Chapter 15: Why Use a Butcher's Knife to Kill a Chicken?

Zhu Yijun walked out of the back door of the Wenhua Hall, shook his sleeves, handed two sheets of paper to Feng Bao, and said, "Grand Eunuch Feng, We have two tasks for you. Have these two things made well; one is needed tonight, and the other is needed tomorrow."

Feng Bao took the two sheets of paper and looked at them. They were doodles the Emperor had made while slacking off during the classics lecture in the Wenhua Hall. The lines were extremely neat, marked with scales and partial details, as well as descriptions of their use. One drawing was of a pen, and the other was of a pile of knives.

The requirement for the pen was that it be thin and long, and the knives were required to be sharp.

"After I report to the Empress Dowager, I will personally go to the Directorate of Imperial Armaments to have these two items made. Since Your Majesty has commanded, this subject will certainly go through fire and water!" Feng Bao took the two drawings and suddenly knelt on the ground, performing the ceremony with great solemnity.

The reason Feng Bao suddenly performed such a great ceremony was that this was the first time the Emperor had entrusted him with a task since the assassination attempt. This was a form of trust; being able to do things for the Emperor meant that his position as Grand Eunuch could continue to be maintained.

The Emperor was young, but he would eventually grow up.

Since the assassination attempt, the Emperor had first used Empress Dowager Li's suspicion of Feng Bao to strip him of his power over the Qianqing Palace eunuchs; then he used Zhang Hong's disguise to clear him of the suspicion of Wang Zhanglong's accusation; and now he had skillfully conducted an exchange with the Outer Court, forcing Zhang Juzheng to stand in opposition to the civil officials.

In Feng Bao's view, the most important part of this round of interest exchange was forcing Zhang Juzheng to commit a heaven-defying act. Even if Zhang Juzheng had no sense of submission and wanted to be as insubordinate as Gao Gong, he would have to weigh whether he could actually do it.

The 'Dissection Institute' was an act that violated the core six virtues of Confucianism and offended heaven and earth, yet it was led by Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Juzheng bore such infamy, so he would have to rely more on imperial power to do things.

This was what Feng Bao thought.

Zhu Yijun, however, believed that the establishment of this Dissection Institute itself was the greatest gain of the case, as it could vigorously promote the progress of medical science in the Great Ming.

The Dissection Institute would certainly attract countless voices of questioning. Words like 'the world is declining,' 'human hearts are not what they used to be,' and 'the collapse of rituals and music' would be heard incessantly. Memorials of opposition would drift to his imperial desk like snowflakes.

Just leave them all to Zhang Juzheng to handle. If he couldn't even suppress these waves of opposition, what kind of Senior Grand Secretary was he?

"Zhang Hong." Zhu Yijun let Feng Bao stand up and turned to the eunuch standing on the right.

"This subject is here." Zhang Hong, who was already bending his waist, stepped forward two steps and said in a low voice.

Zhu Yijun smiled quite openly and said, "You should learn more from Grand Eunuch Feng. Look at how Grand Eunuch Feng scolded Ge Shouli in the court today, citing classics and leaving that fool Ge Shouli speechless. This is the benefit of reading books. You must read more books in the future."

"These outspoken officials are sharp-tongued, so you must defeat them in the areas they are most skilled at!"

"This subject obeys the decree."

"Thank you for your high praise, Your Majesty!" Feng Bao's face blossomed with joy. His Majesty praising him twice for speaking well was a great affirmation.

Empress Dowager Li no longer trusted him as she once did because of the assassination case, and the Emperor had also reprimanded him many times. If this continued, could he still sit in the position of Grand Eunuch?

The assassination case had occurred, and the Emperor had been practicing martial arts since then. It was not bad to have some martial arts skills for self-protection. In this stormy and declining situation, having one more ability to protect oneself was one more layer of safety.

After the standing practice, Zhu Yijun always felt the tendons in his legs jumping. After Physician Chen Shigong took his pulse, it wasn't a big deal; it was mainly because the Emperor was a bit fat.

This was related to the Wanli Emperor's diet—he liked sweets and didn't like exercise. At ten years old, he weighed about a hundred catties. This standing practice was naturally more arduous than for others.

Chen Shigong suggested increasing lean meat, reducing sugar intake, losing weight and building muscle, controlling his mouth, and moving his legs.

Zhu Yijun told Chen Shigong about the Dissection Institute, and this surgical saint of the Great Ming was both surprised and happy.

He had entered the Imperial Academy of Medicine for the sake of medical progress. After three years in the academy, he had read all the books in the collection. His goal had been achieved, and he was preparing to follow Li Shizhen's example, resign from his position, and travel the world to improve his medical skills through diagnosis and treatment.

Just at this time, the Emperor gave him another choice.

The surprise was at the little Emperor's ruthlessness—those were living people.

The happiness was that the little Emperor provided another way for medical progress.

