Chapter 1091: Do not seek empty fame and suffer real disaster

This person Chen Zhun was quite interesting. Ever since he stopped taking money to write articles, his articles had become sharp.

"Post-Yuan Rebels"—four words, concise and comprehensive, defined the nature and behavior of this set of rhetoric that had existed since the founding of the Great Ming, which was to boast about the benevolence of the Hu-Yuan and darkly satirize the Great Ming for being too strict and too broad.

Moreover, the four simple words were easier to spread.

The simpler it was, the easier it was to spread. In this way, after two hundred years, the power that dissolved the legitimacy, majesty, and legality of the imperial court finally had an opposite side.

From the term "Post-Yuan Rebels," one could very simply and clearly draw an inference: the local gentry and scholar-officials of the Great Ming, the aristocratic families that had been passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years, had actually never truly stood with the Great Ming.

For example, the Kong family of Yanzhou, with the sentence "Zhu of Fengyang, the upstart," clearly expressed their attitude and stance.

"The sun and moon dim and then brighten again, like a miracle of a person dying and coming back to life. Expelling the Tatars and rebuilding China—such a great cause, yet they slandered and cursed it so much. People are truly a very strange thing." Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at Chen Zhun's article and was extremely emotional.

A group of Han people opposing the landscape established by Han people and instead supporting and clustering around the Hu-Yuan established by Hu people—this was such an act of forgetting one's ancestors. But this kind of behavior had been prevalent for two hundred years, until after the Emperor Wanli Reform, when a little voice of opposition appeared among the people.

These local gentry and scholar-officials and the scholar-officials they cultivated were sparing no effort to compile various cruel, bloody, and terrifying stories to dissolve the authority of the Great Ming. It was truly strange, but actually not strange at all.

Was it truly because of interests? It was indeed because of interests, but not entirely because of interests.

The Great Ming collected only that bit of tax. After the Xiaozong Emperor, the Great Ming couldn't even collect that bit of tax. There was no money anywhere, even for repairing the imperial mausoleum, which only had 390,000 silver, and was short by 110,000 silver. It was only paid off after piecing it together the following year.

But the Emperor of the Hu-Yuan was living in luxury from beginning to end. Even the Yuan Shundi in the pass had an extremely extravagant life, and in the last few years of the Yuan Dynasty's destruction, the annual revenue, when converted, was still over 15 million silver.

And the Great Ming, after the Xiaozong Emperor, had an annual revenue of no more than 5 or 6 million silver.

In terms of taxation, the Great Ming was not only not harsh, but to a certain extent, even more lenient than the Hu-Yuan.

On this point, Wan Wan Shihe had repeatedly mentioned to His Majesty when organizing the old cases of the Yuan Dynasty: the words clamored by these scholar-officials were wrong, at least on the matter of taxation, it was very clear.

Then what exactly were these scholar-officials opposing? The Great Ming was clearly already at the point of leniency, and even the fields that should have been taxed had been directly cut in half once.

Not for interests, clearly it was for status.

The "Post-Yuan Rebels" were opposing the fact that the Great Ming imperial court refused to govern the world together with the scholar-officials.

Whether it was the two Song Dynasties or the Hu-Yuan, either through active choice or lack of ability, they allowed the scholar-officials and the local gentry they represented to become the true highest ruling class in the localities.

But in the Great Ming, even though the Great Ming was poor to death, it still maintained the basic skeleton of governance and didn't let them do whatever they wanted. This was what the "Post-Yuan Rebels" had been fighting for, and what the Great Ming Emperors had never given up from beginning to end.

This actually also verified an important content in class theory: class identity is greater than ethnic identity.

Zhu Zhu Yijun chatted with Zhang Zhang Juzheng and Qi Qi Jiguang about his thoughts. The Grand Secretary Imperial Teacher and the Grand General looked at each other. One continued to read his book, and the other continued to fish.

His Majesty's talent in politics was truly very high, probably exchanged for his military talent.

