Chapter 86

I truly do not attend to my proper duties. Main text, Chapter 86: Appoint the virtuous when they are capable, and dismiss them when they are not. The situation in Xuanfu and Datong has already rotted to the point where it must be plowed over again. Because it has already effectively become a system of warlordism, if the Jin Party is not completely eliminated to achieve the effect of deterrence and punishment, warlordism will gradually spread to every corner of the Great Ming. Once others discover the warlordism, and the imperial court is helpless, they will certainly learn this practice in a big way.

Northeast, southeast, southwest—all four directions are restless.

For example, in the northeast direction, Li Li Chengliang. He now has the basic conditions for warlordism. Once the imperial court is helpless against the Jin Party, Li Li Chengliang will let go of his hands and feet in the northeast to carry out warlordism, fostering bandits to increase his own importance, and relaxing defenses to appease the enemy.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng does not want to leave the young emperor a mess that is difficult to clean up. Without the support of imperial power, he cannot pursue and strike the Jin Party relentlessly. Fortunately, now the young emperor is backing him, allowing him to do so.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng wants to force Zhang Zhang Siwei into rebellion.

Zhang Zhang Siwei is truly about to go crazy.

Wu Dui is a member of their Jin Party.

In the fifth year of Emperor Longqing, Wu Dui was promoted by Gao Gong to Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief and went to Xuanfu as Provincial Governor, ranking below Wang Wang Chonggu. Regarding the matter of Altan Khan's tribute, Wu Dui exhausted his efforts and planned carefully, befriending Altan Khan's wife, San San Niangzi. Once the border lit up with smoke signals, he went directly to San San Niangzi to handle it. Wu Dui also frequently sent people to deliver rare gifts from the grasslands to San San Niangzi, and eventually invited Altan Khan's wife, San San Niangzi, to Xuanfu to visit and stay for leisure.

San San Niangzi came to Xuanfu as a guest, often staying in Wu Dui's military camp, entering and leaving Wu Dui's inner residence as if it were an empty place. She could take whatever she liked, such as the famous Eight-Treasure Crown, the Hundred-Phoenix Cloud Robe, and the Red-Bone Cloud Skirt. San San Niangzi was good at spinning dances and often showed intimacy at Wu Dui's knees. When the dancing was at its most spirited, she would even collapse into Wu Dui's embrace.

It could be described as: singing and drinking to intoxication, dancing and forgetting to return.

Wu Dui and San San Niangzi had a very close private friendship, which is also the main reason for the excuse Ge Ge Shouli used when he was deceived.

Wu Dui truly had an inside contact among the Northern Barbarians, and it was Altan Khan's wife, San San Niangzi, the true ruler of the Great Ming's Golden State.

Wu Dui and San San Niangzi's "friendship" was the main means of mediating border conflicts. Wu Dui himself was also the core figure of the Jin Party in presiding over Altan Khan's tribute and the privileged border trade, as well as the designer and founder of the tribute market system. If Wu Dui cannot escape disaster this time, this Altan Khan tribute and the border tribute market are likely to fall into chaos.

As for this matter of falsely reporting the barbarian situation, it was because Wu Dui was dissatisfied with the current Grand Secretary's flip-flopping and not allowing Zhang Zhang Siwei to return to the capital to serve as an official; he did it deliberately to cause trouble for the capital.

Zhang Zhang Siwei must run around for Wu Dui, so when he heard that Wu Dui had been taken to the capital for interrogation, he immediately began to mobilize the Censorate officials to plead for Wu Dui. However, the Jin Party's Censorate officials were first controlled by Yang Bo, and now they have been completely won over by the Jin Party's new leader, Ge Ge Shouli.

Ge Ge Shouli was the one who forced the Grand Secretary to change the "Emperor's Inspection of Military Horses" to "Reviewing Military Horses," which was a rare victory for the Jin Party!

Zhang Zhang Siwei tasted the fickleness of the world where people leave and the tea goes cold. When Wang Wang Chonggu and Yang Bo were in the Zhao Wenhua Hall, these Censorate officials called them "Young Master" with every breath, showing extreme flattery. Once Wang Wang Chonggu and Yang Bo left and Zhang Zhang Siwei came to visit, these Censorate officials immediately began to talk about other things and simply refused to agree. In fact, without a "brick to knock on the door," he couldn't even get through the door.

