Chapter 83: On Contradiction

I truly do not attend to my proper duties. Main text, Chapter 83: "On Contradiction" is now complete, the book is published and printed throughout the world. Hu Hai Zongxian was the Regional Commander for suppressing the Japanese pirates in the southeast. Under his leadership, the Japanese pirate menace gradually subsided. Hu Hai Zongxian did not want to negotiate peace with the Japanese pirates, nor did he create things like "tribute markets" to build his own faction and thereby coerce the imperial court into making concessions.

The trick of "nurturing pirates to maintain one's own importance" and "slackening defenses to indulge the enemy" is not a patent of the Jin Party. In fact, if the civil and military officials of the Great Ming who could win battles did not master this skill, they would basically suffer greatly.

Civil officials were the same. For example, Wang Grandmaster Yue, a Ming Jinshi from the second year of Emperor Jingtai, was enfeoffed as a marquis due to his military exploits. In the nineteenth year of During Chenghua, Wang Grandmaster Yue was stripped of his title and name, demoted, and sent to live in Anlu.

For example, Hu Hai Zongxian in the final years of Emperor Jiajing.

Civil officials who won battles and abandoned the civil official class would be persecuted.

Hu Hai Zongxian was guilty; he had clung to the corrupt and powerful Yan Song and his son.

In the forty-first year of Emperor Jiajing, after Yan Song and his son fell from power, Hu Hai Zongxian was dismissed and sent home to live in idleness due to his association with the Yan Dang. Hu Hai Zongxian did not enjoy his later years in peace; instead, two years later, a fatal disaster descended from the heavens.

Hu Hai Zongxian was imprisoned again as a member of the Yan Dang, and this time the charge was a forged imperial edict handwritten by Hu Hai Zongxian himself.

In the tenth month of the forty-fourth year of Emperor Jiajing, Hu Hai Zongxian wrote the "Memorial Defending Against Slander," but he waited in vain for a reply from the Emperor Jiajing Emperor. On the third day of the eleventh month of the forty-fourth year of Emperor Jiajing, after writing "The precious sword is buried in an unjust prison, the loyal soul circles the white clouds," he committed suicide at the age of fifty-four.

Wang Daokun, who was serving as the Provincial Governor in Fujian at the time, was a close friend, comrade-in-arms, and fellow townsman of Hu Hai Zongxian. Upon hearing the news of Hu Hai Zongxian's suicide in prison, he was filled with extreme grief and indignation, and submitted a memorial comparing Xu Xu Jie to Qin Gui.

Wang Daokun cursed Xu Xu Jie as the Qin Gui of the Great Ming because there were three mysteries surrounding Hu Hai Zongxian's death:

First, Hu Hai Zongxian's clinging to the powerful was for the sake of suppressing the Japanese pirates. One does not punish the same crime twice. Since Hu Hai Zongxian had already been stripped of his official status and punished in the forty-first year of Emperor Jiajing for clinging to Yan Song, why was he imprisoned again two years later as a member of the Yan Dang? Even if Hu Hai Zongxian were foolish, could he have handwritten a forged imperial edict? Where was that handwritten forged edict?

Second, had the "Memorial Defending Against Slander" that Hu Hai Zongxian submitted ever been seen by the Emperor Jiajing Emperor? Had the Grand Secretariat utilized the rigidity of the system to temporarily withhold Hu Hai Zongxian's memorial? Had the Emperor seen this memorial and then ignored it?

Third, what was the true cause of Hu Hai Zongxian's death? Qin Gui was a great corrupt official, and Xu Xu Jie was also corrupt. Qin Gui unjustly executed Grandmaster Yue Fei, and Xu Xu Jie headed the Grand Secretariat. Was Hu Hai Zongxian's death truly a suicide out of fear of punishment, or did Xu Xu Jie, heading the Grand Secretariat, deliberately humiliate Hu Hai Zongxian, ultimately causing him to die unjustly in prison, unable to bear the shame?

After Wang Daokun was reinstated during the Emperor Longqing reign, he still clung tightly to this matter and investigated it for a long time. He found not a single answer to the three questions, and Wang Daokun also knew that he would likely never find the answers to these three questions.

In the sixth year of Emperor Longqing, in order to appease Wang Daokun and a group of officials crying out for justice for Hu Hai Zongxian, the imperial court restored Hu Hai Zongxian's reputation for resisting the Japanese pirates and recorded his military exploits.

When court officials attacked Zhang Zhang Juzheng, they all attacked him for "overawing the Emperor," because they truly could not find any problems with other charges.

