It was late at night, but there was light shining out of an ordinary room in the capital, and the flickering candles were up and down, reflecting the faces of several angry middle-aged men sitting around the room.

"The letter "Lectures from the East Palace" was left in the middle."

"Although Your Majesty is in the prime of life, he was reluctant to accept a concubine at first, and now he has only one son and has repeatedly delayed the period of giving lectures in the East Palace! In two or three months, His Royal Highness will be eight years old, and even if it is a child of an ordinary family at this age, it is time to be enlightened! ”

"Yes! Taizu said back then: The son of the Son of Heaven is different from the son of the Gongqing Shishu, the son of the Gongqing Shishu is the prosperity and decline of the family, and the son of the Son of Heaven is the safety of the world. The weight of the main instrument will have the responsibility of the world. Your Majesty's family affairs are also state affairs, how could you miss such a major event as studying in the East Palace because of your love for your son?! ”

"That's right! I'll play it later! It's going to be played! ”

……

The surroundings of the East Palace are as dark as ever.

In the darkness, with a creak the door opened, a lantern floated outward.

"Where are we going?" A seven or eight-year-old child asked the old eunuch holding his hand.

"Go and see your father, Your Majesty is so sad that he has fallen ill."

"What's going on lately? Let my father be so worried? ”

The old eunuch continued to pinch the male duck's voice and said: "There are some nasty people in the outer court, they want to force your father and emperor to let you get up early and study every day, and those days are boring and hard. But they don't love you as much as your father. ”

"Forced ...... Emperor? ”

In the past, these were historical terms for him, but now they are all really around him.

The old eunuch couldn't explain who could force the emperor in a sentence or two, so he just sighed, "When His Highness grows up, he will understand." ”

The person who spoke was Liu Jin.

After a long period of walking, Zhu Houzhao, who had small hands and feet, was also a little panting. Especially at night, when the wind blows, he can't open his eyes.

The Qianqing Palace was brightly lit, but there was no movement, and the eunuchs and palace maids who walked by were even light-footed.

Before he could get to the side of the dragon's bed, he heard a cough.

Zhu Houzhao got a 'let's go in' look from Liu Jin, and he himself recalled the etiquette in the TV series, and then walked in.

"Son, see Father."

"Zhao'er ......?" The Emperor's hand in the yellow cuff reached out in his son's direction.

Zhu Houzhao was a little curious, and raised his eyes to look at the emperor.

I found that his eyes were a little faintly black, but his lips were white, he was a thin person from the bones, and his square face was very reluctant to smile.

History, he also knows. According to his age, the emperor is afraid that he has not yet reached thirty, which is really a sin.

Not to mention that this person is his father, even if he meets him on the road, he will also be moved by some compassion.

"Father......" Zhu Houzhao pinched the emperor's hand, which was somewhat cold, and his heart was always pinched.

"Father, it's okay. Father just misses you. The emperor tilted his head and smiled at his son as hard as he could, his eyes full of pampering.

Then he took a long breath with some difficulty, and raised his eyes to look at the people in the room, "Let's all go down, I will talk to the prince." ”

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After the crowd retreated.

The emperor stroked the prince's little hand, his voice was as weak as a gossamer, and said, "When I was young, I also lay next to my father like you. At that time, I always thought that it would be nice if my father could play with me for a while. ”

"That'...... Did the imperial grandfather play with his father? ”

The emperor was stunned for a while, as if he was reminiscing, and as if he was regaining his strength.

"Nope." He shook his head and said, "So I want to play with my emperor now...... It's a pity that the state affairs are busy, and my body can't support it......"

What he said made Zhu Houzhao feel so sad.

How could an emperor be like this?

"I can always be with my father." He said.

The emperor smiled, "The emperor is going to study too." ”

Zhu Houzhao suddenly thought of what Liu Jin said to him on the way over.

"I heard that the courtiers of the outer court want their sons to learn to read and write, which has forced my father to be depressed. But in fact, did the father already promise in his heart? ”

"How can a father not let his son study?" The Emperor said slowly, "It's just ...... The emperor is too young, and he is still a child. They can force me, but they shouldn't force you. ”

It's hard to say that Zhu Houzhao is not a good father. Although it is a little weaker.

As for reading, Zhu Houzhao has no objection, and will even take the initiative to read, he can't always be ignorant of ancient Chinese, and write a brush like a dog crawling. In the end, I don't understand that I can't call the eunuch to approve the red, so what kind of emperor should I be?

But in fact, the reading that the courtiers are talking about is probably talking about the learning of sages, warning the prince over and over again, you can't do this or that, otherwise you will be a faint monarch and will be infamous by history.

If you follow the path of these saint disciples and make yourself into a wood carving clay sculpture, then it will be boring.

It is understandable that they want to prevent the prince from becoming a faint prince without learning and unskilled, but the means are brutal, in fact, to force you to be obedient.

Only a robot that fed the Confucian values program could satisfy them.

After the key is satisfactory to them, will the world really be peaceful, and the people will really be rich?

"What does Father want to do?"

The emperor touched his son's head, "I think, I'll talk about it after winter." At least until next spring, when the weather warms up. Emperor, you can spend a lot of time with me. ”

Zhu Houzhao asked: "Then, will the courtiers of the outer court agree?" ”

Hongji didn't expect his young son to ask this question.

