Zhao Song: My father was Emperor Taizu of Song

Chapter 27 Etiquette

Upon hearing Empress Wang's words, Zhao Dezhao was suddenly taken aback.

Since he transmigrated, Madam Wang has always doted on him, never taking his mischievous behavior to heart, and has never been so serious as she is today.

What surprised him even more was that his mother, a woman, had such a clear understanding of things!

This subtly touches upon the realm of imperial strategy!

The way of the king is to subdue people with virtue, while the way of the tyrant is to subdue people with force. A ruler should combine the ways of the king and the tyrant!

He suddenly understood.

Yes, this was a feudal society, and even more so the chaotic Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, far from the modern world where everyone is equal.

The essence of feudal society is its strict hierarchical structure.

When Shusun Tong established the rites, Emperor Gaozu of Han exclaimed, "Only today do I realize the nobility of being an emperor!"

Without etiquette and hierarchy, feudal society would cease to be feudal society, and the ruler would cease to be a ruler.

As the eldest son of the emperor, if he cannot even understand the order of rank and hierarchy, how will he be able to command the world in the future?

The Emperor.

—A dragon that reigns supreme over all living beings!

Why was the Five Dynasties period so chaotic?

The problem lies not in warfare, but in the fact that the ruler is not acting like a ruler and the ministers are not acting like ministers!

An Chongrong famously said, "The emperor should be the one with the strongest army and the most powerful horses; is it not a matter of birthright?"

If we want to prevent the world from falling into chaos again, we must restore the world order, establish etiquette, define hierarchy, and make the ruler a ruler and the subject a subject!

The ruler fulfills his responsibilities as a ruler, and the subject observes the proper etiquette as a subject.

Only in this way can the world be at peace!

Having understood all this, Zhao Dezhao nodded solemnly: "Mother, I have learned my lesson!"

He knew that his greatest advantage was merely knowing the future course of history, relying on a slight information gap.

In terms of vision and perspective, we are far inferior to these ancient shrewd people!

There is still so much I need to learn!

Seeing that her son had truly heeded her teachings, Empress Wang smiled gently, picked up her jade chopsticks and placed a piece of mutton on his plate, her tone revealing no trace of her inner joy:

"Zhao'er truly lives up to his reputation as His Majesty's son!"

Zhao Dezhao was both amused and exasperated: "It's fine for Mother to praise me, but why does she also praise Father Emperor?"

Empress Wang raised an eyebrow slightly: "Is what Mother Empress said wrong? You are His Majesty's son, and your intelligence is precisely due to His Majesty's efforts."

Zhao Dezhao: "..."

Fine, you're the Empress Dowager, you're right.

When his mother mentioned Zhao Kuangyin, Zhao Dezhao also remembered that he hadn't seen his adoptive father for several days.

I wonder what my cheap old man is doing, whether he's too busy worrying about the two Lis.

……

In fact, Zhao Kuangyin was not at all worried about the possible rebellion of the two Lis; in fact, he was even somewhat eager to try.

Even if the two Lis did not rebel, Zhao Kuangyin would do everything he could to force them to rebel against him!

the reason is simple.

If no one rebels, how can he make an example of someone?

How can we bring those tens of thousands of elite troops under the command of the two Lis under our own command?

As dusk settled, the stars began to appear and disappear.

After leaving his study, Zhao Kuangyin did not immediately return to Kunning Palace or his own bedroom, but instead went to the Imperial Library.

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."

Today, the person on duty at the Imperial Library is a young man who looks to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old and whose official position is Left Remonstrance Official and Compiler of the Jixian Hall.

He was slender with a broad, full forehead, high eyebrows, thin lips, and a few short wisps of beard on his chin. His eyes, though respectful, also carried a hint of the arrogance of a scholar.

"Rise."

Zhao Kuangyin nodded slightly in response, and after entering the Imperial Library, went straight to the quiet room on the third floor.

The young man on duty at the Imperial Library quickly followed behind him, keeping a close eye on Zhao Kuangyin's movements, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

As he stepped onto the stairs to the second floor, Zhao Kuangyin paused slightly, and without turning his head, said in a deep voice:

"Bring the 'Essentials of Governance in the Zhenguan Era' and deliver it to the quiet room."

Over time, he gradually developed a habit—studying history.

Learning from history reveals the rise and fall of dynasties. When Zhao Kuangyin first ascended the throne, he was somewhat anxious and apprehensive. However, Emperor Taizong's words pointed him in the right direction.

"Here you are."

The soft footsteps behind him gradually faded away, and Zhao Kuangyin picked up his foot again and went straight to the quiet room.

Just as they finished adding candles and took their seats, the young man's respectful voice rang out from outside the door: "Your Majesty, the 'Essentials of Governance in the Zhenguan Era' has been brought."

"Oh?"

Zhao Kuangyin raised an eyebrow, feeling slightly surprised.

