Chapter 129: Taizu Instructs His Grandson

  Xu Zengshou recounted Yang Xu's story from start to finish. Although he didn't dare to be too presumptuous in front of Zhu Yuanzhang, he deliberately described how angry Yang Xu was at the time and the scene where all the chickens and dogs were slaughtered. After listening, Zhu Yunwen stood up with a flourish, his face red with rage, and shouted loudly: "Occupying someone else's ancestral home, treating it as a sheepfold or horse stable, abandoning the spirit tablet of one's ancestors, allowing chickens and ducks to defile it - this is truly unbearable! Even if he had killed people, it wouldn't have been excessive. But he only killed a group of chickens and dogs, and yet the Yang family still has the nerve to file a lawsuit and accuse him - they are truly obstinate and unteachable!"

  Zhu Yuanzhang remained expressionless, only glancing at his grandson and slowly asking: "What do you think, grandson? Is what Yang Xu did justified?"

  "When it is due, it will naturally be due"

  "Filial piety is the beginning of benevolence and righteousness, and the first of all virtues. From ancient times, filial sons and daughters have avenged their parents' deaths, and the imperial court has pardoned them with kindness for this reason. Since Qin and Han dynasties, all courts have governed the world with filial piety, respecting heaven, honoring ancestors, respecting virtue, and protecting the people, so that the common people can observe the way of ruler and subject, father and son, elder and younger. At home, they are filial to their parents; outside, they respect the elderly and care for the young; in the court, they are loyal to the king and serve the country..."

  Zhu Yunwen was not hypocritical, but rather to please his imperial grandfather. He had been educated in Confucianism since childhood and indeed attached great importance to filial piety, although there was a small component of showmanship, because he could compete for the right to inherit the throne due to his filial piety.

  Logically speaking, Zhu Youjian was not the eldest son or grandson, but rather the eldest grandson of a concubine, so he was not originally the first in line to inherit.

  Crown Prince Zhu Biao had five sons in total. The Crown Princess was the eldest daughter of Zheng Guo Gong Chang Yu Chun. This Madame Chang gave birth to two sons, the elder son Zhu Xiong Ying died at the age of eight, and the second son Zhu Yun Xun, who is the legitimate first grandson and the first heir in line. According to traditional rituals, the order of succession is legitimate eldest son, legitimate eldest grandson, legitimate second grandson, legitimate second son, so the true order of succession should be Zhu Yun Xun before his elder brother Zhu Yun Wen.

  However, Zhu Yunxu was too young at the time and had limited learning, his performance was too mediocre. Zhu Yuanzhang himself was already an old man in his sixties at that time, he could not help but consider the problem of the country's minority. Moreover, Zhu Yunxu's uncle was Chang Yuchun, his aunt's husband was Lan Yu, Zheng Guo Gong Changmao was his eldest uncle, and Kaiguo Gong Changsheng was his second uncle. If this young, mediocre grandson became emperor, who knows whether the situation of external relatives holding power would appear? So, almost without any consideration, Zhu Yunxu was rejected by him.

  At this time, Zhu Yunwen, who had shown unusual filial piety in his grief at the death of Zhu Biao, came into the old man's line of sight.

  His father died, and Zhu Yunwen was naturally heartbroken. However, he became so gaunt that his face turned pale and his bones were visible, and he didn't eat for three days, almost to the point of exhaustion. This was a bit too much filial piety. Zhu Biao was the crown prince, busy with state affairs, and not just him alone, but also as a son born out of wedlock. To say that Zhu Biao had spent a lot of time with him, their feelings were so deep that they couldn't be added to, so when his father died, he almost wanted to follow him underground, which was a bit too much.

  If you really want to talk about kinship, he is closer to his imperial grandfather Zhu Yuanzhang. The two of them spent the most time together, and Zhu Yuanzhang was particularly kind and affectionate towards him. After Zhu Yuanzhang's death, he didn't become grief-stricken like this. He buried Zhu Yuanzhang, wiped away his tears, rolled up his sleeves, and began to deal with his uncle. The first unfortunate one, the King of Zhou, was taken down by Zhu Youwen just a month after he ascended to the throne, which shows how busy he was, without any spare energy to indulge in endless grief.

