Chapter 39

Yang Bo looked at those remonstrating officials with deep worry. From them, Yang Bo saw that the Great Ming was truly declining like the setting sun. These remonstrating officials had long since lost their backbone. It really wasn't Ge Shouli's doing, because Ge Shouli truly listened to Yang Bo.

If Yang Bo publicly expressed his approval of His Majesty's handling of the matter in the Zhao Wenhua Hall, Ge Shouli would not privately gather the remonstrating officials.

Who did it?

Zhang Siwei.

Zhang Siwei could no longer wait to replace Yang Bo and become the leader of the Jin Party; Zhang Siwei could no longer wait to demonstrate his own influence.

"Sigh." Yang Bo let out a sigh. Following three cracks of the purification whip, the court officials entered the Zhao Wenhua Hall and knelt on the ground in order.

"We, your subjects, pay our respects to Your Majesty. Is Your Majesty's sacred body well?" The assembled officials offered their greetings in a thunderous chorus.

Zhu Yijun did not allow everyone to rise, but instead spoke, "My body is quite well, it is just that my mood is not very good. There are one hundred and ninety-two remonstrating officials kneeling outside the Chengtian Gate."

"They say to me: they are loyal to the monarch and patriotic, they are doing it to curb the habits of sycophancy, to boost the spirit of integrity, to speak up for righteous scholars, to voice opinions for loyal ministers, to address the great interests of the state, and to offer unpleasant advice to quickly invite punishment upon themselves."

"Full of benevolence, righteousness, and morality in their mouths, but full of deceit and treachery in their hearts."

"They make it seem as if my efforts to stop the trend of factionalism and exclusion, and my measures to restore order to the system of rewards and punishments, are acts of harming loyal and good people."

"Your subject is ashamed," Yang Bo said quite shamefully.

Ge Shouli, the head of these remonstrating officials, could not control them, and Yang Bo, the head of the Jin Party, could not restrain the Jin Party either.

"Feng, my attendant, you go and explain this matter to them clearly and thoroughly. See if they are willing to get up and return to their offices to work." Zhu Yijun still did not allow the court officials to rise, but instead sent Feng Bao to have the first discussion with those remonstrating officials.

"Your subject is willing to go together," Ge Shouli said loudly. It really wasn't his doing; he had never thought of gathering people together. If the Empress Dowager found out, how would she view him as the Chief Censor?

This storm could not be handled solely by the Inner Court; as Chief Censor, he had to go too.

"Go." Zhu Yijun waved his hand, signaling for Ge Shouli to go along. Ge Shouli, this head of the remonstrating officials, was only the head because they let him be. Ge Shouli should have recognized this reality long ago, instead of being sold by others all day and still counting the money for them.

"Rise," Zhu Yijun said, looking around at the court officials and waving his hand.

"We thank Your Majesty for your great grace." The assembled officials stood up, but did not take their seats for the court discussion, instead waiting quietly. Because the late spring cold was somewhat biting, the windows of the Zhao Wenhua Hall were all closed. Inside the entire Zhao Wenhua Hall, there was only the sound of the young Emperor turning pages and writing.

Yang Bo became increasingly certain of the guess in his heart: the young Emperor would absolutely uproot the Jin Party, this political clique that had already degenerated into a faction!

Zhang Juzheng, on the other hand, was somewhat curious. After such a major incident, the young Emperor's face remained as indifferent as ever, and he was even still reading and writing!

There was no fear, no panic, but rather a kind of calmness as if it should have been this way.

Zhang Juzheng had been an official for decades before he saw the true faces of these people clearly. Who exactly did the young Emperor learn this light and breezy demeanor from?

The Great Ming's Senior Grand Secretary thought for a long time and discovered it seemed to be from himself.

Because he himself did not care much about these so-called "pure stream" officials who did not know how to adapt.

Remonstrating officials storming the palace gates—Zhang Juzheng had ways to deal with it, but he wanted to see His Majesty's methods first.

Feng Bao and Ge Shouli returned very quickly. Explaining the facts clearly was not complicated. Feng Bao had a sharp tongue, and Ge Shouli kept urging everyone to go back on the side. The effect was not great; out of one hundred and ninety-two people, thirty-some left, leaving one hundred and fifty-four.

Zhu Yijun stopped writing, looked at Zhang Juzheng, and asked, "Yesterday, the Ministry of Justice recommended Hence Hai Rui to return to the court as an official. I asked the Empress Dowager yesterday how Hence Hai Rui was. The Empress Dowager said that Hence Hai Rui is like a green pine and cypress, unyielding and unbreakable. The Empress Dowager and I intend to let Hence Hai Rui return to the court. I wonder what the Senior Grand Secretary thinks?"

