[{"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-95":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},2363364,4622,"Chapter 95: Ninety-Fifth Chapter: A Guest Star Invades the Emperor","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-95",95,"\u003Cp>I truly am not fulfilling my duties. Volume Ninety-Five: A Guest Star Invades the Emperor’s Seat, the Corrupt Minister Oversteps His Master (Part One). Zhang Juzheng felt a trace of regret for Xu Fan; his father was certainly no easy man to handle—how many times could Xu Fan save him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Xu Fan could save his father, could he save all the scholar-officials and powerful elites of the Southern Court?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng sat in a grand armchair, aiming his telescope at a star in the sky, glowing with a crimson-gold light, as large as a lantern, visible even in daylight—it was a guest star in the Ge Dao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Purple Forbidden Enclosure is the entire celestial palace where the Heavenly Emperor resides; three stars to the left are called the Heavenly Spear, five stars to the right are called the Heavenly Club, and six stars stretching across the Milky Way toward the Room constellation form the Ge Dao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Appearing among the stars like a guest, not constant, hence called a guest star.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the celestial palace, the path entering the Purple Forbidden Enclosure from the Southern Celestial Gate is called the Ge Dao; suddenly, a star not meant to be there appeared on the Ge Dao—its size like a lantern, crimson-gold in hue. Such stars appear abruptly and vanish just as suddenly, like guests, hence called guest stars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the third day of the tenth month last year, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau observed this new star; it lasted nineteen days, growing brighter and brighter, causing the Bureau to panic and urgently report it. The two Empress Dowagers were deeply alarmed—not only they, but even the Astronomical Bureau, which specialized in observing celestial phenomena, had never seen such a legendary phenomenon before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thereupon, the Great Ming revived a ritual not used in countless years: divination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After more than a dozen divinations, each yielded a different result, forcing the Astronomical Bureau to select the most favorable omen and report: “When brightness flourishes, a great sage resides in court—great fortune!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But among the people, opinions differed entirely: they believed Zhang Juzheng had driven out Gao Gong and provoked Heaven’s warning. This guest star appeared in the Ge Dao, which lies within the Purple Forbidden Enclosure, so the popular rumor spread: “A guest star invades the Emperor’s seat; a corrupt minister oversteps his master.” This omen circulated widely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This plunged Zhang Juzheng into a passive position; he submitted seven memorials in succession, begging to retire to clarify public perception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Celestial phenomena are celestial phenomena; court affairs are court affairs. There was simply no one who could replace Zhang Juzheng to manage state affairs while the Emperor was still young, so the palace refused his request to retire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, the entire court was in turmoil, as if a great calamity were imminent. Zhang Juzheng again sought to resign; the young Emperor summoned him to the palace, and the two Empress Dowagers, behind their screen, asked what should be done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To avert the calamity of this celestial omen, Zhang Juzheng replied: “The ruler and minister are one body; I humbly request that all departments, internal and external, thoroughly examine and reform themselves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Examination and reform” meant self-cultivation and reflection, reducing extravagance, curtailing sacrifices, suspending music and rites, and reflecting on one’s faults—all to continue until the guest star vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A year has passed; the guest star still glows faintly in the Ge Dao, but its brilliance has greatly diminished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A guest star invades the Emperor’s seat; the Astronomer reports the heavens; the people believe in omens; the three parts are as floating clouds.” Zhang Juzheng lowered his telescope, carefully tightened the dust cover, and made his own judgment on the guest star.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng did not believe in omens at all. If the guest star truly invaded the Emperor’s seat, would that not mean the Emperor’s throne was in peril? Yet this star had already faded far from its former glory—where was the corrupt minister overstepping his master?