[{"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-40":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},2363309,4622,"Chapter 40: Chapter Forty: Yielding Completes; Bending Straightens","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-40",40,"\u003Cp>Hai Rui is the idol of the Pure Stream, its standard, its model—the very image the Pure Stream wishes to be but dares not become!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Gao Gong once forced Hai Rui to resign, he merely merged the Jiangnan grain supervisor’s post into the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue, leaving Hai Rui with nothing to do; as Grand Secretary of the Ming, Gao Gong still had to handle Hai Rui with such caution—and even then, the Pure Stream denounced him with furious words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that Hai Rui was returning to court, the censors rose en masse, clustering together in excited conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty is wise! Moral order has collapsed—how can the people even survive? Hai Rui’s return brings clear skies and bright air! Good, good, excellent!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alas! How can one ignore him because he is always present? Sigh! How can one dismiss him because he falls short? Oh! How can one compare him to the torrential flood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If His Majesty has no intention of punishing officials for speaking truth to power, and even forcibly recalled Hai Gangfeng from the hands of that powerful minister, does that not mean Luo Zun, Jing Song, and Han Bixian truly deserved their punishment?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s true—the Beijing garrison is a matter of great weight; if it all falls into the hands of the Jin faction, how can Your Majesty sleep peacefully? To impeach on this basis does seem to violate discipline and order.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I already said the ritual breach at the Chaoritan had other hidden causes—you refused to believe me, insisting instead that the Grand Secretary was scheming behind the scenes. Is Zhang the Grand Secretary a trash bin into which you dump every problem?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ge Shouli stood before Chengtian Gate, watching most of the censors and remonstrators depart; his expression turned melancholy. No matter how hard he pleaded, they refused to believe him—once Hai Rui was mentioned, they all believed instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He truly felt stifled as Chief Censor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Sanjin glanced left and right; as the crowd thinned, he clenched his teeth, stomped his foot, and finally left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Chengtian Gate, the rule was immunity in numbers; since His Majesty had recalled Hai Gangfeng to quell public outrage, the courtiers were dwindling—should Jia Sanjin persist, he would stand out alone and face dire consequences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, only the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s cavalry remained before Chengtian Gate; not a single censor was left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The censors’ greatest grievance against Zhang Juzheng was that many had recommended Hai Rui, yet Zhang stubbornly refused to appoint him—so he sent the Censor of Qiongzhou to investigate Hai Rui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the censor arrived at Hai Rui’s home, it was truly bare walls and books invading the seats; the dwelling was cold and sparse, with no surplus wealth—Hai Rui owned only books and an unyielding integrity. In Hainan’s warm climate, this sufficed—but in the north, during winter, Hai Rui would freeze to death relying solely on his moral vigor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite such integrity, Zhang Juzheng still refused to appoint Hai Rui. The censors all claimed that Zhang Yuanfu feared Hai Rui’s stern uprightness and thus dared not employ him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Bao watched Ge Shouli’s gloomy face, thought for a moment, then smiled: “Old Ge, if you ask me, you’d be better off resigning as Chief Censor and retiring.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look at you—enduring my abuse in Wenhua Hall, enduring these censors’ abuse in the Censorate. This double-edged torment—if it were me, I’d refuse it outright. Let them all rot!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nonsense!” Ge Shouli swept his sleeve and strode toward Wenhua Hall. He did not argue, because Feng Bao spoke the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ritual breach by Tan Lun was impeached by Jing Song and Han Bixian of the Censorate—but when they told Ge Shouli, they omitted that Lu Shusheng had also breached ritual protocol. Had they told him, Ge Shouli would not have suffered such humiliation and helplessness in Wenhua Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, Feng Bao cultivates the “Classic of Annoyance,” driving people to the brink of death—isn’t that precisely double-edged torment?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Double-edged torment is the most unbearable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Bao and Ge Shouli returned to Wenhua Hall and reported every detail of the events outside Chengtian Gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hold a court deliberation,” Zhu Yijun waved his hand, shaking his head slightly in disappointment, signaling the ministers to stop standing idle—let them go about their duties. He resumed reading; the courtiers resumed bickering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This whirlwind of exchanges, in essence, traded Hai Rui’s return for the censors’ abandonment of their harassment over Tan Lun’s breach, halting factional strife.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if the censors, upon hearing of Hai Rui’s return, still refused to relent?