Chapter 993: Guarding the Myriad Lights of the Home

"Your Highness, it is not impossible for me to remain here, but I cannot convince myself to stay. The Great Ming Army is entirely the sharp sword in His Majesty's hand; wherever His Majesty's sword points, that is where the vanguard of the Great Ming Army must go. Though I have achieved some meager merits, I dare not forget my roots." Luo Shangzhi once again clearly refused Zhu Yiliu's solicitation.

The Prince of Lu's move to his fief was, in essence, a separation of the family; the freedom the Prince of Lu gained did not come without a price.

Luo Shangzhi was certainly tempted by the merit of conquering Mexico to secure a century of national fortune for the Great Ming, but his stance remained exceptionally clear.

As long as the Golden Mountain State implemented the system of noble titles and land grants based on military merit, the Mexico Governor's Office would inevitably be a primary target. The Mexico Governor's Office possessed world-class, massive silver mines—silver mines that, given the Great Ming's productive capacity, could never be fully mined.

Luo Shangzhi had the power of choice. At his level of status, if he remained in the Golden Mountain State, given the relationship between the Great Ming Emperor and the Prince of Lu, as well as the Great Ming's need for the Golden Mountain Navy, no one would do anything to him. In the history books of the future, he would even be remembered with great renown.

He did not stay in Golden Shancheng because of loyalty.

Loyalty is not merely loyalty to the Emperor; it must also be loyal to one's own heart.

Being among the ranks, Luo Shangzhi knew very clearly that the words "The Great Ming Army's military might shines with heavenly prestige," appearing once again beneath the sun and moon, were a coincidence—entirely because of His Majesty.

Zhang Juzheng was a civil service examination graduate; no matter how formidable he was, his "revitalizing the military" was always a superficial attempt. His status and position determined that he could not grant Marquis titles to Qi Jiguang, nor could he raise the status of soldiers. As soon as he died, Qi Jiguang and other military officers who sought shelter under him would be targeted, and the Great Ming would return to its original track of valuing the civil and suppressing the military.

Zhang Juzheng died, and the resistance of the military officers who had sought shelter under him proved that violence is very easily lost to control. The consensus of valuing the civil and suppressing the military would accelerate. If they did not resist, the achievements of Zhang Juzheng's New Policies in revitalizing the military would all come to nothing.

This was fundamentally a dead knot. In the early years of Wanli, with generals like Qi Jiguang, Li Chengliang, Ma Fang, Yu Dayou, Liu Xian, and Liu Ting, the two million soldiers of the Great Ming felt a sense of despair; all their struggles were like gasping for breath before death.

If understood according to the theory of contradictions, the Great Ming's military preparedness had already entered an irreversible downward spiral.

The two sides of a contradiction need to have roughly equal strength to confront each other, and through confrontation and struggle, a new order is born. However, the strength of the Great Ming's military preparedness had already weakened to the point where it could not contend with the forces of valuing the civil and suppressing the military. Under such circumstances, the contradiction between the civil and the military had already fallen into an irreversible downward spiral.

No matter the form of resistance, it would only accelerate this downward spiral. Holding troops for self-protection or harboring bandits for self-protection—there was no benefit to the overall military level of the Great Ming.

The Great Ming falling into the situation of the two Song Dynasties—valuing the civil and suppressing the military—had basically become a foregone conclusion.

At this time, a freak occurrence appeared: the Great Ming Emperor, Zhu Yijun.

The Great Ming's military revitalization having this current scene was entirely the result of His Majesty's firm resolve. Whether it was His Majesty's "unprofessional" practice of martial arts or the sudden granting of the title of Marquis of Qian'an to Qi Jiguang, it was all done by His Majesty.

Granting a title to Qi Jiguang and putting him in charge of the Beijing Camp was His Majesty staking everything—his own life and the national fortune of the Great Ming—as a bet on Qi Jiguang's loyalty, a bet that Qi Jiguang did not want to be Sima Yi.

His Majesty had ascended the throne for nineteen years; time had proven that His Majesty was an exceptionally steady person, steady to the point of being a conservative. That was His Majesty's only grand gamble.