"Hence Hai Rui is upright by nature; being too upright makes one easy to break. He is not a conventional official." Zhang Juzheng's attitude was the same as ever. Being an official in the capital, this den of tigers and wolves, being too upright would only lead to a dead end.

He still held that attitude; he was not against Hence Hai Rui returning to work, but felt that Hence Hai Rui did not know how to adapt and would certainly be ostracized and end up on a dead end.

Seeing that Zhang Juzheng did not object, Zhu Yijun knew he had guessed correctly yesterday. Zhang Juzheng leaving that blank floating vote was reserving his opinion; reserving his opinion meant abstaining, which meant not explicitly opposing.

That was enough.

The young Emperor said to Feng Bao, "Feng, my attendant, you go and tell them, what if Hence Hai Rui returns to the court?"

This sharp blade, Hence Hai Rui, returning to the court could curb the habits of sycophancy, boost the spirit of integrity, speak up for righteous scholars, voice opinions for loyal ministers, address the great interests of the state, and offer unpleasant advice to quickly invite punishment upon themselves.

"Your subject obeys the decree." Feng Bao took a group of agents and headed toward the Chengtian Gate. His heart was pounding constantly. These idiots kneeling outside the Chengtian Gate kowtowing must, must agree to this.

Here with His Majesty, there really is only a second chance, never a third!

This was already the second discussion. If they were still kneeling here, if the Emperor flew into a rage, even Feng Bao couldn't stop him.

So what if he is a ten-year-old Emperor? Is a ten-year-old Emperor not an Emperor?

As Feng Bao walked, he thought of a strategy. Looking at Ge Shouli beside him, he thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Chief Censor Ge, let me say a few more words. Do you want to see blood flowing like a river? Let me tell you, don't take this lightly. I am doing this for the good of the remonstrating officials."

"His Majesty's temper is that there is a second chance but no third. This is already the second discussion. If they don't agree again, today outside the Chengtian Gate, there will inevitably be heads rolling. His Majesty is young, and if the Empress Dowager hears of this, can these remonstrating officials expect to get any benefit?"

"You know, now the ruler is young and the state is in doubt. What the Empress Dowager fears most is the six words 'not allowing the Emperor to be in charge.' His Majesty has made a decision, and the remonstrating officials are reacting like this. Chief Censor Ge, what do you think the Empress Dowager will do when she hears that the remonstrating officials are storming the palace gates?"

"Ah? Will it be that serious?" Ge Shouli was shocked. That is just a ten-year-old ruler; how could he dare? Heads rolling, blood flowing like a river!

But thinking back to the Empress Dowager's decision to banish Gao Gong from the court, he knew that when this Empress Dowager went crazy, no one could stop her.

Feng Bao shivered. He didn't actually fear the Empress Dowager; he was somewhat afraid of the young Emperor instead. He said with great certainty, "It is just that serious."

"Trading three pieces of trash for one Hai Gangfeng to return to the court—it's not a loss! Will it be that serious? It will only be worse than this! Precisely because the ruler is ten years old, it will be that serious. Do you understand?"

"Think about Gao Gong."

Feng Bao stopped, letting Ge Shouli seriously consider the pros and cons. Trading three pieces of trash for one Hai Gangfeng to return to the court was absolutely not a losing deal.

Hence Hai Rui was not of the Jin Party, but this blade was so upright that anyone could use it.

With a ten-year-old ruler, the state being in doubt makes things even more dangerous. Storming the palace gates outside the Chengtian Gate to force a ten-year-old ruler to concede is an insult to imperial power. Without waiting for the Great Ming Emperor to fly into a rage, the Empress Dowager would have to go crazy first.

No one could guarantee what a crazy Empress Dowager would do.

"Then I will certainly persuade them well," Ge Shouli said, holding his hands and looking quite certain.

"So it really was you who gathered them together! Chief Censor Ge, you have such great courage!" Feng Bao's face changed faster than turning a page. Just a moment ago he was offering good advice, and immediately he slapped a big label on Ge Shouli's head!

"It wasn't me! Don't slander an innocent person!" Ge Shouli's face changed drastically, and he said sternly.

"Haha." Feng Bao laughed directly. With his hands behind his back, he walked quickly toward the Chengtian Gate. He was just teasing Ge Shouli.

"It wasn't me!"

"Haha."

Ge Shouli arrived outside the Chengtian Gate again. Standing before these remonstrating officials, his heart was filled with mixed feelings. He also gradually realized that the Jin Party had changed.

The "Analects of Confucius, Duke Ling of Wei" says: "The superior man is dignified but not contentious, sociable but not cliquish." It means: a superior man does not contend with others, is sociable but does not form cliques for selfish interests.