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun would then observe Zhang Juzheng’s response; if Zhang had no solution, Zhu Yijun would intervene personally—ordering the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s cavalry to arrest the villain whispering behind the scenes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Open the Daxing Imperial Prison! Unleash full-scale factional warfare!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hai Rui is returning to the capital—does anyone object?” After seating himself, Zhang Juzheng asked the first matter: Hai Rui’s return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Zhang Juzheng, he had anticipated this outcome when he left the blank nomination slip yesterday. He was certain this was not Feng Bao’s or Empress Dowager Li’s doing—Feng Bao had served as Grand Eunuch for only six months; Empress Dowager Li had resided in Qianqing Palace for less than five.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hai Rui’s return was unquestionably the Emperor’s idea. Zhang Juzheng had long seen through the bright, cheerful smile of the young emperor—and the ruthless face beneath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of the three who truly governed the palace, only the young emperor could orchestrate such a seamless, inevitable exchange of interests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even from the emperor’s gaze, Zhang Juzheng detected anticipation—until Feng Bao and Ge Shouli returned, when that anticipation turned to disappointment and boredom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Disappointed that everyone had returned to their offices? Bored enough to crave bloodshed?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The court ministers glanced at one another, silent. Previously, all Grand Secretaries had opposed Hai Rui’s return to the capital; now that Zhang Juzheng himself did not object, none dared raise dissent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To yield is to be whole; to bend is to be straight,” Zhang Juzheng said calmly, seeing no opposition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a line from Chapter 22 of Laozi’s Dao De Jing: flexibility enables self-fulfillment. Zhang Juzheng did not believe in Hai Rui’s return to the capital; if Hai Rui again spoke bluntly and offended the Empress Dowager or Emperor, he might lose even the chance to retire quietly to his hometown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Zhang Juzheng still produced the memorial recommending Hai Rui, rubbed it slightly, aligned the seams, stamped it with his seal, and handed it to the Qianqing Palace eunuch Zhang Hong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun took the Wanli Imperial Seal and stamped the memorial. The document was returned to the court deliberation table and handed to the Ministry of Personnel—this was called “lowering the chapter”: once stamped, the memorial became an official decree, to be executed by the Six Ministries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Bo had no objection to Hai Rui’s return; he affixed his seal and signature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the Wenyuan Pavilion would draft an imperial edict, listing Hai Rui’s past deeds and naming those who had recommended him, and dispatch it by swift courier to Hainan—only then could Hai Rui begin his journey back to the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hai Rui’s return to the capital would take at least one hundred and eighty days—half a year—due to the vast distance from the northern bureaus to Qiongzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun read his books, holding no grudge against the censors who gathered at Chengtian Gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jishizhong and Censorate officials were mostly newly appointed jinshi fresh from the Hanlin Academy, young men full of zeal, passion, fervor, impulsiveness—they wished to voice opinions on state affairs, could not tolerate evil, and were easily manipulated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Are all the censors in the Censorate members of the Jin faction?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But a tiny, putrid core of vile creatures spread rumors everywhere, stirring these censors into action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Public opinion, public sentiment, the Pure Stream’s discourse—all operated thus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun did not blame them. If young men lacked fire, if their blood was cold, were they still young men? If their blood grew cold, the Ming would become stagnant water—beyond saving, waiting only for death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet after this incident, Zhu Yijun realized Ge Shouli truly did not know of Lu Shusheng’s ritual breach—he was tightly trapped within the information cocoon crafted by the censors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would Hai Rui, upon his return, also be tightly trapped in this information cocoon, then become a blade wielded by the clan factions?