Ming Dynasty: What's wrong with being a leisurely crown prince?

Chapter 23 Zhu Gaochi's First Lesson to Zhu Zhanji

Seeing that Zhang Yan didn't say anything, but just held his hand tightly and looked at him with worry without making any other moves, Zhu Gaochi breathed a sigh of relief.

In fact, he was quite worried that Zhang Yan would protect Zhu Zhanji at this time. If Zhang Yan did protect Zhu Zhanji, then there would inevitably be a conflict between him and Zhang Yan.

Actually, the conflict itself isn't important; what's important is the conflict itself, which shows that he and Zhang Yan's thoughts cannot resonate.

In this situation, if Zhang Yan doesn't know how to back down, doesn't change course, and doesn't understand the situation, then the conflict will only escalate.

He could give in to Zhang Yan in many situations, after all, Zhang Yan was the Crown Princess and also his woman.

But there are some things he simply cannot compromise on.

If Zhang Yanruo is unwilling to compromise, a rift will inevitably develop between them.

Being a Crown Princess or an Empress is not an easy job. To do it well is not just about handling those matters.

The reason why a virtuous empress is virtuous is because she will not be a burden to the emperor, will not cause internal strife with the emperor, and will work together with the emperor to do good things.

Now, Zhu Gaochi truly agrees with Xu Miaoyun's description of Zhang Yan as a "virtuous wife".

The royal family is not an ordinary family, especially since he is the crown prince.

Although he was not yet the emperor, sometimes family matters are actually national matters.

Why didn't the emperor have any private or family matters?

Because the emperor's affairs are almost always related to national affairs.

He shifted his gaze to Zhu Zhanji, looked at Zhu Zhanji's appearance, put away his smile, and slowly stood up.

"Kid, I'm going to teach you a lesson today, and I hope you'll remember it from now on."

What you say is indeed important, because it reflects your attitude. Only with the right attitude can we move on to the next step.

But what is said is not that important, because you can't see into someone's heart, and you can never guess what someone is thinking.

I have indeed seen your attitude now.

But I want to see your actions.

Words are pale and can be lied about, but only actions are the reliable basis for distinguishing truth from falsehood.

Even if the actions are fake, as long as you can fake it for a lifetime, it becomes real.

Remember, to judge a person, you shouldn't look at what they say, but rather what they actually do.

The smallest things reveal the most about a person's character.

Besides that, there's something else extremely important. Do you know what it is?

Upon hearing Zhu Gaochi's words, Zhang Yan was no longer worried and was even happier.

She could tell that Zhu Gaochi had already begun to teach Zhu Zhanji, and was doing so by subtly instructing him on what was happening at the time.

Zhang Yan knew very well that only this kind of teaching method could make Zhu Zhanji truly remember and internalize it.

Having gone through childhood herself, she understands even more that sometimes, even good teaching can be forgotten over time.

In fact, everyone is the same. When you were a child, you might not remember who gave you a piece of candy when you grew up, but if you were wronged and got a beating, you will still remember it vividly when you grow up.

You can't learn from people, but you can learn from experience; it's profound and unforgettable the first time.

Zhu Zhanji listened to Zhu Gaochi's words and stared blankly at Zhu Gaochi for a moment.

Zhu Zhanji was suspicious of what Zhu Gaochi meant by saying all this.

It was Zhu Gaochi who wanted him to make a statement, yet things have become so serious.

Well, he struggled for a long time and even gave up on using Zhu Di to suppress Zhu Gaochi to avoid things getting out of control. He had also expressed his opinion, but now he gets the response that people's hearts are unpredictable.

Zhu Zhanji wanted to scold someone, but he didn't dare.

It was Zhu Gaochi who made him express his opinion, and after he expressed it, he was asked what his reasons were for coming to this conclusion. After he gave his answer, Zhu Gaochi denied everything he said.

Zhu Zhanji felt that his blood and qi were not flowing smoothly. Was this person here to torment him?

Zhu Zhanji was furious, but he had nowhere to vent his anger.

Because of the saying "you can't judge a book by its cover," he indeed couldn't prove it.

Especially since that's not what he actually thought; he only said that to deal with the situation.

Zhu Zhanji finally understood; so this was how it could be done.

As someone who experienced it firsthand, Zhu Zhanji deeply felt the power of Zhu Gaochi's words at that moment.

Zhu Gaochi saw that Zhu Zhanji's expression was very unpleasant; he was angry but dared not show it, and was lost in thought. However, he suddenly laughed.

"Kid, do you understand now? What a person says may not be true, because you can observe their past behavior and make a rough judgment about whether it is true or not."

Even so, what a person says may not necessarily be false, since some people do change.

Even if you can tell a person's character by observing how they handle certain things, how can you be sure it's true after only one or two observations?

Let me tell you again today: even if you truly do what your mother sets for you—one day, ten days, one month, six months, or one year—it's not enough. You need to keep doing it.

I've always believed in you while you've been doing this, but if you ever fail to do it, all your previous efforts will be forgotten and you'll be labeled as just putting on a show.

The situation will be even more serious if you fail to do so when your mother and I are in a bad mood.

I'm telling you all this, go down and think about it carefully yourself.

You don't need to think about anything else, just focus on yourself.

When you truly understand and comprehend this matter, you will see the answer.

I don't expect you to understand these things quickly, but that's alright. As time goes by and you experience them firsthand, you'll understand them when you grow up.

Zhu Gaochi hadn't actually finished speaking; what he had just said was only a part of it.

These are things that ordinary people don't need to understand at all.

But Zhu Zhanji had to understand it, comprehend it, and remember it deeply.

As the future grandson, crown prince, and emperor, he is destined to know how to manage his subordinates.

At first glance, what he said seems contradictory, but once you understand it thoroughly, it won't seem contradictory.

If you don't understand something completely, you're bound to have contradictions, you're bound to go to one extreme, and you're bound to become suspicious.

Zhu Gaochi really went to great lengths this time, breaking down and distributing the resources that those in power needed to Zhu Zhanji in detail.

As an emperor, what he sees and hears may not be true, but it may also not be false.

Among those below, some are loyal and some are treacherous. What kind of loyalty is loyalty, and what kind of treacherousness is treacherous? No one can completely and thoroughly distinguish between them, because those involved do not have God's perspective.

We can only learn about and understand it through certain means.

You need to be able to distinguish between truth and falsehood yourself.

This is what Zhu Gaochi saw as exhausting; it wasn't just about handling state affairs, but these were the things that truly made him mentally exhausted.

And these things cannot be taught to a person directly; they are not so-called knowledge points that can be memorized by rote.

These are things that require understanding, experience, and adaptation to in order to truly appreciate.

Zhu Zhanji listened to Zhu Gaochi's words and remained silent.

Because he felt he understood, but upon closer reflection, he realized he didn't.

The only thing he understood was the planning itself; he understood that.