Chapter 279: Flattery from Hence Hai Rui

Whether Hence Hai Rui had a "backbone of integrity" could be seen from the little Emperor's face.

When others praised the Emperor, the Emperor would always have an expression of "You are trying to trick me, I believe you and will take your surname," first suspecting their character, and then carefully reading between the lines to see if there were any conspiracies.

The Emperor was always vigilant.

Hence Hai Rui's flattery was very stiff, truly very rigid, without any foreshadowing, and without any rhetorical embellishment. It was just an ordinary statement, but it made the Emperor so happy that his face wrinkled with smiles.

Hence Hai Rui had a backbone of integrity, which was why the Emperor was so happy. Getting a word of praise from Hence Hai Rui was not easy, at least indicating that after Zhang Juzheng let go, Hence Hai Rui still highly recognized the little Emperor's governing ability, and there was no need to blame him for his past actions.

Zhu Yijun truly knew the name Fu Zuozhou. Fu Zuozhou was Zhang Juzheng's fellow townsman.

In the fourth month of the twelfth year of Wanli, the Wanli Emperor began a comprehensive liquidation of Zhang Juzheng's "Zhang Party." Qiu Shun, the Vice Minister of Justice, and others went to raid Zhang Juzheng's house. Zhang Juzheng's eldest son confessed that he had transferred property to the homes of Fu Zuozhou, Zeng Shengwu, and Wang Zhuan, worth about 300,000 taels of silver. The Vice Minister of Justice began a second round of asset recovery and raided the three.

However, this confession was just a forced confession. Fu Zuozhou was not a "Chu Party" member, let alone a subordinate of Zhang Juzheng, because in the fifth year of Wanli, Fu Zuozhou submitted a memorial stating that Zhang Juzheng not observing the mourning period was unworthy of being a son. In the first month of the sixth year of Wanli, he impeached Zhang Juzheng's mentor, Pan Sheng.

Partisanship and excluding dissidents—when there is partisanship, no one can escape the disaster.

Fu Zuozhou was just a treacherous Confucian. The Chu region also had treacherous Confucians; the Chu region wasn't all upright officials like Zhang Juzheng.

"Summon Fu Zuozhou to the hall. I want to ask him personally." Zhu Yijun decided to summon him. He had received two memorials in succession, and Zhu Yijun had to see him in person to clarify these matters.

The little Emperor always felt that this Fu Zuozhou's actions were a bit strange. A normal remonstrating official would go and touch Hence Hai Rui's bad luck? Especially regarding the matter of "backbone of integrity," this was recognized by the court and the public as the backbone of backbones.

Fu Zuozhou soon entered the hall. He flicked his sleeves with some trepidation, knelt on the ground, and said tremblingly: "This servant pays respects to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor, long live, long live."

Zhu Yijun looked at Fu Zuozhou, pondered for a moment, and then opened his mouth: "You submitted a memorial to impeach the Nanjing Grand Minister of Rites Pan Sheng, just to save the Vice Minister of Works Luo Rufang who is in prison, right?"

Zhu Yijun wasn't asking a question, but making a statement. He pondered the recent events in the court. The only thing that could cause such a great mobilization was this Luo Rufang. Luo Rufang had defied the clear imperial decree and gathered crowds to lecture at Guanghui Temple. Even if the storm over Zhang Juzheng's mourning period covered it up for a while, the fact that the remonstrating officials who usually bit people like they were possessed didn't pursue it afterward was very abnormal. Impeaching Hence Hai Rui was also abnormal.

It could be seen that their goal was never Hence Hai Rui, nor Pan Sheng, but to rescue Luo Rufang.

Lu Diaoyang turned his head sharply to look at Fu Zuozhou, who was kneeling on the ground, his eyes full of scrutiny. Wang Chonggu was lost in thought, Hence Hai Rui revealed a smile of sudden realization, and Wan Shihe still had his Maitreya Buddha-like silly smile, but his expression toward Fu Zuozhou had become cold. The Ming court officials had different expressions; clearly, some had figured it out, while others hadn't.

