Chapter 106

Zhang Zhang Siwei became a *Ming Jinshi* in the 32nd year of the Emperor Jiajing reign and was appointed a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy. Thereafter, his rise could be described as meteoric. Amidst the successive political struggles between Yan Song, Xu Xu Jie, and Gao Gong, Zhang Zhang Siwei, relying on the political backing of Yang Bo and the military affairs of Wang Wang Chonggu, took seventeen years to climb from a bachelor to the position of Senior Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

The fifth rank is usually a watershed; how many people find climbing any higher as difficult as ascending to heaven?

Yet, from the time Zhang Zhang Siwei began managing the Hanlin Academy as a fifth-rank official in the seventh month of the fourth year of the Emperor Longqing reign, until he climbed to the third-rank position of Senior Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel on the 12th day of the 12th month of the fourth year of the Emperor Longqing reign, it took him only a mere five months.

On the 12th day of the 12th month of the fourth year of the Emperor Longqing reign, the only step left for Zhang Zhang Siwei was Yang Bo's position as Minister of Personnel.

In the fifth year of the Emperor Longqing reign, after the success of the Altan Khan tribute trade, Zhang Zhang Siwei, who had always been cautious, exposed his arrogant nature for the first time. It was precisely when he was riding high that the Hedong salt inspection case erupted.

Censor Gao Yongchun uncovered the root of the corruption in the border salt laws, finding it was all due to officials running rampant and wealthy merchants seeking monopolies. Through various means, the Censor found several small salt merchants and pursued the investigation further, playing out a complete "skinning and deboning" technique that implicated Zhang Zhang Siwei's father and Wang Wang Chonggu's younger brother—the two major merchants—in the Hedong salt inspection case.

The salt laws had long been plagued by deep-seated abuses, and salt inspection was usually just a formality. If Zhang Zhang Siwei's father and Wang Wang Chonggu's brother hadn't played too excessively, the Censor would have just laughed it off. Treating salt laborers as household slaves was common, but selling salt, iron, and feathers to the Northern Tatars—wasn't that going a bit too far?

The essence of Zhang Zhang Siwei and Wang Wang Chonggu's integration of official, gentry, and merchant interests was exposed.

To smooth things over, Zhang Zhang Siwei had no choice but to resign. After three petitions, he retired to his hometown.

The following year, Zhang Zhang Siwei was reinstated, changing from Senior Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel to an attendant official in the Donggong—a return to the court. However, he was soon impeached again because of bribes to Gao Gong's "Thunder." Under repeated impeachments, Zhang Zhang Siwei ultimately retired once more.

Now, Zhang Chucheng brought up the old matter again, petitioning that Zhang Zhang Siwei was from a merchant family.

Meanwhile, Wang Wang Jiaping found a censor to petition, claiming that Zhang Zhang Siwei's family was ill-fated.

These two matters immediately cast a heavy shadow over Zhang Zhang Siwei's return to court.

Zhang Han of the Ministry of Personnel also joined in the fun to help stir the pot, petitioning: "Zhang Zhang Siwei was originally an attendant official in the Donggong, a position for serving the Crown Prince. At present, His Majesty is young and there is no Crown Prince. So, in what capacity should Zhang Zhang Siwei return to court? This is a problem." The Ministry of Personnel proposed he manage the Household Administration of the Heir Apparent, responsible for the Crown Prince's education.

What? The young Emperor is still small? There is no Crown Prince? If there is no Crown Prince, then just wait. Wait until there is a Crown Prince, wait until the Crown Prince begins his studies, and then Zhang Zhang Siwei's work can begin.

The Emperor's studies and the Crown Prince's studies are two different systems, completely distinct. Zhang Zhang Siwei had already missed the best opportunity.

Zhu Zhu Yijun watched this bout of court infighting and could only conclude that officialdom and factional strife are a bloody zero-sum game.

Under strict competition, one side's gain necessarily means the other side's loss. The gains and losses of all parties in the game always sum to zero, so there is no possibility of cooperation between the two sides—commonly known as "involution."

