According to the "Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Emperor? Chapter 1", Zhu Yuanzhang's immortal will is that he formulated the basic national policy of "not conquering the country": no conquering anyone "who is not a Chinese patient"; even if he is a patient, He also took a defensive stance, "selecting generals and training troops, and be prepared for them at all times."

In this regard, some experts and scholars believe that the proposal of the national policy of "not conquering the country" is a major breakthrough in China's traditional political culture for more than 1,700 years since Shang Yang's reform and the implementation of the route of expanding the territory by force. It is tantamount to announcing that no matter how powerful China becomes from now on, it will not engage in aggression or expansion against its neighboring countries. Therefore, it has great theoretical value and historical significance. It is an immortal political legacy left by Zhu Yuanzhang to future generations. The author deeply agrees with this.

In fact, there are many wills of celebrities in the Ming Dynasty worth mentioning.

Yang Jisheng, an admonisher of the Ming Dynasty, was one of those people who would not shed tears even when he saw a coffin. He was an upright man and was famous for his "toughness". The couplet of "Iron shoulders shouldering the moral responsibility and ruthless hands writing articles" is his epithet. famous sayings. He was arrested and imprisoned for impeaching Yan Song. Before his execution, he wrote a long letter of more than 2,000 words to his son, teaching him a lesson in an almost threatening tone. Here is a passage from "Yang Zhongmin Gong's Posthumous Notes" for readers: "If I were not here, your mother is the most upright and unbiased person. You two must be filial to her and obey her in everything. Don't say which son your mother wants. Which son; which daughter-in-law? If you are angry with her, it will be unfilial. Not only will God punish you, but I will also manipulate you under Jiuquan."

You are right. , When a person is about to die, his words are also good. When Yang Jisheng died, he did not just preach a general truth, but asked his children to be filial to his beloved wife, which explained two problems. First, he had a harmonious relationship with his beloved wife, and he could not accompany her to grow old in his lifetime, so he could only entrust his children to fulfill their filial piety; The second is to ask your children to take filial piety as the basis and become the talents the country needs! Generally speaking, it is impossible for a person who does not even know what filial piety is to become a useful person.

Wen Huang of the Ming Dynasty also pointed out in "Wen's Mother's Family Instructions": "The word 'dog and horse' is always remembered in the heart, which means respect and filial piety. Look at the sons in the world, who work hard and do whatever they want during the day. The important things are all left to the parents. It is obvious that raising parents is better than raising a horse. Anyone who goes to bed late and gets up early at night is left to the parents. It is obvious that raising parents is better than raising a dog... Who would admit it to a bird parent? I don’t realize that Japan has treated its parents like animals.” It means something roughly the same. Just interpret respect and filial piety in a more profound and specific way.

Of course, wills are not all about teaching children, but also about insights into life. For example, Zhu Wubi's "New Notes on Rulers" of the Ming Dynasty has this record: "As an official, you should be like a general facing the enemy; as a human being, you should be like a virgin defending yourself. If a general loses his opportunity, he will be completely defeated; if a virgin loses his integrity, everything will collapse. Be careful! "Here, the principles of being an official and a human being are also profoundly and clearly demonstrated in the will in concise and concise language, which is worthy of our deep thought and reflection.

Watching these Ming Dynasty celebrities chanting incantations in the ears of their children and grandchildren in a special way like their wills is not only eye-opening, but also inspiring. Such soul-stirring aphorisms and such wisdom-accumulated experience summaries are nothing less than ideological magic weapons for those of us who come after us to illuminate our lives and make our families prosperous.