Luo Shangzhi and the Great Ming Army had to repay that loyalty. This was also the consensus of the elite troops of the Beijing Camp and the Great Ming Navy. This loyalty, bordering on fanaticism, was meant to prove to the world that His Majesty was right!

The military could be trusted; violence was not so easily lost to control; valuing the civil and suppressing the military was wrong; valuing the civil and revitalizing the military was right.

Military loyalty was equivalent to His Majesty's path being correct; military disloyalty would prove His Majesty's path was wrong.

Only by reporting to the Son of Heaven could the Great Ming Army continue to maintain its ultra-high social status, the People's Livelihood Pharmacy, the three-level school system, the Lecture Hall of Martial Arts, as well as full pay and various imperial rewards established in the Beijing Camp.

Luo Shangzhi was a Grand Commander in charge of a region; he understood these things very thoroughly. He knew why he had to be loyal. He would not betray; even if the Prince of Lu gave him mountains of gold and silver, Luo Shangzhi would not stay.

His master was His Majesty, not the Prince of Lu.

His words had been very direct; the Prince of Lu was a smart man and naturally understood completely.

"Sigh." Zhu Yiliu sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair. As expected, one can only cultivate one's own people.

To put it bluntly, if Luo Shangzhi had really stayed, Zhu Yiliu would not have dared to be completely at ease, not in the way His Majesty was at ease with Qi Jiguang. A general who could be moved by fame, wealth, and profit—no matter how sharp this blade was, it was still just a blade, not a trusted confidant.

"How does Commander Luo view the system of noble titles and land grants based on military merit?" Zhu Yiliu's emotions lasted only a few seconds before he recovered. If they were not his own, no matter how he tried to keep them, he couldn't. It was better to ask him more about military affairs while Luo Shangzhi was still here.

"The Golden Mountain State needs an allocation method that the people of the Golden Mountain State—past, present, and future—all recognize. Only in this way can a consensus be formed, and only then can the construction of the state be completed." Luo Shangzhi deliberated for a moment before stating his view. He further added, "Acting like a 'good old man' like the Earl of Golden Mountain cannot achieve such a consensus."

Quan Tianpei's "good old man" style of doing things had brought some trouble to Golden Shancheng, and His Highness the Prince of Lu's decisive and swift style had compensated for this.

Zhu Yiliu had truly asked the right person; Luo Shangzhi really understood.

War is about will; it is about thoroughly destroying the enemy's will to resist and making them submit to one's own will. This is the fundamental face of war.

And the strength of the enemy's will to resist depends entirely on the breadth of the consensus. If the consensus is broad, they are strong; if the consensus is narrow, they are weak.

Qi Jiguang's theory of war was an important theoretical cornerstone of the Great Ming's Lecture Hall of Martial Arts.

"Recognized by the past, present, and future?" Zhu Yiliu was startled, even feeling a sense of sudden enlightenment. He had grasped that fleeting flash of inspiration. After Meng Jinquan brought out the Qin Law, Zhu Yiliu had instinctively felt it was right, but he couldn't say why.

But with Luo Shangzhi explaining it this way, Zhu Yiliu was suddenly enlightened. So that was it.

Luo Shangzhi continued, "The people of the Golden Mountain State now are all those who arrived in Golden Shancheng in the past; Zhao Mu is someone who arrived in Golden Shancheng in the present; and in the future, many more people will come to Golden Shancheng. How can we make them integrate into the Golden Mountain State and become people of the Golden Mountain State?"

"They need recognition; they need the recognition of everyone—past, present, and future. It comes from the recognition of the system, and the authority of the system does not come from the rationality of the system, but from identification. When ten thousand men act as one, they are invincible under heaven."

The highest consensus is a system that has gained broad recognition from the past self, the present self, and the future self.

Just as the Great Ming recognizes the Great Tang, the Great Ming believes that it inherits the Tang system and is the continuation of the orthodox Chinese line.

Qi Jiguang said that if there is such a "three-flower gathering" level of recognition, then there is no need to conquer; even a military victory is difficult to win as a political victory.

"People of the past know the current situation and whether they can smile in the nine springs; people of the present whether they are willing to endure suffering and continue to forge ahead; people of the future whether they will be grateful for all the efforts of the past and present. These three things are the standards of recognition. If the answers to these three questions are 'yes,' then it is the Mandate of Heaven." Zhu Yiliu gazed at the sky and said with a sense of loss.