Zhang Zhang Siwei ran around for half a day and only found two or three censors willing to voice support for this matter, but this kind of support was extremely weak because the trouble Wu Dui caused violated the basic rules of the officialdom; the rules were there.

Bypassing the Regional Commander to report the barbarian situation.

Times have changed; it is no longer the time when Gao Gong was in power.

In order to deal with this barbarian situation, the Grand Secretary sent court officials to various places in the capital region, ready for battle and defense at any time. What status did Wu Dui have to play tricks on the Great Ming's public officials, including the leader of the Jin Party, and His Majesty?

After Wang Wang Chonggu heard about it, he wrote a letter from Xuanfu to Ge Ge Shouli, requesting the leader to help, but Ge Ge Shouli did not reply.

Zhang Zhang Siwei was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He went to the Quanchu Guild Hall to request an audience with Zhang Zhang Juzheng, but the Quanchu Guild Hall told Zhang Zhang Siwei that the number of requests for an audience this year had already been used up during the previous inquiry about the conditions for returning to the capital, and the Quanchu Guild Hall was undergoing renovations and was not convenient for receiving guests.

Renovating and not receiving guests is a good excuse.

The gates of the Quanchu Guild Hall were tightly closed, simply refusing to see Zhang Zhang Siwei.

Zhang Zhang Siwei finally had no other choice. Carrying two thousand taels of silver as a tribute, he came to the Quanjin Guild Hall to ask Ge Ge Shouli for help. Ge Ge Shouli announced that the tribute would be halved, but Zhang Zhang Siwei brought enough tribute and asked Ge Ge Shouli for help.

Ge Ge Shouli let Zhang Zhang Siwei into the Quanjin Guild Hall; this was the only way to keep the internal contradictions of the Jin Party in a situation of fighting without breaking.

"Master Ge, save Wu Dui." Zhang Zhang Siwei bowed his head quite earnestly and said, completely devoid of his previous arrogance. He humbled himself, lowered his head, and was extremely respectful in his attitude. No matter how much he hated in his heart, he could only endure it.

Once power is lost, even ghosts won't come to the door. Previously, Zhang Zhang Siwei relied on his two uncles in the court to jump around, but now he has suffered enough.

Ge Ge Shouli chuckled and said, "Wu Dui is a member of my Quanjin Guild Hall; naturally, I will save him. When Wu Dui was escorted to the capital, I first went to the Ministry of Justice, and then went to the Northern Depot to see him. If I had waited for you to come to my door, Wu Dui's corpse would probably have already gone cold."

"Your uncle, the Viceroy of Xuan-Da, Wang Wang Chonggu, sent a letter, and I also replied, asking him to think of a way from San San Niangzi's side and get a handwritten letter as evidence to confirm that Wu Dui was only deceived and blinded by others and was eager for merit, rather than threatening his sovereign. If this happens, there is still room for mediation."

Zhang Zhang Siwei let out a long sigh of relief and said with a smile, "This matter is easy to handle."

Ge Ge Shouli waved his hand and said, "This matter is the hardest to handle."

"Zhang Zhang Siwei, don't you understand?"

"Altan Khan and San San Niangzi, the reason they are on good terms with our Jin Party is because we are officials of the imperial court, can influence the court's decisions, can maintain border stability, and can provide them with salt, iron pots, cloth, tea, and other items. Once we are no longer officials of the imperial court, will San San Niangzi still be willing to write this letter for Wu Dui?"

"Without the imperial court, the Jin Party is just meat on the Tatar's plate. Your money, your fields, your grain, and your servants are all just temporarily deposited with you. The Tatars can grab their knives and take them at any time. If you don't understand this principle, and try to use the barbarians to threaten the imperial court, San San Niangzi might just laugh at you!"

"Altan Khan's San San Niangzi is willing to fawn over Wu Dui. Do you think she is fawning over our Jin Party?"

