[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties":3,"chapter-i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-62":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Really Am Not Neglecting My Duties",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2363331,4622,"Chapter 62","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-62",62,"\u003Cp>The targets in the martial arts chamber are no different from those elsewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This rectangular target is truly large—not round, but rectangular—and such a big target placed there, and His Majesty still missed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air in the room stiffened for a moment; something had to be said to ease the tension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Xixiao, drenched in sweat, racked his brain and blurted out: “General Qi, in his ‘Record of Military Training,’ under ‘Training Limbs,’ wrote: ‘Shooting is not about hitting the target; the true superlative archer draws a heavy bow with great strength, sends arrows level and far, hits often, and penetrates deeply—such a marksman cannot be judged by ordinary standards.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Missing the target doesn’t matter; archery isn’t about hitting—it’s about drawing a heavy bow and firing heavy arrows that make you a superlative archer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the battlefield, volleys are fired; as long as arrows are loosed, it’s sufficient. What matters is overall hit rate, not individual accuracy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Xixiao had finally helped His Majesty salvage his dignity, preventing it from falling to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a military noble, Zhu Xixiao had used every ounce of his ability to restore the Emperor’s face; his ability to recite this passage whole stemmed from his diligent study of Qi Jiguang’s military texts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what if I missed? I’ll practice harder.” Zhu Yijun gripped his slingshot—he didn’t need Zhu Xixiao to use General Qi’s words to save his face; accuracy truly must be trained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a noble of the same bloodline as the state, Zhu Xixiao knew the proper archery training method for a boy of His Majesty’s age: train for a hundred days with a thirty-jin flexible bamboo bow; after a hundred days, once shooting technique becomes familiar, gradually increase strength, and after another hundred days, he may use a sixty-jin bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This would just reach half the strength of a Great Ming army’s upper-tier archer, placing him as a lower-tier archer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Great Ming army upper-tier archers possess tiger strength, drawing bows of one hundred twenty jin or more; mid-tier archers use bows of roughly one hundred to one hundred twenty jin; lower-tier archers use sixty-jin bows and must shoot with greater precision, capable of piercing willow leaves and threading through lice, compensating for lack of strength with skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young emperor is clearly too young; even with perfect training, he can only use a sixty-jin bow, making him a lower-tier archer—and to pierce willow leaves and thread lice, he needs precision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, bows are dangerous; it’s better to first practice with a slingshot and get a feel for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun quickly grew fond of this little toy; after firing a hundred porcelain pellets, his accuracy reached nine hits out of ten, all on target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The walking target has three bullseyes; hitting two of them from ten paces away is already quite good—though this accuracy still has a long way to go before reaching the standard of piercing willow leaves and threading lice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun was thoroughly enjoying himself, the porcelain pellets clattering as they flew, but Empress Dowager Li frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To use the Pearl of Sui to shoot a bird a thousand ren high—people will laugh at using something so precious for something so trivial. If court scholars learn His Majesty plays with a slingshot, they’ll chatter endlessly; even the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard may be implicated.” Empress Dowager Li voiced her concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Pearl of Sui shooting a bird” is a commonly used idiom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Pearl of Sui was a treasure from the Warring States period, equal in value to the He Shi Bi, extremely precious; later it passed into Qin Shi Huang’s hands and vanished from records. To use the Pearl of Sui to shoot a bird is to waste something priceless on something worthless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Empress Dowager Li knew this allusion because Zhang Juzheng frequently cited it in memorials, emphasizing the need to distinguish between urgency and importance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This isn’t about the porcelain pellets being valuable—it’s about the young emperor indulging in frivolous pursuits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let them talk,” Empress Dowager Chen replied, calm and unconcerned. What’s wrong with a child of this age being playful?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, Your Majesty!” Feng Bao hurried into the martial arts chamber, slid to his knees with perfect grace, and bowed deeply before speaking: “A thief broke into Baoqi Palace today, claiming he came to steal from Jingshan—but was caught by the Eastern Depot’s men.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you certain he was stealing?” Zhu Yijun’s cold voice sounded behind Feng Bao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Bao jumped in fright—nothing terrifies like a sudden voice!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His Majesty’s tone was icy, utterly devoid of emotion, and its sudden appearance sent chills down Feng Bao’s spine; His Majesty was truly elusive—just moments ago he was firing porcelain pellets at the walking target, and now he was here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s a repeat offender,” Feng Bao hurried to answer. “I had the Eastern Depot’s men interrogate him thoroughly and found nothing unusual.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Bao spoke truthfully: he was merely a thief who scaled walls—not a conspirator aiming to sabotage Baoqi Palace or interfere with His Majesty’s agricultural duties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The coldness vanished from Zhu Yijun’s demeanor; he grew gentle and nodded. “Since he’s a repeat offender, make him identify where he scaled the palace wall to enter Jingshan—this will help us plug the gaps. If he reveals others who’ve stolen from Jingshan, treat it as meritorious service and help fill the holes in our imperial gardens.