Chapter 69: Attach When the Power Is the Same, Run Toward Interests, Avoid Harm, and Exclude Those Who Share the Same Evil

Zhu Yijun watched Zhang Juzheng start to change the subject and knew that his hammer had already struck a crack in Zhang Juzheng's "thought seal." Too much is as bad as too little; he should let Zhang Juzheng figure out this question slowly and answer him later.

Zhang Juzheng was the advisor entrusted by the late Emperor before he died. When the Emperor had doubts, as the Imperial Tutor, Zhang Juzheng had to answer the questions.

And Zhang Juzheng also had to answer the doubts in his own heart; this was the self-cultivation of a gentleman.

The "knowledge" in "unity of knowledge and action" was explained very clearly by Yang Bo. Knowledge is both a noun and a verb; it is both the knowledge of knowing and the knowledge of cognition.

A more accurate description is that the "innate knowledge" in the "unity of knowledge and action" is the continuous exploration of the essence of things, their integrity, internal connections, and the laws of their own development during the growth of literary cultivation in the heart, the practice of action, the loyalty of the heart, and the truth of belief.

The "unity of knowledge and action" in Wang Yangming's School of Mind is a process of cognitive development. It takes the exploration of the essence of things as its content and the revelation of the laws of development of things as its goal. On the basis of practice, it is a perceptual and rational cognitive activity of the world.

The "unity of knowledge and action" is a process of cognitive development of practice, cognition, re-practice, and re-cognition. It is a circular, spiraling upward process of cognitive development. This process is the essential characteristic of human cognition: dialectics.

Briefly speaking, the dialectics manifested by the "unity of knowledge and action" is humanity's tireless pursuit of truth, striving to use the knowledge one already possesses to break through one's own experiential boundaries and pursue truth.

As the Imperial Tutor, Zhang Juzheng had to answer the Emperor's doubts.

Similarly, as a gentleman, Zhang Juzheng had to face the doubts in his heart; otherwise, that would be cowardice.

"Thank you, Grand Secretary Yuanfu, for clearing my doubts." Zhu Yijun stood up and bowed slightly, expressing his gratitude to Zhang Juzheng, the lecture scholar.

"I dare not accept it." Zhang Juzheng bowed respectfully. He was truly ashamed; he hadn't really cleared the Emperor's doubts regarding those questions.

"I respectfully send off Your Majesty." Zhang Juzheng bowed his head again to send off the Emperor who had left the Zhao Wenhua Hall.

The noon sun in May was becoming dazzling. He bathed in the spring light, looked back at the Zhao Wenhua Hall, the place of public instruments that he could see every day when he raised his head.

The noon sun made people dizzy. The Zhao Wenhua Hall suddenly became extraordinarily huge. In the open gate, the deep palace seemed to have become a monster that chose people to devour, like a bloody mouth, seemingly wanting to tear him into pieces. And in Zhang Juzheng's heart, there was always a voice shouting to approach It, think about It, and recognize It!

In the deepest part of the palace, there seemed to be a terrifying, unseeable, and indescribable monster lurking.

This monster would smash all the cognition Zhang Juzheng had had in his life, destroy all the "innate knowledge" Zhang Juzheng had established, and destroy the solid cognitive boundaries he had built for so many years.

This monster gradually became describable: a ten-year-old human master, but he had a sunny and cheerful appearance.

The ten-year-old child's doubts were natural and simple, and it was precisely this naturalness and simplicity that could issue suffocating questions.

"The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical force, disorder, or spirits." Zhang Juzheng shook his head slightly. The Zhao Wenhua Hall gradually returned to its original appearance, and everything in the palace became as usual.

Zhang Juzheng had caught a slight cold yesterday, which was why he had such messy hallucinations. He had not deceived the Emperor; he had truly caught a slight cold when he wanted to use illness to escape the Emperor's questioning in the Zhao Wenhua Hall.

