Emperor Zhengde

Chapter 107: A University Should Not Just Be A Confucius School
After Zhu Houzhao yawned and said "dismiss the court", all the ministers left the Qianqing Palace one after another. Except for the cabinet ministers and eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department, only Wang Yangming remained in the hall, listening to Zhu Houzhao's arrangements on the establishment of Imperial University of Peking.

Zhu Houzhao looked at Wang Yangming, who was thirty-three years old at the time.

This was the first time that Zhu Houzhao looked at Wang Yangming. Although he had asked Wang Yangming to do several things for him, it was only at this moment that he truly looked at him.

Zhu Houzhao only saw that Wang Yangming had a rectangular face and a goatee. His eyes were indeed bright, but he did not look like a sage who had attained enlightenment. It seemed that there was still a hint of naivety between his brows.

Wang Yangming was also looking at Zhu Houzhao. On the surface, Zhu Houzhao he saw was just a young man with a white face, light beard and clear eyes. But why did his eyes seem to have a hint of maturity? Even the look he gave himself carried a hint of scrutiny and solemnity.

Zhu Houzhao knew that Wang Yangming had not experienced Liu Jin's torture, nor had he attained enlightenment in Longchang, so he could understand that he had not yet become sophisticated and cunning.

However, Wang Yangming's doubts deepened after meeting Zhu Houzhao. He wondered what kind of hardships this young emperor who grew up in the deep palace had experienced to be able to analyze the people in this society so thoroughly, to be so full of a sense of struggle in a governing guideline, to be so unkind and cruel to his political enemies, and to have such a strong desire for self-protection that he was not afraid to kill ten generations of a family!
"Can it be that the death of one's father can really make a person grow up quickly? I, Wang Yangming, have not yet attained enlightenment. Is it because no close relatives of my family have passed away? I don't know how many years my father can live, so I will have to remain in chaos and ignorance for a few more years."

Wang Yangming couldn't help but start to think wildly.

"Wang Shouren!"

Zhu Houzhao shouted casually.

"His Majesty!"

At the same time, Wang Yangming also shouted.

"You speak first," Zhu Houzhao gave Wang Yangming face and stretched out his hand.

"Your Majesty, please tell me first. It was Your Majesty who asked me to stay," Wang Yangming replied.

Zhu Houzhao nodded after hearing this and said, "Do you know what kind of university I want to build? Or can you tell me why you suddenly volunteered to be the chief priest of the Imperial University?"

"I will first answer your Majesty's second question. I dare not deceive your Majesty. I just saw that no one dared to recommend me, so I recommended myself. I am grateful to your Majesty for selecting me as a lecturer in the Imperial Academy, but I am not a scholar, so I am not qualified to be a poet in the Imperial Academy. Now that your Majesty wants to change the Leopard Room into a university, I was originally allowed to study in the Leopard Room by your Majesty's order, and now I am just going back to continue my studies."

Wang Yangming replied truthfully.

Zhu Houzhao originally thought that Wang Yangming was really different from other people of that era. As soon as he proposed to build a university, a man of great fortune like Wang Yangming should immediately understand his purpose.

Now, Zhu Houzhao realized that even the genius of this era needs time to guide. "In this case, tell me your understanding," Zhu Houzhao said.

"Yes, Your Majesty! As far as I understand, university is the place for adults to study. It is not a place for children to be enlightened, but a place for those who seek knowledge to learn," Wang Yangming replied.

Zhu Houzhao walked up to Wang Yangming and gave him a booklet about the "Proclamation on the Construction of the Imperial University of Peking": "Read it while listening to me. What you said is almost what I mean, but not entirely. Although the university I want to build is not a place for children to learn to read and write, it is also a place for enlightenment, a place for the enlightenment of new ideas!

The so-called "greatness" of the Imperial University of Peking is not only a place for young people to study, but also a place where all knowledge in the world is gathered and studied. It is not only for learning, but also for applying what you have learned, and even for the purpose of pioneering new knowledge. I have decided to temporarily divide the Imperial University of Peking into four departments: liberal arts, science, engineering, and medicine, and expand it later. As for the meaning of these four departments, I have explained them above, you can take a closer look at them yourself;
You are now going to help me and the Ming Dynasty to build the Imperial University. How to renovate the Leopard House is not very important. What is more important is to immediately find those who are qualified to be masters of these four subjects. You will report them to me as professors of the Imperial University. It doesn’t matter if they were peddlers or nobles before, as long as they are talented in a certain area and have good morals, they can be recruited. "

Professor already existed in the Ming Dynasty, but its meaning was different from that in later generations. Professors in later generations were more equivalent to doctors in ancient times. However, in order to avoid confusion with the Imperial College and because the word "professor" originally meant "teacher", Zhu Houzhao simply named the official title of university teacher as professor. As for the specific grade of university teachers in the future, that can only be discussed later.

Wang Yangming understood a lot after reading Zhu Houzhao's booklet and listening to what Zhu Houzhao said. But before he could speak, the Prime Minister Ma Wensheng said, "Your Majesty, you want to promote miscellaneous learning to benefit all schools of thought. However, since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty promoted Confucius, the suppression of all schools of thought has reached its peak, and Emperor Wu became the greatest emperor of all time. Your Majesty wants to achieve great things as an emperor, why do you promote all schools of thought instead of the Six Classics?"

"After Emperor Wu of Han promoted Confucianism and rejected all other schools of thought, did the Han Dynasty decline as a result?" Zhu Houzhao asked. Ma Wensheng replied, "I have limited knowledge of history. I don't know what this has to do with promoting Confucianism?"

"Let me put it this way. I am not abandoning the teachings of Confucius. In fact, Confucianism has changed a long time ago. But I cannot support only Confucianism and suppress all other schools of thought. It is like a person cannot just be rational, but also needs to know how to dress and eat, and even drive a car and a horse. There are hundreds of crafts in society, and naturally there are hundreds of studies. If my Ming Dynasty wants to usher in a prosperous era, we must allow the academic world to flourish. Buddhism, Taoism, and even Jesus from the West can be tolerated, so why can't other miscellaneous studies be tolerated! What can benefit the empire is good knowledge!"

After Zhu Houzhao said this, Ma Wensheng had no choice but to reply: "Remember the imperial edict!"

In fact, the promotion of Confucianism as the only doctrine was the will of the imperial rulers to maintain their own rule. In the Ming Dynasty, which was not ruled by a foreign race, neither the officials in the court nor the people in the world restricted their thoughts and were able to accept different voices. As long as Zhu Houzhao did not affect their most fundamental interests, it didn't matter what the emperor believed in or did what he did.

Wang Yangming also replied at this time: "Your Majesty, I have fully understood your meaning. I wonder if your Majesty has any more instructions?"

"I only have one request. The purpose of the Imperial University is to be inclusive! Different voices are allowed within the university, as long as they do not violate the law and do not intend to overthrow the dynasty. The sea is vast and tolerant, and a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend!"

After Zhu Houzhao finished speaking, Jiao Fang who was present could not help but say: "Your Majesty's mind is beyond the reach of our ministers!"

Wang Yangming also nodded and said, "I will bear in mind your Majesty's instructions. Please rest assured, I will definitely build such a university!"

Wang Yangming was not a person who would stick to his old ways. When he was newly married, he talked about learning with Taoist priests, discussed Zen with old monks, and asked peddlers about geography. These were things he often did. Now building such a university became what he wanted to do. Therefore, at this moment, after he understood Zhu Houzhao's purpose of building the Imperial University of Peking, he could not help but become more active.

(End of this chapter)