When talking about political problems, His Majesty's understanding was very thorough, clear, and transparent, with major contradictions and secondary contradictions clearly separated. But every time he talked about military problems, His Majesty's statements made Qi J

Having poor military talent is actually quite sufficient at the moment; it's not like the founding and opening of the dynasty.

If one wants to conquer the world, one certainly needs extremely high military talent. Since His Majesty has inherited the throne, as long as he can play the "foolproof, one-click operation" three-axe technique well, it is completely enough.

Zhu Zhu Yijun saw the two Imperial Teachers busy with their own affairs, so he also stole some leisure, staying by the Dragon Pool, watching Qi Qi Jiguang fish, and having nothing to do, he accompanied the two masters to chat, which could be considered consolidating their relationship.

"General Qi, why do you think the Marquis of Marquis Ningyuan gave up 'raising bandits to ensure his own importance' so easily? He had been raising them for a long time, yet he killed them just like that." Zhu Zhu Yijun was a bit puzzled. In the early years of Emperor Wanli, he thought the Liaodong problem would be the most thorny issue.

At the time, his impression of Li Li Chengliang was not very good, but he didn't expect it to be the simplest; it was resolved with a gentle breeze and light rain, and both sides were very decent.

"Does Your Majesty think that the one who hates messy battles the most is the imperial court or the border regions?" Qi Qi Jiguang did not answer this question directly.

"The imperial court, I suppose." Zhu Zhu Yijun pondered carefully and answered this question earnestly. He immediately said, "The border regions raise bandits to ensure their own importance, and the imperial court dares not act rashly, so they have more freedom? Whatever they want to do, the imperial court cannot restrain them."

Zhang Zhang Juzheng heard this and was also silent. He tacitly agreed with the Emperor's idea; he had also thought so.

Qi Qi Jiguang shook his head and said, "It is the soldiers in the border regions; they are the ones who hate messy battles the most."

"Because they are the ones fighting for their lives on the battlefield against bandits. They are gambling with their own lives. If they had a choice, no soldier would be willing to fight a messy battle, because a messy battle means a long-term war with no end in sight, which means the risk of death becomes extremely great."

"Surviving one bloody battle by luck, then twice, then three times—no one knows if they can survive."

Zhu Zhu Yijun suddenly thought of Li Li Rusong. In the original historical timeline, he fought the Japanese pirates in Korea until they fled in panic, but upon returning to the Great Ming, he capsized in a gutter. When facing the five tribes of the Zhaohua, he led light cavalry to pursue the bandits and fell into a trap.

One never knows whether tomorrow or an accident will come first.

Once the duration of the war is extended, the risk of death will increase infinitely. No one knows if they can continue to be lucky and survive by luck.

Qi Qi Jiguang saw His Majesty lost in thought and Zhang Zhang Juzheng frowning, and he knew that these two top decision-makers of the empire had completely understood what he was talking about.

What is most commendable about His Majesty the Emperor and Zhang Zhang Juzheng is that they can put themselves in others' shoes and empathize. This is an extremely special ability of empathy, and when they encounter something they don't understand, they will ask someone who knows.

As long as one is human, one is not omniscient and omnipotent, and one needs to ask someone who knows.

Qi Qi Jiguang continued, "The Marquis of Marquis Ningyuan raising bandits in Liaodong to ensure his own importance was just a method of last resort. If he could have had someone in the imperial court to support him like I do, he wouldn't have had to do this. The soldiers on the front line hate messy battles the most; this is equivalent to gambling with their own lives."

"The imperial court provided the back pay and also provided the salary, so the Marquis of Marquis Ningyuan had no reason to continue raising bandits to ensure his own importance. He had no choice but to give it up. If he didn't give it up, he would likely have been beheaded by the three thousand guest soldiers he raised and sent to the capital to claim a reward."

"Not to mention others, Li Li Rusong had been eyeing it for a long time. In the end, when the Marquis of Marquis Ningyuan left Liaodong, Li Li Rusong was even very disappointed."

Qi Qi Jiguang began his long-winded speech, and Zhu Zhu Yijun listened with great interest, nodding continuously. Qi Qi Jiguang talked about the group of retainers and guest soldiers. Guest soldiers are a double-edged sword; this is true for the imperial court, and it is also true for the generals.