Busy figures of the young Emperor were everywhere in the palace. Zhu Yijun, who was sweating profusely from martial arts practice, changed his clothes and ran to the Baoqi Hall, starting his daily "hoeing of the earth." This activity was pruning. Some potato seedlings had grown too lush, and the Emperor needed to prune them, just like the Shanxi Party was too lush and needed to have some wings clipped so they wouldn't be so righteous and bold in doing evil.

Wang Chonggu didn't know how he had returned to the Quanchu Guild. He was breaking out in a cold sweat. This time, Zhang Juzheng's four-wave offensive had almost made Wang Chonggu unable to parry. Zhang Juzheng was in the Zhao Wenhua Hall, but if he had pursued any further, Wang Chonggu would have left the court even earlier than Yang Bo.

"He stripped away the golden imperial mandate; Datong Regional Commander Ma Fang returned home to live in leisure; ten Assistant Regional Commanders and Company Commanders in Xuanfu and Datong were dismissed. Xu Xing asked questions; at the last moment, if Bai Gui hadn't held back, you absolutely wouldn't have passed the test so easily." Yang Bo sat steadily, looking at Wang Chonggu with a complex expression.

Wang Chonggu was silent for a moment and said, "Feng Bao is truly bullying people too much, humiliating court officials!"

Shouldn't the person who hurt Wang Chonggu the most be Zhang Juzheng? Feng Bao was just scolding people according to routine.

Yang Bo immediately asked in return, "Feng Bao's words as a eunuch are certainly hateful, but how can you refute them? 'Frequent injustice leads to self-destruction'; that is the principle."

"Our Shanxi Party is powerful to alleviate the military dangers in Xuanfu and Datong. The imperial court needs to rely on us. Is the current Shanxi Party still the Shanxi Party of the past?"

Wang Chonggu clenched his fists and then slowly loosened them. Zhang Siwei walked in from outside. This Quanjin Guild would soon be his, so he could naturally walk on flat ground and walk into the study without greeting.

"The imperial court needs to rely on the Shanxi Party because of the military dangers in Xuanfu and Datong. If we make Xuanfu and Datong militarily dangerous again, wouldn't the Shanxi Party still be the Shanxi Party?" Zhang Siwei closed the folding fan in his hand. The servant hurriedly brought hot tea to Zhang Siwei. From the moment Zhang Siwei entered the door, the servant had already been preparing.

Yang Bo frowned and said, "At that time, there were no good generals in the court. Now, we have General Qi guarding the three towns of Jizhou. Do you really think that if Xuanfu and Datong are militarily dangerous, the imperial court must rely on the Shanxi Party?"

Zhang Siwei didn't care at all and said, "My uncle, you are always limited to your 'innate knowledge.' This is a war fought in Xuanfu and Datong. No matter how fierce Qi Jiguang is, can he win? If his southern soldiers can't eat their fill, can they still win battles?"

"At that time, won't the imperial court still have to rely on our Jin Party? Besides, we can just stir up the censors to remonstrate and sow discord between the palace and the Chief Grand Secretary and General Qi."

"People will always have doubts. General Qi is so capable of fighting, and His Majesty is still young. If true and false news is spread, the palace will naturally have doubts."

Yang Bo was silent. He was indeed not as bad as Zhang Siwei. Zhang Siwei was the kind of bad to the extreme, that kind of extreme egoist.

Yang Bo said with great emotion, "Confucius said of the Ji family: 'They have eight rows of dancers in their hall. If this can be tolerated, what cannot be tolerated!' The Master said: 'The gentleman is harmonious but not sycophantic; the villain is sycophantic but not harmonious.'"

"The ancients truly did not deceive me."

Zhang Siwei looked a little irritable and spread his hands, saying, "Look at what my uncle said. We have eight rows of dancers in the hall now, but didn't Zhang Juzheng have them too? When he becomes the sole power, guess if he will do even more excessive things? What gentleman, what villain—it's all nonsense. Attach when the power is the same, run toward interests, avoid harm, and exclude those who share the same evil. Only then will it be stable."

"People's hearts will change, but interests will not. Uncle, tell me, is this the principle?"

