Empress Zhang smiled and said: "Hey, don't mention it. Recently, Li Dongyang recommended one of his students, an editor at the Hanlin Academy, to serve as a lecturer for the prince. This man is very strict. He lectures and reads every morning and evening.
I can't leave class until I finish my studies. I guess I'll stay here again today. Just now Li Zhi went to the East Palace to invite me and said he would be here soon."
Zhang Yanling's heart moved and she asked, "Is the minister's name Yang Tinghe?"
"Yes, yes, his name is Yang Tinghe. Do you know him?" Queen Zhang said.
Zhang Yanling shook his head and said: "I have heard about it, but I don't know it."
Empress Zhang nodded and said: "Master Yang is quite knowledgeable. Li Dongyang admired him very much and recommended him to the emperor. The emperor personally appointed him to give lectures to Minister Hou Zhao."
Zhang Yanling nodded slightly, and Zhang Heling on the side said dissatisfied: "This is good. The emperor is pestered by Li Dongyang, Liu Jian and others, and the prince is pestered by Li Dongyang's disciples. What else are we going to eat at this Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet? The three of us sisters
If you can eat well, just treat it as a reunion of my Zhang family siblings. Being an emperor is so tiring, but it’s not interesting.”
Empress Zhang smiled and scolded Zhang Heling for talking nonsense. After hearing this, Zhang Yanling thought: Brother, what he said is exactly what he said. The civil servants of the Ming Dynasty tried every means to increase their sense of presence and wanted to control the emperor to do everything they wanted. Li Dongyang asked
Yang Tinghe served as an attendant to the prince for the same reason. This was intended to make the prince, like his father, be able to value their opinions and obey their mercy in the future. However, I am afraid that it backfired. In the future, after Zhu Houzhao ascends the throne, he will treat the civil service group
The disdain to be afraid is due to the rebellious psychology that started to accumulate from this moment on.
The three siblings were talking when suddenly someone from the corridor loudly announced: "The emperor has arrived, the prince has arrived."
The three siblings hurriedly stood up, only to see Hongzhi Emperor Zhu Youtang striding over holding the thin young man Zhu Houzhao, led by several lamp-bearing chamberlains.
Empress Zhang greeted her and said with a smile: "Oh, why did you two, father and son, arrive together? We happened to meet each other? What a coincidence?"
Zhu Houzhao stepped forward to salute Empress Zhang and said in a deep voice: "To express my gratitude to my mother, I passed by Qianqing Palace and happened to meet the holy driver. I didn't expect that my father would be so late. I wasted time and asked my mother to wait for me.
It really shouldn’t be.”
Empress Zhang smiled and said: "What did my son say? My son studies hard and learns the principles of governing the world, which is what my mother wishes for. Your two uncles and I were talking about you just now."
Zhu Houzhao looked at Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling, who were standing beside the banquet, and said with a smile: "My two uncles came early."
The three of them walked to the banquet. Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling hurriedly saluted together. Zhu Youtang waved his hands and smiled and said: "I don't have to be polite, Heling, Yanling, I have kept you waiting for a long time. I really can't get away."
Zhang Yanling said in a deep voice: "The emperor is busy with state affairs, what's the point of waiting for me? I just wish I couldn't share the emperor's worries."
Zhang Heling said: "Yes, yes, the emperor has worked too hard. You should take care of yourself and don't overwork yourself."
Zhu Youtang laughed and said: "Look, even He Ling is so good at talking now. Sit down, sit down, don't be formal. It will be boring if my family is more formal. Queen, what delicious food have you prepared tonight?
Yes?"
Empress Zhang smiled hurriedly and introduced the wine, dishes, snacks and fruits, which she prepared herself. Emperor Hongzhi was frugal and did not like to eat and drink too much. Empress Zhang followed suit and did it herself. Today's wine, dishes and fruits are quite delicious.
Many of them were selected and made by her herself.
When Queen Zhang introduced the dishes, Zhang Yanling sat down on the chair next to Zhu Houzhao, smiled and asked in a low voice: "Is the prince very tired from studying recently?"
Zhu Houzhao picked up the tea cup in front of him and drank, and said casually: "I'm not tired at all."
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "I'm not tired, but it's quite boring, right? You are the one who reads these things every day. If it were me, I would have gone crazy."
