Chapter 54: Li Zhi

"Do you know of Li Zhi?" Zhu Youxiao looked at Luo Sigong and slowly asked.

"In answer to Your Majesty, your servant knows of him."

Luo Sigong quickly spoke: "Li Zhi was a native of Quanzhou, Fujian. His original surname was Lin, given name Zaizhi; later he changed his surname to Li, given name Zhi, courtesy name Hongfu, style Zhuowu, and also went by the sobriquets Wenling Jushi and Baiquan Jushi. He became a juren in the thirty-first year of Jiajing and sat the metropolitan examination. He successively served as Instructor in Gongcheng, then Doctor of the Directorate of Education; in the Wanli reign he became Prefect of Yao'an, but soon abandoned his post."

"He lodged in Huang'an and Macheng, and when lecturing in Macheng he had several thousand followers, among them no small number of women. In the thirtieth year of Wanli, Supervising Secretary Zhang Wenda of the Ministry of Rites, acting on the orders of Chief Grand Secretary Shen Yiguan, submitted a memorial to Emperor Shenzong attacking Li Zhi. In the end, under the charge of 'daring to advocate disorderly doctrines, deluding the world and deceiving the people,' Li Zhi was arrested in Tongzhou, his writings were burned, and Li Zhi took his own life in prison."

Zhu Youxiao looked at Luo Sigong, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face. Had someone tipped him off? He could not help but turn his head toward Chen Hong.

That single glance from Zhu Youxiao nearly scared Chen Hong shitless.

With a thud, Chen Hong knelt on the ground, pressing his head to the floor: "Your Majesty, this servant has not."

Having said just that one sentence, Chen Hong lay prostrate on the ground and said no more.

Chen Hong understood his master well. If he tried to defend himself, he would only be seized instead. No need for many words—one sentence sufficed, then he would quietly await his master's judgment.

At the same time, Chen Hong was complaining bitterly in his heart. What was this all about! Luo Sigong was a real troublemaker—why did you have to remember things so clearly? That Li Zhi had been dead for so many years; why did you still remember him?

"Get up." Zhu Youxiao said expressionlessly: "Disgraceful. Get out."

"Yes, yes." Chen Hong acknowledged, hastily scrambled up from the ground, then turned and retreated out of the room.

Only after Chen Hong had left did Zhu Youxiao ask: "How does my dear minister know all this so clearly?"

"In answer to Your Majesty, your servant has been reading recently." As Luo Sigong said this, there was some embarrassment on his face; fearing Zhu Youxiao might misunderstand, he hastily explained: "Your servant wished to learn more about the Donglin Academy."

Zhu Youxiao immediately understood—this man had been provoked, and clearly Luo Sigong wanted to show off.

The whole court had recently been in an uproar over the matter of lecturing. As for how it had stirred up—it was simple: Wei Zhongxian had already circulated Zhu Tongmeng's routine memorial, and once it was out, it naturally caused a great commotion.

Luo Sigong was being suppressed by Wei Zhongxian, and he naturally refused to accept it. The struggle for power between the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot was nothing new—it had been going on for quite some time.

That was how it was in history, except that in history Luo Sigong ultimately lost and was dismissed, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard was handed over to Wei Zhongxian's own man, Tian Ergeng.

Now this struggle was only just beginning, and clearly Luo Sigong had also caught wind of the direction of things—that the greatest reason Wei Zhongxian could turn things around despite being impeached by countless people, and even thrive more and more, was the indulgence of Zhu Youxiao himself, and the greatest reason was that what Wei Zhongxian did suited his own wishes.

This was not a difficult thing to guess. Just look at what Wei Zhongxian had done, and it was not hard to infer what sort of deeds could satisfy him.

Luo Sigong had evidently thought of this layer, so he aimed his spear at the Donglin Faction, which was why he said he was studying the Donglin Academy.

Zhu Youxiao leaned askew against the daybed, smiling at Luo Sigong: "My dear minister is quite candid."

"Your servant speaks no falsehoods before Your Majesty." Luo Sigong hastily bowed.