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the past year, Zhang Juzheng had been severely hampered by this sudden star. Censorial officials, in their memorials impeaching him, always brought it up: “Celestial signs indicate anomaly,” “The late Emperor is angered,” “Heaven and humanity are warning us”—whenever they impeached Zhang Juzheng, they cited this phrase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as the star grew dimmer, Zhang Juzheng’s political disadvantage finally eased; the censorial officials no longer mentioned the guest star. Recently, they had repeatedly petitioned the Quan Chu Society, hoping to abolish the monthly third-day audience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the Emperor randomly calling names, no one dared be absent. The young Emperor’s reprimands were never vulgar, yet every word cut to the bone; the cold, unfeeling demeanor of the Zhu emperors was laid bare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The censor Hou Yuzhao, who had raised this issue, had recently been marginalized; nearly everyone cursed him for meddling and breaking the rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Emperor doesn’t hold court, so what? The Great Ming has gone over thirty years without regular grand audiences!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every first of the month, the young Emperor would hold a pile of memorials, call names at random, speak with sharp wit and meticulous logic—left hand invoking “Unity of Knowledge and Action, Attaining Innate Knowing,” right hand invoking “Contradictions Sequentially Reveal Ten Thousand Principles,” striking left and right, slapping each censor with every word, leaving them utterly humiliated and furious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Unity of Knowledge and Action, Attaining Innate Knowing” was taught to the Emperor by Yang Bo through personal example; when Yang Bo finally departed, he left no chaotic mess, but instead used the prevailing momentum to suppress Zhang Suiwei’s status as leader of the Jin Party.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Contradictions Sequentially Reveal Ten Thousand Principles” is the latest wildly popular doctrine, known as the Jiangling School, a razor-sharp theoretical weapon Zhang Juzheng handed to the Emperor—killing anyone who stood in the way, slaying even Buddhas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being randomly called out and scolded is worse than receiving twenty strokes of the cane!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Getting the cane still earns political capital—what kind of thing is this daily humiliation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhang Suiwei came today, wanting to use silver to save Jia Sanjin.” You Qi, seeing Zhang Juzheng no longer gazing at the stars, reported the day’s visitors: Zhang Suiwei had tried to court Jia Sanjin, but Jia Sanjin, absent from court, was dismissed and stripped of his rank, returning home to idle retirement—the Ministry of Personnel’s procedures were still ongoing; Zhang Suiwei had done his utmost to plead for Jia Sanjin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Suiwei sought help from Ge Shouli, who spread his hands helplessly: Jia Sanjin had been drunk beyond recognition when he missed court, utterly disgracing the censorial officials; Hai Rui had already labeled him as lacking righteous spirit—how could Ge Shouli save him? Ge Shouli was merely a party leader; he had no such power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Suiwei also sought Tan Lun, leader of the Zhe Party, but Tan Lun was a traitor from the Jin Party. Now that Yang Bo was gone, the label of traitor no longer mattered—the last tie to the Jin Party was severed—and Tan Lun refused to see Zhang Suiwei, giving him a closed door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now Zhang Suiwei has come to Zhang Juzheng, begging for help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is Zhang Suiwei thinking? Is this about silver? Can I save him? Do I have such power? This is the five cardinal relationships of ruler and minister, established for a thousand years. Even if I spoke well of Jia Sanjin, what good would it do?” Zhang Juzheng shook his head and gave You Qi his answer—he could not save him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was merely the Chief Grand Secretary; the mess Jia Sanjin made, Jia Sanjin must bear the cost himself. All Jia Sanjin’s life’s efforts were wasted, all because he got drunk and missed court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Missing court merited at most a salary deduction; Jia Sanjin was guilty of missing court, violating court etiquette, and being unfilial. He was merely stripped of his rank and sent home to idle retirement—still, he should thank Heaven he was a censor; with the young sovereign and a powerful minister ruling, if the flow of remonstrance were further blocked, it would truly be a guest star invading the Emperor’s seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng could not understand Zhang Suiwei’s thinking: Zhang Suiwei constantly accused him of intimidating the sovereign—did he really think Zhang Juzheng could fix everything?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Zhang Juzheng himself had committed this offense, the outcome would be the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng spoke with great ease: “What has Zhang Suiwei been doing lately?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Qi pulled out a small notebook: “Zhang Suiwei has been doing several things. First, he has been hosting banquets for censorial officials; they gather to drink, sing, and write poetry, trying to plead with His Majesty to show mercy or abolish the monthly third-day audience. I must say, the Emperor’s words have been utterly humiliating.