Chapter 38: Not Me! Don't Tarnish Someone

Who is considered the leader of the empire's remonstrating officials?

"Senior Grand Secretary, stand up and speak." Zhu Yijun, however, was slightly displeased. This had already been discussed; there was no major matter, so he could just stand and speak. These empty rituals were unnecessary.

As long as Zhang Juzheng did not turn his Zhang Party into a faction of marriage and regional nature, and as long as Zhang Juzheng still took the resurgence of the Great Ming as his primary task and aspiration, then when Zhang Juzheng spoke to him, this Emperor, he could stand straight and speak.

"Ah?" Zhang Juzheng had knelt halfway, so he had to stand up. This matter of remonstrating.

Zhang Juzheng bowed: "Your Majesty, the Taizu Emperor established the censorate officials, the Censorate, etc., with the specific duty of impeaching the hundred offices, clarifying grievances, and supervising the various circuits, as the ears, eyes, and wind-discipline department of the Son of Heaven."

"For ministers who are treacherous, small men who form cliques, and those who abuse power and disrupt government—impeach; for officials who are corrupt and corrupting the official discipline—impeach; for those whose academic views are incorrect, who submit memorials to change the established constitution, or who seek advancement—impeach."

The Emperor doesn't like them, and the ministers don't like them either; the knife is too sharp and easily cuts oneself. A knife like Ge Shouli is the most suitable.

"The censorate officials committed a mistake, and the punishment was increased by three degrees. The censors and censorate officials were just incited by small men. This is not it. I had the eunuch Feng and Chief Censor Ge go to explain, and they understood the truth, and after hearing the news that Hai Gangfeng was returning to the court, most of them were extremely excited, and they all dispersed."

"Censorate officials still have some sense of submission, such as the thirty-some officials who left first; they knew the truth and chose to leave. The Han Dynasty empire had loyal and good people in every generation; it doesn't count as a major matter."

Censorate officials can even spray the Emperor; this is their job. They are responsible for impeachment and can even scold the Senior Grand Secretary, but if they commit a mistake, the punishment is increased by three degrees. Originally, it was just exile, but now they have to be beheaded. If there is bribery, it has to be increased.

Move Hence Hai Rui from the Censorate's remonstrating officials over to the Censorate itself, and see who still dares to say the Emperor doesn't value the pure stream!

Someone played a time difference. Small men love to play this administrative time difference.

The punishment for the three censorate officials who formed cliques to exclude others was decided after the court discussion yesterday, but the official document would only be issued the next day. This one day in between became the time for small men to make trouble.

Therefore, Zhang Juzheng could only leave it blank.

"Small men making trouble..." Zhang Juzheng remained silent for a moment and bowed: "Your Majesty is wise."

Usually, small men making trouble is defined as righteous indignation. So how to distinguish the difference?

When the official document has not been issued, constantly making noise and creating rumors is the work of small men;

If the official document has been issued, and they are still dissatisfied with the disposition, still feeling that it violates ritual and morality, that is righteous indignation.

Zhang Juzheng originally wanted to say two words for the censorate officials, asking His Majesty to distinguish between what is small men making trouble and what is righteous indignation, so that His Majesty would not misunderstand. These newly promoted jinshi had not yet become so sophisticated.

But seeing the Emperor speaking so clearly, Zhang Juzheng knew he had worried in vain.

Regarding government affairs and the ins and outs of the officialdom, the little Emperor was extremely familiar. Of course, it might also be Feng Bao whispering in His Majesty's ear every day.

"Eunuch Feng did a good job this time." Zhu Yijun praised him without hesitation for completing the errand.

Feng Bao carefully savored this sentence. Some words have completely different effects depending on who says them. If a eunuch says it, it's like the Emperor or the Inner Court is afraid. But if Ge Shouli says it, it's the court discussion's decision, which is exercising power and system, and this is the court's joint decision.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the praise!" Feng Bao said happily. Even Ge Shouli didn't understand his little thoughts, but His Majesty saw them clearly.

"Senior Grand Secretary, can the lecture begin?" Zhu Yijun asked with a smile.

Studying is the top priority. If he doesn't study, how can he smash the ideological imprint in Zhang Juzheng's heart?

