Chapter 47: Official Ranks and Social Hierarchy Find Their Proper Places, Maintaining the Order of Honor and Humility, Seniority and Youth

In the twenty-eighth year of Jiajing, Zhang Juzheng, holding the status of a Shujishi, submitted a Memorial on Current Affairs, pointing out the five major ailments causing the Ming Empire to grow bloated and paralyzed. At that time, Yan Song served as the Senior Grand Secretary, and he dismissed the memorial as a mere emotional outburst.

In the thirty-third year of Jiajing, Zhang Juzheng requested sick leave and returned home. Unwilling to mingle in the foul and murky imperial court, he felt a profound sense of disillusionment, and his return to his hometown lasted for three full years.

During those three years, Zhang Juzheng immersed himself in the landscapes, traveling far and wide, reading countless books, and living an exceptionally unrestrained life. Yet, amidst his travels, he witnessed all facets of human suffering. Reaching a true and steadfast understanding of the world, and attaining a clear and penetrating insight into its affairs, he gained a much deeper comprehension of the Ming Empire's problems.

He noted: First, the imperial clan multiplied profusely, usurping power and disrupting justice, with laws shielded in concealment; second, land taxes were unevenly distributed, leaving the poor impoverished and jobless, suffering deeply under the annexation of lands; third, transient households mingled and resided together, full of craftiness, deceit, and treachery, corrupting social customs into moral laxity.

The times had changed.

The first change: The imperial relatives of the Great Ming flourished and multiplied in great numbers. Exercising arbitrary power to obstruct justice, they eluded the constraints of the law, which gradually grew obscured and hidden.

The second change: The powerful and influential elites always found ways to pay as little farmland tax as possible. The impoverished, forced to bear these tax burdens, naturally went bankrupt and were driven to sell their land just to survive. Bereft of property, the common people suffered bitterly under the torment of land annexation.

Thirdly, vagrants and ordinary citizens lived intermingled, fostering cunning, hypocrisy, sophistry, and deceit, while public morals were gradually ruined by extravagant living.

Public morale deteriorated by the day, rites and music collapsed, and the realm stood in perilous jeopardy.

Upon returning to the court in the thirty-sixth year of Jiajing, Zhang Juzheng had also changed. He had become calculating, vindictive, and thoroughly detestable.

Qi Jiguang was his protégé, and when someone presumed to bully him, Zhang Juzheng would not swallow the insult. Since Wang Chonggu was unable to discipline the garrison troops of the capital, and subordinates had committed insubordination by clashing with Qi Jiguang, this was an insult Qi Jiguang might endure, but Zhang Juzheng could not.

"Will this bring trouble to General Qi?" You Qi knew the Senior Grand Secretary was in a fit of rage, so he did not rush to carry out the order. Instead, he waited a moment before tentatively asking.

Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said, "General Qi is a military officer, so he cannot vent his anger freely. Yet if General Qi is humiliated and I, his patron, say not a word, who would be willing to risk their lives for me in the future? That is why I must stand up for him. I collect two thousand taels of silver from him every year as a tribute of respect; if I cannot champion his cause, what purpose do I have in taking this silver?"

"Go and do it."

You Qi was a confidant, and he too worried whether Qi Jiguang might suffer any adverse fallout. But upon closer reflection, those bastards in the court regarded Qi Jiguang—who had fought battles across the length and breadth of the country—as superfluous and useless. If they showed any more timidity, those ministers and censors would dare to ride roughshod right over Qi Jiguang's head!

Fight!

Accepting the command, You Qi departed, and a memorial was soon delivered to the Wenyuan Pavilion through the Office of Transmission.

Early the next morning, Zhang Juzheng presided over the court assembly. The very first item on the agenda was impeaching Wang Chonggu for failing to control the capital garrison, citing that centurions and banner leaders had committed insubordination by brazenly talking back to Qi Jiguang.

