GBP Chapter 1003 On Emperor Hui
Chapter 1003 On Emperor Hui
Knowing that Zhou Ding was not usually very talkative, after exchanging greetings, Xiao Yu'er opened her book and got straight to the point.
"Your Highness, today I will be discussing the Annals of Emperor Hui in Volume Four of the Book of Jin. It says, 'When the world was in chaos and the people were starving, the Emperor said, "Why don't they eat meat porridge?"' This saying has been widely circulated in history and has served as a warning to monarchs of subsequent dynasties. I wonder what Your Highness's opinion is on this person?"
Although Zhou Pu had been relatively laissez-faire in raising his princes over the past few years, he still maintained all the proper rules and regulations for their early education. The tutors who taught Zhou Ding were all renowned scholars of the time, and their lectures were both profound and easy to understand, with particular emphasis on cultivating the virtues of a ruler and the way to govern a country.
Zhou Ding was not dull-witted; in fact, he was quite intelligent, and naturally, he had already studied the Book of Jin.
After a moment's thought, he replied in a clear voice to Xiaoyuer's question: "Master Cui once told me about this: 'The people are the foundation of the state. When the foundation is firm, the state is at peace. The ruler is the boat. Water can carry the boat, but it can also capsize it.'"
The tragic end of Emperor Hui of Jin, and the absurdity of his famous "Why don't they eat meat porridge?" incident, can be attributed to three main reasons. The first reason is his oversight. What kind of ruler is he? The primary responsibility of a monarch is to know the world. Emperor Hui's failure lay in his ignorance—his ignorance of the hardships of farming and the suffering of the people.
The second layer concerns the dangers of being misled. How can one govern a country under such circumstances? Why was Emperor Hui of Jin unaware of this? It was because he was surrounded by sycophants, relatives of the empress, eunuchs, and other petty people. He was kept in the dark and misled. All he heard and saw was a rosy picture of peace and prosperity, and all he saw was the splendor of the palace. This is a major taboo in governing a country! Listening to all sides leads to enlightenment, while believing only one side leads to darkness. One must learn to listen to different voices and even tolerate direct criticism in order to become a good ruler and govern the country well.
As for this last layer, it is the failure of the system. How can a system be established? The chaos of the Western Jin Dynasty was not the fault of one person. Its enfeoffment system led to the rise of princes, the dispersion of imperial power, and the failure of the entire country's governance. This was the root cause. Only by establishing a good system that can ensure the smooth flow of government orders and the proper checks and balances of power can a country avoid repeating the same mistakes.
Therefore, I believe that Emperor Hui of Jin was merely a victim of dynastic change. He lacked the ability to control his capable ministers and could not change the situation of powerful princes becoming increasingly wealthy. His final fate was therefore predetermined!
Xiaoyuer was quite satisfied with the answer. After nodding, he said, "Your Highness's analysis of Emperor Hui of Jin is very pertinent and insightful. In fact, apart from the matter of 'Why not eat meat porridge?', through the matter of Ji Shizhong's blood, we can also see that although Emperor Hui of Jin is dull-witted, his dullness is not because he is not smart enough, but because his understanding of the things around him is out of touch with reality. He is not without feelings."
“Oh, that’s true. I’ve also studied this text. Ji, the guard, protected Emperor Hui of Jin from a young age and died because of him. In any case, one should be moved by it.” As he said this, a rare trace of sorrow flashed in Zhou Ding’s eyes.
His eyes held a maturity and sadness completely out of place for someone his age.
Little Fish noticed, but didn't point it out. Instead, he changed the subject and asked gently, "Does Your Highness know why I am reciting this passage today?"
He had been lecturing the Crown Prince for a long time, and the two had become very familiar and natural with each other, so they spoke without much restraint.
Zhou Ding, who was quite savvy with language, looked up and asked, "Hmm, why is that? Could it be that something reminded Zhang Shidu of this allusion?"
“Not bad,” Xiaoyuer nodded with a smile, and then talked about what happened after dinner at home yesterday, even feeling a little ashamed at the end.
“In the past, I always thought that children were too young and only thought about getting them to start school as soon as possible to avoid wasting their precious time. However, I did not realize that it was more important to cultivate their understanding of the things around them. Otherwise, the “why not eat meat porridge” mentality will continue to occur frequently. The poor are struggling to make ends meet, while many members of the scholar class cannot understand this at all. I believe that such cases are not isolated incidents. As the heir apparent, the Crown Prince should avoid similar incidents and learn to understand the people’s sentiments.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ding tilted his head thoughtfully. After a long while, he sighed softly, his face showing some sorrow: "I understand what you mean, Zhang Shidu. It's a pity that I'm over ten years old now. Apart from going to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to worship our ancestors every year, and occasionally going to the city tower to celebrate with my father during the Lantern Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, I rarely have the opportunity to go out. I've also heard about the earthquake and the great suffering of the people, but I really didn't expect it to have reached this point."
After saying that, he murmured with a hint of self-deprecation, "Compared to Emperor Hui of Jin, I'm not much better than him."
"Your Highness, please do not underestimate yourself. His Majesty is in the prime of his life, and Your Highness has plenty of time to grow and learn. This is already a blessing!" Xiaoyuer advised.
Zhou Ding waved his hand, then suddenly stood up from his seat, somewhat dejected. "That's just how it is!"
“Your Highness…”, Xiaoyuer stood up as well.
Zhou Ding raised his hand, gesturing for Xiaoyuer to sit down at the other side of the chessboard. After the two sat down again, he continued:
“It has been several years since Zhang Shidu began lecturing to me. To be honest, I have always considered you one of my own. There are many things I cannot say to the servants below, and I can only feel at ease when I talk to you, Zhang Shidu. You know the current situation in the court. Although Father Emperor is still in his prime, it is common knowledge that he has been obsessed with alchemy in recent years. Coupled with the frequent natural disasters and man-made calamities, the situation is really not optimistic. I have advised Father Emperor several times, but alas, I am of low status and my words carry little weight. Whenever I think of this, I cannot eat or sleep properly. Alas!”
Xiaoyuer knew that although Zhou Ding was young, he was a sensitive person. He also knew that he was not usually favored by the emperor. If he were not one of the emperor's only two remaining bloodlines, he probably would not have been able to sit on the throne.
This performance was exactly what he expected, and it just happened to lead into what he wanted to say next.
"Your Highness, I am grateful for your high regard. Your Highness's worries are also my worries. I am happy to help Your Highness share your burdens. However, the people's livelihood is not something that can be resolved in a short time. It takes time. Right now, I feel that there is another urgent matter that needs to be resolved. This matter concerns the position of Crown Prince."
After Zhou Ding pondered for a moment upon hearing this, he understood. He glanced outside the hall, then frowned and asked in a low voice, "Are you referring to Consort Cui?"
"Not bad," Little Fish nodded generously.
He then bluntly stated, "Since the Cui family began to make a name for themselves in the court a few years ago, Cui Ling, the father of Consort Cui, has been very prominent in the court. He has gained the Emperor's trust and has already wielded considerable power. He has also been forming cliques with other colleagues in private. At this critical juncture, if Consort Cui were to become Empress, His Highness the Crown Prince would be in grave danger!"
Zhou Ding's expression turned sour after hearing this.
Xiaoyuer continued calmly, "The Cui family's wolfish ambitions are already obvious, but let's leave that aside for now. Tell me, throughout history, which empress didn't first support her own son to become emperor, but instead preferred to support the son of the previous empress?"