Chapter 61: Unity of Knowledge and Action, Consistency in Words and Deeds

Li Le appearing in the Quan-Quan Quan Chu Hui Guan again was within reason. The Minister of Rites, Lu Shusheng, had already changed his allegiance once, which made Zhang Juzheng feel like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat.

Standing from Li Le's perspective, the Jin Party is scary, but Master Zhang is even scarier than the Jin Party!

"Li Le, you can already be an official in one place." Zhang Juzheng smiled and said, "This task is mainly for you to do."

The open investigation cannot be lost, and the secret visit must also be done.

"His Majesty's meaning is just this: let me cooperate with the Senior Grand Secretary," Zhang Jing explained his purpose. Two criminal investigation battalion commanders would follow them after leaving the city. Since it is a secret line, it must be done without anyone knowing.

Zhang Jing is Zhang Hong's man. Zhang Hong is a eunuch of the Qianqing Palace, while Feng Bao is the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Supervisor of the Eastern Depot. To a large extent, Feng Bao and Zhang Hong should be considered enemies.

And Zhang Jing holds the waist-token of Feng Bao's confidant Xu Jue, which means Feng Bao agreed to it.

The fact that the palace can now maintain surface peace is extremely surprising to Zhang Juzheng. The tearing in the palace is usually more direct and tragic than outside the palace. Feng Bao and Zhang Hong actually didn't tear each other apart, which really made Zhang Juzheng look at Feng Bao with new eyes again.

The last time Zhang Juzheng felt strange was when Feng Bao came to deliver pencils, observing palace rules and not accepting bribes.

Many changes have occurred in the palace. At least Zhang Juzheng believes this kind of change is benign and beneficial to the Great Ming's state and society.

Zhang Hong is an ambitious person. Perhaps there will be a conflict with Feng Bao in the future, but as long as it is not now, not when the ruler is young and the state is suspicious, Zhang Juzheng, as Senior Grand Secretary, will be much more relaxed. Seeing Zhang Jing come to the Quan-Quan Quan Chu Hui Guan with Xu Jue's waist-token, Zhang Juzheng suddenly had a feeling that the Great Ming was flourishing.

Zhang Jing's appearance at the Quan-Quan Quan Chu Hui Guan was because Zhang Jing was unfamiliar. Zhang Jing rarely appeared in front of people, and even Zhang Juzheng only knew his name; this was the first time he had seen Zhang Jing.

"How is Scholar Xu?" Zhang Juzheng did not immediately explain his plans, but asked about Xu Zhenming's situation.

Zhang Jing thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Scholar Xu knows nothing but farming. Scholar Xu has a submissive heart; he doesn't let His Majesty do any heavy, tiring, or dirty work."

"That's good." Zhang Juzheng breathed a sigh of relief. Xu Zhenming was leading the Precious Farming Hall, and the Precious Farming Hall involved imperial power and imperial majesty, so there could be no sloppiness.

Xu Zhenming carrying a bamboo book box to the capital left a deep impression on Zhang Juzheng. After Zhang Juzheng passed the provincial examination, he had a book boy, You Qi. Carrying a book box was not something a provincial graduate would do, but Xu Zhenming had no book boy.

Xu Zhenming must have experienced what Li Le experienced when he was reclaiming land in Shanyin, Zhejiang, but Xu Zhenming did not kneel. He was dismissed from office, had no silver in his hands, and still thought about finding someone to recommend his reinstatement.

Zhang Juzheng said with emotion, "His Majesty's words are reasonable: 'Diligent in study and steadfast in action, loyal and pragmatic, unity of knowledge and action, consistency in words and deeds.'"

This sentence was the Emperor's annotation to the Analects of Confucius, "The Master taught four things: culture, conduct, loyalty, and trustworthiness." Now, with Li Le's coming and going, Zhang Juzheng found that what His Majesty said was truly reasonable.

One cannot look at what he said or how he performed; one must let him do things to test whether he is consistent in words and deeds.

Zhang Juzheng was extremely gratified. Although he had misjudged his classmate Lu Shusheng, it was not his eye for talent that was the problem, but Lu Shusheng himself.

Why did Li Le and Xu Zhenming, whom he promoted, have no problems?

"Senior Grand Secretary." Zhang Jing reminded him that Zhang Juzheng should arrange the departure. He didn't know exactly what to do. Before leaving, His Majesty only instructed him to listen to Zhang Juzheng's arrangements.

Zhang Juzheng smiled and said, "Set off with Li Le and the others tomorrow. Li Le, when you get to Xuan-Da, drink and feast with the local officials. Let Zhang Jing and the battalion commanders do the investigation."

Zhang Juzheng also played dirty; he played the game of 'black under the lamp'.

Zhang Jing and the battalion commanders must have status to inspect the border and the Great Wall construction. This is the rule. If you don't have status, how can you go to the passes and the Great Wall?

On the surface, Li Le surrendered to the Jin Party and was intimate with the local officials of Xuan-Da, attracting everyone's attention, which just happened to serve as a facade for Zhang Jing and the others to do their work.

Since they want to fight, it must be by all means, and they must strike when unprepared and take them by surprise.

In the eyes of Empress Dowager Li and Empress Dowager Chen, the young Emperor's life was extremely boring and dull.

Every day he got up at the fifth watch, ate a little, and went to the Wenhua Hall to listen to government affairs and study. After studying, he practiced martial arts. After practicing martial arts, he said a few words and went to hoe the earth. After hoeing the earth, he stamped a pile of memorials. After stamping, he stayed up late to read books, and they were all agricultural books.

