Zhu Yuanzhang, a wandering monk from the bottom of society, finally ascended to the throne of a country. From an ordinary soldier in the peasant uprising, he became the only winner in the battle against the Yuan Dynasty. . He has been in power for 31 years and has brought a dilapidated and devastated country into order, which is inseparable from his lifelong hard work. The eight words Zhu Yuanzhang himself confessed, "careful and diligent, diligent and diligent every day" are an objective and true portrayal of his life.
During the anti-Yuan war, he set an example, was brave and good at fighting, and often led the troops personally. Even in the bloody battle between Poyang Lake and Zhang Dingbian, knowing that the strength of the enemy was disparate, in order to encourage the generals and win the battle, he personally went to fight and overcame obstacles to win the decisive battle.
After the founding of New China, in order to better stabilize and unite the new dynasty, he became more energetic and used all his energy and time to do his best to control the Zhou Dynasty he created. He needs to personally handle all the large and small government affairs across the country in order to do things better. At the same time, he also holds the real power and the small power to avoid the loss of great power. He wakes up early every day in his office, reviews memorials, invites people to review them, and stays busy until midnight. Because he felt that the lesson learned from the collapse of the Yuan Dynasty was that "the emperor cannot handle government affairs personally."
The level of anxiety and busyness in his work can be demonstrated by just one example:
September 14th to 21st in the 17th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1384) In these eight days, senior officials sent a total of 1,660 memorials, and a total of 3,391 issues were reported; on average, more than 200 memorials were read or heard (sometimes read out) every day, and more than 400 issues were resolved. The senior officials next to him saw that he was overworked and advised him to save on labor and safety supplies. He said excitedly: "Does it mean that I don't understand peace by nature, but only like to work and hate leisure? In the Qing Dynasty, the world was unstable and all life was in ruins. At that time, I had no time to eat, and I had no time to sleep. In order to better pacify the county, I led you to fight. Now, the world has already pacified the county, and the country has been peaceful. At this time, I can also relax and have fun. Are you free from worries? From ancient times to the present, there is a basic common sense: when people are diligent, the country will prosper, but when people are lazy, the country will decline. How can I just want to be comfortable and comfortable today?"
Zhu Yuanzhang pointed out. How to be a human being and how to govern a country. In a cultural education conversation, Crown Prince Zhu Biaodi mentioned the following standards that he felt must be followed:
The first is benevolence. I feel that it is not easy to be simple and direct when dealing with others;
The second is to be clear. When dealing with others, you must pay attention to transparency and do not follow what others say. Only in this way can we not be easily deceived by traitors;
The third is diligence. Only by being meticulous, conscientious and setting an example can you not become addicted to the status quo and lose morale;
The fourth is to be disconnected. Everything must be decisive and selective. We must not fall into the trap of generalizing, discussing without making a decision, or making a decision without taking action. Only in this way can you prevent yourself from being restricted by discussions and documents, and you can work efficiently.
The application of these four principles is fundamentally based on the word heart. Since I became the emperor, I have been concentrating on everything and never been lazy. I was afraid of doing everything unreasonably and living up to the trust of God. I started working even before dawn, and only had to comfort myself late at night. This is what you see every day. You can learn from me and do what I do, so that you can preserve the world of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang mostly did that in the process of becoming a hegemon. However, in his later years, in order to protect the Zhou dynasty and seize the imperial power, he was suspicious and unjustly killed a large number of heroes, which turned the cart before the horse.
Zhu Yuanzhang also attached great importance to the cultural education of his children. In the palace, he ordered a special building to be built, named "Dabentang", to store books from ancient times to the present. People with great knowledge were dispatched from all over the country to come to Beijing to teach the emperors in turns and serve as their masters. The most famous among them are Song Lian, Kong Keren, etc. He stipulated that the words and deeds of the masters themselves should set an example for the students, and they should teach the students according to their individual needs and cultivate useful talents. He felt:
"The kings who started their own business from ancient times have gone through hardships, understood human feelings, and understood the ways of the world, and of course they were safe in doing things. The kings who keep their business grew up in wealth and wealth, and had rich clothes and meat. If they don't pay attention to learning, Training and apprenticeship will cause problems in doing things.
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The reason why Zhu Yuanzhang came up with this set of understandings is related to his experience of being very easy to learn. During his growth period, Zhu Yuanzhang felt the pain of lack of culture and art, and the importance of culture prompted him to take the initiative to He took every opportunity to study culture and was eager for knowledge. When he returned as a wandering monk, he started studying culture at Huangjue Temple. Growing. He attaches great importance to professional knowledge and talented people with professional knowledge and culture. Whenever he conquers a city or place, he first checks whether there are any knowledgeable and talented people. The "old Confucian" tried every means to force them to move in, and he was almost thirsty for talents.
He often communicated with them, asked for advice, and even had long talks with them at night. Talking about the past and the present, he continued to study culture, art, and knowledge. A large number of literati around him, such as Song Lian, Liu Ji, Zhu Sheng, Tao An, Yang Xian, etc., continued to educate him with Confucianism. He has gained thousands of political experience, and often writes some texts himself, showing his high talent.
He often takes the time to talk to literati. Short. Once while discussing academic research with Tao An, Zhu Yuanzhang wrote a couplet for him based on Tao An's standards: "The country's intelligence is unparalleled in the world, and Hanyuan's articles are the first." "It can be seen from this that his comments have a high level of resolution.