He suddenly felt some heartache,

Zhao'er is the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, his only son, what made such a young child plant the seed of 'fear of disapproval from the ministers'?

"Ahem."

"Father?"

"I'm fine." The emperor didn't want to infect his son's body with the emotions in his heart, so he still forced a smile, "That's it, I make an agreement with the emperor, I will definitely help you do this well, okay?" ”

Zhu Houzhao didn't expect the emperor to have such a playful heart.

"Good. Then I will listen to my father. ”

"Hmm." The emperor's mood was much calmer, and he was a little tired after saying so much, and he was a little tired later.

Zhu Houzhao withdrew from the warm pavilion in time,

It's just that tonight's things still can't be put down.

He glanced at his gray-haired father-in-law, who had sent him out.

"Your Highness." This person is Xiao Jing, who has been serving Emperor Hongzhi for many years.

"Father-in-law Xiao, have you been persuading me to study lately?"

His Royal Highness asked, but the old slave did not dare not answer. It's just a matter of sparseness, it's a matter of national affairs, and the old slave ......," he smiled embarrassedly, "The old slave doesn't know either." ”

"Where's Soshu?"

"In the Imperial Case."

"Okay, then Grandpa Xiao goes."

It's normal for these eunuchs not to touch the song, but he can.

Anyway, Emperor Hongzhi will not and does not want to do anything to him.

At other times, it's a big sin to do that.

Zhu Houzhao didn't care about that, and went to the imperial case. He was too small to reach, so he climbed onto the dragon chair.

On the case is a sorted fold, the four treasures of the study are gathered, and good rice paper is also placed.

Only one piece of music was thrown aside,

Traditional Chinese characters can only be recognized, and ancient people wrote articles without punctuation, so it is somewhat difficult to recognize. But it's not that I can't read it.

Especially this name, Zhu Houzhao can understand it at a glance: the East Palace is out of the cabinet to give lectures.

In the history of the Eight Classics, the ministers did have a long battle of wits and courage with the emperor for the education of the crown prince Zhu Houzhao.

The education of the crown prince was also a huge problem in this era.

The emperor always stopped the crown prince from studying, and there were at least two things that Wenchen absolutely could not accept.

First, if the crown prince is not with the teachers, he will inevitably be with the eunuchs all day long, and the children will play with whomever they want, especially Zhu Houzhao is seven years old.

If this continues, the prince is closer to the eunuch than to Wenchen, and every day that passes in this day, the Wenchen group will be one point away from the core of decision-making in the future.

Second, the identity of the emperor is a great aura. has been blocked, that is, it has blocked the glory and wealth of many people.

But Emperor Hongzhi's favor for the crown prince was no less than that of Emperor Taizu for Prince Yiwen, and even more than that.

Reading is so hard, the child is so young, how can the emperor be willing?

In this way, contradictions are planted.

In the seventh year of Hongzhi, Ma Wensheng, the secretary of the Ministry of War, first raised this issue, and also engaged in a set of education plans and submitted them together.

The emperor's response was "Cana". It's just very good, I agree.

But the words are slippery, but the body is very honest, and there is no specific action at all.

After half a year, the minister found out that something was wrong, isn't this fooling us?

Emperor Hongzhi, who was pointed out of his thoughts, could only beg for mercy, saying that my son was too young.

So the ministers had to wait.

In the ninth year of Hongzhi, a group of civil servants couldn't stand it anymore, and Xu Pu, the first assistant of the cabinet, was in a hurry.

Emperor Hongzhi had no choice but to appoint eleven people headed by Xu Pu as officials of the East Palace.

But then I felt really uncomfortable, and after thinking about it, I went and discussed, or should you "still worship with your old position"?

By this year, the ministers' recitals will be like a flood that can't be stopped.

Some ministers who have a bad mind and feel that they are very upright are becoming more and more unable to listen to what they say.

even pointed out directly: The emperor, you are too emotional, and you are too willful in educating your son, which is really a faint monarch's approach, and if you continue like this, you will cultivate a faint monarch again! That's fine, but Your Majesty, you are such a prince, if he is not talented, what face will Your Majesty face the ancestors and ancestors. Does Your Majesty want to let the prince play all the time with his temperament, and rule the country by frolicking and playing in the future?

Zhu Houzhao smacked his lips, although he could only look at it roughly, he also felt that the emperor should be angry.

What's the difference between this and swearing?

"Your Highness, it's time to go back to the palace."

"Got it."

On the way back, he still couldn't help but think about these things, although the Forbidden City was big, it was difficult for him to be happy.

Especially in a different time and space five hundred years away, there is not even a person to talk to, so it is inevitable that I am a little lonely.

Such a night, such a quiet,

When he returned to the East Palace and looked at his spacious Zhufang Palace, he sighed and said: "I live in a big house, but I am also a little empty." ”

Liu Jin is an expert in observing words and feelings, and immediately replied: "If Your Highness feels empty, tomorrow the slave maid will let people bring some things in." ”

"Forget it." Zhu Houzhao lay on the bed upside down, but he didn't feel sleepy, and his mind was the weak appearance of his father, "Think about it carefully, although the palace is empty, it is not easy to move around." ”