This sentence gradually evolved into: "The superior man is sociable but not cliquish; the petty man is cliquish but not sociable." The superior man is sociable because of common interests or aspirations, but does not form cliques to seek selfish gain. The petty man forms cliques because of selfish interests, doing things that harm others to benefit himself.

How was the Jin Party gradually established?

In the twenty-ninth year of Jiajing, the Northern Tatar Khan, Altan Khan, launched a war because he was dissatisfied that the Great Ming tribute trade was not going as he wished. The Datong Regional Commander Qiu Luan heavily bribed Altan Khan. Altan Khan attacked Gubeikou and plundered the capital region for eight full days. After the Great Ming promised to open the tribute trade, he returned with a full haul. This was the Gengxu Incident.

The Jin Party grew and strengthened during the twelve years of warfare from the thirty-second year of Jiajing to the forty-fifth year of Jiajing to solve the border threat of the Northern Tatars. In the end, they gathered together and used peaceful means—using the way of cultivating culture to pacify distant people—to solve the border threat and reached a reconciliation with the Northern Tatars.

In the beginning, the Jin Party gathered together because of common aspirations to solve the border threat of the Northern Tatar incursions. It was a party of superior men.

When the Longqing Peace Talks and the Altan Khan tribute trade were accomplished, Ge Shouli stood before all the remonstrating officials and suddenly felt somewhat dazed. The Jin Party seemed to be becoming more and more unfamiliar, becoming more and more detestable.

The Jin Party had become a party of petty men. His Majesty's description was even more accurate: the Jin Party had become a faction.

Ge Shouli was thinking, thinking about how the Jin Party had become a faction.

With one word, His Majesty blocked Ge Shouli so he couldn't say a single word.

Ge Shouli thought it started when Yang Bo's son married Wang Chonggu's daughter, or perhaps even earlier?

Had these censors before his eyes really reached the point of being unable to distinguish right from wrong? Not necessarily.

Even Ge Shouli himself only knew when Feng Bao mentioned it that Lu Shusheng was also coughing at the Altar of the Sun and was also lacking in decorum. This was also one of the reasons why Ge Shouli did not continue to press the matter.

Impeaching someone for lack of decorum and engaging in factionalism were two different things. Even if he were dull, he knew the difference.

Feng Bao could scold Ge Shouli for fawning over the powerful or even forming cliques, but he could not scold Ge Shouli for lacking greatness or perseverance. If Ge Shouli truly lacked greatness and perseverance and was a coward with no public interest but only selfish interest in his heart, Ge Shouli would not have confronted the Senior Grand Secretary to his face.

And weren't these slightly younger censors and supervising secretaries before his eyes the same?

Did they really know the truth?

"Gentlemen, listen to me!" Ge Shouli stood in the fierce wind and shouted loudly, "There is already a conclusion in the court. Luo Zun, Jing Song, and Han Bixian—they deserve their punishment. Enjoying the state's salary and eating the monarch's food, yet not understanding the sacred will, recklessly making accusations and making a mountain out of a molehill, forming factions and excluding others—this is heading toward the factional strife of the two Song dynasties!"

"Do you all want to be such people too?"

Ge Shouli's voice was very loud, but very few people paid him any mind.

"Gentlemen, His Majesty just agreed in the Zhao Wenhua Hall to let Hai Gangfeng return to the court!" Ge Shouli thought for a long time and had no choice but to shout loudly, "If Hence Hai Rui, Hai Gangfeng, returns to the court, everything will get better!"

"His Majesty does not want to harm officials who serve as his eyes and ears; it is just that these three people, being disloyal and unfilial and engaging in factionalism, were stripped of their official status and sent back to their hometowns to live in leisure."

"Once Hai Gangfeng returns to the court, the pure stream will still be the pure stream!"

Upon hearing this, Censor Wang Shiju stood up abruptly, his eyes full of joy as he asked, "Really? Is Hai Gangfeng about to return to the court?"

"Yes! His Majesty said it himself, and even the Senior Grand Secretary Zhang cannot stop it! Today, the imperial decree will go from the Wenyuan Pavilion to the Ministry of Personnel. At that time, everyone will know that I did not lie to you! If you find out you were deceived, wouldn't you just gather at this Chengtian Gate again?" Ge Shouli shouted with great excitement.

The matter finally had a turning point, and the conflict did not further intensify. And this entire change was because His Majesty had persuaded the Empress Dowager and Zhang Juzheng to let Hence Hai Rui return to the court.

"This is truly great, truly great!" Censor Wang Shiju turned around, leaned forward, and with wide eyes, full of excitement and joy, shouted loudly, "Did everyone hear that?"

"Hai Gangfeng is about to return to the court! It is His Majesty's decree! Hai Gangfeng is about to return to the court!"

What is Hence Hai Rui?