On the last day of the sixth year of Chongzhen, everyone, including Emperor Chongzhen’s family, worshiped their ancestors and then had New Year’s Eve dinner.
Emperor Chongzhen was greatly influenced by Zhong Jinwei. In front of his family, he did not maintain a solemn expression, but lived the New Year happily and peacefully.
The imperial court is getting richer year by year, and the royal treasury is also getting richer year by year, which makes Empress Zhou very emotional. Now, she doesn't need to worry about Emperor Chongzhen's clothes, she can just replace them if they are damaged.
The sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinner can intuitively reflect the improvement of living conditions compared to the previous poverty-stricken New Year celebrations.
What also makes Empress Zhou happy the most is that the smile and joyful mood on Emperor Chongzhen's face are also increasing year by year.
Thinking back to the days when Emperor Chongzhen was walking on thin ice when he first came to the throne, and then later worrying about the future of the empire, it feels like a lifetime ago!
Thinking of the previous difficulties, Queen Zhou couldn't help but secretly wipe the tears that overflowed from the corners of her eyes, and sighed deeply in her heart.
Unexpectedly, her action was discovered by Emperor Chongzhen. He put down his chopsticks, frowned slightly and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Concubine Tian Guifei, Concubine Yuan Guifei and others, including Crown Prince Zhu Cihong, were all startled after hearing this. They didn't know what was going on and looked towards Empress Zhou.
Queen Zhou didn't expect to be discovered, so she was a little flustered, and quickly replied: "No, it's okay, I am happy!"
But after she finished speaking, seeing Emperor Chongzhen still staring at her with a unswerving expression on his face, she had no choice but to confess: "I remember the past, and when I compare it with now, I can't help but feel emotional!"
Hearing what Empress Zhou said, everyone felt the same, especially Emperor Chongzhen. He breathed a long sigh of relief and said to all his beloved concubines and princes: "Yes, I thought it would get better before.
That day, but I never thought that this day would come so quickly and become so good!"
As he spoke, the figure of Zhong Jinwei appeared in his mind, recalling Zhong Jinwei's incredible appearance. It was precisely because of his appearance that he changed his destiny and the destiny of Ming Dynasty.
I have heard this saying before, when a person meets his noble person in his life, his destiny will take a turn.
In the heart of Emperor Chongzhen before, he never believed that this sentence would be related to him. He was already the emperor, could there be someone more noble than himself?
But now, Emperor Chongzhen felt that Zhong Jinwei, who came from a later generation, was his nobleman.
Thinking of this, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but said: "Thanks to Master Zhong for all this!"
His words resonated with everyone present, including the maids and chambermaids serving beside him. They also indirectly enjoyed the benefits brought about by Ming Dynasty becoming stronger in the past few years.
At this time, in such an atmosphere of remembrance and emotion, everyone stopped eating and drinking, silently thinking about the changes in the past few years.
After a while, the silent atmosphere was broken by Queen Zhou. She glanced at her eldest son first, and then said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, after the New Year, the prince will be five years old.
I’m thinking about whether I can let the sages and scholars in the court teach the prince?”
When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he was a little surprised and couldn't help but said: "Didn't I ask Master Sun to teach the prince?"
"Your Majesty, there is another person in the court whose talents are unparalleled. There is nothing better than letting him teach the prince." Empress Zhou saw that Emperor Chongzhen did not understand what she meant, so she had no choice but to elaborate further.
When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he suddenly realized and said: "Oh, the queen is talking about Master Zhong! He is a bit strange. He can't recite a few classics and histories. Even if he writes, his handwriting is bad."
After finishing speaking, Emperor Chongzhen nodded again and said: "What the Queen said is not unreasonable. Although he does not understand these things, he is indeed talented, and this talent is unique to our Ming Dynasty."
He glanced at the prince, then turned back and said to Queen Zhou: "Master Zhong taught me a lot of principles in his words and deeds. If he teaches the prince, it might be miraculous. I will ask him after the new year.
, if possible, let him take time out to teach the prince."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Queen Zhou heard this and quickly stood up to express her gratitude.
When Emperor Chongzhen saw this, he waved his hand to stop Queen Zhou's action. He smiled and said: "The prince is also my son, so there is no need for the queen to be polite."
Who said that the royal family has no family ties? As long as it does not interfere with the foundation of the empire and does not seek power, the emperor is still a human being and will still have feelings for his wife and children.
Especially in the current Ming Dynasty, the emperor's sons have already decided on their future. All the princes except the prince will be feudal overseas, which will not have an impact on the transfer of the throne in the Ming Dynasty. The royal family atmosphere seems to be even more harmonious.
When Emperor Chongzhen met Zhong Jinwei for the first time later that year, he made this request to Zhong Jinwei: "Master Zhong, I want you to teach the prince in peacetime, how about it?"
The reason why he said this was that he was not sure. Therefore, Zhong Jinwei's example is really weird. It is okay to say he is knowledgeable, and it is okay to say he is uneducated. It is really difficult to grasp what kind of situation will arise if Zhong Jinwei is asked to teach the prince.
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When Zhong Jinwei heard this, he was stunned at first, and then thought about it for a moment, but it was a bit beyond Emperor Chongzhen's expectation. He agreed immediately and said: "I obey the order, but I have one request."
"Oh, Master Zhong, if you have any requests, just ask." Emperor Chongzhen was a little surprised when Zhong Jinwei agreed conditionally. He wanted to hear what Zhong Jinwei wanted.
Zhong Jinwei seemed a little unnatural, but he immediately returned to normal, and calmly said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty knows your literary level. Therefore, I will not teach you about the Classics and History, the Analects of Confucius, Mencius, etc. I will teach you.
Just tell stories and teach some management knowledge. Is this good?"
Even if Zhong Jinwei wanted to ask him to teach those things, Emperor Chongzhen would not dare to let him teach him. It would be a mistake for his disciples.
However, he really admired Zhong Jinwei's other abilities. Now that he heard what Zhong Jinwei said, he wanted to hear it. So he immediately agreed: "Okay, I agree."
With this established, Zhong Jinwei quickly took office and became the prince's teacher.
When he was giving his first class, Emperor Chongzhen quietly went over to listen. Unexpectedly, he became fascinated after listening to it. So much so that in Zhong Jinwei's subsequent lectures, the emperor and the prince attended the class together.
The teaching method used by Zhong Jinwei is actually imitating the teaching method of later generations when they were in college, where the political teachers could teach boring courses so that no one was absent from class.
It is not surprising that this relaxed and pleasant way of telling stories, coupled with Zhong Jinwei's sufficient experience in the Ming Dynasty and his hundreds of years of knowledge, fascinated Emperor Chongzhen and his son.