Chapter 183: Fierce Debate

Exiting the palace gate.

Outside, the sunlight was perfect, yet Zhang Yunxiu wore a gloomy expression.

Wei Qing walked side by side with him, chuckled, and offered counsel: "Oh my, my Director Zhang, you have such a bright future; you mustn't throw it all away for this trivial matter."

"The Kong Family is revered by all the scholars under heaven. If you move against them, let alone entering the Grand Secretariat, you won't even be able to take a single step in the Hanlin Academy. You must distinguish what is heavy and what is light; the Emperor has already said he would investigate, so this matter does not require you to take action."

Zhang Yunxiu forced a smile, cupped his hands, and said: "Many thanks for the reminder, Eunuch Wei; I almost led myself astray."

"Bah, what is there between us?"

Wei Qing shrugged his graying eyebrows and quickened his pace to lead Zhang Yunxiu to the Inner Treasury.

That evening, Zhang Yunxiu returned to the Grand Secretary Mansion with gifts, feeling dejected. Xu Ruoxi greeted him, and the moment she saw her husband's expression, the joy in her heart dissipated somewhat.

The two sat down in the main hall, and Xu Ruoxi asked in a low voice: "What is wrong, husband?"

Only then did Zhang Yunxiu realize he had lost his composure, so he reined in his sorrow and forced a smile to reply: "It is nothing, just a bit tired lately. I am not upset with you, do not overthink it."

Xu Ruoxi nodded slightly.

Since her husband was unwilling to speak, she found it difficult to press him, lest too much questioning lead to his annoyance. She merely gave a sweet smile, walked gently behind her husband, and massaged his shoulders.

As her jade-like hands lifted lightly, Zhang Yunxiu closed his eyes slightly.

In his mind, the hateful image of the Kong Family's extortion and oppression of the common people emerged.

Yes, Confucianism was extremely well-suited to the rule of a feudal dynasty.

The reason the Kong Family could hold such a status was entirely because rulers throughout the ages had used him to stabilize their own rule.

"Let the ruler be a ruler, the subject a subject, the father a father, the son a son."

"Preserve the Heavenly Principle, extinguish human desires."

"..."

But when sturdy ships and fierce cannons broke into China, could those decadent sage pronouncements block them? The words of Confucius were indeed correct in parts, but after more than a thousand years of development, and then the annotations of Zhu Xi.

They had long since become unrecognizable.

"It is time for a change." Zhang Yunxiu murmured, suddenly opening his eyes.

Behind him, Xu Ruoxi sensed the change in her husband's aura; her hand movements faltered, and she opened her mouth to ask, but in the end, she did not speak.

The moon hung in the center of the sky, the heavens filled with stars.

Zhang Yunxiu, draped in a single garment, walked slowly into Zhang Juzheng's bedroom.

Inside, Zhang Juzheng was leaning against the head of the bed, holding a memorial in his hand, patiently peering at the characters upon it by the light of an oil lamp.

Beside him, Yuqin stood respectfully, ready at any moment to await the Master's orders.

Seeing Zhang Yunxiu enter, Yuqin smiled, stepped forward, and signaled for him to be quiet. Zhang Yunxiu nodded and said with a smile: "You may step out first; I have some matters to discuss with Father."

"Very well, but do not be too late; the Master's body cannot endure it."

"I understand."

The two exchanged a few brief words, Yuqin hurried out of the bedroom, and Zhang Yunxiu stepped forward.

Zhang Juzheng tossed the book in his hand to the left, glanced sideways at his son, and signaled for him to sit nearby. The two understood each other without words, and Zhang Juzheng asked directly: "Speak, what trouble have you encountered again?"

"It is a bit big." Zhang Yunxiu gave a sheepish smile.

"How big?"

"Even you would not dare to intervene easily."

Once these words were out, a fighting spirit rose in Zhang Juzheng's heart instead. However, he quickly asked with caution: "Is it a matter concerning the nobility?"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

Aside from the nobility and the royal family, there was really nothing of great consequence in this world.

