Chapter 4: The Son Had a Dream

The winter days are short; in no time at all, the night had shrouded the entire city of Beijing.

Zhang Yunxiu was led to a side room by the steward You Qi, who said he was going to report his arrival and told him to get some good rest.

Because of the exhaustion from his journey, combined with the dim light and warm temperature in the room, Zhang Yunxiu felt drowsy and drifted off to sleep.

Ever since he had received guidance from Li Banxian, he was not quite as worried.

The world is vast; if something truly unexpected were to happen, he could at worst just flee overseas.

As long as he was out at sea, no matter how many methods the Emperor of Great Ming had, what could he do? Perhaps he could even lead the remnants of the Zhang Family and be a pirate king for a change.

Thinking of this, the corners of Zhang Yunxiu's mouth lifted, revealing a rare smile.

Just at this moment, the main door opened with a *click*, and the brilliant palace lanterns made Zhang Yunxiu's eyes ache.

He opened his eyes, and a tall figure walked in.

The man appeared to be about fifty years old, with a dark complexion, a thin face, a pair of eyes like a falcon, and a few wisps of beard on his chin, giving him a rather imposing air.

It was none other than Zhang Juzheng.

"Father!" Zhang Yunxiu stumbled and fell to the floor.

He looked up and saw that Zhang Juzheng's complexion was already sickly, which immediately made him cry out "How bitter!" in his heart.

Seeing that his son had come to the capital without permission, Zhang Juzheng was furious, but he could not reprimand him in front of the servants.

He simply waved his hand, ordered the servants to set the palace lanterns in place, and had them withdraw.

The father and son sat facing each other; Zhang Juzheng knitted his brows and focused his mind, while Zhang Yunxiu felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles, with thorns pricking his back.

After a few seconds of silence, Zhang Juzheng glanced at his son and asked with neither joy nor sorrow, "Why have you come to the capital?"

Zhang Yunxiu pondered for a moment and replied, "I had a dream."

"What dream?"

"You... you died," Zhang Yunxiu replied, bracing himself.

As soon as the words fell, a fire of rage immediately surged in Zhang Juzheng's heart; this was the first time he had ever heard such words to his face in the entire Great Ming.

He glared coldly at his son and continued to ask, "And then?"

"Our family was raided by the Emperor, and you became a disgraced official," Zhang Yunxiu blinked and said one by one, "Eldest brother died, second and third brothers were sentenced to military service, and fourth brother was stripped of his position and made a commoner..."

"You scoundrel!" Zhang Juzheng stood up abruptly, slapped the table, and cursed, "At such a young age, you have developed such delusions; you must not have been studying hard in Jiangling!"

"Go get your books at once; I am going to test you properly. If you cannot answer, you will not escape the family discipline today."

Zhang Yunxiu gathered his courage and retorted, "Father, this is absolutely not a delusion, but guidance received from Heaven."

"Good, good, good—a fine bit of guidance!" Zhang Juzheng laughed out of extreme anger and coldly jabbed, "It seems that after only a year of not seeing you, your knowledge hasn't grown, but your bones have hardened quite a bit."

In the past, Zhang Yunxiu would never have dared to say such things, nor would he have dared to talk back like this.

When things are abnormal, there must be a demon!

Zhang Yunxiu no longer cared about anything else; he opened his mouth wide and poured out all his thoughts at once: "Father, the ancients say that human affairs have their cycles, and the past and present are formed by what comes and goes. Father's achievements surpass the sovereign's, and you will surely suffer the consequences later."

"Presumptuous! Are you fit to discuss state affairs?" Zhang Juzheng rolled up his sleeves and slapped the table.

"I am not discussing state affairs, but merely seeking self-preservation," under the threat of life and death, Zhang Yunxiu grew bolder and continued, "Emperor Taijia committed errors for three years, and Yi Yin banished him to the Tong Palace. For three years, Yi Yin took over the administration of the state and summoned the feudal lords."

"Emperor Taijia stayed in the Tong Palace for three years, repented and blamed himself, and returned to virtue; thus, Yi Yin welcomed Emperor Taijia back to restore his power, becoming a tale for the ages."

"Zhou Gong spat out his food to receive guests and returned power to Cheng Wang, also leaving behind a beautiful tale for the ages."

"Huo Guang carried out the act of deposing and enthroning, held the reins of government, but in the end, he met the fate of having his life and clan extinguished."

Hearing his son compare him to a powerful minister like Huo Guang, Zhang Juzheng was so angry his features shifted, and he shouted, "You ignorant child, what do you know? The current Emperor is young; how can he govern in person?"

"The current Emperor is already twenty-one, past the age of capping. When Father was twenty-one, you surely couldn't have let Grandfather decide everything, could you?" Zhang Yunxiu mocked mercilessly.

