Chapter 41

Remonstrating officials storming the palace gates, the leader of the remonstrating officials returning to the court—this could be considered as calming the worries of the remonstrating officials about harming officials who serve as eyes and ears. Zhang Juzheng was somewhat worried that the Emperor would therefore harbor resentment toward the remonstrating officials, so he planned to offer advice.

"Senior Grand Secretary, rise and speak." Zhu Yijun was somewhat displeased. This had already been explained; there was no major matter, so he could just stand and speak. These empty formalities were unnecessary.

As long as Zhang Juzheng did not turn his "Zhang Party" into a faction of in-laws 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 and had no choice but to stand up. This matter of offering advice.

Zhang Juzheng bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, the Great Ancestor Gao Emperor established remonstrating officials, Censors-in-Chief, and others, whose duties were specifically to impeach all departments, distinguish grievances, and supervise all paths, serving as the eyes, ears, and discipline department for the Son of Heaven."

"Whenever ministers are treacherous, petty men form cliques, or those who act with authority and disrupt government are impeached; whenever all officials are greedy, corrupt, and damage official discipline, they are impeached; whenever academic studies are incorrect, or those who submit memorials to change established laws or seek advancement are impeached."

As soon as Zhu Yijun heard this, he knew what Zhang Juzheng was going to say. He smiled and said, "Senior Grand Secretary, the matter of storming the palace gates at the Chengtian Gate has already concluded, so there is no need to say more. The 'Regulations and Constitutions' say: whenever a censor commits a crime, the punishment is increased by three degrees, and if there is bribery, it is judged more heavily."

"These remonstrating officials made a mistake, so the punishment is increased by three degrees. The censors and remonstrating officials were just incited by petty men. Look, I sent my attendant and Chief Censor Ge to explain, they knew the truth, and they also received the news that Hai Gangfeng was returning to the court. Most of them were extremely excited and dispersed."

"There are still some remonstrating officials who have a heart of submission, such as those thirty-some remonstrating officials who left the first time. They knew the truth and chose to leave. The Han Dynasty's empire has had loyal and good people in every generation; this cannot be considered a major matter."

Remonstrating officials can even spray the Emperor—this is their job. They are responsible for impeachment, and they can even scold the Senior Grand Secretary. But if they make a mistake, the punishment is increased by three degrees. Originally, it was only exile, but now they must be beheaded. If there is bribery, it must be increased even more.

As for storming the palace gates, it was the work of petty men.

Someone took advantage of a time difference. Petty men love to take advantage of this administrative time difference.

The punishment for the three factional remonstrating officials was decided after the court discussion yesterday, but the formal document would take until the next day to complete the process. This one day in between became the time for petty men to stir up trouble and incite.

The censors only heard that the remonstrating officials were punished and did not understand what had happened. With a little incitement, plus Zhang Juzheng's poor reputation, wouldn't they run to storm the palace gates?

"Petty men inciting..." Zhang Juzheng was silent for a moment, bowed his head, and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Usually, petty men inciting would be defined as righteous indignation. So how to distinguish the difference?

When the formal document has not been issued, constantly inciting and creating rumors is the work of petty men;

When the formal document is issued, if one is still dissatisfied with the handling and still feels it violates etiquette and morality, that is righteous indignation.

Zhang Juzheng originally wanted to say a few words for the remonstrating officials, to let His Majesty distinguish what is petty men inciting and what is righteous indignation, so that His Majesty would not misunderstand. These newly promoted jinshi were not yet that smooth and sophisticated.

But seeing His Majesty speak so clearly and logically, Zhang Juzheng knew he had worried in vain.

Regarding government affairs and the ways of the officialdom, the young Emperor was extremely familiar with them. Of course, it could also be that Feng Bao was whispering in His Majesty's ear every day.