"Your Majesty, humans are not sages; who can be without faults!" Fu Zuozhou never expected that his purpose would be seen through by the Emperor in the very first sentence. He could only bite the bullet and respond.

"You want to rescue him, but does Luo Rufang know?" Zhu Yijun's expression was strange: "In the petition submitted by Luo Rufang, he was weeping and snotting, saying that he had defied the imperial decree and conspired to harm, only begging for a quick death to repay the imperial grace. You want to rescue him—do you want me to exile his family, or exterminate his clan?"

Zhu Yijun didn't intend to pursue Luo Rufang too much, because the matter was of great importance. The "Eight Exclusions" were dross, but they weren't entirely dross. As a third-rank official, Luo Rufang had his own Taizhou School, his own disciples, his own friends and fellow townsmen. If he pursued it too much, everyone related to Luo Rufang would be in a panic, and it might even lead to greater waves.

Luo Rufang clearly knew this truth. He knew very well that the Emperor was a wise monarch. Earlier, Wang Xijue, a third-rank official, had been sent away, and Luo Rufang didn't hesitate much, directly admitting his guilt and accepting the law, setting his crime as defying the clear imperial decree, hoping to die quickly so everyone could live in peace.

But Fu Zuozhou's attempt to rescue him could be said to be forcing everyone related to Luo Rufang to their deaths.

This was a typical expansion of the issue.

In Fu Zuozhou's two impeachment memorials, Zhu Yijun saw the two great methods of treacherous Confucians: "peeling the skin to see the bones"—peeling the skin to test the Emperor's attitude, and seeing the bones to pull out the Ming's bones; and "doubling it"—expanding the issue to make it impossible for the Emperor to handle.

"Must you save him?" Zhu Yijun asked playfully. Zhang Hong and Feng Bao, who were familiar with the Emperor, knew very well that the Emperor was planning to take action. If Fu Zuozhou truly intended to go his own way, Zhu Yijun would also have to take out his "thunder and rain are both imperial grace" method.

Hence Hai Rui looked at Fu Zuozhou. "He who commits evil will not live."

This Fu Zuozhou was also one of the remonstrating officials who had knelt at the palace gate before, and he was the kind of leader who gathered people. Wang Chonggu's "dog-fighting technique" was only slightly worse than Zhang Juzheng's. What Wang Chonggu was best at was never business, but probing the human heart. The first court meeting after the New Year determined two major events for the sixth year of Wanli: the first was relocating wealthy households to enrich the capital, and the second was selecting officials and examining the "contradiction theory" and mathematics.

Wang Chonggu was using human hearts to implement his conspiracies, moving and stirring, which gave Wang Chonggu the opportunity to use them.

"Your Majesty, is it saving, or not saving?" Fu Zuozhou was bad, not stupid. He sensed some abnormality in the words. The Emperor was asking him if he wanted to die together.

"I am asking you; why are you asking me?"

"Heh, humph, hahaha." Zhu Yijun laughed. One couldn't blame Zhu Yijun for always looking favorably upon Hence Hai Rui; it was truly too rare to have court officials like Hence Hai Rui who only spoke the truth. Hence Hai Rui never disdained to hide his inner thoughts. Even when facing the supreme imperial power, even when facing the Jiajing Emperor and the Longqing Emperor, he wouldn't cover up. If you did well or poorly, there was only the truth.

Fu Zuozhou clearly wasn't such an upright official. He hesitated.

"Zhang, my attendant, I told you a few days ago that Luo Rufang has the deep-rooted weakness and compromise of a scholar. Look, is this Fu Zuozhou also like this? Truly, when things come to a head, he is looking forward and backward, looking left and right." Zhu Yijun seemed to be talking to Zhang Hong, but he was also talking to the court officials.

When you truly don't know how to praise someone, you can say he is a scholar. When you don't know how to scold someone, you can say he is a scholar.

The "virtuous and treacherous" duality of scholars and the phrase "what the hell" are all the same.

