On the road from Xicheng District to the old city of Beijing, Zhu Houzhao and Liu Jin were sitting in the same car, talking and laughing about something.
"Actually, I still miss the old days very much. At that time, I didn't have to worry about national affairs all day long. I could travel around and enjoy the mountains and rivers. Not to mention how comfortable my childhood was."
Zhu Houzhao looked at the high-rise buildings outside the window. The changes in the capital were getting bigger and bigger, especially the three major new districts in the outer city. It is not an exaggeration to describe the rapid changes.
On the other hand, the old city, because of many restrictions, has changed very little and basically still maintains its original appearance. So many officials now choose to move out of the old city and live in the new city.
Many facilities in the old city are not up to par, and even if you have money, it is difficult to make your own mansion big and grand. Naturally, living in it is not as comfortable as the new-style houses now.
Houses in new urban areas are different. Basically, the facilities keep up with the times and have everything. The designs are also more in line with the trends of the times, making them more comfortable to live in.
In addition, now that cars are available, transportation has become more convenient, and commuting to and from get off work has become much more convenient. Therefore, many dignitaries in the capital choose to live in outer cities.
Looking at the bustling capital city, Zhu Houzhao really wanted to have time to go sightseeing, walk around and look around.
He himself is not a person who likes to be restrained and constrained, and he does not like the serious and formal atmosphere in the palace. However, as the emperor, he has no choice but to shoulder the responsibilities he should bear.
"Your Majesty, most of the time in this life, people do not live for themselves."
"Some people live for their loved ones, while others live for the responsibilities on their shoulders."
"Your Majesty, you are the emperor of the Ming Dynasty and the emperor of the tens of millions of people of the Ming Dynasty. You carry the country, the country, and the country on your shoulders. Naturally, sometimes you cannot be as carefree and comfortable as you are in front of you."
Liu Jin replied with a smile.
To be honest, Zhu Houzhao is still doing well as emperor now. Compared with the past, Zhu Houzhao is so many times better now.
Of course, this is also related to some of the current systems of the Ming Empire. The Ming Dynasty's resting system gave Zhu Houzhao some time to be lazy and play, but it was different in history. There was often nothing important to do in the morning. Listen
It would be annoying for anyone to have a bunch of old ministers telling you what to do.
It's different now. You go to court from Monday to Friday, and you can rest and play by yourself on the weekends. During the holidays, you can even take a few days off, which gives you time to relax.
In addition, the morning morning time has also been changed, so you don’t have to get up so early, which makes people more comfortable and humane.
In addition, Emperor Hongzhi is still alive and well, and has also played a supervisory role over Zhu Houzhao.
There's nothing I can do, I'm still watching, someone is in charge of this after all.
Maybe Zhu Houzhao doesn't need to care about other people's opinions, but what he cares about most is Emperor Hongzhi, and he respects Emperor Hongzhi the most. The words of Emperor Hongzhi are more useful than anything else.
Historically, Zhu Houzhao was somewhat lawless, entirely because Empress Zhang could not control him at all. Empress Zhang had doted on him since she was a child. In addition, she was a womanly woman and did not understand anything, so she would not control him.
But the most important thing is that there are very few things that really bother Zhu Houzhao in the Ming Dynasty now.
The Ming Dynasty was prosperous, the country was peaceful and the people were safe, and it was developing rapidly. Compared with the Zhengde Dynasty in history, it was a hundred and eighty thousand times better. It had money and everything it wanted. It was extremely powerful.
In such a powerful dynasty, not only the people's lives are comfortable, but the king can also be more comfortable and have nothing to worry about.
If you live in a dynasty that is plagued by internal and external troubles, even the king will probably be very frightened and have trouble sleeping and eating. It will be difficult for you to live a good life.
Just like the last emperor, Emperor Chongzhen, he was not a fatuous emperor, nor did he do nothing. In fact, Chongzhen was also very diligent and a smart emperor who wanted to make a difference.
But living in an era like the late Ming Dynasty, even as an emperor, he lived an extremely frustrated and helpless life. Internally, he could not control the officials and the court situation, and his energy was consumed in endless political struggles every day.
Externally, he had no way to deal with the Jurchens. He could only watch the loss of Liaodong step by step, and watch the Jurchens frequently check the borders. Under the intertwining of internal and external troubles, he, the emperor, could not live a peaceful life for a few days.
Zhu Houzhao's ability to become emperor comfortably is inseparable from the current strength of the Ming Empire.
The powerful Ming Empire had no worries internally and no strong enemies externally. The country was prosperous and the people were strong. Of course, this little life was comfortable.