"Feng, my attendant, did a good job this time. My attendant is an inner official. If my attendant had said it, they would have thought I was afraid. Feng, my attendant, angered Ge Shouli, letting Ge Shouli explain—it was just right, not bad." Zhu Yijun said to Feng Bao. Having done the job well, he naturally did not stint on praise.

Feng Bao carefully chewed on these words. Some things 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 is exercising power and the system, which is a joint decision of the court.

"I thank Your Majesty for your praise!" Feng Bao said happily. Ge Shouli couldn't understand his little thoughts, but His Majesty saw them clearly.

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

Reading is the most important thing. If he doesn't read, how can he shatter the indestructible ideological steel seal in Zhang Juzheng's heart?

Every question Zhu Yijun asked was meme pollution and cognitive hazard. But as the Emperor's teacher, Zhang Juzheng had to bite the bullet and lecture. Zhang Juzheng bit the bullet and finished lecturing on the "Analects of Confucius," then took out the "Illustrated Mirror for Emperors" and began to tell the stories within.

And today, he was still lecturing on Tang Taizong Li Shimin.

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

"When the army was stationed at Gaobi Ridge, General-in-Chief Liu Hongji said: 'Your Highness has broken the enemy and pursued the victory 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 will not be 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; it is difficult to obtain merit, but easier to fail. If we wait at Gaobi Ridge, Song Jingang will reorganize his forces, and it will be too late. We are exhausting our loyalty to serve the country; how can we worry about our own lives!'"

"Afterwards, the Prince of Qin advanced his army, pursued Song Jingang to Queshu Valley, and 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 the soldiers to eat."

"Song Jingang still had twenty thousand men. The Prince of Qin sent General-in-Chief Li Shi Ji to fight, but he didn't win. The Prince of Qin then led three thousand men, caught them by surprise by killing them from the rear, and completely defeated Song Jingang. Song Jingang escaped with more than a hundred cavalrymen. The Prince of Qin pursued him to Zhangnan Fort but did not catch up with Song Jingang."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun frowned and said, "Traveling more than two hundred li in one day and night—isn't that somewhat exaggerated?"

Zhang Juzheng said with great certainty: "The Tang army could do it, and our Great Ming army can also do it. With light equipment and simple travel, two hundred li in one day and night is enough for elite soldiers and strong generals."

"On September 12th of the twenty-third year of Jiajing, after the great victory at Niutian, the Southern troops, under the leadership of Qi Jiguang, went to Xinghua, then to Lindun, traveling seventy miles in one day, resting with flags lowered and drums silent at night, and arrived at Lindun the next morning."

"Another day later, they pacified the Japanese pirate lair at Lindun, beheaded more than two thousand, and captured thirty thousand."

When speaking of the Southern troops, the Qi Family Army, Zhang Juzheng stood straight.

"In that case, besides the Southern troops, does our Great Ming army have any other soldiers capable of traveling two hundred li?" Zhu Yijun asked, only then learning of the Qi Family Army's terrifying combat power.

One hundred and forty li in one day—are these people? Zhu Yijun raised 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, said somewhat discouraged.

His Majesty is really something; he asks about the one thing that shouldn't be asked.

If there were still such a strong army, would it be the turn of the Northern Tatars to be 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's morale was high after the new victory, and Song Jingang's troops were newly defeated, their morale withered, which is understandable."

"Your Majesty, Queshu Valley is extremely steep. Only sparrows and rats can pass through. The height difference is dozens of 3.3 meters, and only four or five people can pass side by side. One man can guard the pass, and ten thousand cannot open it." Zhang Juzheng thought for a moment and explained.

Just like Qi Jiguang breaking Lindun—the Japanese pirates entrenched in Lindun were not weak. Lindun was surrounded by water ditches, crisscrossing, and the terrain was extremely complex. Only two roads could pass, one was the main road, called the Yellow Stone Avenue, and the other was the Xihong small road.

Even after falling into a trap set by a spy, Qi Jiguang still took Lindun in one day and night, beheading two thousand and capturing more than thirty thousand.