"If you want to save him, say so. If not, get out and go to Ningwei to reclaim land. Just farm for two days, and you will understand everything. You choose." Zhu Yijun tapped the table, looked at Fu Zuozhou, and said sternly.

"This servant will roll to Ningwei to reclaim land!" Fu Zuozhou didn't hesitate and immediately made a submissive choice. The front was a fire pit; there was no need to sacrifice himself for Luo Rufang. Going to Ningwei or Huining to reclaim land wasn't actually that hard. Zhou Liangyin, as a representative of treacherous Confucians, went to Ningwei to reclaim land, and although his life was lonely, it was definitely not bitter. Where was the bitterness for a court official?

"Get out." Zhu Yijun waved his hand impatiently, signaling that Fu Zuozhou didn't need to be an eyesore here. Just get out.

"Thank Your Majesty for your imperial grace." Fu Zuozhou rolled out. He truly used his hands and feet, rolling out of the Zhao Wenhua Hall. Physically rolling, supporting himself with his hands on the ground, one turn was one circle. He rolled seven circles before rolling out.

Feng Bao and Zhang Hong were dumbfounded!

The "get out" the Emperor said was a modal particle, an expression of impatience, a bit of anger, but not an over-pursuit. It wasn't really asking someone to roll, but Fu Zuozhou clearly didn't dare to defy the imperial decree and really rolled out.

In terms of shamelessness, eunuchs have to give way to these treacherous Confucians!

The court officials could understand why the Emperor didn't pursue it too much. If Fu Zuozhou was dealt with too severely, it would fall into the trap of the treacherous Confucians, expanding the issue and making it more difficult to handle, facing more choices. But the court officials found it very difficult to understand the action of Fu Zuozhou physically rolling out.

"Treacherous Confucians are like dogs." Zhu Yijun didn't find it funny. Fu Zuozhou acted as a dog for the powerful and wealthy, and when facing the Ming's greatest powerful and wealthy person, Zhu Yijun, wasn't he even more submissive than a dog? It was just bullying the weak and fearing the strong. When he saw that the Emperor was not easy to fool, he immediately changed his course.

"What kind of thing." Lu Diaoyang pasted a blank floating ticket on the memorial impeaching Hence Hai Rui for having no backbone of integrity and presented it to the imperial desk. He truly didn't know how to write this floating ticket. He had nothing to say and was ashamed to be associated with them.

Everyone was a scholar, but the gap between scholars was greater than that between humans and dogs.

Zhu Yijun got the memorial, thought about it, and wrote a comment: "Order Fu Zuozhou to go to Huining to inspect land reclamation."

The little Emperor had a promise with the Teacher: "Respond to every memorial, see every official." All memorials that should be read must be read, and court officials who should be seen would absolutely not be avoided.

As long as Zhang Juzheng was still fulfilling his political promises, Zhu Yijun would always fulfill his promises. What was promised must be practiced.

This was political responsibility and political credit, and also a necessary condition for an authoritative figure.

Zhu Yijun never intended to be a majestic monarch who dared to change the color of the world. He just wanted to reach Zhang Juzheng's political cultivation in the end, be able to clean up the Ming's affairs, and be worthy of the throne he was sitting on.

In his position, he sought his government.

"Prince of Lu, do you have something to say?" Zhu Yijun looked at Zhu Yiliu, this little demon king. The guy's expression was slightly fierce.

Zhu Yiliu only then came to his senses and hurriedly said: "Brother, why didn't you kill him?"

"To be punished for words is a great taboo of the dynasty, so I cannot." Zhu Yijun explained with a smile. Being punished for words was a bottom line. Zhang Juzheng lectured on history, saying that after Empress Wu Zetian ascended the throne, in order to kill those who opposed her, she used cruel officials, resulting in the world being in chaos. The matter here was relatively complicated. Being punished for words would block the path of remonstrance and block the remonstrance of upright officials.