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One wonders who taught the young Emperor such sharp tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Qi continued: “Second, he has been studying the doctrine of contradictions, publicly denouncing it as heretical and rebellious—but he himself bought the texts and reads them ceaselessly, daily, often telling his servants: ‘To refute, one must first master.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Third, he has a concubine who bore him a son, but the concubine was drowned in a well; the child was brought back to the household—a scandal. Recently, Zhang Suiwei’s wife, Lady Wang, has appealed to the two Empress Dowagers over this matter, causing a great uproar in the capital.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Qi spoke with a touch of glee: “This New Year, Zhang Suiwei won’t have a pleasant one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Suiwei’s wife, Lady Wang, was from a powerful Shanxi family, generations of officials, steeped in poetry, rites, and music. Zhang Suiwei came from a merchant family—his father, uncles, and younger brother were all Shanxi merchants. Merchants were lowly; had Wang Chonggu not arranged it, Zhang Suiwei could never have married Lady Wang. Even taking a concubine would have been tolerable—but keeping a mistress? His wife would never have tolerated it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Wang clearly disapproved of Zhang Suiwei taking concubines; had he been allowed to take one, he wouldn’t have kept a mistress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Wang, Zhang Suiwei’s wife, held a noble title, the matriarch of the six palaces, regulating all noblewomen of the realm; so her appeal to the palace was hardly surprising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How are prices in the capital and the nine borders?” Zhang Juzheng asked about rice, oil, salt, and firewood—prices vital to livelihood, not just in the capital, but also in Liaodong, Shanhai, Yongping, Jizhou, Xuanfu, Datong, and other border regions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng’s governance required grand structures; his new policies depended on these details—but he never ignored the daily necessities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rice is expensive in Xuanfu and Datong,” You Qi reported the prices he had gathered: one dan of rice cost about two taels on the frontier, while in the capital, one dan cost only four mace. Xuanfu lay beyond Juyong Pass; though close to the capital, the mountainous terrain made grain transport extremely difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, rain fell; a northwesterly wind turned it to snow, drifting like goose feathers through the air, while several memorials traveled along the official roads, stepping through the snow into the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yingtian Prefecture, under Governor Song Yangshan, arrested private salt traders; the traders resisted violently, clashing with yamen runners; the conflict immediately escalated into a clash between salt workers and yamen runners, leaving over a dozen salt workers and three runners dead—this incident caused a huge uproar in the Southern Court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Songjiang Governor Wang Daoqun awoke, he suddenly found a woman beside him; the news quickly reached the censors, and Wang Daoqun was impeached for forcibly raping a woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Nanjing Military Supervisor eunuch Zhang Jin and the Songjiang Inspector eunuch Zhang Cheng, drunk, beat the Nanjing censorial officials, including Wang Yi; the censors erupted in fury, relentlessly condemning Zhang Jin’s assault, and memorials poured into the Grand Secretariat like December snowflakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A four-hundred-liao warship patrolling the Yangtze sank accidentally; fortunately, all aboard were southern troops, with minimal casualties. The Songjiang Regional Commander Yu Dayou was impeached by the Zhejiang Provincial Governor and Surveillance Commissioner for dereliction of duty; Deputy Commander Chen Lin was impeached for allowing his troops to behave arrogantly and parade through the streets, alarming the populace, and petitioning for restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Fan spent the night at a brothel, killed one courtesan, killed one servant, and injured four others; the Nanjing Censorate’s Chief Censor petitioned the court to strip Xu Fan of his rank, revoke his scholarly credentials, and permanently bar him from office as a warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng held these six memorials: Song Yangshan, Wang Daoqun, Zhang Jin, Zhang Cheng, Yu Dayou, Chen Lin, Xu Fan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The imperial envoys sent by the Great Ming to the Southern Court to handle Xu Jie’s land restitution case had suddenly all fallen ill—none escaped, not even Xu Fan, caught red-handed for spending the night at a brothel, killing and injuring people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng placed six more memorials on the table and said: “Since receiving these memorials, I have issued orders to the Southern Court, commanding all officials to submit their statements.