Zhang Juzheng was struck in a sore spot; his gaze turned cold, and he asked icily, "So, you also think I am a great treacherous minister who holds the reins of government and controls the Emperor to command the feudal lords?"

Did that even need asking? Zhang Yunxiu complained inwardly, but on the surface, he softened his tone and praised, "Father holds the power of statecraft, implements the art of strengthening the nation and enriching the people, internally reforms the ills of the officialdom and the tax laws, and externally organizes the border defenses, employing famous generals like Qi Dashuai and Li Chengliang. In the tenth year of Wanli, who does not know of Father's great achievements?"

Receiving his son's praise, Zhang Juzheng's expression also softened.

Zhang Yunxiu continued, however: "But, for the sake of your descendants, Father should retire while at the peak of your success."

"The ancients say, if a ruler is not discreet, he loses his minister; if a minister is not discreet, he loses his life. If a ruler loses a minister, there are still other ministers to replace them; if a minister loses his life, he will surely be doomed forever." By the end, Zhang Yunxiu's tone had also turned cold.

A look of gravity appeared on Zhang Juzheng's face; he was silent for a moment before saying, "As a minister, one should naturally make light of life and death to support the state. It is but one death; what is there to fear?"

"Then please, Father, kill all my brothers, my mother, and my concubines first, and I will ask to die after!" Zhang Yunxiu said, dropping to his knees with a thud.

"Good, good, I didn't expect you to have such spirit." Zhang Juzheng smiled as he walked forward, but suddenly his smile froze, and he shouted toward the outside, "Someone, drag this rebellious son away and give him fifty strokes of the board."

Three people pushed open the door and rushed in.

Zhang Yunxiu looked at the menacing group and called out, "Wait."

"What, do you know fear now?" Zhang Juzheng asked.

"I will go myself." Zhang Yunxiu bowed to his father and played the emotional card, "I hope Father will take care of your health; your health is the foundation of the state."

Zhang Juzheng pondered for a moment and waved his hand, saying, "Enough, these fifty strokes are temporarily recorded; wait until after the Autumn Examination to administer them, so as not to delay the exam."

The men looked at each other and turned to withdraw.

Zhang Yunxiu was overjoyed and was about to continue brainwashing his father when Zhang Juzheng's expression turned cold, and he waved his hand, "You go down too. If you dare to speak such strange words again in the future, all your crimes will be punished together."

"Oh." Zhang Yunxiu hung his head and retreated.

Inside the room, Zhang Juzheng paced to his chair and sat down, closing his eyes tightly, recalling his youngest son's impassioned words, and shook his head.

Regarding his son's advice, although he was startled in his heart, that was all.

How could he easily give up that feeling of having great power in his hands, where life and death were his to command?

He, Zhang Juzheng, was determined to become a figure like Lv Wang or Zhou Gong.

Holding the power of statecraft and implementing the art of strengthening the nation and enriching the people—now that the New Policy was at a critical moment, he could not abandon his post.

Of course, he held onto power so tightly also because of an old incident that occurred in his youth.

In the twenty-seventh year of Jiajing, the Viceroy of Shaanxi, Ceng Xian, submitted a "Memorial to Recover the Hetao," but the treacherous villain Yan Song seized the opportunity to frame the then-Senior Grand Secretary Xia Yan for colluding with border officials.

Ceng Xian died unjustly, and the Senior Grand Secretary Xia Yan was even cut in half at the waist in the marketplace, becoming the first Senior Grand Secretary to be executed by waist-chopping.

That year he was only twenty-four years old, having just been selected as a Hanlin bachelor.

From then on, the political struggles of the Great Ming Dynasty became increasingly intense; it was either you die or I perish. Among Yan Song, Xu Jie, and Gao Gong, who was able to retire in peace?

He did not want to retire, and he could not retire.

If he retired, how could the faction behind him be preserved? Even if he were to die, he had to die in the position of Senior Grand Secretary.

"Cough, cough."

Thinking of this, he coughed twice and paced to the door.

The bone-chilling cold wind slammed into his face, and his entire being became much clearer.

At this time, it had already turned completely dark outside, and goose-feather-sized snowflakes were drifting down from the sky, scattering everywhere and instantly merging with the ground.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Suddenly, several cracking sounds rang out.

Several beautiful fireworks pierced through the dark night, stirring up brilliant sparks in the air before disappearing from sight.

Zhang Juzheng felt a sense of loss; for that split second, he felt that his own life was just like these brilliant fireworks.

Although there were moments of splendor, it would ultimately return to silence.

Just as he was dazed, a respectful voice sounded from behind: "Master, shall we still harvest the deer blood tonight?"

"No need." Zhang Juzheng shook his head, tightened his clothing, and returned to the bedroom draped in the night.

(End of this chapter)