Chapter 404: I Am the First Emperor to Promote Culture and Education

Under such circumstances, Zhu Youxiao naturally did not have a pleasant expression on his face.

Cui Chengxiu was most skilled at reading people's moods. Upon seeing Zhu Youxiao's expression, he could not help but lament inwardly, wishing he could secretly slap himself a few times across the face.

What was I thinking?

Why did I agree to Ruan Dacheng and the others' conditions and come to discuss this matter with His Majesty?

Knowing full well it wouldn't work, how could I have been so bewitched as to agree?

Now the arrow is already on the string—I've reached the point where I have no choice but to speak. I can't very well say I don't want to talk about it anymore now, can I?

Such behavior of trifling with the sovereign would be far more serious than actually speaking up.

Cui Chengxiu could only steel himself and say directly: "Your Majesty, Zhong Yuzheng is worried that Your Majesty will cast aside the way of Confucius."

At this point, Cui Chengxiu could no longer afford to worry about much else—he simply sold Zhong Yuzheng out.

If His Majesty got angry, then let him punish Zhong Yuzheng. Cui Chengxiu wanted to minimize his own culpability as much as possible.

Upon hearing these words, Zhu Youxiao's expression actually relaxed considerably.

So that's what they were worried about.

This was not something that couldn't be discussed. Zhu Youxiao had never thought of discarding Confucianism—he merely wanted to reform it.

If he were to discard Confucianism, Zhu Youxiao would not be able to find a good doctrine to replace it.

For the current Great Ming, a suitable doctrine was very important.

The difficulty lay precisely in this—it was impossible to lack a guiding ideology. Once a guiding ideology was lacking, matters would only become worse.

In this era, all the scholars under heaven studied Confucius. Zhu Youxiao could not possibly refrain from promoting Confucius's scholarship. It was just that Confucius's teachings had been altered into a complete mess, and it was no longer possible to continue using the current version.

The Confucian doctrine of the Qin-Han period was truly a remarkable doctrine. Every disciple of Confucianism was capable of drawing a sword and killing. The ideas of great unification and great vengeance still shone brilliantly even when viewed from today.

It was just that the School of Principle of the Song dynasty had thoroughly castrated the disciples of Confucianism.

The Confucian disciples of the Qin-Han period truly embodied the six arts of the gentleman—they emphasized being able to mount a horse and lead an army, and dismount and govern the people. One could say they were overwhelmingly formidable.

One must understand that in that era, any school that could not fight had long been submerged in the torrent of history.

Confucius was not the refined little old man in today's temples, but rather a burly man over 1.9 meters tall, wielding a great sword, as strong as an ox, and very capable in battle—and his disciples were the same.

Therefore, by continuing to revere Confucius, Zhu Youxiao could once again play the game of restoring antiquity.

Europe's renowned Renaissance was not actually a revival of the arts and literature—it was merely putting new wine in old bottles. What Zhu Youxiao wanted to do followed the same principle, and so a thought took shape in his mind.

This might be an opportunity—an opportunity well worth exploiting.

Zhu Youxiao held no hope regarding the stance of Confucian disciples.

Since the Han dynasty, the ones most adept at shifting their positions had been the disciples of Confucianism. They would continuously update their doctrines according to the needs of the ruler.

On this point, no school had done better than the Confucian gate.

Even when Zhu Youxiao wanted to promote Xunzi, there were Confucian disciples who stood up to wave flags and shout support; when he wanted to promote Li Zhi's teachings, there were likewise people who stood up to help.

In fact, that was exactly the principle. Put plainly, doctrines served interests; in the face of interests, positions could be changed.

Take Feng Congwu, for example—he used to be a disciple of the School of Principle, and at the same time a representative figure of the Donglin Faction in Shanxi. But now?

Feng Congwu was the vanguard of Xunzi's doctrine.

There was also Huang Kezuan, who vigorously promoted the equal emphasis on ritual and law—one could say he was also a follower of Xunzi's doctrine, and an extremely steadfast one at that.

All these people had abandoned their previous doctrines, and in the final analysis it was nothing more than interest. Even if there were some stubborn old diehards, Zhu Youxiao believed these people would not be too numerous, and they could be completely ignored.

Once all the academies were under Zhu Youxiao's jurisdiction, these people would have no place to display their talents. If they truly jumped around too gleefully, then their doctrines would be banned—at that point it would be nothing more than a single sentence from the Emperor.

Although everyone said that studying was the pursuit of learning, in fact everyone knew in their hearts that studying was for the sake of becoming an official, for the sake of one's future prospects.

Looking at Cui Chengxiu, Zhu Youxiao remained silent for a long while.

Cui Chengxiu's heart grew even more anxious—clearly, he had truly offended His Majesty this time.

Cui Chengxiu cursed Ruan Dacheng furiously in his heart—truly a useless thing! How could he have listened to his words?

"This matter—I need to think it over. You may go back for now." Zhu Youxiao said.

Cui Chengxiu's face immediately fell, though there was still a sliver of hope in his heart—hope that His Majesty would not hold his transgression against him.

Cui Chengxiu said: "Rest assured, Your Majesty. After your servant returns, he will continue to discuss with them, and I believe there will be a good outcome."

