Chapter 60: He Who Initiates Evil, Will He Have No Descendants?

Li Le has shortcomings. He passed the jinshi examination in the fifth year of Longqing and began observing government affairs after being named on the Golden List. Later, he was granted the official position of Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of War. He had never seen luxury, so when luxury came rushing toward him and was within reach, he would become confused.

Does Zhang Juzheng have shortcomings? Yes.

His shortcomings are very obvious: he is skilled at managing the state but clumsy at protecting himself. However, this shortcoming is extremely difficult to deal with.

Zhang Siwei thought for a long time, gritted his teeth, and said fiercely, "Zhang Juzheng—just wait until he dies! Once a person is dead, they can no longer manage their affairs."

Gao Gong and Wang Chonggu were as close as could be, and the Jin Party held the majority in the court, but that didn't mean there was no one in the court who could check Gao Gong. As the Junior Grand Secretary, Zhang Juzheng could check him a little. In military affairs, politics, and the censorial system, Zhang Juzheng had his own cliques.

Therefore, facing the imperial decree of dismissal, no matter how unwilling Gao Gong was, he could only return to his hometown to live in retirement.

Zhang Siwei actually had no good way to deal with Zhang Juzheng. He couldn't defeat Zhang Juzheng from any angle. Zhang Siwei couldn't deal with Zhang Juzheng like he dealt with Li Le. Yang Bo had tried to win over Zhang Juzheng several times, offering extremely generous conditions, even giving him the entire Jin Party, but Zhang Juzheng remained unmoved.

"Qi Jiguang returned the waist-token of the Quan-Chu Guild Hall to the Senior Grand Secretary. Isn't this an opportunity?" Wang Chonggu said with a solemn face. If he couldn't deal with him, did that mean he wouldn't try to find a way? Using every opportunity that could be used to weaken the power in Zhang Juzheng's hands was the way to go.

"General Qi, ah." Zhang Siwei sighed and shook his head. To deal with Qi Jiguang, one must strike at his vital point. What is Qi Jiguang's vital point? It is his military prestige, the military prestige that makes people look sideways and avoid his edge, brought about by one victory after another.

As long as he can keep winning battles, no amount of outside tricks will be of any use.

"I'll send someone to try and win him over. Just recently, the censors have been impeaching General Qi. Let a few censors go over and lobby him and see what happens. I estimate it won't work." Zhang Siwei walked away from the Quan-Jin Guild Hall with a steady gait.

A person like Qi Jiguang is even purer than Zhang Juzheng; there is simply no way to win him over.

To deal with Qi Jiguang, conspiracies and schemes won't work either.

When Qi Jiguang was pacifying the pirates in the southeast, his enemies were not just the pirates. He was able to win despite all sorts of conspiracies and schemes. How can one deal with such military talent?

At sunset, You Qi returned to the Quan-Chu Guild Hall and found Zhang Juzheng, who was annotating the Four Books and Five Classics for the young Emperor in the Wenchang Pavilion. You Qi said with an extremely complex expression, "Master, news has come from the Quan-Jin Guild Hall. Li Le went to the Quan-Jin Guild Hall and hasn't come out yet. I'm afraid he's going to defect to the Jin Party."

The reason You Qi knew the news was that he had planted spies in the Quan-Jin Guild Hall. Li Le, as a court inspection Supervising Secretary heading to the border, was the focus of everyone's attention. If one wanted to know, one could still know.

"I know." Zhang Juzheng put down his pencil. After annotating a passage, he felt somewhat helpless. He could already imagine what questions His Majesty would ask him. He had to prepare in advance; otherwise, if the Emperor asked, and he, as the Emperor's teacher, could only look left and right, Zhang Juzheng couldn't afford to lose that face.

"Then what should we do?" You Qi looked at his master. Zhang Juzheng seemed to have expected this long ago.

Zhang Juzheng smiled and said, "Do you remember the matter of Lu Shusheng? We were classmates. At the end of Jiajing and the beginning of Longqing, we were both in the Xu Party. After I took charge of the state, I promoted Lu Shusheng to Minister of Rites. His attitude toward my governance was to oppose this and oppose that. It was nothing more than the Jin Party giving more and me giving less."

"Back to Li Le's matter. He doesn't understand. Using his wife and daughter as a threat is just a means. Does the Jin Party dare to do that? Once this precedent is set, can the Jin Party bear the consequences? So it's just scaring Li Le."

"He who initiates evil, will he have no descendants?"

Li Le is new to the officialdom and doesn't understand at all. Even if Li Le represents the court and truly uncovers something, nothing will happen to him.

"As for what to do." Zhang Juzheng flipped through two memorials in his hand, opened them to look for a moment, then put them back, smiling and saying, "Openly repair the plank road, secretly cross the Chen Cang. Li Le is in the open, accepting Zhang Siwei's conditions, which will make them lower their guard. Then send some people to investigate secretly."

