Chapter 36: Ruling by Virtue, Governing by Virtue?

The Emperor asked: when factionalism runs rampant and knows no bounds, and the imperial court is choked with partisan cliques, upon what does the Emperor govern the world?

Yang Bo stood up, bowed his head, and said, "Your Majesty, I am ashamed."

The Jin Faction saw him as an old man and had long since ceased to heed him. He was not fully aware of today’s impeachment, and seeing his disappointment, Zhang Juzheng felt equally let down.

Having lived a life of integrity, he had entered the Wenhua Hall and become a court minister, only to spend his days embroiled in such trivial squabbles. Now, he was even being eyed with suspicion by the younger generation.

Yet, as the leader of the Jin Faction, Yang Bo could only say and act this way. He was as helpless as Gao Gong had once been; the faction behind him would not allow him to stop.

That was why Yang Bo intended to resign—to retreat while he still could. If he continued like this, he would only end in ruin and disgrace.

Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment before speaking: "Minister of War Tan Lun and Minister of Rites Lu Shusheng, for their improper conduct at the Sun Altar, shall be fined one month’s salary. As for the three—Supervising Secretary Luo Zun, Censor Jing Song, and Censor Han Bixian—they are to be stripped of their official status and sent home to live in seclusion. What does the Senior Grand Secretary think?"

"The decision is yours, Your Majesty. I dare not debate it." As Senior Grand Secretary, Zhang Juzheng could not openly discuss the appointment or dismissal of court officials. Under the watchful eyes of all, he naturally would not object. That the young Emperor had not sent the three men who nearly incited a factional war to the Dissection Institute was a sign of the Emperor’s benevolence.

Zhang Juzheng breathed a sigh of relief; the Emperor was extremely cautious about sending people to the Dissection Institute.

"What does Minister Yang think?" Zhu Yijun asked, looking at Yang Bo.

"Your Majesty is wise." Yang Bo pondered briefly and did not plead for the three Jin Faction officials.

"Then let it be so. You may continue the court session; I shall return to my studies." Zhu Yijun wore a sunny smile, took the sharpened pencil handed to him by Zhang Hong, and continued to draw and write.

When it came to matters involving the Emperor, Zhu Yijun had to speak up. Since Zhang Juzheng intended to report to him, Zhu Yijun did not wait until after the lecture; he dealt with the matter directly to avoid rumors that Zhang Juzheng was misleading the young Emperor.

But who was truly misleading whom?

The three officials had been stripped of their status for their impeachment of Tan Lun—accusing him of being a parasite and criticizing him for coughing at the Sun Altar. Without their official status, they were not even considered gentry in their hometowns; they could no longer avoid taxes, let alone rise again.

Since they chose to be blades, they had to be prepared to be broken.

Their crime was factionalism: fighting without end, manipulating appointments and removals, and showing total disregard for discipline. Zhu Yijun had already broken three blades; this was a warning to others to curb the trend of factional strife.

If they caused trouble again, they would only find seats waiting for them at the Dissection Institute.

The court session ended quickly, and Zhang Juzheng stood up to begin the imperial lecture.

Zhang Juzheng’s expression was peculiar; he was ruminating on the Emperor's words, specifically the term "factionalism." It was a concise and telling word.

"Senior Grand Secretary?" Zhu Yijun asked, looking at him with confusion.

"Your Majesty, regarding Luo Zun, Jing Song, and Han Bixian—is the decision to strip them of their status perhaps open to reconsideration?" Zhang Juzheng regained his composure, his voice filled with reluctance.

Having spent years studying for the imperial examinations to reach this point, he found it difficult to see their careers ended so abruptly.

Zhu Yijun, appearing as if he did not understand, asked with bright eyes: "Does the Senior Grand Secretary mean that I should have sent them to the Dissection Institute? That seems rather harsh, as it is not a crime as unforgivable as conspiring with the enemy."

Zhang Juzheng immediately opted for the compromise. He was responsible for molding the young Emperor into a monarch, and he could not allow the child to become a tyrant. It was his duty to uphold the Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues in the Emperor’s heart.

Zhu Yijun knew exactly what Zhang Juzheng meant.

These three officials had studied, passed the examinations, and served as censors, yet they showed no respect for the Ming Dynasty, the Emperor, or the laws of the court. If they had even a shred of respect for the books they had read, they would not have acted this way.

Making mountains out of molehills and forming cliques—was this what the teachings of the sages taught them? Zhu Yijun read the same books, yet he saw no such petty behavior in the words of the saints.

"Why has Commander Qi not yet arrived in the capital to receive his reward?" Zhu Yijun asked curiously.

The reward for Qi Jiguang at the Fengtian Hall had already been decided, but Qi had been delayed. Zhu Yijun was particularly concerned.

Zhang Juzheng replied with slight helplessness: "Commander Qi is beyond the passes. The bandit Dong Huli’s forces were wiped out and his nephew captured. Fearing that the northern barbarians might use this as a pretext to move south, the Commander went to patrol the frontier."

