HLnovel Chapter 97: Your Majesty is truly benevolent and righteous.
Chapter 97: Your Majesty is truly benevolent and righteous.
Lin Ke continued, "Of course, these examples are just appetizers compared to what comes later. The most outrageous one to interfere in Emperor Zhezong's private life was Cheng Yi."
"One day, Emperor Zhezong saw an ant in the palace and instinctively avoided it. Unexpectedly, Cheng Yi praised him greatly after learning about it, saying that he had a benevolent heart that could be extended to the whole world, which was the essential way for an emperor!"
"To be honest, if you're exaggerating something as trivial as avoiding ants, then wouldn't it be a heinous crime for me to pour water into an anthill when I was a child?"
Da Ming's Farming Kid Sister: I've done that too!
A young man from a prominent family in the Tang Dynasty: Is it possible that he's just afraid of insects or cherishes his shoes?
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty (speechless): ...
……
"However, Cheng Yi's concern for Emperor Zhezong's private life was not limited to praise and encouragement, but also included various requirements for him to comply with."
"For example, Emperor Zhezong's personal belongings could not be luxurious, but frugal. The eunuchs and palace maids who served him had to be older and more loyal. Here I will elaborate on why older palace maids were required."
"In the fourth year of the Yuan You era, the censor Liu Shi'an suddenly heard a rumor that the palace was secretly recruiting wet nurses. So, who were these wet nurses for?"
"Liu Shi'an thought for a moment and immediately deduced that it was probably an illegitimate child born to Emperor Zhezong when he was only fourteen years old."
Liu Shi'an was furious at his deduction. The young emperor was so fond of messing around, which was a danger to the country. So he criticized Empress Dowager Gao for not disciplining him properly, while advising Emperor Zhezong not to be obsessed with women.
"After Liu Shi'an said that, many people knew that even though Empress Dowager Gao immediately denied it after seeing his memorial, saying that it was for the little princess left by Emperor Shenzong, and that Emperor Zhezong was kept under close guard in the palace and would not do such a thing!"
"But as the saying goes: it takes only a mouth to spread a rumor, but it takes a lot of legwork to refute it. Even in later generations, there are two versions of this story."
A Ming Dynasty soldier: Didn't they even bother to verify whether this is true or not?!
Emperor Shenzong of Song, Zhao Xu: ? ? ?
A scion of a prominent family in the Sui Dynasty: The method is not quite right!
……
"It is true that Emperor Zhezong of Song had a child that year, and the child's biological mother was the later Consort Liu. However, this is rather far-fetched, because Consort Liu was only ten years old that year."
"The other version is quite wild, saying that Emperor Zhezong of Song liked young women since he was a child, and this wet nurse was prepared for him. This makes me think of Cao Cao, hahaha!"
Cao Cao of the Eastern Han Dynasty: ...
Lin Ke coughed lightly at this point, and continued, "Although there is no major conflict in this matter, it is really a bit too perverse to discuss Zhezong's private life in the court. This must be an indelible harm to Zhezong, who was a teenager."
"After nine years of forbearance during the Yuanyou reign, Emperor Zhezong became increasingly adept at presenting the image that Yuanyou ministers expected of him."
“At the beginning of his reign, when the Liao envoy came to visit, Cai Que was afraid that he would be intimidated, so he described what the Khitans looked like to him. Unexpectedly, Emperor Zhezong said: “Since they are people, why should I be afraid of them!”
"In the seventh year of the Yuanyou era, when Wang Yansou, the head of the Privy Council, asked Emperor Zhezong again what he liked to do on a daily basis, he simply replied: 'I have no particular hobbies, except reading.'"
"These two answers show that this young emperor has learned how to appease the Yuan You ministers and how to disguise his true self."
"But such forbearance will harm him, both mentally and physically. In fact, he was just a teenager until the day he died!"
Emperor Shenzong of Song: !!!
A scion of a prominent family in the Ming Dynasty: Alas, what a pity. I finally endured the hardship and was about to unleash my full potential, but...
A newly rich girl in the Tang Dynasty: So tragic, waaaaah...
……
"However, among the ministers of the Yuanyou era, there was one person who gave Emperor Zhezong a rare respect, and that person was Su Song."
“Whenever the ministers presented their reports to Empress Dowager Gao, only the regent Su Song would present what they had said to King Cheoljong again.”
"When Emperor Zhezong expressed his thoughts, Su Song would also admonish the ministers to listen to Emperor Zhezong. Although Su Song could no longer do anything else, even such a small thing could make that patient young man remember it for a long time."
"Later events proved that Emperor Zhezong was a grateful man. After he assumed personal rule, he always protected this old minister and prevented the hatred of the New Party from affecting him."
"Perhaps the boy had lost something in the past, which is why he cherishes this friendship even more."
"This reminds me of an incident recorded by Zhu Xi. In the past, Emperor Zhezong often used an old table in the palace. When Empress Dowager Gao saw that it was damaged, she ordered the palace servants to replace it. However, a few days later, she saw Emperor Zhezong using it again. Empress Dowager Gao did not understand, so she asked Emperor Zhezong why. Emperor Zhezong simply said: 'This is what my father uses.'"
"King Cheoljong must have greatly admired his father, which is why he cherishes the table that King Shenzong used so much. It is a memory that he can never forget."
Emperor Shenzong of Song, Zhao Xu (weeping): !!
An old farmer from the Ming Dynasty: What a fine child!
A scion of a prominent family in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Shenzong also passed away too soon!
……
"When Empress Dowager Gao heard this, she was deeply saddened, but then she realized that Emperor Zhezong had not forgotten his father and would surely overthrow the politics of the Yuanyou era in the future, thus restoring the dynasty."
"Perhaps for the scholar-officials, how to cultivate an emperor has long been politically solidified. His every move will bring immeasurable changes to the entire dynasty. Therefore, the Yuanyou ministers will use strict education methods and lofty moral requirements to restrain Emperor Zhezong."
"But if we ask ourselves honestly, is such a so-called sage ruler really a good emperor? Moreover, Emperor Zhezong is just a boy now, a boy surrounded by political struggles and who has lost his father."
"Of course, Emperor Zhezong wasn't the only example of this; the later Ming Dynasty also had one, but it was far more tragic! We later explained that the dynasty effectively collapsed under Emperor Wanli. Lord Zhang, you should think about that carefully!"
Lin Ke: @Zhang Juzheng and Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty
Zhang Juzheng of the Ming Dynasty: !!!
Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty: ...
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: Holy crap, what the hell is going on again!
Crown Prince Zhu Biao of the Ming Dynasty: Perhaps he, like Emperor Zhezong, was treated with high expectations?
Judy, the Grand General Who Conquers the North: ...