The Ming Emperor was a human monarch, not a sage, and would also make mistakes. If one was sick and didn't know it, letting people speak wouldn't cause the sky to fall. Letting people speak wouldn't cause the country to perish.

"This servant brother knows." Zhu Yiliu only said he knew; he didn't agree.

Meeting such treacherous Confucians, kill one for every one you meet. Only dead people would shut their mouths and not rely on their mouths to talk nonsense everywhere.

The Prince of Lu was a natural noble. Everyone who disobeyed him should die—this was the first thought of this natural noble.

Lu Diaoyang took out another memorial and said with an extremely strange expression: "Huai, Yang, Lu, Feng four prefectures and Xu and Chu three departments. The previous year's station silver quota was 239,000 taels. The abuse of 'Mountain People' impersonating official status was stopped last year, and the station silver quota was 183,600 taels. As for the arrears of the small people before the sixth year of Wanli, they were all remitted to relieve fatigue."

This was about the reform of the Ming's post station system. After stopping the abuse of "Mountain People" impersonating official status and using horse tokens to swindle, the four prefectures and three departments saved over 50,000 taels of silver. If promoted nationwide, completely eliminating "Mountain People" impersonating official status and horse tokens, at least 700,000 taels of silver could be saved.

Financial affairs are complex when spoken of as complex. Ultimately, it is four words: "Open sources and reduce expenditure." And reducing expenditure is absolutely not the muddled practice of cutting off post stations with one knife. One must find the root of waste to effectively reduce expenditure. Investigating the impersonation of official status and horse tokens nationwide will make the Ming's post stations healthy.

"Li Youzi, the Vice Minister of Revenue responsible for this matter, will be the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate from today, supervising this matter." Zhu Yijun said to Lu Diaoyang. Li Youzi was responsible for stopping "Mountain People" from impersonating official status and did a good job. Since the pilot effect was okay and didn't cause any bad consequences, let him be responsible for nationwide promotion.

Nearly nine months after Ge Shouli retired, the Censorate finally had a new Censor-in-Chief.

The Left and Right Censors-in-Chief were both second-rank "Great Dukes." Zhu Yijun didn't want anyone to hold Hence Hai Rui back from anti-corruption, so he hadn't appointed anyone until he had carefully selected the virtuous and capable.

Li Youzi was one of the virtuous and capable recommended by Zhang Juzheng. What was more interesting was that he once submitted a memorial saying: "Song headscarf language, this is why the Song never competed."

That is to say, the Song dynasty never competed because they believed the words of the "big headscarves" of the Song dynasty, leading to the destruction of the country. The Ming's remonstrating officials were chattering and sluggish, and one couldn't help but listen, but one couldn't listen to everything or believe everything.

"Big headscarf" refers to bureaucrats, which is the headwear worn by officials. Li Youzi specifically used the word "big headscarf" here to scold the treacherous Confucians.

"Treacherous Confucian" was the word used by the Great Sage Confucius of the Confucian school, Xunzi, to scold the stubborn and unyielding corrupt Confucians. It wasn't a name Zhu Yijun specifically coined for treacherous Confucians.

"The Ministry of War discussed, requesting the grace to promote the Vice Minister of War Zeng Shengwu to Left Vice Minister of the Ministry, to handle the Ministry's affairs." Lu Diaoyang took out another memorial, speaking of a major personnel transfer. Zeng Shengwu was promoted to Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War to handle the Ministry's affairs. Tan Lun had found a successor for himself.

This Zeng Shengwu was skilled in military strategy and good at governing the border. During the first year of Wanli, he was the Viceroy of Military Affairs when Liu Xian and his son pacified the Duzhang Barbarians.

Zeng Shengwu was also from a family of high officials. During the Hongwu period, Zeng Shengwu's ancestor, Zeng Yongsi, served as a military advisor under Chang Yuchun in Pengze, participating in the decisive battle of Lake Poyang between Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang. Zeng Yongsi remained in Huguang as a hereditary military household.