Wang Wang Jiaping and Fan Fan Yingqi were indeed members of the Jin Party, but they were at odds with Zhang Zhang Siwei. For the sake of their own merit and the interests of the new Jin Party, Wang Wang Jiaping and Fan Fan Yingqi viewed Zhang Zhang Siwei as a mortal enemy. Heretics are more damnable than infidels, so the two henchmen under Ge Ge Shouli constantly suppressed Zhang Zhang Siwei.

And Zhang Zhang Juzheng naturally had to suppress Zhang Zhang Siwei; his confidant Zhang Chucheng successively impeached Zhang Zhang Siwei for retiring and Wang Wang Chonggu for returning to Xuanfu and Datong to fill the holes.

Zhang Han, whose foundation was not deep, always shouted that the Grand Secretary handled things well and beat the "drowning dog," so Zhang Han would certainly help stir the pot.

Just as Zhu Zhu Yijun was happily watching the show, he always had some doubts. Soon, he realized what he had overlooked.

Empress Dowager Li, accompanied by a line of palace maids, arrived in Zhu Zhu Yijun's bedchamber.

The Little Emperor used the hierarchy of Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Kin, and Teacher to ask the Minister of Rites why he wanted to restrict the Emperor's actions. "Learning a foreign language isn't very difficult, nor does it waste time. The Grand Secretary and Imperial Tutor doesn't oppose it, so what are you, the Ministry of Rites, opposing?"

Empress Dowager Li asked with great curiosity, "What is so amusing?"

Zhu Zhu Yijun picked up a small wooden stick and, pointing at the official position screen to explain the current battle situation, said with a smile, "Right now, the Zhang Party is digging up Zhang Zhang Siwei's background as a Jin merchant; the Jin Party is killing its own, seizing on the fact that Zhang Zhang Siwei's family is ill-fated to pursue him relentlessly; the Ministry of Personnel is kicking him while he's down, preparing to arrange a leisurely post for Zhang Zhang Siwei to retire in. Zhang Zhang Siwei is now stuck between a rock and a hard place!"

"With such an encirclement, he can't escape even with wings!"

Empress Dowager Li's expression changed several times before she helplessly said, "Zhang Zhang Siwei found your maternal grandfather and gave him a large sum of silver. Your grandfather submitted a memorial today, speaking up for Zhang Zhang Siwei."

"Ah?" Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at the official position screen. With such an encirclement, it was a dead end from which one couldn't escape even with wings. As it turned out, Zhang Zhang Siwei had actually grown wings and flown away!

Zhu Zhu Yijun put down the wooden stick, folded his arms, and said, "Grandfather, why does he accept any silver he's offered?"

In such a favorable situation, Zhang Zhang Siwei had actually found a way to break the deadlock; it was simply detestable.

Empress Dowager Li helplessly said, "Emperor, your mother and your grandfather are from Shanxi. During the Gengxu Incident, they fled to the capital to avoid the chaos of war. Your mother was originally just a palace maid in the Prince Yu's mansion."

"Mother, please sit for a moment and let me think." Zhu Zhu Yijun gestured for Empress Dowager Li to sit and talk, so there would be no need for such formality.

Zhu Zhu Yijun stared blankly at the official position screen, and after Empress Dowager Li finished speaking, there was a long silence.

The young Emperor looked at the official position screen; it contained no palace matters, so Zhu Zhu Yijun had never known that his maternal grandfather was also a member of the Jin Party!

This perfectly answered a question: on what basis did Zhang Zhang Siwei act?

On what basis did he complete the heavenly ladder from the fifth rank to the third rank in a mere five months, a feat others could never achieve in a lifetime?

On what basis was Zhang Zhang Siwei so arrogant as to dare to step on Yang Bo?

Zhang Zhang Siwei's rapid promotion was because he was the late Emperor's own man, a confidant. Zhang Zhang Siwei dared to step on Yang Bo to establish his authority because his reach extended into the palace.

Zhu Zhu Yijun suddenly remembered that Zhang Zhang Qiuju had played with fire during the New Year. Empress Dowager Li wanted to show leniency, but Zhu Zhu Yijun had the palace maid beaten and expelled from the palace because Zhang Zhang Qiuju had contacted Zhang Hong and tried to incite a meeting between Zhang Hong and Zhang Zhang Siwei. Zhang Hong had reported it directly to the Emperor and Feng Bao, and Zhang Zhang Qiuju was expelled immediately.