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Prefect of Yingtian, Gu Zhangzhi, is suspected of negligence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Ming’s salt administration had long collapsed; the salt workers, who boiled salt, had mostly paid silver to avoid service—part of the “four silver levies.” Since Emperor Xiaozong introduced the silver-for-salt system, the salt administration had completely decayed; patrolling for private salt became a revenue source for local yamens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Ming now had virtually no official salt—only private salt. Patrolling for private salt was how local yamens filled their deficits, seeking compensation from salt merchants; local yamens turned a blind eye to private salt trade—more precisely, governance was achieved through bribery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, the salt patrol escalated into a violent clash, killing so many—it was truly abnormal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing of the deaths, Song Yangshan launched an investigation; the entire incident was clear: the yamen sought revenue, but the usually compliant private salt traders suddenly refused to pay and rallied salt workers to resist; deep resentment had built up, and the fight turned brutal, resulting in many deaths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The private salt traders, known as the Salt Gang, were all ruthless men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The biggest mystery in this case: the clerks in the clerical office testified that the head of the Li Fang had said, “If tax collection fails, don’t come back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the head of the Li Fang firmly denied ever saying that, creating a contradiction and doubt; this Li Fang head was Gu Zhangzhi’s cousin, a juren.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yingtian Provincial Governor, Song Yangshan’s attempt to generate revenue through the “four silver levies” resulted in deaths—this was a crime of mismanagement, excessive enforcement, and overzealous pursuit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng suspected Gu Zhangzhi of negligence because of the doubt over whether the Li Fang head had indeed ordered the runners to pursue excessively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The salt patrol was initiated by Yingtian Governor Song Yangshan himself—he bears primary responsibility. If he insisted on patrolling—or, rather, equalizing taxes and rectifying the Southern Court’s chaotic taxation—he should have acted with extreme caution.” Ge Shouli, as Chief Censor, voiced his opinion: Song Yangshan, in the Southern Court, not only cleared land encroachments but also collected the “four silver levies”; once he delegated the task, any failure fell squarely on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hai Rui had served as Yingtian Governor; he shook his head and said: “Old trick.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you, Chief Censor Hai, suffer this too?” asked Zhang Han, Minister of Personnel, surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. When I was Yingtian Governor, I dredged the Huangpu River; several laborers vanished without cause.” Hai Rui recalled his difficulties managing waterworks in Songjiang—his methods were familiar: whenever you tried to act, someone would sabotage you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng looked at the memorials impeaching Song Yangshan and shook his head: “Demote Song Yangshan three ranks, assign him to remain in office under probation; if he repeats this, dismiss him immediately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mistakes must be punished; Zhang Juzheng could not protect him—he could only impose a penalty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The case of Zhang Jin assaulting censor Wang Yi.” Zhang Juzheng turned to the second case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Bao took up the thread: “Wang Yi spoke disrespectfully, insulting Zhang Jin just as Wang Chonggu called me a eunuch factionist—blaming the blind for being blind, the mute for being mute. Wang Yi insulted Zhang Jin’s manhood; they immediately fought. Wang Yi had seven men; Zhang Jin had six eunuch guards—including Zhang Cheng, the Songjiang Inspector eunuch, who was then in Nanjing on official business.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The conflict between Zhang Jin and Wang Yi arose because Zhang Jin was selling books in Nanjing and confiscated Wang Yi’s pirated printing shop. Zhang Jin didn’t know Wang Yi was a censor until after the beating.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Bao finished recounting the incident from Zhang Jin’s perspective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conflict stemmed from Wang Yi’s printing shop pirating the Imperial Estate’s annotated edition of “Contradictions Sequentially Reveal Ten Thousand Principles.” The annotated edition included several imperial ministerial dialogues—more engaging than the dry original, with examples; it was an imperial privilege, since only the Emperor’s servants could print the Emperor’s affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jin went out drinking; Wang Yi cursed him as a eunuch factionist and mocked his shortcomings—so they fought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun tapped his pencil and coughed lightly, looking at Feng Bao: “Feng Daban, was Zhang Cheng involved? Did Zhang Jin win?