Chen Shigong quickly convinced himself. Under the imperial system, Wang Zhanglong dared to assassinate the Emperor, and Chen Hong, as the Emperor's servant, dared to betray his master. These were all heinous crimes that violated ritual teachings. Were these even people?

Since they weren't people, just treat the suspects as animals.

Such good material—if it were just given to the executioner for slicing, wouldn't that be a waste?

"Your Majesty, would it be better if you didn't watch the execution?" Chen Shigong made his small request. The Emperor supervising the execution made him feel terrified; the bloody scene might scare the little Emperor.

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "If We have time, We will go and take a look."

Zhu Yijun was practicing his stance diligently. Empress Dowager Li also heard Feng Bao's report and smiled, saying, "The Emperor praised you. You should be rewarded. Go to the Inner Treasury and draw fifty taels of silver."

Empress Dowager Li took a tally from a palace maid. The vermilion tally had a gold band at the top; one tally could be used to draw fifty taels of silver from the Inner Treasury.

"Thank you for the Empress Dowager's grace and reward," Feng Bao said quite joyfully.

The Emperor did not control money and grain and had no wealth to reward, but Empress Dowager Li's reward still made Feng Bao overjoyed.

Most importantly, this reward let everyone in the palace know that he, Feng Bao, was still deeply trusted by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. This was the key. With power, a little gold and silver were easy to come by.

Feng Bao's report to the Empress Dowager mainly focused on his scolding of Ge Shouli to please her; pleasing the Empress Dowager was Feng Bao's required course.

As for the interest exchange between the little Emperor and Zhang Juzheng after the classics lecture, Feng Bao's report mainly focused on attacking the ministers of the Outer Court for usurping imperial power and the bitterness behind settling the matter and keeping the peace.

As for the heaven-defying and god-forsaken Dissection Institute, Feng Bao interpreted it as Zhang Juzheng showing his commitment not to collude with the Shanxi Faction, or rather, not to unite with ministers to restrict imperial power like Gao Gong did.

"Can it not continue?" Empress Dowager Li said, feeling slightly unwilling.

Although Zhang Juzheng had done something heaven-defying and had chosen to stand completely on the Emperor's side, which made people breathe a long sigh of relief.

Zhang Juzheng was even more formidable than Gao Gong. If Zhang Juzheng also wanted to learn from Gao Gong, how could an orphan and a widow hold onto the empire?

But these lawless ministers not being punished really made Empress Dowager Li feel stifled.

Feng Bao also said helplessly, "The Senior Grand Secretary does things with a sense of proportion. His thoughts and concerns are all for the Great Ming and for Your Majesty. The Senior Grand Secretary does not want the Great Ming to be a broken, riddled-with-holes mess when Your Majesty takes personal control of the government."

"The Great Ming cannot withstand such tossing. Gao Gong wasted the late Emperor's trust." Empress Dowager Li's attitude toward Gao Gong was complex.

Gao Gong, the Senior Grand Secretary who assisted her husband—when her husband was alive, he still had some sense of respect. After her husband passed away, he used the Shanxi Faction and his party members spread throughout the court to restrict the Emperor from reading memorials. This was something she would never allow.

This case, to this point, no matter what the truth was, could only be that Chen Hong, the eunuch thief, was deceived by the handwritten note, thinking he had colluded with the former Senior Grand Secretary Gao Gong, who had lost power, and committed a heinous crime because he was dissatisfied with losing power.

At least in the court's determination, it had to be this way.

Zhang Juzheng had already expressed his stance to settle the matter and keep the peace. If Empress Dowager Li insisted on doing it, she would be pushing the new Senior Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng completely toward the Shanxi Faction.

The Shanxi Faction had not stopped trying to win over Zhang Juzheng, even Empress Dowager Li in the palace had heard of it.

Empress Dowager Li was quite satisfied with Zhang Juzheng's attitude. Wanting both fame and power was Wang Mang; wanting only power and not fame was just right.

Letting go of the pursuit of Gao Gong in exchange for Zhang Juzheng's commitment, using political interests to exchange for political interests, was a technique Empress Dowager Li had learned stumbling along after the late Emperor passed away.

"My son, are you tired?" Empress Dowager Li looked at Zhu Yijun's limping appearance. Yesterday he was limping on three legs, and today, after opening his tendons and standing practice, he was already limping on one.

Practicing some martial arts for self-protection was not bad. In this stormy and declining situation, having one more ability to protect oneself was one more layer of safety.

Zhu Yijun shook his head and blinked his big eyes, saying, "Tired is a bit tired, but Physician Chen said that the child still needs to move around. Children who move more grow taller."

Empress Dowager Li waved her hand, signaling Feng Bao to withdraw. She accepted the interest exchange, and she didn't want the Great Ming to be riddled with holes when the Emperor took personal control of the government.

