[{"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-69":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},2363338,4622,"Chapter 69","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-69",69,"\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun watched Zhang Juzheng shift the topic, knowing his hammer had cracked the ideological steel seal in Zhang Juzheng’s mind; too much would be counterproductive—let Zhang Juzheng ponder it himself and answer later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng, the regent entrusted by the late emperor, as the emperor’s tutor, must answer when His Majesty has doubts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Zhang Juzheng must also answer his own inner questions—that is the self-cultivation of a gentleman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “know” in unity of knowledge and action, Yang Bo explained clearly, is know: know as noun, know as verb, both the know of understanding and the know of cognition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More precisely, the innate knowledge in unity of knowledge and action is the continuous exploration of the essence, totality, internal connections, and inherent developmental laws of things, cultivated through textual study, practical action, inner peace, faithful conviction, and genuine trust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The unity of knowledge and action in Wang Yangming’s school of mind is a process of intellectual development, grounded in practice, aiming to reveal the laws of things’ development by exploring their essence, through sensory and rational cognitive activities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unity of knowledge and action is a cycle of practice, cognition, re-practice, re-cognition—a spiraling, upward process of intellectual development, which is precisely the dialectical nature inherent in human thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In brief, the dialectical nature expressed by unity of knowledge and action is humanity’s relentless pursuit of truth, striving to transcend the boundaries of personal experience using existing knowledge to seek truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As tutor, Zhang Juzheng must answer His Majesty’s doubts;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>similarly, as a gentleman, Zhang Juzheng must confront his own doubts—otherwise, he is weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Master Xie Yuanfu,” Zhu Yijun rose and bowed slightly, showing his gratitude to the lecture scholar Zhang Juzheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your servant is ashamed to accept such praise,” Zhang Juzheng bowed deeply, truly humiliated—his Majesty’s questions had not been truly resolved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, please allow me to see you off,” Zhang Juzheng bowed again, seeing His Majesty depart from the Wenhua Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The noon sun of May blazed brilliantly; he stood bathed in spring light, glancing back at the Wenhua Hall—the public instrument he saw every time he lifted his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The noon sun dazzled his eyes; suddenly, the Wenhua Hall loomed enormous, its open gate revealing a deep, dark palace that seemed to transform into a monstrous beast ready to devour him, a gaping maw threatening to tear him apart—yet within Zhang Juzheng, a voice incessantly screamed: Draw near! Contemplate It! Cognize It!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the deepest heart of the palace, a terrifying, unseeable, indescribable monster seemed to coil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This monster would shatter all Zhang Juzheng’s lifelong cognition, destroy all his innate knowledge, obliterate the rigid boundaries of thought he had built over decades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monster gradually took shape: a ten-year-old sovereign, yet with a bright, cheerful exterior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A child’s doubts are natural and pure—and it is precisely this innocence that produces questions suffocating in their clarity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Master does not speak of monsters, force, chaos, or spirits,” Zhang Juzheng shook his head slightly; the Wenhua Hall gradually resumed its normal appearance, the palace returning to ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng had caught a chill yesterday, which caused these chaotic hallucinations—he had not deceived His Majesty; his illness in the Wenhua Hall was genuine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout the palace, the young emperor’s busy figure appeared everywhere; Zhu Yijun, drenched in sweat after martial training, changed clothes and rushed to Baoqi Hall to begin his daily “hoeing the earth”—this time, pruning. Some sweet potato vines had grown too lush and needed trimming, just as the Jin Party had grown too thick and needed pruning to curb its brazen misdeeds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Chonggu did not recall how he returned to the Quan Chu Hall; sweat coated his body. Zhang Juzheng’s four waves of assault had nearly overwhelmed him—if Zhang Juzheng had pressed further in the Wenhua Hall, Wang Chonggu would have left court before Yang Bo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your golden edict revoked; Ma Fang, regional commander of Datong, dismissed to retirement; ten deputy commanders and assistant commanders in Xuanfu and Datong removed upon Xu Xing’s inquiry; had Bai Gui held back, you would not have escaped so easily,” Yang Bo sat calmly, watching Wang Chonggu with a complex expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Chonggu fell silent for a moment, then said: “Feng Bao has gone too far—humiliating court ministers!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shouldn’t Zhang Juzheng have been the one to harm him most? Feng Bao merely followed custom in scolding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Bo immediately countered: “Feng Bao’s words as a eunuch are hateful, but how can you refute them? Those who do too much injustice bring ruin upon themselves—that is the principle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our Jin Party is powerful to ease the peril of Xuan and Da; the court must rely on us. But is today’s Jin Party still the Jin Party of old?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Chonggu clenched his fist, then slowly released it. Zhang Siwei entered from the door; this Quan Jin Hall would soon be his—he could walk freely into the study without greeting anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The court relies on the Jin Party because Xuan and Da are perilous. If we make Xuan and Da even more perilous, isn’t the Jin Party still the Jin Party?” Zhang Siwei snapped shut his fan; a servant immediately brought him hot tea—he had been preparing it since Zhang Siwei entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Bo frowned: “Back then, the court had no capable generals. Now, Qi Jiguang guards the Jizhen Three Garrisons. Do you truly believe the court must still rely on the Jin Party if Xuan and Da remain perilous?