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Er… Zhang Cheng was in Nanjing seeking shipbuilders and craftsmen; he had just arrived when Zhang Jin hosted him, and they met Wang Yi. Zhang Jin and his six eunuchs were unharmed; Wang Yi’s seven men were injured—Wang Yi lost four teeth.” Feng Bao briefly reported the outcome: not only did Zhang Jin win, he won decisively!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At such a serious moment, the Emperor’s first question was about who won—clearly, His Majesty loved a good spectacle!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm.” Zhu Yijun smiled: “Fine. Carry on—debate, debate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bookish scholars, powerless and unarmed, stood no chance against eunuchs, especially the Eastern Depot’s enforcers!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they won, good—if they lost, bring Zhang Jin and Zhang Cheng back to the capital for proper training, so they don’t embarrass the Emperor outside. Zhu Yijun greatly approved of the cooperation between the old ancestor’s adopted son and the second ancestor’s adopted son, beating up the censors together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the palace, no matter how fiercely they fought, once outside, they were all palace people; when trouble arose, Zhang Cheng did not stand idly by—he acted well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Conflict between the inner and outer courts had arrived. If Zhang Jin and Zhang Cheng were not punished, eunuchs beating court officials would become a trend—this must not be allowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Zhang Jin and Zhang Cheng were severely punished, then future eunuch supervisors would no longer be sent out; the inner court would cease to exist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was not merely a beating case—it was a conflict between inner and outer courts, difficult to resolve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Bao thought and said: “Wang Yi deserved to be beaten. Censorial officials speak disrespectfully, lack moral cultivation; because of a business dispute, they curse openly—that’s not even something eunuchs would do. He deserves reprimand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But Zhang Jin and Zhang Cheng also acted wrongly—beating court officials was excessive. They should receive ten strokes of the cane, as a warning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What does the Chief Grand Secretary think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Bao’s meaning: give both sides fifty strokes. Zhang Jin and Zhang Cheng beat people—undoubtedly wrong, they must be punished—but from the eunuchs’ perspective, Wang Yi was utterly deserving of a beating—was that even human speech?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pirated imperial publications for profit, then resented the confiscation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Bao did not plead for leniency; beating someone was wrong, punishment was necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you all think?” Zhang Juzheng turned to Hai Rui. Five strokes each—what would Hai Rui, the incorruptible, think of this compromise?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hai Rui, seeing the Chief Grand Secretary ask him, thought and said: “Old trick.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ge Shouli frowned: “Is this also an old trick?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.” Hai Rui sighed: “In my view, they just lost the argument over profit, then cursed—and got beaten.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If they had won the dispute, they would have welcomed and seen off the visitors with beaming smiles. The imperial estate’s printing of this imperial-ministerial exchange already explicitly stated that private reprinting was forbidden. By Hongwu’s ancestral edict, anyone who created or disseminated prophetic texts, heretical books, or seditious speech to bewitch the masses shall be executed. This clause was repealed in the Hongzhi Thirteenth Year’s Revised Regulations on Punishments.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Otherwise, Wang Yi might be charged with prophetic heresy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Ming legal code was never static—it had been enforced since Hongwu’s first year until Chongzhen’s seventeenth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each emperor added, revised, or removed provisions; the Hongzhi Thirteenth Year’s Revised Regulations on Punishments deleted this clause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Confucian ritual law, the emperor’s words carried heavenly mandate. To privately print and wildly interpret the emperor’s speech without imperial approval was a capital offense. Thus, Zhang Jin’s raid on Wang Yi’s printing shop was entirely legal—and even merited a reward of fifty taels of silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the clause was repealed, it remained ancestral law; privately printing the emperor’s words was still prohibited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How can one cultivate upright integrity when so greedy for profit? ‘Pure stream’—yet reeking of copper. How can one still call oneself a ‘pure stream’ if one fights for profit?” Hai Rui harshly criticized Wang Yi, the censor: a true pure stream must remain pure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What does Grand Coordinator Ge think?” Zhang Juzheng turned to Ge Shouli and asked his opinion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the one beaten was a censor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He dares to file a complaint?” Ge Shouli’s evaluation was too disgraceful to watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Confucian scholar turning merchant was a moral decline—a fall from grace. Wang Yi ran a business, fine; but he was discovered, his stall overturned, and still he resented it. And not only that—he fought publicly, disgracing the scholarly class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He fought, and still lost!