Chapter 6

Zhang Juzheng had a bright and clear appearance, quite heroic, and slightly thin. Only his eyes had a faint glimmer of light. Standing there, he was neither prominent nor hidden, yet he gave people a sharp feeling.

In the first year of Wanli, the Great Ming had already entered its old age, and it was the time when the sun was setting.

The government was loose, the country was weak, and the discipline was lost. Military preparations were neglected; the Beijing Garrison had only fifty or sixty thousand troops, all old, weak, sick, or disabled. The national treasury was in great deficit, and the tax base had completely withered. Within the court, factions were everywhere, with countless redundant officials; the corruption of the officialdom was also unprecedented. The people were struggling for their livelihood, and the Great Ming already had the momentum of collapsing.

At such a time, only a person who could save the world could emerge to clear away the accumulated ills and extend the life of the Great Ming.

Yan Song couldn't do it, Xu Jie couldn't do it, and Gao Gong couldn't do it.

Before Zhu Yijun's eyes was the Great Ming's Senior Grand Secretary, Zhang Juzheng. He had the means, the determination, the ability, and the talent. Could he do it?

Actually, he didn't do it either. Ten years was simply too short, and the Great Ming was too ill. After Zhang Juzheng passed away in the tenth year of Wanli, the last chance for the Great Ming to correct itself disappeared without a trace in the wave of counter-reckoning.

This Senior Grand Secretary, who was skilled in planning for the country but clumsy in planning for himself, was the greatest confidence for the Wanli Emperor to not attend court for thirty years and to neglect government affairs even when most of the court officials' positions were vacant!

As long as what Zhang Juzheng did was beneficial to the Great Ming, Zhu Yijun would never hinder him in the slightest.

Making the Great Ming great again was Zhu Yijun's unwavering wish.

Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Juzheng, and Zhang Juzheng was also looking at the young Emperor.

Yesterday, there was an assassination attempt on the Emperor, and the assassin broke into the Qianqing Palace, stabbing a dagger into the bed board. Having suffered such a great disaster, what would the reaction of this young monarch be? Would he be scared out of his wits and become timid? Or would he be extremely worried about being harmed? Or would he be sad about the late Emperor's passing and his own lack of safety?

Zhang Juzheng saw none of these, only seeing a calm and collected demeanor, and even a hint of playfulness.

Eyes cannot lie. In the Great Ming Emperor's eyes, there was no fear, no panic, no sadness, and no worry.

"Senior Grand Secretary, can the classics lecture begin?" Zhu Yijun asked. According to past memories, he had to say a long, literary passage.

The general meaning was: I am still young and deeply worried that my virtue is not worthy of the support of the people, and the expectations of the late Emperor. Today, according to the ancestral laws, I hope the court officials can recite the classics well, teach me the principles, and govern this country well.

This long passage was like reciting scriptures. Other things he had learned had already faded from his memory, but only this passage was exceptionally deep in his memory.

Zhu Yijun was testing, testing whether the classics lecture could still be held if he refused to say it like that.

"I respectfully obey the holy decree!" Zhang Juzheng was stunned and bowed his head in agreement.

In fact, the classics lecture could begin without reciting scriptures.

The twenty-seven powerful court officials of the Great Ming served Zhu Yijun alone in his studies. When the Emperor studied, he didn't even need to turn the pages; naturally, there were officials to turn them. There were also readers and lecturers to spread the paper, grind the ink, and record every word and action of the lecturers.

He didn't even need to take notes while studying; he only needed to listen.

The lecturers entered the hall, and Zhu Yijun had to stand up to return the salute before the lecture could begin. The content was the Four Books and Five Classics. The lecturers had their own divisions of labor, and they all broke it down word by word and fed it into his mouth.

Zhang Juzheng was not idle either, and he was not wandering in his thoughts, but was watching Zhu Yijun study extremely seriously.

Zhang Juzheng had no political successor, and he couldn't have one. He dominated the court; if he had a political successor, Empress Dowager Li would not be able to sleep or eat in peace. Dismissing one Gao Gong was one dismissal, and dismissing one Zhang Juzheng was also one dismissal.

For Empress Dowager Li, maintaining the Emperor's exclusive control was her duty.

Zhang Juzheng's successor could only be one person, and that was the Emperor on the platform. Therefore, he was teaching the Emperor to study very carefully.

Zhu Yijun also truly wanted to study well.

To improve every day, but as he listened, he gradually realized something was wrong. He suddenly said: "Stop for a moment."

