Chapter Thirty-Seven: Who Stands First Among the Empire’s Remonstrating Ministers?

Whenever Zhang Juzheng heard the phrase "I have a question, Your Majesty," his scalp would go numb. *Your Majesty, could you please stop having questions?!*

Zhang Juzheng replied with utmost sincerity, "Your Majesty, your servant... is here to resolve your doubts."

In truth, Zhang Juzheng longed to say that he could not resolve them, and that the Emperor should ask questions more appropriate for his age. The inquiries posed were paradoxical clashes of idealism versus reality and theory versus practice, leaving even Zhang Juzheng feeling less than confident.

Zhu Yijun opened his eyes wide and asked calmly, "I have heard that when bandits pass, it is like a comb, but when soldiers pass, it is like a louse-comb—they scrape everything clean."

"General Qi [Jiguang] pacified the Wokou in the south and repelled the northern barbarians in the north. He disciplined his troops with such severity that they dared not disturb the people in the slightest; to trample a single stalk of a peasant's grain was punishable by beheading. The Southern Army is the premier fighting force of our age."

"Yet, while Wokou ravage the southeast and smoke signals rise for a thousand miles, leaving the people in misery..."

"And while the northern barbarians plunder the northwest, leading to fifteen years of war and displaced populations..."

"General Qi leads his Southern Army, fighting north and south, yet at court, he is discussed disparagingly as a 'wart'—a useless, redundant excess. Is General Qi and the army he commands truly a wart?"

"Though a country may be vast, those who love war will perish; though the world may be at peace, those who forget war are in danger," Zhang Juzheng replied with great solemnity. His implication was clear: Qi Jiguang was no wart. If he were, he would not have allowed him into the capital to receive rewards.

Zhu Yijun immediately asked, "Prime Minister, how can a country be governed by virtue?"

According to the Nine Classics, the rhetoric of "cultivating culture to soothe distant peoples" suggests that virtue alone should suffice to quell the Wokou menace and the southern incursions of the northern tribes.

The Longqing Peace and the enfeoffment of Altan Khan appeared to be a grand victory for this policy of virtue. But if not for the twelve years of brutal fighting in Xuanfu and Datong that exhausted the northern tribes, and if not for the fact that Qi Jiguang now commanded one hundred thousand elite troops in Jizhou, would the northern tribes not have descended again to plunder the interior?

They certainly would have.

Thus, the young Emperor asked how one governs by virtue.

Zhang Juzheng fell silent for a moment before bowing his head. "Your Majesty, I do not know."

Zhu Yijun scribbled a few more lines and continued, "Morality is the highest pursuit. To win people over with virtue and to govern by virtue are noble goals—the aspiration of every heart—but one must still establish laws and decrees for restraint. Laws promote merit and deter evil; statutes define frameworks to resolve disputes; decrees make people aware of their duties."

"Morality resides within, while laws reside without. One should use laws to constrain human behavior and decrees to govern the state."

"As it is said: Virtue is established from above, and laws transform from below. Formulate rites based on circumstances, and enact laws when the situation demands. Guide them with virtue, restrain them with laws, unify them with rites, and govern the state with law."

Zhu Yijun’s perspective was to restrain men with law and govern the state with law, acting as the counterpoint to winning people over with virtue. His view was not radical; he did not deny the wisdom of Confucius. He held the benevolence and virtue of the Sage in high regard while simultaneously addressing the problems of practical application.

Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty once said that the institutions of Han were a blend of the Kingly Way and the Hegemonic Way. More simply put, it was Confucian skin over Legalist bones.

He wore the banner of Confucian morality while performing the Legalist work of restraining the people.

Zhang Juzheng was silent for a long moment. This reflection, which balanced theory and practice equally, kept him in deep thought until he finally bowed his head. "Your Majesty is naturally enlightened; truly a talent bestowed by Heaven."

The lecture continued. In the exchange of questions and answers between the Emperor and the Prime Minister, an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Zhu Yijun gathered his draft papers and gave a slight bow, ending the day’s session.

"Respectfully sending off Your Majesty," Zhang Juzheng said with a deep bow. Only after the Emperor had left did the Prime Minister of the Great Ming walk out of the Wenhua Hall. The midday sun was dazzling, causing him to pause for a moment. A faint smile appeared on his lips as he walked with steady, measured steps toward the Wenyuan Pavilion.

When the young Emperor became serious, it was truly reassuring. Zhang Juzheng had already glimpsed the image of a sagacious ruler in him.

The Confucian scholars of the Ming had long since stopped caring what the words of Confucius actually meant; why should the Emperor of the Ming care?

Zhang Juzheng was a pragmatic administrator, and his political philosophy was: rely on capable officials while being wary of the 'pure' factions.

The pragmatic officials were those who followed the law and understood principles—those who knew how to be flexible, how to get things done, and who focused on practice.

The 'pure' factions were those who refused to adapt, only knowing how to cite texts, nitpick, and make mountains out of molehills.

As Zhang Juzheng entered the Wenyuan Pavilion, he saw the secretaries carrying a massive stack of memorials inside. These were all petitions to rescue Luo Zun, Jing Song, and Han Bixian.

An hour was long enough for the censors and officials of the Ming to react. Three censors had impeached a Minister and were stripped of their ranks and sent home; it would have been strange if the censors had not tried to save them.