The source of guest soldiers is mainly desperate outlaws, and the biggest characteristic of desperate outlaws is that they don't follow orders that well.

Don't look at the fact that Li Li Chengliang only had three thousand guest soldiers; raising these three thousand guest soldiers was really very, very expensive. It required real gold and silver to be thrown down to maintain the morale of the guest soldiers so that it wouldn't waver, wouldn't disperse, and wouldn't turn their blades against him, Li Li Chengliang.

The result of not following orders is that guest soldiers are the easiest to lose control of. Compared to the garrison soldiers and the camp soldiers, the incidents of guest soldiers demanding pay and rewards were endless.

How terrifying violent loss of control is, there is no need for Qi Qi Jiguang to say more; Zhu Zhu Yijun and Zhang Zhang Juzheng both understood.

In the fourth year of Jianzhong of the Great Tang, the Huaining Military Governor rebelled. Emperor Dezong of Tang dispatched the Lin Jingyang troops to suppress the rebellion. When the Lin Jingyang troops reached Chang'an, because they were dissatisfied with not receiving their rewards, they brazenly launched a mutiny. Emperor Dezong of Tang fled Chang'an in a sorry state. This was the "Fengtian Disaster" and the "Lin Jingyang Mutiny" of the mid-Tang period.

This was not a problem of Li Li Chengliang's choice, but something he had to do. If he hadn't given it up, he would have been in great danger.

"Raising bandits to ensure one's own importance—it doesn't seem that easy either." Zhu Zhu Yijun said sincerely. It turns out Li Li Chengliang raising bandits to ensure his own importance wasn't as relaxed as it appeared on the surface, but rather he had been walking a tightrope the whole time. A slight carelessness would have resulted in being smashed to pieces. Once there was a glimmer of light, he immediately made his choice.

Gambling on the Emperor's determination to strengthen the military, gambling on the Emperor's conscience.

"It's not easy." Qi Qi Jiguang's eyes were a bit unfocused. He recalled the past before shaking his head and saying, "If there were any other way, local generals wouldn't want to raise bandits to ensure their own importance. No one knows where the limit of that backlash lies. Moreover, soldiers are also human; they are the ones fighting, and they are the ones risking their lives. They know exactly what their commanders are doing."

"Your Majesty, the more majestic the imperial court is, the more it protects its commanders; the weaker and more chaotic the imperial court is, the more dangerous the commanders actually are."

"It is easy to plan when the government is strong and orderly, but difficult to plan when it is weak and chaotic."

What Qi Qi Jiguang said, Zhu Zhu Yijun really understood.

When the Great Tang was majestic, no one dared to kill a Military Governor and then replace him, but when the majesty of the Great Tang was swept into the dust, after the An-Shi Rebellion, 117 Military Governors were killed by mutinies of their subordinates.

These soldiers who killed the Military Governors were not afraid at all, because the imperial court had no ability to punish their actions.

Li Li Chengliang raising bandits to ensure his own importance was more of a very poor choice made when the imperial court's military administration was ruined and he was at the end of his rope. To be a Marquis of the Great Ming, one would have to be mentally ill to want to be a local king of the barbarians.

Zhu Zhu Yijun chatted with Qi Qi Jiguang and Zhang Zhang Juzheng for the whole morning. After lunch, he left the Dragon Pool and went to the Brother Jinshan military camp to inspect the naval forces. When he returned to the Yanqing Palace, he still had to work overtime to process the memorials he had neglected while stealing some leisure today.

After the Emperor left, Zhang Zhang Juzheng and Qi Qi Jiguang each did their own things. After being quiet for more than two hours, Zhang Zhang Juzheng suddenly looked up and said, "After we are gone, will His Majesty be in danger? You know what I'm saying—will the Capital Battalions and the naval forces become arrogant soldiers and mutiny because the rewards are not enough?"

"No." Qi Qi Jiguang heard this and shook his head, saying, "Even if His Majesty doesn't give them pay and only gives them a mouthful of food, the Capital Battalions and the naval forces would be willing to fight to the death for him."