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Siwei shrugged: “Uncle, you’re always confined within your innate knowledge. This war is fought in Xuanfu and Datong—Qi Jiguang may be fierce, but can he win? His southern troops are half-starved—can they win battles?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Won’t the court still need us? Besides, stir up the censors to petition, sow discord between the palace, the Grand Secretary, and General Qi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone has doubts. General Qi is so capable, and His Majesty is still a child. Spread rumors—true or false—and the palace will naturally grow suspicious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Bo fell silent. He was indeed not as wicked as Zhang Siwei—Zhang Siwei was the epitome of evil, an extreme egoist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Bo sighed deeply: “Confucius said of Ji Shi: ‘Eight rows of dancers in his courtyard—what cannot be endured? What can be endured?’ Confucius said: ‘The gentleman unites without factionalism; the petty man factions without unity.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ancients truly did not deceive us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Siwei, slightly irritated, spread his hands: “Uncle, you speak as if we’re dancing eight rows in the courtyard—does that mean Zhang Juzheng is gone? When he monopolizes power, do you think he won’t go even further? What gentleman, what petty man—nonsense. Attach to the same power, pursue the same benefit, avoid the same harm, reject the same evil—that is stability.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Human hearts change, but interests do not. Uncle, isn’t that true?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Siwei was a skilled debater; Yang Bo did not wish to argue. The debate ended abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ma Gui, Ma Jin, and nine others will be escorted to the capital soon. Xu Xing is questioning them—shouldn’t we find a way to save our men? If we abandon our own, won’t the party fall apart?” Wang Chonggu raised another matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The golden edict and Ma Fang were face; Ma Gui, Ma Jin, and the ten assistant commanders must be saved—that is the substance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Replacing a regional commander is tolerable; replacing all deputy commanders and assistant commanders would be fatal. Below them, the junior officers, seeing these nobles fall, would scatter like monkeys fleeing a fallen tree—this is the way of the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Jin Party blooms, butterflies fill the branches—isn’t that “attach to the same power, pursue the same benefit”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter—isn’t that “avoid the same harm, reject the same evil”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s war, after all,” Zhang Siwei smiled. “Spring is ending. The northern barbarians are scattered beyond the northern frontier, neither farming nor weaving, producing nothing, lacking all resources. Their felt robes cannot withstand summer heat, their cooking pots broken, patched endlessly. The barbarians are ready to descend south. Once border conflict erupts, how can we replace generals mid-battle?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Bo’s face turned ashen; he flung his sleeve and snapped: “If you want to die, don’t drag me with you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what should Uncle do?” Zhang Siwei asked, smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll find a way. Your methods will one day send the entire Jin Party to the dissecting hall,” Yang Bo sighed helplessly—he was party leader; he still had to save these frontier generals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Bo pondered long, rose, paced repeatedly, then walked toward the Quan Chu Hall—he would beg Zhang Juzheng. If Zhang Juzheng relented, the matter might succeed; if he refused, Yang Bo would do nothing more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was old. He could not manage so much anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the Quan Jin Hall, behind the Nine-Turn Bridge, the Wenchang Pavilion still glowed with light. Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng was neither annotating the Four Books and Five Classics nor tending his sweet potato vines—only sitting quietly, staring out the window, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Qi was terrified. His master was always busy—when had he returned home, doing nothing, merely staring blankly?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, Grand Secretary Yang has arrived,” You Qi whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng’s mind remained trapped in that strange paradox—when he heard You Qi, he looked at him blankly: “What did you say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grand Secretary Yang is here,” You Qi said, worried. “Master, your cold…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine, already recovered. I was just pondering His Majesty’s questions.” Zhang Juzheng smiled. “Show Grand Secretary Yang in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After exchanging pleasantries about the bright night, Zhang Juzheng studied Yang Bo and said: “Grand Secretary, many in court criticize me for monopolizing the lectures, isolating inner and outer affairs. Why not let you, Grand Secretary, take over teaching His Majesty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am old, useless—please, Master Grand Secretary, you must continue,” Yang Bo hurriedly waved his hand. “You must continue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ge Shouli, Wang Xilie, and Fan Yingqi had not carefully read the lecture drafts by the Imperial Readers; Yang Bo had read every word—surely not a good assignment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grand Secretary, today His Majesty asked me: Are you, Grand Secretary Yang, a gentleman or a petty man? I did not know how to answer. You answer.” Zhang Juzheng looked at Yang Bo, solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>",1699,"2026-06-21T07:55:54.218Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","94e9a097f33d6bd781c8fd15fc2bedc02d678717221a40ffdd6dc2095add6003","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-70","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-68",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-cover.jpg"]