Zhang Siwei was very good at arguing, and Yang Bo didn't want to argue. This debate came to an abrupt end.

"Ma Gui, Ma Jin, and the others will be escorted to the capital in a few days for questioning. Should we think of a way to save our people? If we don't save our own people, won't we just break up?" Wang Chonggu brought up another matter.

The golden imperial mandate and Datong Regional Commander Ma Fang were just face; these ten Company Commanders, Ma Gui and Ma Jin, had to be saved. This was the substance.

Changing a Regional Commander didn't matter, but changing all these Assistant Regional Commanders and Company Commanders was a fatal matter. The common soldiers under the Company Commanders, seeing that these nobles had all fallen, would see the tree fall and the monkeys scatter—this is the common state of humanity.

When the Jin Party was in full bloom, butterflies filled the branches—isn't this "attach when the power is the same, run toward interests"?

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter—isn't this "avoid harm, exclude those who share the same evil"?

"Military danger is enough," Zhang Siwei said with a smile. "Spring is almost over. The northern barbarians are scattered in the north; the people do not farm or weave, and the land has no other products. They have no supplies. Felt and fur cannot withstand the summer heat. Their pots are broken. They are trying to patch leaks in every way. The northern barbarians are coming south. Once border conflicts arise, how can we change generals before the battle?"

Yang Bo's expression changed drastically. He flicked his sleeves and said sternly, "If you are looking for death, don't drag me into it!"

"Then what does my uncle say we should do?" Zhang Siwei asked with a smile.

"I will think of a way. With your methods, you will send the entire Jin Party to the Jiekuyuan sooner or later." Yang Bo was helpless. He was the leader of the party now, and he still had to save these border military officers.

Yang Bo pondered for a long time, stood up, paced back and forth repeatedly, and then walked toward the Quanchu Guild. He wanted to go to Zhang Juzheng to plead for mercy. Only if Zhang Juzheng was willing to let go would this matter have a possibility of success. If Zhang Juzheng was unwilling to let go, Yang Bo wouldn't do much more.

He was old and couldn't manage so many things.

Inside the Quanjin Guild, the Wenchang Pavilion behind the Nine-Turn Bridge was still brightly lit. Zhang Juzheng, the Chief Grand Secretary of the Great Ming, was neither annotating the Four Books and Five Classics nor tending to his potato seedlings. He just sat quietly, looking out the window, lost in thought.

You Qi was terrified. His master was very busy; when had he ever returned home and done nothing but stare blankly?

"Master, Grand Preceptor Yang is here." You Qi reminded him in a low voice.

Zhang Juzheng's thoughts were still immersed in that strange question of "using your spear to attack your shield." When he heard You Qi's words, he looked at You Qi somewhat blankly and asked, "What did you say?"

"Grand Preceptor Yang is here." You Qi said quite worriedly, "Master, this cold..."

"It's fine, it's already better. I was just thinking about His Majesty's question." Zhang Juzheng showed a smile and said, "Please invite Grand Preceptor Yang."

After Zhang Juzheng and Yang Bo exchanged pleasantries about the bright sunshine tonight, Zhang Juzheng looked at Yang Bo and said, "Grand Preceptor, there is much discussion in the court saying that I, Zhang Juzheng, monopolize the lectures and isolate the inner and outer courts. Why don't you do the lecturing for His Majesty?"

"I am old and useless. It is better for Grand Secretary Yuanfu to do it." Yang Bo waved his hand hurriedly upon hearing this. "It is better for Grand Secretary Yuanfu to do it."

Ge Shouli, Wang Xilie, and Fan Yingqi had not seriously read the lectures written by the readers, but Yang Bo had read them word for word. That was absolutely not a good job.

"Grand Preceptor, today His Majesty asked me if Grand Preceptor Yang is a gentleman or a villain. I don't know how to answer. Why don't you answer, Grand Preceptor?" Zhang Juzheng looked at Yang Bo and asked quite solemnly. ===== CHAPTER 70 =====