To this day, he finally understood the two words "Mandate of Heaven" completely; they were never something ethereal.

Luo Shangzhi smiled. Zhu Yiliu's understanding was still not quite right; a limitation had to be added here, and that was "the majority." No system can satisfy everyone's interests; majority recognition is already not easy to come by.

Luo Shangzhi did not say it. His Highness the Prince of Lu was a smart man; after a little more time, he would naturally understand.

"Commander Luo, does the Lecture Hall of Martial Arts still teach these things?" Zhu Yiliu was slightly bewildered. What Luo Shangzhi said and desired seemed a bit inconsistent with his identity as a military general, much deeper than what Meng Jinquan taught. Zhu Yiliu even had the illusion of facing his Imperial Brother.

Luo Shangzhi said as a matter of course, "The Lecture Hall of Martial Arts naturally must teach these things. The Great Ming is facing a change in the heavens; His Majesty wants the army to exercise military control over the North—this is not just fooling around."

"Not just me, but the Great Ming military generals and the junior officers must all understand these things."

The military naturally also has to teach ideological politics; His Majesty even explains it personally. Luo Shangzhi was a top-tier graduate of the fourth class of the Lecture Hall of Martial Arts and had received His Majesty's high recognition and praise.

Being the "White Tiger of the West, the First Star of Slaughter," is not just about knowing how to kill. For a Grand Commander like Luo Shangzhi who guards a region, he must lead the entire army to win military victories and also win political victories.

"My Imperial Brother is wise and sagacious by nature; he knew these principles from a young age, while I have only just realized them now." Zhu Yiliu was once again shocked by his Imperial Brother's understanding of the principles of all things, but soon he said with a sense of relief, "Fortunately, my Imperial Brother is my own brother! Hahaha."

Thinking of how formidable his Imperial Brother was, Zhu Yiliu felt a bit of fear, but thinking that this was his own brother, he immediately burst into hearty laughter.

Zhu Yiliu remembered that when he was six, he had deliberately urinated on his Imperial Brother, and his Imperial Brother hadn't been very angry, just beaten him up—and not even a hard beating.

"My Imperial Brother really has a very good temper." As Zhu Yiliu spoke, he felt a bit homesick again, even showing a sense of grievance that represented weakness.

He wanted to go back to see his mother, see his Imperial Brother, see his own children, and tell them stories from the other side of the Pacific, but separated by a Pacific Ocean, with the affairs of the Golden Mountain State being a thousand threads, he couldn't go back in the short term.

His Majesty the Emperor has a very good temper? Luo Shangzhi was noncommittal. Perhaps in the eyes of the Prince of Lu, His Majesty really did have a very good temper.

Pacifying Mexico in five years and taking away the Mexican mine clusters was a beautiful wish, not to be taken as truth. It was just to give rationality to the system of noble titles and land grants based on military merit, to set up an enemy, and then build a consensus around this enemy.

Painting a big picture and telling stories has never been rare since ancient times. The Great Qin told the narrative of "marching East" to maintain the implementation of the system of noble titles and land grants based on military merit.

Zhu Yiliu had finished writing the memorial on the affairs of the Golden Mountain State, and Luo Shangzhi had also finished his own memorial. When the Great Ming's Pacific merchant ships left, the memorials were sent to the Great Ming together.

When the memorials arrived in the Great Ming, it was already the New Year of the twentieth year of Wanli.

The capital was filled with joy, and His Majesty the Emperor, as usual, did not attend the Aoshan Lantern Festival. He was not so busy that he had to work even during the New Year, so he took Zhu Changzhi and Zhu Changchao to the Taibai Tower to watch the New Year plays.

The prosperity of the Great Ming capital was dazzling. There was no curfew for these seventeen days of the New Year. Night had already fallen, but the crowds were still surging. Fireworks in the sky would suddenly soar; beneath the bright starry sky and the fireworks were the lanterns placed by children.