"Zhang Siwei has exhausted his schemes. If he hadn't messed with Li Le, let Li Le go and investigate, and see what he finds. Since Zhang Siwei insists on messing with Li Le, then don't blame me for messing with them."

Zhang Juzheng's eyes were dark and unclear, even carrying a bit of ferocity. When the young Emperor asked him what he expected from sending Li Le and others to inspect the border, Zhang Juzheng said: being able to send a censor not from the Jin Party was a success.

Zhang Juzheng really didn't want much. He didn't think about completely destroying the Jin Party before the young Emperor took personal charge. If the entire court were the Zhang Party, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor in the palace would have to sit uneasily.

But Zhang Siwei insisted on turning Li Le into a Jin Party member, moving against his people, and lobbying his people. It would be strange if Zhang Juzheng could swallow this breath.

He is vengeful.

Since they want to fight, then fight. And Zhang Juzheng's meaning was very clear: Li Le is now just a facade, a way to 'openly repair the plank road', while the secret investigation is the 'secretly crossing the Chen Cang', the killing blow.

Zhang Juzheng originally intended to just go through the motions, but Zhang Siwei insisted on provoking him, so he couldn't just go through the motions anymore.

At this time, Zhu Yijun was farming. He, along with Xu Zhenming, Zhang Hong, Zhang Jing, and others, were walking in the fields.

Zhu Yijun said to Xu Zhenming, "In March and April, the soil temperature is still not high. That idea you mentioned before—using sorghum stalks to make windbreaks to block the cold wind, and after enclosing the vegetable plots, covering the vegetable plots with horse manure and plant ash to keep warm and prevent the late spring cold from hurting the seedlings—is a good idea."

"When should we apply fertilizer?"

"About fifteen days after planting," Xu Zhenming replied hurriedly.

Feng Bao whispered a few words to a young eunuch, his face turning iron-blue, and hurried to the Emperor, bowed his head, and said, "Your Majesty, there is a matter."

"Wait a moment." Zhu Yijun signaled Feng Bao to wait, and continued, "How much fertilizer to apply?"

Xu Zhenming opened his notebook and said, "One mu of land needs 1,500 to 2,000 catties of diluted human and animal manure compost. If it's too much, it will burn the seedlings; if it's too little, the fertility will be insufficient."

Xu Zhenming actually wanted to say that the potatoes and sweet potatoes he observed could actually live without fertilizer, just with a ladle of water. There is a difference in the harvest, but being able to plant them all over the wild fields is better than nothing.

The Emperor's way of planting is the Emperor's way; it is truly extravagant.

Intensive cultivation has its way, and slash-and-burn or perfunctory work is another way. Those overseas barbarians in Nanyang don't even dip the potato pieces in plant ash...

"Hmm, when to prune and top?" Zhu Yijun remembered this number.

One catty of compost costs six wen, and diluted, it takes about five catties. One mu of land needs 300 to 400 catties of compost, which is 1,800 to 2,400 wen, about one tael of silver. But folk, especially in the countryside, don't buy manure; they mainly collect human and animal waste. Most importantly, no matter what is planted, fertilizer is needed. The farmers' cost of farming didn't increase, but the harvest increased.

Manure is a big business for the manure masters; its profit is so thick that even Emperor Gaozong of Song, Zhao Gou, was willing to be a manure master to earn this money.

Pruning and topping means cutting off two or three branches for potato fields with many branches and vigorous growth. This can concentrate nutrients on the tubers and increase the harvest.

Topping is picking off the tender tips. When the branches grow too vigorously, the tender tips should also be picked off to prevent nutrients from flowing to the stems and leaves.

Zhu Yijun knew this before and had even told the two Empress Dowagers.

Growing wantonly and lushly is not necessarily a good thing for crops, especially for potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Xu Zhenming opened his notebook and said, "Pruning should be in April. One section with five branches should be cut. Topping should be done after the potato seedlings are higher than twelve inches, but before eighteen inches. If it's too early, the branches and leaves won't be lush enough; if it's too late, the tubers will be small, and the harvest will be less."

"Hmm." Zhu Yijun nodded, looking at his ten mu of land. He stretched, and the difference between the five mu of potato seedlings that had been topped and heat-hardened on the left and the five mu on the right that had not been topped and heat-hardened was already very obvious.

The field on the left had not been replanted, but it was still lush and green.

The field on the right had been replanted once, but dead seedlings still occurred. Even in color, there was a difference. The left was green, while the right had yellow leaves and rot every two plants, and the leaves were not full enough, not green enough.

The people of the Precious Farming Hall led by Xu Zhenming simply didn't give the young Emperor a chance to do heavy physical labor. Zhu Yijun could participate in this kind of pruning and topping work, but as for applying fertilizer, Zhu Yijun didn't even have to think about it. Even if they worked overnight, Xu Zhenming wouldn't dare let the Emperor carry manure or apply fertilizer.

"What is the matter, Master Feng?" Zhu Yijun looked at Feng Bao.