Zhang Juzheng opened the memorials and pondered for a long time. He did not write a single word. Instead, he attached a blank slip—a *fupiao*—to each one.

He was in an awkward position. Tan Lun was his man, and the punishment of Luo Zun, Jing Song, and Han Bixian was the Emperor's own decision.

The blank slip meant he knew how to resolve it, but he could not say so.

The censors wanted to save the three men who had been stripped of their offices. Their memorials soon circulated to the Directorate of Ceremonial, where the eunuchs in charge marked every single one with an 'X'. This was the first time the Emperor had taken action against court officials, and as the guardians of imperial power, it was the eunuchs' duty to uphold the Emperor's will.

By the time these memorials reached the Qianqing Palace and were seen by Empress Dowager Li, the young Emperor was grinding his teeth while practicing his horse stance.

Stance training was exhausting work.

Empress Dowager Li stared at the memorials for a long time. This was the Ming's error-correction mechanism at work. The censors had the right to speak on the Emperor's decisions, and their arguments were quite sound, leaving the Empress Dowager in a state of hesitation.

Censor Wang Shiju wrote: "Ministers are the heart and lungs of the state and should be protected to nurture the nation's vitality; officials are the eyes and ears and should be cherished to uphold the nation's righteousness."

"If we trust ministers today but crush the officials, we devalue the eyes and ears to appease the heart and lungs. Does Your Majesty desire only vitality and not righteousness?"

"Doing so will only cause the sycophants and flatterers in court to flourish, while the outspoken and righteous will wither away."

"The men of integrity will hold their tongues; if loyal ministers are silenced, is that truly in the interest of the state?"

Censor Jia Sanjin argued: "Ministers are the limbs of the state, and officials are its eyes and ears. Their duty is to admonish. We should nourish their upright spirit and be lenient with their punishments."

"If they are punished for doing their jobs, who will dare to speak up when the country faces great disasters or when treacherous villains seize the court?"

Empress Dowager Li had over a dozen such memorials on her desk, all pleading for the three officials.

The 'pure' faction was incredibly difficult to deal with. This was why the Emperors of the Jiajing and Longqing eras hid in the inner palace; arguing with these men was a losing game for the Emperor, no matter what.

Feng Bao looked at the memorials and remarked, "These 'pure' opinions are truly turning right and wrong upside down."

"Your Majesty explained it very clearly. The punishment was not because they impeached the Minister, but because they formed a faction to exclude others, and they would not stop until they won. If they weren't punished, wouldn't they just keep impeaching? Tan Lun is a gentleman; they are simply bullying a gentleman."

"If they were truly worried about the state, why did they only impeach Tan Lun, when Lu Shusheng was also present at the ceremony?"

Feng Bao pointed out the crux of the case. "Your Majesty's use of the term 'faction' is truly enlightening!"

Once the Emperor used that term, Feng Bao felt he had twelve times the confidence. The Emperor had used two words to lay bare the essence of the matter.

The court allowed for factions; different groups had their own political agendas. Ouyang Xiu’s *Essay on Factions* described this in detail: gentlemen form factions based on shared principles, while villains form them based on shared interests. This was natural and had existed since ancient times.

But how to distinguish between the factions of gentlemen and the factions of villains? Through relationships.

The Emperor had hit the nail on the head regarding the 'Jin Faction.' It was a 'clan faction'—a kinship relationship. Wang Chonggu and Yang Bo were in-laws; Zhang Siwei and Wang Chonggu were nephew and uncle; and the Jin Faction was a regional group centered on men from Shanxi.

The word 'clan' was sharp and concise, piercing to the very heart of the matter.

"At the lecture today, the Prime Minister said Your Majesty is a talent bestowed by Heaven. I believe he is right. With only one word, Your Majesty has made the sordid connections of the Jin Faction perfectly clear."

Empress Dowager Li sighed helplessly. "Chief Eunuch, did you see the Prime Minister’s blank slips? Is he planning to stay out of this? If the 'pure' opinion starts up again, it won't be easy to clean up."

"They wear the punishment of the imperial cane as a badge of honor. They build their reputations and advance their careers through this posturing."

"Indeed, it is hard to handle," Feng Bao agreed.

If the Emperor ignored them, the criticism would never end; if he listened, it would look like he was afraid.

"Look at our Emperor, how diligent he is," Empress Dowager Chen said. She cared little for the filth of the court. She held a firm belief: whatever wolves, tigers, or demons existed, they would all have to cower before the True Dragon.

Now they bullied the young Emperor, but later, they would all be held to account.

Zhu Yijun finished his exercise and walked toward the Empress Dowagers. He flashed his signature smile and said, "Mother, Aunt."

Empress Dowager Chen was the official Empress of the Longqing Emperor, outranking Empress Dowager Li, but after the Emperor's death, she had never interfered with Li’s rise to power. She had no son, so why cause trouble?

In terms of pampering, Empress Dowager Chen spoiled Zhu Yijun, while Empress Dowager Li pampered Zhu Yilong.

"Your mother is struggling with the mess you've made, yet you smile so brightly," Empress Dowager Chen said, placing a bowl of pear soup and pastries before him.

"A mess?" Zhu Yijun paused, then realized what she meant.

He thought for a moment and asked, "Who is considered the leader of the outspoken officials in the world?"