Naturally, he, the emperor, does not need to be always annoyed like in history. When he is annoyed, he does not want to go to court. When he is annoyed, he leaves all the affairs to the eunuchs and hides himself to live a pure life.
Of course, Zhu Houzhao's ability to live a comfortable life is closely related to Liu Jin, Wang Shouren, Zhong Fan and other hard-working ministers.
The practical ministers headed by Liu Jin and Wang Shouren were all practical and capable.
After their handling, all matters in the government and the public could be handled easily, and there were not many memorials when they came to the princes.
It was different in history.
At that time, there were so many memorials and memorials, hundreds or even thousands of memorials were placed on eucalyptus slips every day. The key was that if they were all about important matters, it would be acceptable.
Most of the memorials are to advise you to be an emperor well, not to do this, not to do that, or they are flattering memorials. In short, they are a waste of time and energy.
Spending a lot of time and energy on this every day, let alone Zhu Houzhao, just anyone would not be able to bear it, so naturally he became a hands-off shopkeeper and left the matter of reviewing memorials to the eunuchs around him.
It's different now. There are Liu Jin and Wang Shouren who are handling the government affairs. They pay attention to efficiency and hard work. You have to write the memorial concisely and talk about the key points and things directly. Don't be as smelly and long as the mother-in-law's foot binding cloth.
, wasting your own time and wasting the time and energy of the elders and emperors above.
Under such a system, the number of memorials to Zhu Houzhao was very small. A few dozen a day would be considered too much, and a few would be just a few. They were all important national affairs, and Zhu Houzhao could deal with them calmly and leisurely.
You can also have more time to think clearly.
For the helmsman of an empire, more energy should be spent on considering the development direction of the empire and long-term major events, rather than being troubled by trivial matters.
If trivial matters consume too much energy and time of a leader, the leader will not have the time and energy to truly think about the future and development direction of a country.
Every great emperor in history clearly understood this truth. He knew in his heart what he wanted to do, how to do it, and in what direction the entire country should develop.
Of course, history is very complicated, and the affairs of a country are also very complicated.
The emperor is at the center of power, and is always surrounded by all kinds of things and people, and there are always all kinds of things and people trying to influence the emperor in various ways.
Even great emperors like Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, who were wise and wise, would make mistakes and be bewitched by others to kill their own sons and kill outstanding heirs. As a result, the power of the Western Han Dynasty was once controlled by powerful ministers, and the emperor was nothing more than a puppet.
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"Yes, people often don't live for themselves."
When Zhu Houzhao heard Liu Jin's words, he thought carefully and nodded solemnly in agreement.
Think about yourself, if you live for yourself.
Zhu Houzhao didn't want to be the emperor. He wanted to travel around, eat, drink and have fun. What he wanted more was to become a soldier and be a wolf.
But in fact, if he was really not the emperor and not the son of Emperor Hongzhi, could Zhu Houzhao really be able to live a free and easy life?
That's not necessarily the case.
There were countless people from ordinary backgrounds in the Ming Dynasty, who were also unable to achieve freedom and freedom, and were running for life and money. As a soldier of the Ming Dynasty, could they really be a wolf?
Not necessarily. Most of the time, soldiers train hard, over and over again, or stand guard like wooden stakes. This station lasts for several hours.
Perhaps at that time, Zhu Houzhao would no longer admire soldiers, nor would he find soldiers very satisfying.
This is like besieging a city. People outside the city envy those in the city, and people in the city think that people outside the city are good.
"Old Liu, why are you alive?"
Zhu Houzhao asked Liu Jin after thinking for a while.
"Your Majesty, I am also living for others."
Liu Jin smiled and said: "In the past, I saw that the people of Ming Dynasty were extremely poor, with no food to eat, no clothes to cover their bodies, and no fixed place to live. I thought about taking the imperial examination and becoming a high official in the future.
This country and its people should do some practical things and good deeds so that the people of Ming Dynasty can have enough to eat, wear warm clothes, and afford good houses."
"I didn't expect that decades would pass by in such a flash. Now it seems that my ideal has been basically realized."
"Now, the people of our Ming Dynasty have basically lived a good life, with enough food, warm clothes, and good houses to live in."
"Externally, our Ming Empire is also extremely powerful and invincible. Our Ming Empire is prosperous, our country is rich and our people are strong. I have no regrets in this life!"
Liu Jin looked at the bustling streets outside and talked about his ideals with a smile.
Zhu Houzhao listened carefully and nodded slightly. Based on his understanding of Liu Jin, Liu Jin did not tell lies. This was Liu Jin, the Liu Jin he trusted and valued.
"So Your Majesty, I sincerely ask for Your Majesty's permission to resign. From now on, I want to live for myself, travel around and see the world!"