"Senior Grand Secretary, I have doubts." Zhu Yijun asked Zhang Juzheng: "These few lecturers are clearly talking about the same sentence, but each has their own insights. Who should I listen to?"

"The Analects: 'To study the heterodox doctrines is harmful indeed.'"

"Scholar Wang Xilie says: If you study heterodox doctrines, the harm is great; Scholar Chen Jin says: If you criticize incorrect remarks, the harm will be eliminated; Hanlin Academy compiler Wang Tongsun says: If you attack remarks that are inconsistent with your own views, that is very dangerous."

"Senior Grand Secretary, how should this sentence be interpreted? Three scholars, one sentence, three meanings."

This question from the young Emperor stumped even Zhang Juzheng for a moment.

It is easy to determine victory or defeat in martial arts, but it is difficult to distinguish superiority in literary friendship. There is no first in literature, and no second in martial arts; this is the reason.

Scholars have always looked down on each other since ancient times. For one sentence of Confucius, there are a thousand Confuciuses for a thousand readers. Various annotated versions emerge one after another, and every school or even every person has different insights.

Who is right? Who is wrong? Who should I listen to?

Regardless of who Zhang Juzheng said to listen to at this moment, he would offend the other scholars. Zhang Juzheng wasn't afraid of offending people; if he were afraid of offending people, he wouldn't have thought about implementing the 'Kao Cheng Fa' (Performance Assessment Law).

The Kao Cheng Fa was to put a cage on the officials and swing a whip, setting performance assessments for the officials. It was the most offensive thing.

Zhang Juzheng was thinking about how to teach the Emperor well.

Zhang Juzheng was silent for a moment and said: "This subject believes: 'Gong' means to study diligently; 'Heterodox' means those who are not of the sage's way and are separate."

"Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty was obsessed with Daoism, calling himself the 'Daoist Lord of the Teaching,' and Wu Di of the Liang Dynasty was superstitious about Buddhism, calling himself Bodhidharma. They could not avoid losing their bodies and their countries, and were ridiculed by later generations. So, is the harm of heterodox doctrines not something that should be deeply guarded against for all generations!"

Zhu Yijun picked up a pen and wrote down 'Emperor Huizong of the Song' and 'Wu Di of the Liang,' then asked: "Does the Senior Grand Secretary mean that these religious theories are heterodox?"

"Indeed." Zhang Juzheng did not spare his disgust for Buddhist and Daoist theories. The main reason was the shrinking tax base. The land under these temples and monasteries did not pay taxes, and the gentry often attached their land under them.

In the Great Ming, they harbored filth and didn't pay taxes. These were one of the worms that made the Great Ming decline.

The theories of the Hundred Schools of Thought were not heterodox; those were knowledge. But the evil spirits that bewitched people were the true heterodox doctrines.

Zhang Juzheng was a Confucian scholar, but not entirely a simple Confucian scholar. Could a simple Confucian scholar come up with something like the Kao Cheng Fa?

Zhu Yijun nodded repeatedly and said: "I understand. The Senior Grand Secretary is talking about governing the country, while the scholars are talking about principles."

"This subject is ashamed and dare not accept." Zhang Juzheng heard this and hurriedly humbled himself. Although it was humility, he didn't have any humble posture; he stood straight and even had some arrogance. The several scholars also didn't dare to refute.

Gao Yi had died, and Gao Gong had been driven out of the cabinet. Zhang Juzheng's methods were overbearing. If they refuted him, what if they were dismissed tomorrow for stepping into the Chengtian Gate with their left foot?

Zhu Yijun was a little impatient with this classics lecture. The speeches of these scholars were like the speeches of leaders at various meetings in his previous life—all correct principles, but all nonsense.

But they had nothing to do with governing the country.

It was all nonsense!

He looked at Zhang Juzheng and suddenly had an idea, asking with a smile: "The Senior Grand Secretary is also a scholar."

Zhang Juzheng didn't know why the Emperor asked this. If he wasn't a scholar, could he stand here? He replied with some confusion: "This subject is from the military household of the Changning Office in Jingzhou Prefecture. Unworthy, I was the ninth in the second rank of the Jiashen examinations in the twenty-sixth year of Jiajing."

Zhang Juzheng was from a military household, from the Changning Office, and was the ninth in the second rank.

Zhu Yijun continued: "The Senior Grand Secretary studies very well, so I imagine you have also annotated the Four Books and Five Classics."

