Chapter 44: I Am the Only One Who Sees the Emperor as Human

But when had Zhu Yuanzhang ever needed anyone to teach him the ways of human nature? From beggar to emperor, he had witnessed the pain of separation by life and death, endured the scattering of his family, felt the warmth of home from Empress Ma, and suffered betrayal at the hands of his nephew Zhu Wenzheng. Throughout his journey, he had seen too much of the fickleness of the human heart. What right did a mere child have to pass judgment on him?

Zhang Yi’s reasoning was not beyond his understanding.

It was simply that their positions differed, and perspectives are hard to change.

What is dignity? How much wealth is enough for dignity?

How would he know the difficulties of ruling a household if he had never been in charge?

Was Zhu Yuanzhang the sort of man whose will could be swayed by a child’s few words?

Yet, as Zhang Yi spoke, Zhu Yuanzhang’s anger subsided instead.

On one hand, he began to appreciate the talents of this child; on the other, he had to admit that there was reason in Zhang Yi’s words.

But even knowing this, Zhu Yuanzhang would still press forward in his own way. Once he came to terms with it, he no longer felt bothered by Zhang Yi calling him stingy.

“You think you understand human nature better than the emperor? Or that you’re smarter than him?”

Though he let the matter go, the emperor’s pride would never allow him to yield in words.

“I wouldn’t dare say that…”

Zhang Yi quickly waved his hands. He never believed that being someone from another time made him superior to the ancients; otherwise, he wouldn’t be content to stay quietly in the monastery.

“If that’s the case, what makes you think you’ve thought of something the emperor hasn’t? Nothing in the world is perfect, and any decision a ruler makes requires weighing the pros and cons… Do you know what’s in His Majesty’s heart?”

At this, Zhang Yi smiled.

He didn’t think himself smarter than Zhu Yuanzhang, but he did have the advantage of seeing the consequences of a policy from the perspective of the future.

Only now did Zhang Yi realize that “Uncle Huang” was an ardent devotee of Zhu Yuanzhang, and he felt no need to argue further:

“If it’s about that emperor, I daresay I know him a bit better than you do, Uncle!”

Zhu Yuanzhang scoffed—how could this child possibly understand him? On what grounds?

But Zhang Yi’s next words made his smile freeze.

“Because, I see the emperor as a man!”

“What do you mean by that?”

Father and son waited quietly for Zhang Yi’s explanation, and Zhang Yi replied:

“To you, Uncle, or to Brother Huang, the emperor is just a symbol—sacred and inviolable, invariably wise and mighty. In your hearts, he is a god, not a man.

But if we strip away all those halos and see His Majesty as a flesh-and-blood human being, what makes you think his thoughts cover every aspect? Could the First Emperor of Qin foresee the fall of his dynasty in the second generation, or did he not misjudge Li Si? Emperor Taizong of Tang, ignoring the stain of the Xuanwu Gate incident, once mocked the practice of taking elixirs, yet in the end, he too clung to life and became obsessed with them.

The First Emperor, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Taizong of Tang, and even the present emperor—I don’t deny they are great rulers, but does that mean a king cannot make mistakes or have his own flaws?

When we see His Majesty as human, admit his mortality, we can recognize his greatness without overlooking his shortcomings!”

Zhu Yuanzhang fell silent. After a while, he asked:

“So you believe that the emperor’s…pettiness is one of his faults?”

Zhang Yi answered, “At least I think so. There’s no way His Majesty doesn’t understand the darker sides of human nature, but due to his origins, everyone handles problems differently.

His Majesty was born in humble circumstances; in those chaotic times, when lives were worth less than grass, he witnessed countless partings of life and death. Not to mention, during the disaster at the end of the Yuan dynasty, his parents didn’t have to die…

The previous regime did send out relief grain, but after being siphoned off by officials at every level, there was barely anything left for the common people. Seeing his parents starve to death with his own eyes—how could the emperor not hate corrupt officials, or even the entire class of bureaucrats?