In the case of the villain Wang Wang Zhanglong attempting to assassinate the Emperor, the evidence also included a handwritten note by Gao Gong, yet Zhang Zhang Juzheng did not take advantage of this case to hunt down the Master Xinzheng Party.

Whether Hu Hai Zongxian's "Memorial Defending Against Slander" had been seen by the Emperor had become a cold case. However, Zhang Zhang Juzheng submitted the "Memorial on Five Matters," making demands of the Emperor: that memorials should be responded to in full, not thrown into trash cans, not thrown into small kitchens to start fires, and not left pending. Even if the Emperor lazily marked an 'x' and sent it down to the ministries, and even established a "Diary of Activity and Repose," everyone could clearly see whether the Emperor had read it or not.

As for unjust cases, Zhang Zhang Juzheng never handled such cases while in power. The Zhang Dang and the Jin Party were like water and fire. In the case of Ma Fang, the Regional Commander of Datong and one of the Jin Party's pillars, the Ministry of War stated that Ma Fang had the merit of "checking the enemy," and Zhang Zhang Juzheng did not pursue Ma Fang, Ma Gui, Ma Jin, and the others to their deaths.

There is a huge difference between a statesman and a politician, and a huge difference between a politician and a beast.

Without a doubt, Zhang Zhang Juzheng was a statesman. He wanted to realize his ambitions, not strike back at his enemies while in power.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng had always been carefully controlling the intensity of the factional struggle, so as not to let the Great Ming collapse.

"Does anyone else have any questions?" Zhang Zhang Juzheng looked left and right, wrote his opinion on the floating ballot, and ordered Wang Daokun, the Provincial Governor of Songjiang, Yu Yu Dayou, the Regional Commander of Songjiang and Left Regional Commissioner of the Front Chief Military Commission, and the eunuch Zhang Cheng, along with a group of officials, to go to Songjiang Prefecture to preside over Xu Xu Jie's return of land.

Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Zhang Juzheng's floating ballot, picked up the Great Seal, and stamped it on top.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng took the memorial from Zhang Hong and handed it to Zhang Han, then shook his sleeve and took out a new memorial.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng began to speak: "The Shujishi Shen Shen Yiguan has submitted a memorial regarding the rehabilitation of Hu Hai Zongxian."

"He says: 'The Great Tan Sima, Lord Hu, was a minister of the state who met a wise ruler in times of national drifting.'"

"'Lord Hu had the merit of serving the state. He was shaken by the middle, and died in prison. Shen Shanren is filled with indignation for Lord Hu, and says: The Great Emperor Taizu used the Eight Deliberations to release the guilty, only deliberating on their merits. Our state relied on Lord Hu to pacify the Japanese pirate menace in the southeast. The death of the Minister was not the intention of the Emperor Jiajing Emperor. Since the Minister is dead, why damage the brilliance of the Emperor Jiajing Emperor? I earnestly request that the Minister's merit in pacifying the Japanese pirates be recorded, and that a posthumous title be bestowed to rectify his name.'"

"'The noble spirit remains forever, moving heaven and earth; the loyal soul resides forever, the same in ancient and modern times.'"

"'Recalling the past following the Minister, long poplars compared to shooting bears. Neon banners of a thousand riders emerge, the heavenly net is empty in all four corners.'"

"'Is the literature similar to Xiangru's? The times should be the same as the Han Emperor's. Just now the flying birds are exhausted, it is good to be a good bow.'"

Shen Shen Yiguan was a scholar from the second year of Emperor Longqing and a member of the Zhe Party. His father, Shen Shen Mingchen, had once been a staff member for Hu Hai Zongxian and called himself Shen Shanren.

After Hu Hai Zongxian died, no one dared to mourn him. Shen Shen Mingchen went, and he constantly campaigned for Hu Hai Zongxian's posthumous reputation. After his son passed the Ming Jinshi examination, he also had his son, Shen Shen Yiguan, continue to campaign for Hu Hai Zongxian.

The main content of this memorial was to bestow a posthumous title upon Hu Hai Zongxian, so that Hu Hai Zongxian's posthumous name would be complete. Hu Hai Zongxian should not have died, but he was already dead. Out of respect for the honorable, it was not the Emperor Jiajing Emperor who wanted to kill Hu Hai Zongxian, so who was it that usurped the divine vessel and wanted to kill Hu Hai Zongxian?

"Should we bestow a posthumous title upon Hu Hai Zongxian?" Zhang Zhang Juzheng looked around and asked: "It should be bestowed. Lord Hu had merit in pacifying the Japanese pirates and died in prison. Rectifying his name is a matter of duty."