Zhu Youxiao's remark was simple in meaning—that Luo Sigong actually dared to admit he was fathoming the imperial will. One should know this was a taboo matter. How could the emperor's thoughts be something a mere minister could presume to fathom?

But Zhu Youxiao did not care. This was another rule that existed only on paper—that is, it could only be spoken of verbally and could never actually be enforced.

In this realm, with so many officials at court, who did not want to fathom His Majesty's thoughts? Who did not want to know His Majesty's intentions? How many people could restrain themselves from thinking about it?

Of course, there were also those who could restrain themselves, because they had no need to think about it.

The reason was simple: the emperor was supposed to do as they said, otherwise he was a fatuous ruler. What the emperor thought did not matter; what mattered was that the emperor did as they said.

Zhu Youxiao suddenly felt that what they actually needed was not an emperor, but an ancestral tablet. As long as the emperor sat there—not speaking, not moving, not eating, and not spending money—that would be the best possible thing for them.

The Donglin Faction, for example, thought exactly that way, and then in the next second Zhu Youxiao thought of another person—Confucius.

Wasn't this worthy ancestor just the same? Not speaking, not moving, not eating, letting them dress him up however they pleased. That was why Confucius's status had been raised higher and higher—the Ultimate Sage and Foremost Teacher—and his descendants had all been enfeoffed as Duke Yansheng.

Thinking of this, Zhu Youxiao smiled again. He suddenly felt that the affairs of this world were simply like this. No wonder they said the emperor was always a solitary man—in fact, they had merely discerned the essence of some things. For instance, your empress marrying you did not necessarily mean she truly loved you, and your son being filial to you might be because he wanted you to die sooner.

Under such circumstances, how could the emperor not be a solitary man? The ministers at your side hoped you would be what they wished you to be, the eunuchs at your side hoped you would be what they wished you to be—who actually cared what you truly were?

Looking at Luo Sigong, who had made his stance clear, Zhu Youxiao smiled: "I do not listen to words; I only watch deeds. Since you know of Li Zhi, then good—go find a person for me. Preferably a disciple of Li Zhi, someone who can inherit Li Zhi's mantle."

Having said this, Zhu Youxiao's expression turned serious, and his voice also lowered: "Do not let word of this leak out."

"Your Majesty, your servant believes that among Li Zhi's students, the line of Wang Keshou can inherit Li Zhi's mantle." Luo Sigong spoke directly without even thinking.

The line of Wang Keshou?

Zhu Youxiao immediately became interested, leaning back and saying: "Then tell me about it."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Luo Sigong acknowledged, then continued: "Wang Keshou, courtesy name Yixu, style Yifeng, was a native of Wangge, Dushan, Huangmei, Hubei. He became a jinshi in the eighth year of Wanli, initially serving as Magistrate of Jinhua in Zhejiang, then quickly promoted to Bureau Secretary in the Ministry of Rites. Thereafter he successively held the posts of Vice Bureau Director, Bureau Director, Prefect of Ji'an in Jiangxi, Vice Education Commissioner of Shanxi, Right Administration Vice Commissioner of Jiangxi, Circuit Intendant of Bazhou in Shandong, Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Shandong, Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, Governor of Datong, Vice Minister of War, and Governor-General of Ji, Liaodong, Baoding, and other regions."

"In the twentieth year of Wanli, when he was Prefect of Ji'an, he renovated the Bailuzhou Academy; in the thirty-seventh year of Wanli, when he was Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shaanxi, he held 'joint lectures' at Baoqing Temple, with a great crowd attending to listen, and converted the 'Xiaoxi Garden' east of the temple into the Guanzhong Academy, which became the venue for Feng Congwu's lectures."

"After Li Zhi died, Wang Keshou, along with Supervising Secretary Mei and Censor Su, donated money to erect a stele for him, and in Jiangxi they built the Wenling Shixian Temple, which received considerable incense offerings."

Listening to Luo Sigong recite Wang Keshou's biography, Zhu Youxiao felt somewhat strange inside.