Zeng Shengwu's father, Zeng Fan, was a Jinshi, his grandfather Zeng Hui was a Jinshi, and his great-grandfather Zeng Xun was a Jinshi. It could be said to be a family of poetry, ritual, and high officials. What was different between Zeng Shengwu and Wang Shizhen's family of high officials was that Zeng Shengwu was from a military household and was a close friend of Zhang Juzheng.

After the case was announced, the most heated discussion in the streets regarding this matter was not about the case itself, but the gossip between Su Quan the Daoist and the Wang Xiangu Wang.

Tan Lun was the Minister of War, the "Great Minister of War," while Zeng Shengwu was the "Junior Minister of War," responsible for the affairs of the Ministry of War.

"This servant obeys the decree." The Minister of Personnel, Wan Shihe, was just an "echoing bug." This was the court officials' evaluation of Wan Shihe. Whatever the Emperor said, he echoed. He had no opinions of his own.

For such a major personnel appointment, Wan Shihe, as the Minister of Personnel, didn't have a single opinion of his own. The Emperor wrote the vermilion comment, and he agreed.

The battle to pacify the Duzhang Barbarians was fought in the mountain nests. The main strategy was to pull out the hard stockades first, then flood them with water. The Duzhang Barbarians had been active from the pre-Qin period to the Wanli period, interacting with the Ming for over two hundred years, and finally, in the friction, they disappeared, leaving only hanging coffins to prove their existence.

This battle was not easy to fight. The Duzhang Barbarians had lived from the pre-Qin period to the Wanli period, so they naturally had their own way of survival, which was the towering mountains of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

Zeng Shengwu supervising the army was worthy of the title "Junior Minister of War."

"The 'Zhixing Zhixing Heyi' group rebellion case, the Ministry of Justice reports that 327 clergy members have been arrested." As the Wang Cifu, Wang Chonggu began to report the results of the five-day special rectification action. Seven strongholds of the "Zhixing Zhixing Heyi" group in the capital were pulled out, and 327 clergy members were arrested. All the "Zhixing Zhixing Heyi" group clergy in the capital were caught without exception. 1,200 people were rescued, including 57 pregnant women who were about to give birth.

The thunderous special arrest operation effectively guaranteed the safety of the people's lives and property, maintained social stability, and effectively struck at the arrogant flames of the criminals.

Sweeping the grass and beating the rabbits, they caught 36 Northern Hu spies and 7 internal ghosts who cooperated with the Northern Hu spies, including 4 merchants and 3 gentry. The rescued pregnant women were all victims of the "Zhixing Zhixing Heyi" group trying to take umbilical cord blood to seek immortality.

"When can it be investigated clearly?" Zhu Yijun asked Wang Chonggu how long this case would take.

Wang Chonggu bowed and said: "Before the Emperor's wedding."

"How to deal with it?" Zhu Yijun asked again.

Wang Chonggu said concisely: "Kill."

This was already very fast. Wang Chonggu killing these people to sacrifice to heaven before the Emperor's wedding was the wedding gift to the Emperor. He offered a gift, but the Emperor didn't want it. He offered silver, but the Emperor wanted him to write a note and turned it into an investment. If it made money, he had to share the dividends. Wang Chonggu had no choice but to offer heads.

The Emperor's wedding was a key time node. After the wedding, the Emperor could no longer say he was "young and immature," because he was already married.

Before the wedding, the Jin Party had to deliver the "life-buying silver" to the Emperor's hands. Otherwise, after the wedding, the Emperor would be an adult, and at that time, wanting to deliver it, turning big things into small things, would be completely impossible.

"Do you have any objections?" Zhu Yijun looked at the court officials. This was another three hundred heads falling to the ground. The scale of such executions had already exceeded the Jiajing and Longqing periods, and the killing was extremely heavy.

"Order Lü Ruoyu to return to his ancestral home today to live in leisure and await further orders. As for Pan Cheng and Zhang Yue, they are to be encouraged to perform their duties, and they must be careful and cautious in their future actions." After hearing the ins and outs of the matter, Zhu Yijun chose to favor one side; he only punished Lü Ruoyu, but did not punish Zhang Yue and Pan Cheng, who had shielded him.