If Zhang Zhang Siwei could obtain the indulgence of the Empress Dowager in the palace, he could naturally do whatever he pleased.

Zhang Zhang Siwei's two rises and two falls were all strange. After his first and second retirements, he could be reinstated the following year without any recommendation, which defied common sense.

"What does Mother think? If Mother trusted the Jin Party, she wouldn't have driven Gao Gong home in the first place. Gao Gong was the Jin Party's greatest reliance." Zhu Zhu Yijun frowned; he needed to clearly understand Empress Dowager Li's attitude.

Empress Dowager Li thought for a moment and said, "Gao Gong wanted to dismiss the Directorate of Ceremonial, so he certainly had to be expelled. Your grandfather wants to intercede for Zhang Zhang Siwei, and Mother is also in a difficult position. Your grandfather has been poor for too long; in recent years, he has done some business with Zhang Zhang Siwei, and there have been some messy affairs, all of which Zhang Zhang Siwei stepped in to settle."

"But delaying state affairs because of your grandfather is not Mother's intention. How could Mother indulge her own family and violate the discipline and laws of the state? Naturally, it is appropriate to call him into the palace for a reprimand. If there is a next time, the laws of the state will be merciless."

Zhu Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "Then let it be as Mother says."

Zhang Zhang Siwei's backer was Wang Wang Chonggu. With Wang Wang Chonggu occupying the matter of the Altan Khan tribute trade, and the Beijing garrison not yet fully formed, it was not easy to pursue him too aggressively.

The joint strangulation by Zhang Zhang Juzheng, Ge Ge Shouli, and Zhang Han was merely to make Zhang Zhang Siwei behave and to tell him that the times had changed.

The next afternoon, Marquis Wuqing Li Wei, the young Emperor's maternal grandfather and Empress Dowager Li's own father, entered the palace for an audience. Empress Dowager Li and Empress Dowager Chen received Marquis Wuqing Li Wei behind a screen in the Martial Arts Chamber.

Meanwhile, the young Emperor was practicing martial arts in the Martial Arts Chamber.

Empress Dowager Li assumed the posture of an Empress Dowager and said sternly, "Father, for you to lobby for Zhang Zhang Siwei and accept his benefits to speak for him is simply improper! The imperial court has its laws, and the ancestors have their rules. The Emperor is still young. If the evils of indulgence begin with the Emperor, it will be a great disaster for the world!"

"If you still refuse to be careful and cautious, then you need not be a royal relative. I shall issue an order to the Imperial Clan Court to strip you of your title as Marquis Wuqing!"

Empress Dowager Li's words were quite harsh. If Marquis Wuqing interfered in state affairs again, he would no longer even be a royal relative.

"Empress Dowager..." Just as Li Wei was about to defend himself, an arrow whistled past, piercing through his hair and shooting out from above his ear, slamming fiercely into a wooden pillar.

Zhu Zhu Yijun ran over in great panic and said with deep concern, "Oh my, Grandfather, Grandfather, are you alright! My hand slipped, and the arrow flew over. It didn't hurt you, did it?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I am unharmed, unharmed." Li Wei was truly terrified; he was completely stunned. If the young Emperor's arrow had been slightly off, it would have opened a large hole in his forehead!

Was the young Emperor trying to kill him?!

Zhu Zhu Yijun checked him carefully before letting out a long sigh of relief, saying with slight annoyance, "These weapons and arrows have no eyes. Feng, burn this bow. It almost hurt Grandfather; it's better to destroy it!"

"I obey the decree." Feng Bao's expression was solemn. Having received strict training, Feng Bao did not laugh out loud. Feng Bao, who was familiar with the Emperor, was very certain that the young Emperor was scolding Marquis Wuqing Li Wei for acting as the blade in Zhang Zhang Siwei's hand—a blade pointed at his daughter and grandson.

If it was useless, it was better to burn it clean.

Zhu Zhu Yijun was making a blatant threat: this time it would pass, but if there were a next time, it would be a dead end!