Zhu Yijun was tireless in this.

"It's already effortless. Is the Commander truly practicing seriously? Two months of martial arts practice, besides standing on stakes and running back and forth quickly, there is nothing else. Is the Commander not teaching, or does he not know how?" After finishing his practice, the young Emperor began to output to the Commander Zhu Xixiao.

Zhu Xixiao clenched his fists. Who doesn't know how?!

He truly knew how, but the young Emperor's words were truly infuriating.

Zhu Xixiao had truly practiced seriously, but he couldn't handle the young Emperor being even more serious than him, or perhaps the sword-wielding military nobles and young eunuchs were dragging down the Emperor's progress. The young Emperor could complete all his projects—standing on stakes, rapid sprint back and forth, and long-distance running—without any discount and without any punishment.

The young Emperor had lost nearly ten catties in these three months of martial arts practice. Empress Dowager Chen and Empress Dowager Li had been looking at Zhu Xixiao with unkind eyes recently, as if Zhu Xixiao had been harsh to the young Emperor.

Zhu Yijun spat out a turbid breath. After standing on stakes, he asked curiously, "Are there any martial arts to teach?"

"Does Your Majesty mean routines?" Zhu Xixiao frowned.

Zhu Yijun nodded, gestured a few movements, and said with big, expectant eyes: "Yes, martial arts routines. Is there any technique that, once practiced, allows one to fly over walls, make one's hands as soft as cotton, make one's body as hard as iron when touched, make one's fists like hammers, as heavy as thunder, move like a rabbit or hawk, and have the ability to shoot dragons and kill tigers!"

Zhu Xixiao's expression was complex. He wanted to speak but stopped, then wanted to speak again, and finally said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, those who fly over walls are thieves..."

Flying over walls refers to thieves breaking into houses to steal things or people. Breaking into a house at night is treated as a thief. According to the Great Ming Law, if the owner kills the thief, the government cannot pursue it.

"There is no such routine." Zhu Yijun asked with some disappointment: "Then what should I practice?"

"Bow, crossbow, and gun. One inch longer is one inch stronger, and the bow, crossbow, and gun are the longest." Zhu Xixiao said quite certainly.

"One inch longer is one inch stronger?" Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "Doesn't that mean one inch shorter is one inch more dangerous?"

Zhu Xixiao shook his head and said, "I dare not agree. For example, if I am unarmed and encounter a villain holding a dagger, running away is the most appropriate. In battlefield slaughter, long wins."

"In the 'Hand and Foot Chapter' of the 'New Book of Military Efficiency', General Qi also said: 'The enemy's short weapons are not within the range of the spear, so he naturally dares not advance.' Bows, arrows, and firearms are also long weapons. Waiting until the enemy is fifty paces away before firing is a dangerous and short-lived tactic, using long weapons as short ones. But General Qi's meaning is generally still that one inch longer is one inch stronger."

"I will listen to the Commander and General Qi." Zhu Yijun thought about it. The history of mankind is, in the final analysis, throwing stones and boiling water. Zhu Xixiao's words made sense. If you can shoot the opponent to death, why go up and fight for your life?

Professional matters should be left to professional talents to be more professional.

"Then how should I practice the bow, crossbow, and gun?" Zhu Yijun asked with expectation.

Zhu Xixiao shook his sleeves, handed something to Zhang Hong, and said, "Your Majesty, would you like to practice this first?"

Zhu Yijun looked at the thing in Zhang Hong's hand and said angrily, "Is the Commander teasing a child! This is a slingshot! Do you think I don't know?"

During the time of Emperor Wu of Han, there was a person named Han Yan who loved playing with slingshots and used gold to make pellets, losing a dozen a day. The city of Chang'an became popular with the saying, "Suffering from hunger and cold, chasing gold pellets." Every time Han Yan went out, he was followed by a bunch of people suffering from hunger and cold, going to pick up the gold pellets Han Yan shot, which led to the saying about 'slingshot-wielding grandsons' and 'playboys'.

Zhu Xixiao asked him to practice with a slingshot; wasn't this fooling a child?

"Your Majesty, practicing your aim is fine." Zhu Xixiao had been brewing this for a long time before he managed to say it. He couldn't say that at the Emperor's age, he hadn't grown enough strength to pull a bow or fill a crossbow, and as for the firearm, it wasn't very stable.

Zhu Yijun looked at Zhu Xixiao's expression, then carefully savored Zhu Xixiao's words, and understood what he meant. At his current age, he couldn't practice archery yet. Practicing his aim first was not bad. Being eager for quick success is not advisable; martial arts is a slow process.

The young Emperor soon fell in love with this little toy, the slingshot. After playing with a hundred porcelain pellets, his aim had reached the point where every pellet hit the target, nine out of two.

The rectangular arrow target, nine out of two in the bullseye from ten paces away—this aim was already quite good. Of course, this aim still needed to be improved, and there was still a long way to go before he could 'pierce a willow leaf and hit a louse'.

Zhu Yijun played with great interest, the porcelain pellets hitting the target with a crackling sound. Empress Dowager Li's brows furrowed.

"'Using a precious pearl to shoot a bird'—everyone in the court knows the Emperor is playing with a slingshot, and they will chatter endlessly again. I'm afraid even the Commander will be implicated." Empress Dowager Li voiced her concern.