Wang Chonggu had no inkling of what had transpired until the supervising secretary of the Ministry of War lodged the impeachment.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk! Senior Guardian Wang's intimidating display is truly majestic. Well, well, General Qi returns to the capital after winning a victory to receive his reward, only to be trampled underfoot by a mere centurion. This intimidating display by Senior Guardian Wang lets General Qi know whose territory the capital really is, and whose heavens truly rule over the capital. Senior Guardian Wang, what a fine set of methods!" Feng保's bounden duty was to bite people, and he directly framed the nature of the incident as a provocation instigated by Wang Chonggu, designed to deal a blow to Qi Jiguang's prestige.

"Sharp-tongued!" Wang Chonggu slammed his hand heavily onto the table and said furiously, "Feng Bao! Do not throw dirty water and make false accusations! I only learned of this matter just now, and upon my return, I will certainly dispatch several soldiers to the guesthouse to apologize to General Qi!"

"Feng Bao, I am not as despicable as you make me out to be!"

Feng Bao sat composed and unruffled, retorting, "That is hardly certain. Such blatant insubordination warrants a hundred military杖 floggings—is an apology supposed to settle it? If apologies were of any use, what need would there be for military law? Shielding petty subordinates, Senior Guardian Wang."

Wang Chonggu was nearly driven out of his mind with anger. The failure to maintain discipline was already his disadvantage, but twisted by Feng Bao's meddling, it had turned into an intentional plot to show Qi Jiguang who ruled the capital—as if the heavens in the capital belonged to anyone other than His Majesty!

Feng Bao's words were utterly lethal to one's peace of mind.

Seeing Wang Chonggu growing frantic, Yang Bo hurriedly intervened, "Senior Guardian Wang, just handle it according to public law. If Grand Eunuch Feng feels unsatisfied, let the Embroidered Uniform Guard handle it."

The very charge of false accusation became harder to wash clean the more one tried to explain. The more Wang Chonggu argued, the more it appeared that he was indeed trying to establish dominance and shield his subordinates.

With just a few words, Feng Bao pinned two grave crimes onto Wang Chonggu, executing the maneuver as smoothly as kowtowing.

Zhu Yijun understood what was happening. The capital garrison had rotted to such an extent, yet how foolish would Wang Chonggu have to be to instigate such a petty and utterly unbeneficial act? Was that not asking to slap his own face?

Even if Qi Jiguang said nothing, once Qi Jiguang's personal guards mentioned it to You Qi, Zhang Juzheng would learn of it and pursue the matter relentlessly without letting go.

"Humph!" Wang Chonggu flicked his sleeve, finally suppressing his fury, resolving to go back and thoroughly overhaul the ranks. It was bad enough to make a fool of oneself within one's own doors, but now they had dragged their disgrace all the way to the Fengtian Hall.

The main business of the court session concerned the opening of the Fengtian Hall, the ceremonial rites upon entering the hall, and other detailed arrangements.

"Your subject is here to resolve Your Majesty's doubts." Zhang Juzheng stood straight, awaiting the emperor's inquiries. Given the events of today, Zhang Juzheng hardly knew how to speak of them to His Majesty.

The imperial lectures officially commenced, and Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng began a round of questions and answers.

Zhang Juzheng began: "The Analects, section 'For Government', states: Meng Wubo asked about filial piety. The Master said, 'Parents worry only about their children's illnesses.'"

"Meng Wubo was the son of Meng Yizi, with the personal name Zhi and the posthumous name Wu. He was the fifth-generation descendant of the Sage Meng. *Wei* means 'only'."

"Meng Wubo asked the Master what filial piety was, and the Master replied: Parents worry solely about their children's physical bodies and illnesses, and nothing else; that is filial piety."

"How is this sentence to be interpreted?" Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Juzheng and asked.

Zhang Juzheng pondered for a moment before answering, "A parent's love for their child is profound, and their worry is deep."

"A parent's love for a child encompasses all things. When children can comprehend the deep love and profound worry in their parents' hearts, they exercise extra caution in their daily lives and avoid committing wrongs—this is filial piety."