"If you forge a handwritten letter, and the envoys of the Great Ming's Golden State enter the capital, and the court asks about it, and there is no such letter, this will be Wu Dui's second crime of deceiving the emperor. Being taken to the Dissection Institute would be getting off easy for him."

"If you go to beg the Tatars, the contradiction between the Jin Party and the imperial court will become a joke in the eyes of the Great Ming's Golden State. They will inevitably treat you with contempt. Zhang Zhang Siwei, I can understand this principle; why can't you?"

"This matter is very difficult to handle."

Zhang Zhang Siwei was silent. Ge Ge Shouli's words were indeed like a heavy hammer hitting Zhang Zhang Siwei's heart. If San San Niangzi knew the truth, it would be very difficult to get this handwritten letter. Even if it could be obtained, the Tatars would look down on their Jin Party, look down on Wang Wang Chonggu, and look down on Zhang Zhang Siwei from then on.

This kind of fraud and forgery of a handwritten letter might deceive people for a while, but it won't deceive them forever.

"If you understand, go and do it. As long as San San Niangzi's handwritten letter enters the capital, the stain on Wu Dui will be washed away. Go, go." Ge Ge Shouli sat firmly and had no intention of seeing Zhang Zhang Siwei off.

Using Zhang Zhang Juzheng to beat Wang Wang Chonggu and Zhang Zhang Siwei to establish Ge Ge Shouli's prestige within the Jin Party—this was the method Yang Bo taught Ge Ge Shouli.

When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer. The trouble caused by Zhang Zhang Siwei and Wang Wang Chonggu will implicate the entire Jin Party.

Zhang Zhang Siwei was full of unwillingness, but he still gritted his teeth and left the Quanjin Guild Hall. This guild hall that almost fell into his hands was now difficult to even enter, just because Yang Bo suddenly gave him a cold shoulder when he left, making Zhang Zhang Siwei miss the position of party leader.

He who travels a hundred miles finds the halfway point at ninety. When you are only one step away from success, it is the most dangerous time. Even the young emperor understands this principle, but Zhang Zhang Siwei does not.

But Zhang Zhang Siwei's biggest problem was that he took advantage of Yang Bo's absence to use the Quanjin Guild Hall to coerce and lure Li Le, without informing Yang Bo in advance.

Does he really think Yang Bo has no temper at all?

It wasn't until the end of the tenth month that Zhang Zhang Siwei exhausted his efforts and used who knows how many favors to obtain San San Niangzi's handwritten letter and send it to Ge Ge Shouli. At the court meeting, Ge Ge Shouli took the handwritten letter and rescued Wu Dui. However, Zhang Zhang Juzheng transferred Wu Dui to Xuanfu. Since he was willing to "sing and drink to intoxication, dancing and forgetting to return" with San San Niangzi in Xuanfu, then he should continue to serve as the Provincial Governor of Xuanfu and continue to collude with Wang Wang Chonggu.

It would be best if he rebelled.

Zhu Zhu Yijun stamped the memorial, and Wu Dui finally walked out of the prison.

After leaving the prison, Wu Dui did not look for Zhang Zhang Siwei. After bathing and changing clothes to wash away the bad luck, he first went to the Quanjin Guild Hall, took two thousand taels of silver as a tribute, and requested an audience to thank Ge Ge Shouli for his life-saving grace.

As soon as Wu Dui sat down, he said angrily, "The Grand Secretary is bullying people too much! In the second and fifth years of Emperor Longqing, Fang Fang Fengshi falsely reported the military situation and nothing happened to him. Why is it that when it's my turn, I have to suffer this prison disaster!"

In the second and fifth years of Emperor Longqing, it was Fang Fang Fengshi who falsely reported the military situation, and nothing happened to him. He is still the Provincial Governor of Datong. Why is it that when it's his turn, with the same practice, he was thrown into prison for more than a month and suffered all kinds of torture?

Ge Ge Shouli looked at Wu Dui and knew that he had no intention of repenting at all. He didn't think he had done anything wrong. This prison was clearly not enough for him.

He should have let the Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander Zhu Zhu Xixiao put Wu Dui through the five poisons torture to let him suffer a bit.