"Just give them a mouthful of food?" Zhang Zhang Juzheng asked with a frown.

Qi Qi Jiguang smiled and said, "Yes, just give them a mouthful of food. The Capital Battalions and the naval forces were all selected from the military colonies and official factories. Their origins are not those of desperate outlaws; they are not after wealth. Grand Secretary, today's Capital Battalions and naval forces are all literate and understand reason."

"What are they after? They are after the peace and prosperity of the country, after the seas being clear and the rivers being calm, after the government being efficient and the people being harmonious, after the eternal stability of our Great Ming empire, after our sun, moon, mountains, and rivers lasting forever."

"Reporting to the Son of Heaven above, and saving the common people below—this has never been an empty phrase."

"His Majesty is indeed not very skilled in military administration. Is this also not a problem?" Zhang Zhang Juzheng asked the question he was most worried about. He worried that after he and Qi Qi Jiguang passed away, His Majesty's military talent would be poor, and he wouldn't be able to control these strong soldiers and fierce generals, falling into danger.

After Qi Qi Jiguang thought about it earnestly, he nodded and said, "No problem. His Majesty's talent in logistics is very strong, and combined with the 'three-axe technique,' it is completely enough. Grand Secretary, the reliance of firearms on logistics is really too heavy. The more importance is attached to firearms, the greater the importance of logistics."

"In all-firearm warfare, logistics, as well as the transportation arteries and key cities surrounding logistics, are the most important factors determining the outcome of the war."

Completely entering the era of firearms, military affairs are entirely an extension of politics.

Although the "three-axe technique" is a bit dull, it is simple and convenient to use, will not make any mistakes, and is very suitable for His Majesty.

"Grand Secretary, don't look down on this 'three-axe technique.' Let me tell you, the Great Dao is simple, you know! With the Emperor Wanli Reform, the Great Ming's national strength is at its peak. This 'three-axe technique' relies on powerful national strength to suppress everything." Qi Qi Jiguang said very affirmatively, "Does the Grand Secretary know what kind of battles soldiers like to fight the most?"

"What?" Zhang Zhang Juzheng asked immediately. He had never thought about this before; he hadn't thought that soldiers naturally hated messy battles, nor had he thought about what kind of battles soldiers liked to fight.

"Battles where victory can be seen at a glance, battles where they know they will win. For this kind of battle, let alone soldiers, in military affairs, no one dislikes such battles." Qi Qi Jiguang said with a bright smile, "And His Majesty using this 'three-axe technique' is exactly this kind of battle."

"Entering the second axe, as long as the confrontation begins, as long as we wait for the opponent to disintegrate on their own—although it's a bit slow, as long as we can win, that's fine."

Zhang Zhang Juzheng did not fight battles and didn't know how comfortable it was to fight this kind of battle where the situation of victory could be seen at a glance. The most important thing on the battlefield is one word: winning. Being able to win is better than anything else.

For an army, the essence of marching and fighting is morale. If they know from the beginning that this battle is a sure win, then morale will naturally be very high, and there is no need to pay too much energy and cost to maintain high morale.

The most important question of winning or losing has already been solved before the battle.

The only drawback of this method is that it is a bit slow.

During the Yongle years, Zhang Fu pacified Jiaozhi in three months, but this Great Ming military attack on Annan has been going on for almost a year, which is just getting the Red River Plain.

However, compared to being able to win, while obtaining military victory and also obtaining political victory, being a bit slow is completely acceptable.

After Zhang Zhang Juzheng pondered carefully, he gradually put down his worries. Qi Qi Jiguang was more skilled in military administration, and Zhang Zhang Juzheng felt that he was completely worrying unnecessarily.

Zhu Zhu Yijun certainly wanted to be fast. If he had the military talent of the Emperor Chengzu Wen Emperor, he would have already personally campaigned in Annan, planning strategies and sweeping away all the bandits with the momentum of autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. But he didn't have this talent, so he wouldn't add to the chaos.

