Chapter 93

Zhao Junchen arrived at the Meridian Gate and soon received permission from Emperor Deqing to be granted an audience. (The fastest updated novel website)

However, under the guidance of a young eunuch, Zhao Junchen found himself not heading to the Hall of Mental Cultivation or the Imperial Study, but deeper into the palace.

This discovery made Zhao Junchen secretly alarmed. Seeing that they were almost at the rear palace, Zhao Junchen stopped the young eunuch leading the way and asked, "Sir, where are we going? Is His Majesty not in the Imperial Study or the Hall of Mental Cultivation?"

The young eunuch respectfully replied, "In response to the Minister of Rites, His Majesty is currently testing the princes' knowledge in the Princes' School. After hearing of your arrival, His Majesty instructed me to lead you there for the audience."

Hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Zhao Junchen's eyes.

In his previous life, influenced by unreliable TV dramas and novels, Zhao Junchen initially thought that as a favored minister, he would always be by the emperor's side, even entering the inner palace. However, after these days of interaction with Emperor Deqing, he realized that this was not the case. Although Emperor Deqing was not a diligent ruler, he still spent a lot of time on state affairs. Besides, he had to deal with the concubines in the harem and various other matters, as well as his own interests. As a result, even a favored minister like Zhao Junchen had little time to accompany the emperor.

In fact, being a "favored minister" only meant that he had easier access to the emperor and was summoned more often. When the emperor was bored, he would be the first to be called. Since returning to the capital, Zhao Junchen had not met Emperor Deqing much more frequently than the other high-ranking officials in the cabinet.

As for entering the inner palace, that was simply impossible. This time, being granted permission by Emperor Deqing to meet in the Princes' School was the deepest Zhao Junchen had ever gone into the palace.

Thinking about this, Zhao Junchen asked, "Sir, which princes is His Majesty testing?"

The young eunuch replied, "In response to the Minister of Rites, all the princes who are in the capital are present."

Zhao Junchen's brows furrowed slightly as he continued, "Is the Crown Prince also here?"

Seeing the young eunuch nod, Zhao Junchen sighed softly in his heart.

Although Zhao Junchen was not afraid of trouble, he did not like to invite it. Since returning to the capital, he had always tried to avoid the Crown Prince Zhu Heyu. Today, he could not avoid it, and he feared another confrontation.

However, Zhao Junchen could not disobey Emperor Deqing's command, so he followed the young eunuch to the Princes' School.

...

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects. Long live the Emperor."

Upon entering the Princes' School, Zhao Junchen bowed his head and entered, not daring to look around, and paid his respects to Emperor Deqing.

Emperor Deqing was in a good mood today. Seeing Zhao Junchen, he smiled warmly and said, "Minister Zhao, you have arrived? You have good timing. Come to My side and see how My princes fare in their studies. As the top scholar of the 29th year, you have both knowledge and talent, and can help Me evaluate them."

Zhao Junchen stood beside Emperor Deqing and smiled, "Your Majesty flatters me. The princes, inheriting Your Majesty's blood, are all outstanding. Even if they have only a tenth of Your Majesty's wisdom and diligence, their talent and knowledge far surpass mine. How can I have the qualifications to evaluate them? It is my great fortune to be able to meet Your Majesty here today and to witness the princes' talents and hear their insights."

After these days of practice, Zhao Junchen could now say such flattering words to Emperor Deqing without changing his expression.

Hearing this, Emperor Deqing laughed and scolded, "When will you change your habit of flattering? You only know how to say nice things."

Although he said this, Emperor Deqing's expression showed that he was quite pleased.

Therefore, although Zhao Junchen was criticized, he was not worried. Instead, he shook his head and said, "Your Majesty underestimates me. What I say comes from the heart. How can it be considered flattery?"

Just as he finished speaking, a familiar cold snort was heard.

Zhao Junchen took the opportunity to look up and saw that six princes were seated in the Princes' School, with Crown Prince Zhu Heyu leading them. At that moment, Zhu Heyu was looking at Zhao Junchen coldly, and the cold snort had come from him.

Emperor Deqing seemed not to have heard the snort and smiled as he explained to Zhao Junchen, "I am currently evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of various dynasties with the princes. Each prince has chosen a dynasty to evaluate. The Crown Prince is currently evaluating the Tang Dynasty, and his analysis is quite insightful."

As he spoke, Emperor Deqing nodded at Crown Prince Zhu Heyu, "Crown Prince, you may continue."

Crown Prince Zhu Heyu nodded and, without looking at Zhao Junchen, continued, "As I mentioned earlier, the prosperity and strength of the Tang Dynasty, especially during the 'Zhen Guan Era,' are most commendable. Emperor Taizong can be considered one of the rare wise and virtuous emperors in history. During his reign, he governed with wisdom, favored virtuous officials, and distanced himself from sycophants. He was humble and open to advice, practiced frugality, and promoted cultural and educational revival. The people lived in peace and prosperity, and the various ethnic groups coexisted harmoniously, leading to a stable and prosperous Tang Dynasty, which was respected by all nations and renowned for a thousand years."

After a pause, Crown Prince Zhu Heyu added, "From this, it is clear that for an emperor, accepting advice, appointing capable officials, and caring for the people are of utmost importance. These three points can be considered the three essentials of an emperor. If these are done well, a prosperous era can be achieved. This is my humble opinion, and I hope Your Majesty will evaluate it."

Hearing Crown Prince Zhu Heyu's evaluation, especially the last few sentences, which had a tone of advice, Emperor Deqing's brows furrowed slightly, though he did not show it.

However, at this moment, Emperor Deqing did not want to show his displeasure and asked the other princes, "What do you think of the Crown Prince's words?"