Ge Ge Shouli pondered for a moment and said, "At that time, Master Gao was in power; today, the Grand Secretary is in power. Naturally, it is different. Your treatment has already been very good."

"Stop complaining. The Grand Secretary is Xu Xu Jie's student. How did Xu Xu Jie force Hu Hai Zongxian to his death in less than a month back then? We are all witnesses. We all know what the situation was like back then."

"You ate well, drank well, and lived well in prison for more than a month. You didn't suffer the five poisons torture, and you weren't made to eat chaff and drink thin gruel. The cell was cleaned up for you, and there were no snakes or insects. Say less. If the Grand Secretary hears you, and he really gets anxious and learns from Xu Xu Jie, can you survive a month?"

Wu Dui finally showed a fearful expression. Everyone knew Zhang Zhang Juzheng's methods were brilliant, but he still stubbornly said, "How dare the Grand Secretary be so reckless! He... he wouldn't!"

Ge Ge Shouli said as a matter of course, "That's why we must respect the sovereign's power of authority, so that the Grand Secretary cannot intimidate the sovereign, and also let the sovereign restrict the Grand Secretary from doing whatever he wants!"

Wu Dui pondered for a long time. This logic was truly seamless. He had to bow his head and say, "What Master Ge says makes so much sense."

"This is all thanks to Master Yang's good teaching. I thought that when you came out, you would go to find Zhang Zhang Siwei first. After all, he has been running around for you." Ge Ge Shouli waved his hand and brought up Zhang Zhang Siwei.

Wu Dui said quite earnestly, "If it weren't for Master Ge not being afraid of trouble and coming to the prison to give me instructions, if I had said something wrong out of fear, even if Master Ge had great abilities, you wouldn't have been able to save me. I should thank Master Ge for his life-saving grace first, and then thank Zhang Zhang Siwei for his running around."

Ge Ge Shouli picked up his teacup, which meant he was seeing his guest off. He said with a smile, "Well, after you arrive in Xuanfu, you must be careful. Right now, Xuanfu is not only our Jin Party's territory; the Zhang Party and the Zhe Party have both reached in. You must not let anyone get a handle on you, otherwise, I won't be able to save you either."

"Farewell, Master Ge." Wu Dui knelt on the ground and kowtowed before slowly leaving.

Ge Ge Shouli sipped his tea and said to himself, "A two-faced thing, carved from the same mold as Zhang Zhang Siwei."

Ge Ge Shouli is honest, but he is not a fool. Wu Dui and Zhang Zhang Siwei are birds of a feather, two-faced, fawning on this side and fawning on that side. When something really happens, people like Wu Dui only talk about money.

Yang Bo is extremely accurate in judging people. Since he chose Ge Ge Shouli, he also knew that Ge Ge Shouli could do the things he entrusted to him well.

This Jin Party is in good shape under Ge Ge Shouli's management.

After Wu Dui's case came to an end, Zhang Zhang Juzheng's understanding of the theory of contradictions became even more refined. At the lecture the next day, Zhang Zhang Juzheng did not lecture on the Analects, but explained the "Illustrated Theory of Contradictions."

In order to let the young emperor understand the essence of the theory of contradictions, Zhang Zhang Juzheng drew some illustrations to facilitate the young emperor's visual learning.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng stood straight, holding his hands, and said, "A thousand-mile dike collapses because of an ant hole. A thousand-mile dike is often destroyed by the small matter of ants building a nest. The ant is small and weak, but like water dripping through stone, it can pierce through rock."

"Your Majesty, the water that destroys cliffs and rocks starts as a trickle; the towering trees that block the sun start as small branches that have just revealed their green color. The rise and fall of all things in the infinite logic of the world often start from small to large, from hidden to visible."

"But people often ignore small and trivial matters, allowing them to develop into disasters. This is also the reason for preventing trouble before it happens. Being a person is the same principle. If you rest today because of rain or heat, tomorrow you will be discouraged because of laziness, and in the end, you will achieve nothing."