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How to view it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was somewhat too disgraceful to watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then follow Feng Da’s advice,” Zhang Juzheng said, seeing both Grand Coordinators had no objections and held Wang Yi in contempt. He wrote his opinion on the floating ticket and submitted it to the emperor for the imperial seal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dayou and Chen Lin’s shipwreck occurred because the vessels were ancient—these were leftover ships from the Japanese pirate campaigns, older than the young emperor by more than double his age. This was why Zhang Cheng had rushed to the Southern Office: to commission new ships. How could a navy without ships be called a navy, when its men could only run on land?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Yu Dayou and Chen Lin would receive at most a reprimand, with orders to inspect vessels thoroughly and strictly discipline troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Wang Daoqin forced-rape case,” Zhang Juzheng said with profound weariness. “Wang Daoqin is past fifty this year, yet still has such energy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This case was hardest to handle: once the word “rape” is uttered, you are guilty—how do you prove innocence?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hai Rui thought a moment, then sighed: “Old craft.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Again, old craft?” Ge Shouli stared at Hai Rui. What had Hai Rui endured as Provincial Governor of Nanjing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hai Rui looked at Ge Shouli. Ge Shouli was fortunate—he had always been protected by Yang Bo; no one dared torment him. Hai Rui had seen every kind of scene. He smiled: “I too was falsely accused in Nanjing. But I kept a few extra wits—those villains failed. A little silver could ruin a man’s reputation by tarnishing a woman’s virtue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whether you did it or didn’t, it’s all mud in your trousers—no matter how right you are, you can’t explain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You scholars really play dirty,” Feng Bao sneered. He realized he wasn’t shameless enough—look at these scholars’ methods, breaking every bottom line!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng pulled out Wang Daoqin’s petition: “Wang Daoqin said he woke to find a woman beside him. He didn’t know how she got there. After a long investigation, the Songjiang Prefecture court could only classify it as forced rape. The woman was indeed a virtuous wife—she wept and pleaded at the yamen, refusing everything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Zhejiang Provincial Governor and Censor impeached him for retirement to his hometown.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wang Daoqin, deeply ashamed, requested retirement and removal from the official rolls.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the curtain rose on Songjiang Prefecture, its chief, Wang Daoqin, found himself in peril over the rape case. Court ministers remained silent—everyone knew: Wang Daoqin had provoked disaster by investigating land encroachment. He would lose not only his post but likely his reputation too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why does everyone sink to the lowest depths? Isn’t this the tactic of the vile?” Zhang Han, the newly appointed Minister of Personnel, though lacking court backing, had climbed step by step—he knew the truth. He muttered with resentment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Lun looked at Zhang Juzheng: “Punish him. He lacked the ability to protect himself within three zhang. He was set up—whose fault is that? Failure in duty is incompetence. If incompetent, go home and grow sweet potatoes. Don’t disgrace yourself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Daoqin was of the Zhe Party; Tan Lun was its leader. When the leader refused to defend him, Wang Daoqin’s position became perilous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Approve his retirement,” Zhang Juzheng said, seeing all had spoken. He approved Wang Daoqin’s petition for retirement—though no one knew what he had written on the floating ticket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The petition reached the emperor. The young emperor studied it long, then said: “This is clearly an injustice. Why punish him thus? Master Yuanfu, I don’t understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Earlier, I asked you: after Emperor Ai of Han ascended, Chancellor Xue Xuan and Attendant Shen Xian had a feud. Xue Xuan slashed Shen Xian’s face eight times, cutting off his nose and lips. Shen Xian could never serve again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What difference is there between maiming a man’s face and sending a woman to a bed to ruin his reputation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This case’s handling is inappropriate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Ming Emperor openly opposed the Grand Secretary’s judgment—and questioned it with classical references!