It wasn't until Zhao Xi put out the projects he had added himself that everyone realized they had misunderstood.

  I thought the Crown Prince was going to restore the method of selecting soldiers from the Taizu, determining those with legs like a pipa and a body like a cart axle, or directly selecting from the Imperial Guard, sending them to various states and prefectures with wooden clubs.

  Everything is ready... This thing has too much room for operation. After all, there are many standard ones, few have entered the mansion, and there is a lot to be done in between.

  Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince took a different approach and directly set down the basic standards. No mistake, this is just the basic standard, that is to say, this is only for local recruitment, as for the real selection of the East Palace Guard, it's the final trial... The Crown Prince personally selects the soldiers.

  It is now that he should be called the Crown Prince, and the ceremony of establishing the heir has also been completed. At this time, Zhao Xi had already built the East Palace Guard Camp to a certain extent, and it was clear how long it had taken.

  Zhao Xi thought it would be enough with just an imperial edict, but unexpectedly it was still so troublesome.

  Thinking back to the previous dynasty, even if it was established with great fanfare, it would eventually be abandoned, and most of the time, the successor was determined in the midst of swords and shadows. As for this dynasty... although the transition was smooth, there seemed to be some unexpected twists.

  So for Li Chuo's records, Zhao Xi saw very little. All the respectful ones were avoided, and those that shouldn't be recorded were all ignored.

  This time, they finally went through the formal ceremony of establishing a crown prince.

  Offer sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, inform the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, issue a decree to announce the news, and proclaim to all subjects: The next ruler of the dynasty or the world will be named Zhao Xi, who is the third son of Your Majesty.

  Trace back to ancestors eight generations, means status is upright... I have to say so myself.

  From then on, there was no more Prince E of Zhao Xie, only the Crown Prince, so he came out of the clan school and had a special teacher... Taishi, Pang Taishi.

  Zhao Xi didn't know whether the drama of later generations had already anticipated his arrival here, and at the same time made Pang Ji a Taishi.

  The Crown Prince was ten years old, which is the age when ordinary children start school. Pang Ji had heard that the Crown Prince was clever, but he thought it was just a rumor and didn't take it seriously. So, in his first lesson, he slightly exceeded the basics of literacy education and began to lecture on the Five Classics.

  "Your Highness, how is your study going?"

  Pang Ji casually exchanged a few words with the Crown Prince, only to discover that he was wrong. The Crown Prince's current learning cannot be judged by children at all.

  It's okay, Pang Ji was originally a mature and steady person, even surpassing the original Du Yan. He also avoided being slapped in the face by the crown prince...

  "Sir, Mr. Sun thinks students can take part in..."

  It is indeed Sun Fu's original words. Before he was implicated by his friends and released, he had already said: "The king should be promoted to the second grade without worry."

  Of course, Sun Fu's words are unreliable. He doesn't even know what the standard of Erjia is. This statement only proves one thing: Zhao Xi has now learned everything that should be learned according to the curriculum.

  This... Pan Jie also truly believed it. As for Sun Fu, he had some hearsay, although they hadn't interacted before, with people like Fu Yan Guo and Wen Kuan Fu advocating for him, there shouldn't be too much of a difference.

  So Pang Ji brought out the provincial examination questions from these past few years... The imperial examination is unnecessary, that's for Your Majesty to ask about governance.

  "Your Highness, you just need to answer one of his questions."

  Pang Ji was very clear about what qualities an emperor should possess, and the poetry and rhapsodies of the scholars were unnecessary for the emperor.

  Zhao Xi had been interested for a long time, he really wanted to know what the national exam was like this year, but because of his identity and not understanding if there were any taboos, he had been holding back.

  Wang Zhongzheng definitely can't get these.

  So when Teacher Pang shouted this title, Zhao Xi always thought of Bao Heizi.

  When his teacher gave him a mock exam paper last time, he very rudely started treating himself as the examinee...