Women wearing veils walked on the streets, leaving rouge shops and entering clothing workshops;

The crowds were surging, and children running in the streets and alleys always drew scoldings from their parents;

The taverns were brightly lit. Inside the pavilions, the figures of pipa players were faintly visible. Sitting in the carriage, one could still hear them playing "Su Zhongqing."

Turning through the vermilion towers, near the winding ponds, a beauty plays the zither—whose jade fingers and icy strings move the evening coolness?

The notes are clear and lingering, like a crane in flight, pouring out all the musical scales, making one's soul scatter and fly, mistaking it for the song of a fairy in the Moon Palace.

The two brothers, Zhu Changzhi and Zhu Changchao, looked out the carriage window and whispered to each other, while Zhu Yijun looked out the window, lost in thought.

Every time Zhu Yijun felt exhausted, he would walk out of the palace and see this human world, and all his exhaustion would be swept away. Everything he had to do, in a thousand or ten thousand words, was to guard these myriad lights of the home.

This time he went out, there was no official business, and he didn't come to Taibai Tower to listen to scholars gathering and talking. He was simply out to celebrate the New Year.

The carriage arrived at Taibai Tower. No one disturbed them; the signboard of the Grand General's Mansion was truly useful, blocking all those who would bother them, and Zhu Yijun was happy to have the peace.

The Taibai Tower New Year plays were considered the big plays that one had to watch during the New Year in the capital these past few years.

Zhu Yijun didn't like listening to plays, so while the people downstairs were cheering, he couldn't make heads or tails of it in the private box, only feeling it was noisy. He had just come out on a whim to play, and once he really came out, he felt bored again. He simply rewarded some silver and ruined the reputation of the Grand General a little.

Everyone in the capital knew that the Grand General's Mansion had produced a prodigal son, Young Master Huang, whom even the Grand General couldn't control.

Zhu Yijun felt bored, and the reason was simple: the capital's second-ranked prodigal son, Wang Qian, had gone to Songjiang Prefecture to be an official, and Zhu Yijun, the number one prodigal son, lacked a "straight man" to play off of, so he became bored.

Once he was bored, time passed very slowly. Before the curfew at the hour of Hai, he took the two children and returned to the palace.

"How is it over at the Empress's side?" Zhu Yijun asked about Wang Yaozhuo. In the past few days, there had been fetal movements. The due date for Wang Yaozhuo and Gu Meisheng was in the first month. It was still the New Year, and the children in their bellies could no longer wait.

"The Empress is well. Imperial Physician Wu says that the Empress and Consort Zhuang will both be within these two days." Feng Bao reported the situation with a smile.

"Hmm." Zhu Yijun agreed, looked at the time, and saw it was still early. With nothing else to do, he said, "Bring the Veritable Records of the Emperor Shizong for me to see."

"Your Majesty, today is the New Year." Feng Bao did not respond, but instead countered with a sentence. During the New Year, one shouldn't look at anything.

"That's fine too." Zhu Yijun didn't insist. He sat on the recliner, staring blankly at the window frame.

Without state affairs, His Majesty seemed to have absolutely nothing to do.

Feng Bao was very worried about His Majesty's state. Feng Bao was anxious in his heart but had no way to help.

His Majesty was transforming from a spirited, prime-of-life young Emperor into a lonely man completely alienated by imperial power. Everyone was helpless in the face of this transformation.

Going out to watch the New Year plays was also Feng Bao's arrangement. He hoped that this liveliness could dispel some of the alienation, but it had no effect.

Feng Bao thought for a moment, took the memorial from His Highness the Prince of Lu, and said, "His Highness the Prince of Lu's memorial arrived this afternoon. The Grand Secretary on duty, Lu Shusheng, wrote a floating slip and sent it into the palace."

From the twenty-fifth of the twelfth lunar month to the sixth of the first lunar month, memorials did not enter the palace, but the Prince of Lu's memorial was an exception. This was an imperial decree the Emperor had issued long ago.

Zhu Yijun became interested. He read the Prince of Lu's memorial, which was like a running account. He had written down everything that had happened in the Golden Mountain State these days in the memorial.

It was mainly full of grievances. Zhu Yiliu had no one to talk to, so he could only write it in the memorial to tell the Emperor.