Zhang Zhang Juzheng expressed his attitude: bestow the posthumous title.

"Died in prison": this means dying in prison due to torture, hunger, cold, or humiliation.

Hence Hai Rui looked at Zhang Zhang Juzheng in surprise.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng presided over the court, first striking down Xu Xu Jie's protective umbrella, Dong Dong Chuance, the Right Vice Minister of the Nanjing Ministry of Rites, on charges of bribery, and then sending out Wang Daokun, who had a grudge against Xu Xu Jie, to discuss rectifying Hu Hai Zongxian's name. With this combination of punches, could Xu Xu Jie still hold on this time?

When Hence Hai Rui was the Provincial Governor of Yingtian and handled Xu Xu Jie's land encroachment case, he neither struck down Xu Xu Jie's protective umbrella, nor united the court officials campaigning for Hu Hai Zongxian, and even less did he think of rectifying Hu Hai Zongxian's name to put Xu Xu Jie in a disadvantageous position in public opinion.

This combination of punches was as smooth as flowing water.

"What do you all think?" Zhang Zhang Juzheng closed Shen Shen Yiguan's memorial and looked at all the court officials. Hu Hai Zongxian sought glory but received humiliation. Now, recording Hu Hai Zongxian's merit in pacifying the Japanese pirates and bestowing a posthumous title—is there anyone who opposes it?

The court officials looked at each other, and no one stood up to oppose it. The Jin Party was even more "none of my business, hanging high."

Zhang Zhang Juzheng picked up his brush and wrote his opinion on the floating ballot, gave it to Zhang Hong, and submitted it to the Emperor.

Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at it and stamped it again.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng stood up, shook his sleeves, knelt on the ground, and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to submit."

"When I first passed the imperial examination, I was selected as a Shujishi and entered the Hanlin Academy. During my studies, Xu Xu Jie taught me the Dao of governing the world, passing on the teachings, instructing me, and resolving my doubts. Later, Xu Xu Jie became my master and recommended me to serve as a lecturer and reader in the Prince Yu's Mansion; this was the grace of his patronage."

"Out of private feelings, I earnestly request Your Majesty to consider his governance during the Emperor Jiajing and Emperor Longqing reigns, where he provided much correction and rescue. Please issue an edict to show leniency, stopping at the conclusion of the land return matter, and do not let it spread to others. I have also handwritten a letter to explain the pros and cons. Your Majesty is young, and I fear that the world will be shaken. If Xu Xu Jie does not submit and still refuses to return the land out of selfishness, then issue a strict edict to supervise the handling."

Zhang Zhang Juzheng had his confidant Chen Tang strike down Xu Xu Jie's protective umbrella, promised to let Xu Xu Jie's enemy investigate the case, and bestowed a posthumous title upon Hu Hai Zongxian, putting Xu Xu Jie in an absolute disadvantageous position in public opinion, and only then did he request the Emperor's edict not to let this matter expand. If Xu Xu Jie still resisted, then a strict edict would be issued.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng made it very clear that this was a private request. If the Emperor did not issue the edict, Zhang Zhang Juzheng would have no way to help; he had already done his best to maintain his teacher.

Zhu Zhu Yijun was slightly silent. He thought to himself that scholars play dirty!

Zhang Zhang Juzheng had done all the evil things, and only then said: Everyone has seen it, I didn't want to be like this either. The general trend in the court is such that I have done my best. It is not my fault that I cannot protect Xu Xu Jie...

The situation in the court was entirely caused by Zhang Zhang Juzheng. That Chen Tang was Zhang Zhang Juzheng's man, and that Shen Shen Yiguan campaigned for Hu Hai Zongxian every month.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng was a typical case of "wanting to be a whore while setting up a memorial archway"!

You are the one who kills, you are the one who gathered the conditions for killing, you are the one who sharpened the knife so sharply, and you are the one who shouts not to kill.

Zhu Zhu Yijun thought for a while and nodded, saying: "That is acceptable."

Regarding the pursuit of Xu Xu Jie, Hence Hai Rui had originally mentioned stopping at returning the land.

Of course, if Xu Xu Jie remained obsessed and did not realize his errors, then he could not blame Zhang Zhang Juzheng, this student, for not speaking for him. Zhang Zhang Juzheng had already done his utmost, and the imperial court had also done its utmost. This land, even if he didn't want to return it, he would have to return it.