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Theft within the palace was commonplace; assassination attempts occurred, let alone theft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Palace theft wasn’t unique to the Great Ming: in the fourth year of Vice Prefect, the Qing, freshly victorious over the Taiping Rebellion, proudly preserved the jade seal of the Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan—“The Great Way Emperor Who Commands Heaven to Punish Demons and Execute the Wicked”—until someone stole it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After endless investigation, it ended in a mess, and the blame was pinned on Ministry of Justice official Salong’a, then quietly dropped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the twenty-fourth year of Wanli, the Qianqing and Kunning Palaces of the Great Ming palace burned down; during repairs, the Qing’s founding ancestor, Nurhaci, disguised himself as a laborer and spied for years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Quoting the Veritable Records of the Ming Shenzong: “Imperial Censor Guan Yingzhen submitted three proposals for Beijing’s security: First, palace patrols must be reviewed. It is said the barbarian chief was originally a servant of Wang Gao; when Gao’s head was displayed on the marketplace, the chief harbored resentment, changed his name, entered the palace as a servant, and spied for years.”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun studied Feng Bao and noticed he had changed considerably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this Baoqi Palace break-in case, by Feng Bao’s old habits, he would have blamed the Jin Faction, deepening the Two Empress Dowagers’ distrust of the Jin Faction and court ministers, and strengthening his own authority as Director of the Office of Attendants. But this time, Feng Bao didn’t do that—he told the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A eunuch refraining from complicating matters, inflating the incident, or using it to gain favor—this was good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such change was rare and, in Zhu Yijun’s view, beneficial to the Great Ming’s revival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did Ge Shouli suffer so? Because he was disloyal, untruthful, and disrespectful—he betrayed his duty, refused to speak plainly, ignored hierarchy; censors disrespected him, palace officials humiliated him, the Grand Secretary reprimanded him—all because he himself had lost face and substance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now Feng Bao had become usable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hong inwardly sighed in regret; he had served the Emperor closely and knew His Majesty despised ministers who spouted nonsense, blew things out of proportion, exploited incidents, and complicated matters. Feng Bao’s honesty made Zhang Hong’s dream of becoming “Old Ancestor” harder than ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To preserve his position as “Old Ancestor,” Feng Bao knew failure meant a fate worse than Chen Hong’s; instead of attacking Zhang Hong of the Qianqing Palace, he chose to improve himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did you learn today?” Empress Dowager Li, seeing the Emperor had settled the matter, signaled Feng Bao to rise and began inquiring about the lecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun smiled. “Today, the Grand Secretary recounted the story of Emperor Jingzong of Tang playing ball in the side hall. Upon ascending the throne, Emperor Jingzong ignored mourning for his late father; he cared only for amusement, unrestrained. Ministers urged restraint, but he refused, instead delighting in playing ball—polo and chuiwan—with the eunuch Liu Keming.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When he grew excited, he ordered musicians to play, dancers to perform, lavishly rewarded servants, hired laborers to accompany him, and amused himself by hunting foxes. He attended court only thrice a month, then stopped altogether, leaving governance entirely to eunuchs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Empress Dowager Chen asked curiously: “What happened to Emperor Jingzong in the end?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun smiled. “He was assassinated. The eunuch Liu Keming, who played polo with him, killed him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng didn’t just tell the story—he clearly explained the dangers of eunuchs holding military power and controlling the palace, beginning with Emperor Xizong of Tang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Empress Dowager Li unconsciously glanced at Feng Bao, who remained calm and composed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Keming was a Tang eunuch; the Great Ming had only had Cao Jixiang. Great Ming eunuchs held no military power or control over the palace. Feng Bao’s duty was to kneel, bully ministers from the Wenhua Hall using his imperial authority—and he performed it well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop playing with these pellets,” Empress Dowager Li said, looking at the slingshot in the young emperor’s hand, making a decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun froze. Zhang Hong frowned. Feng Bao looked puzzled. Zhu Xixiao turned pale and hurriedly said: “Your servant has failed. I thought only of His Majesty’s martial training and completely forgot the warning: ‘Amusements corrupt the mind.’ I am guilty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Commander’s intentions are pure—why would I blame him?” Empress Dowager Li replied gently. “I only fear court ministers will chatter, submit memorials, and stir up unnecessary trouble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Pearl of Sui shooting a bird,” “playing ball in the side hall”—both are frivolous pursuits. Empress Dowager Li saw the young emperor’s hardship: at ten years old, he labored day and night, rising before dawn and returning under moonlight. Why must the Son of Heaven endure such toil?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, Empress Dowager Li and Empress Dowager Chen exchanged glances, both filled with helplessness: could a child’s slingshot really be elevated to matters of state order?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes. And it would.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jin Faction controls military, political, financial, and supervisory power in Xuanfu and Datong; they show signs of clan exclusivity, unchecked expansion, and even warlord-like autonomy—yet where are the censors shouting about this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The censors and ministers in court love to seize on the young emperor’s minor faults, blow them out of proportion, exploit them for reputation—criticizing the Emperor brings fame; criticizing the Jin Faction invites retaliation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun paused, then smiled: “Today, the Grand Secretary also taught the Analects: Confucius said, ‘A gentleman is not a vessel.’”\u003C\u002Fp>",1799,"2026-06-21T07:55:54.218Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","1023cbd20ae701566259d5e00b8f82783c03a2a03b94239035baf28541184148","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-63","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-61",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-cover.jpg"]