Chapter 50

Zhang Juzheng’s “Memorial on Five Matters” contained no clause restricting the Emperor’s review of memorials; the Emperor held court to hear affairs, reviewed memorials, summoned his ministers, required state matters to be debated in council, and mandated evaluations of capital officials.

Zhu Yijun directly gave Zhang Juzheng a major surprise: without consulting the Senior Minister, he granted Qi Jiguang the title of Marquis, and though no hereditary patent was bestowed—only a lifetime title—he still did not consult the court ministers.

Feng Bao knew, because the imperial edict was drafted by the Grand Secretariat and then delivered to the palace, where His Majesty added two lines: “For his merits in pacifying the Japanese pirates and repelling enemies, grant the title of Marquis of Qian’an, annual stipend of eight hundred shi; his unwavering loyalty is witnessed by Heaven alone.”

Empress Dowager Li had intended to oppose, but after careful thought, she allowed the title; the court was rife with factional dominance, Gao Gong had submitted the “Five Matters” memorial, the assassination plot against the Emperor, the promotion of military talent in the Capital Garrison, censors repeatedly impeaching Tan Lun, and censors and remonstrators gathering at the imperial gate—all deeply troubled her.

She feared the Jin Party might rebel.

Thus, when the young Emperor proposed granting Qi Jiguang a lifetime title, Empress Dowager Li saw no harm: it could test the Jin Party’s reaction and also gauge Zhang Juzheng’s response.

Qi Jiguang was Zhang Juzheng’s man; the Emperor’s bestowal of a title was clearly an attempt to poach him.

Didn’t Zhang Juzheng know?

He did indeed know: Feng Bao had dispatched Xu Jue to inform You Qi, and once You Qi knew, Zhang Juzheng naturally knew too.

“I have long heard that Minister Yang is a man of great virtue; today, in this grand audience, since the Minister wishes to speak, say what you will.” Zhu Yijun smiled at Yang Bo, first placing a high hat upon him: “man of great virtue.”

If Yang Bo spoke with excessive bias, he would no longer fit the image of a man of great virtue.

Upon hearing this, Yang Bo was stunned; his throat moved, and for a moment he was speechless.

Should Qi Jiguang be granted the rank of Marquis?

Yes.

Qi Jiguang himself inherited his ancestral post: a fourth-rank Assistant Regional Commander of Dengzhou Guard; the Ming had dukes, marquises, and earls; at the dynasty’s founding, there were also viscounts and barons—eleven men like Wang Qing and Wang Fengxian were viscounts, twenty-three like Wang Kai and Sun Yan were barons.

Later, viscount and baron ranks remained vacant because hereditary battalion commanders and company commanders were, in effect, the Ming’s viscounts and barons.

When the Ming’s coastal front was engulfed in smoke for thousands of li and the state trembled with no remedy, Qi Jiguang pacified the Japanese pirates in the south and repelled the northern barbarians, achieving glorious victories; should he not be granted a title for his merits?

Yes, absolutely.

But he should not have, under any circumstance, aligned himself with Zhang Juzheng.

“I believe Your Majesty’s bestowal of the title Marquis of Qian’an upon General Qi is slightly inappropriate,” Yang Bo took a deep breath and spoke: “The other day, General Qi returned to the capital and reached the northern Tucheng, where he quarreled with a company commander, a platoon leader, and soldiers; I heard that yesterday these six men were beaten to death.”

“A mere quarrel should not result in death. I believe General Qi is narrow-minded, suspicious, petty, easily satisfied, harsh, stubborn, and arrogant—his conduct demands caution.”

Qi Jiguang smiled upon hearing this, unconcerned, and bowed: “Your Majesty, I am of shallow merit and little virtue, unfit for such a great honor; I humbly beg Your Majesty to reconsider.”

To be made a marquis is not my wish; I only hope the sea’s waves may lie calm.

Zhu Yijun looked at Qi Jiguang: his appearance was imposing, his gaze sharp and bright, his brows thick, his nose high, his body towering and broad-shouldered, his voice resonant and solid, giving the impression of reliability and sincerity.

Zhu Yijun’s gaze turned to Wang Chonggu; his expression was unreadable. In just a few simple words, the matter had become perfectly clear.

Qi Jiguang’s reception of rewards in the hall went smoothly, but that did not mean his reward would remain secure.

What tactic is the Jin Party employing? It is escalation.

