Chapter 1505: Family Matters Are Also Matters of the Realm

"Your son understands. I will regard my younger brothers as my right-hand men and will never let estrangement grow between us. Please set your mind at ease, Father." After a brief silence, the Crown Prince finally spoke. "In the future, I will follow your example, Father, and urge the imperial clansmen to walk these two paths, so that they may all contribute their strength to the realm."

Seeing that the Crown Prince had finally grasped his intention and was even declaring he would follow his lead, the Emperor felt relieved.

He knew that if China was to embark on the road to modernization and early modernity, it must place great importance on science and technology. This was not a problem that could be solved in one or two generations. Therefore, in the future, he would devise a system to transform the nation's method of selecting talent from the eight-legged essay to practical sciences like mathematics and physics. Then, he would have his own sons devote themselves to military and scientific pursuits, serving as models for the future social climate.

With the imperial house serving as a model, science would at least gain the support of future imperial power, and military affairs would receive sufficient attention. They would not sink into ignorance and conservatism amidst stifling dullness, and China would not fall into decline in a world of silence and stagnation.

"It is good that you understand! A ruler must plan for the state, must plan for all under heaven. Our dynasty won the realm openly and honorably, prevailing through strong soldiers and sharp cannons. Our dynasty should also govern the realm openly and honorably, taking the righteous path first! If we imitate those ignorant fools who think only of keeping the people ignorant and weak, ruining the realm for the selfish interests of a single family and surname, then what promise would we have!"

"Father, these words should be words for ten thousand generations!" The Crown Prince silently pondered his father's words, and after a long while, spoke with boundless admiration.

"What ten thousand generations or not? All feasts under heaven must end. Since ancient times, has there ever been an undying dynasty? Qin Shi Huang wished for his sons and grandsons to rule the realm for endless generations, but didn't his dynasty fall in the second generation? Some things are beyond human power to reverse. We can only manage the matters before our eyes; who knows what our descendants will do... The way I see it, if our family can hold the realm for ten-some or twenty-some generations, this painstaking effort will not have been in vain." The Emperor's expression was extremely calm and relaxed, as if he did not think his words were shocking in the slightest. "However, even if one perishes, the manner of death is not the same. When the Great Ming fell, the Han people could never again set foot in the Western Regions, and even the Ordos Loop was lost. Moreover, the realm was ruined, the land filled with starving corpses, a handful of scholars ate their fill all day yet knew nothing of the world's affairs, and the Westerners surpassed us in science and technology. I, on the other hand, hope that when our dynasty falls, Great Han will have already occupied every place that can be occupied, and all people under heaven will be able to read! At that time, even if we perish, we will have done right by Huaxia, no?"

The Crown Prince dared not answer this question at all. Unlike his open-minded father, he hoped from the bottom of his heart that the realm his father had conquered could pass through his own hands and be handed down through the generations to come.

"Father, please be at ease. Although your son's natural talent and strategic vision are far inferior to yours, I will engrave every one of your teachings in my heart and pass them on to later generations, so that they too will understand your painstaking efforts and govern the realm with a sincere heart." He spoke with the utmost earnestness.

"Don't make it so solemn. It was just a casual chat. Just remember the gist; don't talk about passing it down to later ages. What do descendants fear most, if not a pile of rules and restrictions left by their ancestors? Look at Zhu Yuanzhang, who wrote the 'Ancestral Instructions of the August Ming,' prescribing everything down to the last detail. But could his descendants always act according to their ancestor's words? Times change and circumstances shift. The affairs of the realm cannot be handled by a single rule; one must learn to assess the times and judge the situation. If our descendants prove stubborn and unenlightened, it's useless for us to fret now." The Emperor still smiled easily. "As for teaching your descendants, there's no need to rush now. You're still a snot-nosed kid yourself!"

This teasing remark made the Crown Prince slightly embarrassed. He shifted uneasily, shrinking back a little, and dared not speak further.

He was thirteen years old this year. Although still young, his mother the Empress was already busying herself with arranging his marriage, searching everywhere for a suitable candidate for the future Crown Princess, preparing to have him wed in two or three years. In his heart, he disapproved, feeling he was too young and did not wish to be burdened with family entanglements so early. But as the Crown Prince, how could he have that much freedom? So he could only let his mother do as she pleased.

Hearing this kind of teasing at his age was truly awkward.

"There are some matters on which I must treat everyone equally, so they too can understand reason. But there are some things I can only teach you, and will not teach them. Yet you must learn them, because you are the Crown Prince, the future heir to the realm. You cannot disappoint me, nor can you disappoint the realm." Fortunately, Father did not intend to continue teasing the Crown Prince. He simply looked at him steadily. "Child, I have put you through hardship. After the New Year, go out and have some fun. Then, when spring begins, go to Goryeo. I will see how you perform then."

"Your son... will never disappoint Father." With boundless determination, the Crown Prince made his vow to his father.

In the blink of an eye, the time soon arrived at New Year's Eve.

