Chapter 165: Sun Shenxing's Final Instructions

Zhu Youxiao looked at Han Kuang, a faint smile appearing on his face.

All this circling around without ever getting to the point — by now the court had nearly reached a consensus on the matter, which was that no matter what, some kind of statement had to be made. But how that statement should be delivered was the subject of endless debate at court.

The opposing faction naturally believed that Chen Kedao should be severely punished, restoring matters to their original state, with everyone going back to how things were before.

But Cui Chengxiu's faction was different — they supported Chen Kedao's words, supported his destruction of academies across the realm, and supported his ban on private lectures.

Now the court was bound to take a stance, to make clear which side it stood on.

So what Han Kuang had said was all surface-level. Han Kuang hadn't touched on anything substantive, hadn't said which side he stood on — in other words, he didn't dare take that responsibility.

Zhu Youxiao nodded and asked with meaningful emphasis: "And what does my beloved minister think?"

Zhu Youxiao was asking Han Kuang: don't keep talking about this and that — which faction do you actually support?

This was a question of stance, not of strategy, even though it looked like a question of strategy.

"Your servant believes this matter requires caution, and should be decided by Your Majesty's sole authority." Han Kuang said carefully, tossing the hot potato right back to Zhu Youxiao.

Zhu Youxiao wasn't angry about it. He knew Han Kuang couldn't be the one to speak up on this. It was already good enough that Han Kuang hadn't gone over to the opposing side.

Still, there was some disappointment in his heart, though he quickly reined it in. Zhu Youxiao couldn't possibly punish Han Kuang over something like this — the man was still useful to keep around.

His gaze swept over the several men of the Grand Secretariat, and Zhu Youxiao did not ask again.

The current structure of the Grand Secretariat had been painstakingly built by Zhu Youxiao himself. They hadn't even accomplished anything yet — he couldn't let them split apart.

If he pushed the pressure down onto them, they would inevitably be forced to pick sides and declare their positions, and then things would become difficult to handle.

If he stayed vague himself, they would probably just muddle along with him. That sort of thing they could do with practiced ease.

So Zhu Youxiao turned his head to look at Chen Hong, and said expressionlessly: "There's a morning court tomorrow, isn't there?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, there is indeed a morning court tomorrow." Chen Hong hurriedly bowed and replied.

Zhu Youxiao nodded, waved his hand, and said: "Then let's discuss this matter at tomorrow's morning court."

Seeing this, the assembled men took their leave one after another.

After watching them depart, Zhu Youxiao let out a soft breath and began mulling over replacing his personnel.

Minister of Rites Sun Shenxing had to be removed — there was no negotiating that, because his position as Minister of Rites was far too important.

His future education reforms would inevitably require the Minister of Rites, and having Sun Shenxing there as a roadblock simply wouldn't do.

He needed to install Shen Tingyun in his place — that was the man he intended to use. Shen Tingyun could accept some of his ideas and was naturally aligned with his side, so he could make good use of him.

So Zhu Youxiao prepared to make full use of Shen Tingyun.

At present, one thing made Zhu Youxiao dissatisfied, and that was Sun Shenxing.

By all rights, Sun Shenxing was a veteran official who should understand his own situation well. At a time like this he should make the wisest choice — which was to submit a memorial to His Majesty requesting resignation. Then His Majesty would refuse, and after three refusals he could be permitted to leave, and thus everything would end well from start to finish.

But to this day, Sun Shenxing had not done so.

Zhu Youxiao couldn't help but hesitate — was Sun Shenxing up to something?

But Zhu Youxiao also knew he couldn't directly dismiss Sun Shenxing. The Donglin Faction case couldn't be stretched to implicate him either, which was what made this so thorny.

Turning his head to look at Chen Hong, Zhu Youxiao suddenly asked: "What has Sun Shenxing been up to lately?"

"Your Majesty, Minister Sun has been claiming illness and staying home recently." Chen Hong hurriedly said with a bowed posture.

Zhu Youxiao said nothing, merely nodded, then turned and walked outside. He felt he needed to breathe some fresh air — being busy with this and that every day was rather tiring.

Moonlight was like water, insects chirped softly. Though the night was still a bit chilly, it was already much better than the past stretch of days.

Inside Sun Shenxing's home.

Sun Shenxing was at this very moment sitting in the courtyard, his face expressionless. Beside him sat a lantern, and on the stone table before him were laid out wine and dishes. He took a sip from time to time, his face carrying an air of gentle ease.

"Master, it's about time — you should rest now." The steward came before Sun Shenxing and spoke with concern in his tone. Yet the steward's face and eyes were filled entirely with worry.

These past days the master had been like this the whole time. The steward knew the master's heart was troubled, but there was nothing to be done about it now.

Under such circumstances, he didn't know how to comfort his master either. After all, he didn't understand much about officialdom, and even if he did, he couldn't intervene.

"Go and fetch the eldest young master." Sun Shenxing spoke.

The steward was startled — summon the eldest young master at such a deep, quiet hour of the night?

But the steward didn't dare be negligent, didn't even dare ask what was going on, and hurried off to find the young man.

Soon a man followed the steward as he walked over.

Upon seeing Sun Shenxing, the man hurriedly bowed and greeted: "Father."