As for Xu Xu Jie's livelihood, there was no need to worry at all. The edict for Hence Hai Rui to return to court was issued in the second month, and the news that the imperial court would continue to investigate was issued in the ninth month.

In other words, Xu Xu Jie had a full seven months to prepare. Xu Xu Jie's class would indeed slide downward in this investigation, but it would not be like Yan Song, starving to death in a tomb shed.

Before Yan Song died, because of the Emperor's strict edict and the verbal attacks of officials and gentry, he could only steal offerings from other people's graves in the tomb shed. At that time, Hu Hai Zongxian, who had been living in idleness for two years after returning home, was also thrown into the Heavenly Prison again and committed suicide in humiliation. Yan Song's son had even died, and no one cared about Yan Song anymore.

Hence Hai Rui conflating the opening of maritime trade with the investigation of Xu Xu Jie's land encroachment was not because Hence Hai Rui did not understand politics, but because the main opposition force to opening maritime trade in the south was the coastal gentry. While striking at the coastal gentry, he made the Songjiang Prefecture Shipping Commissioner's Office a fait accompli.

The court discussion continued, and Wang Wang Guoguang, the Minister of Revenue, gave Xu Xu Jie another stab.

Wang Wang Guoguang held a memorial and said: "The Provincial Governor of Yingtian, Song Yangshan, submitted a memorial saying: 'This land of Suzhou and Songjiang has always been fertile, but the land tax is uneven, and encroachment and arrears are countless. Hearing this makes one feel pained and regretful. Today, the Holy Master has ascended the throne, and we should brush away old abuses and build a long-term policy for the country.'"

"'The powerful families have land reaching seventy thousand qing, and the Shen family owes grain reaching twenty thousand, and they do not pay on time. In ancient times, the public land of a great state was only thirty thousand mu, but now it is a hundred times the number of an ancient great state. How can there be so many qing, and the country not be poor?'"

"'If the demands are too urgent, the people will flee and cause chaos.'"

At first glance, this memorial from the Provincial Governor of Yingtian said that this powerful family was the other half of Songjiang—the Shen family, the family of Xu Xu Jie's main wife.

"Is the figure of seventy thousand qing a bit exaggerated? Is it too much of a hype?" Hence Hai Rui frowned. Seventy thousand qing is seven million mu!

The Great Ming had a total of seven million qing of land. Could the Xu family get so much?

Where did Songjiang Prefecture get so much land? When Hence Hai Rui was the Provincial Governor of Yingtian, he had also investigated the Shen family of Xu Xu Jie's main wife. Indeed, there were countless fertile fields, but there was absolutely no such thing as seventy thousand qing.

"I also have doubts about the Chief Censor Hai's suspicion, and I specifically sent a letter to ask. The original intention of the Provincial Governor of Yingtian was: the encroachment of land in the Southern Southern Yamen has already exceeded seventy thousand qing, and the Shen family alone owes twenty thousand shi of straw tax." Wang Wang Guoguang explained this sentence clearly.

It was the fertile land encroached upon in the entire Southern Southern Yamen that exceeded seventy thousand qing, not the Shen family. How much ability did the Xu and Shen families have to encroach upon seventy thousand qing...

When he first received the memorial, Wang Wang Guoguang was very surprised and specifically wrote a letter to ask Song Yangshan what the Shen family's status was that they could get seventy thousand qing of land.

Only after Song Yangshan replied did Wang Wang Guoguang understand.

If Xu Xu Jie did not surrender, it would not just be the two hundred and forty thousand mu that Xu Xu Jie encroached upon that would be required to be returned, but including his main wife's family, and the entire Southern Southern Yamen area, seventy thousand qing of land, all would be investigated.

Wang Wang Guoguang brought out this memorial specifically to talk about this matter, which was to force Xu Xu Jie not to resist.

"In that case, I misunderstood." Hence Hai Rui understood. The fourteen prefectures of the Southern Southern Yamen occupied more than half of the Great Ming's straw tax. In recent years, the country's finances had suffered huge losses, which had a lot to do with the increasingly fierce trend of encroachment and annexation in the Southern Southern Yamen.

Regarding Xu Xu Jie's return of land, after Wang Wang Guoguang added this stab, it came to a temporary end.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng continued: "Your Majesty is young, and the memorials of the court officials are obscure and difficult to understand. There are only punctuation marks, and the official documents are full of ambiguity. The first matter of the 'Examination and Evaluation Law' is that official documents can use vernacular and common characters. There should be punctuation, and it should be expressed clearly without ambiguity, and it is appropriate to reduce redundant content."