The Great Ming Emperor received a memorial from Grand Secretary Shen Shen Shixing. This memorial was about rectifying the administration of officials. Specifically, Shen Shen Shixing put forward new requirements for the administration of officials: "Do not seek empty fame and suffer real disaster."

This is a sentence from the *Zuo Zuo Zhuan*, which is a requirement for personal character. The principle of this book, after two thousand years, can still be understood without any annotation.

Shen Shen Shixing started by talking about the Lü Kun case. Lü Kun was a famous Confucian scholar, a great Confucian scholar. Before the incident, his reputation was excellent, but these reputations were all empty fame; there were no solid achievements that could be brought out. And it was precisely by relying on such empty fame that he gradually became the Governor of Shanxi.

The imperial court must absorb experience and lessons from the Lü Kun case. For those who fish for fame and compliments, their promotion must be completely blocked. From the Inner Cabinet to the Six Ministries, and then to the various Provincial Governors and the main officials of the Three Commissions, these key officials must have solid achievements that can be brought out; otherwise, it is a typical case of "seeking empty fame and suffering real disaster."

And Shen Shen Shixing governed officials; he conducted a review of all Provincial Governors and Three Commission officials in the Great Ming. The situation was much better than Shen Shen Shixing had expected; only a few had similar problems. After all, the Great Ming now implements the "Evaluation Law," and without some ability, one simply cannot be promoted.

Lü Kun was also very capable, but he did not have achievements sufficient to match his status.

"After finishing the screening of officials at the Three Commissions level and above, he is preparing to take action against the Prefect level. Those who hold positions but do not perform their duties will not be able to pass this major assessment." Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at Shen Shen Shixing's memorial, his face solemn.

"Reform first governs officials; if officials are not governed, nothing can be accomplished." This is a historical lesson learned from the Wang Wang Anshi Reform. Zhang Zhang Juzheng was an expert at governing officials, and Shen Shen Shixing was no less so.

Shen Shen Shixing did not stop for a moment and made stricter requirements for the Prefect level.

"I am a bit hesitant; his standard is a bit too high." Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at the memorial in front of him and said, "The Ming Jinshi of our Great Ming are all dragons and phoenixes among people, but Shen Shen Shixing always forgets that he is a genius among geniuses. He can do it, but that doesn't mean others can do it."

"The requirement is a bit too high."

The specific quantifiable standards were divided into five major categories: finance and taxation, people's livelihood, official factories, transportation, and population.

"It is indeed a bit high. The Ministry of Personnel's discussion also felt that Grand Secretary Shen had not seen many fools." Zhang Hong tactfully expressed the opinion of the Ministry of Personnel.

Shen Shen Shixing was the Grand Secretary; the Ministry of Personnel did not dare to oppose the standards he set, but that did not mean the Ministry of Personnel had no opinion. This opinion was also sent to the Emperor's side through a memorial.

Shen Shen Shixing quantified what he did when he was the Governor of Songjiang Prefecture, and then halved it, requiring Provincial Governors at all levels to also meet the evaluation standards.

"Send it back and have him set a new evaluation standard. His requirement is a bit too high, just like when the Imperial Uncle originally required the Dinghai School System, where middle schools had to learn differential and integral calculus." Zhu Zhu Yijun ultimately did not pass this standard, but instead, he very much agreed with the standard from the Ministry of Personnel's discussion.

The standard from the Ministry of Personnel's discussion was actually already very high, and the Ministry of Personnel also took into account the unbalanced regional development.

The requirements for places like Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sui were completely different from those for Zhejiang, the Southern Metropolitan Area, and other places. The focus of each place was different. For example, in Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sui, the weight of people's livelihood was greater than the sum of all others.

Shen Shen Shixing, on the other hand, used a "one-size-fits-all" approach. This is very reasonable. In the matter of governing officials, one can only use a "one-size-fits-all" approach; if not, there will be emotional outbursts, excuses, and chaos.

Many chaotic situations in governing officials are caused by this "one-size-fits-all" approach, but if governing officials do not use a "one-size-fits-all" approach, it will only be more chaotic.