Every question Zhu Yijun asked was a meme pollution, a cognitive hazard, but as the imperial teacher, Zhang Juzheng had to bite the bullet and lecture. Zhang Juzheng bit the bullet and finished lecturing on the Analects, then took out the "Illustrated Mirror for Governing" and told the stories in it.

And today, he was still talking about Tang Taizong Li Shimin.

Zhang Juzheng stood straight and spoke eloquently: "The Prince of Qin broke Song Jingang. In Lvzhou, he defeated Song Jingang's subordinate Xun Xiang, pursued the victory, traveled two hundred miles in one day and night, fought dozens of rounds, and broke Song Jingang's army again."

"When stationed at Gaobi Ridge, the General Manager Liu Hongji said: 'The Great King has broken the thieves and pursued the victory for so far; the merit is already enough. Going deeper, I fear it will be dangerous. Moreover, the soldiers are hungry and tired. It is best to stay at Gaobi Ridge, wait for logistics and supplies, and then attack Song Jingang, which is not too late.'"

"The Prince of Qin replied: 'Song Jingang is already at his wit's end and can only flee. The soldiers are separated in heart and mind, and merit is hard to obtain, but it is easier to fail. If we wait at Gaobi Ridge, Song Jingang will reorganize, and it will be too late. We are exhausting our loyalty to serve the country; how can we care about our own lives!'"

"Afterward, the Prince of Qin advanced his army, pursued Song Jingang to Queshu Valley, broke Song Jingang's eight formations in succession. At this time, the Prince of Qin had not eaten for two days and had not taken off his armor for three days. There was only one sheep left in the army, but the Prince of Qin still shared the sheep with his soldiers."

"Song Jingang still had twenty thousand men. The Prince of Qin sent General Manager Li Shi Ji to fight, but failed to win. The Prince of Qin then led three thousand men, killed out from the rear by surprise, and completely defeated Song Jingang. Song Jingang escaped with over a hundred cavalry. The Prince of Qin pursued to Zhanan Fort but did not catch Song Jingang."

Zhu Yijun frowned and asked: "Traveling two hundred miles in one day and night—isn't that a bit exaggerated?"

Zhang Juzheng said quite definitely: "The Tang army could do it, and the Great Ming army can also do it. Light equipment and simple travel, two hundred miles in one day and night is enough for elite soldiers."

"On the 12th day of the 9th month of the 23rd year of Jiajing, after the Niutian Great Victory, the Southern Army under General Qi's leadership reached Xinghua, then reached Lindun, seventy miles in one day, marched at night with flags lowered and drums silenced, and reached Lindun the next morning."

"Another day later, he pacified the Japanese pirate lair at Lindun, beheaded over two thousand, and captured thirty thousand."

Speaking of the Southern Army Qi Family Army, Zhang Juzheng straightened his back.

"In this way, besides the Southern Army, does the Great Ming army have any other troops that can travel two hundred miles in a day?" Zhu Yijun asked, only then realizing the terrifying combat power of the Qi Family Army.

One hundred and forty miles in a day—is this still human? Zhu Yijun issued a military-blind question: are these people flying in the sky or flying close to the ground?

"No more." Zhang Juzheng, hearing the ten-year-old Emperor's inquiry, felt slightly discouraged.

Your Majesty is really something; why bring up the one thing that shouldn't be brought up?

If there were still such a strong army, would the Northern Barbarians have been rampant in Xuanfu and Datong for twelve years?

Zhu Yijun nodded and said: "In the Battle of Queshu Valley, the Prince of Qin broke Song Jingang, winning all eight formations. The Tang army was newly victorious and its morale was high, while Song Jingang's army was newly defeated and its morale was low, which is understandable."

"Your Majesty, Queshu Valley is extremely steep. Only sparrows and rats can pass through. The height difference is dozens of feet, and only four or five people can pass side by side. One man can guard the pass, and ten thousand cannot pass," Zhang Juzheng thought for a moment and explained.

It is just like Qi Jiguang breaking Lindun. The Japanese pirates entrenched in Lindun were not weak. Lindun was surrounded by water ditches and crisscrossing, the terrain was extremely complex, and only two roads could pass—one was the main road called Huangshi Avenue, and the other was the Xihong small road.

After Qi Jiguang fell into a trap set by a spy, he still took Lindun in one day and night, beheaded two thousand, and captured over thirty thousand.

The Prince of Qin, Li Shimin, was able to win all eight formations in Queshu Valley and take the pass—it was definitely not easy, just a simple sentence. How much hardship was behind it?