Zhu Zhu Yijun revealed his signature smile and said, "Mother, we are all family. It's not easy for Grandfather to enter the palace; why make him kneel to answer?"

"It's not strange for Grandfather to earn some silver. Last time, Mother asked the outer court for four thousand taels of silver for Grandfather, which caused quite a stir. If it hadn't been for the Grand Secretary stepping in, who knows how it would have ended."

"It's all that Zhang Zhang Siwei, playing both sides. He was polite on the surface, but once trouble arose, he threatened Grandfather into coming to the palace to lobby? This matter can't be blamed on Grandfather; if you want to blame someone, blame Zhang Zhang Siwei for being insidious and cunning!"

Upon hearing this, Li Wei knelt on the ground and said loudly, "Your Majesty is wise! That Zhang Zhang Siwei deceived me, saying it was just business. How was I to know he was colluding with the Northern Tatars? Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, I am guilty; please punish me."

Zhu Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "Grandfather, don't associate with him anymore. You know what those merchants are like, don't you? They only care about profit. For a royal relative to associate with them, isn't that beneath your dignity? We've suffered this loss; you must not be deceived again in the future."

"I obey the decree, thank you for your instruction, Your Majesty," Li Wei said, trembling as he knelt on the ground.

"Then Grandfather, talk with Mother. I'm going to practice martial arts." Zhu Zhu Yijun smiled again and entered the Martial Arts Chamber. Today was the day he was to switch to a forty-jin soft bow.

Empress Dowager Li still did not let Li Wei rise, but said sternly, "If there is a next time, there will be no leniency! Father, the Empress of the Xiaomiao reign, the later Empress Dowager Empress Xiaokangjing, indulged her family in rampant corruption. Zhang Yan Ling and Zhang Heling relied on their status as royal relatives to run rampant in the countryside, staying overnight in the palace wearing the twelve-tasseled crown. What was their final fate? The royal relatives died in prison, and no one spoke up for them."

"If I indulge our Li family, I am actually harming our family."

"Don't drag us into an eternal hell for the sake of a few taels of silver, never to rise again!"

Upon hearing that Empress Dowager Li was truly angry, Empress Dowager Chen hurriedly advised, "Just don't associate with him anymore; don't be angry, sister."

When Li Wei left, he had just reached the Left Shun Gate when he was stopped by Feng Bao, who smiled and said, "Marquis Wuqing, please stay. His Majesty has an oral decree."

"His Majesty says: Grandfather was startled upon entering the palace, so he specially bestows fifty taels of silver, two bolts of ramie silk, and two thousand five hundred strings of cash to manifest the affection of kin. No need to decline. This is the decree."

"Thank you for His Majesty's great grace." Li Wei accepted the reward and was stunned for a moment. Why was the young Emperor's combination of threats and favors so practiced?

Feng Bao took a step forward and said in a low voice, "Marquis Wuqing, let me remind you: His Majesty's rule is 'once, twice, but never thrice.' His Majesty has always adhered to this rule. If you come to the palace to lobby for silver again, it will be hard to say what might happen."

"Marquis Wuqing thinks His Majesty is young, but His Majesty will eventually grow up."

"I have said all I can; please proceed, Marquis Wuqing."

Feng Bao's warning was extremely well-intentioned. His Majesty's rule of "no third time" was one the Emperor always adhered to. If Marquis Wuqing came to the palace to lobby for silver again, he could not blame the young Emperor for disregarding the affection of kin.

Li Wei shuddered violently. The young Emperor wouldn't do anything to him—he was his maternal grandfather, after all—but the eunuchs certainly would!

It was conceivable that if something really happened to him, the young Emperor could just find some minor eunuch to take the blame and beat him to death.

Soon, after returning home, Li Wei began to cut ties with Zhang Zhang Siwei with great speed. He could not ignore the reprimand from the palace; his only reliance was his daughter.

Before the lecture, Zhu Zhu Yijun began to inquire about the daily memorials—this was what Censor Hou Hou Yuzhao had suggested: to inquire about things!

"Things in the palace are mostly like that. Mother has already reprimanded him, so I think he won't cause any more trouble. It's embarrassing to have family matters turn into state affairs, and I've let the Master see a joke," Zhu Zhu Yijun said with a hint of apology.