Under the direction of high-ranking court attendants and court ladies, the palace servants bustled about, making the final preparations for the New Year's Eve arrangements. Lanterns and colored decorations were hung everywhere in the palace, and splendid lights and brocades adorned the spaces between the palace walls, sweeping away the usual solitude and desolation, radiating brilliant light and color to celebrate another new year for the new dynasty.

The imperial family also gathered together, eating the year's final dinner in the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Because the new year was approaching, everyone was beaming with joy, and even the Emperor's face was full of smiles. The atmosphere was extremely harmonious.

Tomorrow, on the first day of the first month, the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet and the high-ranking military officers in the capital would all enter the palace to pay their respects to the imperial family and offer New Year's greetings. That would be lively, but finding familial warmth then would be difficult.

According to the rules set by the Emperor, during the New Year's meal, the imperial consorts sat beside the Emperor, while the children sat in the lower seats. The older children already understood the rules and sat obediently eating, while the younger ones played and frolicked, their clamor echoing throughout the great hall, making the festive atmosphere even stronger.

To the older palace servants, this did not seem like the dignified imperial family, but rather like an ordinary wealthy household. However, they did not feel any contempt for the imperial house of Great Han because of this.

These palace servants had all been around since the late Wanli reign of the former Ming. Because they were familiar with the affairs of the palace, they had been retained by the imperial house of Great Han, continuing to stay in the Forbidden City to oversee the palace's upkeep. Not only was their personal status guaranteed, but their salaries and benefits had also increased considerably, so they felt no aversion to the change of dynasties.

These palace servants had worked in the palace for many years and had witnessed the chaotic state of the late Ming court. Some were even witnesses to the Three Great Cases of the Wanli reign. The cold indifference toward the Crown Prince in Wanli's later years, the sudden death of the Taichang Emperor, the two palace removals in the early Tianqi years—all these shocking events, after being settled by the passage of years, had become topics of conversation for these palace servants in their leisure time.

These palace servants all said that compared to the previous dynasty, the imperial family of the new dynasty was far richer in human warmth than the rule-bound former Ming imperial family. When the new dynasty's imperial family was present, the Forbidden City also lacked the gloomy, sinister air of those former years.

"Your Majesty, have a few more slices of winter bamboo shoot." Amidst the chatting and laughter, Consort Hui née Meng placed a few slices of winter bamboo shoot into the Emperor's bowl. "This winter bamboo shoot is a refined creation of the imperial chefs. Eating it will make next year's national fortunes even more prosperous, rising higher and higher!"

This auspicious sentiment was expressed very cleverly, so the Emperor said nothing more and directly ate them. Then he praised, "Mm, truly excellent. They put thought into it."

The Empress and the Imperial Noble Consort held exalted status; it was not proper for them to appear overly attentive. Although they were affectionate with their husband in private, they maintained some reserve in front of others ordinarily. Consort Hui née Meng's status was just right—neither too high nor too low—so she was the most attentive and ingratiating toward the Emperor, and she greatly won his favor.

While the Emperor was still chatting idly with Consort Hui, the Empress fixed her gaze on the Crown Prince sitting beside her. She continuously added food to her son's bowl, her affection and concern overflowing in her expression. For the sake of his studies, the Crown Prince usually lived alone in a separate residence, so the Empress could only see him once in a while. Loving her son naturally made the Empress worry constantly, always afraid something might be wrong.

"Crown Prince, eat more. I've noticed you've lost quite a bit of weight lately." As the Empress spoke, she placed a few more slices of venison into the Crown Prince's bowl. "Being diligent in your studies is a good thing, but you must balance tension and relaxation. It's not good to study so hard you forget to eat and sleep. Look at you, you've grown much paler now, and even your height has slowed. Tiger is almost as tall as you..."

Looking at the small mountain piled up from food in his bowl, the Crown Prince smiled wryly to himself. His mother's words were not very reasonable. As the Crown Prince, studying was his duty, and though he was diligent, it had not reached the point of forgetting to eat and sleep. He was indeed paler, but that was because he had been staying indoors studying; it had nothing to do with being pale and thin. As for his height, he was already considered tall compared to his peers and had grown quite a bit this year. Although Tiger had grown even more, Tiger was gifted with extraordinary natural talent, born to be tall and big, looking like the makings of a fierce and valiant general. How could one easily compare?

But though he smiled wryly in his heart, how could he refuse his mother's kindness? He thanked his mother repeatedly, then obediently wolfed down all the food his mother the Empress had placed in his bowl.

"My son has finally grown up..." The Empress had been watching her son eat, and suddenly she smiled with gratification. "I truly never expected that, without realizing it, my child has already grown so big. When you first came into the world crying, you were clearly just a tiny little thing... Time truly flies."

The Crown Prince felt rather awkward in his heart and could only keep his head buried in his meal to hide it.

"Son, you're visibly growing older and older. It's time to consider your lifelong matter. Is there anyone you fancy now?" the Empress suddenly asked again.

Caught completely off guard, the Crown Prince nearly spat out the rice and meat in his mouth. He barely managed to regain his composure, swallowed the food with a pained expression, and then gulped down some water.