Chapter 19 Section 5 Strengthening the Education of Prince Donggong

During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were political turmoil, and the "big patriarchs" of the "family world" changed in turn. Therefore, the royal family education was just like school education, which was in fashion and fell out.However, in order to ensure the succession of the emperor from generation to generation, the education of the crown prince is indispensable anyway.Therefore, during this period, although the education of the entire royal family was weakened, the education of the crown prince was greatly strengthened. During the period of the Three Kingdoms, the royal education of the Wei State was the most valued, and the post of Baofu basically followed the previous generation, and there were various officials of Zhan Shi.Cao Cao was a talented statesman and military strategist, and also a famous poet in the poetry circle.Because he paid attention to family education, his sons Cao Zhi and Cao Pi also achieved great achievements in literary creation.At the beginning of Sun Quan's ascension to the throne, the State of Wu set up officials of the Four Friends, and the assistant wing taught the prince, who was called "Donggong Toshi".At the same time, it also set up the prince's concubine and the middle concubine to help educate the prince.The Kingdom of Shu also set up the crown prince, the middle son, and the prince to wash the horses, take care of the affairs of the East Palace, and educate the prince.

During the Jin Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the officials in the Eastern Palace, such as Prince Zhanshi, Cheng, Zhongshuzi, Shuzi, Zhongsheren, Zuoshi, Liling and Dianbing Erfu, etc., were set up successively as teachers to tutor the prince, and the division of labor became more and more important. Get more specific.In the Northern Wei Dynasty, there were Prince Taishi, Prince Taibao, and Prince Taifu, known as the "Three Masters of the East Palace", and there were also Prince Shaoshi, Prince Shaobao, and Prince Shaofu, known as the "Three Masters of the East Palace".In the past, the "three lords and three young men" mostly served the emperor.However, in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, with the increase of teaching positions in the Eastern Palace, the duties of the "three lords and three young masters" gradually shifted from being the main assistant to the emperor to being mainly responsible for the education of the princes of the Eastern Palace and the management of the officials of the Eastern Palace, and a relatively complete system of instructors for the princes of the Eastern Palace was gradually formed.

With the strengthening of the education of the prince in the East Palace, the etiquette of royal family education has also been paid attention to.For example, in the fifth year of Emperor Taishi of Jin Dynasty (269 A.D.), the prince ordered the prince to perform the ceremony of worshiping the Taifu and Shaofu, and asked the prince to perform the etiquette of being a disciple and a teacher, showing respect for the master.In the third year of Taining (326 A.D.) of Emperor Ming of Jin Dynasty, he established the prince Yan as the crown prince, and ordered the court to agree on the etiquette for meeting the prince and his master, and cancel the old etiquette since the Han and Wei Dynasties for the master to be a minister and worship the prince.Later, Emperor Cheng of Jin clearly stipulated that respecting the teachings of the master, and the prince worshiping and protecting the master is for the sake of Mingfu and respecting virtue.

During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, in order to strengthen the education of the crown prince in the East Palace, a grand memorial ceremony was held when the prince was out of the pavilion to give lectures, in order to show that the emperor attached great importance to the education of the crown prince.On the day of the salute, the emperor personally led the Sangong, Jiuqing, princes, and doctors to participate in the inspection ceremony. The atmosphere was solemn and solemn, with a strong religious color, reflecting that the royal family regards the prince's education as the top priority of national politics.