Zhu Yuanzhang could not only write orders and edicts online, but also write tombstones and poems. The text is fluent, smooth and breathtaking. He was arrogant and bold. He advocated conciseness and clarity, and resisted empty words and redundant words. He said, "I hate hearing redundant words." He demanded that "only objective facts should be presented, and no redundant words should be used." If anyone does not comply with the requirements, he will be held accountable." The reform and innovation of the writing style at that time had an innovative effect. His own colloquial vernacular poems are unique and interesting. For example, his "Chrysanthemum" "Poetry" describes Huang Juhua's disdain for the wind and snow: I won't let the flowers bloom, and I will be frightened to death if they bloom. I will wear gold armor everywhere.
The success of Zhu Yuanzhang's career was not only due to his own hard work, but also to the persuasion and assistance of his good wife, Queen Ma.
Zhu Yuanzhang and Queen Ma were a pair. The married couple were in love. Ma was the adopted daughter of Zhang Zixing. Ma married Zhu Yuanzhang and became the generalissimo's son-in-law. ". This hand that was suddenly worth a hundred times came from the Ma family. It can be said that a husband is more valuable than his wife. When Zhu Yuanzhang became the emperor, the Ma family was appointed as the queen. The father-in-law Ma Gong and the mother-in-law Zheng, who did not even have a name, were also posthumously named Xu. Wang and Mrs. Wang, this means that the wife is more valuable than the husband. Ma family was very helpful to Zhu Yuanzhang, and Zhu Yuanzhang also valued Ma family.
Guo Zixing had a manic personality, and Zhu Yuanzhang suffered a lot from him. False accusation. Once, when Guo Zixing locked up Zhu Yuanzhang and did not provide him with food or meals, Ma took the newly announced sesame seed cakes in his arms and gave them to Zhu Yuanzhang to satisfy his hunger. During the Anti-Japanese War, his chest became swollen. Due to the lack of grain, Ma always asked her husband to eat first, preferring to go hungry herself. Zhang Dingbian led his troops to attack Jiqing, and when the troops came to the city, many officials were busy burying gold and silver and preparing to escape, but Ma took out money to reward the allies. As an officer and a soldier, Zhu Yuanzhang had the habit of taking notes to prevent forgetfulness. Ma carefully sorted out the notes in her husband's notebook after Zhu Yuanzhang rested, and checked them out immediately during the inspection, which saved Zhu Yuanzhang a lot of energy. < /p>
Zhu Yuanzhang often praised Ma's benefits, saying that she was today's eldest grandson empress. The virtuous Ma said to Zhu Yuanzhang meaningfully: "We all know that it is easy for husband and wife to get along well, but it is difficult for courtiers to get along well. Your Majesty has not forgotten that we share the same hardships with you. I only hope that you will not forget that your ministers have also shared the same hardships with you! "When Zhu Yuanzhang became anxious and angry, Ma continued to provide comfort and persuasion in many aspects, so that Zhu Yuanzhang calmed down, solved the problem better, and also saved a number of founding fathers.
For example, joining the army When Guo Jingxiang was serving in the army, some people reported that his son was holding a weapon and wanted to kill his father. After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang had to arrest and kill his son. Ma warned: "Jingxiang only has one son, and the father and son cannot have many children. There is a big difference, and the report of the patricide is likely to be untrue. If there is no verification and someone commits a crime rashly, wouldn't it be possible to end the person's future? "Zhu Yuanzhang heard this and sent someone to investigate. It turned out that it was not the case.
Another example is that some people revealed that Song Lian's grandson Song Shen was Hu Weiyong's accomplice, and according to the law, Song Lian was punished with death. Ma apologized and said: "Ordinary people hire teachers for their children because they are respected by their parents. Song Lian is the teacher of the crown prince, not to mention that he has retired and returned to his hometown long ago. He must not be aware of the little grandson's affairs. Please ignore the old man!" "Zhu Yuanzhang disagreed. During dinner, Ma did not drink alcohol and did not eat vegetables. Zhu Yuanzhang asked: "Are you feeling unwell?" Ma replied: "No. I am still doing good things for Mr. Xu!" Zhu Yuanzhang was so moved that he learned to put down his wooden chopsticks and decided to pardon Song Lian.
Another example is Shen Wansan, a wealthy businessman from Wuxing who donated his property to build Nanjing, the center of the capital. In order to please the soldiers who were often seeking trouble and extortion, he reluctantly gave up money and actively rewarded the troops. Not only was this ineffective, but it violated Zhu Yuanzhang's self-esteem. He felt that simply rewarding the emperor's troops was an act of derailment without dynasty and messing with the people. Therefore, he was ordered to kill. After much persuasion by Empress Ma, he was spared death and was instead sent to Yunnan Province.
In short, Ma's careful assistance ensured that Zhu Yuanzhang devoted himself to the court. Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang not only loved Ma family deeply, but also respected Ma family. When the 51-year-old Ma died of illness in August of the fifteenth year of Hongwu's reign in the Ming Dynasty (1382), Zhu Yuanzhang, who was deeply saddened, would no longer be a queen to express his lifelong nostalgia for his love as a good wife and loving mother.