In order for the young Emperor to understand the memorials of the Great Ming court officials, the first thing Zhang Zhang Juzheng did to promote the "Examination and Evaluation Law" to the whole country was to require official documents to be written clearly, not to be written in a cloud of fog, using long-windedness and bombarding the Emperor's cognition with garbage information.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng headed the Grand Secretariat, and he was also annoyed by those memorials that wrote thousands of words of nonsense. A memorial would be thousands of words long, without a single sentence of real business, or only a few sentences of real business. Wasn't that just fooling around?

The big stick of the "Examination and Evaluation Law" finally smashed from the capital to the local areas.

After the court discussion ended, the Expositors and Readers of the Lecture Hall began to enter the palace. Zhang Zhang Juzheng shook two letters out of his sleeves and handed them to Zhang Hong, bowed his head and said: "I have a letter to the Provincial Governor of Yingtian, Song Yangshan, and a letter to Xu Xu Jie. I ask Your Majesty to take a look."

Zhu Zhu Yijun opened the two letters. These were private letters, and it was inconvenient for Zhu Zhu Yijun to open and read them, but since they involved official business, naturally they had to be given to the Emperor to see.

In the "Examination and Evaluation Law," the Grand Secretariat should be evaluated by the Emperor, but because the ruler was young, this evaluation was not easy to implement. However, for such a big matter, Zhang Zhang Juzheng still decided to let the Emperor take a look, and he also believed that the young Emperor should be able to understand.

The reply to the Provincial Governor of Yingtian, Song Yangshan, mainly discussed the problems brought about by land encroachment. Encroached land needed judicial protection to be maintained for a long time, which gave birth to the abuses of connivance in the officialdom, that is, the great abuse of everyone conniving and shielding each other.

To supervise the matter of land encroachment, it is necessary to combine official governance with land measurement to succeed. If only land measurement is done, the problem of land encroachment cannot be solved.

And in the letter to Xu Xu Jie, Zhang Zhang Juzheng's wording was extremely intense.

Zhu Zhu Yijun began to speak: "The Grand Secretary says: 'In the past, the Zhang Yuanfu did not worry about the country's loyalty, indulged in feelings and tolerated selfishness, and even worse, carried millions of gold into his house, which is like piercing a person's nose. Now the ruler is young, and I bear the weight of the world with one body. It is not difficult to break my family for the benefit of the country, or to lose my head to seek salvation. How can mere floating discussions shake or take it away!'"

"'Anyone who dares to obstruct public law and harm officials who are doing their jobs, the national code is there, and they will definitely not be forgiven. The matters of returning land shown are all reasonable.'"

"The Grand Secretary's wording is a bit harsh."

What does it mean: "Anyone who dares to obstruct public law and harm officials who are doing their jobs, the national code is there, and they will definitely not be forgiven"?

This letter from Zhang Zhang Juzheng was a real threat, not speaking of any human feelings at all. If you don't return the land, obstruct public law, or even harm officials who are doing their jobs, the national code is there, and you will definitely not be forgiven!

Zhu Zhu Yijun read the book and knew that the word 'pu' used here did not mean 'servant,' but was a humble term used by men, similar to the humble term 'biren' (this lowly person).

"I fear that Xu Xu Jie does not know the severity of the situation and will do something rebellious. By then, I fear that the spilled water will be hard to collect, and no one will be able to save him. The words are unpleasant, but it is because Lord Xu of Xu Huating is handling things in an ugly way." Zhang Zhang Juzheng also said helplessly.

If you want to be corrupt, be corrupt. But to be corrupt so much that you are investigated to the bottom—how can Zhang Zhang Juzheng protect him in this case? Two hundred and forty thousand mu of land, even if calculated at ten thousand mu for a first-rank official, the land under Xu Xu Jie's name was twenty-four times the prescribed amount.

As Zhang Zhang Juzheng's teacher, Xu Xu Jie had the grace of preaching, teaching, and resolving doubts, and of promotion. This was the private feeling that Zhang Zhang Juzheng had to repay. He could not help but speak for Xu Xu Jie, but since the words had reached this point, if Xu Xu Jie still did not know what was good for him, then he really could not blame Zhang Zhang Juzheng.

Zhu Zhu Yijun handed the two letters to Zhang Hong. Feng Bao sealed the two letters with fire wax and sent them to the Kowloon Post House, to be sent to Yingtian Prefecture and Songjiang Prefecture.

"I am here to resolve doubts for Your Majesty." Zhang Zhang Juzheng saw that this matter was finished and began today's lecture.