"The Holy Mother has great virtue," Zhang Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but say upon hearing this.

Empress Dowager Empress Xiaokangjing indulged her family in rampant corruption, causing unrest in the inner palace. Empress Dowager Li summoning her family to the palace for a stern reprimand, not violating the ancestors' established laws or the state's discipline for the sake of her father, and being able to restrain her family—this was already quite virtuous.

"I originally had no intention of blocking Zhang Zhang Siwei's return to court. Rewards and punishments are clear; since the court discussion has already passed and Your Majesty has issued the decree to the Ministry of Personnel, I cannot block it," Zhang Zhang Juzheng felt he hadn't explained clearly enough and clarified, "It is simply to let Zhang Zhang Siwei manage the Household Administration of the Heir Apparent."

The joint strangulation by Zhang Zhang Juzheng, Ge Ge Shouli, and Zhang Han was not to block his return to court, but to make him take a leisurely post. Zhang Zhang Siwei's return to court had been decided long ago.

Marquis Wuqing Li Wei's lobbying for Zhang Zhang Siwei did not affect the result; Zhang Zhang Siwei still went to the Household Administration of the Heir Apparent, responsible for the Crown Prince's education.

At present, His Majesty is eleven, and the wedding is at fifteen. Even if the Crown Prince were born the following year, he would still be six before he began his studies. Counting it up, eleven years had passed. Zhang Zhang Siwei had indeed returned to court—returned just a little bit, to take a leisurely post.

Zhu Zhu Yijun pondered and discovered that in this round, Zhang Zhang Siwei was somewhat overly suspicious and fearful. Zhang Zhang Juzheng had merely created a card out of thin air to intimidate him, and as a result, he had directly forced Zhang Zhang Siwei to reveal one of his trump cards!

Zhang Zhang Juzheng hadn't even used his full strength, and Zhang Zhang Siwei had already played all his trump cards. Zhang Zhang Juzheng had just made a basic attack, and Zhang Zhang Siwei had even used his ultimate move. It would be strange if Zhang Zhang Siwei could defeat Zhang Zhang Juzheng.

A card like a royal relative can only be played once; there is no second time.

"Reprimand Chen Shan." Zhu Zhu Yijun wrote these four large characters and bestowed them upon Zhang Zhang Siwei, telling him to reflect on them well.

In the early years of the Emperor Wanli reign, the young Emperor bestowing imperial maxims upon ministers was a normalized political gesture.

"Reprimand Chen Shan" comes from *Mencius: Li Lou I*, which says: "To reprimand the sovereign for his faults is called respect; to present what is good and close the path to evil is called reverence; to say that our sovereign cannot do this is called being a thief."

This sentence speaks of the respectful heart of a subject.

The general meaning is: a minister should encourage the sovereign to do difficult but beneficial things, which is respect; to present beneficial words to the sovereign to avoid crooked paths is reverence.

To believe the sovereign cannot practice benevolence, to shout about the way of the former kings, and to sit idly by while the sovereign does evil is called being a thief.

It means that without a respectful heart, one is a thief. Whether Zhang Zhang Siwei could understand these four characters, Zhu Zhu Yijun did not know. Whether Zhang Zhang Siwei liked to understand them or not, Zhu Zhu Yijun had already reprimanded him.

"Master, today I read a piece called 'The Lucky Man Encounters the Dongting Red'." Zhu Zhu Yijun sat up straight and began talking about his own "neglect of duty."

In the usual sense, this was not a good thing. As the Imperial Tutor, Zhang Zhang Juzheng should strictly urge the young Emperor to "reprimand the sovereign for his faults and present what is good."

But Zhang Zhang Juzheng wouldn't fall for the young Emperor's trap. Everyone was a thousand-year-old fox; who would fall for such a trick?

He bowed and said, "I have never heard of what Your Majesty has read. What is it about?"

One must first see what this is about before judging whether to "reprimand the sovereign for his faults."