"Today, the clan party has gradually condensed because of border troubles. Ice three feet thick is not formed in a single day. If you want to remove the poison, you also need to move forward one step at a time, treating a serious illness slowly, and removing their influence in military and financial matters bit by bit, only then can they be eradicated."

Zhu Zhu Yijun heard this and said with a full smile, "Thank you, Master, for your teachings."

"I dare not take the credit for heaven; it is all due to the Holy Lord's heavenly wisdom that I have realized this. My words are absurd." Zhang Zhang Juzheng hurriedly bowed his head and said.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng continued, "Your Majesty, contradictions are everywhere and at all times. The opposition and unity, the antagonism and unification of contradictions, determine the antagonistic nature of the back-and-forth struggle between contradictions."

"Just like the internal strife of the Jin Party, Ge Ge Shouli and Zhang Zhang Siwei fighting, the Jin Party and San San Niangzi fighting—where there are contradictions, there will be gaps, and where there are gaps, there are opportunities. Using these opportunities to continuously accumulate seemingly small contradictions will eventually lead to the internal split of the Jin Party. The day of complete split is the day of the clan party's destruction."

Zhang Zhang Juzheng felt it necessary to let His Majesty know the timing of taking action. After His Majesty takes personal control, he will inevitably face this rotten situation. How to take action at the critical moment and how to use contradictions to stir up trouble and establish his own authority is a skill that the emperor must master.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng does not believe that eunuchs have this talent or the ability to use contradictions to expand their results.

"Grand Secretary's words make sense." Zhu Zhu Yijun understood what Zhang Zhang Juzheng was talking about. He was not only talking about the theory of contradictions, but also how to use the theory of contradictions to fight, and he even used Wu Dui's case to demonstrate how to stir up trouble and intensify the enemy's contradictions.

A concrete embodiment of integrating theory with practice.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng began to explain the Analects, saying, "The Master said: The superior man understands righteousness; the inferior man understands profit. 'Yu' means to understand; 'Yi' is where heavenly principle lies; 'Li' is what human desire craves. Here, superior man and inferior man are distinguished by virtue."

"The Master said: The superior man knows where heavenly principle lies when doing things, while the inferior man only knows what human desire craves."

"The Master often speaks of the superior man and the inferior man in opposition; this is the metaphysical common knowledge. Now there is the theory of contradictions—heaven is always changing, the Dao is always changing—which is the metaphysical reality. The superior man and the inferior man are not clearly separated; there are places where they unite."

Zhu Zhu Yijun asked with a smile, "Master, you said this, and you've said both the good and the bad. As expected, Master, you are always right. Then how should I appoint people and handle affairs?"

Zhang Zhang Juzheng heard the emperor's inquiry. The easy days after mastering the theory of contradictions had only lasted two days, and His Majesty's follow-up questions came again!

He thought for a while and said quite solemnly, "Heaven is changing, and people are also changing. The 'me' of today is not the 'me' of yesterday. Knowing people and appointing them depends on appointing the virtuous when they are capable, and dismissing them when they are not."

Zhu Zhu Yijun said with a solemn face, "Grand Secretary, I have a doubt."

Zhang Zhang Juzheng took a deep breath. That indescribable feeling was so familiar, so familiar that Zhang Zhang Juzheng was a little numb. He knew that His Majesty's next words would not be easy to answer. He bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, let's look at the 'Illustrated Mirror for Emperors'; it has illustrations, which are vivid and interesting."

Children should sit at the children's table. Children should do what children should do. Asking questions all day long!

Look at the "Illustrated Mirror for Emperors"!

Don't ask anymore.

Zhu Zhu Yijun said quite earnestly, "Grand Secretary, if you have no determination in doing things, you will be weak. If you only do half of everything and give up halfway, you will lose the courage to face difficulties and become timid. Not being grand and not being resolute makes one a coward. Master, you are the Grand Secretary of the Great Ming, knowledgeable in both learning and human feelings, a person of grandeur and resolution. Are you brave?"

Zhu Zhu Yijun threw a boomerang. This was a principle Zhang Zhang Juzheng taught. Zhang Zhang Juzheng now wants to escape, which is not being loyal to his own inner cognition, not the behavior of a superior man.