Feng Bao whispered a few words to the Emperor. Even the palace knew about Li Le going to the Quan-Jin Guild Hall.

Logically speaking, Li Le going to the Quan-Jin Guild Hall was extremely confidential, but the Quan-Chu Guild Hall and the Quan-Jin Guild Hall were only one street apart.

Since Zhang Juzheng, You Qi, and the people of the Quan-Chu Guild Hall already knew, it was not surprising that Feng Bao knew.

Zhang Siwei said that Zhang Juzheng monopolized the lectures and isolated the inner and outer court, but Zhang Juzheng did indeed monopolize the lectures, yet he did not isolate the inner and outer court. Whatever news he knew, he would tell the palace.

"Does Master Feng have any ideas?" Zhu Yijun looked at Feng Bao and asked.

"I ask Your Majesty to clarify." Feng Bao actually had a few ideas in his heart, but when it was time to cooperate with His Majesty's acting, he absolutely could not turn a blind eye!

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said, "Let Zhang Jing go to the Quan-Chu Guild Hall. Since the Jin Party is unkind, don't blame me for being unrighteous. This fool Zhang Siwei—if he didn't cause trouble, the Senior Grand Secretary wouldn't keep tossing, and I would have just accepted it. Since Zhang Siwei insists on tossing like this, don't blame me."

The Shanxi Party had operated in Xuanfu and Datong for so many years. As long as Li Le did the surface work, he wouldn't be able to uncover anything.

Unless the Great Wall construction in Xuanfu and Datong was rotten to the point where even surface work couldn't be done, it wouldn't be necessary to toss like this. Zhang Siwei also had to show his influence; it was truly exhausting all his schemes.

"Does Your Majesty mean to 'openly repair the plank road, secretly cross the Chen Cang'? Let Zhang Jing go to the Quan-Chu Guild Hall, and then take people to visit secretly?" Feng Bao thought for a moment and said.

Zhu Yijun nodded and said, "Hmm, let the Commander send two criminal investigation battalion commanders to accompany them."

"I obey the decree." Feng Bao's work focus was mainly on protecting the safety of the Precious Farming Hall. The Emperor must not let anyone destroy his farming, not even the weather!

Ensuring the safety of the Emperor's Precious Farming Hall was a credit that had been implemented. Feng Bao's position as a great eunuch could at least be stable for five or six years.

Therefore, Feng Bao did not block Zhang Jing, the adopted son of the Qianqing Palace eunuch Zhang Hong, from going. Everyone was doing things—Zhang Hong was doing things, and Feng Bao was also doing things. As long as everyone did their job well, they were all loyal ministers of the Emperor, and no one could threaten anyone's status.

Zhang Jing took the waist-token of the Quan-Chu Guild Hall from Xu Jue, changed into casual clothes, and entered the Quan-Chu Guild Hall. The Senior Grand Secretary was tending to the potato fields by the nine-fold white jade bridge. Too many potato seedlings had been cut, so Zhang Juzheng simply had the flowers and plants pulled out and replaced with potato seedlings.

Zhang Juzheng looked at Zhang Jing's arrival with a complex expression.

Because there was another person standing beside Zhang Jing—Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of War Li Le.

Li Le was dressed as a servant, wearing coarse hemp clothes, with disheveled hair, a clean face, and a hole in one of his shoes. Zhang Juzheng didn't recognize him at all. Who would take this person for the 27th place in the jinshi examination of the fifth year of Longqing?

This was a jinshi. This outfit was truly insulting to the scholar, but it could indeed avoid people's eyes and ears.

"Didn't you take the Jin Party's benefits? Why did you come back?" Zhang Juzheng's tone carried some lecturing and a bit of relief. This Li Le, after all, didn't learn from Lu Shusheng and completely defect to the Jin Party.

Li Le moved his disheveled hair, bowed his head, and said, "Master taught me that one must understand the enemy to deal with the enemy. To decide by investigation—the disciple wanted to see what kind of tricks they were playing. If someone without public righteousness and steadfastness heard those words of Zhang Siwei, they would think it was extremely reasonable."

"However, this Emperor's world is the court's world, the world of the Great Ming people, but it is definitely not the Jin Party's world."

Zhang Juzheng shook his head slightly and said, "You are a bit cunning."

"Master taught me well." Li Le said with a full smile.

"Nonsense, you are cunning because you are cunning." Zhang Juzheng said with a full smile, "Openly repair the plank road, secretly cross the Chen Cang. Li Le, how do you think this matter should be viewed?"

Li Le bowed his head and said, "The disciple thinks that Zhang Siwei's methods are so low-down, the fundamental reason is that the Great Wall construction in Xuan-Da must be rotten to the point where even surface work cannot be done." ===== CHAPTER 61 =====

Li Le bowed and said, "The student believes that the reason Zhang Siwei's methods are so base is that the construction of the Xuan-Da Great Wall must have rotted to a point where even superficial appearances cannot be maintained."