Zhu Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "It says that during the During Chenghua reign, there was a man named Wen Shi, courtesy name Wen Ruoxu. Wen Wen Ruoxu first failed at literature, so he abandoned Confucianism for commerce. Everything he did resulted in a loss. Hearing that maritime trade was highly profitable, he bought a basket of Taihu specialties—Dongting Red tangerines—and suddenly his luck turned!"

"This Wen Wen Ruoxu sold this basket of tangerines in the Kingdom of Jiling for a thousand taels of silver, picked up a large turtle shell, and inside the large turtle shell were a dozen night-shining pearls, which were bought by a Persian merchant for fifty thousand taels of silver."

"So this story is called 'The Lucky Man Encounters the Dongting Red,' as the saying goes: 'When luck retreats, gold loses its color; when the time comes, stubborn iron glows. Do not dream with fools, thinking of seeking turtles overseas.'"

"Quite interesting."

After briefly summarizing the story he had read, Zhu Zhu Yijun concluded, "This story not only reflects the life trajectory of those who went overseas to trade at that time, but also expresses the eager aspirations of the people of that time to go overseas to trade."

"The Great Ming has accumulated much, but on this land burdened with heavy sediment, the tender sprout of maritime commodity economy is too fragile. As long as there is the slightest disturbance, it will extinguish the momentum of maritime trade development."

"The day the sails of Zheng He's ocean voyages fell in the ninth year of the Emperor Xuande reign was the moment the Great Ming's maritime trade entered a state of slumber."

"The shipbuilding technology that once led the world—the stern rudder, watertight compartments, and multi-masted sails—stagnated and became a stubborn rock in the long river of history, occasionally emerging from the bottom of the water to remind me and the Great Ming of our past brilliance in maritime power."

"The secrets of building treasure ships forty-four zhang long and eighteen zhang wide have also become impossible to decipher due to the ruthlessness of time, and that compass that guided the way has degenerated into a tool for feng shui, choosing houses and graves, and swindling people, which truly makes me sigh."

"The scholars of the Great Ming seem to have burrowed into the dead end of studying the classics, losing their former grandeur. All their learning has transformed into empty, mysterious 'innate knowledge.' The world is changing, and the Portuguese are cleaving the waves, while the Great Ming is gloomy, trapped in a corner, eroding the sharpness and spirit that could pierce through chaotic reality and point toward eternal stability."

"Master, I am somewhat unwilling."

"Are you willing, Master? Are you willing for the Great Ming to be like this?"

"I am not willing," Zhang Zhang Juzheng took a deep breath and said. "I am not willing. Today, I do not find it difficult to ruin my family and clan to sacrifice for the public cause, but the scholars of the time will not share the blame or bear the resentment to work together for the common good. What can be done? I can only exhaust my strength until I die!"

How could Zhang Zhang Juzheng be willing? If he were willing, he wouldn't have returned his seal in the 32nd year of the Emperor Jiajing reign, only to return to this messy court three years later.

"Master, what is 'reform'?" Zhu Zhu Yijun voiced his confusion.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng pondered for a long time and said, "Reform means breaking the old to establish the new, and innovating. The old is the shield, and the new is the sharp spear. How to break the old abuses is the key."

"Giving a rigorous and comprehensive definition of reform is very difficult, and it is even less about practical implementation."

"Any method proposed to address the abuses of the old system or a crisis situation that is effective and can be put into action, and is then implemented, can be called reform, regardless of whether the result is good or bad, success or failure."

Zhu Zhu Yijun said with conviction, "Master has prepared for the failure of the reform, but I am not willing for it to fail."

"Master has said that reform, like power, is top-down and also bottom-up. It is by no means the whim of any one person or group that is sufficient for success. This is the principle Master taught me."

"Just like the saying in that story: 'When luck retreats, gold loses its color; when the time comes, stubborn iron glows.'"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhang Juzheng bowed and said, "I will keep Your Majesty's holy decree in mind."

Feng Bao and Zhang Hong were completely bewildered. What exactly were the Emperor and the Grand Secretary talking about? Every word could be understood separately, but when put together, why did Zhang Zhang Juzheng have to end with "I will keep Your Majesty's holy decree in mind"?