  In fact, if you were an ordinary person and had a funeral at home, wouldn't you want to show even more grief, lest others gossip? This is human nature, and there's no need to be overly critical of Zhu Yunwen, saying he's hypocritical. Especially since he was educated in Confucianism from a young age, this is just strictly following the ancient rituals for mourning, and there's nothing wrong with that. However, on the other hand, if you want to praise his behavior as extremely benevolent and filial, then that's going to the opposite extreme.

  Zhu Yunwen's outstanding performance at his father's funeral was also due to the guidance of his teacher, Huang Zicheng. Huang Zicheng had a clear understanding of Zhu Yuanzhang's thoughts and knew that Zhu Yunwen himself was mediocre and incompetent, while his maternal relatives were too powerful. As someone who always guarded against food, Zhu Yuanzhang would inevitably consider the problem of external relatives holding power, so Zhu Yunwen's chances of succeeding to the throne were not great.

  But Zhu Yunwen was not the eldest grandson, shouldn't the throne be passed to Qin Wang, the second son of Zhu Yuanzhang? However, it's not that simple. Because Empress Constant died in the same year she gave birth to Zhu Yunxu, and since then, the Eastern Palace has been controlled by Lu Shi, the birth mother of Zhu Yunwen. She was the de facto crown princess, so her son could also be considered the eldest grandson.

  Although there was no legal procedure, the position of the Crown Prince's palace had been suspended, and Lu Shi was not formally appointed as the Crown Princess, so after Zhu Yunwen ascended to the throne, he still called Chang Shi his mother, and posthumously honored Chang Shi as Empress Xiaokang, rather than his own birth mother.

  Because Zhu Yunwen mainly relied on filial piety to gain the favor of Zhu Yuanzhang, he paid special attention to making a show of it. When Zhu Yunwen heard Xu Zengshou's words, he was indeed extremely angry. At the same time, due to his lack of self-confidence, he always had strong suspicions about his uncles, suspecting that they were eyeing his throne. So when it came to Yang Xu, who was being oppressed and excluded by his relatives, Zhu Yunwen naturally felt a sense of camaraderie with him. This long conversation was truly delightful and satisfying, leaving a lasting impression.

  Zhu Yunwen finished speaking, thinking he would get his grandfather's approval, and stole a glance at Zhu Yuanzhang, only to see him lying on the pillow with his eyes slightly closed, as if he had already fallen asleep. He quickly stopped talking and stood beside him.

  After a moment of silence, Zhu Yuanzhang slowly opened his eyes, looked at his grandson, and then looked at Xu Zengshou.

  "Yes, what you said makes sense, this matter can be seen as a small grudge in a small family, but it also relates to the big issues of filial piety and legal principles, justice and severity, and cannot be neglected."

  He nodded slightly, and Zhu Yunwen hurriedly helped him up again, propping a pillow behind his back. Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "Zengshou, you tell good stories."

  Xu Zengshou's heart skipped a beat, and he hastily bowed his head, saying: "It just so happened that it was the right moment, and His Majesty asked about it, so I merely mentioned it briefly."

  Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and did not expose his intentions, saying: "I am revising the 'Da Ming Lu', when I was the Wu King, I drafted new laws, in the sixth year of Hongwu, I started to revise and supplement them, it took 16 years, until the 22nd year of Hongwu, they were finally compiled. However... after all, there are still some omissions, not perfect. Governing the world, rituals and music come first. Some say that without punishment and governance, rituals and music cannot exist, I think that punishment and governance are only auxiliary to rituals and music in governing.

  If the government only uses punishment and penalties, even if it has a strict policy, there will be no peaceful atmosphere. Therefore, rites and music are the nourishment for governing the people, while punishment and penalties are the medicine to cure their ills. Rites and music represent the way, while laws and regulations are techniques. Laws and regulations are external manifestations, but one cannot be careless about them. Therefore, I have ordered the Minister of Justice, Zhao Cenfeng, and others to revise and compile The Great Ming Code and The Grand Pronouncements, extract their essential points, record case examples, and append them to The Great Ming Code, so that officials throughout the empire can follow these examples in judging crimes and meting out punishments.

  Zeng Shou, this case is quite good. Go to the Ying Tian Fu and tell Wang Hongrui to carefully deliberate and consider it thoroughly, so as to make a fair judgment. Also inform the Ministry of Punishment to have them and the Dali Temple pay attention to the process and outcome of this case. Once the case has been clearly tried, record it in order and publish it internally and externally. For all similar cases, let people throughout the empire know what to follow.