The Prince of Qin, Li Shimin, could win all eight formations in Queshu Valley and take the pass—it was by no means as easy as a simple "understandable." The Japanese pirates were weak because they encountered Qi Jiguang, who was strong.

On the ten-thousand-zhang cliff, the fierce battle on the narrow mountain road, the hungry and tired soldiers, winning all eight formations—a simple sentence, but how much hardship was behind it?

The dull history suddenly became vivid.

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

Zhang Juzheng lectured on the "Illustrated Mirror for Emperors," hoping that the Emperor could take the emperors of the past dynasties of the Central Plains as examples and be a virtuous and wise monarch. The Great Ming truly needed a heroic master to lead the Great Ming to rise again.

Zhang Juzheng knew he couldn't do it; he was just a minister. Historically, whenever a reform was hosted by a minister, without the support of the Emperor, it would not become a climate.

The Emperor asked where Song Jingang went.

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

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

Zhang Juzheng bowed his head and said: "Crown Prince Li Jiancheng, with phoenix dances and luan songs, indulged his desires; with jade carriages and carved chariots, he led his joy. The Crown Prince Consort Zheng begged him to lower his expenses when he was noble, but every time the Crown Prince was arrogant and extravagant, the Crown Prince Consort would advise him to be simple."

"The phoenix dances and luan songs satisfied the Crown Prince's extravagant desires, and the jade carriages and carved chariots led the Crown Prince's joy. The Crown Prince Consort Zheng begged him to lower his expenses when he was noble, but every time the Crown Prince was arrogant and extravagant, the Crown Prince Consort would advise him to be simple."

"The Prince of Qin later became Emperor, and naturally there were sycophants who flattered the superior and followed the trend to slander Crown Prince Li Jiancheng to please the Tang Taizong Emperor," Zhu Yijun asked with slight doubt.

Zhang Juzheng bowed his head and said: "Your subject does not dare to deceive Your Majesty. What I just quoted was not from the New and Old Tang Histories or the 'Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance,' but from the record in the epitaph of Crown Prince Consort Zheng. When Crown Prince Consort Zheng died, the Tang Taizong Wen Emperor had already passed away for twenty-seven years, and the past had long since become ancient."

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

Compiling history requires avoiding taboos for the respected, so Li Jiancheng's extravagance was covered up in historical records. Instead, it was recorded in the epitaph of Crown Prince Consort Zheng, which also answered a question.

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

Crown Prince Consort Zheng died in the third year of Shangyuan, which was twenty-seven years after Li Shimin died. The Zhenguan era lasted twenty-three years. When Crown Prince Consort Zheng passed away, fifty full years had passed since the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

Fifty years is such a long time—long enough for people 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 people and things, so the inscription on the epitaph was even more authentic.

"I see." Zhu Yijun discovered that Zhang Juzheng's lecturing on history was characterized by rigor. When he spoke of the Prince of Qin, he spoke of the Prince of Qin; when he spoke of Crown Prince Consort Zheng's epitaph, he spoke of 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 hoping that the young 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 Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang and Crown Prince Zhu Biao were alive, would Zhu Di have dared to make such a move as the Xuanwu Gate Incident?

He probably wouldn't have dared.

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

After Zhu Yijun finished listening to the whole story, he thought for a moment and said: "The Prince of Qin was willing to share a sheep with his soldiers, while the Crown Prince indulged in phoenix dances, luan songs, jade carriages, and carved chariots. The hearts of the people are determined by this."

"Soldiers before the battle face life and death, while beauties in the tent still sing and dance."

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhang Juzheng was full of relief. The young Emperor understood his meaning, which was the best. He did not ask for the young Emperor to be as wise and martial as Li Shimin, but he very much hoped that the Emperor would not be extravagant and act without reason.

The Great Ming truly could not afford to be tossed about by a muddled master.