Zhu Zhu Yijun was actually talking about the general trend of reform. Only by gathering the tide of social change like a flood could one break through the embankments of old abuses. It would be unstoppable, and the new laws would not fail. Just like the lucky man in the story, when luck retreats, gold loses its color, but when the trend arrives, even stubborn iron can glow.

The trend is unstoppable; this is what Zhu Zhu Yijun wanted to say.

"Master, why not bring your parents to the capital?" Zhu Zhu Yijun said, appearing calm. "There is no need to ruin your family and clan. If you move your family to the capital, you can also enjoy the happiness of family life."

"This does not conform to the ancestors' established laws," Zhang Zhang Juzheng frowned. Why did the Emperor bring this up so suddenly?

Zhu Zhu Yijun continued to ask, "Is there an explicit regulation?"

"There is none. The Great Ming's law on supporting parents for officials has no explicit regulation, but there is almost no talk of bringing them to live with you. Firstly, it's the family's livelihood; secondly, it's to avoid suspicion; thirdly, it's inconvenient," Zhang Zhang Juzheng bowed and replied.

Most officials, to avoid suspicion, do not bring their relatives when taking up a post.

Zhu Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "In the fourth year of the Emperor Hongwu reign, Xu Lin, the Magistrate of Henan Prefecture, requested to resign and return home to care for his mother, who lived in Guangji, Qizhou Prefecture; Zhang Lun, a Company Commander of the Southern Right Guard from Linhao, petitioned that his parents were both over eighty, and because he was serving far from home, he could not serve his parents."

"The Taizu Gao Emperor issued a decree allowing them to bring their parents to support them, fulfilling both loyalty and filial piety. Encouraging filial piety and thrift, and moving parents to support them, is the ancestors' established law."

Zhang Zhang Juzheng somewhat understood the Emperor's subtext and bowed, saying, "I dare not disobey."

"In that case, let the lecture begin." Zhu Zhu Yijun waved his small hand, and the lecture began.

There was no need to say everything. Ruining the family and clan was something Zhang Zhang Juzheng had mentioned, and Zhu Zhu Yijun was also trying to find a way to use the Emperor's privilege so that Zhang Zhang Juzheng would not have to ruin his family and clan.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng sought glory but received humiliation; his son was forced to commit suicide. His spirit, skilled in planning for the country but clumsy in planning for himself, completely vanished. Social contradictions rapidly intensified; peasant uprisings, land annexation, mutinies, and barbarian rebellions became increasingly prominent, eventually reaching an irreconcilable point.

In the fifth year of the Emperor Wanli reign, Zou Zou Yuanbiao, who had cursed Zhang Zhang Juzheng for not returning home to observe mourning and was crippled by a court beating, spent the end of the Emperor Wanli reign dragging his crippled leg, actively running about to vindicate Zhang Zhang Juzheng, attempting to recall the lost reform and the lost era. Unfortunately, it was all too late.

People don't know how to cherish things when they have them, and regret them when they are lost. Why not do something in advance to prevent the tragedy from happening?

Struggle is cruel. The deeper the contradictions, the crueler the struggle. The cruelty of struggle and the zero-sum game of officialdom determined that some people would stop at nothing.

For example, at a critical moment, letting Zhang Zhang Juzheng's father pass away would force Zhang Zhang Juzheng to return home to observe mourning. Whether to return or not would be a problem.

Using the mourning system in such a deranged way to gain the initiative in a struggle—is this something the scholars of the Great Ming could do?

More precisely, Zhang Zhang Siwei entered the cabinet in the eighth month of the fifth year of the Emperor Wanli reign, and in the ninth month, Zhang Zhang Juzheng's father passed away. Zhu Zhu Yijun suspected that Zhang Zhang Siwei had done something. Judging from the Li Le affair, Zhang Zhang Siwei's audacity was not ordinary.

If Zhang Zhang Juzheng's parents were brought to the capital, how would Zhang Zhang Siwei respond?

Zhang Zhang Siwei had returned to court and taken the post in the Household Administration of the Heir Apparent, but because the Emperor had no Crown Prince, Zhang Zhang Siwei was in a state of having almost nothing to do, which made him quite resentful. Most terrifying of all, Empress Dowager Li seemed quite dissatisfied with Marquis Wuqing's interference in state affairs and issued a stern decree of reprimand. Marquis Wuqing Li Wei was so frightened that he dared not have any association with Zhang Zhang Siwei.