The meaning of these words was quite clear—after saying this, he would go back and continue to deal with Ruan Dacheng and the others.

As for there being a good outcome, that meant he would use every means available. Whether these people agreed or not, they would have to agree.

As for someone like Zhong Yuzheng—if he truly refused to agree, then he might just come down with some sudden acute illness.

For a man like Cui Chengxiu, there was nothing he wouldn't do for fame, fortune, and rank.

Zhu Youxiao looked at him and directly waved his hand, saying: "That won't be necessary. Go back and wait quietly for a while. We'll talk after I've had time to think."

Upon hearing these words, Cui Chengxiu was taken aback. What did His Majesty mean by this?

But he did not dare to ask, and hastily said: "Yes, Your Majesty. Your servant will return and await word. If Your Majesty has no other instructions, then your servant takes his leave."

Zhu Youxiao nodded and said: "Go."

Watching Cui Chengxiu's departing figure, Zhu Youxiao seemed lost in thought.

After pondering for a moment, Zhu Youxiao beckoned to Chen Hong and said: "Spread this news—have your men go out and guide public opinion."

"The main talking point is academy reform—establishing academies on a grand scale throughout the nation. This is a golden age of the literary world. It is a good deed done by me out of concern for scholars, for the sake of all the scholars under heaven—something no one has done in a thousand years, something no dynasty or generation has ever accomplished."

"My heart for promoting culture and education makes me the foremost among all emperors through the ages!"

When Zhu Youxiao said these words, the expression on his face was very solemn. There was neither arrogance nor worry—in short, he said it in a very matter-of-fact manner.

Chen Hong, standing to one side, listened with a solemn expression on his face.

Having spent so long with Zhu Youxiao, Chen Hong could roughly grasp some of his intentions. The master's doing this this time was certainly not for the sake of fame—there was another arrangement behind it.

So Chen Hong promptly agreed: "Yes, master. This servant will see to it at once."

"Wait—I'm not finished yet." Zhu Youxiao called Chen Hong back, and after thinking for a moment, continued: "At the same time, have people spread word that there are those who wish to cast aside the way of Confucius and teach other doctrines in the academies."

"Whether it's Daoism or Mohism, it doesn't matter—just get the word out. Oh, and you can mention Legalism as well."

After hearing this, Chen Hong fully understood the severity of the matter this time.

He hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant will surely handle the matter well."

Zhu Youxiao nodded once more.

Zhu Youxiao was still confident in Chen Hong's ability to handle matters. Zhu Youxiao spoke again: "Zhong Yuzheng's matter should also be brought up—say that he opposes the Imperial Academy teaching the doctrines of other schools. If the court does not agree to teach Confucius's doctrines, then he will not agree to the Academy's reforms. Go and handle it."

After hearing this, Chen Hong nodded, turned around, and walked out.

Only after Chen Hong had left did Zhu Youxiao let out a sigh of relief. He then turned and sat back down on the dragon throne, beginning to ponder whether there were any flaws in his arrangements. If there were any flaws, how should they be remedied.

The reason Zhu Youxiao did this was very simple—nothing more than shifting the focus, feinting east while attacking west, co-opting and dividing, setting up an example, and so on and so forth.

Shifting the focus: shifting the question of whether to agree to the Academy reforms onto what the Imperial Academy should teach.

At the same time, he raised the matter of teaching other schools—the Legalists, the Daoists, the Mohists—which the scholars of today absolutely could not agree to. This was the feint east, attack west—making them speak up for their schools so they would no longer pay attention to anything else.

As for co-opting and dividing, that meant pulling Zhong Yuzheng out and molding him into a fighter, a scholar daring to resist. In this way, some people would naturally flock to his banner, completing the division and co-option of those in the Academy, while also setting Zhong Yuzheng up as an example.

After throwing out this combination of moves, Zhu Youxiao believed there would surely be a very good effect.

Of course, this level was not enough. Once the matter stirred up, Zhu Youxiao would send Wei Zhongxian of the Eastern Depot to arrest Zhong Yuzheng and bring him directly to the Eastern Depot.

Of course, this man could not die. After going in, he would still need to be released later.

In short, this was a grand drama that Zhu Youxiao was performing for the scholars of the realm. The villain would naturally be played by someone else; the hero, Zhu Youxiao would play himself. After the matter passed, everything would become clear.

After mulling over his plan and feeling there were no major flaws, Zhu Youxiao stood up and walked toward the inner palace.

The matter had already been arranged; execution was left to his subordinates. Even if there was something slightly amiss, it did not matter—Zhu Youxiao could remedy it afterward.

What he needed to do now was spend more time with Empress Zhang.

By the time Zhu Youxiao went to the inner palace, the news had already spread.

News spreading out of the imperial palace was naturally no longer anything surprising.

The first piece of news released was that Cui Chengxiu had entered the palace.

Everyone was actually quite concerned about Cui Chengxiu, after all, it involved the Imperial Academy reforms.

All along, Cui Chengxiu had not entered the palace. Now that he had suddenly entered, this news naturally drew everyone's attention.

What followed was the reason for Cui Chengxiu's entry into the palace—namely, the matter of what would be taught after the Imperial Academy reforms.

This single piece of news alone spread rapidly and stirred up a huge uproar.