Zhang Yunxiu peered at his father's puzzled face, hung his head, and whispered: "The Kong Family."

"Who?" Zhang Juzheng had not heard clearly and urged Zhang Yunxiu to continue.

"The Qufu Kong Family." Zhang Yunxiu repeated.

This time, Zhang Juzheng heard clearly. His face turned dark, and he almost wished he could kick his son to the floor.

The Kong Family was revered by all scholars under heaven, and he himself had relied on this to advance as an official.

Now, he wanted to move against the Kong Family?

That was to set himself against the whole world.

Not to mention his political enemies lurking in the shadows, even his own faction would jump out and say "No!" But Zhang Juzheng had been in the officialdom for many years after all; he did not immediately show anger, but instead asked calmly: "The reason?"

Zhang Yunxiu told him exactly what Song Ming had said.

"Not enough." Zhang Juzheng closed his eyes after hearing this and shook his head repeatedly.

"Not enough?"

"You cannot just stare at the single place of Qufu; you must look down upon the entire world. In fact, there is no shortage of people in Shandong who submit memorials to impeach the Kong Family, but do you know why this Kong Family has always remained as stable as Mount Tai?"

"To maintain the stability of the world?" Zhang Yunxiu pondered for a moment and replied.

"Correct. To accomplish great things, why begrudge a few commoners." Zhang Juzheng nodded and added, "You do not need to concern yourself with this matter anymore; the imperial court will investigate it itself. At worst, it will just be letting the Kong Family quietly return the land they have swallowed."

Just quietly spit it back out.

Zhang Yunxiu was filled with irrepressible rage; the Kong Family's behavior was entirely spoiled by these scholar-officials.

"Father, Sage Kong traveled to various states, anxious like a stray dog. Now his descendants are the wealthiest in Shandong, yet they are not satisfied. If Sage Kong knew his descendants were like this, I fear he would be so angry he would jump out of his coffin." Zhang Yunxiu replied, as if in a fit of pique.

"Presumptuous!" Zhang Juzheng slapped the side of the bed and shouted, "Look at how much weight you carry. It is not these commoners who control the world, but these scholar-officials. If you take action against the Kong Family, even the Emperor cannot protect you."

Zhang Yunxiu gritted his teeth and replied: "Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. If we ignore Shandong today and ignore Henan tomorrow, one piece rots here and another piece rots there; if it all rots, the common people of this world will rise up in rebellion!"

"May I ask Father, since the beginning of our Great Ming, has any dynasty in history lasted over three hundred years!"

Zhang Yunxiu's words were resonant and forceful.

After hearing this, Zhang Juzheng's lips moved slightly, but he did not speak.

Seeing this situation, Zhang Yunxiu decided to speak plainly: "Since ancient times, those who have brought chaos to the world in the end were not the four barbarian tribes, but one or two commoners. The strength of Qin, which annexed the six states, was not destroyed by the six states, but by one or two commoners like Chen Sheng and Wu Guang."

"The strength of Tang, to which ten thousand nations came to pay tribute, was not brought to chaos in the end by the four barbarian tribes, but by one or two commoners like Huang Chao and Wang Xianzhi."

"The strength of Yuan, which swallowed Jin and destroyed Song, was not brought to chaos in the end by Jin or Song, but by one or two commoners like Han Shantong and Liu Futong."

"Think of how Han Shantong and Liu Futong were merely one or two displaced people, yet with a single cry, the Nine Provinces were torn asunder."

"Does Father still believe that this world is ruled by those scholar-officials?"

It was clearly known that if the common people could not get enough to eat, they would rebel, yet the rulers of successive dynasties always chose to ignore it.

Later generations lament them but do not take them as a warning, which in turn causes those who come after to lament the later generations again.

"You are right." Zhang Juzheng looked at his son's earnest expression, suddenly smiled in approval, and said, "However, I am old, and I fear I no longer have the strength to do this."

(End of this chapter)