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun read and wrote with calm composure; when Hai Rui returned, this blade would be firmly held in his own hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng sat upright and began the second matter of court deliberation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Jiguang’s return to the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Jiguang was returning to the capital—and would receive his rewards in the Fengtian Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng’s stance was stern: he laid out precise, explicit requirements for the timing and rituals of Qi Jiguang’s entry into Beishicheng, through Desheng Gate, Dong Chang’an Gate, and Chengtian Gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Zhang Juzheng spoke, he kept his gaze fixed on Minister of Rites Lu Shusheng, hoping Lu would not misstep in this matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Clan factions must not persist in their exclusivity—His Majesty is deeply troubled, the Empress Dowager anxious. The impeachment of Minister Tan Lun by the three censors Luo Zun, Jing Song, and Han Bixian is concluded. You must cleanse your hearts, focus on duty, and not bring ruin upon yourselves.” Zhang Juzheng closed his memorial and spoke the most threatening words in the calmest tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enrich the state and strengthen the military—that was Zhang Juzheng’s overarching policy; the “Five Proposals” memorial was his first step in reform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To enrich the state, he must seize tax revenues; to seize taxes, he must reform the bureaucracy—thus he implemented the Kaocheng Law. Only with clean administration, top-down compliance, and unimpeded decrees could taxes be collected. Without bureaucratic integrity, collecting taxes was as absurd as claiming a courtesan sold her body but not her art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To strengthen the military, he centered his efforts on Qi Jiguang’s southern troops from the Jizhao region.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This violated Ming institutional design and ancestral law.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Jiguang’s ten-thousand-strong southern troops were the Ming’s rapid-response force, deployable to any conflict in the northeast or southwest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This should have been the duty of the Beijing garrison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Qi Jiguang’s Jizhao army grew stronger, it remained a frontier force—not a capital army. Without proper legitimacy, his authority was illegitimate. Zhang Juzheng granting Qi Jiguang control over three frontier commands was extremely dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frontier armies easily become uncontrollable threats—a transformation not dependent on Qi Jiguang’s will. More precisely, the Jizhao army would become a threat, and someone would turn them into rebels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Qi Jiguang could be granted a noble title—even a non-hereditary one—he could be recalled to the capital as Commander of the Beijing Garrison, resolving the garrison’s decay and legitimizing military strengthening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the Beijing Garrison was the Emperor’s personal army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the early Ming, Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di once issued an edict ordering then-Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi to inspect the Beijing Garrison in all weather—wind, frost, rain, snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frontier troops defend the borders; the Beijing Garrison conducts campaigns—that was ancestral Ming law. But after Emperor Yingzong disbanded the Beijing Garrison upon his restoration, and after Emperor Xianzong reorganized it, it never again regained the Ming’s former glory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng was cautiously testing whether to grant Qi Jiguang a title for his merits, so that Qi could return to the capital as Commander of the Beijing Garrison—this alone would fulfill the true purpose of military strengthening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng watched Minister of Rites Lu Shusheng, growing impatient. If this matter of Qi Jiguang’s return to the capital faltered again, he would no longer show mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng had many methods—but the simplest was to smear someone with dirt. If Lu Shusheng dared disrupt a decision already approved in court deliberation, Zhang Juzheng would not hesitate to become the villain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, send dozens of children to Lu Shusheng’s mansion claiming to be long-lost relatives—no matter how virtuous Lu was, he would be forced to retire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Court deliberation continued; ministers bickered on. Zhu Yijun still read earnestly, saying nothing more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After concluding Qi Jiguang’s return, Zhang Juzheng grew somber—he worried the emperor might misunderstand the censors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The censors, like the eunuch faction, were universally despised, unwelcome. Zhang Juzheng also disliked them; Ge Shouli even called them by name and attacked the Grand Secretary—what could Zhang Juzheng do? He could do nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The censors were truly necessary. Though often used as knives to attack ministers, the court would descend into chaos without them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The censors were a core component of the Ming’s error-correction mechanism—though this mechanism had gradually corrupted under clan faction manipulation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chengtian Gate had become a tool of political struggle, no longer a mechanism to correct the emperor’s erroneous decrees. Just as the Jin faction originally formed to resolve frontier threats, it had now become a clan faction monopolizing tribute trade and smuggling with the Tatars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your servants take leave.” The ministers bowed respectfully and departed from the Wenhua Hall of the Great Ming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng swept his sleeve, feigning a grand kowtow, and declared loudly: “Your Majesty, I have an admonition.”\u003C\u002Fp>",2188,"2026-06-21T07:55:54.218Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","6ea60be8d4408ed845ba6a766c9339e3894ee0ccba47542fd055f636546a5068","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-41","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-39",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-cover.jpg"]