The dull history suddenly became vivid.

"What happened to Song Jingang later?" Zhu Yijun knew that the Prince of Qin, Li Shimin, later became Emperor.

Zhang Juzheng lecturing on the "Illustrated Mirror for Governing" was hoping that the Emperor could take the emperors of the past dynasties of the Central Plains as role models and be a virtuous wise ruler. The Great Ming truly needed a hero to lead the Great Ming to rise again.

Zhang Juzheng knew he couldn't do it; he was just a minister. Historically, any reform presided over by a minister could not succeed without the support of the Emperor.

The Emperor asked where Song Jingang went.

Zhang Juzheng replied: "Song Jingang escaped with a hundred cavalry, entered the Turks, was caught by the Turks, and was cut in half at the waist."

Zhu Yijun asked again: "Then at this time, what was the Crown Prince Li Jiancheng doing?"

Zhang Juzheng bowed: "Crown Prince Li Jiancheng, with phoenix dances and phoenix songs to satisfy his desires, with jade carriages and carved chariots to guide his joy, the Crown Princess was full of worry, and the Crown Prince was always thinking of descending while being noble, and every time he was extravagant, he would follow his desires."

"Phoenix dances and phoenix songs satisfied the Crown Prince's extravagant desires, jade carriages and carved chariots guided his joy. The Crown Princess Zheng begged bitterly, asking the Crown Prince to lower his expenses while he was noble, but every time the Crown Prince was extravagant, the Crown Princess would remonstrate."

"The Prince of Qin later became Emperor, so naturally there were flatterers who slandered the Crown Prince Li Jiancheng to please the Tang Taizong Emperor." Zhu Yijun heard this and asked with slight confusion.

Zhang Juzheng bowed: "This minister does not dare to deceive Your Majesty. This minister is not quoting the records of the New and Old Tang Histories or the 'Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance,' but is quoting the records of the Crown Princess Zheng's epitaph. When the Crown Princess Zheng died, the Tang Taizong Wen Emperor had already passed away for twenty-seven years, and the past had long since become ancient history."

"The New and Old Tang Histories and the 'Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance' did not record a single word of Crown Prince Li Jiancheng's extravagance."

Compiling history requires avoiding taboos for the respected, so the descriptions of Li Jiancheng's extravagance were all covered up in history books. Instead, it was recorded on the epitaph of Crown Princess Zheng, which also answered a question.

Why did Crown Prince Li Jiancheng lose the hearts of the people in the Xuanwu Gate Incident?

Fifty years is such a long time? Long enough for the world to talk about the Xuanwu Gate Incident as just a topic of conversation, just a fragment of history.

Fifty years of time had long since changed things; the epitaph was even more authentic.

"I see." Zhu Yijun found that Zhang Juzheng's lecturing on history was rigorous. He said that the Battle of Queshu Valley was about the Prince of Qin, and the epitaph of Crown Princess Zheng was about the Tang Taizong Wen Emperor. All citations had sources, and he was responsible for every word he said.

Zhang Juzheng was indeed a scholar. He lectured on these not to argue who was right or wrong in the Xuanwu Gate Incident, but in the hope that the little Emperor could truly understand some principles.

Li Shimin killed his elder brother and younger brother in the Xuanwu Gate Incident and forced Li Yuan to abdicate to become Emperor.

The Great Ming's Taizong Wen Emperor Zhu Di also rebelled and usurped the throne. When the Great Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang and Crown Prince Zhu Biao were alive, did Zhu Di dare to make such a move as the Xuanwu Gate Incident?

He probably didn't dare.

Tang Taizong Li Shimin and Great Ming Chengzu Zhu Di both had military talent. These people with military talent, on the battlefield, were truly doing whatever they wanted.

Zhu Yijun finished listening to the whole story, pondered for a moment, and said: "The Prince of Qin was willing to share a sheep with his soldiers, while the Crown Prince had phoenix dances and phoenix songs, jade carriages and carved chariots. The direction of the people's hearts is nothing more than this."

"Soldiers die in the front, while beauties sing and dance under the tent."

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhang Juzheng was full of relief. The little Emperor understood his meaning. This was the best. He didn't expect the little Emperor to be as wise and martial as Li Shimin, but he very much hoped that His Majesty the Emperor would not be extravagant and wasteful.