[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties":3,"chapter-i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-14":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Really Am Not Neglecting My Duties",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2363283,4622,"Chapter 14: Chapter Fourteen: Exchange of Interests","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-14",14,"\u003Cp>Under the Ming imperial system’s design, the Ming was a highly centralized regime, approaching absolute despotism, with only limited checks: the Cabinet’s draft proposals, court deliberations, and the Six Censorates’ power to reject edicts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ming system could not function stably without the Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this context, the assassination attempt on the Emperor—a malicious act challenging authority and imperial power—led both the Grand Secretary and the young Emperor to choose silence and pacification.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cost of pursuing it further, regardless of who won or lost in the factional struggle, would always be borne by Ming itself; the weakened dynasty could not withstand such violent upheaval.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second key reason was the Emperor’s youth and weak imperial authority; stability was the paramount priority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were the intrigues and machinations within the court, the deceit among high officials; Zhang Juzheng truly did not wish to mention such sordid matters before the child, for such exchanges of interest were vile and contradicted the moral cultivation taught in the Four Books and Five Classics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhang Yuanfu! You too intend to follow Gao Gong, is that it?!” Feng Bao glared at Zhang Juzheng like a vicious wolf—he was the one to tear and bite, while Zhang Juzheng used the assassination case for an interest exchange, an act of supreme disrespect, the ultimate disobedience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Bao watched Zhang Juzheng remain silent, his expression shifting; he snapped sharply: “All you civil officials speak only of benevolence and righteousness, yet your hearts are all business!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Disgusting!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have not agreed.” Zhang Juzheng bowed again, for he truly had not agreed—only said he would consider it, and had not accepted Yang Bo’s terms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Feng Daban, calm yourself. Let me explain the Grand Secretary’s concerns—he will assist me.” Zhu Yijun looked at Feng Bao, signaling him to cease his attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph. Literati.” Feng Bao flung his sleeve and turned away, obeying the Emperor’s command and saying no more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Jin Party holds the Ansa Khan’s tribute agreement as leverage—they need do nothing more than tighten the garrison troops in Xuan and Da; if the northern barbarians’ iron hooves charge southward, the Gengxu Incident stands as a warning.” Zhu Yijun mentioned the Gengxu Incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gengxu Incident occurred in the twenty-ninth year of Jiajing, when Ansa Khan launched war against Ming, citing the refusal to permit free trade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ansa Khan plundered the vicinity of the Ming capital for eight full days, securing Emperor Jiajing’s promise to open border markets, before withdrawing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a great humiliation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the thirtieth year of Jiajing, war reignited; from the thirtieth to the forty-fifth year of Jiajing, over ten commanders and deputy commanders of Xuan and Da fell in battle, countless soldiers died or were wounded, and the capital, Xuanfu, and Datong alone required four to five million taels in expenditures; the court’s finances were hollow, annual revenues failing to cover half the outlays.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The court’s annual revenue could not reach half its expenditures; the deficit surged rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ming suffered, and so did Ansa Khan; ultimately, during the Longqing era, both sides reached an agreement, bringing peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jin Party need only cite the strength of the northern barbarians to tighten troop deployments—the Gengxu Incident could easily recur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun flipped through the memorials on his desk, pulling one out and saying: “I have a frontier report here: General Qi Jiguang repelled the Duoyan Guard rebel chief Dong Huli at Beigukou, General Tower, Jiezi Tower, and Xifengkou, achieving over two thousand five hundred enemy heads; Dong Huli fled alone on horseback.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Zhe Army is truly world-renowned as a formidable force!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun’s first battle report received by Ming was a victory dispatch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This battle was merely a minor footnote in Qi Jiguang’s formidable record; Qi Jiguang excelled not only in suppressing Japanese pirates but also in repelling northern invaders. Dong Huli came to Beigukou demanding tribute, threatening invasion if denied; Qi Jiguang set a trap, annihilating Dong Huli’s entire force, capturing his nephew who came to rescue his uncle, and sending him in chains back to the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if the northern barbarians now invade, I am confident they will come but not return!” Zhang Juzheng spoke with grave assurance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Jiguang’s transfer from south to north was recommended by Zhang Juzheng; Liang Menglong, Viceroy of Ji and Liao, and Qi Jiguang, Regional Commander of Ji and Liao, were his protégés—this was his foundation for confronting the Jin Party.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the sword in hand, one speaks with strength!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the northern barbarians truly march south, we shall fight them first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun closed the victory memorial and shook his head: “War is inherently uncertain; no one dares claim certain victory.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When Gao Gong was Grand Secretary, he promoted many; if we pursue this case, all leads will point to Gao Gong—who else but Gao Gong, now stripped of power?