"Our Grand Secretary requires Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sui to be the same as Songjiang Prefecture, with an annual population birth rate of over 7%. He thinks too beautifully. It would be good if the population of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sui could be maintained; natural disasters are not something to play with." Zhu Zhu Yijun ultimately rejected Shen Shen Shixing's memorial.

But holding the memorial in his hand, he smiled and asked, "Grand Secretary Zhang, can you see anything from this?"

Zhang Hong was stunned and asked blankly, "This... is there anything that needs to be seen? I am dull-witted."

"He did this on purpose. He is responsible for imposing power and playing the 'bad guy,' while I come out to show leniency and play the 'good guy' to bestow grace. This is actually the reason why Shen Shen Shixing wants to use a 'one-size-fits-all' approach." Zhu Zhu Yijun explained to Zhang Hong why there were two sets of standards sent to the Imperial presence.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng's typical way of playing: governing officials must use a "one-size-fits-all" approach, but some places simply cannot complete it. At this time, the Emperor needs to appear!

The Emperor needs to stand out, bestow grace from above, and adjust the standards for some places.

"Wouldn't this be taking the blame for oneself and giving the credit to the superior? If this goes on for a long time, he is the Grand Secretary—wouldn't he be saturated with attacks?" Zhang Hong heard the Emperor's explanation and frowned. Shen Shen Shixing doing this seemed a bit wrong. Once or twice might be fine, but if it happened many times, could he still sit firmly?

Zhu Zhu Yijun was silent for a moment, and then felt a bit relieved. Zhang Hong was a loyal person, and that was enough.

"He is the Grand Secretary, the head of all officials; he doesn't need to look at the faces of the officials, he only needs to look at my face." Zhu Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "Send it down to the Ministry of Personnel and have them discuss another one and submit it."

"I understand." Zhang Hong immediately understood. The officialdom is "superior-oriented," because power must be responsible to the source of power. Basically, all officials will choose to "serve the superior" in the contradiction between "serving the superior" and "pacifying the inferior."

Shen Shen Shixing is already the Grand Secretary; as long as the Emperor doesn't speak, the attacks from the Censorate and remonstrating officials will not shake him.

Actually, Zhu Zhu Yijun didn't say it so clearly. Shen Shen Shixing's "one-size-fits-all" approach, setting high standards and strict requirements, was a necessary stance. He is the head of all officials; he cannot let the Emperor feel threatened, and he cannot let the ministers sincerely submit to him.

Otherwise, the Emperor would feel a crisis, feeling that Shen Shen Shixing also wanted to learn from Zhang Zhang Juzheng and rule as a regent.

Once some actions made the Emperor have groundless associations with the problem of being a regent, it would be very troublesome. The knot tied in the Emperor's heart cannot be untied.

After processing Shen Shen Shixing's memorial, Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at a memorial in front of him. This was a memorial from the Censorate remonstrating officials, concerning the imperial examination of the eighth year of Emperor Wanli. Seventeen Censorate remonstrating officials jointly submitted a memorial to impeach Zhang Zhang Juzheng, Wang Wang Xilie, and Shen Shen Yiguan for corruption in the imperial examination.

Daring to impeach Zhang Zhang Juzheng—that was clearly not a false accusation. These seventeen people daring to jointly submit a memorial could be said to be putting their own lives on the line.

"They are all people of integrity." Zhu Zhu Yijun held the memorial in his hand, pondered for a long time, drew a circle, and said, "Keep it and do not issue it. Send it down to the Censorate: I have already known about this matter, no need to impeach again."

Zhang Zhang Juzheng's eldest son, Zhang Zhang Siwen, passed the imperial examination in the eighth year of Emperor Wanli and became a Ming Jinshi. At the time, the chief examiner was Wang Wang Xilie, and the co-examiner was Shen Shen Yiguan.

When grading the papers, Wang Wang Xilie approached Shen Shen Yiguan and said to him, "The 'Sun' character number ten paper is in your hands; fortunately, record it."

