Chapter 59: A Scholar

Li Le did not sit down. He had been holding a bellyful of fire since he received the invitation, but what could he do?

Facing the threats of the Jin Party, Li Le had no power to fight back and could only obediently come to the Quan-Jin Guild Hall to see these two people he didn't want to see at all.

Li Le should have gone to the Quan-Chu Guild Hall to discuss it with his master, but he didn't.

Wang Chonggu sat down and waved his hand, and the servants began to retreat, leaving only the three people talking.

"Sit." Wang Chonggu signaled Li Le to sit and talk. Standing like this seemed distant. This was a polite and negotiable approach. He was a second-rank Crown Prince Grand Guardian, and Li Le was just a Supervising Secretary who had entered the officialdom for only a few years. If he didn't even give this face, Wang Chonggu would truly turn his back on him.

Li Le had to sit down.

Zhang Siwei turned to the side, poured a cup of tea for Li Le, and then smiled and said, "Li Le, most people who enter the officialdom for the first time are proud and arrogant, feeling they can change this rotten world for the better. But even your master, the Senior Grand Secretary, can he succeed? He can't succeed either."

"Listen to me for a moment, will you?"

"We have been fighting the Northern Barbarians for so many years, from the 29th year of Jiajing to the 45th year of Jiajing. Did we win? No."

"The fighting was bloody, and the people suffered. The Datong and Xuanfu regions originally had 420,000 households and over two million people. By the 45th year of Jiajing, there were only 200,000 households and over a million people left."

"Those who died, died; those who fled, fled. How miserable! Would you say the people are miserable or not?"

Zhang Siwei drank a sip of tea, waiting for Li Le's answer. He wasn't in a hurry. What he said was the truth. When war breaks out, only the people suffer.

When the enemy attacks, running away is the only option. But it's easy to say; what about the expenses on the road? What about the settlement costs in the new place? The people don't have that surplus wealth. When war breaks out, only the gentry can run; the people are the price of the war.

"I naturally know the harm of war. The Longqing peace negotiations and the Altan Khan tribute system did indeed stabilize the border," Li Le thought for a moment and acknowledged the Jin Party's contribution. The Jin Party promoted the Longqing peace negotiations and the Altan Khan tribute system.

Zhang Siwei continued, "How many years have we been fighting the Northern Barbarians? Counting from the first year of Wu, we have been fighting for two hundred and eight years! Did we get a result? No."

"When the Great Ming is strong, they run; when the Great Ming is weak, they invade the border. Back and forth, we have been fighting for two hundred years. The Northern Barbarians are like wild grass—wild fires cannot burn them out, and the spring breeze makes them grow again, one batch after another."

"We are miserable, they are miserable; all living beings are miserable."

"If we continue to fight like this, can there be a result? The Founding Emperor was god-like in martial arts, the Chengzu Emperor was brave in martial arts; they launched eighteen northern expeditions in total, and in the end, the country was not secure and the people were not at peace."

"Are the Longqing peace negotiations and the Altan Khan tribute system a result? From Genghis Khan until now, the Northern Barbarians are finally willing to bow their heads and call themselves subjects. Their self-proclaimed Khan of the Golden Family is finally willing to accept the Great Ming's investiture. This can be considered bowing low. Isn't it a fundamental duty to avoid war and let the old people live in peace?"

"The people are the foundation of the country; when the foundation is solid, the country is peaceful."

Li Le thought seriously for a moment and nodded, "Humiliation is humiliation. Today we give the Northern Barbarians annual gifts; the more frequent the gifts, the more urgent their invasions. Therefore, without fighting, the outcome of strength and weakness is already decided. As for the collapse, it is only natural!"

"Therefore, serving the Qin with land is like serving the barbarians with annual gifts today—it is like holding firewood to put out a fire; if the firewood is not exhausted, the fire will not be extinguished!"

Li Le quoted Su Xun's "On the Six States." Giving annual gifts to the Northern Barbarians only makes their invasions more urgent. Therefore, even without war, the outcome of strength and weakness was already decided when the annual gifts appeared, making the collapse a natural consequence.

Zhang Siwei just smiled. If they could win, if they could break through, if they could make the enemy cry and run a thousand miles away, then naturally they could say such things. But they couldn't win.

Supervising secretaries like Li Le always take 'nurturing righteousness' as their primary task; how could they know the difficulties of administration?

Wang Chonggu said sternly, "The horse-price silver is just that—money to buy horses, not annual gifts."

A scholar's matter—'borrowing' is not stealing.

Zhang Siwei continued, "Returning to the court from the border: Grand Secretary Gao was sent home with a single imperial decree. If Gao Gong were truly that disloyal and unfilial, if he truly didn't accept this decree, let's count the Shanxi people in this court: the Ministry of Rites, Ministry of War, Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Revenue, Censorate, Senior Grand Secretary, Governor of Capital Military Affairs, and the Commander and Governor of Xuanfu and Datong—shouldn't they help him out?"

"But when Grand Secretary Gao heard the decree, he just beat his chest and stamped his feet, and still went back to his hometown to live in retirement."

Li Le looked at Zhang Siwei and said with a strange expression, "This is a great fallacy. Grand Secretary Gao went back to his hometown to live in retirement not because the Senior Grand Secretary was in court, but because Minister Wang of the Ministry of Revenue is a person who acts independently and has high aspirations, and General Qi is guarding Jizhou with 100,000 troops, right?"

Zhang Siwei immediately asked, "Then how can you be sure that the Senior Grand Secretary won't be the next Grand Secretary Gao?"

This was a trap Zhang Siwei had dug, waiting for Li Le to jump into.