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Arresting Gao Gong will cause uproar in court, panic among officials; behind the scenes, they will trip up the Grand Secretary—no need for many, just three or five incidents, and defending the case becomes impossible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once war breaks out, the recently revived regions of Datong, Xuanfu, and the capital vicinity will again descend into chaos; the common people bear the cost of war; if we win, it is tolerable, but if we lose, the people suffer more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jin Party is a tightly knit faction bound by kinship, shared teachers, and native origins; they control key garrisons like Xuanfu and Datong, the capital garrisons, personnel appointments, and court discipline and morale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You, Emperor, wish to execute Gao Gong, then purge all those he promoted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What are you trying to do? Are you planning rebellion?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These traitorous ministers are exploiting Ming’s weakened state, acting with utter lawlessness!” Feng Bao immediately added; as a eunuch, denouncing civil officials was his duty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I believe it has not reached that point; if chaos truly erupts, I have the means to quell it.” Zhang Juzheng spoke with great pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dared ally with Feng Bao to expel Gao Gong from the Cabinet precisely because he had his own backing—military, administrative, personnel, discipline, and morale: the Jin Party had them, and so did he.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Gong has lost all power; Zhang Juzheng is now the Grand Secretary of Ming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Juzheng and said: “Then, Grand Secretary, what is the price?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The price is the Ming dynasty’s recently restored vitality, consumed entirely in this factional struggle. Since you have raised this matter with me, you clearly intend to pacify it; draining national strength is neither your wish nor mine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng remained silent for a long while before saying: “Your Majesty is wise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was why Zhang Juzheng claimed incapacity before the Emperor—he could not launch a full purge of the Jin Party without draining Ming’s strength, so he could only plead for pacification before the Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Gong himself was unimportant—he was merely a powerless old man; what mattered was the deeply entrenched Jin Party.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Zhang Juzheng suddenly recalled the Emperor’s annotation of the phrase “comrades, fellow travelers, sharing joy”; Zhang Juzheng felt a strange sensation—that the young Emperor shared his own ambition: to restore Ming’s vitality and revive the dynasty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Bo vastly underestimated Feng Bao; Feng Bao not only saw through it, but clearly explained its dangers to the young Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng assumed the Emperor’s clear, incisive reasoning was taught by Feng Bao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun had not ordered Feng Bao to arrest Gao Gong in Xinheng precisely because he foresaw this situation—would the Jin Party dare so much? Zhu Yijun knew well: they not only dared, but dared greatly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Zhang Juzheng’s death, it was Zhang Sihui, the new Jin Party leader and nephew of Wang Chonggu, who launched the purge against Zhang Juzheng; Zhang’s ten-year reforms were utterly destroyed; Ming’s final chance for self-correction vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Bo judged people well; he called Zhang Sihui a snake-and-mouse opportunist, accurately reading his character—Zhang Sihui could betray Gao Gong to ally with Zhang Juzheng, and after Zhang’s death, he could deliver the decisive blow against his reforms for personal gain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So tell me—what conditions did Yang Bo offer to make you mediate?” Zhu Yijun asked with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng paused, then said: “The Kaocheng Law, the position of Minister of Personnel, and Yang Bo’s retirement.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If only the first two, I would not agree; adding Yang Bo’s retirement is barely acceptable—he is their party leader.” Zhu Yijun closed the Four Books Direct Interpretation and asked Zhang Juzheng: “You gained the lion’s share here; I, as the aggrieved party, what am I to receive?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Bo agreed to the Kaocheng Law, relinquished the Minister of Personnel position, and retired; Zhang Juzheng benefited most—then who suffered the injustice? The Ming Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng was confused; he could not tell what the young Emperor wanted, and hurriedly said: “This is how I repay the late Emperor and fulfill my duty to Your Majesty…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun, hearing Zhang Juzheng begin reciting scripture, cut him off: “Stop.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I demand the execution by slow slicing of Wang Zhanglong, Chen Hong, Teng Xiang, Meng Chong, and all other culprits, to instill fear and deterrence; if not punished with the utmost severity, after pacification, evil men will enter the palace as if it were empty, reaching Qianqing Palace without challenge, walking as if on level ground.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Evil men enter the palace as if empty, reaching Qianqing Palace without challenge, walking as if on level ground”—this phrase came from the memorial of Ge Shouli, Chief Censor of the Censorate, demanding punishment for Feng Bao; it meant Wang Zhanglong entered the palace as if no one were there, reaching Qianqing Palace without question, as easily as walking on flat ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun thought it apt and used it directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng sensed something amiss—if this were truly taught by Feng Bao, how could Feng Bao have known of Ge Shouli’s memorial before it was submitted and instructed the Emperor on what to say?