When the Emperor seeks to enrich the state, they escalate exploitation and plunder;

When the Emperor seeks to strengthen the military, they escalate regional warlordism;

When the Emperor promotes potatoes and sweet potatoes, they escalate by refusing to plant rice, wheat, or beans;

When the Emperor implements the Performance Evaluation System to assess officials, they escalate by harassing officials until they cannot bear it.

In short, this tactic is called “doubling,” and the civil officials have perfected it to an art: they appear to respectfully obey imperial orders, yet execute them double-fold.

Zhang Juzheng demanded accountability: whether Qi Jiguang punished or pardoned the company commander, platoon leader, and soldiers, the six men who had clashed with him were doomed to one fate.

Death.

Punishing minor faults as if they were grave crimes, beating men to death—no matter what rewards Qi Jiguang received upon returning to the capital, he would have to return them all; this is the method of “doubling.”

Yang Bo assumed the young Emperor did not understand these hidden machinations, for he was only ten years old.

Yang Bo knew even Feng Bao did not comprehend the brutality of this tactic.

Wang Chonggu had not informed Yang Bo before acting; when Yang Bo attacked Qi Jiguang in the Fengtian Hall, he lacked conviction.

“Were these six men killed by General Qi’s own hand?” Zhang Juzheng stepped forward, bowed to the Emperor on the dais, then turned to Yang Bo and demanded:

Yang Bo shook his head: “No.”

“Were these six men killed on General Qi’s orders?” Zhang Juzheng asked again.

“No,” Yang Bo shook his head again; yesterday at the Guanyi Inn, besides Wang Chonggu, Zhu Xixiao, Qi Jiguang, and Chen Da, there was also a servant from the Quan Chu Inn and several company commanders escorting the six men.

Zhang Juzheng asked calmly: “Then what is your meaning, Minister Yang? These six men were disloyal and unfilial, guilty of defying superiors, and were beaten to death by Wang Chonggu, the Regional Commander of the Capital Garrison. May I ask, Minister Yang: if these men were not killed by General Qi’s hand nor on his orders, what connection do they have to him?”

Yang Bo frowned: “The Regional Commander and Provincial Military Commander personally went to apologize, yet General Qi refused to accept it; naturally, he could only return to camp and impose severe punishment—that is why I speak thus.”

Zhang Juzheng smiled and shook his head: “Minister Yang, be cautious with your words; this is an accusation of intent. If you begin judging by intent, the precedent will open the floodgates.”

Yesterday, Zhang Juzheng had learned a phrase from the young Emperor: one is one, two is two. Zhang Juzheng dared not distinguish between sovereign and father, but could he not distinguish between judging by deeds versus judging by intent? He could not allow these factionalists to bully the honest.

Good men should not be pointed at with spears; the factionalists must not bully Qi Jiguang so. He was still Qi Jiguang’s patron—he must stand up for him.

Yesterday, after returning to the Wenyuan Pavilion, the Grand Secretary had tried to forget that phrase, but the more he tried to forget, the clearer it became; eventually, he gave up trying to forget. Today’s debate in the Fengtian Hall was classic: you fight your way, I fight mine; you judge intent, I judge deeds; you speak of sentiment, I speak of facts.

By speaking facts, the matter became clear and precise, cornering Yang Bo: Yang Bo was judging intent. If this precedent opened, could Zhang Juzheng not use the same method against the Jin Party?

Find a few old women to accuse Yang Bo of having raped them years ago—whether true or false, it would nauseate Yang Bo for days. Once the precedent of judging intent and condemning by motive is opened, it will never end, until death.

Zhang Juzheng told Yang Bo to think carefully about what he truly wanted.

Yang Bo fell silent for a moment; he had always known Zhang Juzheng was difficult, and now this needle-pointed white jade had grown even more unyielding.

“I am ashamed,” Yang Bo bowed to the Emperor on the dais after a pause, withdrew his impeachment against Qi Jiguang, and ultimately chose to yield.

The fact was: Qi Jiguang, before all eyes, publicly forgave the six men who had clashed with him, while Wang Chonggu chose escalation. When the matter was fully exposed, when one asked whether it was one or two, it was Yang Bo who looked foolish.

Last time, the Emperor had scolded him indirectly in the seedling house, questioning him like a ten-year-old child; Yang Bo had been so humiliated he could not bear it. This time, he was too weary to argue further; his impeachment of Qi Jiguang had been ill-conceived and left him uneasy.

“Report! Urgent report!” A Tiji rider rushed from the Nine Dragon Steps to the front of the Fengtian Hall, stood before the hall, and shouted loudly.