Zhu Yijun felt a touch of regret. He had seen portraits of Qi Jiguang but had never met the man himself. He picked up a memorial and said: "I read this memorial by the court officials, claiming the Commander provoked the war. They suggest that since Dong Huli was merely seeking rewards, we should have paid him off with silver instead of setting an ambush, which only frightened the barbarians."

"The Commander is brave and resourceful, his soldiers fearless, the enemy was annihilated, and the bandit chieftain was captured. How does this amount to 'holding the enemy hostage to enhance one's own importance'?"

Zhang Juzheng flicked his sleeves solemnly: "Since ancient times, barbarians have feared power, not virtue. If we pay them off, they will only press further. If we find peace for a night, the barbarians will return by dawn, and other chieftains will follow suit. The borders will never know peace."

"Only by annihilating their forces and capturing their leaders can we achieve the effect of deterrence and punishment."

Zhang Juzheng’s policy was simple: enrich the nation and strengthen the military. Had he succeeded? He had.

Yet, where did the strong troops of the Ming go during the Battle of Sarhu?

In the winter of the twenty-third year of Wanli, at Shimen Pass in Jizhou, the Jizhou commander Wang Bao executed the Zhejiang troops who had just returned from victory in Korea, claiming "today is payday, no need for soldiers in armor." The once-glorious Qi Family Army was humiliated, a footnote to the decline of the Ming.

"Commander Qi works hard," Zhu Yijun said, stopping his inquiries. As a commander of three garrisons, Qi Jiguang was truly busy.

Zhu Yijun did not ask further about the content of the "Five Proposals" memorial; the implementation of the Single Whip Law in the capital had only just begun, and it was not wise to be too hasty.

The lecture began. Zhang Juzheng felt a strange, heartfelt confusion—a feeling he had never experienced since passing his examinations. The annotations on the Analects were becoming increasingly strange; the familiar classics were becoming alien to him.

Zhang Juzheng began: "The Master said: 'If you lead them by government and keep them in order by punishments, the people will avoid the punishments but have no sense of shame. If you lead them by virtue and keep them in order by ritual, the people will have a sense of shame and will correct themselves.'"

"The Master meant: a ruler’s governance of the world is nothing more than encouraging people to be good and forbidding them from being evil."

Zhang Juzheng explained the passages, citing the Book of Rites and the works of Mencius. It seemed that by citing these classics, he could reinforce his own ideological imprint and prove that he was right.

Zhu Yijun sat up straight and asked: "To win people over with virtue, to govern the country with virtue?"

"Exactly so." Zhang Juzheng breathed a sigh of relief. The Emperor understood the essence.

Zhu Yijun wrote four characters on a piece of paper: "Gentleman" and "Petty Man." Under "Gentleman," he wrote Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang. Under "Petty Man," he wrote Yang Bo, Wang Chonggu, Zhang Siwei, Ge Shouli, Luo Zun, Jing Song, and Han Bixian. After a moment, he crossed out Ge Shouli; the man was not worthy of being called a petty man.

The young Emperor looked at the list for a long time before asking: "Senior Grand Secretary, I am confused."

"I am here to resolve your confusion, Your Majesty." Zhang Juzheng felt a chill down his spine whenever the Emperor said those words. He feared that if these dialogues continued, he would eventually forget the very books he was teaching. It was exhausting to tutor a ten-year-old child who was the Emperor of the Ming.

Zhu Yijun asked: "Tan Lun acts with integrity, does not fawn upon factions, and is upright. He is ashamed of nothing in his heart—can he be called a gentleman? Luo Zun, Jing Song, and Han Bixian make mountains out of molehills, using ritual as a shield for factional exclusion—can they be called petty men?"

"The gentleman is poised and at ease, while the petty man is always full of anxiety," Zhang Juzheng replied firmly.

Zhu Yijun immediately followed up: "Then tell me, Senior Grand Secretary, how can one win people over with virtue?"

Tan Lun was impeached because he refused to submit to the Jin Faction, while those who impeached him carried the banner of ritual and law while acting as a faction. How could virtue prevail against that? It was not persuasive!

Ultimately, the resolution still relied on laws and administrative orders.

Zhang Juzheng was silent for a moment before saying: "Your Majesty, I do not know."

In truth, Zhang Juzheng did know. The classics stated: flourish in poetry, be established in ritual, and be perfected in music. When benevolence arises from the heart and actions stem from righteousness, one can win people over with virtue. The logic was complete.

But in the case of Tan Lun’s repeated impeachments, Zhang Juzheng could not bring himself to say it. Those were words to soothe a child, but although the Emperor was ten, he was still the monarch of the Ming.

When moral influence failed to correct behavior, one had no choice but to rely on laws and decrees.

"Senior Grand Secretary, I am confused," Zhu Yijun continued.