Answer my question, don't think about escaping!

"I will resolve your doubts, Your Majesty." Zhang Zhang Juzheng was slightly helpless.

If I had known, I wouldn't have put so much effort into teaching. Looking at the young emperor's sharp-tongued appearance, he felt both gratified and helpless. What was gratifying was that this was what he taught, and what was helpless was that it seemed he had used too much force.

Zhu Zhu Yijun looked puzzled and said, "Master, you said, 'Knowing people and appointing them depends on appointing the virtuous when they are capable, and dismissing them when they are not.' What is virtuous, and what is not virtuous? When is it virtuous? When is it not virtuous? It can't be that whoever I say is virtuous is virtuous. What should I use to distinguish and measure it?"

Zhang Zhang Juzheng only felt a little pressure. He bowed his head and said, "To distinguish and measure it, it lies in the difference between public and private, a difference of a hair's breadth. When it is for public interest, it is virtuous; when it is for private interest, it is not virtuous. When it is for public interest, use them; when it is for private interest, dismiss them."

Zhu Zhu Yijun showed a sunny and brilliant smile. He was waiting for this sentence. He smiled and said, "Grand Secretary, what is public interest? What is private interest? What is public, and what is private?"

"Public interest... public..." Zhang Zhang Juzheng immediately got stuck.

Confucian etiquette and law all talk about personal integrity. It seems that personal integrity becomes the appearance of a sage, and all problems are solved. Looking at the articles of the sages of the past dynasties, there is no clear definition of the word "public."

The "Gao Yao Mo" talks about the nine virtues; the "Hong Fan" talks about the three virtues; the "Analects" talks about warmth, kindness, respect, frugality, and yielding, about overcoming oneself and returning to ritual, about loyalty and trustworthiness, about having few faults and few regrets, about firmness and resolution, and about knowing fate and words; the "Great Learning" talks about knowing when to stop and being cautious when alone, and about guarding against deception; the "Doctrine of the Mean" talks about loving learning and practicing hard, and about being cautious and fearful; the "Mencius" talks about preserving the heart and nourishing nature, and about reflecting on oneself and being forgiving.

These are all personal integrity, all private.

Starting from the opposition and mutual speech in the Analects, public versus private—then what is public? The classics lack a clear definition, and what is public interest is also extremely vague.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng could naturally fool the young emperor by saying a bunch of useless nonsense, but he hoped the young emperor would become talented, so he couldn't fool him like this.

"I am dull. Please allow me to think slowly and answer for Your Majesty." Zhang Zhang Juzheng admitted that there were errors and omissions in his knowledge. Since His Majesty's inquiry made him observe this problem, he naturally had to find a way to give a clear answer to this problem.

"Then look at the 'Illustrated Mirror for Emperors'." Zhu Zhu Yijun was not in a hurry, giving Grand Secretary Zhang time to observe carefully.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng finally breathed a sigh of relief, watching the young emperor transform from an indescribable thing back into a ten-year-old ruler. Was that indescribable thing that could not be described in words the emperor, or was this ten-year-old ruler in front of him the emperor? Or were they both?

The emperor is contradictory, an opposition and unity. The emperor is the emperor; both the indescribable thing and the ten-year-old ruler are the emperor.

The lecture was still going on. Zhu Zhu Yijun's hammer today was a big one, hitting Zhang Zhang Juzheng's "thought steel seal" solidly, making him use the theory of contradictions to find the answer to public and private.

"Thank you, Master, for your teachings." Zhu Zhu Yijun stood up and bowed slightly.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng hurriedly bowed his head and said, "I am ashamed and dare not accept it. I respectfully see His Majesty off."

Zhu Zhu Yijun walked out of the Zhao Wenhua Hall, looked at Feng Bao's distracted appearance, and asked, "What is Feng Feng Dabao thinking about so intently?"

Feng Bao hurriedly said, "I was thinking, the virtue and lack of virtue of the ministers, when is it virtuous, and when is it not virtuous..."

"What is Feng Feng Dabao's answer? What should be used to distinguish and measure virtue and lack of virtue?" Zhu Zhu Yijun asked with a full smile.

