmatic and rational, rather than relying only on human feelings and morality. ”

Hu Hu nodded thoughtfully.

At this time, Hu Hui finally stopped just talking clichés, he suddenly returned to the topic and talked about Xie Jin: "The minister dare not claim that Xie Jin is completely selfless. However, Mr. Hu criticized Xie Jin's fame and reputation and selling his fame, and the minister thought that he was a little wronged. ”

Zhu Gaoxu said calmly: "Hu Butang, please continue." ”

Hu Hui said: "Xie Jin has indeed gained a lot of fame because he dares to speak out. A person like him may feel that he has only done what he should have done, said what he ought to say, and said what he should have said. Otherwise, Xie Jinda could have grasped the balance more appropriately, instead of putting himself in a situation of removal many times.

The minister could not determine the inside story. However, Xie Jin's actions can be praised by many civil officials and scholars, which is reasonable, and the saint must not ignore it. It can be seen that the people below believe in the words of the sages, and many people have their hearts, at least a certain degree of sincerity, hoping to maintain benevolence, righteousness and morality. If the officials were all in disobedience, would the government be the current situation? ”

Zhu Gaoxu clapped his hands in approval, but encouraged Hu Hui's words.

Seeing this, Hu Hui said: "All things in the world are in harmony with yin and yang, and selfishness is yin. It is probably also true that officials in the DPRK and China have more or less selfish desires and have formed a party to protect themselves. ”

Zhu Gaoxu nodded and said: "This is also a problem that is bound to arise because the government is too dependent on morality." Because there is no clear standard for rewards and punishments, officials lack a sense of security, and of course they have to subconsciously form parties and form groups under various names, and pay too much attention to personal relationships. ”

At this time, he finally made up his mind and said: "Xie Jin is not corrupt and perverts the law, although his words are inappropriate, but it is also excusable. I decided to forget it this time. ”

Hu Hui arched his hand and said: "The saint's heart is as wide as the sky and the sea. ”

Zhu Gaoxu stood up from the ground, patted his robe a few times, and said with a sigh of relief: "I benefited a lot from talking to Hu Butang today. ”

Unexpectedly, Hu Hu got up and asked, "What does the saint think about the feast?" ”

Zhu Gaoxu nodded and said, "Three times a month, I will also do as you ask." ”

Hu Hui bowed and said: "Holy and sage! ”

Zhu Gaoxu looked at his face, and finally couldn't help but say: "I feel that although the current system has been stable and mature, the biggest problem is the lack of the driving force for the country to move forward. ”

Hu Hu was stunned for a moment, as if he couldn't understand immediately, so he had to respond: "Yes." ”

Zhu Gaoxu went downstairs, surrounded by the palace people, and went to the Rouyi Hall in a sedan chair. There he met the eunuch Wang Gui and the concubine Miaojin.

He said to Miaojin: "Since the 'Battle of Jingjing' and the 'Battle of Crime,' because of the change of imperial power, there has been a tendency for contradictions to intensify between the Chinese and the armed forces of the DPRK. I have not been on the throne for a long time, but I am afraid that I will fall into endless internal friction in the future. This grievance and dispute between Xie Jin and Hu Guang did not benefit after it expanded, so I became a peacemaker; At the same time, it is also a gesture between monarchs and ministers, Hu Guang is more obedient, Xie Jin is disobedient, reconcile! ”

Miao Jin thought for a moment and said softly: "The Holy Lord is going to be a matchmaker?" ”

Zhu Gaoxu shook his head, lifted the brush on the table, and wrote a few words: Peacock flies southeast.

He handed the undried paper to Wang Gui and said, "You take my calligraphy and give it to Hu Guang." ”

Wang Gui bowed forward, took it carefully with both hands, and said, "The slave and maid receive the order." ”

Zhu Gaoxu kept his promise and began to talk to Miaojin about the plot of summoning Hu Hu today. Because Miaojin's position is not on the civilian-official group, Zhu Gaoxu is even less evasive and more thorough. The "circle" of the operation of the central power of the Ming Dynasty has also made some insights and descriptions.

Miao Jin obviously didn't realize in advance that there were so many things in it. She looked at Zhu Gaoxu's eyes, and she also had a little more reverence and appreciation.

Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu was very useful. No matter how complex his heart is, he can't get rid of his original appeal, sense of value and identity.