Zhang Juzheng understood the Emperor's meaning somewhat and replied: "I have annotated them."

Zhu Yijun then stated his purpose: "I think that now the Senior Grand Secretary is the Senior Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion of the Great Ming, so naturally, you are the most brilliant scholar. Let's use the Four Books and Five Classics annotated by the Senior Grand Secretary to study."

"The twenty-seven court officials of the Great Ming are extremely busy with official business. The ministry discussions, ministry recommendations, and ministry affairs are all waiting outside the hall. Serving me alone to study for several hours—do they not need to discuss state affairs?"

"The Senior Grand Secretary can give me the Four Books and Five Classics you annotated, and specifically set aside one day each month for the Hanlin and Grand Secretaries to examine me. If I can't pass, it won't be too late for so many people to stare at me, right?"

"You discuss state affairs on the platform, and I study by myself on the platform. Neither of us will be delayed."

Twenty-seven court officials were waiting outside the door, and the correction official was holding a embroidered spring sword, staring at them. They had to stand properly, let alone whisper and discuss state affairs.

Zhu Yijun's idea saved time for each other, increased efficiency, and avoided the confusion caused by the conflicts in the scholars' learning.

Wasn't the core of the Kao Cheng Fa to save time, improve efficiency, and reduce the rigidity within the Great Ming system?

Zhang Juzheng pondered for a moment, rummaged through his sleeves, took out a copy of 'Direct Explanation of the Four Books,' handed it to Zhang Hong who was serving on the side, and said loudly: "Your Majesty is wise."

He agreed?

Zhu Yijun thought his opinion as a young Emperor wasn't important, but seeing Zhang Juzheng agree so readily, and seeing the 'Direct Explanation of the Four Books' that had long been prepared, he knew that Zhang Juzheng had been prepared for a long time.

The monarch and his subject were actually on the same page.

Zhang Juzheng said quite solemnly: "After the imperial discussion, this subject will stay alone for one hour to resolve doubts for Your Majesty."

Since the Longqing Emperor passed away, the classics lecture had been going on for six months. What were the Emperor's learning results?

The result was zero.

Zhang Juzheng had examined him, and the young Emperor hadn't read it at all, not even a single word. When asked anything, he just stammered.

With such a big formation, it would be strange if a ten-year-old child could read it.

On the other hand, the various scholars lectured word by word, back and forth, each with their own insights. These insights were mixed together. Let alone a ten-year-old Emperor, even Zhang Juzheng was a little confused listening to them. Everyone had their own reasons.

Annotating Confucius, who is right?

He had been thinking about how to teach the Emperor well.

First, he couldn't let the court officials not see the Emperor. The Gao Gong incident was still fresh in his memory. The Wenhua Hall imperial discussion was a place to discuss state affairs. This involved the four words 'Emperor's exclusive control.' The young Emperor had to be there. Secondly, he had to let the Emperor succeed in his studies.

Most importantly, he couldn't let Empress Dowager Li misunderstand that he, the Senior Grand Secretary, wanted to usurp the throne!

If he taught well and suddenly didn't let the scholars teach, what were your intentions, Zhang Juzheng?

After thinking about it, Zhang Juzheng thought of a way, which was almost no different from what the Emperor said, except for one more item: he would stay for one hour after the imperial discussion to preach and resolve doubts.

"That is very good, very good!" Zhu Yijun flipped through the 'Direct Explanation of the Four Books' written by Zhang Juzheng. This volume only annotated the Analects.

The most critical thing was that all the annotations were written in vernacular Chinese. Those scholars' speeches were too difficult to understand because they were too literary.

'Direct Explanation of the Four Books' could be called a popular reading material for the Four Books and Five Classics, but being popular didn't mean it was crude.

Taking the Analects as an example, when Confucius said a certain sentence, in what background, to whom, why did he say it that way, what did it mean for governing the country, and what reference significance did it have for the current Great Ming? It was explained in depth and simply, hitting the nail on the head.

"This subject and others withdraw." The several scholars looked at each other and could only bow and withdraw.

Zhang Juzheng was usurping imperial power, and the Emperor not only didn't guard against it but also helped him along. What could the scholars do?

One day, when the Emperor on this dragon chair no longer has the surname Zhu, His Majesty will know to repent!

Twenty-seven court officials began to ascend the hall, sat on both sides of the long table, and began the imperial discussion on state affairs.

And the first thing was the major case of the assassination attempt on the Emperor.