Feng Bao pondered for a long time and said, "I dare to speak. I think that being loyal to Your Majesty is virtuous, and not being loyal to Your Majesty is not virtuous. Virtue and lack of virtue are not up to these ministers to decide!"

Feng Bao is the eunuch in charge of the Ceremonial Secretariat. He is responsible for guarding imperial power. Whoever touches imperial power, he bites them. Therefore, his definition of virtue and lack of virtue is naturally whether they are loyal to His Majesty.

Zhu Zhu Yijun said with a full smile, "Your answer has already walked ahead of the Grand Secretary."

Feng Bao was happy. He could walk ahead of the Grand Secretary in terms of principles one day, which really surprised him. For Feng Bao, His Majesty's praise was his life-saving talisman. He bowed his head and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your holy praise."

"Let's go, let's go to the Taiye Pool to fish. Before it's time for lunch, let's practice our aim." Zhu Zhu Yijun did not return to the Qianqing Palace, but went to the Taiye Pool to shoot fish with a slingshot.

His swimming skills were already proficient. He was very close to the white marble railing of the Taiye Pool. It seemed that he only needed a push to fall into the Taiye Pool.

Zhu Zhu Yijun was fishing, and he was also waiting, waiting for someone to push him into the Taiye Pool, thereby triggering a purge that would affect the inside and outside of the Great Ming.

But he didn't wait for it. Zhang Hong and Feng Bao were competing. Regarding protecting His Majesty, the two of them could not be said to be anything but attentive. Let alone three feet, even ten feet away, no evildoer could get close.

Failing to fall into the water, Zhu Zhu Yijun was very regretful. That's it? That's it? He had been so neglectful of his proper duties and had done so many rebellious things; there should have been some strange event that would set everything right.

He had revealed such a big flaw, he was almost ready to jump in himself! And no one would push him?

Today is another day of failing to fall into the water.

When Zhang Zhang Juzheng returned to the Quanchu Guild Hall, he was very surprised to see someone holding a visiting card and pacing back and forth. This person was Wu Dui.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng got off his sedan chair, walked over, and said with a smile, "Huanzhou, why are you here? Have you been to the Quanjin Guild Hall?"

"I have been there, and I have thanked the Chief Censor Ge for his life-saving grace." Wu Dui put away the visiting card, bowed his head, and said, "Thank you, Grand Secretary, for not killing me."

Wu Dui came to thank Zhang Zhang Juzheng. Whether this case was supervised by Zhang Zhang Juzheng and could pass, or whether Zhang Zhang Juzheng showed mercy, he knew.

San San Niangzi's letter took so long to enter the capital. Whether Wu Dui was deceived by others, or whether Wu Dui wanted to cause trouble for the imperial court, they were all thousand-year-old foxes; everyone knew what was going on in their hearts.

In the end, it was Zhang Zhang Juzheng who did not pursue it too much. Otherwise, even if Wu Dui didn't die, he would have lost a layer of skin. With this letter, Zhang Zhang Juzheng agreed it was evidence, so it was evidence. If he didn't admit it was evidence, he could have handled Wu Dui by holding onto the fact that the material evidence hadn't been produced for half a month.

And if he had added the charge of colluding with the barbarians, he could have sent Wu Dui to the Dissection Institute to be sliced into a thousand pieces.

Moreover, Wu Dui had also offended Zhang Zhang Juzheng.

"You and I had old ties in the past, and there were days when we exchanged letters frequently. Those who follow different paths do not conspire together. Since you are here today, I will give you a piece of advice: do not be obsessed anymore." After Zhang Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, he ignored Wu Dui and walked into the guild hall.

That is all that needs to be said.

Wu Dui and Zhang Zhang Juzheng were once comrades at the end of the Emperor Jiajing era and the beginning of the Emperor Longqing era, but later they slowly drifted apart.

Zhu Zhu Yijun finished his lunch and planned to rest for a while before practicing martial arts. After Empress Dowager Li examined Zhu Zhu Yijun's schoolwork, she sighed and said, "Wu Dui was originally Zhang Zhang Juzheng's man, or more accurately, a fellow traveler of Zhang Zhang Juzheng. Later, as he walked, he walked onto a crooked path."