According to the Ming Law, Questioning Punishment Regulations, and Ming Dynasty Collected Statutes, evil spirits must die.

"Dismemberment" is "lingchi" (death by a thousand cuts). The Ming's "lingchi" during the Wanli period was transferred from the market to the Dissection Institute, which was a kind of progress. After all, the bloody scene was locked in that small courtyard.

Wang Chonggu cited the legal provisions. These people had only one outcome after being caught—there was no room for discussion. Even if the third-rank official Luo Rufang supported them, there was only this one outcome: they must die.

"What about Luo Rufang?" Lu Diaoyang asked about Luo Rufang's outcome.

Zhu Yijun thought about it and said: "Follow the old custom and let him admit his guilt and commit suicide."

"This servant obeys the decree." The court officials saw that everything had come to an end and chose to leave.

Zhu Yijun began to lecture to the Prince of Lu. After lunch, Zhu Yijun took the Prince of Lu to the Northern Suppressing Fief office to send Luo Rufang on his way.

"Brother, after the Qianqing Palace was burned down, why not live in the Cunning Palace? Mother only sees Brother twice a month and has nagged about it many times. The Qianqing Palace is repaired, but Brother is still living in the West Garden. Mother says that after the wedding, you will still live in the West Garden. Is that so? Isn't the Qianqing Palace repaired for nothing?" On the way, Prince of Lu Zhu Yiliu spoke of his doubts.

After the Qianqing Palace was burned down, the Emperor brother lived in the West Garden. The Qianqing Palace was repaired, but the Emperor brother was still living in the West Garden. Wasn't the Qianqing Palace repaired for nothing?

After the wedding, he would still live in the West Garden. Didn't Wang Chonggu work himself to death and advance his own funds to rush the construction period, all for nothing?

"If I collapse, 'Dragon Riding Guest' (the Emperor dies), you must remember to live in the West Garden, do you know? It's safe there." Zhu Yijun chose to tell the truth. The entire Imperial Palace was a dragon's pool and a tiger's den. Only the West Garden, where the Daoist master had lived, was a safe place.

"What's so good about being an emperor!" Prince of Lu Zhu Yiliu was eleven years old this year. He could already understand the wariness in these words, although he didn't dare to be blatant, the assassinations were coming one after another.

"Hmm?" Zhu Yijun discovered for the first time that this little demon king was not interested in the throne. Not only was he not interested, but he was even a bit disgusted.

Zhu Yijun had always been cultivating this mixed kid as the heir, taking him wherever he went. The country cannot be without a monarch for a day, and the world cannot be without a master for a day. The Martial Emperor had no descendants, the Daoist master had only one son, and the Longqing Emperor had only two sons. Zhu Yijun had even worried about brothers fighting each other for the throne, fighting until the sky was dark and the earth was dark. This was the supreme throne, the only emperor.

Zhu Yiliu was not interested, and even showed disgust, which Zhu Yijun truly hadn't expected.

"Is being an emperor not good?" Zhu Yijun asked tentatively.

"Not good. Being a wise monarch is very tiring, and being a dim-witted monarch is very suffocating. Being scolded every day is not good at all." Zhu Yiliu bravely expressed his opinion. Even if he was beaten, he had to say it!

Being a prince, living a life of debauchery and not thinking of progress was "considering the overall situation." Being an emperor was completely different.

"Brother is so hard-working, and if the Ming's decline cannot be reversed, then I will be even worse." Zhu Yiliu spread his hands. In his view, the Emperor brother had already reached the extreme. What was the point of cultivating himself if he would only do worse?

Zhu Yijun nodded in agreement and said: "You are right, but you still have to continue learning."

He had suffered the bitterness, and this Prince of Lu had to suffer it once too. If there truly was a Crown Prince, he would send the Prince of Lu overseas to expand. It was just a small matter. The "National Surname Lord" (Koxinga) could expand outside.