Shen Shen Yiguan was greatly shocked. Was Wang Wang Xilie crazy? He actually dared to commit corruption openly and brazenly in public and say such things. Shen Shen Yiguan immediately asked why he wanted to record this "Sun" character number ten paper.

Wang Wang Xilie immediately said, "This is the son of Grand Secretary Jiangling (Zhang Zhang Juzheng), Zhang Siwen."

Once these words were spoken, the chief examiner and co-examiners all fell silent. Zhang Zhang Juzheng's son taking the examination—whether to record him or not was a problem.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng was at the height of his power at that time. Offending the Grand Secretary and Imperial Teacher, even His Majesty would not protect him. But this imperial examination was for selecting scholars for the country, a major event of the state. If they did this, then in the future, all Grand Secretaries would do the same.

The final result was that they recorded Zhang Zhang Siwen, and he passed the imperial examination.

This was a confidential matter during the grading of the papers, but the Emperor still knew about it.

Later, Zhang Zhang Siwen entered the Academy of Sciences, and no one mentioned this matter again, because entering the Academy of Sciences meant being outside the five elements and not entering the official career path. This result was tacitly accepted by the Emperor and the ministers.

Politics is compromise, and even more so, it is forming cliques. Zhu Zhu Yijun and Zhang Zhang Juzheng were in the same clique, so naturally, he would not make things difficult for Zhang Zhang Juzheng. This matter just passed like that.

After so many years, it was actually known by the Censorate remonstrating officials, and after the evidence was confirmed, they impeached Zhang Zhang Juzheng, Wang Wang Xilie, and Shen Shen Yiguan for illegal acts.

The co-examiner at the time, Shen Jiefu, was old and had retired to his hometown. When chatting with his son at home, he talked about this. His son was a big-mouthed person and suddenly poked the matter open, and it was soon known by the censors who were responsible for hearing and reporting.

"Did the Master know about this?" Zhang Hong hesitated and asked.

"The Master naturally did not know. It was all Wang Wang Xilie and Shen Shen Yiguan fearing to offend the Grand Secretary and Imperial Teacher. This matter was decided by me. If the Censorate officials keep holding onto it, then let them impeach me." Since Zhu Zhu Yijun became Emperor so many years ago, this was the first time he had kept a memorial and not issued it, without taking any action.

The list of Ming Jinshi needed the Emperor's vermilion approval. Zhu Zhu Yijun naturally recognized the three large characters "Zhang Zhang Siwen," and in the end, it was he who made the final decision and set the quota. If they want to find someone, they can find him.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng didn't know, but he also knew. He didn't know that this had happened, but Zhang Zhang Juzheng had been in officialdom for so many years; when he let his son participate in the imperial examination, he had anticipated that this kind of thing would definitely happen.

"Can't a person have a little selfishness? That is requiring everyone to be a moral saint! Anyway, I can't do it without a little selfishness. I even personally killed the lowly scholar Chen Yang Youren back then." Zhu Zhu Yijun put the memorial away and said, "If the Master hadn't retired, they wouldn't have dared. Now that the Master has retired, it's my turn to protect him."

"Whoever has the ability to save the Great Ming from having only one breath left can also enjoy this imperial favor. Just come and do it."

If meritorious ministers are not rewarded, could it be that this reward should be given to the "Former Yuan Rebels"?

Zhu Zhu Yijun kept it and did not issue it; the meaning was very clear: "I have done it this way, so what can you do about it!"

"Will there be censors and remonstrating officials kneeling at the gate to ask?" Zhang Hong asked with some worry.

"Then let them come! Bring the book *Record of Meritorious Deeds of the Reform* that I prepared earlier. I want to count the Master's achievements one by one. If they can do one of them—no, as long as they can do half of one, I will reward them with a hereditary Ming Jinshi position!"

Zhu Zhu Yijun said indignantly, "This is 'seeking the empty fame of integrity while placing loyal and good people in the real disaster of injustice'."

Zhu Zhu Yijun meant what he said. If they could do half, Zhu Zhu Yijun could invent a position like a "hereditary Ming Jinshi" and give their family a hereditary succession.

The Great Ming is a big stage; if you have talent, just come!