"Hmm?" Zhu Zhu Yijun was extremely surprised. It was the first time he had heard this.

Empress Dowager Li said with full emotion, "In the early years of Emperor Longqing, the Great Ming and the Tatars were both tired of fighting and intended to negotiate peace. The opposition in the court was very strong. At that time, Gao Gong and Zhang Zhang Juzheng both supported peace. Gao Gong appointed Wang Wang Chonggu, and Wu Dui was one of the supporters. Grand Secretary Zhang was already the Junior Grand Secretary at that time, so he promoted Wu Dui to Xuan-Da."

"They could have been fellow travelers, but as they walked, they drifted apart. Specifically, after the tribute market was formally established, wealth moved people's hearts. People will eventually change."

"So that's how it is." Zhu Zhu Yijun finally understood that Zhang Zhang Juzheng and Wu Dui actually had this kind of origin—the grace of recommendation.

Wu Dui did not become Zhang Zhang Juzheng's student, but Wu Dui strongly supported the tribute market and had his own unique insights into it. Zhang Zhang Juzheng therefore recommended Wu Dui. Wu Dui went to Xuanfu and Datong and got mixed up with the Jin Party.

This was not Zhang Zhang Juzheng's misjudgment. Wu Dui managed the tribute market extremely well and indeed handled the errand well. It was just that their ambitions were different. The two drifted further and further apart, and their correspondence eventually ceased. Time flies, and now things are different.

In the Northern Depot, Wu Dui's case temporarily came to an end. On the charge of lightly believing the barbarians' words, Wu Dui was driven back to Xuanfu and Datong.

At this time, in the Southern Depot, the matter of investigating the occupation of land by powerful families was slowly unfolding.

Yu Yu Dayou, Wang Daokun, Zhang Cheng, and others arrived in Songjiang Prefecture one after another. As soon as they arrived, they did not immediately preside over the return of land, but instead requested the case files from when Hence Hai Rui was the Viceroy of Yingtian. They verified the amount of land occupied by Xu Xu Jie. The number of fields cleared was based on Hence Hai Rui's investigation. No matter whose name these fields were currently under, they had to be returned to the imperial court.

Yu Yu Dayou was waiting, waiting for the imperial court to dispatch southern troops to Songjiang Prefecture. Before that, Wang Daokun did not intend to completely tear his face off with Xu Xu Jie.

If the troops did not arrive and they forced him too much, they were afraid of riots, and it would be easy to give others an opportunity. Now it should be Xu Xu Jie who is anxious, not the imperial envoys of the Great Ming who are handling this case.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng's letter was also sent from the Jiulong Guanyi in the Southern Depot to Xu Huating in Songjiang Prefecture, and delivered to Xu Xu Jie's residence.

Xu Xu Jie's residence was located in Jinze, Qingpu, occupying more than two hundred mu of land. It was an extremely luxurious Jiangnan garden. Before entering the gate, one could see a Taishi Tower. When Xu Xu Jie retired, he was the Grand Preceptor of the Crown Prince, so he naturally had the qualification to build this kind of plaque to show his status. This huge archway had three entrances, was five bays wide, and had two floors inside the gatehouse.

Guests arriving at this archway all had to dismount from their horses and sedan chairs and walk inside. Only after crossing this Taishi Tower could they be considered to have entered Xu Xu Jie's residence, the Jinze Garden.

Carved beams and jade buildings, water pavilions and towers filled the space. As soon as one entered the gate, there was a Taihu stone shadow wall with the words written on it: "Heaven and earth are natural, and nature is all good."

The messenger handed the letter from the capital to Xu Xu Jie. Xu Xu Jie had been restless for several months, and finally waited for this letter. He opened the letter impatiently, his face turning ashen.

What was meant to come, finally came.

Thanks to book friend "Yi Shi Gong" for the 1500-point reward, thanks to book friend "Huo Ha" for the 1500-point reward, and thanks to the readers for their recognition and support. Awoo!!!! Seeking monthly tickets.