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone knew the ten-year-old sovereign was young—but not easily fooled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, I too find it inappropriate. But if we do not punish, the realm will take it as precedent. Others will follow, believing such acts carry no penalty. The civil service will collapse,” Zhang Juzheng bowed and answered why he had proposed this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was court law: punishment was mandatory. Otherwise, other officials would imitate it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be good is hard. To be a good official is harder. To be a good official, one must be more cunning and deceitful than the wicked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Yuanfu speaks wisely,” Zhu Yijun still refused to seal it: “One is one, two is two. Don’t let the guilty escape, nor punish the innocent. Send the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate the truth. If true, punish as proposed. If false, hunt down the masterminds behind it—execute one to warn a hundred.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young Great Ming Emperor was beginning to reveal his cruel side—calling for blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Great Ming, rape cases were nearly impossible to clarify. The emperor’s move was the “delay tactic”—drag it out, let new events bury it, exploit institutional rigidity, endlessly postpone, until the big becomes small and the small vanishes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Minister of Justice Sun Piyang had previously impeached Gao Gong, been imprisoned, stripped of office, and ordered to retire home. The process took a full year—until Gao Gong fell. Only then was Sun Piyang reinstated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Court ministers used this tactic. The young emperor used it too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As Your Majesty commands,” Zhang Juzheng said, smiling as he heard the emperor would dispatch Embroidered Uniform Guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On his floating ticket, he had written not of Wang Daoqin’s rape, but of the power struggle behind the Southern Office’s fourteen prefectures’ clearance of seventy thousand hectares of common land—the conflict between local gentry and the Great Ming’s imperial inspectors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Guanzi”’s “Light and Heavy” chapter divided conflicts into primary and secondary. One must clearly distinguish them—only then can matters be handled stably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for his recommendation, Zhang Juzheng had not, as he claimed, approved Wang Daoqin’s retirement—he had taken no stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This case required investigation, required the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The Northern Commandery’s Embroidered Uniform Guard controlled palace security. Mobilizing them for investigation was the core of imperial power—touching the emperor’s safety. Zhang Juzheng could not speak of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The imperial tutor had not explained—but clearly, the young emperor understood well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun tore off Zhang Juzheng’s floating ticket, picked up the vermilion brush, and wrote: “Dispatch Senior Judicial Officer Luo Bingliang to Songjiang Prefecture to investigate and report.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After writing, Zhu Yijun lifted the Wanli Imperial Seal and stamped the petition: “Hand over to the Northern Commandery for handling.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Ming Emperor and the Great Ming Grand Secretary appeared to disagree on Wang Daoqin’s case. The matter ended with the Grand Secretary yielding—but every court minister was a fox. Many guessed Zhang Juzheng’s floating ticket had not approved Wang Daoqin’s retirement, but defended him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Lun, the Zhe Party leader, was too magnanimous—never fought, never defended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng pulled out another petition: Xu Pan’s murder and assault case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even tigers don’t eat their young,” Tan Lun murmured in amazement. “Xu Huating is truly ruthless. He can kill his own son if he stands in the way. I truly am no match for Master Huating.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Correction: The first Fengtian Hall was renamed Huangji Hall in Jiajing Forty-One. All references in the text have been corrected—it is where the emperor holds grand audiences.\u003C\u002Fp>",4875,"2026-06-21T07:55:54.218Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","92390748fb29bfd180d2f75b60908beb057ac6d5f9b4fb31bb7e92e4a9872ebc","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-96","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-94",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-cover.jpg"]