"The Grand Secretary has not yet resolved the doubts I asked a few days ago." Zhu Zhu Yijun had asked: Are the spear and the shield always correct?

The Grand Secretary had waited a long time without answering.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng had actually figured out this question. He bowed his head and said: "I have gained some understanding. There is a saying: 'Solitary yin does not grow, and solitary yang does not grow, so heaven and earth are matched with yin and yang.'"

"'The Tao Te Ching' says: 'The Tao produced One; One produced Two; Two produced Three; Three produced All things. All things leave behind them the Obscurity (yin) and embrace the Brightness (yang), and are harmonized by the immaterial breath (chong qi).'"

"A simple sharp spear and a simple strong shield cannot last long, nor can they be sharper or stronger. It is like solitary yin not growing and solitary yang not growing, so heaven and earth have yin and yang, and also have contradictions."

"The Tao is unique. The Tao itself contains yin and yang. The two qi of yin and yang intersect to form a balanced state where you have me and I have you, and all things are produced in this state."

"All things turn their backs on yin and face yang, and turn their backs on yang and face yin, and form a new balance in the mutual agitation of the two qi of yin and yang, which is called 'harmonized by the immaterial breath.'"

"Yin and yang come from the Tao, and contradictions also come from the Tao. Yin is yang, and yang is also yin. The spear is the shield, and the shield is also the spear. The spear and the shield are like the two qi of yin and yang of heaven and earth, and the spear and the shield strike each other to form a balanced state."

Zhu Zhu Yijun listened carefully to Zhang Zhang Juzheng's statement. This was still about the spear and shield striking each other, producing doubts, and then resolving them. It was the role of contradictions in the development of things, and it was not exactly the same as what Zhu Zhu Yijun wanted to hear.

"Is this the Grand Secretary's answer?" Zhu Zhu Yijun was silent for a long time and asked.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng continued: "The spear and the shield are originally one body. At that time it was a spear, and at this time it is a shield. They are not always correct. Sometimes, the spear is blocked by the shield, and sometimes, the shield is pierced by the spear."

"This sentence is slightly difficult to understand. I will take the faction as an example."

"At the very beginning, the Jin Party was a sharp spear, coming together to resolve the conflict with Altan Khan. The force in the court that opposed reconciliation and insisted on fighting regardless of the people's livelihood was the strong shield."

"After Altan Khan's tribute was sealed, the Jin Party became a faction. They pursued the same interests and avoided the same harms. At this time, the Jin Party deteriorated and became a strong shield."

"The Grand Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Yang Bo, was dissatisfied with Zhang Zhang Siwei and Wang Wang Chonggu doing those shameful things behind his back, denied Zhang Zhang Siwei's 'pursuing the same interests and avoiding the same harms,' and for the sake of continuation, proposed respecting the Emperor's power of majesty and fortune, resisting the Grand Secretary's 'overawing the Emperor.' This formed a new spear and shield."

"The Jin Party denied the court's wind, and the faction denied the Jin Party's achievements. The Grand Minister Yang denied the faction's program of forming cliques. Now Ge Ge Shouli is the new sharp spear, and Wang Wang Chonggu and Zhang Zhang Siwei have become the strong shield."

"Where there are contradictions, there must be struggle. Only by constantly denying each other can the Jin Party constantly move forward, shake off the shackles of the faction, and transform again."

"The Jin Party is like this, my Zhang Dang and the Jin Party are also like this, the Zhe Party and the Zhang Dang are also like this, the Minister's power and the Emperor's power are also like this. The infinite principles of all things in the world are also like this."

After Zhang Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, he was not entirely sure whether the ten-year-old ruler of the Great Ming could understand what he was saying.

In order to solve this problem, Zhang Zhang Juzheng had also read all of Laozi's works, gained some understanding, and in order to resolve the Emperor's doubts, Zhang Zhang Juzheng had truly done his best.

After Zhu Zhu Yijun heard this, his eyes lit up. He smiled and said: "The Grand Secretary's words are deafening. I once took Hu Hai Zongxian as an example."

"Hu Hai Zongxian clung to Yan Song and Yan Yan Shifan, father and son, and was the Regional Commander for suppressing the Japanese pirates in the southeast, pacifying the Japanese pirates. This is the essence, the reality of practice, and the merit of checking the enemy."

"But it is also a fact that Hu Hai Zongxian clung to Yan Song and his son. This achievement cannot distinguish Hu Hai Zongxian as an individual from the Yan Dang as a collective. This is both unity and opposition."