Zhu Yiliu was angry at Han Qingde's inching forward, and even more angry at the lawlessness of the Golden Mountain gentry, who even dared to slander His Majesty. The key was that these slanders were aimed at the "lower three paths," which was even more shameless.

Besides these trivial idle matters, he was homesick.

Zhu Yiliu asked about Empress Dowager Li, asked about the myriad beauties in his own Prince of Lu's mansion, and also asked about the two children. Of course, the Prince of Lu did not forget to tell the Emperor that he had gotten a few myriad beauties in Golden Shancheng, telling his Imperial Brother not to worry, as he was living well in the Golden Mountain State.

"Childish." Zhu Yijun finished reading the memorial and handed it to Feng Bao, saying, "Send the letter from the Prince of Lu to his mother to the Cining Palace."

The Prince of Lu had also written a letter to Empress Dowager Li. Zhu Yijun did not open it to read, but sent it directly to the Cining Palace. Ever since the Prince of Lu had moved to his fief, Empress Dowager Li had been sulking for a full six months before letting the Emperor continue as before, allowing him to pay his respects on the first and fifteenth of the month.

Zhu Yijun also understood why the Golden Pool Governor's Office refused to accept exiled criminals. These exiled criminals arrived overseas and still didn't behave, causing trouble, and dealing with them was quite troublesome.

The Golden Pool Governor's Office would rather have street ruffians to swing the whips than these educated gentry families. It can be seen that these people are annoying wherever they go.

The Great Ming Emperor felt he had nothing to do, washed up, and went to sleep in a sloppy manner.

The popular figure of the Great Ming Anti-Corruption Division, Anti-Corruption Censor Xu Chengchu, felt very annoyed. He hung a sign in front of his door saying, "The master is busy, not convenient to see guests," and closed the gate tightly. He didn't even let distant relatives and friends in the capital come to pay New Year calls. No matter who it was, they were all blocked outside.

When Xu Chengchu had a big tumor and was bullied, these relatives and friends ignored him. Once he passed the imperial examination, these relatives and friends suddenly appeared.

Xu Chengchu now had a great reputation and was hailed as the second Hai Rui. The three big fires of the Anti-Corruption Division had burned, making corrupt officials terrified. Now the Anti-Corruption Division could be called powerful, and people came in an endless stream, with many people visiting.

He didn't see a single person. Looking at so many visiting cards, he immediately came to his senses and closed the door to guests. As long as he opened the door to guests, the fame and wealth that others couldn't get would be within reach. But after thinking about it, he added the people on these visiting cards to the list for anti-corruption next year.

Xu Chengchu thought: If these people have no problems, why come to visit me? That must be because they have ghosts in their hearts, which is why they came to knock on the door.

"This Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Wang Zhuan, why send a visiting card? Whether it is official rank or the seating order in the Quanchu Guild Hall, I should be the one to visit him, not him visit me. Did he receive some news?" Xu Chengchu held a visiting card, his eyes cold and sharp.

In November of last year, the Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng asked Xu Chengchu to investigate Wang Zhuan, who was also under the Zhang faction, and found many things.

Completely different from Xu Chengchu was Shen Shixing. Zhang Juzheng gave the Quanchu Guild Hall to Shen Shixing and went to the Yicheng Hou Fu to celebrate the New Year. This move could be considered Zhang Juzheng handing over the Zhang faction to Shen Shixing.

Shen Shixing officially became the leader of the Zhang faction. This year was the first year, so naturally, he had to handle it in a big way. He met many people in succession, many of whom Shen Shixing didn't know. He was so busy that he didn't even eat a bite of New Year's Eve dinner. Some people looked familiar, some were strangers, and some he hadn't even seen before.

Shen Shixing ordered a screen of official positions to be made. He was sure this thing was really useful, at least he would know what the other party did when they met in the future, preventing them from not knowing what to say when they met.

What made Shen Shixing suspicious was that Xu Chengchu actually didn't visit him, the new leader of the faction.

On the sixth day of the first lunar month of the twentieth year of Wanli, a memorial entered the court, shaking the court and the public. Gao Qiyu, on the grounds of being "soft and greedy, appointing private individuals, and ruining the government," wrote a long article of several thousand words, plus four censors jointly submitted a memorial, launching an impeachment against Shen Shixing.