The Imperial Library has more than ten thousand books in its collection. He had only casually mentioned one of them, and the young man was able to find and deliver it in such a short time, which was truly beyond his expectations.

"Bring it in."

"Here you are."

The young man bowed as he entered, knelt before the table, presented the book with both hands, and stood respectfully to the side.

Knowing that His Majesty would occasionally come to the Imperial Library to read history, he had already done his homework and naturally knew that when His Majesty was reading, he would have the scholars and Confucian doctors on duty in the Imperial Library stand by his side so that he could ask questions.

The candlelight flickered in the quiet room, and all was silent.

Zhao Kuangyin's attention returned to the "Essentials of Governance in the Zhenguan Era" in front of him. He slowly opened the book, his brows furrowed slightly, and carefully read it word by word.

The Essentials of Governance in the Zhenguan Era is a book on governing the world, which summarizes many of Emperor Taizong of Tang's experiences in governing the country during the Zhenguan era. For him at that time, it was like finding water when he was thirsty.

A moment later, the sound of turning pages abruptly stopped. Zhao Kuangyin stared at one of the pages with a deep frown, remaining silent for a long time, seemingly puzzled.

Then, he raised his head, looked at the young man beside him, and asked as usual:

The "Essentials of Governance in the Zhenguan Era" repeatedly mentions Emperor Taizong's principle of appointing virtuous officials, stating that "the key to governance lies in obtaining the right people." When selecting virtuous officials, did Emperor Taizong value virtue or talent most?

Upon hearing Zhao Kuangyin's question, the young man was delighted, but he did not rush to answer. After a moment's thought, he slowly spoke:

"Your Majesty, in the chapter 'On the Selection of Officials' in the 'Essentials of Governance in the Zhenguan Era,' Emperor Taizong once discussed with Fang Xuanling that 'Talent is the foundation of virtue; virtue is the leader of talent.'"

"It is evident that Emperor Taizong selected virtuous and talented individuals, but with virtue taking precedence."

"This is because if a person with talent but no virtue is entrusted with important responsibilities, he will only bring chaos to the court. Only a person with both virtue and talent can have the people at heart and serve the country and the nation."

Zhao Kuangyin pondered for a moment, nodded slightly, and then focused his gaze back on the scroll in front of him.

After a moment, he posed another question: "It is not the knowledge that is difficult, but the action; it is not the action that is difficult, but the perseverance to the end. What is the explanation for this?"

"Your Majesty, this sentence comes from 'Zhenguan Zhengyao - On Being Cautious to End One's Life'. It means that it is not difficult to know the principles of governing a country, but it is difficult to put these principles into practice."

"Putting principles into practice is not the most difficult thing; the most difficult thing is to persevere and see things through to the end."

The young man's words were precise and without any hesitation.

Zhao Kuangyin nodded thoughtfully.

The quiet room returned to silence, with only the occasional sound of turning pages and the dialogue between the emperor and his ministers.

Whenever Zhao Kuangyin had a question, the young man answered fluently and without hesitation.

This caused Zhao Kuangyin to feel a slight sense of surprise.

Admittedly, the three academies are full of Confucian scholars who are well-versed in both ancient and modern times, but few are as young as this young man and who can answer so fluently.

Moreover, those Confucian scholars only knew how to use flowery phrases like "zhi hu zhe ye," which he really disliked.

On the contrary, this young man's answers were always concise and to the point, without a single superfluous word.

Zhao Kuangyin couldn't help but feel a little interested in him.

The ability to recognize talent is a quality possessed by every founding emperor, and Zhao Kuangyin was no exception. He closed his book and carefully examined the young minister before him.

The young man stood with his head bowed, seemingly calm, but his palms were sweating with nervousness, and his heart was pounding, like a gambler waiting for the game to begin.

He went to great lengths to secure this position at the Imperial Library, and stayed up all night reading classics and history, all in the hope of gaining His Majesty's favor and securing a bright future!

Whether it's big or small, whether it's a win or a loss, it all depends on this moment!

"What's your name? What's your official position?"

Upon hearing this, the young man was overjoyed, but he showed no sign of it on his face, remaining humble and respectful as he replied:

"Your subject Lu Duoxun was a Jinshi during the Xiande era of the Later Zhou Dynasty. Now, thanks to Your Majesty's grace, I have been appointed as Left Remonstrance Official and concurrently as Compiler of the Jixian Hall."

"A Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) during the Xiande era..."

Zhao Kuangyin frowned slightly. To be fair, he did not like the old officials of the previous dynasty.

But Lu Duoxun is clearly a talented person, and it would be a pity to abandon him.

Furthermore, Lu Duoxun was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) during the Xiande era, but his official rank was only eighth grade, which clearly indicates that he was not highly regarded in the previous dynasty.

Very well, I'll have someone investigate his background later. If he has a clean record...

Zhao'er's household also happens to lack a tutor to teach classics and history.