"When Xu Xu Jie presided over the fall of Yan Song, from affirming Hu Hai Zongxian's merit to completely denying Hu Hai Zongxian's merit, and even creating the forged imperial edict handwritten by Hu Hai Zongxian, which eventually led to a tragedy—this was a process of complete negation."

"When Gao Gong was in power, Wang Daokun, Shen Shen Mingchen, and others campaigned for Hu Hai Zongxian."

"The imperial court began to re-evaluate Hu Hai Zongxian's specific merits and demerits. Only when seeing the Jin Party become a faction did they know the difficulty of Hu Hai Zongxian's pacification of the Japanese pirates and the eradication of the Japanese pirate menace. Therefore, they rectified Hu Hai Zongxian's name. This is analyzing specific things specifically, merit is merit, demerit is demerit, one is one, two is two, the reality of practice."

"Finally, it is now. After Hence Hai Rui returned to court, he once again launched a discussion on Xu Xu Jie's return of land, which led to the Hu Hai Zongxian unjust case. Analyzing the pros and cons of Xu Xu Jie's governance and the impact of the Hu Hai Zongxian unjust case from all aspects, we finally got the result that Hu Hai Zongxian's merit in pacifying the Japanese pirates was recorded and he received a posthumous title, while Xu Xu Jie must return the land."

"Confusing the phenomenon of affirmation, the form of complete negation, the truth of specific analysis, and the harmony of comprehensive compromise—the development of things has gone through two negations and become clear and certain. Is this the 'negation of negation' that the Grand Secretary wants to say?"

Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Zhang Juzheng. How could Zhang Zhang Juzheng himself not be like this?

Zhang Zhang Juzheng's New Policy is affirmation, Zhang Zhang Siwei's governance and counter-attack on Zhang Zhang Juzheng is complete negation, and the Emperor Wanli Emperor completely losing Zhang Zhang Juzheng, only then knowing that the Great Ming Empire had only one Zhang Zhang Juzheng, isolated and helpless, and rotting for thirty years—is this the negation of negation?

The infinite principles of all things, in affirmation, negation, and negation again, circulate and spiral forward.

"Your Majesty is wise and philosophical!" Hearing the Emperor's summary, Zhang Zhang Juzheng was quite moved. The Emperor's summary was very much to the point, and he used vernacular to explain his words very clearly.

Zhu Zhu Yijun smiled and said: "Up to this point, the Grand Secretary has established the definition of contradiction from the metaphysical knowledge in the heart and the physical practice, established the definition of contradiction, just like knowledge and action, as an opposite and unified existence, interpreted Yang Bo's problem of the gentleman and the villain, interpreted the changes of the Jin Party, and interpreted the whole story of the Hu Hai Zongxian unjust case."

"Let's start publishing 'On Contradiction' with these three cases."

Zhang Zhang Juzheng was stunned. The young Emperor was truly killing people and punishing their hearts. Xu Xu Jie was not dead yet, and he was already nailed to the pillar of shame in history.

Zhu Zhu Yijun continued: "One yin and one yang is called the Tao. Those who follow it are good, and those who complete it are nature. One cannot hold on to one as a fixed image, and one cannot fix the name. From the universal connection between the infinite principles of all things, the universal existence of contradictions is established. Contradictions exist in all things and run through the development of the infinite principles of all things, that is, contradictions are everywhere and at all times."

"'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; a mountain of nine tiers begins with a basket of earth.' The development of things is always accumulated under one collision of contradictions after another. Either the spear is broken in the collision, or the shield is pierced in the collision, and finally, a quantitative change becomes a qualitative change."

"And from the universal existence of contradictions in the infinite principles of all things, the process of promoting the infinite principles of all things and the development of things is extended to: phenomenon—negation—truth—harmony, this basic process of negation of negation."

"The shield that cannot be pierced and the spear that cannot be blocked will inevitably produce conflict. Where there is conflict, there will be struggle, and this continuous process of struggle completes the mutual transformation of the spear and the shield, determining that contradictions, like knowledge and action, are the two sides of a silver coin. Solitary yin does not grow, and solitary yang does not grow, so heaven and earth are matched with yin and yang."

"And in the process of this struggle, one must maintain the struggle without breaking, and distinguish between the principal contradiction and the secondary contradiction. If one cannot distinguish between the urgent and the slow, and the primary and secondary are unclear, the spear will break and the shield will pierce in the collision of contradictions, which is the warning of the two Song dynasties' factionalism."

"In this way, 'On Contradiction' is now complete, and it can be published and printed throughout the world."