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng bowed and said: “Your Majesty should govern with benevolence and forbearance; benevolence, wisdom, trustworthiness, uprightness, courage, and firmness are virtuous qualities; slow slicing may harm the harmony of heaven.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Feng Daban, fetch the fire token and imperial seal; order the Embroidered Uniform Commanders to lead six hundred elite guards to Xinheng, arrest Gao Gong and all his family; resistors are to be killed on the spot!” Zhu Yijun gathered his notes, stood up, and spoke calmly to Feng Bao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your servant obeys!” Feng Bao beamed, immediately moving to retrieve the blank imperial edict.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Feng Daban, wait.” Zhang Juzheng sighed helplessly—yesterday’s tactic he used against Yang Bo was now turned against him by the young Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This young Emperor spoke so reasonably, then suddenly overturned the table—utterly unprincipled!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng immediately said: “I shall lead the Three Judicial Departments in submitting the petition for slow slicing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By leading the petition, Zhang Juzheng would bear the blame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun sat down again, signaling Feng Bao not to fetch the token; he looked at Zhang Juzheng and said: “The Imperial Medical Bureau has the skilled physician Chen Shigong, especially adept in surgical dissection; entrust the slow slicing to him. Designate a four-compound courtyard within the bureau and prepare it thoroughly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hang a plaque: Dissection Courtyard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Dissection Courtyard shall be dedicated to the slow slicing of traitors and the disloyal, the unfilial; moreover, after dissection, Ming’s medical science may advance another step.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Slowly dissect them, one by one, carefully studying the mysteries of physiology—what do you think, Grand Secretary?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Modern medicine rests on dissection; Chen Shigong, a master of surgery, with the Dissection Courtyard, would be perfectly matched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These traitors must die anyway—why not let them contribute their final light and heat to illuminate Ming’s medical path?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng repeated “Dissection Courtyard,” his face turning pale—this was no longer merely harmful to heavenly harmony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could a boy so young be so ruthless?! If he agreed, it would not be merely a brief storm of criticism; as long as the Dissection Courtyard stood, Zhang Juzheng would be cursed by civil officials every single day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng looked at Feng Bao—clearly, these tactics were taught by him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Bao’s head was wrapped in gauze, his cheeks swollen, his expression unreadable; yet he too was shaken. Though he had accepted the Emperor as capable, he never imagined such slow slicing, such extreme punishment, such a method of instilling fear and deterrence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun smiled at Zhang Juzheng: “Will you refuse?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not at all.” Zhang Juzheng exhaled deeply and bowed: “Your Majesty is wise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun smiled: “Since we are to pacify matters, establish the Dissection Courtyard today; send the culprits in tomorrow. This case involves many; haste is better than delay. I shall observe the execution tomorrow afternoon at the Dissection Courtyard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your servant obeys.” Zhang Juzheng had no choice; the blame must fall on him, or the Emperor would never agree to pacification.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is Zhu Yijun doing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He forces Zhang Juzheng to choose sides, compels him to commit acts that provoke heaven and earth, pushes him to become a solitary minister, a lonely minister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Minister of Personnel position, the implementation of the Kaocheng Law, the retirement of the Jin Party—all pale beside Zhang Juzheng’s complete submission to imperial authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Zhang Juzheng, enduring criticism is beneficial; what he must do in the future is essentially this: “I am not a chancellor—I am a regent.” You are a regent; even the best reputation cannot save you—Zhang Juzheng, are you planning to emulate Wang Mang?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Making Zhang Juzheng endure abuse is protecting him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The purpose of the Dissection Courtyard is to let Chen Shigong, the surgical master, practice; Zhang Juzheng died at fifty-eight from infection after hemorrhoid surgery in Wanli ten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Shigong, in the Dissection Courtyard, would perfect his dissection techniques—surely he would give Zhang Juzheng a surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A small blade to the buttocks—let Grand Secretary Zhang get a proper lesson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your servant bids farewell to Your Majesty.” Zhang Juzheng respectfully escorted the Emperor out of the Wenhua Hall; as he stepped outside, the midday sun shone upon him—the early spring sunlight still carried a sharp chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was dazed; this audience, the Emperor showed no aversion to interest exchange—his exchange with Zhang Juzheng flowed as smoothly as Zhang’s with Yang Bo; the Emperor felt like a seasoned veteran.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhang Juzheng knew one thing for certain: the still-young Emperor shared his exact goal—the revival of Ming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The path to restoring Ming’s greatness is long and obstructed.\u003C\u002Fp>",2417,"2026-06-21T07:55:54.218Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","982579d402b960ab976c4a39a2eb322a34c0ce6ee6f55f104ac7600ef6025472","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-15","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-13",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-cover.jpg"]