  Xu Zengshou listened and secretly cursed: "This is a mess, this broken case was originally just a matter for the Jiangning County Magistrate, it's already out of hand that the lawsuit has reached the Ying Tian Fu, now it's even more absurd to add the Ministry of Punishment and the Supreme Court, what a farce!"

  Xu Zengshou hastily responded and plucked up the courage to ask: "Your Majesty, if the Heavenly Court asks about the Emperor's intention, how should I respond?"

  Zhu Yuanzhang smiled faintly: "Yongzheng is the crown prince of the country, his meaning is my meaning."

  Xu Zengshou was overjoyed and hastily bowed his head, saying: "Yes, I understand. I will go and transmit the imperial edict at once. I bid farewell."

  After Xu Zengshou went out, Zhu Yuanzhang said in a low voice: "Yongzheng"

  "Here is your grandson," Zhu Yunhe hastily bowed and replied.

  Zhu Yuanzhang said slowly, "There are no trivial matters among the people, and even more so for emperors. Every word and action sets an example for the world. Did King Yan Zhao really cherish the bones of a thousand-mile horse? Was Emperor Zhao Taizu really stingy about a night meal? No, it's just that every move of an emperor is related to the fate of the country, so one cannot but be cautious."

  Zhu Yunwen didn't understand his grandfather's intention behind these words of advice and responded vaguely.

  Zhu Yuanzhang gave him a glance, sighed and said: "You are the heir to the throne, in the future you will be the emperor of this great Ming dynasty. Be careful not to listen to rumors, show joy or anger on your face, remember that the words of the Son of Heaven, once spoken, cannot be easily changed, otherwise there will be orders in the morning and changes at night, and all credibility will be lost, this result is serious."

  He let out a long sigh and said, "People often say that knowing one's mistakes and changing for the better is the greatest virtue. However, it's easy to say but hard to do, especially when one is an emperor. How can one afford to make mistakes lightly? And once mistakes are made, how can they be easily corrected? Therefore, one must be cautious and listen to different opinions in order to gain clarity."

  Zhu Yunhe finally understood a bit and hesitated: "Imperial Grandfather, are you saying... that Xu Zengshou's words just now were not entirely true?"

  Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head: "Deceive you? That's not necessarily the case, maybe he's telling the truth. Whether or not it's detailed and realistic, you shouldn't have expressed your opinion so hastily."

  Zhu Yun's face turned red with anger, "Son knows that... then it's better to pursue the truth. This matter should be thoroughly investigated by the authorities, otherwise... otherwise, if we follow your idea, what if Yang Xu is indeed arrogant and bullying our relatives..."

  Zhu Yuanzhang said calmly, "What's the big deal? Compared to the prestige of the current crown prince, what does a little gain or loss for one family or surname matter? Is my grandson's word not worth more than nine heads of cattle?"

  Zhu Yunwen felt his grandfather's care and maintenance, and he couldn't help but be moved to emotion, his eyes reddening as he called out in a low voice: "Imperial Grandfather..."

  He patted his hand and said, "This time I renovated the Great Ming Code, it was also for you. In the past, the criminal law in the 'Great Proclamation' was a bit too severe, the law was too heavy, and the punishment was bound to be widespread. The governance was too strict, and the politics were bound to be harsh. Under the repression, the people would inevitably be resentful, and the clever and deceitful would inevitably flourish. The people would be at a loss. When I ruled the world, it was necessary to clean up the chaotic world, and new nobles emerged in large numbers, so punishment had to be severe. Now that the corrupt officials have been punished and the world is stable, you are governing a peaceful world, and the punishment should be lightened. This is the reason for 'punishment being heavy or light depending on the times'. You can pay attention to the renovation of the Great Ming Code."

  "Yes, grandson has taken note."

  Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "Yes, you can withdraw now. I'm a bit tired and need to rest for a while."

  "Son, obey the order." Zhu Yunzhen stood up, tucked in the corner of Zhu Yuanzhang's bed, and quietly exited the hall. As soon as he left the door, he turned around to see Huang Zicheng hurrying over with his official hat flapping, and asked: "Sir, what's the hurry?"