Gao Qiyu's memorial caused a huge uproar. This impeachment came very suddenly. At the moment when Shen Shixing was most proud, Gao Qiyu gave him a blow to the head, telling him not to be arrogant just because he had achieved his ambition.

This made Shen Shixing a bit at a loss, and he didn't even know how to write the memorial of explanation.

Gao Qiyu was naturally not making a false accusation. From the first to the fifth day of the first lunar month, the Quanchu Guild Hall could be described as having a constant stream of carriages and horses. "Soft and greedy" referred to so many people visiting, and Shen Shixing not only didn't avoid suspicion but also met them one by one.

What a big official addiction, daring to be so arrogant and forming a clique for private interests under His Majesty's nose!

On the morning court meeting on the eighth day of the first lunar month, Zhu Yijun held Gao Qiyu's memorial. He had already suppressed this memorial for two days because Zhang Juzheng had not expressed his position.

"What does the Master think?" Seeing Zhang Juzheng not speaking, Zhu Yijun had to ask himself. This memorial had been suppressed for two days and should be dealt with.

Zhang Juzheng stepped out and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I spent the New Year at the Yicheng Hou Fu."

"I know the Master was at the Yicheng Hou Fu, on the same street as the Grand General's Mansion. I went to the Master's mansion on the afternoon of the first day." Seeing Zhang Juzheng speaking in riddles, Zhu Yijun replied.

"The Yicheng Hou Fu is twelve miles away from the Quanchu Guild Hall. I don't know the situation of the Quanchu Guild Hall." Zhang Juzheng made it clearer. He would not help Shen Shixing in this matter, and would not even intervene.

Some storms eventually have to be resisted by oneself.

"Your Majesty, I request Your Majesty to admonish Shen Shixing to close his door and repent, and in the future, such things must never be done again." Gao Qiyu stepped out and bowed. He naturally didn't want to kill Shen Shixing with one blow. Shen Shixing had great merits and couldn't be impeached and overthrown for such a small matter.

"I am guilty." Shen Shixing was a bit startled. Seeing this posture, he hurriedly stepped out and bowed to plead guilty.

"Minister Shen, you really did go a bit too far, and it is easy to give people a handle. In the future, you must never do this again." Zhu Yijun didn't even punish him with a salary deduction, just gave a verbal admonition. Achieving one's ambition is one thing, but it's better not to be too arrogant.

Now that Zhang Juzheng was still there, even if the Grand Secretary clearly stated that he would not intervene, the censors would not dare to attack in a group. But if Zhang Juzheng were no longer there, Shen Shixing would have to be impeached by successive memorials for this one thing.

"I obey the decree." Shen Shixing bowed again and returned to the ranks with Gao Qiyu.

Stepping out to report matters, only Zhang Juzheng remained. Zhang Juzheng took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, there were three heavy snowfalls last winter. A timely snow promises a good harvest, and everything is renewed. At the beginning of the New Year, I request Your Majesty to wield the sharp sword and cut down the lawless."

"I have been in charge of the country for twenty years. The Zhang faction is deeply rooted and extremely powerful. The censors are tongue-tied and dare not impeach anyone in the Zhang faction. I request the upright official and anti-corruption censor Xu Chengchu to strictly investigate the corrupt officials of the Zhang faction this year to warn others against following their example."

The first new policy of the twentieth year of Wanli: clearing out the moths of the Zhang faction.

Zhu Yijun understood completely. This was a trap.

Gao Qiyu impeaching Shen Shixing was the cause, and Shen Shixing pleading guilty was the result. Turning the blade inward was the fundamental purpose of Zhang Juzheng handing over the Quanchu Guild Hall to Shen Shixing.

Over the years, the Emperor had supported Zhang Juzheng, and Zhang Juzheng's students and former subordinates were all over the court. The Zhang faction occupied half the world—this was by no means an empty statement. So, were all the people in the Zhang faction loyal, good, and virtuous officials? Were there no sycophants, incompetent officials, or treacherous officials?

Of course not.