That hatred led him, when dealing with problems, to instinctively lean toward harsher measures. Yet His Majesty may not even be aware of it himself…”

Zhu Yuanzhang’s expression shifted constantly; Zhang Yi’s words struck straight at his heart.

Perhaps even he had never given it much thought, but maybe his natural suspicion toward officials originated from that night, kneeling in tears before his parents’ corpses.

If not for that event, even if life had been hard, would Zhu Chongba have ever thought of rebelling…?

That day, his family was torn apart!

He had been forced to part from his brothers, each scrambling for survival. Along the way, Zhu had seen too many refugees die of hunger, while those officials remained aloof…

The seeds of hatred were probably sown then.

Zhang Yi’s reasoning did not convince Zhu Yuanzhang, but his way of regarding Zhu Yuanzhang as a person did make the emperor reflect.

“That experience left the emperor with two indelible marks: a distrust of the world, and a yearning for family… As for the imperial princes of Ming, especially the crown prince, they are arguably the luckiest princes in history, because their emperor is first a father before he is a sovereign…”

As Zhang Yi continued his analysis, Zhu Biao, sitting to the side, couldn’t help straightening up.

He had been taught by great scholars like Song Lian from childhood and was naturally well read in history. Throughout the ages, the relationship between emperors and crown princes was called father and son, but more often it was ruler and subject—and sometimes, vaguely, rivals.

A king needed the crown prince to inherit the empire, yet always guarded against the prince gaining too much power and overshadowing him.

Under such warped power structures, fathers ceased to be fathers, sons ceased to be sons.

Hence the saying that there is no true affection within the imperial family.

But under Zhu Yuanzhang’s protection, at least this emperor had fulfilled his greatest duty as a father.

Perhaps, as Brother Zhang said, having witnessed the scattering of his kin, their father cherished the warmth of family all the more.

And he, Zhu Biao, was the happiest crown prince in history.

“The emperor’s cherishing of family has produced the happiest group of princes in Ming. His suffering also makes him more compassionate toward the people, but as for the scholars…”

Zhang Yi chuckled darkly.

The warmth that Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao felt was quickly dispelled by that sneer.

“Because of that same hatred, His Majesty magnifies the faults of all scholars in the land! Uncle asks if the emperor is less intelligent or less experienced than me, a mere child? Of course, I dare not compare myself to His Majesty, but self-knowledge is hard—even for a wise monarch, there are always blind spots!”

“That’s why, Brother Huang, I actually oppose your pursuit of official rank. It’s not like we can’t survive without it, so why seek office and court death? That emperor, after all, likes to solve problems with the sword. Being an official is a deadly business—let anyone who wishes for it have it…”

Zhu Yuanzhang found himself momentarily speechless.

In Zhang Yi’s analysis of him, he could actually detect a trace of truth.

Self-knowledge is hard; Zhu Yuanzhang was not unaware of this principle, but his temperament was not like that of Li Shimin. Even if someone under his command saw his flaws, they would never dare speak them aloud.

Probably only this impudent Zhang Yi dared to speak so freely, without restraint.

Though he took the words to heart, he refused to let it show:

“You and your endless reasoning! Now I understand why Old Zhang calls you a jinx—if I were your father, your sharp tongue would have driven me to my grave!”

In the past, being called a jinx might have reopened old wounds for Zhang Yi, but after coming to terms with Zhang Zheng, he no longer minded.

He scratched his head awkwardly, but his face was full of pride.

Zhu Yuanzhang was exasperated:

“To think, as soon as I entered Yingtian Prefecture and heard of your trouble with the Chang family, I rushed here without delay! Yet after talking with you, all I’ve gained is aggravation!”

Zhu Yuanzhang meant what he said, and Zhang Yi believed him.

So the Huang father and son had not been in Nanjing recently!

And they had hurried to find him because of the affair with the Chang family?

PS: Extra chapter!