Zhu Houzhao glanced at Zhang Yanling and said calmly: "There's nothing you can do about it. You have to read it if it's boring. Otherwise, what should I do?"
Zhang Yanling whispered: "Last time I promised to invite the prince to go hunting in Xishan Mountain. Is your highness still interested?"
Zhu Houzhao's eyes lit up and he glanced at Empress Zhang and Zhu Youtang, who were smiling and introducing dishes while the other was smiling and listening attentively. He lowered his voice and said, "Has uncle told the queen about this? The queen agreed.
Already?"
Zhang Yanling shook his head and said, "I haven't said it yet."
Zhu Houzhao's eyes were filled with disappointment, and he smacked his lips and said, "Then what do you say?"
Zhang Yanling whispered: "It's not easy to say? I just want to ask you if you want to go. What if you like to study in the palace?"
Zhu Houzhao rolled his eyes, with a trace of sullenness on his face. Zhang Yanling laughed softly and said: "Don't be angry, I'm just joking with you. The reason why I haven't said it yet is because the season is wrong. It was too hot some time ago, so it wasn't suitable."
Hunting. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the weather is cool, the leaves are yellow and the grass is sparse, and the wild animals in the forest are getting ready for the winter. They have to go out to save some autumn fat. It is a good time to go hunting. So after the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is just the right time."
Zhu Houzhao said happily: "Very good, then tell your mother quickly. I am almost driven crazy by that Yang Tinghe. If I don't go out for a walk, I will definitely go crazy."
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "Yang Tinghe? The minister that the emperor found for you? Don't be like him. After a banquet, I asked the queen that we go to the autumn hunting together to relax."
Zhu Houzhao was so happy that he almost knocked over the tea cup.
The exchange between the couple over there had ended. Seeing Zhang Yanling and Zhu Houzhao whispering to each other, Queen Zhang asked with a smile: "What did Yanling and your uncle say? Are you so happy? You can't even smile from ear to ear."
"
Zhu Houzhao was startled and said hurriedly: "It's nothing, just chatting."
Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "The prince and I were talking about the book he learned today. The prince has learned a lot today, so he talked happily."
Zhu Youtang said: "Oh? What did you read today? Did you realize something deeply? Tell me about it?"
Zhu Houzhao was startled, and was annoyed that Zhang Yanling was talking nonsense. Isn't this a trick on him? He has made a fool of himself. He has forgotten everything he learned today.
"The prince said that he studied an article in "Liezi" today and was very enlightened by a sentence. That sentence is called 'The difficulty of governing a country lies in knowing the virtuous rather than being virtuous.' The prince said that this sentence gave him a sense of
It’s a feeling of sudden enlightenment. When my heart is enlightened, I am naturally happy. The prince is really smart, but I haven’t realized anything.” Zhang Yanling said.
Zhu Youtang nodded slightly and said: "So this is what I studied. This is indeed a good saying. The most difficult thing about running a country is to know and use people well and know how to employ them. Hou Zhao can understand this, which shows that he has made progress in his studies. However, Hou Zhao
Remember, a king cannot just know the virtuous, he must also be virtuous. As the saying goes, the king is a model for his ministers. The king's likes and dislikes must be followed by his subordinates. If the king is not virtuous, how can the ministers be virtuous? This is the so-called principle of what goes up and what goes down.
"
Zhu Houzhao said hurriedly: "I understand, I will bear in mind this."
Empress Zhang smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Hou Zhao has been studying hard and making progress lately. It's great."
Zhu Youtang nodded and said: "You are very smart. As long as you study hard, your country will be safe in the future."
Zhu Houzhao felt comfortable listening to this, and then he realized that Zhang Yanling had deliberately asked the emperor and queen to praise him. He didn't expect that his uncle was actually a knowledgeable person.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty has had a hard day's work. Let's not talk about this anymore. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Let's have a reunion dinner and admire the moon. Your Majesty, I would like to propose a toast to you. I wish Your Majesty the Spring and Autumn Period forever, and I wish our Ming Dynasty a long and prosperous country.
Year." Queen Zhang picked up her wine glass and said with a smile.
Zhu Youtang laughed and raised his glass: "The Queen said well, come and have a drink together, Hou Zhao will also drink some. Let's toast to the eternal prosperity of the Ming Dynasty."
Everyone raised their glasses together and drank it all.