"The Grand Secretary's name will surely spread through history, and his grace will protect future generations."

Zhu Zhu Yijun took his finished notes and summarized Zhang Zhang Juzheng's "On Contradiction" bit by bit.

After Zhang Zhang Juzheng completely answered Zhu Zhu Yijun's questions, the content of "On Contradiction" would no longer be circulated in a small range, but would be published and printed throughout the world as a prominent study, going a step further than Wang Wang Yangming's "Zhixing Zhixing Heyi of Knowledge and Action" and "Extending Innate Knowledge," using reason to interpret the root of the infinite principles of all things.

Seeking the best and getting the middle, even if it is to oppose Zhang Zhang Juzheng's "On Contradiction," one must also take "Zhixing Zhixing Heyi of Knowledge and Action" and "Extending Innate Knowledge" as the basis for counter-attack.

The castrated version of Wang Wang Yangming's Mind Learning, which only talks about "Extending Innate Knowledge" and not "Zhixing Zhixing Heyi of Knowledge and Action," is vulnerable in the face of the dialectical "On Contradiction."

"I dare not covet the merit of heaven; it all relies on Your Majesty's wisdom." Zhang Zhang Juzheng hurriedly bowed his head and said.

This means that Zhu Zhu Yijun, as the Emperor, is the general person in charge of "On Contradiction," the corresponding author, while Zhang Zhang Juzheng and Yang Bo are both authors.

"What are we talking about today?" Zhu Zhu Yijun saw that the Expositors and Readers had finished recording and asked with a smile.

"The Analects." Zhang Zhang Juzheng had already mastered "On Contradiction," smashed his own ideological shackles, and when he spoke to the Emperor again, he became like a fish in water during the lectures.

For example, this sentence: The Master said: "Can you govern the state by ritual and deference? What difficulty would there be? If you cannot govern the state by ritual and deference, what can you do with ritual?"

It means: The Master said: If you can govern the state by ritual and deference, then what difficulty is there? If you cannot govern the state by ritual and deference, then what can you do with ritual?

Zhang Zhang Juzheng began to speak: "The Master means that when a ruler governs a state, he cannot rely solely on legal prohibitions; he must prioritize ritual and deference. Ritual is used to distinguish between the noble and the humble, and to distinguish between the upper and the lower."

"For example, there is the ritual of the court between the ruler and the minister. If the superior is not arrogant and the subordinate is not presumptuous, the status will naturally be peaceful. This is the ritual and deference between the ruler and the minister;"

"There is the ritual of the family between father and son. If the father is kind and the son is filial, the feelings will naturally be governed. This is the ritual and deference between father and son."

"Ritual and deference is the reality of practicing ritual."

Zhu Zhu Yijun said with a strange expression: "Grand Secretary, I have doubts."

"I am here to resolve doubts for Your Majesty." This time Zhang Zhang Juzheng was full of confidence.

Zhu Zhu Yijun asked calmly: "According to what the Master said, if you can govern the state by ritual and deference, then what difficulty is there?"

"It seems that I only need to ensure that the rituals I perform are all based on the truth of respect and humility, then ritual and education will be enough to train the customs and clear the atmosphere, and sincerity will be enough to make the ministers loyal and unswerving. Then the officials and the people will naturally and automatically follow the rules and return to the two words 'ritual and deference.' The discipline can be corrected, and the customs can be pure."

"Is it really like this?"

Zhang Zhang Juzheng pondered for a moment before speaking: "The principle is indeed so, but the way of heaven is not constant. Today, the subordinate is presumptuous, the superior is young, the status cannot be peaceful, the father is not kind, the son is not filial, and the feelings cannot be governed. The ritual and deference between the ruler and the minister, and father and son, have already vanished. Therefore, legal prohibitions are needed to enrich the country to pacify the world, and strengthen the army to punish the disobedient."

Zhu Zhu Yijun discovered that Zhang Zhang Juzheng was already able to skillfully use "On Contradiction" to interpret some problems in Confucianism that could not be explained.

"Hmm, that's it." Zhu Zhu Yijun nodded with satisfaction and continued his daily lectures.

The lecture ended, and Zhu Zhu Yijun stood up and bowed slightly, signifying the end of today's lecture.

"Does the Grand Secretary think Xu Xu Jie will surrender without a fight and honestly return the land?" Zhu Zhu Yijun asked suddenly as he was leaving.

Some people say that I update once a day! ╭╮ It is clearly two updates a day, 8,000 words per update, 16,000 words a day!! ╭╮! ===== CHAPTER 84 =====