But because of Zhang Juzheng, the Great Ming's error-correction mechanism and supervision system could not effectively supervise the Zhang faction. So, the new leader of the faction, Shen Shixing, being so arrogant and forming a clique, aroused the Emperor's fear. Conducting an internal investigation of the Zhang faction became a matter of course.

Zhang Juzheng had been a ruthless person from the beginning. Being ruthless to oneself is true ruthlessness.

Wang Chonggu knew very well the drawbacks of his own excessive human feelings, but he couldn't change it and could only pin his hopes on his successors and the Emperor.

Zhang Juzheng knew the crux of the drawbacks of his twenty years in charge of the country and struck directly with a knife.

"I have fully understood the Master's considerations, but this matter is of great importance. Allow me to think about it slowly." Zhu Yijun did not agree immediately.

Zhang Juzheng was willing to turn the blade inward against the Zhang faction, but Zhu Yijun was not willing, because Zhang Juzheng was not just doing superficial work. Once the knife was really wielded, it would easily implicate Zhang Juzheng.

Zhu Yijun's meaning was also very clear: wait until Zhang Juzheng had passed away, and then he would slowly sort it out.

The Emperor looked at the officials and continued, "The Master taught me that mutual suspicion between superiors and subordinates is like fire and water extinguishing each other. A ruler cannot but observe, cannot but be clear."

The way of the ruler and the minister must never be allowed to become mutual suspicion and fire and water. By that time, even with great ability, one could not save the country from collapse.

Zhang Juzheng bowed again and said, "Your Majesty, a ruler also cannot but observe: if his subordinates are too powerful, this is the prosperity of a private family and the destruction of the public house. If the ruler does not observe, the country will be in danger. The Tian family replacing Qi is a warning from the past."

This passage comes from "Han Feizi," meaning that a ruler must be vigilant against the power of his subordinates being too large.

If the monarch does not investigate and allows the power of his subordinates to grow, the expansion of the subordinates' power will lead to the interests of the private family—that is, the power-minister group—overriding the public interests of the state, eroding the monarch's authority and the overall interests of the state.

The Emperor threw a boomerang, and Zhang Juzheng played a "flash" card, telling the Emperor that it was time to do it, and if he didn't do it now, it would be too late.

Clearly, something had happened that gave Zhang Juzheng this sense of urgency, anxious to nip the disaster in the bud rather than waiting for the contradiction to erupt violently before sorting it out.

"The affairs of the world are not difficult to legislate, but difficult to enforce. If the law is not enforced, it is violated from above. I impeach the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Wang Zhuan, for corruption and breaking the law." Zhang Juzheng took out a memorial and presented it before the throne.

The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Wang Zhuan, was ashen-faced, looking at Zhang Juzheng in disbelief. Everyone in the court knew he was the number one hawk and hound of the Zhang faction!

Zhang Juzheng turned the blade inward, and the first knife fell on his fellow townsman, direct disciple, and hawk and hound!

Zhu Yijun also looked at Wang Zhuan in shock and opened the memorial.

Zhang Juzheng sighed and said, "Wang Zhuan, I have told you several times to rein in at the brink of the precipice, but you have remained obsessed and unrepentant."

Wang Zhuan's face showed a struggle, and he said loudly, "Master, in the forty-fifth year of Jiajing..."

"Shut up!" Zhu Yijun gave a violent shout, interrupting Wang Zhuan's words, and scolded sternly, "Are you crazy?"

Only then did Wang Zhuan realize he had made a slip of the tongue. He stepped out, trembling and kneeling, not daring to say another word.

The officials were all frightened by the Emperor's violent shout. In the Wenhua Hall, it was so quiet that one could hear a needle drop.

In the forty-fifth year of Jiajing, Zhang Juzheng had Wang Zhuan send a hu of South Sea pearls and some gold and silver to the Grand Secretary Xu Jie and the Second Grand Secretary Li Chunfang. Only then was Zhang Juzheng recommended by Li Chunfang, promoted from Reader-in-Waiting to Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy.

Zhu Yijun had known about this long ago. Wang Zhuan saying it out loud meant certain death. The Emperor interrupting his words was saving him.

This was the reason Zhu Yijun had refused earlier. Internal party clearing could be done, but it would definitely hurt Zhang Juzheng. ===== CHAPTER 994 =====