Lifting his head to look at his son, Sun Shenxing nodded and said: "Tomorrow is the great court assembly. There are some things I wish to entrust to you, and I hope you will remember them well."

"Yes, Father." Sun Shenxing's son's voice trembled slightly.

His father had summoned him at a time like this, and said he had things to entrust to him regarding tomorrow's court assembly. A bad premonition had already formed in his heart — his father was about to run into trouble.

In fact, he knew it himself. Because before this, he had also looked into his father's situation and knew that his father's position at court was currently very precarious.

Seeing his son's expression, Sun Shenxing said with a smile: "Why put on such a childish display? Your father has read the books of the sages since childhood and studied the way of the sages. All these years, your father has been without shame before heaven and earth — loyal to the sovereign above, protecting the common people below."

"Think on it — so many years have passed. Originally your father intended to resign from office, to take you all back to the countryside, to brew wine and discuss literature each day — that too would be a great joy in life! Go back and find a place, gather three or five students, befriend three or five good companions, and discuss current affairs and scholarship every day — your father's heart yearns for it."

As he spoke, Sun Shenxing lifted his head and looked at his son, then continued: "But there are some matters your father can leave alone, and some matters he cannot. All these years, your father has disciplined you little and has not kept you by his side to teach you — that counts as a regret in your father's heart."

"Father!"

Hearing this, tears welled up in Sun Shenxing's son's eyes.

He understood now — it wasn't that the Emperor wanted to do something to his father, but that his father was going to do something. The Emperor was waiting for his father to resign, but his father was unwilling to do so.

Glancing at his son, Sun Shenxing said with a smile: "You're a man with sons of your own now, and still you weep like this."

"This time your father acts for the sake of justice, for the way of the sages, for the righteousness between sovereign and minister — there is nothing here worth grieving over. If some misfortune befalls your father, you must not wallow in self-pity. Take your father home and bury him in the family ancestral graves."

"If you cannot manage that, it matters not. The Great Ming's rivers and mountains stretch ten thousand li — it is all the same wherever your father is buried."

"After you return home, shut the gates and keep to yourself. Your sons and grandsons must not enter official service for the time being. Stay at home, study and pursue scholarship in peace, pass down farming and learning through the generations — do not set foot in the world of officialdom. In daily life you must be cautious and careful, commit no errors or missteps, and never be arrogant or overbearing."

"If your father's affairs implicate you all, you must not resent your father. Some things must ultimately be done by someone."

By now, tears filled Sun Shenxing's son's eyes. He respectfully bowed to his father and said: "Father acts for the Great Ming, for the way of the sages — your son feels pride in his heart. Father's departure is most glorious!"

Sun Shenxing nodded with satisfaction and said, "That's good, that's good."

After saying this, tears filled Sun Shenxing's eyes. Not wanting his son to see, he turned his head away and said, "Alright, go now. Remember to live well, pursue your studies diligently, and do not disappoint your father."

"Yes, Father." Sun Shenxing's son lifted his robes, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed three times respectfully to Sun Shenxing. Only then did he turn and walk out—though he looked back again and again, glancing at his old father from time to time.

For officials of the Great Ming Dynasty, attending the morning court was a painful affair, because one truly had to rise very early.

That morning, the atmosphere in the Sun household was rather somber.

Sun Shenxing's son also rose early, sharing a bit of food with his father, then stood at the gate watching his father board the carriage. He watched the carriage depart, standing still for a long time without moving.

Only after the carriage disappeared at the intersection did Sun Shenxing's son kneel down once more.

The steward stood beside him, weeping so hard he trembled. In the end, he walked over to Sun Shenxing's son, reached out and pulled him up, saying, "Young Master, you must not betray the Master's trust."

After saying this, the steward's tears flowed once again in torrents.

The Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.

Today Zhu Youxiao had risen early. To be honest, he did not often attend morning court, and suddenly getting up this early still felt somewhat unfamiliar.

Attended by Chen Hong, Zhu Youxiao changed his clothes and tidied his appearance, then strode toward the great hall.

By the time Zhu Youxiao arrived, the ministers had long been waiting there.

After Chen Hong took his position, he announced, "His Majesty has arrived!"

As Chen Hong's words fell, the ministers knelt reverently on the ground and paid their respects.

Zhu Youxiao walked out from behind and sat upon the dragon throne.

After the ministers had finished their salutations, Zhu Youxiao spoke: "Rise, no need for ceremony."

Once everyone had stood up, Zhu Youxiao said, "Recently, the court has been debating one matter. I believe that even without my saying it, you all know what it is. At today's morning court, I want you all to discuss this matter, deliberate and reach a conclusion, to quell the controversy and reassure the people. My dear ministers, feel free to speak your minds."

Today's morning court was precisely about the matter that had sparked the fiercest debate throughout the court, so everyone knew what Zhu Youxiao was referring to.

As Zhu Youxiao's words fell, one person had already stepped forward.

Everyone turned to look and saw that it was none other than Cui Chengxiu. None of them were surprised.

Lately, Cui Chengxiu had been scrambling about energetically; one could say that many matters had been stirred up by him. Quite a number of people hated Cui Chengxiu down to the very roots of their teeth.

If not for Cui Chengxiu, matters would not have come to this state today.

A man like Chen Kedao, after all, had never entered the court proper—he could hardly stir up any waves.