"When children are cautious and prudent, guarding their personal conduct and maintaining their integrity so that their parents have no other worries except for their physical health and illnesses—this is filial piety."

"When children practice filial piety, they need only concern themselves with their parents' illnesses, without letting other matters cause excessive worry or anxiety. A son does not speak of his father's faults, and a father does not lecture his son on virtue—this too is filial piety."

Zhu Yijun nodded and said, "The Senior Grand Secretary possesses great talent; your explanation of the single word 'filial piety' is exceptionally fine. Yet it seems the Senior Grand Secretary has held something back."

In explaining the concept of filial piety, Zhang Juzheng had indeed reserved a part of it. He had merely explained the aspect of obedience inherent in filial piety without extending it further.

Knowing what the young emperor was driving at, Zhang Juzheng thought for a moment and replied, "Meng Wubo was born into a wealthy and noble household and raised in a place of ease and pleasure, making him prone to arrogance, extravagance, debauchery, and error. Therefore, taking Meng Wubo's question as an occasion, the Master warned him that he ought not to cause his parents worry."

"Your Majesty is honored as the Son of Heaven, serving as the master of Heaven, Earth, spirits, and men with your very person! You ought to be cautious in your daily routines, temperate in eating and drinking, and guard against lust and strife, remaining ever vigilant so as to avoid illness, preserve your longevity, and grandly prolong the dynastic mandate."

Remaining vigilant so as to avoid illness—as Zhang Juzheng had lectured previously—was the art of nurturing life.

Irregularity in daily routines meant that one's daily life should conform to the seasonal rhythms: do not go bare-chested in winter, do not wear thin garments in spring, do not let prickly heat develop in summer, and do not wear excessively heavy clothing in autumn. Wrapping up in spring and freezing a bit in autumn constituted caution in daily routines.

Lack of moderation in eating and drinking meant not gorging oneself or overeating during ordinary days, nor consuming food recklessly without regard for raw or cold items, shoving everything into one's belly to the detriment of the body. One should eat properly—this was moderation in diet.

Failing to guard against lust in youth and failing to guard against strife in middle age meant that when one was young, one could not guard one's original mind nor exercise restraint, eventually hollowing out the body so that in old age one could only drool at the sight of beauties; whereas in the prime of life, one still acted rashly out of impulse, engaging in brawls that resulted in injury, disability, or death. Guarding against lust and strife averted these fates.

By doing so, one could nurture longevity and grandly prolong the dynastic mandate.

Watching Zhang Juzheng sidestep the question and talk about something else, Zhu Yijun could not help but smile.

Zhang Juzheng's explanation was entirely reasonable: be cautious in daily life, moderate in diet, and guard against lust and strife. Doing so minimized illness, sparing parents even the worry of their children's sickness; this constituted filial piety toward one's parents. His logic was clear and rigorous.

Yet Zhang Juzheng knew full well what the emperor was asking, but stubbornly refused to articulate or answer it. He consistently steered clear of the core issue and kept shifting the topic, making it evident that Zhang Juzheng realized a massive pitfall lay waiting for him ahead—a slippery slope he dared not touch.

Unwilling to engage in further verbal sparring, Zhu Yijun directly lifted the lid and declared, "Filial piety means obedience. I have heard that the Son of Heaven is both sovereign and father."

What Zhu Yijun wanted to inquire about was the hierarchy of seniors and juniors, the distinction between the noble and the humble, and the insubordination committed by the capital garrison centurion.

Filial piety was indeed obedience, but it was also the fundamental operating rule of society under Confucianism: the ordering of official ranks, the noble and the humble, each finding their proper place, thereby demonstrating the order of seniority and respect to later generations.

Filial piety was obedience, but it was also order.

Feeling somewhat helpless, Zhang Juzheng found that no matter how many times he tried to divert the conversation, he ultimately could not bypass this subject.