Li Dongyang felt that his time was running out, and he followed his heart more when he spoke. In the early years, when the emperor first ascended the throne, he still had various worries, but in ten years, the income, the officials, the people, and the border army all changed greatly, and the facts had convinced him and made him trust the emperor.

As a result, he only had the wish to fulfill the name of his loyal minister.

In addition, there is also his appearance Li Zhaofan......

When the Emperor had gone, his boy came in.

"Father, is there anything uncomfortable? Do you want the child to help you lie down? ”

Li Dongyang was half-leaning on the head of the bed, his beard was sparse and gray, his eyes were dark, and his age spots were obvious, but he looked okay today, "...... Did you send your majesty away? ”

"Yes, according to the father's wishes, the son sent His Majesty to the door. Your Majesty, who was more approachable than his son had imagined, didn't say much. ”

"Uncle Dong, you have a peaceful personality and a kind heart, cough cough ......" Li Dongyang carried a certain concern that he couldn't let go, "My father knows, maybe someone will say to you that your career should not stop here." ”

Li Zhaofan smiled and narrowed his eyes, "Someone said so, but it would be annoying for my father to speak to the emperor...... Son, I don't want to do that. To have a messenger to earn a living, the son is already very satisfied. ”

Li Dongyang shook his head slightly.

This is not a matter of face for him, an old bone, and he is not afraid to open his mouth to the emperor, the Son of Heaven is not such a calculating person, on the contrary......

"You misunderstood what the Father meant." Li Dongyang sighed, "Your Majesty, you are not a monarch who follows the old ways, nor is it as mean and unkind as ordinary people say. On the contrary, His Majesty treats such old ministers as his father very kindly. After my death, with Your Majesty's generosity, perhaps you will be favored to a higher position. But...... But you are so peaceful and kind, the road of officialdom is a blessing or a curse for you. You don't have to see that the emperor is so approachable, if you provoke the emperor, you want the emperor to calculate you and deal with you...... Many people don't even know how they died. ”

Li Zhaofan's heart was awe-inspiring.

Of course, he had heard of the prestige of Emperor Zhengde.

But...... When they met for the first time, the Son of Heaven was so young and only majestic when he spoke, but he did not have a sense of profundity, which inevitably made him a little misjudged.

Now listen to the old father...... Presumably, it is my own old mistake again, that is, thinking of people too simple and too beautiful.

"The son is stupid, so my father is worried."

"There are parents in the world, and there are no parents in the world who dislike their children and grandchildren. Although you are not suitable for officialdom, you are kind to others; Although there is no city, it is just that people are defenseless. Your Majesty may like you very much. ”

Li Zhaofan blushed slightly, "These...... The son didn't dare to think about it. And even if it's true, with his son's thoughts, he can't do anything. ”

So in the past few years, I have also been filial piety in front of bed.

"Haha......" Li Dongyang laughed lightly twice, "Not really." ”

Li Zhaofan had a certain expectation, "Dad, did Your Majesty tell you something?" ”

"Your Majesty said that today is a time of great controversy. In the past few years in Jiangnan, you should have come into contact with a lot, such as the Semu people, the Dongying people, and many island countries in the South Seas. His Majesty believes that after the opening of the Ming Dynasty, exchanges with other countries began, and at the same time, competition with other countries began. This is a challenge that the people of the Central Plains have never faced in the past. ”

Li Zhaofan didn't understand too much, "...... So? ”

"Well...... Let's take an inappropriate example, if the competition between countries is defeated by the Ming Dynasty and the Han people are defeated, will there be a day like Meng Yuan entering the Central Plains, and the colored people will get involved in the Central Plains again? Although it has not been possible in recent decades. But you also know that His Majesty's natural resources and foresight are not comparable to ordinary people, so His Majesty thought of it. Since I thought of it, I had to have a way to deal with it, so His Majesty said that Zhu Ming was the orthodox Han people, and he was the homeland of the Han people, and the land of the Han people could not be occupied. ”

Li Zhaofan frowned, "What does Dad mean...... His Majesty wants to tell the world that the Han people should be united. ”

"To put it simply, so to speak. But from the level of historiography, His Majesty wants to reverse the struggle for hegemony in the minds of the people into the hegemony of one family in the world. ”

Li Dongyang glanced at Li Zhaofan's expression, "Look, you can't fully comprehend its gist, how can a hundred trillion people fully understand it?" ”

"Then what is Your Majesty going to do?"

"I think it's already being done. Yesterday's sacrifice was a signal, but His Majesty did not say exactly how to do it. This is what the Father wants to say to you, that you can make a difference in this matter. ”

"Me?"

"Yes. Since you are not good at dealing with the living, then deal with the dead. His Majesty's 'clan' is not just a title, but not supported by content. Han people, how can they be counted as Han people? A group needs to have a common ancestor, a common language, and a common etiquette, and these are all very profound questions that require a lot of reading and even on-the-spot observation to get the answer.

We have a large collection of books at home, so you can read them to your heart's content, and you can also use the money you have left over to help you travel far away. For the rest of your life, if you can answer this question well. That Father's accomplishment today is nothing at all. ”

Li Dongyang first said some of his thoughts, "For my father, of course, the word clan should be used in Han, but it is best not to use only Han. Otherwise, how will the imperial court treat those ethnic groups in the mountains of Southwest Tusi? If they are not Han Chinese, they cannot be counted as Han people, and if they cannot be counted as Han people, they are not the people of the Ming Dynasty, so what should I do? Abandon it? If you have forsaken people, will you give up their land? So it's self-tiding.

Moreover, it is not possible to rely on blood. After the Han people in China went through the Five Hu Rebellion, many Han people in the north have the blood of the Hu people, and His Majesty wants to conquer the Quartet, and the people of the new land are not of Han blood, how should the imperial court treat it? In fact, Emperor Taizu Gao has made it clear in his essay on Yuan Yuan: Mongolians and Semu, although they are not of the Chinese race, but between the same heaven and earth, there are those who can know etiquette and righteousness and are willing to be subjects, which are no different from those raised by the people of Zhongxia.

Therefore, my father thinks that as long as I obey Confucius and Mencius, know etiquette, and be loyal and filial, I am willing to be my minister and people of the Ming Dynasty, then I can join my clan. Only in this way can the Ming Dynasty have the soil to grow stronger and stronger. It doesn't matter if you don't understand these words, remember them first. Read more, observe more, think more, and then write a book, which is probably more appropriate than making you an official. ”

Li Zhaofan lifted the corner of his clothes and knelt respectfully beside the bed, "Dad's heartfelt words, the child understands." ”

"Understood, would you like to?"

"Yes. The child swore before his father that from this day on, the child would make it his life's work, and if he violated this oath, he would let the child ......."

"Huh. When my father is old, don't say those words to scare me. Knowing your heart, that's enough, you've always been an obedient child. ”

Li Zhaofan is very filial, and if he doesn't let him say it, he won't say it.

He wasn't actually telling a lie himself. There is no man in his right mind who doesn't want to make a career, most of them can't do it so they give up, and now Li Dongyang has shown him a way, and he really doesn't need to be bothered by officialdom anymore, isn't this good?