  "Your Highness, was 'A Memorial on Preparing the Imperial Guard for the Eastern Palace' written by you?"

  It is clear that the Crown Prince's strategy for this question is similar in style to the official document "On the Establishment of the East Palace Guard"... From the perspective of the strategy alone, the Crown Prince's answer is worthy of first place... This is no longer just a matter of cleverness, but truly the qualities of an emperor for the ages.

  Zhao Xi felt embarrassed. Originally, the memorial of the Donggong guard, he didn't let his father discuss it with the imperial court... The complex imperial court, he still needs to observe and wait for changes.

  But he forgot about writing style this time...

  "Sir, this is indeed written by a student."

  Not to mention emperors, but for ordinary people, honesty is also a basic quality, and Zhao Xi was very clear about this.

  "Your Highness, may I ask you about the reason for this edict?"

  This... Zhao Xi hesitated. The ancestral laws and the current reality of the country, suppressing martial arts and promoting literature is an untouchable bottom line, while "On the Establishment of the Eastern Palace Guard" itself is a central idea biased towards military preparedness, and the imperial court had previously stated... twenty years without discussing war matters.

  Pang Ji is a literary minister and is equivalent to the leader of the entire scholar-official class. The scholar-officials would not want someone who leans towards military preparations for an emperor.

  "Sir, is this a question between the Crown Prince and his Minister, or between a disciple and his Master?"

  Zhao Xi didn't say anything about keeping secrets or not, nor did he mention those petty words like "this is between you and me". He just wanted to set a boundary for this conversation.

  Nothing could have shocked Pong Jie more than these words. What about the nine linked rings of Lu Ban, what about the couplets, even including the memorial to the east palace guard and this treatise, including the decisive action during the chaos at the relay station, none of it compared to the shock that the crown prince's words gave him.

  This sentence contains too much information, from the position and identity to the current national situation and future policy direction, it seems that all the answers can be found in this question.

  "At this time, Ji and Your Highness are master and disciple..."

  Pang Ji was somewhat disheartened. The Crown Prince is not wise, but a demon. His political wisdom is unmatched, not only among the officials of the imperial court, but also among the current fifth-grade and above officials in the imperial court.

  "Sir, the student's mistake originated from the chaos at the postal station. Two thousand imperial soldiers and two thousand bandits clashed. Zhang Lang shouldn't have died a national martyr, it was all because the four armies above were afraid to fight."

  "At that time, Cao and Gao, the two generals, each had less than 500 men, yet they stood against the enemy without yielding. Comparing the two, students think that the strength of an army lies not in numbers but in quality. This is one example."

  "Secondly, students should start learning at a young age, get up at dawn, and not waste the morning hours. They can casually create a method of progress. When they meet with difficulties, they speak of it as good, and take it as a way to train themselves in military tactics. Therefore, students gradually improve year by year, and now they can choose their own path to test themselves."

  "Thirdly, the current dynasty has learned from the chaos of the previous dynasty and should promote civil governance over military rule. However, I believe that without balance between yin and yang, nothing can thrive. The harmony of yin and yang is the way of heaven and earth. Only by promoting both civil and military aspects can we achieve a good strategy."

  "This is the reason for this memorial, not that the students are criticizing the ancestral laws and institutions, nor do they intend to change the current system of the imperial court, but only want to take the East Palace guards as a testing ground, trying out two legs walking."

  "This is what they call 'both hands grasping', both hands must be firm."

  The way of harmony between literature and martial arts... Since the founding of our country, the officials in the imperial court have also thought about it. They have tried various methods, such as using literature to control martial arts, or enforcing strict laws, but none of them have been effective.

  Your Highness said, testing fields, both hands grasping, both hands must be firm... perhaps it is indeed a path.

  At this time, Pang Ji was not entangled in whether the temple was biased towards martial arts or not, but was delighted by the temple's new and refreshing way of speaking.