Feng Bao did not fool the little Emperor. After reporting the details of the Wenhua Hall to the Empress Dowager, Feng Bao headed toward the Directorate of Imperial Armaments. He had to personally keep an eye on the things the Emperor wanted.

"What did my son learn today?" Empress Dowager Li asked about his studies. Yesterday Zhang Juzheng had praised Zhu Yijun for reading well, but today there was no praise, which made Empress Dowager Li a bit puzzled.

"Learned the allusion of 'Why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken?'" Zhu Yijun knew Empress Dowager Li was going to examine his studies. Empress Dowager Li was the person primarily responsible for the little Emperor's education. The classics lecture lasted an hour, and there was a lot of content. Zhu Yijun picked a section to explain.

"Confucius went to Wucheng in Yanzhou and could hear the sound of zithers and singing everywhere. At that time, the magistrate of Wucheng was Confucius's disciple Ziyou. Confucius saw Ziyou and smiled, saying: Wucheng is a small town, so why use the great Way of rituals and music? Is this not using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken?"

"Ziyou didn't know the Master wanted to use him to teach his disciples. Ziyou said: 'When a gentleman learns the Way, he loves people; when a small man learns the Way, he is easy to employ.' Meaning: The Master advocates teaching without discrimination. Today, although Wucheng is small, Ziyou is studying under the Sage and does not dare to despise the small people of Wucheng and not teach them rituals and music."

"Only then did Confucius say to all his disciples: 'Yan's words are correct. My previous words were just a joke.'"

Empress Dowager Li only then realized that the allusion 'Why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken?' came from this. She continued to ask: "How did the Senior Grand Secretary Zhang explain it?"

Zhu Yijun said quite definitively: "The Senior Grand Secretary Zhang said: The late Emperor Emperor Zhao Lie of Shu Han said in his legacy: 'Do not do evil because it is small, and do not fail to do good because it is small. Only virtue and wisdom can serve people.'"

"Do not do even small evil, for small evil accumulates into great evil; do not fail to do even small good, for small good accumulates into great good."

"And what does my son think?" Empress Dowager Li nodded repeatedly as she listened. Zhang Juzheng was truly teaching the Emperor diligently.

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said: "The Senior Grand Secretary Zhang is right."

"Ah? Hahaha." Empress Dowager Li covered the corner of her mouth and laughed softly. Zhu Yijun's answer was truly within reason but unexpected, making people laugh.

Zhang Juzheng was a proper imperial examination graduate. His learning was naturally fine. What was feared was that some ministers, full of learning, having read books for a lifetime, would still open their eyes and tell lies, calling a stag a horse, confusing black and white, and confusing right and wrong.

Zhu Yijun then answered seriously: "The child asked the Senior Grand Secretary: Does 'gentleman' refer only to the monarch? The Senior Grand Secretary replied: 'Gentleman' refers to those who govern people. It refers to those who govern the empire, not just the monarch."

"The child asked again: Then does it mean that if a gentleman does evil, small evil becomes great evil, and small good becomes great good? The Senior Grand Secretary replied: 'Indeed.'"

"The child interpreted this sentence: A gentleman is one who governs people. If a gentleman does evil, the nation suffers great evil; if a gentleman does good, the nation enjoys great good. This is called: A gentleman learns the Way and loves people."

"The Senior Grand Secretary was silent for a long time and said: 'Living in a time of a wise master, this subject should do his utmost to assist, revive the ancestors' foundation, shake the horizontal net, and sweep away the rebellious scales.'"

Empress Dowager Li's eyes lit up as she listened, and she said with a smile, "Good, good, good. My son is naturally intelligent. Before, it was those ministers, everyone had their own reasons, and they confused my son."

If a child doesn't study well, it's all the teacher's fault. This logic of Empress Dowager Li was extremely smooth for Zhu Yijun. A ten-year-old child, when studying, had one sentence explained by several teachers—it would be strange if he could understand it. Even Zhang Juzheng was confused, let alone a ten-year-old Emperor?

Empress Dowager Li examined his studies again, and Zhu Yijun explained the day's lesson again according to the narrative structure of classics, Zhang Juzheng's annotations, his own understanding, and Zhang Juzheng's evaluation.

The record of today's classics lecture in the hall was also organized and presented to Empress Dowager Li.

After Empress Dowager Li examined him, she nodded repeatedly. Although the child practiced martial arts and seemed a bit neglectful of his proper work, his studies had not fallen behind.

Most importantly, Zhu Yijun's studies had been affirmed and recognized by the Senior Grand Secretary of the Great Ming.

Zhu Yijun was very fortunate that Empress Dowager Li agreed to settle the matter and keep the peace. Zhu Yijun had already prepared his rhetoric to persuade Empress Dowager Li, but Empress Dowager Li did not insist on making arrests, which made Zhu Yijun breathe a sigh of relief.

Dealing with the deeply rooted Shanxi Faction in the court was what mattered. ===== CHAPTER 16 =====