Yesterday it was Gao Gong, who promoted a bunch of Jin people, and the Jin people, through regional ties, in-laws, masters, and recommendations, indirectly or directly controlled the court and even threatened the Emperor.

What about tomorrow? Will Zhang Juzheng be the next Grand Secretary Gao?

You must know, Zhang Juzheng is far more daring and reckless than Gao Gong!

Zhang Juzheng actually dares to monopolize the lectures, isolate the inner and outer court, and even dares to evaluate the Emperor in the Wenhua Hall. What is this? If Zhang Juzheng dares to evaluate the Emperor now, what will happen later?

If this can be endured, what cannot?

Li Le was asked directly to the point where he didn't know how to answer. The Jin Party had become a clan-based clique; could the Zhang Party also become a clan-based clique?

Zhang Siwei picked up his tea and smiled, "Drink tea. Supervising Secretary Li is a clever person, but you can't say that. I am willing to believe that Senior Grand Secretary Zhang has high aspirations and is loyal to the ruler and the country, but in that position, many times, one is not master of one's own actions. Supervising Secretary Li, think about it carefully and you will understand."

Wang Chonggu looked at Zhang Siwei and nodded with great satisfaction. His nephew was extremely good at debating. In one move, he had led Li Le into the trap. Li Le was not a court official; how could he know the difference between a clan-based clique and a faction?

Seeing Li Le become hesitant, Zhang Siwei clapped his hands. Music began to rise, and two teams of Hu girls with faces like jade walked out, dancing gracefully with the rhythm of the music. Their slender waists were exposed, decorated with golden ornaments that kept shaking. The bells on their bare feet rang continuously with their dance steps, and a burst of fragrance hit the nose.

The music gradually became urgent, and the Hu girls' dance became more and more daring.

Li Le was slightly dazed. He had been reading books and had not been in contact with this kind of world of flowers and smoke since he passed the imperial examination. He was a bit stunned, and Zhang Siwei's slightly bewitching voice sounded in Li Le's ear: "When you passed the entry-level scholar examination before, you didn't have to kneel when you saw the county magistrate. After you passed the provincial examination, all those relatives you knew and didn't know came to curry favor with you. Many people wanted to hang their land under your name to save on taxes."

"Even the county's 'blue sky' official sent you an invitation, because once you passed the provincial examination, you were one of their own."

"But what if you passed the jinshi examination? You are a dignified jinshi of the Great Ming; do you still have to live so poorly? You are a jinshi of the Great Ming; you hold power, which means you have everything. Do you understand?"

"Ah?" Li Le looked at Zhang Siwei and asked with full confusion.

Zhang Siwei smiled and said, "Don't you understand? You only need to say one word now. Among these Hu girls, you can choose one, two, or all of them, and you can take them all away. If it's inconvenient to take them away, the Quan-Jin Guild Hall has guest rooms. From now on, they are your people. Do you understand your status now?"

Zhang Siwei slowly raised his hand until he couldn't raise it any higher, and then said: "You stand so high, so high, yet you live so poorly, even shabbily. Your old mother's house in her hometown is only a fraction of an acre, with no pavilions or water features. You have succeeded, you are a jinshi, but who knows? If you return home without showing off your success, are you really willing?"

"You stand so high! You should have more! This is only natural."

"Isn't it?"

"Otherwise, all the suffering you endured to pass the jinshi examination and become an official—was it all for nothing?"

"Think about it carefully." Zhang Siwei stood up, patted Li Le on the shoulder, and left the theater with Wang Chonggu, leaving the stage to Li Le.

"Will he agree?" Wang Chonggu was still worried after walking out of the theater. This matter involved the border inspection and the inspection of the construction. If the lid were lifted on the Xuanfu and Datong affairs, everyone would suffer.

Zhang Siwei, however, said with a smile, "He is a gentleman, but he is a poor ghost."

"He has never seen luxury, so he could hold onto his integrity. Now that he sees this luxury, it's like a cat's claws scratching at his heart—it's itchy. It's within reach; he doesn't even need to reach out to get it. Uncle, you tell me, how will he choose?"

"If he can hold onto his original heart, I will truly admire him as a man."

Hearing this, Wang Chonggu looked back at the theater and shook his head, saying, "You, how many famous guests in Chang'an have exhausted their schemes, yet they are not as good as you."

"Thank you, Uncle, for the praise." Zhang Siwei was not ashamed but proud. He came from a merchant family; seeking profit was his nature. If there was profit to be made, he would do it. Clearly, using a few Hu girls and some silver to get through this hurdle without destroying the foundation was the way to go.

Zhang Siwei said quite certainly, "As long as people live, they have private desires. As long as they have private desires, they have shortcomings. As long as they have shortcomings, they have flaws and can be dealt with. Take this Li Le, for example—he is poor and has never lived a good life. The world of paper and gold confuses the heart; he cannot hold on."

"What about Zhang Juzheng's shortcomings?" Wang Chonggu asked with a furrowed brow.

"Zhang Juzheng's shortcomings..." Zhang Siwei was rarely silent, no longer talking with his eyebrows dancing. At first glance, Zhang Juzheng seemed to be full of flaws and shortcomings.

Zhang Juzheng formed cliques, but the vast majority of his followers were on the same path. Zhang Juzheng was corrupt, but the little bit he was corrupt with was not worth mentioning compared to Yan Song and Xu Jie. Zhang Juzheng lived extravagantly, but when one thinks that this is the daily life of the Great Ming's Senior Grand Secretary, it is somewhat reasonable.

Only by finding Zhang Juzheng's true weaknesses can one deal with him.