Zhang Zhang Siwei really did find a task, which was to annotate the Veritable Records for the young Emperor, which the young Emperor had specifically requested to see. This could also be considered a merit.

When Wang Wang Chonggu heard that the court had allowed Zhang Zhang Siwei to return, he was overjoyed. He submitted three memorials in succession, thanking the Emperor for his grace, and even sent two thousand taels of silver to Ge Ge Shouli, asking him to look after Zhang Zhang Siwei for the sake of Yang Bo and not let Zhang Zhang Siwei cause trouble.

Wang Wang Chonggu didn't care what kind of official his nephew was; he only cared whether Zhang Zhang Siwei could return to court. As long as Zhang Zhang Siwei returned, it meant the court didn't intend to take action yet, so there was still a turning point.

Wang Wang Chonggu had truly been beaten into fear. Zhang Zhang Juzheng's methods were too insidious. If he were still in the court, he might capsize one day. Now that he had returned to Xuan-Da, Wang Wang Chonggu was like a fierce tiger returning to the mountains, a fish entering the sea, a bird soaring into the blue sky!

In all of Xuan-Da, if he stomped his foot, Xuan-Da would shake three times. If he said one, no one dared to say two. The Emperor always needed people to govern the localities. If he could manage Xuan-Da well, wouldn't the Emperor have to use him?

Wang Wang Chonggu intended to follow Yang Bo's path: govern the locality well, settle the people, and manage his territory solidly. Could the court just dismiss him for no reason?

Zhang Zhang Juzheng's letter reprimanding Yin Governor Yin Zhengmao arrived at the far south Guangzhou Prefecture twenty-one days later.

A gentleman who wishes to achieve something for the world must have a strong and tough material and a persevering spirit. The sixty-one-year-old Yin Governor Yin Zhengmao was in better physical condition than Tan Lun. Slightly burly, he could still personally lead troops to kill the enemy at his age, which showed his bravery.

Observing Yin Governor Yin Zhengmao's work, one might think he had a reckless personality, but upon meeting him, one would find that Yin Governor Yin Zhengmao was dignified, with an heroic spirit and a hint of sorrow between his brows, his appearance bright and elegant, with clear eyes and sparse brows.

"Master makes it sound easy, but it's hard to do," Yin Governor Yin Zhengmao sighed heavily. Zhang Zhang Juzheng had repeatedly ordered him not to be corrupt, but most of the silver he took was rewarded to the guest troops. The reason he could win battles was his generous rewards.

Otherwise, the discipline of these recruited troops fighting in foreign lands would have long since collapsed into an unrecognizable state.

The soldiers would then plunder, no different from bandits. Yin Governor Yin Zhengmao did not have Qi Qi Jiguang's conditions; Qi Qi Jiguang was a general who could lead by example and impose heavy punishments, while Yin Governor Yin Zhengmao could only use generous rewards to maintain military discipline.

Both were leading troops, but the differences were worlds apart.

But fortunately, the two Guang provinces were gradually pacified. After reading the letter for a long time, Yin Governor Yin Zhengmao knew that the time had come for the "good bow to be put away."

But when he saw the second page, his eyes lit up!

Zhang Zhang Juzheng had found him a new job. The Japanese pirates, Dutch, black barbarians, and outlaws in Guangzhou had been defeated, right? Look at the vast maritime territory; there is a large island named Luzon, which is the distribution center for goods in the ten-thousand-mile maritime territory, and a group of Dutch are entrenched there!

It's the Dutch!

Luzon was a tributary state of the Great Ming, and now that the country had fallen, the Great Ming needed to do something.

Other things are hard to say, but killing Japanese pirates is Yin Governor Yin Zhengmao's specialty!

This was Zhang Zhang Juzheng's original words: "I do not find it difficult to ruin my family and clan to sacrifice for the public cause, but the scholars of the time will not share the blame or bear the resentment to work together for the common good. What can be done? I can only exhaust my strength until I die!" Requesting monthly tickets, Awoo!!!

End of Chapter