In response to Emperor Deqing's question, the princes all nodded and agreed, either praising the Crown Prince's words or repeating his evaluation, but none dared to contradict him or offer a more novel perspective.

This was normal. During the Ming Dynasty, princes were usually enfeoffed at around ten years old and received their fiefs at around twenty. Although they were treated well, the restrictions on the princes were very strict. Once they received their fiefs, they could not leave their territories without imperial permission, and any misconduct could result in demotion to commoners. Those who dared to involve themselves in politics rarely had a good end, while those who indulged in wine and women were often praised as "virtuous princes."

Furthermore, in the capital of Fengyang, there was a place of confinement specifically for the imperial family. Over the centuries, the number of imperial family members confined there only increased. By the time of Emperor Deqing, there were always over a hundred royal family members confined there, including princes and dukes.

As the Crown Prince, Zhu Heyu was seen by the other princes as the future emperor. They dared not easily contradict him. Whatever Zhu Heyu said, they would agree with, and even if they had better insights, they would not show them, fearing that it might arouse Zhu Heyu's suspicion.

Seeing this, a hint of disappointment flashed in Zhao Junchen's eyes. He truly hoped that a prince would dare to challenge Zhu Heyu. If such a prince appeared, Zhao Junchen would not mind secretly supporting him. Unfortunately, the princes, intimidated by the various restrictions imposed by the Ming emperors, showed no signs of sharpness despite their young age.

On the other side, Emperor Deqing, seeing the princes' timidity and their constant glances at him and Zhu Heyu, felt somewhat displeased. A father always hopes for his son to be outstanding, and seeing the princes' lack of talent, Emperor Deqing was naturally not happy.

Of course, if a prince were to stand out and surpass Zhu Heyu, it was uncertain whether Emperor Deqing would be pleased or suspicious.

Glancing at Zhao Junchen, who was standing with his hands clasped, Emperor Deqing's expression changed, and he suddenly asked, "Minister Zhao, what do you think of the Crown Prince's words?"

Zhao Junchen hesitated for a moment and then shook his head, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince's analysis is indeed profound. The points about accepting advice, appointing capable officials, and caring for the people are enlightening and beneficial. However..."

At this point, Zhao Junchen looked as if he wanted to say something but dared not.

Seeing Zhao Junchen's hesitation, Zhu Heyu's eyes turned cold, while Emperor Deqing was interested and asked, "However, what? Speak your mind. Even if you say something wrong, I will not blame you. There is no need to hesitate."

Zhao Junchen, as if forced, hesitated for a moment, piquing Emperor Deqing's curiosity, and finally said, "However, the Crown Prince's high praise for the Tang Dynasty seems a bit excessive. In my view, the most prosperous dynasty in history is our Great Ming Dynasty. Times have changed, and the environment is different. Our Great Ming does not necessarily have to follow the Tang Dynasty in everything. As for Emperor Taizong, although he can be considered a wise emperor, he falls short of being a 'saintly emperor.' In my opinion, throughout history, only three emperors can be called 'saintly emperors,' and they are all from our Great Ming Dynasty."

Hearing this, both Emperor Deqing and the princes were taken aback.

It must be understood that the Tang Dynasty and Emperor Taizong, after nearly a thousand years of Confucian propaganda, had become a benchmark for all dynasties and emperors. To be on par with them was a great honor, and to claim superiority was considered heretical and could invite criticism from Confucian scholars.

Moreover, Emperor Deqing was well aware of the state of the Ming Dynasty in recent years.

Therefore, when Emperor Deqing heard Zhao Junchen's words, he thought Zhao Junchen was flattering him and shook his head, smiling, "Oh? Explain your reasoning. If you cannot, I will not blame you, but such words could make you a laughingstock if they spread."

Zhao Junchen, however, looked calm and said, "Your Majesty, I do not speak without reason. In my view, the prosperity and wealth of our Great Ming surpass that of the Tang Dynasty. We have neither the marriage alliances of the Han and Tang Dynasties nor the annual tributes of the Song Dynasties. The emperor governs from the capital, and the ruler dies for the state. No other dynasty in history has achieved this. This alone is enough to show that our Great Ming is far more prosperous than any other dynasty."

Seeing that Zhao Junchen could indeed provide a reasonable argument, Emperor Deqing was even more interested and nodded, encouraging Zhao Junchen to continue.

Zhao Junchen glanced at Zhu Heyu and continued, "As for the Crown Prince's view of Emperor Taizong as a saintly emperor, it is not appropriate. A saintly emperor must be flawless. Although Emperor Taizong had the ability to govern, his character was flawed. He orchestrated the Xuanwu Gate Incident, killing his brothers and taking their wives, and forced his father to abdicate. He lacked the five virtues and cannot be called a 'saintly emperor.' In my opinion, the Crown Prince's high praise for him is not beneficial. His governance can be learned, but his character and actions should be carefully considered. The Li family's descendants, due to their excessive admiration for Emperor Taizong, experienced a century of turmoil, with wives usurping their husbands, sons usurping their fathers, and younger brothers usurping their elder brothers. The frequent palace coups and political instability were one of the main reasons for the decline of the Tang Dynasty."

Hearing this, Zhu Heyu felt his chest burning with anger. He had mentioned Emperor Taizong to praise his governance, but Zhao Junchen had brought up the Xuanwu Gate Incident, as if suggesting that he should also learn from it.

On the other side, Emperor Deqing nodded and looked at Zhu Heyu, saying meaningfully, "Minister Zhao's words are indeed reasonable. The Xuanwu Gate Incident disrupted the five virtues, and the succession of the Li family's throne was filled with intrigue and chaos. It is not without reason. Therefore, members of the royal