“Admit him,” Zhu Yijun leaned forward immediately.

“Altan Khan has marched south! The Commander of Datong, Ma Fang, upon hearing the news, led troops to resist—but before he arrived, the northern barbarians breached the Huyu Pass, plundered the Gao Shan and Tian Cheng garrisons, and retreated north with full spoils!” The Tiji rider held the urgent dispatch and shouted.

The order officer was responsible for delivering Ming urgent dispatches: eight-hundred-li express. The dispatch reached the capital; due to the emergency, the Ministry of War attended the grand audience, and the dispatch was delivered to the Northern Town-Fu Office, then brought by the Tiji rider to the Fengtian Hall.

Upon hearing the news, the court ministers immediately began murmuring: the northern barbarians have breached the frontier!

“What is the damage?” Zhu Yijun rose, his face cold and fierce, his eyes sharp with anger.

The Tiji rider hurriedly replied: “Both garrisons’ granaries were entirely looted; beacon fires were lit, but the civilians and commoners took refuge in the fortresses and were unharmed.”

Zhu Yijun’s expression eased considerably. After years of conflict, Altan Khan and the Datong-Xuanfu frontier troops had developed a tacit understanding: when the passes were breached, they did not attack the fortresses but targeted granaries, looted, and left; if they lingered too long, reinforcements from the garrisons would arrive, and a fierce battle would follow.

A tacitly agreed-upon northern barbarian incursion—expertly practiced, deliberately preserving the enemy to maintain their own power.

When Yang Bo heard the news, he nearly staggered; only with Ge Shouli’s support did he avoid public disgrace.

The pass had been breached!

Zhu Yijun exhaled, sat down, and said: “File the dispatch with the Ministry of War; mobilize garrison grain reserves to soothe the hearts of the troops and civilians in the two garrisons; reprimand Ma Fang, Regional Commander of Datong and Left Grand Marshal, for lax border defense.”

“I request that censors be sent to Datong and Xuanfu to inspect the construction and maintenance of the Great Wall; one flaw renders all strength false. Year after year, repairs are made only to collapse again—is this not a wasteful futility?” Zhang Juzheng immediately seized the opening, inserting himself into the Jin Party’s core territory.

Inspecting the Great Wall’s construction meant examining the fortresses and ramparts of the Nine Border Garrisons, their armor, weapons, rations, and supplies, checking whether equipment was complete and the wall required repair.

At the end of Longqing Sixth Year, the Huyu Pass wall had just been repaired; the Ming had spent so much money and maintained so many troops in Xuanfu and Datong—where had all that money and effort gone?

The Huyu Pass wall had been repaired for less than three months—and already the enemy had breached it?

On one side, Qi Jiguang had defeated the enemy twice at Beigukou, General’s Tower, Sisters’ Tower, and Xifengkou; on the other, the Huyu Pass was as flimsy as paper—pierce it once and it collapses? Looser than a courtesan’s sash!

Send censors to investigate, and the truth will be clear.

Yang Bo, Wang Chonggu, and others immediately paled; Zhang Juzheng was indeed vengeful: while they had tripped Qi Jiguang on his reward, Zhang Juzheng struck straight at the Jin Party’s core with a black tiger’s claw.

At this moment, as Chief Censor of the Censorate, Ge Shouli should have stepped forward to assign his own men to investigate—such as Lin Shaohuai, Director of the Armory Bureau, Wu Zhe, Military Advisor, or Wu Baipeng, Inspector.

All were allies; the matter would be easily handled.

But Ge Shouli said nothing; he merely supported Yang Bo, silent.

Earlier, when Jing Song impeached Tan Lun without touching Lu Shusheng, Ge Shouli had been left hanging, with no one offering him a way down when he needed the Jin Party to rescue him; now, when it was his turn to speak and defend Jin Party interests, he remained mute, letting Zhang Juzheng strike with the black tiger’s claw.

Ge Shouli did not blame Yang Bo; Yang Bo was the party leader, and some things he could not control. Ge Shouli had grown resentful toward the Jin Party; after Yang Bo retired, Ge Shouli would no longer remain complicit with them.

Ge Shouli himself did not know how to speak: had the newly repaired fortifications been breached because Altan Khan had grown wings and flown? How could he have broken through Huyu Pass? This matter truly needed investigation.

“Minister Ge, whom do you deem suitable to send?” Zhu Yijun turned to Ge Shouli.

Trying to dodge?

Not a chance.